A ‘Milk and Alcohol’ theme framed this superb event, held on Sunday 23rd February 2025 for the Brain Tumour Charity.
Opening the day were the distinctly feelgoodish MILK MEN— the show hosts, organisers, and UK Blues Awards nominees—out to bat first. The ‘other’ ‘Milk and Alcohol’ bookend of the evening would, of course, be DR. FEELGOOD themselves.
Upbeat, well-crafted songs such as “She Don’t Like Rock ‘n’ Roll” were lively, vivacious, and hit the mark. This MILK MEN song initiated the first audience singalong of the day, which became one of many. No one can deny how fantastic their performance was!
Paul Long (on keyboards) made a welcome return to music as a special guest of The Milk Men, alongside the exceptional blues musician Todd Sharpville and his renowned canine companion, Genghis. Actually, we think Genghis got a bigger cheer than Sharpville!
The master of ceremonies introduced the event after the Milkie’s introductory set.
M.C. Stephen Steinhaus (who’s the music director + main stage booker for the award-winning Upton Blues Festival) took-over the ‘conductor’ role for the remainder of the musical bus-ride at London’s super-plush Indigo at The O₂ venue.
We extend our gratitude to the Milk men for creating such a memorable, welcoming event filled with life, love, and joy in music…
The CINELLI BROTHERS, winners of the 2024 UK Blues Band of the Year award, and their special guest THOMAS HEPPELL, played upbeat songs with their characteristic energy. We thought the highlight of their set was the romantic and groovy “Dozen Roses,” featuring Marco Cinelli’s alluring vocals, Tom Julian-Jones’s delicate guitar, and the rhythmic prowess of Alessandro Cinelli (on drums) and Stephen Giry (on bass/lead guitar) playing sets of truly remarkable chops.
Following this, DAVE KELLY, in his kaleidoscopic shirt, and his bandmate PAUL JONES, sharply dressed in a silver suit, performed electroacoustic-blues songs, enhancing them with musical insights from their shared history spent playing the blues.
Singer, actor, harmonicist, and presenter PAUL JONES has been around music since before Manfred Mann (1962–66) first, as a duettist with Elmo Lewis (performing as P.P. Jones) and later, on the blues circuit, having formed and fronted The Blues Band. He toured with this outfit until their breakup in 2022. Jones presented The Blues Show on BBC Radio 2 for thirty-two years, from 1986 to 2018.
Able slide-guitarist DAVE KELLY —who had once played with The John Dummer Band, Howling Wolf and John Lee Hooker— was also a founding member of The Blues Band (1979.)
DAVE KELLY and PAUl JONES performed electroacoustic-blues songs, enhancing them with historical musical insights…
Songs, such as the stompy-riffed 1963 number ‘Without You’ (not the Nilsson one!) that had only “two verses” and stayed that way “for decades” (explained Jones) before he added a unifying ‘third verse’ that filled the Milk Fest air at the Indigo and gained enthusiastic applause.
Subsequently, the talented blues-soul singer/songwriter JO HARMAN and her superb ‘Company’ performed a series of smoky jazz-soul pieces. Jo has recently been performing alongside the Van Morrison Alumni Band, and one number she brought to London from her experience with this show was the gorgeous Van Morrison penned ‘Philosophers Stone’ (first recorded on his 1996 album, Back on Top.) HARMAN’S performance of this piece at Milk Fest 2025 was graceful, seductive, and silky.
The in-demand session keyboardist, composer, and ensemble-all-rounder EMILY FRANCIS joined The Jo Harman Company for the first of two stints (later with WRM), along with the exciting guitarist/singer MIKE MAYFIELD. Also appearing with Jo Harman were Stevie Watts (keys), Sonny Winslow (bass), Martin ‘Magic’ Johnson (drums), and backing singers AMBA TREMAIN and LEONIE GALE.
MOLLIE MARRIOTT’s top button was “hanging off”…
MOLLIE MARRIOTT’s top button was “hanging off” for much of her impeccable set, so she fiddled with her blouse during temporary breaks in a spotless set of songs. We couldn’t believe it was her first live show ‘in a long time’ and she was ‘nervous’ before she came onto the stage with her band that incuded CJ Evans, Sam Tanner, Jon Clifford Cox, Adam Chinery, were exceptional. Her show was top-notch exemplary.
Hot-shot guitarist TOBY LEE stunned the house with his electric-arc blues. Under Lee’s guidance, blues music transforms itself from expressions of sadness and into vibrant celebrations of life; his songs at the Indigo danced across break-ups and despair to become songs of triumph!
British Blues masters WHEN RIVERS MEET debuted their new song, ‘Addicted To You’, for the London audience. The song embodied an irresistible pull—the intense desire you simply cannot get rid of when you’re fixated by someone’s love. Lush and harmonic, the chorus of this piece featured generously cheery beats and funky grooves. Grace’s singing was brimming with suppressed sensuality! We found this incredibly pleasing!
The evening culminated with the amazing DR. FEELGOOD.
We extend our gratitude to guitarist Adam Norsworthy and the other Milk Men for creating such a memorable, welcoming event filled with life, love, and joy in music; their hard work before and during the show made it a truly special day.
In addition, The Brain Tumour Charity deserves our heartfelt commendation for their incredible efforts.
Link: https://www.facebook.com/thebraintumourcharity
Words: © Neil Mach
All images: © photo credit Paul Dubbelman at dubbelxposure
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