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Considering how much of a road warrior he is; surprisingly, the current ‘Invocation Tour’ by acclaimed British guitar-slinger and singer-songwriter Troy Redfern is his debut headlining jaunt. A staple of the live circuit, mostly as an acoustic one-man band (Troy is one of those guys that proves that fellas can indeed multi-task), catching Troy in a live setting always impressed but at the same time, left you thirsting for the full-on experience of Troy Redfern – and band – plugged in and turned up to 11. And with his latest (and greatest, thus far) album ‘Invocation’ tucked under his arm, it has been worth the wait.
As with most shows on the 10-date tour, support comes from local acts. Tonight, Kev Howell plays the role of one man with a guitar well, and after he leaves to respectful applause, it’s time for Edinburgh and Borders-based 4-piece The Devil’s Forfeit to perform what is only their second live gig. Raised on a diet of Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, CCR, Tom Petty, and The Stones, the 30-minute set features original material that tips the hat to each of these stalwarts.
Led by vocalist Angela Grace, the fledgling band (formed in late 2023) powers through a 7-song set that gets the crowd gathered at the stage nodding in approval. Opener ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll’ is catchy and leads to sporadic, involuntary cases of toe-tapping. ‘Hold Your Breath’ follows on with more of a slower tempo, and Tom Petty-like vibes (especially the guitar tones from Elliot Waugh) that provide one of the standout moments of the set (along with the foot-stomping set-closer ‘Outer Lines’). With each gig played, and each song written, the band will no doubt grow in confidence, meaning stage presence will also grow as each performer gets more comfortable onstage. Connect with The Devil’s Forfeit, HERE.
With Nicky Waters on drums, and the Mistress of Groove herself, Keira Kenworthy, on bass, Troy Redfern has put together a band that puts the power in “Power Trio”. And with minimum fuss they come flying out of the traps on set-opener ‘All Night Long’; a track that Redfern admits “When I wrote this song, I always imagined it a set opener. It’s got power and edge, but also a big sing-along chorus…”. No breaking the crowd in gently. No faffing around. Just plug in, and BLAM, knock them for six with just one of the many, many killer cuts from the freshly released ‘Invocation’ album that sound larger than life in a live setting. An out-and-out hard rocker that floors it at every opportunity as Troy throttles his gorgeous silver Fender Stratocaster to within an inch of its life. Tasty, very, very tasty…and not just the piledriving drumming from Waters.
Rather than resting on his blues-rock laurels, Troy has changed it up on his last few albums (he’s one hell of a prolific recording artist) with his sound developing into a guessing game of what is coming next. In the case of ‘Invocation’, what came next is an album full to the brim with more of a hard rock ‘n’ roll feel and lashings and lashings of glam rock goodness; ‘Getaway’ is heavier live (thanks to Waters) and that glam rock goodness constantly shines through with a platform boot-size stomp. ‘Van Helsing’ touches on blues territory here and there when Troy breaks out the hellacious slide that he is famous for, but pick at its bare bones and you will find a ballsy barnstorming rocker that bares its teeth at every chance.
A setlist that leans so heavily towards a new album might sound risky, but when said album is as strong as ‘Invocation’ then it’s a no-brainer. It also helps that there is a variety to be found among the 11 tracks featured on the album. Of that 11, 8 are featured in tonight’s set with the weighty ‘Take Me High’ (which features an instantly memorable chorus, and mindblowing slide guitar from Redfern), ‘Fever’ (“…a little glam number…”), and the hypnotic, epic pair of ‘The Calling’, and the dustbowl-tinged ‘Native’ (complete with tribal drumming from Waters, and thick, pulsating basslines from the ever-reliable Kenworthy – who also happens to own ‘Voodoo Priestess’ that comes later) reprising their back-to-back placing from the album, all being especially noteworthy.
Breaking away from new material, the rarely-played hoedown-fuelled ‘Ghosts’, ‘Waiting For Your Love’, ‘Scorpio’ (“…cut this one from the setlist…but Nicky wants to do it…”) and ‘Sanctify’ from 2021’s ‘The Fire Cosmic’ all make a welcome appearance, as do ‘Sweet Carolina’ (which to these ears at least – thanks mainly to the drum beat – still sounds like The Stones covering Roy Orbison’s ‘Oh, Pretty Woman’…“Mercy…”), ‘Come On’, ‘Down’ (great jam on this one), and the majestical Thin Lizzy-like ‘Dark Religion’ from the 2022 follow-up ‘The Wings of Salvation’. Something for everyone.
What makes Troy Redfern stick out from most guitar-slingers from a blues background is that he doesn’t feel the need to bludgeon the audience with his guitar skills. With Troy, it’s all about the songs. He knows that he can play. The audience knows that he can play. And he knows that the audience knows that he can play. So the guitar solos are kept within the songs and stretch the songs out rather than Troy playing a 10-minute solo with his bandmates standing side-stage checking their phones to find out why “Hawk Tuah” is trending. When he does let fly, it is with a breathless mixture of zero inhibitions as well as great control. One gorgeous guitar after another is unveiled, and even to a layman, it is guitar porn of the highest standards. A bit like Troy’s playing.
With ‘Invocation’ Troy Redfern has cooked up something special, and with Keira Kenworthy and Nicky Waters alongside him, he has created the perfect band to bring the songs to life. The great chemistry between all 3 players helps create a “band” vibe in the truest meaning of the word. Discover for yourself on one of the remaining dates:
Sunday 23 June – Boiler Room, Guildford
Monday 24 June – The Junction, Cambridge
Sunday 25 June – The Joiners, Southampton
Monday 26 June – New Cross Inn, London
Tuesday 27 June – The Forum, Tunbridge Wells
Tickets are available from TroyRedfern.com
Review – Dave
All images – Dave Jamieson
