Kitty, Daisy & Lewis and Blind Boy Paxton – Powerstation February 11, 2018

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The trio of siblings known as Kitty, Daisy and Lewis returned to Auckland’s Powerstation for the third time bringing a little extra sauce in the form of Blind Boy Paxton.

Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton, is himself, a frequent visitor to these shores, and his opening slot at The Powerstation was his first show of his latest NZ tour which finds him playing five additional solo dates in the coming days.

If you haven’t caught Paxton’s act yet, you really owe it to yourself to check him out.

Not only is he a fine musician….excellent on any number of stringed instruments including guitar, banjo and fiddle…but he’s probably the most entertaining storyteller you’ll see all year. His set was peppered with jokes, parables and poems, many as old-timey sounding as the songs he sings.

The combination of Paxton’s rustic blues and his between-song banter makes you feel like you’ve been transported back to 1920’s Arkansas.

It was a nice trip while it lasted.

Of course Kitty, Daisy and Lewis’ brand of rock and roll is steeped in the past as well.

Their latest album, Superscope, finds the threesome attempting to add a few modern touches to the sound, but in concert, it’s the rockabilly and rockin’ blues tunes that get the crowd hopping.

When they took the stage, eldest sibling Kitty Durham, with hair piled high, fronted the group, with Lewis at the keyboards and Daisy banging away on the drums for a trio of rockers beginning with Slave.

But after that is was musical chairs with each of the siblings singing lead, playing keys or drumming. The group was anchored by their father, sitting in the back playing rhythm guitar and percussion, while new bass player D.P. “Popcorn” Williams stood off to the side, away from the spotlight.

While all three can sing and play up a storm, it seemed that Daisy, the youngest, who just recently turned 20, really cut through with her vocals, particularly during Black Van.

As they did last time they were here, the group presented special guest Eddie “Tan Tan” Thornton, the veteran Jamaican trumpet player to play on three ska-flavoured tunes near the end of the set.

After closing with their version of Canned Heat’s Going Up The Country, the trio returned for a blues encore that featured an extended harmonica workout from Kitty and an even more extended guitar solo from Lewis. For my taste, the solos seemed unnecessary and indulgent and I was happy when they brought Tan Tan back for one more song.

This being their last stop on their NZ tour, KD&L asked Blind Boy to join them for Mean Son Of A Gun. A good time was had by all, even if Blind Boy’s fiddle was struggling to be heard above the band.

It was a good show, but not an outstanding show and The Powerstation was noticeably not full…I believe the group sold the venue out the last two times they performed there. With all three siblings now out of their teens and a decade of recording and touring together under their belts, it’ll be interesting to see if Kitty, Daisy & Lewis can sustain and grow their act or if they have peaked.

Marty Duda

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Reuben Raj:

Kitty, Daisy & Lewis set list:

  1. Slave
  2. Drop Dead & Leave Me Alone
  3. Baby Bye Bye
  4. Black Van
  5. You’re So Fine
  6. Down On My Knees
  7. Just One Kiss
  8. The Game Is On
  9. Whole Lot Of Love
  10. Team Strong
  11. Turkish Delight
  12. Don’t Make A Fool Of Me
  13. Good Looking Woman
  14. No Action
  15. Going Up The Country
  16. Unknown Blues
  17. Tomorrow
  18. Mean Son Of A Gun

 

Marty Duda
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