Monday, 7 January 2008 - Junior Wells Tribute Gig - Times review

...O'Leary was simply superb. Bearing down on the reeds with such powerful, precise tone on numbers such as 'Snatch It Back & Hold It' and 'Checking On My Baby', he lifted the perrformance to a higher level every time he took the stage....a fitting testament to one man's enduring contribution to the blues...

Reviewed by The Times Newspaper (The Times Newspaper, Weds 9th January 2008) - added Wednesday, 23 January 2008

Sunday, 18 November 2007 - The Oval Blues Club, Croydon

The name of John OLeary is synonymous with British Blues and Blues harmonica playing at its best. He is part of a British tradition that can be traced back to the sixties. It is no wonder then that a capacity crowd of enthusiasts came to watch his band at the Oval Tavern on this night. He was more than ably supported by an excellent band which consisted of Jules Fothergill on guitar, Joachim Greve on drums, Jools Grudgings on keyboards and Ian Mauricio on bass (who was standing in for Roger Inniss who was stranded on a ferry in the English Channel).

In true blues style the band did an instrumental warm up number, with great guitar work from Jules prior to John OLeary taking the stage. John started with Born In Chicago, one of his trademark numbers with a full-blown harmonica solo and fine work from the other soloists. On Junior Wells Snatch It Back we had more fine work including a subtle jazzy guitar solo from Jules. Early In The Morning featured an extended harmonica solo from John, a great Hammond sound from Jools and full-bodied cooking guitar from Jules. On Drifting Blues the band pulled out all the stops and Jules shone on guitar. The set finished with the feisty Little By Little with great solos from the whole ensemble to please the fully appreciative capacity crowd.

The band again did a warm up for the second set with Jules on vocal duties and playing some great guitar and a great drum solo from Joachim. John let the harmonica do the talking on the intro for Look On Yonder Wall, which segued into Help Me and back again. Ace harmonica player Laurie Garman guested on Shes 19 years Old with John on vocals. Lauries harmonica playing has a great tone, and its no wonder he enjoys the reputation he has. John took over the harmonica honours on Its The Cause Of It All while Laurie guested on the next number. Then John played Black Cat bone which segued into reggae at the end. The band finished the evening with Pink Champagne with Terry Wisby from Texas Thunder guesting on guitar.

This was a fine evenings entertainment from a fine band and great guests. The John OLeary band is an excellent ensemble. All the musicians are top notch and have all deserved reputations in their own right. John is rightly proud of this band and he benefits from having such great support, he certainly capitalises on it. Long may they continue to entertain...

Reviewed by Bill Smith (Blues In Britain, Jan 2007) - added Tuesday, 8 January 2008

Wednesday, 21 February 2007 - The Harbourside Club, Liverpool - Gig Review

Continuing the outstandingly high standard of blues gigs at The Harbourside Club, the John O'Leary Band delivered two sets of superlative quality. Supplementing the trio of founder members (O'Leary on vocals and harp, Jules Fothergill on guitar and Joachim Greve on drums), Roger Innis on bass guitar and Julian 'Mr Jools' Grudgings on keys completed the best yet line-up of this magnificent band.

The fact that nearly two hours of performing covered only twelve numbers, including an encore, fully indicates the length and frequency of individual cameos from all the band members. In the hands of less than brilliant musicians, that formula has the potential to be self-indulgently boring. In the event, each solo was a refreshing delight. Even the familiar content of the sets are forgivable, as each number is so well delivered. The mix is also a finely balanced programme of shuffles, slow blues and up-tempo favourites.

The rich tone of John O'Leary's harp work was particularly well enhanced by the sublime artistry of Jules Fothergill on guitar. He seems to get better and better with each appearance, combining sensitive phrasing with exceptional fingering speed. He is now undoubtedly in the very top rank of UK blues guitarists. Innis and Grudgings have added considerably to the mix with their individual flair, the former's bass guitar solos a match for many a lead guitarist; while Joachim Greve's drumming is simply incredible. To select highlights seems superfluous, but 'Early In The Morning', 'Who's Been Talkin'?' and 'Black Cat Bone' were especially well presented, with Greve's drum solo on the last named number positively awesome.

A measure of the band's brilliance is that the spell-bound audience remained transfixed despite the simultaneous, televised, counter-attraction of Liverpool's triumph over Barcelona in the adjacent bar. It even limited the depressing effect of Everton's all-too-predictable, last-minute demise against Spurs. Now, very few performers can meet a challenge of that magnitude.

Reviewed by Lionel Ross (Blues In Britain, tbc) - added Friday, 2 March 2007

Monday, 1 January 2007 - Sins Review

John O'Leary is one of the ol' guys responsable for the British Blues revival in the sixties, we should be grateful to them. John was co-founder of The Savoy Brown Blues Band and played with famous Blues people (a.o. Champion Jack Dupree, John Dummer). Now there is this, his second solo album "Sins". However, he puts it in perspective: this is an album from The John O'Leary Band. And that band has world class. It is also an international band with (German) Joachim Greve (drums) and (Belgian) Dominique Vantomme on the keys. The CD was produced by guitar player Jules Fothergill in an excellent way (he also did the graphics of the CD cover, but maybe he shouldn't have done that). The John O'Leary Band applies many styles; most remarkable are the jazzy ones with a firm dose of rock ("Blue Water", "Waiting For You"). The quality and level of making music is high, especially Fothergill's guitar (as usual) who can play the stars out of heaven, think about Robben Ford and Carlos Santana. There's also some thrifty but splendid Hammond and piano playing by Vantomme and top quality versions of classics like "Black Cat Bone" and Howlin Wolf's "Who's Been Talking" with fragile and to the point harmonica work in minor key by O'Leary. Backing vocalists Rietta Austin and Lorna Reilly do a good job on "Blue Water" and the party gospel song "Save My Soul". There are also two instrumentals, the 70's jazz-rock like "And Everything" which reminds us of Focus, and the funky "Chiswick Roundabout" where Fothergill goes all the way. "Sins" is not a masterpiece, as some of the songs are too thin, but the capacities of the musicians are high to such an extent that this album is very satisfying. Hats off to John O'Leary who gave liberty to the respective musicians, doing himself what he does best: playing the harmonica in the best possible way.

Reviewed by Bobtje Blues (Bobtje's Blues Pages, Online) - added Thursday, 22 March 2007

Friday, 25 August 2006 - Colne 2006

The classy John OLeary Band opened the festival on the International Stage on Friday with a superb harp / guitar led funky blues set. A founder member of Savoy Brown all those years ago, John has the musical stature to harness the superb Duane Allman style guitar playing of Jules Fothergill, alongside Roger Innisss funky bass lines and keyboard player Jools Grudgings' telling embellishments. Particularly impressive was the hard hitting funk of Black Cat Bone, and the reflective Whos Been Talking... With over three thousand people in for the show, this hospitable Lancashire town should have made enough for a repeat four days of musical oblivion next year...

Reviewed by Get Ready To Rock (Get Ready To Rock, online) - added Monday, 26 March 2007

Sunday, 5 March 2006 - The Navy Club, Maryport

An instrumental opener, with Jules Fothergill, Roger Inniss and Joachim Greve instantly into the groove, it featured a massive Roger led bass riff, with synth effects on his customary 6 string, before Jules kicked in on the Gibson. John O'Leary then stepped up and brought the harmonica into the proceedings. Although he's Irish, he sings just like Texan Paul Byrd, strangely enough. When he introduced the band, Roger and Jules got huge cheers, they're firm favourites round these parts, of course. Junior Wells' 'Snatch 'it Back and Hold 'it' had a beautiful piece of slide from Jules before he blitzed it with an awesome solo that won a huge ovation from the crowd. '19 Years Old', a Buddy Guy tune, was delivered slow and moody, Roger's bass sublime, as always. More solo work followed, with great attention from the crowd, and, of course, a huge cheer. When Jules got his turn, it smoothed into a Santana-esque riff that the drums and bass picked up on, and the whole thing just let rip, fantastic! 'Little by Little', a 12 bar rocker, ended the first set with a bang, guitars on song and John and Roger together with the chorus. 'Look on Yonder's Wall', a standard blues number was, as John said, messed around with and it sounded a bit like Green Onions or Sonny Boy Williamson's You've Got to Help Me Baby, with Joachim powering away at the back. Another boogier, 'Checking on my Baby', and John certainly gives Jules and Roger free reign to solo away, much to the delight of the crowd. 'Black Cat Bone' was a funked-up rocker with Roger leading the way using more heavy effects and segueing into a Voodoo Chile style riff, before an explosive finish and a standing ovation. Except it wasn't the end, because Joachim finally got his turn for a solo, with the bass keeping a funky beat. It was probably one of the fastest, most technically proficient solo's we've seen, all around the rims, the stands too and both ends of the sticks, before bursting into a Samba Pa Ti by UB40 style ending. The encore was 'Pink Champagne', a 40's style tune that merged into 'Everyday I Have the Blues' and the crowd loved it.

Reviewed by Steve Bouckley (Blues Matters, Issue 31) - added Friday, 2 March 2007