Somerset Sounds - Reviews

This band describes its music as jazz world folk fusion and, ever the cynic, I went along expecting a variation on Spinal Tap’s Jazz Odyssey.

The first song, Africa, although expertly played, was a touch too schmaltzy and New Age, but once this was over, they got down to the business.

The Monfi Cats took that little marquee in Somerton on a global trip of roller coaster proportions, taking in bodice-ripping Latin American rhythms, bluegrass, Cajun, blues, swirling Moroccan-influenced hypnotic trance tracks and storming Celtic folk.

Main man Tom Toomey has played guitar for MOR stars Sir Cliff Richard, Colin Blunstone, Don McLean and Leo Sayer; but there's nothing MOR about this band.

The epic progressive rock influences of Yes, Santana, Camel and Mountain are evident but the diverse touches of Steely Dan and Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks are there for those with a finely tuned ear.

Drums, cello, bass, electric and acoustic guitar, violin, keyboards, sax, congas, harmonica and flute combine in an entrancing, ethereal symbiosis that weaves dream-like Banco de Gaia vocals and throbbing bass lines; guitar playing of staggering accomplishment and hypnotic violin.

Drummer Dave Wallace is Ginger Baker in more ways than one and anchors the band perfectly, whatever they're playing.

Listening to the blistering guitar solos remind me of Frank Zappa and Jimi Hendrix. That comparison is not made lightly- Tom Toomey is a guitar genius. Whether he's doing the electric axe man or playing achingly beautiful folk ballads, he captures an audience and keeps them hooked.

The audience couldn't believe they were watching something so remarkable at a small town arts festival. I have seen far worse at WOMAD and Glastonbury.

The song Flaming Flamenco graphically evoked a foreign landscape with a mistral blowing seductively and the Celtic inspired Farfrae's Dance escalated into such a fury of rhythm that one could almost see the entire Unseelie Court and faerie rade galloping through the tent.

Then the mood switched straight to 1930s Chicago speakeasy with a smoky jazz classic tribute to Miles Davis, then to a backroom bar in the Confederate states for Drugstore Queen.

A song called Love was the most commercially appealing track and a power ballad worthy of Clapton, and this was followed by a flawless version of Mason Williams' Classical Gas.

This whistle-stop tour of countries and genres was punctuated with beautifully crafted guitar instrumentals reminiscent of Bert Jansch and John Renbourn with Pentangle and Alan Stivell along for the ride.

The band showed true talent when Tom Toomey had to rush to the loo and left them to improvise, so we were treated to an ad-libbed Wild Cherry/ Earth Wind & Fire funk track, with Simon Swarbrick on violin playing a medley of An English Country Garden, The Blue Peter, the national anthem and the EastEnders theme.

They encored with Tall Fiddlers by Tommy Emmanuel, a blistering, frantic Appalachian hillbilly mountain stomp that would put the Levellers and the Pogues to shame. Class is class is class.