Dr Feelgood/Nine Below Zero - Slay, Glasgow 3rd April 2026
Richie Adams • 6 April 2026
Friday night was a night out in Glasgow. We met for a quick sharpener in the Drum and Monkey before heading along to Slay. Now, timing is, of course everything, and ours was tragic. Just as we left the pub, we were caught in a biblical hail shower and could do nothing else but jump into another pub for warmth and safety – it was, as Paul put it, ‘sore rain’.
Despite being delayed a bit, we made it to Slay on time. It was to be an early start, 6:30 doors and the first band on just on an hour later. This was a double headline tour, so equal set lengths for both bands, all done and dusted in time for the young team to get in for the dancing later on.
Friday was my first visit to this venue. It was a dark, square room which I felt was pretty perfect for any gig, but particularly well suited to tonight’s old school British RnB offering.
The room was pretty full when Dr Feelgood arrived on stage. This is a band who have been around the block. None of the originals are still with the group, but bass man Phil Mitchell, drummer Kevin Morris and guitarist Gordon Russell all played in the band with original singer Lee Brilleaux, who passed away in 1994. That, I feel, gives them the legitimacy to carry the name and of course play the music that defined the growing British pub rock scene of the late 1970’s.
This was no-frills rock and roll and I loved it. Singer, Robert Kane, pouts, points and prances round the stage making every inch of it his and he batters through the band’s hits. Most of them are there, ‘She Does it Right’, ‘You Don’t Love Me’ and ‘Roxette’ all get an outing, my own disappointment was ‘All Thought the City’ was missing. As Graham pointed out, the Feelgood’s back catalogue is pretty immense, and they only had just over an hour. In that hour they also managed to fit in a couple of new songs, yup you read that right, new songs, well, reasonably new. “Damn Right” was released in 2022 and driven by guitarist Gordon Russell. It was great to see the title track and a couple of other cuts make it onto tonight’s setlist. I’m one of those who think that new music keeps the scene healthy and, I love to hear these alongside the classics.
I thought Dr Feelgood were on blistering form. There was very little chat and absolutely no room for a breather between songs. It was fantastic to see them. I’ve not seen Dr Feelgood for a good few years, I will certainly not be leaving it so long next time.
After a quick turnaround, the second headline band of the night appeared. Nine Below Zero were on stage. This is a band I have seen regularly over the years and tonight I was delighted to see them in their stripped back, four-man, formation.
Original members Dennis Greaves and Mark Feltham were joined by Dennis’s son, Sonny on drums and Anthony Harty on bass. They were a formidable combo. Clearly it was cold yet sunny on stage, Dennis was wrapped up in his cap, scarf and shades for the whole gig.
Things started with a fantastic a mash up of Canned Heat’s ‘On the Road Again’ and the Stone’s standard ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’. The next hour covered many of the NBZ bases. It was great to hear ‘Don’t Point Your Finger at the Guitar Man’ and ‘Ridin’ on the L and N’ along the way.
Mark Feltham is, without question, one of the best harmonica players you will hear anywhere in the world, and I will defend that view till my dying breath. The wee debate amongst my amigos was ‘can you have too much of a good thing’? There is no rhythm guitar in this lineup, so, Mark plays harp during every song. Sometimes Paul and I felt that was a little too much, Graham, on the other hand, felt you could never be enough Mark.
Wherever one fell on that debate, there could be no mistaking the talent and musicality on show.
The set ended with the NBZ classic, Eleven Pus Eleven, always a toe tapper.
Before the lights came up, the Dr Feelgood guys reappeared and the whole lot of them took us through the Bobby Troupe classic ‘(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66’. It was joyful singalong to end a most fantastic night.
British RnB, pub rock, call it what you will, was a ground breaker in the 1970’s, it kept guitar music and rock and roll alive at a time it was under threat forms other forms of music – most of which I love! It remains great to see some of the first and second generations of that swing still keeping the music and us going 50+ years later.
When we left the venue, the hail had stopped and the walk to the train station was a wee bit more dignified than the run to it on the way in.
This was a great double header, a great night of toe tapping classics from a time when guitar music was king of Canvey.