Live Review : Toby Jepson + Pete K Mally @ The Waterloo Music Bar, Blackpool on May 16th 2024

It’s an unusual gig when, in many ways, what is said on stage is almost as important as the music that is played, but that’s very much the case with Toby Jepson’s show tonight.  Billed as “My Life in Words”, this is a rare opportunity to sneak a peek behind the curtain of the rock n’ roll show, and hear first-hand what it’s really like, from someone who has lived the highs and the lows, and seen and experienced more than most. 

And in keeping with this spoken word approach, support for Toby comes not in musical form, but by way of a comedy set from the effervescent Pete K Mally.  Many will be familiar with Pete through his hosting duties at festivals such as Rockwich, Sharkfest and MayorsFest to name but a few, but may not have seen him perform his comedy routine.  Pete brings his natural ebullience to everything he does and a comedy performance is no exception.  Performing a comedy set as support for a band is still a very unusual thing and there’s a courageousness in going out there with just a microphone and giving the audience something that little bit different from the norm. It may be bemusing to some gig-goers expecting a musical opener, but Pete’s knowledge of, and immersion in the rock world, gives him common ground to exploit and win over the doubters. 

His set certainly reflects that with references to everyone from Iron Maiden to AC/DC, his enthusiasm and love for the rock world evident.  He’s charming and witty with his trademark machine-gun delivery, whether discussing misheard Little Angels lyrics, Syd Little or the surreal image of James Hetfield working in Greggs, he’s never less than engagingly mischievous.  And once his set is over, he’s back out in the crowd, a music fan first and foremost… 

Starting with the theme from the 70s sitcom, Dad’s Army, is a curious opening gambit, but one which has a significance to Toby as he explains later in the evening.  Coupled with a blast of the theme from Roobarb and Custard, it sets the scene for an evening of nostalgia and reminiscence, but also an intriguing look forward to an exciting future. With just Toby on acoustic guitar and long-time friend and collaborator Big Bad Dave Kemp on keys (and, on a number of songs, saxophone) this is an intimate affair whilst also being big on performance.  It’s a far more expansive sound then you would perhaps expect from a duo, with ‘Young Gods’ a prime example; a fantastic opening statement, it’s fiery and impassioned, with a solo of virtuoso keys, and Toby’s impeccably smooth voice soaring over it all.  

There’s a lovely shorthand between Toby and Dave that only really occurs between musicians at the top of their game and who have played together across the years.  It’s easy and unforced, but almost telepathic in its musical synchronicity, and a joy to behold. Their enjoyment of what they create together and their evident connection creates an atmosphere that is at once vibrant and exciting, whilst also allowing for more subtle, emotional beats. It’s testament to the duo’s musical dexterity and performance craft, borne of decades of plying their trade across the stages of the world, that makes for such an electrifying (paradoxically for an acoustic gig!) show. 

Toby is a superlative storyteller, both musically and personally and tonight we bear witness to both these sides of his performing arsenal.  The songs we hear across the two hours he’s on stage, range across Toby’s back catalogue from Little Angels to Wayward Sons, and deeper cuts from other projects.  It’s easy to forget, but when you hear them one after the other like this, you fully appreciate the depth, strength and consistent quality of the songwriting across Toby’s career.  And whilst you would expect the musical side of things to be at a high level for such seasoned musicians, it’s Toby’s skill and rapport with the audience that make this show something quite special indeed.  There are moments of hilarity - tales of his sartorial choices over the years, for one – and recollections of some of the musicians he’s worked with, a veritable “who’s who” of the music world from Eddie Van Halen to Hugh Cornwell; however, these are tempered by other stories of profound poignancy, sadness and regret.  Incredibly frank and very personal, it feels at times less like a gig, and more like a chat with a group of friends, just with some excellent songs thrown in for good measure.  A shared warmth and intimacy characterise the evening in a way that is rarely seen in this day and age; it’s confessional and captivating and draws everyone together in a wonderfully unique way. 

It's a brave performer who invites random questions from the audience, but with a roving microphone that’s exactly what Toby does, handling everything thrown at him with a deft wit and natural, self-effacing charm.  Again, adding to the free-flowing nature of tonight’s show, it also means that every night will be different and in Blackpool there’s a wonderful range of questions, with one audience member memorably taking the opportunity when given the mic, to thank Toby for the music he’s given us through the years and what it’s meant to everyone present.  It’s another moment of genuine human connection and one that encapsulates the feeling of everyone in the room. 

And whilst the words and stories are impactful, so too is the music, with the mid-set trio of Little Angels’ ‘Don’t Pray for Me’ and ‘Womankind’, sandwiching a glorious ‘I Ain’t Gonna Cry’ with the crowd belting out a rousing chorus, Dave’s keys exquisite on these numbers, as they are throughout. 

But it’s not all about the past, as Toby showcases a couple of new soon to be released songs. ‘Falling in Love is Harder’ is the standout, it’s a gorgeous, heartfelt anthem to passion writ large, and if it’s this good in an acoustic stripped back form, then the recorded version that’s on the horizon promises to be stunning.  And from the deeply emotional to the completely irreverent, as the set approaches the end Toby belts out a riotous ‘Sex in Cars’, before rounding off the night with ‘Kickin up Dust’ that segues into ‘Too Much Too Young’. 

And if we started with the Dad’s Army Theme, so the show ends with a never more appropriate ‘We’ll Meet Again’. Tonight, the Waterloo crowd has been thoroughly entertained, everyone joined in a celebration of one of British rock music’s perennial heroes. But more than that, this was a coming together of hearts and minds between those on and off stage, and when Toby does go out on tour once more (in whatever band or form that may be) you can guarantee that those assembled tonight, will indeed meet again… 

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Toby Jepson + Pete K Mally