This was a pretty special gig for us, as it’s not typically the style of music we usually would usually cover. However, we caught Pokey’s set at The Long Road earlier this year and brought tickets for this show on the way home, we were that impressed. But how would he be at his own gig in an indoor venue? Read on to find out!

Before the main man came on, we had a wonderful duo come on as support. The Tailspins were the perfect band to open for Pokey. Their unique throwback sound of 1950’s jump-blues fit the style of the evening perfectly, and Oskar and Julia play it perfectly. Between fan favourite tracks off their EP like ‘You’ll Make it By’ and ‘Beep Beep’ to the tracks off their recent 45, we got a fantastic little set, too. And while I’m a little sad we didn’t get a full band experience, I completely understand the pressures of touring restraints these days, and Oskar did a fantastic job at playing the mouth trumpet to make up for it! And the husband-and-wife are born performers too, with Oskar’s outgoing nature and charm winning the crowd over almost immediately, while Julia fit perfectly alongside him. Their playing skills were amazing and their vocals not only fit the style fantastically, but also meshed together perfectly in their harmonies. I’d never heard of the band before, but they very much have a new fan in me!

Then, after a brief pause, the swing-blues legend and his band took to the stage. Somehow, they were even better than they were back in August. I’ve never seen a group of musicians so talented and so tight together live every time they play, and it really makes for a pleasure to behold. And as a musician myself who cannot possibly get to this sort of level of playing in this style, it was a little mind-blowing at times to witness. From the guitaring to the standup-bass to the drumming to the keys/organ to, again, PLAYING THE GUITAR AND TRUMPET AT THE SAME TIME, everyone was incredible. And that’s not to take away from Pokey either, who is a master at guitar and whose vocals fit it all so well!

As for the set list, it was very almost perfect! I was once again snubbed from seeing ‘Fuck Me Up’ live, but outside of that they played an incredible list of songs. From opening on the incredible ‘So Long, Chicago’, to playing crowd favourite deeper cuts like ‘Goodbye, Barcelona’ and the beautiful acoustic ballad ‘When Did you Leave Heaven’ (by request) to the hits like ‘Fine to Me’ and ‘Something in the Water’, it was jam packed full of highlights. And between the tracks and the extended jamming between them, it was all played amazingly well, ensuring the crowd ate it up. Pokey has a really dedicated fan base over here and the packed house in Manchester demonstrated that perfectly, hanging on every note and word. It was a fantastic show from start to finish, thanks to both the crowd and the band.

And there we have it, folks. A night packed full of amazing blues, swing and jazz music. Both bands killed it and impressed the packed crowd at the Academy no end. I cannot recommend either band enough, on track or live, especially if you like this sort of music. If either of them are nearby you, go and see them live, I promise you won’t be disappointed! I already can’t wait to see either of them again!