If John Harrison had only known what the evening had in store he would surely have kicked the 168th Folk Club Bonn off with ‘To a mouse’. The poem by Robert Burns that famously notes you can never safely organize anything with its observation: “The best laid plans of mice and men…” . We were well into part one of the evening and no guest stars. Serena Finnati and Andreas Varnier were nowhere to be seen or even reached for comment, which in todays hi-tech world is hard to believe. Easier to believe though, is that they were victims of today’s low-tech transport system and probably somewhere in a tailback on the infamous ‘Endenicher Ei’ or on any one of the many imaginative detours created by Bonn Council. So what happens when life gives you a lemon? Of course – you make lemonade! Consequently a Guest-starless evening of great music was had by all.

This was Folk Club Bonn #167, which if you divide by 11 meets per year, comes out at 15 years plus a bit over for good luck. John Harrison might indeed have considered that itself as a ‘miracle’ when he first shouted “Ladies & Gentlemen!” Indeed,at FC #1 that call might even have been “Lady & Gentleman”, singular, in those early days. 166 shows later it is very definitely plural, as all seats are regularly taken well before 7 pm – which might also count as a ‘miracle’?. At any rate tonight’s ‘Miracle’ theme was definitely, how can I put it? undersupported, although to John Hay’s credit, he did give us ‘Wonderwall’ which is almost the German for ‘Miracle’. On that subject, I wonder how we managed to entice a special guest all the way from Rome in the bluesy form of Pierluigi (PG) Petricca? Having musicians travel so far to join us is, well, a miracle…

Almost a year to the day since his last visit, Krissy Matthews was back at The Harmonie with his ‘Women of the Blues’ Tour. Take all the superlatives I heaped on that performance a year ago and then add a couple more “amazings!”. You’re half way to describing this evening’s show. Last year’s Blues Ladies Dani Wilde, Kim Jennett and Stephy Doherty, were joined by a new face (to me anyway) in Zubaida Solid. In addition we had once again the master rhythm section of Slavek Semeniuk (bass) Gerry Reynders (drums) and of course the best Norwegian/English guitarist on the planet in Krissy Matthews himself. What’s not to like?!

Dana Fuchs proved at Bonn Harmonie on Wednesday that she still possesses one of the most compelling voices in blues-rock today — a raw, soulful powerhouse whose music draws on gospel, soul, and Southern rock in equal measure. Back in the day, it must have been both a blessing and a curse to have been compared favourably with Janis Joplin, but over the past two decades she has continued to deepen her craft and expand her reach, both in the studio and on stage.  The result is not Janis, it’s 100% Dana, and she doubled down on her own identity in typical style before an audience clearly glad to see her back in Bonn again.

So, I saw the most televised Band in Germany last night. No, this wasn’t the Lanxess Arena in Cologne or even The Harmonie in Bonn. The venue was Ortszentrum Düsseldorf, the Band was Heavytones, and the Dottendorfer Jazznacht hall was packed out.

There are some old friends still to come on this years ‘Over The Border Festival’ who I can warmly recommend getting tickets for. Ismael de Barcelona‘s fiery Flamenco appearances have made him a firm favourite locally. Marion & Sobo have long established themselves as one of Bonn’s premier Global Music/Acoustic Jazz duos and the sheer power and exhuberance of The Trouble Notes built around Bennet Cerven makes them a ‘must see’ (I still wear my ‘Violins not Violence’ t-shirt with pride!) not to mention the excellent Lina Bö

RECOMMENDED…

The RheinBühne is a lively stage in the heart of Bonn City Centre, which has stood for cultural diversity and innovative entertainment since its foundation in 2016. In 2019, the ‘Kulturwohnzimmer RheinBühne‘ (to give it it’s full name) moved to Oxford Street just up the road from Bonn Stadthaus and has since offered a diverse programme – including stand-up comedy (also English comedy) and cabaret, to a stage for young local talent to find its musical feet featuring regular open mic and Poetry Slam nights.  Paul Leipertz and Katharina Niehus have certainly worked wonders in such a small venue (c. 100 seats) so check out the venues website HERE

I can certainly vouch for the high quality of music happening at RheinBühne, having caught Roxanne de Bastion playing at the venue last year (Roxanne has supported Katie Melua and Howard Jones). This evening should also be a quality one music-wise with another talented young lady making a return visit to the RheinBuhne – Sophie Chassee.