It seems three bands in one evening is becoming the norm these days. And why not? It gives the up-and-coming artists a chance to play in a bigger hall and in front of a larger audience. It is like a mini-festival. Different sets of fans are coming together, and most will experience one or two acts they have never seen or even heard of before. You can’t go wrong with that and tonight we had The Cinelli Brothers and Rosie Frater-Taylor joining the excellent Cardinal Black.
The Cinelli Brothers – Rosie Frater-Taylor
O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London – 11 October 2024
Words And Photography: Manuela Langotsch
Rosie Frater-Taylor
The night kicked off with London guitarist, songwriter and singer Rosie Frater-Taylor. A name I had not heard before, I was eager to see and photograph her. With a drummer and bassist behind and a Fender electric guitar in her hand, Frater-Taylor delivered a fantastic jazzy folky set to promote her brand new album Featherweight.
With Kate Bush being one of her influences and idols she performed a magnificent version of the smash hit Running Up That Hill. The crowd loved it. No doubt we will see and hear more of her in the future. I cannot wait. You can find out more about Rosie here.
The Cinelli Brothers
Next up was one of the UK’s finest blues bands, The Cinelli Brothers. This is a quartet made up of two Italian brothers, Marco (vocals, guitar and keys) and Alessandro (drums and vocals) and Brit Tom Julian-Jones (vocals, guitar and harmonica) and Stephen Giry (vocals, bass and guitar) from France.
Having won the UK Blues Challenge in 2022 and being awarded Blues Band Of The Year at this year’s UK Blues Awards is no accident. These guys are one of the hardest-working bands I know, and being extremely talented also helps, of course.
When you are a support act, you usually do not have much time to impress the part of the audience who is not familiar with you. But tonight, The Cinelli Brothers managed it.
I have seen these guys multiple times over the past two years and it is obvious they are progressing and are highly focused on their musical path. Cruising with Joe Bonamassa, touring the US, UK and Europe is not on every band’s calendar, but it is on The Cinelli Brothers.
It is rare when you see musicians who can each take the lead vocally and move between instruments. Amazing! The set featured fan-favourites Married Women and Choo Ma Gum but also tracks from their latest album, Almost Exactly… which blends blues, roots, rock and soul.
I am looking forward to seeing what is next in store for them.
