Aynsley Lister Band
Lichfield Guildhall
By Ian Harvey

It’s unlikely that blues rocker Aynsley Lister has ever played anywhere quite like Lichfield’s ancient Guildhall.

The Midland singer-guitarist and his band brought their modern, driving rock sounds to a venue dripping in flags, crests and history.

And perhaps, just perhaps, the Guildhall witnessed a new piece of history as the four-piece raised the flag for British blues rock, a genre dominated these days by American names.

Quiet and self-effacing by nature, Lister comes alive with a guitar in his hands, evoking the raw grit of George Thorogood in Sugar Low and the barroom swagger of early AC/DC in Balls Of Steel.

Most of the set was drawn from his new album, Equilibrium, mixing soulful melodies and muscular riffs to great effect.

The pairing of Lister’s own Hurricane and a blues-infused version of Prince’s Purple Rain was particularly inspired, going down a storm with an appreciative audience.

Aynsley Lister returns to the West Midlands on April 22, for a gig at the Robin 2 in Bilston.