Gig Reviews
Simply Rod At The Kings Hall, Herne Bay
Friday 27th November 2009
A chilly November evening saw the welcome return of Ben Mills to the Kings Hall in Herne Bay. This time, however, he was there fronting Simply Rod, a Rod Stewart tribute band which he put together earlier in the year.
One of the things I love about the Kings Hall is that, with its 'theatre style' seating at the front and 'cabaret style' tables at the back, there is always plenty of room for dancing. Everybody who knows me knows I can't stay seated during a gig, so when we arrived I immediately checked out the space in front of the stage - perfect!!
With the stage curtains closed, leaving just the mic stand with Ben's signature leopard print scarf attached on view, the doors opened and a steady stream of Ben Mills and Rod Stewart fans alike started to make their way into the hall and seats began to fill. We had three quarters of an hour to go before the show was due to start and I could feel the excitement slowly begin to bubble up inside - almost three years on and I still I get that 'first gig' feeling, be it a Ben Mills gig or a Simply Rod one.
The band took up their positions, masked by the curtains, a little after 7.45pm - the game given away by Dudley Ross as he picked up his guitar! The lights dimmed, the curtains opened and as the intro to "Baby Jane" began Ben ran out to join his band-mates on stage, sporting a rather snazzy pair of tartan trousers and his now familiar Army jacket.
The instant Ben started singing the mood was set and all around me people began to sing along and dance in their seats. Ben's vocals are so naturally reminiscent of Rod Stewart's, so for him to perform all these songs in Rod's own imitable style just seemed effortless. Through "Handbags And Gladrags", "You Wear It Well" and Ben's personal favourite, "Downtown Train", the audience was taken back in time to one of the best musical eras ever.
With Ben's jacket removed to reveal the white "Rod-esque" frilly shirt beneath, the first half of the show continued with my personal favourite and one that I've been waiting so patiently to hear Simply Rod perform, "Tonight's The Night". I must admit to getting a sneak preview of this during the sound check and to say I was chuffed to find it was on the set list is just a teeny bit of an understatement! This was followed by "Maggie May", "First Cut Is The Deepest", and finally "People Get Ready".
It was an old Faces classic, "Had Me A Real Good Time", which got the second half of the show going and, coincidently, my dancing legs too! Well it had to be done!! I made my way to the front and that's pretty much where I stayed for the rest of the evening, either dancing or taking more pictures. This 'prime position' also gave me an excellent view of the audience and it was wonderful to watch the sea of swaying arms as everybody sang along to "You're In My Heart".
The tempo was slowed down a touch next for "Have I Told You Lately", "Sailing" which again got everybody singing and the wonderful "Smile", performed solo with Ben accompanying himself on the piano.
Re-joined on stage by the band, Ben picked up his guitar then declared, "this is quite a difficult one.... which is why I'm not going to play it!" and then promptly put his guitar down again and announced that the track was going to feature Dudley Ross on lead guitar. It was the Python Lee Jackson track, "In A Broken Dream".
We were nearing the end of the show with just two songs left, "Reason To Believe" and "Hot Legs", to finish the gig on a high - or so we thought as Ben exited stage right. However, he soon reappeared with the addition of a pink feather boa round his neck. "You know it's not over 'til the feather boa comes out!" he told us!! With that, the intro to "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" started and the women in the audience went crazy as Ben began to 'strut his stuff'! It was a far cry from the Ben Mills who was once so unsure about coming out from behind his keyboard as he'd hidden behind it for so many years. However, he really got into the spirit of it all and the band seemed to be having as much fun up on the stage as we were having in front of it - as evident by the 'wolf whistles' which emanated from Dudley Ross' guitar!
The 'real' final song of the night is one that seems to have become the signature track for the end of many of Ben's gigs, the Faces' "Stay With Me", during which each member of the band was introduced - Dudley Ross (lead guitar), Martin Elliott (bass guitar), Thomas Farmer (keyboards/piano), Pete Cranham (drums) and last but by no means least, the absolutely outstanding Ben Mills on lead vocals. What a band and what an amazing night!
Report & Photographs by Saara Ord - Webmaster / Administrator
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