Monroe - The Horn Inn 9th January 2008
To kick off 2008 we caught up with one of the more established acts on the local circuit dropping in on Monroe as they stopped off at The Horn Inn at Messingham as part of their affectionately titled "Bring On The Botox Tour".
Monroe have been a permanent fixture on the local music scene for a long time now having split up only to reform a again a few years ago and they line up as Ian Thorpe (guitar & lead vocals), Trev Honess (bass), Mick Matthews (keyboards) and Pete Watson (drums). They opened with The Doors' " Light My Fire" featuring some nifty tinkling keyboard work and continued with a solid version of the Otis Redding/Black Crowes favourite "Hard To Handle". One of the things I always think sets Monroe apart from other bands is the quality of their backing vocals and they didn't do their reputation any harm tonight putting some good harmonies together in Badfinger's classic "No Matter What" and an exceptional a capella ending to 3 Dog Night's "Mama Told Me Not To Come". The first set came to a close with a very authentic sounding "She's Not There" and a snappy cover of "The Letter" (the Joe Cocker version) featuring the Matthews brass section just as The Horn began to fill to the comfortably jostled level.
The last time we took in a Monroe gig, I'm very ashamed to say, was about 2 years ago at The Beckwood, where their sound was nothing short of immaculate. It didn't quite reach that standard tonight probably due to the acoustics of the room more than anything else, but it was still nonetheless clear and nicely balanced. The Watson Gretsch kit was sharp and powerful, particularly the snare, and Trev's 5-string bass cut through well without being overpowering.
The band shifted up a gear for their second set kicking off with "Jet", a T Rex medley and one of my all time favourites, Humble Pie's "Natural Born Boogie" with Messers Thorpe and Honess continuing the banter and ad libs between songs and connecting well with the crowd. "Won't Get Fooled Again" (with a touch of "Pinball Wizard" mixed in for good measure) worked well and by the end of the night Monroe had the punters shouting for more. They duly obliged, of course, with "Back In The USSR" and "I'm A Believer (more the Vic and Bob version than The Monkees) to send everyone home happy.
So, another entertaining night at The Horn from four very talented musicians who obviously enjoyed themselves immensely and managed to transmit that to their audience. You wouldn't, and shouldn't, expect anything else from Monroe. Go see 'em when you can. www.flatrabbitmusic.co.uk
