Erja Lyytinen Plus Special Guests

Tuesday 6th November 2018

The Borderline, London, United Kingdom

On an Autumnal November night I made my way across London to the famous club The Borderline for an evening of blues rock guitar from Erja Lyytinen who was in the country for a short headline UK Tour.

Backed by a tight-three piece band that had performed at least one hundred shows this year alone, Erja arrived onstage in a sparkly black outfit and kicked off proceedings with ‘Lover’s Novels’ from her latest album ‘Stolen Hearts’ which was released in 2017. She has honed her slide guitar skills through years of recording and constant touring and it sounds sublime on her shiny blue custom Fender Stratocaster.

Then this groovy bassline courtesy of Tatu Back enters the fold on the atmospheric ‘Black Ocean’ and before long Lyytinen’s dreamy guitar tone pours out alongside her lead vocal which makes the track sound like an unreleased No Doubt single. A definite live highlight in her set which should remain in future performances.

‘Everything’s Fine’ made it clear that she understands the combination of a well-written song, crisp guitar and passionate vocal and that it is not just about intense guitar ‘shredding’. The audience were then treated to her latest single ‘Another World’ which is taken from her forthcoming album which is scheduled for release in March 2019.

The Sci-Fi influenced number is a well-executed punchy single with rock influences and exciting taster for the new record and The Borderline was certainly in agreement. “Let’s get back to the old stuff!” she commands prior to ‘Stolen Hearts’ which featured a coordinated guitar solo.

The Pièce de résistance of the evening however, was when she started the acapella section which put her in the small group of vocalists including Pat Monahan of Train and the legendary Tony Bennett who can pass the no mic test with flying colours.
In conclusion, Erja Lyytinen is steadily building up a large fanbase in the UK every time she tours and this packed club in the metropolis proved that. She is a fluid guitarist who is fortunate to have a tight group of musicians and solid selection of material to pick from. As a result, she excels in the live arena.

Therefore it is no surprise that following this gig she officially announced a twelve-date UK Tour for March 2019 and the crowdfunding campaign for her new album. Details below.

Earlier in the evening the audience witnessed not one but two support acts; Bourbon Street Revival and Jimmy Regal and The Royals. Revival included a drummer, two electric guitarists, bassist, a funky three-piece horn section and a lead vocalist who looked like he was cast as a victim in an episode of Midsomer Murders who meets a grisly end as he was an evil property developer who wanted to demolish the local bird sanctuary! The musicians are rhythmic players as they went from blues to ska with ‘Zero To Hero’ but for me they lacked songs as we heard a pseudo American accent from the sunglass wearing frontman whose growls did not so much create a blues vibe but rather asked the question “Is he in any abdominal distress?”

Jimmy And The Regals plugged in and played frantic renditions of Bo Diddley numbers and original songs much to the delight of everyone else in the place. Unfortunately, Jimmy’s vocals were heard in loud conversation during Erja’s set. She remarked to my dad the next day that if he wanted to talk at high volume he should’ve stayed backstage!

Glenn Sargeant