WALKING into Lizotte's on Friday I overheard owner Brian Lizotte remark, as he escorted a couple to their seats, "It's going to be a special one, all the guitar aficionados are in tonight."
The man those guitar aficionados had arrived at the Lambton theatre to see was English blues maestro Matt Schofield.
Previous to this tour the 45-year-old had only played a one-off show in Australia at the 2018 Wangaratta Jazz Festival.
But his reputation had preceded him. Schofield is renown in British blues circles as a genuine guitar hero, who has re-ejected the British blues scene with a dose of fresh blood and vitality.
Guitar & Bass Magazines have included Schofield in their top-10 British blues guitarists of all time.
Newcastle's own virtuoso guitarist, Adam Miller, opened the evening with a solo set that can only be truly appreciated live.
The dexterity of Miller's fingers was simply astonishing as he performed a collection of originals including Home, Habit, Adam Levy and Blues For Bert, written for his 100-year-old Adamstown Heights-based grandfather.
Another highlight was an instrumental cover of The Beatles' Come Together where Miller performed the Abbey Road classic's bass line groove and melody simultaneously.
The volume and the pace accelerated instantly when The Matt Schofield Trio hit the stage in a burst of blues-rock energy.
Schofield was joined by Hammond organist Jonny Henderson and drummer Evan Jenkins. The trio have been performing together for 20 years, (Schofield and Henderson are school buddies) and the chemistry was immediate despite the jetlag.
Henderson played the bass lines with his right hand and performed splashes of symphonic melody with his left, reminiscent of The Doors' Ray Manzarek, while Jenkins' jazz influences were clear.
The ticket might have said Matt Schofield, but Henderson and Jenkins were no hired help. Each were given their opportunities to shine and provided a reliable foil for Schofield's fretboard theatrics.
Schofield has a soulful voice, but his vocal was secondary to his flamboyant guitar playing. Armed with his "Georgia Blue" SVL 61 Reserve Fender Stratocaster, he ripped through a series of eat-splitting solos as if attempting to slay a dragon with sheer sonics.
The playful blues of Live Wire gave all three members an opportunity to impress, while on the groove-based Everything Henderson was the star in a duel of competing solos.
Each song was warmly met by the small, but appreciative, audience.
However, the wailing guitar solos and drawn-out theatrics did begin to tire as the set passed the one-hour mark.
As impressive as Schofield's guitar playing is, the minimal vocals and melodies did lead to listener fatigue.
Several punters excited at the end of the main set, which was a shame as the encore dished up a welcome surprise.
Miller returned to the stage with Schofield's American manager Jay Stollman on vocals to perform the encore, which immediately lifted the energy in the room.
A version of Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five's jump blues classic Let The Good Times Roll saw Schofield and Miller trade solos as Stollman delivered his gravelly vocal, which could be described as sounding like a bluesy Brian Johnson.
A cover of Keep On Keeping On closed out the night which almost certainly inspired a few guitar aficionados in the audience to dust off their six-strings for some weekend riffing.
