True hardman of rock ‘n’ roll
AS a former MMA/Cage Fighter, Kris Barras will undoubtedly save a fortune on security on this tour. Anyone daft enough to bustle their way on to his stage will soon find themselves on the receiving end of a Kimura armlock – or worse.
How a fighter found themselves as a touring Blues musician makes for a fascinating story, but one that could have come to an abrupt end at any time with one wrong move causing lifelong damage to those vital guitarist fingers.
Fortunately for Barras he came through that relatively unscathed, and at The Cluny he cut an imposing figure on stage. Such was the demand for tickets that the show had to be upgraded from Cluny 2 to the bigger hall – something that an artist always likes to hear.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Runnin’ Thru My Veins and Kick Me Down do just what they say on the tin, they rock hard with a strong bluesy vein running right down the middle.
His cover of Led Zeppelin’s Rock and Roll was an absolute barnstormer driven by Josiah J Manning’s furious Honky Tonk piano. The beautiful, laid back Propane featured a chorus that would surely be all over FM radio in the States, and Hail Mary showed Barras knows how to pen a top tune.
Barras is no novelty act, a sportsman wandering into the music world for a bit of fun, to live out their rock star dreams. He is the real deal. Not only does he possess the required smoking, gruff powerhouse Blues voice but his guitar smokes with intensity, whether on the dirty, gritty Blues riffs, the sleazy slidework or the screaming solos, Barras has it covered.
Such is his rising reputation, Barras is also a member of the Supersonic Blues Machine alongside ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Steve Lukather of Toto and Warren Haynes, guitarist in the Allman Brothers Band. If that’s not a glowing endorsement of his talents then nothing is.
Expect to see Barras in a much, much bigger venue very soon.