The Black Oil Brothers were as much captivated by Letham as we were by their music!

In fact so impressed were they with the atmosphere in Letham Village Hall for the 5th Letham Nights, that the Black Oil Brothers, the delta blues band from Chicago, have decided that they need to come back!

The arrangements for Letham Nights #5 started some months ago. We had thought that the bands and artists playing for our enthusiastic crowd would, in all probability, follow our local ethos - nothing sourced from more than 50 miles away. Well, how wrong we were!

The Black Oil Brothers contacted us having seen us on the Smart Community Fife website and liked our Transition Toun ethos. They asked us if they could start their UK tour with us before hitting Edinburgh, Glasgow and venues in England and Wales. Needless to say we were delighted to accommodate them.

They were joined on the night by the Black Cat Jook Band who, by contrast, travelled many many hundreds of yards from Giffordtown to provide support for the evening. 

Black Cat Jook Band are purveyors of an authentic sounding Americana music, music of the American jook joint in the 30’s and 40’s. Their instruments were also authentic to the sound: jug, washboard, tea chest bass, mandolin, washboard and guitars.

They ran through their set which included Winnie the Wailer, Mississippi River Waltz and Nobody’s Business If I Do. The assembled crowed were foot tappin’, clappin’ and dancin’ to the tunes, led in one instance by the Black Oil Brothers.

One of the Brothers turned to me and shouted over the music, “they’re more American than us”, turning to his fellow brother “we’re gonna have to go some after these guy’s are done” the other brother nodded in agreement and uttered ”indeed Sir”.

The Black Oil Brothers then played their set, most of the songs being showcased from their latest CD, Long Way From The Delta. These included Going For Broke, Johnny And The Pale Rider, Indeed Sir and One For Suzy.

They also threw in a Johnny Cash cover for good measure. The banter between the songs was fantastic, telling wee stories about the songs, themselves, Chicago and Letham Nights. Before they were a quarter of the way through the set the crowd were dancing and singing along to the choruses.

Adding stompin’ and a-hollerin’ to the foot tappin’, clappin’ and dancin’. Letham Village Hall, I would say, has never had such a rousing night. Full respect to the Black Cat Jook Band for following on from a fantastic support act. 

Rod from the Black Cat Jook Band came on stage with his harmonica to jam with the guitars and mandolin the Black Oil Brothers were playing. At the end of the second encore, tour t-shirts and CDs were snapped up and it was such a thrill for us to have Letham Village Hall on the back of the t-shirts as the first venue on the tour! In spirit they were not that far from the delta in Letham.

The Black Oil Brothers are now going to acquire a jug, washboard & tea chest bass, so impressed were they by the Black Cat Jook Band. I logged onto their FaceBook site, some time later to find they had voted Letham Nights as by far the best gig of the tour and amongst the best crowd they have ever had.

They have asked if they can come back next year...what do you think? Will we let them?

So… onto Bex Marshall, who is playing Letham Nights #6 on 22 August at 9pm. Bex is described as ‘an explosion of acoustic/rock/blues with a hot poker twist of Country'. Please make an extra special effort and book tickets.

Tickets can be reserved by calling or emailing Michael on 01337 810372 or email lethamnights@btinternet.com.  If you haven't been before, come and see what’s cookin’.

See you there,

Roy Campbell, Letham Nights

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