BILL WYMAN, CITY HALL, SALISBURY

OL' stone-faced Bill Wyman and his mates gave Salisbury a shot of rhythm and blues par excellence on Tuesday night, on a tour of their musical roots that took in soul, blues, rock 'n' roll, jive, skiffle and even a bit of Cajun zydeco.

The former Rolling Stones bassist has surrounded himself with great musicians with a shared love of music and the joy of playing live.

They may have seemed a well seasoned, craggy bunch but with the likes of legendary guitarist Albert Lee, Welsh keyboard wizard Geraint Watkins and ace sax player Frank Mead on board, they are an ultra-tight outfit who can play anything and have a good deal of fun in the process.

Special guest for the tour is Dennis Locorriere, of Dr Hook fame, proving himself a fine soul singer, negotiating gems from back catalogues of Ray Charles and Marvin Gaye as well as a fine duet on the Harlem Shuffle with the band's regular vocalist (and certainly youngest member) Beverley Skeete.

Along with sterling versions of tracks by The Coasters, T-Bone Walker, Fats Domino, Gene Vincent, Wilson Picket and Lonnie Donegan, there were several unexpected but inspired choices. A jazzy Johnny B Goode preceded by a very droll recitation of the lyrics in the style of Dylan Thomas, courtesy of the deadpan mirth-maker Mr Watkins and a Memphis soul take on Bob Dylan's Maggie's Farm a la Solomon Burke. Dennis's heartfelt version of Randy Newman's Louisiana 1927 had the appreciative audience on their feet.

Throughout the evening the inter-band banter was both dry and witty, usually revolving around the age of Bill Wyman. Mind you, without the pressures of stardom, Bill exudes an easy charisma and seems to be having the time of his life. Also on the humorous side, I've got to mention the funky horn players, Nick Payn and Frank Mead, who virtually had a show of their own going on their side of the stage with their clever choreography and crazy antics.

By the time we reached the last note of Beverley Skeete's spine- tingling rendition of Screaming Jay's I Put a Spell on You, the crowd were up on their feet once again roaring for more.

The gig ended with a rousing romp through Chuck Berry's You Never Can Tell, which simply took the roof off.

After that, who could ask for anything more?

Roger Elliott