Live | Philip Sayce – Poppodium Volt-Sittard [NL]

16 October 2024

Philip Sayce was born in Wales in 1976 but grew up in North America where as a teenager he developed into a gifted guitarist. His talent did not go unnoticed and in his twenties he got recruited by established artists such as Jeff Healey and Melissa Etheridge. In 2005, after several years of exploring the world as a hired gun Sayce choose the solo path. His career thus far can be described as steady and stable.

TRADITIONAL BLUES

In the past twenty years he released no less than eight albums under his own name, 2023’s ‘The Wolves Are Coming’ being his most current one. The constant on these albums is Sayce’s undivided love for traditional blues and gritty heavy seventies rock, two genres that he tastefully blends together into an explosive cocktail. The Jimi Hendrix stamp in that is as evident as his adoration for genre defining acts like Cream and Mountain. Sayce’s flashy guitar playing is an absolute trademark and his fretboard technique competes with the very best.

It is his singing talent that sets him apart from his peers though. In contrary to many of his peers Sayce does not have a smoky throat, but instead is blessed with a crystal clear, well rounded smooth tone that lies at the intersection of greats like Lenny Kravitz and Stevie Wonder; in his late forties Sayce still sounds utterly youthful.

A HOT LAVA OF LICKS

His admiration for soul and funk add extra substance to his compostitions. On stage, Sayce has himself surrounded by the refined forces of Bryan Head (drums) and Sam Bolle (bass) and the skilled craft of these professionals cannot go unnoticed. Having said so, their playing remains a bit on the safe side though, which may be a conscious thing in order to accentuate Sayce’s immense qualities as a guitarist. During the trio’s hour and a half stage time it is Sayce in particular who goes totally balls out, releasing a hot lava of licks, solo’s and infectious grooves. Sayce clearly is a true string acrobat. The beginning of the show is overwhelming as the trio unfolds a true guerrilla style, uptempo frenzy during the first three songs. ,,Out Of My Mind’’, ,,Bitter Monday’’ and ,,Steamroller’’set for a truly blistering start.

MUSICAL DIVERSITY

After that the gas pedal is being loosened allowing Sayce to show his versatility by means of meandering tracks like ,,Blues Ain’t Nothing But A Good Woman On Your Mind’’ and ,,Standing Around Crying’’. The evenly impressive instrumental ,,Aberstwyth’’ is a delicate cinematic piece that Sayce co-wrote with renowned producer Dave Cobb and was named after Sayce’s birthplace in Wales. The hundred or so visitors who found their way to Poppodium Volt on this midweek evening all truly seem to be captivated by the musical diversity that is coming their way. When Sayce states that he co-wrote the smooth ,,Lady Love Divine’’ with none less than Richard Marx, a real hit machine from the eighties. It is needless to say that the bandleader has quite a network to fall back on. The funky piece does not qualify as a highlight of the set though.

JIMI HENDRIX

,,This Is Hip’’, steeped in a country atmosphere, appeals a lot more for that matter. ,,Beautiful’’, from the ‘Steamroller’ album makes everything falls into place again and with some more varied compositions, including the mesmerizing instrumental ,,Alchemy’’, the trio spiritually works it’s way towards the end of the regular set. When they returns for the obligatory encore, the accelerator is pressed one more time. The warm-blooded and funky ,,Morning Star’’ (just like the aforementioned ,,Alchemy’’ taken from the unsurpassed 2005 ‘Peace Machine’ album) flows into the compelling Jimi Hendrix cracker ,,Manic Depression’’, giving this show the steamy ending it deserves. After digesting enough guitar notes to keep a person satisfied for a whole week everyone returns home satisfied.

All photos by Stan Novak