Marcus Bonfanti Trio
Dove and Boweevil
Tuesday 24 April : 8.30pm
£8.00 adv : £10.00 door
Please note- this is a standing show
2011 saw some kind of natural, unforced blues revival and Marcus Bonfanti was front and centre of it.
He’s like all of us. Some days he wins, some days he doesn’t. But to a songwriter with a half-full glass, that means there’s always plenty of subject matter for songs. His second album – ‘What Good Am I To You’ – is full of the highs and lows we all know, referencing a cool range of influences from Tony Joe White, through Tom Waits to Led Zeppelin.
But ultimately it’s his own style – this is the sound of the North London blues.
‘What Good Am I To You’ was listed in Classic Rock Magazine’s top 50 albums of 2010 and the single “Give Me Your Cash” was included in their top 40 songs of 2010. Bonfanti and his 3 piece band have been playing shows up and down the country to promote the album, his follow up to the acclaimed 2008 debut “Hard Times”.
Fast building a reputation as one of the most exciting acts on the UK live circuit with a fierce show, he earned 2 nominations in the 2011 British Blues Awards (Best Male Vocals & Best Guitarist) to go with his 2 nominations in the previous year (Best Album & Best Male Vocals). Following a triumphant return to Glastonbury, a full UK tour took place in the Autumn of 2011, to coincide with a new album.
The 29-year-old was born and raised in a tiny flat in North London to an English mother and a ‘dangerously Italian’ father. He picked up the guitar for the first time at the age of 16 after hearing Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog” and has already packed in plenty, having worked as a sideman for artists such as PP Arnold, Joe Lewis Walker, Earl Thomas, and Findlay Brown. He’s also opened for Chuck Berry, Robert Cray, John Mayall, Paul Jones, JJ Grey, Philip Sayce, Sonny Landreth, Walter Trout, Ian Siegal, Beth Rowley, Martin Harley & Jeff Lang.
However, following acclaimed appearances at 2010’s South-by-South West, Glastonbury, Secret Garden, Hop Farm, Maryport, Downpatrick and Carlisle festivals, and something approaching 200 live shows in the past year, it’s as the main man that Bonfanti’s reputation as an extraordinary live performer is growing.
If ‘Hard Times,’ set the scene and sent some subtly effective messages about a new British voice demanding to be heard, ‘What Good Am I To You’ makes good on all those promises.
“Bonfanti deserves to become the next British Blues Guitar Hero”- The Guardian
“With a voice like sand & glue, a punchy guitar technique & stockpile or careworn tales, his appeal becomes unisex. Highlights are plentiful”- Classic Rock - Blues album of the month
“Varied & confident album. This outing proves Bonfanti has the potential to take the blues somewhere intriguing”.- Guitarist Magazine
