Dan Patlansky - The Met, Bury (UK) - 25 November 2018

Last time, the room was packed, Manchester's Deaf Institute on the trek for his 'Perfection Kills' album. Here, it's a Sunday in Bury at this lovely venue and there's room to move. Last time, Dan rocked a powder blue three piece suit, his uniform for the tour. This time, the band were all in black and the curtains at the back were too.

Last time he mixed aching Blues with really pushy Rock and varied his set beautifully. This time he did just the same. He's there on the dot, opening up a pleasing, bass heavy sound, making the stage right area his, never taking that centre place, his band tight to get loose and Dan revelling in keyboard improvisation.

He dips into the past for this tour, in support of an oddly cut and shut live bootleg release, but we start with that scratchy, stuttering 'Johnny', the huge, welcome chorus getting the party started. He also unpacks 'Never Long Enough', telling us the sweet tale of the balance between seeing family and life on the road, the balance between his swooping guitar and piano perfect too. As even funkier moments have a rumbling bass feel, a gent, perhaps refreshed, busts out some interpretive dance moves, acting as such a support he should have sold some merch.

Dan doesn't often lose himself in his guitar work, but when he does, this crowd of aficionados give him such appreciation, likewise when Tom hits his keys and stands to make a point and when 'Backbite' spits out, turbo powered and sharp, it reminds us just what this man can do.

We end, of course, with solos, Dan mouthing every note of the keys solo, the bass solo groovy, the band a little caught out by the short drum excursion; of course, Dan takes his guitar and rides that feedback, caresses it, then finger taps to make it scream, it's his schtick and I've seen it three times - never gets old.

Patlansky has been called the fourth best Blues guitar player in the world. It's a crowded genre, but he's more than that. He works so hard, he makes that guitar sing and spit fire, he shows what he can do, but he never loses himself or us, it's about the songs, it's about the band, it's about the feel.

Dan's standard sign off for each song is 'thank you so much!' No Dan, thank you...

Steve Swift