Ealing - Home of The Blues

Rory Thomas enjoys a night at the the historic Red Rooms

On the evening of June 1st, I attended a night of Blues music at The Red Rooms (previously The Ealing Club), in Ealing Broadway. The evening saw several “up-and-coming” young artists, namely, Marky Dawson, Winnie & The Rockettes, The Tom Walker Trio and blues-master, Robert Hokum - each performing original material ahead of the Ealing Blues Festival on Saturday 27th July 2017.

If you have never been to The Red Rooms, you will almost certainly be unaware of the quality of music, and its long history. The former Ealing Club can be found behind an unassuming door in a darkened alleyway at the foot of a shadowy stairwell off Ealing Broadway. From outside the walls are a sooty black from the traffic and passing trains; inside, one enters a kind of “speakeasy” setting from a bygone era. This curious, somewhat furtive prelude makes one feel privy to some secret underground society, vanishing from the feverish street-level world of sirens and pollution, into a crack in the scenery to another realm.

The Red Rooms are literally beneath the surface, and therefore hot, and sultry. The bar and seating area are low-lit and bathed in a ruby-coloured glow. Low ceilings, solid wood floors and psychedelic depictions of musicians are close about. Things, chairs, other furniture and arrangements seem from another era; unchanged, possessing a world of memories. For this reason, there is a kind of raw authenticity, a timeless beauty, a charm and constancy to The Red Rooms that transcends generations. This venue would also be perfect for other inherently American artforms such as stand-up comedy or Jazz - the kind of intimacy and low-level subversive entertainment associated with the likes of Lenny Bruce.

By 8pm, the dancefloor was a hum of bodies. Forty or fifty people red-skinned and thirsty awaiting a night of moody music and drama, ensconced from a brutally hot evening in May. Emceeing tonight is Robert Salmons (Bob), Director of Ealing Club Community Interest Company, and Founder & Artistic Director of Ealing Blues Festival (he books the talent!). Bob is a lifer musician, and has been campaigning for the survival of the Red Rooms, the significance of British Blues music having its genesis in Ealing, and the intellectual property associated with these matters for years. The Ealing Club name, The Ealing Blues Festival name, and the Ealing Club plaque (erected in March 17th, 2012) as well as a documentary on the heritage of The Ealing Club and Blues music are all his ‘intellectual property’. Bob said: “The documentary is the story of the birth of British Rock Music”, and features interviews from Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and Eric Burdon, as well as archive footage. The next step is to give the exclusive to a reputable film festival.

Bob started proceedings with an opening blast about the history of the Red Rooms, dating its inception on March 17th’, 1962 when Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies, sidemen of Chris Barber, started Britain’s ‘first ever dedicated electric blues club’. Bob said: “If you start at year zero, the spark, any musicologist will tell you Ealing Club is the birth place of British Rock – it was the catalyst.” The quote was: “We didn’t want any more of this bowler hat and clarinet c**p.” He says Alexis Korner mentored young musicians, ‘everyone wanted to jam with him’. Eric Burdon (The Animals) Brian Jones (Rolling Stones) Paul Jones (Manfred Mann) used to gig here, and in April 1962, Alexis Korner introduced Brian Jones to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards (the first night Richards played publicly), and the drummer that night was Charlie Watts - the rest is history. Other famous acts over the years include Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton, and, rumour has it, Robert Plant. On the origin of Blues, Bob says: “Blues is an Afro-American artform. Islamic quarter-tones on top of repetitive African beats, played on western instruments. There are Native American influences: shuffle rhythm. Slave gang rhythms. It was the first truly global music artform.” Blues was and offset of jazz seeking its own place on the music scene.

Speeches concluded, piano-based blues singer Marky Dawson opened with a jaunty, high-octane set on the keyboard performing his own music including, “Bad Girl”, “Whatever the Weather” and his own version of “Hit the Road Jack”. Dawson is short, almost childlike in stature, with a thick froth of blonde curls reaching his shoulders, and although just one man, he plays with the energy of four, each with tabasco sauce coursing in their veins. Dawson maintained this lethal voltage for over twenty minutes, pausing for a sip of beer and a joke, before another bolt, pounding the keys with fingers that danced and smashing the high notes like a hammer. At one point, Dawson executed a trumpet riff using his mouth which made the bar staff stop serving, and then, he was out of his seat playing one-handed at rapid patter, while drinking, sitting on the floor and turning around – he is a true showman and entertainer at heart. He said: “I always wanted to be like Jerry Lee Lewis.”

Next, instrumentalists Winnie & The Rockettes. Winnie…is bad! I mean in the older, Michael Jackson meaning of the word. For the most part their set was untitled, and each song began with a brief premise from Winnie who was almost kittenish with the audience, recalling a failed romance or misfortune that inspired the song, before entirely transforming into something lionhearted and gritty, writhing and gyrating on the floor, with dirty lyrics and extraordinary vocals. The band are so well-attuned to one another: lead, bass, drums, vocals. But Winnie, who becomes unleashed by the music, is the constant pole star to the Rockettes. In their style and performance there were elements of Prince and Hendrix, though Winnie told me afterwards: “I don’t copy. I like Freddie King, and gritty jazz are definitely influences. I’m just glad we got such an amazing reception and people were supportive.” Winnie & The Rockettes are performing at Food Fest in Kent this coming weekend.

The final act I saw was Birmingham Blues Funk outfit The Tom Walker trio - and perhaps my favourite performance of the evening. They played a series of original material including a song called “Interspace” a kind of darkly humorous new-wave piece about being heavily under the influence, among others, and even a cover of “Miss You” by The Rolling Stones. Tom’s vocal ability is remarkable. He reminds me of the blue-eyed soul singers of yesteryear such as Paul Weller; deeply emotive and melancholic vocals, with a flash of Northern boy realness. This band listen to one another so closely, you can see the changing expressions of each member, bass, drums, lead, responding in real-time to the artistic choices of that of their counterparts. They also know how to get the audience moving, and keep things light. The bass player was a veritable comic!

The Red Rooms is like a secret that no one is trying to keep, and yet somehow it goes largely unnoticed. Find out about the artists mentioned in this article and see them, visit The Red Rooms and support this excellent venue, and get your tickets for The Ealing Blues Festival on Saturday 27th July 2017. If you want a good time, if you want to hear authentic original blues/rock music and be in the company of like-minded people, and, if you care for the quality of entertainment in your borough, I cannot recommend this place more.

Rory Thomas

7 June 2017