Blues Matters September 2001 ( UK)

Radiotones: Live at Whistlebinkies, Edinburgh

THAT most cosmopolitan of festivals, The Edinburgh Fringe got some dirt under its fingernails with the appearance of the Perth-based Radiotones and Blues’n’Trouble front man Tim Elliott. The event that has become more mainstream than the mainstream was dragged kicking and screaming back to its roots by two completely opposite but equally towering performances at The Flipside Music Festival held in Whistle Binkies, South Bridge.

Just a quick word about the venue it is one of the few, very few, pubs that have been distressed‚ and works. It has managed to maintain an intimate atmosphere and with a small semi-circular stage in one corner, full it must put on one hell of a night.

Both the Radiotones and Tim Elliott have releases on Buzz records under whose banner the night was held, the label is the brainchild of front man Dave Arcari and is home to what, on this evidence, are some of the more challenging‚ acts and I use the word as a compliment because both acts were great entertainment.

One thought struck me immediately the three members of the Radiotones took the stage, the fourth horseman of the apocalypse must be having the night off. These boys, all dressed in black and wearing sunglasses, exuded menace, bassist Adrian Peterson and Arcari are big blokes and what harmonica player Jim Harcus may lack in physical stature he more than made up for in musical presence, this was a band who would brook no nonsense as was proved later.

How to describe their music, well it wasn’t Chicago blues, it wasn’t Delta blues it was snarled blues. Blues with rockabilly, blues with punk, I can’t repeat how Arcari described it to me but he was spot-on.

Amidst all this stomping and stamping there was some pretty good music, if you are going to pitch your tent at the manic end of the street you‚d better be able to play, and almost despite themselves the Radiotones couldn’t hide the fact that they were all fine musicians. The calm assurance of bassist and harmonica player acted as a counter-balance to the wild-eyed Arcari who didn’t so much challenge the audience to listen as ask it out for a fight in the street.

Even an impromptu comic by-play with a member of the audience who had celebrated too well couldn't put them off their stride, in fact it all added to the anarchic atmosphere of a set that will live long and hard in the memory.

All right I’ll come clean how would the Krays of the Blues‚ sound with their tongues removed from their cheeks, just as good probably but not half as much fun. They and we had a ball.

Tim Elliott was a completely different kettle of fish, he had the look and demeanour of an accountant a little uncomfortable in such bohemian company. But when he sang and played he blazed with the fire of the music.

Originally he was due to play with The Troublemakers but a date mix-up meant that this truly was an ad hoc 4-piece so much so that when I tried to find out the names Elliott furnished two guitarist Mike Park and Kevin McGuire on stand up bass but was unable to tell me who the other guitarist was saying: “Never seen him before!” The mystery man was in fact Derek Jones. What that gave their set was a fresh impromptu feel, Elliott suggested how he wanted the number to go and then they just winged it, it made for some glorious music. I suppose this is how it all started, musicians coming together for the love of playing.

Elliott has a singing voice that could have been left him in the will of some blues great, it soared with emotion and pure passion, just to listen and look at him was to see man lost in the enjoyment of the moment.

Blues gospel and country music all featured heavily and what Elliott managed to achieve was to put the pieces together perfectly, if you really listened you understood how closely they are all related. Sleepy John Estes‚ Dames Don’t Care was followed by what was described as a throwaway‚ country original Down On The Farm, but in Elliott’s tender care nothing could be described as a mere throwaway.

The slow and easy Jimmy Reed song Honest I Do gave way to the inspirational gospel I’m Gonna Tell God All About It, you could trivialise this by saying it was Elliott playing the preacher but in reality he was just dredging up every last ounce of energy.

Throughout the set Elliott was bolstered by the kindred spirits around him both on and off stage, as he invoked the memory of the likes of Robert Johnson (Judgement Day), I don't believe you can't learn what the band did with that, it all comes from within.

You could sense that the ensemble had gone beyond merely performing for an audience, they were enjoying themselves proved by the fact that they did half an hour’s overtime‚ nobody noticed and nobody cared, we certainly weren’t complaining.

Ah but sadly all good things etc. and Tim Elliott obviously decided it was time for some self-indulgence, a tour de force harmonica boogie momentarily stunned the audience with its virtuosity, before deserved applause as the band left the stage.

Both the Radiotones and Tim Elliott have CDs available. Radiotones’ Whiskeyed Up and Tim Elliott and the Troublemakers’ Beds Slats’n’All. Both are well worth seeking out but be prepared to have your preconceptions shattered and your mind expanded.

Michael Mee