Ironworks, Inverness, 9 March 2007

Steven Seagal with Thunderbox (photo - Fraser Welsh)

I MUST CONFESS, I’ve never really known much about Steven Seagal. I recognised his name as an American action movie star, but not being a fan of the genre, I haven’t seen any of his films.

So, when Seagal recently appeared on ‘Richard and Judy’ and ‘The Friday Night Project’, it was the first time I ever learnt anything about him. I soon became hooked – what a fascinating man! Talking about his acting, directing, writing, martial arts and work as a sheriff, it soon became clear Seagal is a man of many talents.

He was there to promote his latest venture, a world tour with his blues band, Thunderbox. Gosh! A Hollywood film star and live blues music at a venue near me – how could I resist?

I certainly wasn’t the only person to be intrigued. On the night, hundreds of punters forked out almost £30 to see Thunderbox at the Ironworks in Inverness.

But, right from the opening bars of support act James (super-chikan) Johnson, we knew the money had been worth it.

Johnson grew up in Mississippi playing blues with his grandfather on their front porch. His grandfather was apparently a notable musician himself, jamming with, amongst others, no less than John Lee Hooker himself.

This impressive musical heritage shone through Johnson’s performance. His smooth, distinctive voice and lighting fast fingers delivered a spell-binding set of catchy 12-bar blues numbers about women leaving and growing up poor.

Between songs, Johnson also proved to be a hilarious stand up, regaling us with stories (in true blues tradition) of his past and his music. Particularly fascinating was what he called his “guanjo,” a banjo shaped guitar, encased in silver metal and studded with multicoloured, pastel gems. It was a stunning instrument, just as memorable as Johnson himself.

Indeed, unlike many support acts, we were sad to see the last of this talented musician.

Could Steven Seagal claim to be so talented or would he prove to be a “jack of all trades, master of none?”. It was certainly a question on many people’s lips. From the on-line reviews likening his musical talent to that of a dull, gruff bear to the friends who’d refused to watch a band only famed for a film star member, there are a lot of people quick to criticise him.

In reality, Seagal (tall, slightly rounded and supporting his famous slicked back hair) was actually quite an accomplished musician. His bluesy guitar solos were note perfect and, though a little weak and monotonous at times, his voice could cover a fair range. He also made the effort to banter between songs, but his ridiculous, put-on, Southern American accent simply served to make him seem like a poor imitation of James Johnson.

Therein lies the problem with Seagal. Although a good musician, he lacks the flair of a truly great artist.

It is the sheer quality of the supporting musicians that make Thunderbox work. With two extremely talented backing singers, two back-up guitarists and a drummer with the most impressive kit I’m ever likely to see, Seagal couldn’t help but look good.

In fact, I even started to wonder if Thunderbox were actually a real band or the result of some kind of Pop Idol contest run by Seagal’s management. The supporting musicians were absolutely top class and were all about 30 years younger than the star attraction himself. They also pointed and bowed down to our action hero a little more often than would seem natural.

But none of this actually mattered. Thunderbox’s overall sound was sexy, energetic blues at its best and, just to see this film and martial arts legend performing a few feet away, was a novel treat in itself.

© Susan Szymborski, 2007

Links

• Ironworks