First time in the pub for this three-piece band, led by a black be-hatted Robin Bibi. They set off producing a fat meaty sound, with heavy bass notes and a powerful lead guitar sound.
‘Long Grey Mare’ was a boppin’ 12 bar tune that rocked on at a cracking pace, it featured excellent solos by both Robin on lead and Tony ‘Badboy’ Marten on bass.
Royal Sonesta Stomp, named after a Nawlins hotel, had a riff with a million notes in it and included a quick burst of ‘Day Tripper’. Does that still qualify as being one of his own compositions? It matters not; it’s all good stuff.

This was followed by a beautiful slow song, ‘Switch Off The Night’, from their black album, in which the powerful harmonies at the end were quite superb.
To ramp things back up a bit, we were going to get a bit of Hendrix, but someone shouted out for some SRV, so we got ‘Pride and Joy’, instead. No worries though, there was plenty of Hendrix still to come. This track featured Robin doing a Chuck Berry style strut down the middle of the pub with one leg hooked over the neck of his strat, before he jumped up on the back of the seats and leapt back onto the stage! Not a bad way to end the set.

They opened back up with ‘Language of your Soul’, another of Robin’s own songs. This one had a throbbing, pulsating bass and a very tight finish. Tony continued in the spotlight, exercising his tonsils full bore with the Beatles’ ‘Don’t Let Me Down’, exciting stuff. Hendrix’s ‘Fire’ got a good going over and showed us the delights of seven foot tall drummer Joachim ‘Jimmy’ Greaves’ double beater action, well rapid stuff. ‘Castles In The Air’ followed and was beautifully played and truly gorgeous.

Another self-penned tune ‘Vampire Blues’ maintained the slow tempo for a while, a smooth mellow number with loads of echo effect. Ramping smartly back up ‘Tore Down’ had Robin on the harmonica and Tony on the vocal duties once again. One of Robin’s major influences, Peter Green, got an accolade with ‘Shake Your Money Maker’, but this version had twice as many notes in it and had Robin up on the tables again. We then got the longest and bestest bass guitar solo we’ve ever seen in the pub, very classy indeed. Joachim didn’t get left out either with a solo spot, and both pieces earned huge ovations from the crowd.
Still on the Fleetwood Mac theme, ‘Oh Well’ merged nicely into a few bars and a chorus of ‘Batman’, but ‘Black magic Woman’ was played more in Santana style, only funkier, with loads of wah-wah pedal and intricate fretwork.

‘Sweet Home Alabama’ was the encore, with a full house singing the choruses, but that wasn’t enough for us and we clamoured for more. We were rewarded with ‘Mojo Working’, only nothing like we’ve had before, even though it was played rapidly, they got it to go even faster and that was with twice as many notes as usual. Brilliant finger pickin’ stuff.

The general consensus from the crowd that this was the best band there’s ever been in the pub. Were they right? Probably.

Steve Bouckley.

A distinguished musical ensemble and pedigree mark out The Robin Bibi band, who grace the now slightly troubled haunts of Londons traditional intimate music venues. Live Therapy is a comprehensive album born of Robin’s preoccupation for reproducing accurate delivery of classics from the cult tripos of Hendrix, The Beatles and much-revered early Fleetwood Mac.

The new album was recorded at five venues and is an eclectic mixture of Bibi originals and traditional blues-rock epics. Bearing an uncanny resemblance
to a live incarnation of John Mizarolli’s band Axe Phenomenon (Voodoo Issue 19), Robin is apparently not fully aware of this, nor according to some blues press reviewers, the fact that all in sundry have been overworking these sublime standard tracks since the advent of the pub music
scene. A little dismissive I suspect. Mr. Bibi has in fact an aficionados biography together with a considerable dues paying process behind him to mediate his understanding and selection of repertoire pleasers.

Backing Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Ben E King and Helen Shapiro on guitar has made him a highly seasoned professional, whilst also being a popular performer, his enduring CV had not always been fully acknowledged by the cynics.

Since the Bibi band formed in 1996, there has been a solid output of considerable merit comprising of two albums of hand penned material by Robin and his fine but sadly deceased colleague Brian Holmes, who wrote the seminal A Tribute To Fast. Bibis fluent songwriting skills are equally finely tuned on the intuitively titled album Language Of Your Soul, whilst his personal back catalogue is executed synonymously with some truly coherent covers’ and crowd pleasers on the new live double CD. Jon Bankes, Hans Ferrao and Tony Marten provide a notably sophisticated rhythm section, together with some entertaining humour and a suitably impressive bass line by Bankes on Oh Well.

It was as they say, an honest musical revelation to have the opportunity of a concrete discussion with Robin about his musical persuasions, song writing and distinguished CV when I recently interviewed him for Voodoo.

A firm foundation cast into blues, Robin cites Peter Green as his first formative influence, and a focal point from which we might appreciate the ability of a musician who expresses with a single note what others struggle to achieve in a dozen. The BB Band are indeed therefore a little top heavy on Mac, but all that is set to change with the expansion of Robins song writing towards a new original album in the near future. Such satisfying phrases as, from the heart and full on are fundamental beliefs in his approach to song writing as a spontaneous craft. As he speaks, Robin evokes a visual terrain which transports us from the present to the escapism of the Missisippi Delta, where fish fries and juke joints form the basis of his spiritual retreat and an atmosphere of fun and catharsis that Mr Bibi tries to capture in his own authentic performances.

A thorough commitment to artistic fusion, as his back catalogue implies, there are no simple pale reproductions of connoisseur’s heroes such as the
Fabulous Thunderbirds in sight. In future we can instead anticipate a clean improvised repertoire drawn from jazz, blues, country and rock & roll offerings.

Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the interview was my interjections to probe Robins experiences of playing gigs with the great and good. In return I received a series of wonderfully graphic and gritty anecdotes from Ibiza to the punk culture of London’s Electric Ballroom, where his most stark memory was fleeing the stage in company of agent provocateur Auntie Pus! Indeed the 1980’s were probably the most fruitful period for Robin Bibi when he found himself part of the Pretty Things regular line up.

It was at this time that he performed three dream gigs with Page and Plant as their backing band. With a degree of pride, Robin recounted for me these truly priceless moments: - "He may not remember, but I certainly do. It was full on with Page, he was great from the moment the lights went on, he broke a string, so I gave him my guitar to carry on…and Robert Plant, he was just a great straight down the line person". Ben E King was also remembered from this time with affection as a fun cabaret, nice cool and polite influence.

Trading licks with the likes of Jimmy Page is certainly a career highlight to be savoured, although Robin admits he would like to be more selective about the sheer quantity of small venues jams which he plays in the UK, having now fulfilled a comprehensive dues paying process.

Perceiving the London scene as currently chugging along, Robin agrees that the very fabric of such traditional pubs and clubs is currently subject to some frustrating challenges. Doubtless, there is a presence of real talent in form of artists such as sixteen year old guitar prodigy Andy Cortes, and Jack Bruces son Malcolm. After a point however, playing out seems to hold less appeal to high calibre musicians on the London circuit.

Multi-venue promoter Pete Feenstra is the first to put Robins observation in context, insisting that we now exist at a time where new musical talent in the UK has not demised, but has actually improved and got better and better. The venues which once supported the likes of Yardbirds, Clapton, Beck and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, are now ironically facing a crises in confidence through a series of factors which Feenstra cites including recent changes to licensing laws, a lack of record company investment, lack of radio play or consistent engagement from a broad sector of the press.

Such album treats as Robin Bibi’s current CD, Live Therapy must therefore be cherished in providing us with a record of our live musical heritage from an expert hand. Just say the words Django Reinhardt, Joe Satriani and Robert Johnson to Robin Bibi and you will receive a little bit more than faint acknowledgement, rather a sophisticated integration of forms, together with Bibis very own breed of Vampire Blues, (Track 9- CD Two.).- Copyright Stephanie Thorburn 2003.

Voodoo Magazine December 2003

Recorded over five clearly stonking live gigs, this set allows Robin to put out definitive versions of many stage favourites. As a man who can even breathe life into ‘Need Your Love So Bad’ (!!) this is no bad thing. Many of the selections are obvious crowd-pleasers eg ‘Fire’, ‘Little Wing’, ‘Come Together’ etc BUT Robin always manages to put his own twist on even familiar songs. Here his bassmen Jon T Bankes and Tony Marten pump pure energy into the numbers and even sing the odd song here and there, Bibi not being of the M. Hucknall persuasion, with strict instructions to the spotlight man. Drummers Paul Robinson and Hans Ferrao put power aplenty behind most of the tracks but are equally capable of laying back on and around the beat as the occasion demands.

Bibi’s quirky style and many influences mean that at any moment he can lope off into Marley territory mid-song or swing into double-time. Because several of the choices here are as Robin will concede in the ‘Done To Death’ variety I am drawn to his own compositions and/or arrangements as displayed on ‘Sonesta Stomp’ a fire-spittin’ instrumental and ‘Language Of Your Soul’, also ‘Never Fade Away’.

There are some guests and these include Chicago influenced harpman Dave Raphael and Saiichi Sugiyama the Far East guitar maestro.

Great though these live souvenirs are, my personal preference within the Bibi canon is his fantastic set of the late B T Holmes’ songs put together on the separate studio release ‘Tribute To Fast Vol.1’ which is blues-influenced rather than the straight stuff and in my book all the better for it. Gigs showcasing this album have been high-octane but also reflective and the album has many highlights which embrace a paean to Tim Hardin and the funky driving ‘Shunting On The NightShift’ which we have promised I will play with him onstage sometime in the future. These songs have a vivid, touching quality to them and are rocked up and dispatched with consummate skill and variety..respect!! - PETE SARGEANT

Blues Matters CD Reviews Issue 17

George McFall's Monday night gigs at the Bulls Head by the River Thames continue to feature fine bills of fare for the discerning lovers of live music, not least on the regular 'Roadhouse' nights held monthly and run by that band's Gary Boner, as enthusiastic player, singer and host as you will find in our neck of the woods. The room is kind to roots players, hence its enduring popularity with the jazz fraternity and now us BluesRock herberts.

Who better to go and see on a wet Monday evening than hardworking and hardrockin' Surrey bluesman Robin Bibi?. I say bluesman but Robin is a versatile player. So much so that he has just done a series of dates with Sixties pop singer Helen Shapiro, who is about to give up the road for a more settled lifestyle; Shapiro has over the years embraced more jazz blues and gospel flavours into her music to complement the mainstream early hits and from talking to Robin, he has enjoyed himself but other commitments and travelling have left him by the time of this show a little 'ragged' lets say, in that he's happy to play but markedly looser in his approach. Which turns out to be a plus as his musicality is intact and his band is on great form but during this performance there are some intriguing excursions into his own and others' material. 'Oh Well' has some funny stops and banter between blazing instrumental runs; a Hendrixy jams segues into a smokin' 'Black Magic Woman'. His own 'Vampire Blues' is at once spooky and strangely warming, Bibi playing around with octave runs that feel their way into your attention. I've seen him play this song several times and it's always a little different from last. Guest keyboard is Rob from Andy Cortes'crew and others on Hammond and he is a self-effacing player who comps with the best of them and keeps solo's brief and colourful. Portuguese (!!) drummer Hans Ferrao is a revelation in timing and dynamics, pretty vital to this act holding together given Bibi's inclination to explore every tone of his white Strat and slip in slide passage entirely when the mood takes him. Bassist Tony Marten is a rocking player and a good singer. These two have a Double Trouble touch to their playing and easily allow for Rob's contributions. Bibi plans to release two albums in the near future - one live and the other a round up of a departed friend's treasure trove of songs. I expect he will explain the project in the liner notes but it clearly means a lot to him.

The evening ends with Bibi and crew and supporting stars bursting their way through 'Pride and Joy' with plenty of guitar-sparring along the way. As a night out in a friendly venue this is hard to beat - Pete Sargeant.

Blues Matters

Surbiton-based guitarist and singer Robin Bibi is following what seems to be becoming a trend in British Blues. i.e delivering a second album that builds on the promise of the debut. For while Bibi's debut, Blue Thrash Therapy, was considered cover-heavy and derivative in the review in Blueprint V2/iss.10, this set sees Robin's song-writing talent emerging.

The promising instrumental openeer "Sonesta Stomp" (Bibi) leads us into well over an hour's worth of rocking good blues-rock. There is, thankfully, a lack of over abundance of guitar-hero notation. Robin covers most of the vocal work with Hans Ferrao (drums) and Tony Marten (bass) both taking a turn on one number each. Robin also features on harp during "Born On The Horn" (Holmes) and the closer "Chilly Wind Blues" (Bibi), a lazy-paced retro piece. Tim Hain guests on the live, co-written (with Bibi) "Hey Mr Bibi (I Wanna Hat Just Like That)".

There is an interesting departure on the two-before-last trackswhere Robin explores areas of fusion. "You Couldn't've Thought I Loved You" (Ferrao) has elements of soul with Stewart Curtis guesting on sax. "Jelly Out" (Lowenthal/Spevock/York) is an excellent and obscure no-drinks-party funk-fusion piece. Rating 7 - Frank Franklin

Blueprint Vol 2 issue 36

Robin Bibi is a popular performer at B B's and as a local band, always attracts a good following. The audience were younger than is usual and nearly half of them were women. Robin's guitar, vocal and occasional harmonica are joined by Tony 'Bad Boy' Marten on bass and Ed Spevock on drums.

'Cold Shot' and 'Tightrope' unashamedly showed the influence of Stevie Ray Vaughn and raised and lowered the heat for effect. There were also hints of B B King and Jimi Hendrix in the soloing. On two Peter Green/Mac numbers, 'Oh Well' and 'Black Magic Woman', the band played with energy and a great sense of fun, the drummer using two cowbells! Robin used plenty of vibrato and lots of fretboard gymnastics, even playing one sequence with his teeth! 'Vampire Blues', a slow number with bags of atmosphere was well supported by the backbone, and a consummate piece of entertainment. The instrumental 'Surfin' made a fast and raunchy first-half closer.

'Language of Your Soul', a fast rock blues with Hendrix overtones, opened the second set. Tony took over vocals for 'Sometimes Bad is Bad', with Robin on slide, while 'Little Wing' was played on Robin's own terms. 'Crossroads was given a rock blues treatment totally different to Cream's, with a great reggae passage at the end. 'Pride and Joy' and the encore 'Mojo Working' ended a stunning performance that left people wanting more - Bill Smith

Blueprint Vol 2 issue 21