Blues/Rocker Davy Knowles and his band played a rare UK tour this month with a stop at The Flowerpot. This was Knowles' first gig at this venue in 9 years.

Knowles originally hails from the Isle of Man but has been based in Chicago for many years now. He a largely self-taught guitar player and has rightly been called a 'Guitar Prodigy'. An exceptionally gifted musician and songwriter.

Knowles backed by a bassist and drummer delivered a masterclass in the art of Live performance. The musicianship was nothing short of exceptional and his vocals were powerful and at times tortured with a very controlled delivery, just like the Blues legends of old.

The stage set and lighting was very stripped back with the band choosing to let the music do the talking to great effect. When Knowles addresses the crowd, he was humorous and very humble and charming which was so disarming and a pleasant surprise.

When Knowles let rip with his blistering solos, he could give any of the guitar greats a run for their money. Some solos were long but he made every note count and truly come from the heart.

With a set full of so many great songs, this writer's stand-out tracks included 'Running Out Of Moonlight', 'Tell Me What You Want Me To Be', 'The Invisible Man' and an incendiary take on the Neil Young classic 'Cortez The Killer', the later would have really impressed Mr Young. The set ended with a stunning take on Rory Gallagher's 'Roll Away'.

It is no exaggeration to say that this gig is head and shoulders above anything else this writer has seen so far this year and is a strong contender for gig of the year for yours truly. It is going to take some beating, that's for sure.