Samantha Fish’s creativity knows no bounds. In recent years, the US-based guitarist, singer, and songwriter has grappled with blues/rock, country and Motown.
For her latest project, Samantha enlisted the help of country outlaw Jesse Dayton to push the boundaries of the blues genre. By way of their collaborative release, Death Wish Blues, the pair have delivered an album which showcases a more garage/punk edge to this tried and tested sound.
On Tuesday evening, Samantha and Jesse arrived in York, where a strong crowd awaited them at the Barbican.
The top of the show perfectly set the tone for the evening with a ferocious rendition of Kick Out The Jams by MC5. The latter proved that the evening was going to be more than just your average blues show. The pair came to make a statement, and they did exactly that.
A fiery rendition of Deathwish from the duo's latest release followed. The pair delivered some old-school blues by way of Feels So Good. A blistering blues standard from the repertoire of the legendary Junior Parker, and also performed by the late great Magic Sam.
Sam and Jesse switched things up with a soulful rendition of Hello Stranger by Barbara Lewis. Before showcasing a slightly more retro-sounding, surf guitar-fuelled airing of Brand New Cadillac by Vince Taylor and the Playboys.
Throughout the show, Sam and Jesse frequently passed the baton between one another as to who took the lead on vocals. Each artist was given their share of time in the spotlight.
Samantha stepped into the limelight with her trusty cigar box guitar during a thunderous airing of Bulletproof from her solo back catalogue. Whilst Jesse followed suit by taking the lead on Down in the Mud.
Whilst the set was more on the rockier side of the duo's repertoire, there were moments in the show where they brought things down to showcase the gentler side of their catalogue. This included a beautiful performance of No Apologies, along with a stripped-back take on I'll Be Here In The Morning by Townes Van Zandt. The latter is an artist whom Sam and Jesse bonded over at the beginning of their creative relationship.
Throughout the evening, Samantha and Jesse gave many different looks on the blues. One of which was the country blues stylings of Baby's Long Gone from Jesse’s new album. A track during which Samantha showed that she can deliver blistering fretwork on an acoustic guitar just as well as she can on her trusty Gibson SG. And that traditional Mississippi blues sound continued during Rippin’ And Runnin’.
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In the latter stages of the show, the pair put their stamp on I Put A Spell On You by the legendary Screaming Jay Hawkins, to great effect. The song featured emotive guitar playing from Samantha. Sam’s spellbinding vocals on the track were of particular note.
On Tuesday evening, Samantha Fish and Jesse Dayton showcased the many facets of their artistry. The setlist not only highlighted their solo works, but also their vast musical knowledge and the diversity of their influences. Whilst this is still a relatively new endeavour for the dynamic duo, let's hope that there will be another album from them in the future, and perhaps a return visit to the UK. Only time will tell.
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