WHAT THEY SAY
Quotes /Reviews 1998
"You can summarize this CD in a three-syllable word: "fan-tas-tic".
Each track swings from here to Memphis and back. This band has made it clear to the
continent that England has it's talents. Buy this disc now and convince yourself !"
BACK TO THE ROOTS (BELGIUM ) JANUARY
"The arrival of The Nightporters brings a welcome freshness from the other side of the channel. These young musicians have the spirit deployed by the groups of the first movement of R&B at the beginning of the 60's, in particular The Rolling Stones. The music is somewhat different - very 50's, but the energy is explosive. A superb album."
BLUESBOARDER ( FRANCE ) JANUARY
"The Nightporters have cultivated a showmanship to rival any of the great Rhythm & Blues / Rockabilly outfits, and are now reputed to be so tight that they appear to be a single musical mind working through four bodies. They are liable to have even the most miserable of manic depressives jumping up and down with an ear-to-ear grin on their face."
MID DEVON ADVERTISER ( U.K. ) JANUARY
"The Nightporters demonstrated why they are considered by many to be one of the United Kingdom's hottest bands.Working through their 1997 CD Feelin' Good, they took the knowledgeable and appreciative audience with them on a musical journey which included good humour, obvious enjoyment and considerable talent. Mellow Down Easy, Let 'er Roll and Feelin' Good preceded the pulsating Hip Shake of some seven minutes duration, which vocalist / guitarist Ian Roberts was also outstanding on harp. Blue and Lonesome, a powerful, slow blues, Rollin' and Tumblin' and Certainly All completed the numbers from the CD. To these were added Wang Dang Doodle and as an encore, Elmore James' Shake Your Moneymaker, on which Roberts played exceptional slide guitar. Acrobatic double bass player, Chris Robbins-Davey, energetic guitarist / backing vocalist Martin Vowles and superb drummer Kevin Crowe combined with Roberts to provide an evening of thoroughly enjoyable entertainment."
BLUEPRINT ( U.K. ) MARCH
"Some of the U.K. bands which stood out were Paul Lamb and The Kingsnakes, Big Man Clayton, Out Of The Blue and King Pleasure and The Biscuit Boys. But for me the star U.K. band was The Nightporters from Torquay. They gave a performance which had the regulars jumping and jiving all around the room. It was a fantastic evening of wonderful energetic up—tempo music which will be hard to follow.
RIFTS MAGAZINE, DARLINGTON ( U.K. ) MARCH
"The Nightporters kicked off the afternoon in wonderful style, offering classics and a fair chunk of their excellent new album Feelin' Good. Grey-suited, they epitomised Tony Blair's new Cool Britannia - slick, hugely-entertaining and the best blues and rockabilly outfit anywhere at the moment."
LANCASHIRE EVENiNG TELEGRAPH ( U.K. ) APRIL
"This makes them, to my mind, the incomparable and absolute kings of rhythm in live music today. This band work together brilliantly and put absolute heart and soul into every number - sweeping the audience along with them irresistibly. It's impossible to stand still, and only just possible to get your breath between numbers. Add that touch of entertainment magic and you have a band quite untouchable in their current form."
RUNNING HORSE MAGAZThTE, NOTTINGHAM ( U.K. ) APRIL
"The Nightporters turn the dials to "rave-up" for most of their fresh-sounding Feelin' Good CD (Wang 001). Guitar / harp / vocal man Ian Roberts' cool retro design nets the month's Best Art Award."
BLUES REVUE (U.S.A. ) MAY
"The excellent Nightporters stopped off at Alexander's Jazz Theatre prior to several festival dates and delivered a great show of high energy and showmanship, mixing up traditional blues with R'n'B reminiscent of Dr Feelgood and The Inmates. This Devon-based band, consisting of Ian Roberts (vocals, guitar and harmonica), Martin Vowles (guitar), Chris Robbins-Davey (stand-up bass) and Kevin Crowe (drums), are as tight as any band I can recall, with the rhythm section locked on the beat. A short first set rocked off with Everybody's In The Mood and the swinging Certainly All, recently popularised by Junior Watson. This set ended with a lovely version of Robert Johnson's Love In Vain with some fine slide guitar from Ian Roberts. A riotous, rocking longer second set featured a long version of Junior Parker's Feelin' Good, a Mexican meets rhumba Rollin' and Tumblin' and Slim Harpo's timeless Shake Your Hips. A well-merited encore followed in the shape of Elmore James's Shake Your Moneymaker, taken at breakneck speed with Ian Roberts' slide guitar again to the fore."
CHESTER CHRONICLE (U.K. ) AUGUST