Connolly Hayes Band at the Tuesday Night Music Club
Review an Images by Ken Jackson
It was absolutely freezing on Coulsdon High Street last night as a very cold but determined line of music lovers snaked its way down the pavement outside the Coulsdon Club, home to the TNMC, patiently waiting to take their seats for the sold-out Connolly Hayes band. Hands were rubbed together for warmth.
There’s something oddly bonding about queuing in the cold and occasional rain whilst catching up with old friends and sometimes making new ones. The hour passed surprisingly quickly, fuelled by the anticipation of a great evening and the knowledge that good live music is sometimes worth a little hardship.
Despite having spent the entire day in the studio working on material for their forthcoming album, Connolly and Hayes hit the stage as if they had been saving their energy solely for this moment. No signs of tiredness, just full throttle from the first note. Their electrifying blend of blues and soul doesn’t merely warm up a room; it turns up the heat.
This fantastic five-piece, composed of Jess Hayes, Frankie Connolly, Beau Barnard, Joe Mac, and Andy Wilder, always performs as if half measures aren’t an option. option. Front and centre, Jess Hayes commands attention. Her voice can slip into silky, soulful tones one moment, then rise into a powerhouse blues roar the next, the kind that makes you look around to see the audience’s reactions. Alongside her, Frankie Connolly delivers guitar work that ranges from beautifully restrained to deliciously gritty.
His solos don’t just fill the room; they tell stories, occasionally accompanied by the inevitable and entirely justified “guitar face”. His voice, in my opinion, is up there amongst the best male singers I have ever heard. Behind them, Beau Barnard, Joe Mac, and Andy Wilder form a rhythm section so tight you could slide a cigarette paper between them.
The grooves were deep, the transitions seamless, and the energy constant. The evening’s generous musical feast centred around tracks from their superb debut album, “Remember Me”. Played live, the songs seemed to take on an extra layer of depth, stretched, shaped, and delivered with the assurance of a band fully in their stride.
Fan favourites were met with enthusiastic cheers, while newer material, which is likely a glimpse of their soon-to-be-available second album, hinted at even bigger, bolder things ahead. If this is the direction they’re heading in, I very much look forward to seeing them many more times. A selection of carefully chosen covers added further spice to the set; rather than simply reproducing them, Connolly and Hayes reimagined the songs with their own blues-soaked swagger.
It’s always refreshing to hear familiar tunes given new life, particularly when handled with such skill and personality. The sound, as always, was spot on, thanks to Mike on the desk: every harmony was crisp, every instrument was balanced perfectly, and thankfully it was loud enough to thaw out anyone still recovering from the freezing conditions outside.
Two spontaneous standing ovations left the band in absolutely no doubt that their efforts were appreciated, not that the volume of applause between songs hadn’t already made that abundantly clear. A heartfelt thank you, as ever, to Richard Dunning for hosting another exceptional evening and continuing to champion live music. With friends in attendance, a packed venue, and a band firing on all cylinders, it was one of those nights that reminds you exactly why we brave the cold in the first place. Frostbite fades. Great gigs don’t.
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