The Orbitsuns
The evening got off to a sluggish start, with it being almost intolerably humid in the Greystones and opener Zacc Rogers’ set being delayed by half an hour.
However, once Zacc hit the play button of his sampler and began a delightfully bendy blues riff the audience knew it was in for a treat.
Zacc Rogers, hailing originally from Nottingham, is no stranger to Sheffield. He played in June at Peace in the Park, and will be performing at the Greystones again as part of the Blues Trail at Tramlines Festival.
Zacc Rogers’ blues is a fusion of classic 12-bar with American street -blues, and a dash of folk. Rogers was an incredible frontman, not only entertaining the Greystones but also educating them on blues history.
It’s also worth noting that anyone who manages to get a ‘mature’ and slightly lacklustre to join in the chorus of ‘She’ll be coming round the mountain’ is well deserving of applause. Rogers received his with aplomb.
Given that the evening was running behind schedule, there was a rapid changeover for The Orbitsuns. After the audience was given a generous ten minutes to get a few thornbridge pints down their necks it was time for the headliner.
The Orbitsuns led us through nearly two hours of entertaining and musically interesting blues. Particular highlights included ‘45 and Shovel ‘ (a curiously titled love song), ‘No Gas No Gun Nowhere To Run’ and ‘Shittier Day Than Me’.
The latter’s chorus, featuring the amusing lines “It’d sure be nice to see / someone having a shittier day than me,” had the audience singing along after a considerable amount of cajoling by The Orbitsuns’ frontman.
Despite the bravado and gaucheness of their onstage personas, post-gig the band were all extremely pleasant and seemingly well behaved, happily chatting to members of the audience. The bassist, for example, shared his experiences of Glastonbury, with plastic bags on his feet in lieu of wellies.