Robben Ford Live review: Blues icon's sold out show is a technical masterclass

229 Club London 14th January 2025

London’s January Blues Festival at the 229 Club boasts some of the hottest tickets in town during these cold winter nights. The month-long festival covers a diverse range of artists to cater for the huge spectrum of blues and roots music.

Guitar legend Robben Ford stopped off for the first of two sold-out nights at the basement venue hidden away in Great Portland Street.

The jaw-dropping talents of Kyla Brox, daughter of Manchester cult blues figure Victor Brox. Brox commanded the room with a voice steeped in soul and lived-in emotion. Performing tracks including Beautiful Day and Bluesman’s Child, she channeled the heart and spirit of blues women from yesteryear, echoes of grit, resilience, and grace but still contemporary.

Robben Ford’s set was a masterclass in technical fluency. The playing was, as expected, made up of silky bends, immaculate tone, and a harmonic vocabulary that made even the most humble guitarists in the room sit up and take note.

Backed by the phenomenal Johnny Henderson on Hammond organ and Ianto Thomas on drums, Ford led a trio so tight their syncopation bordered on supernatural: this was musical  mind-reading at its best. With no bass player in sight, any potential gap was effortlessly filled by the depth of the instrumentation.

Ford’s playing was, as ever, virtuoso, but never showy for its own sake. The set moved seamlessly across blues, jazz, rock, funk, and fusion, with an ease that only comes from decades of mastery. Jazzy fusion play-offs and extended jams felt heartfelt and complementary, rather than self-indulgent.

The night also gave a glimpse into Ford’s upcoming album Shades of Blue, due at the end of March and partly conceived as a tribute to the late, great Jeff Beck. A medley of three Beck songs appeared,  ‘Behind the Veil’ being a highlight from the trio. “He really was a good guitar player. Just stunning,” Ford remarked - an understatement delivered with obvious reverence that had members of the crowd nodding in agreement.

New material like I Can Make My Own Weather brought a funky, pop-blues edge, while Rose of Sharon showcased Ford’s melodic sensitivity. A soulful cover of Jealous Guy added emotional depth, and Charlie Black Black Night came with a warning to rockers: “Not the Deep Purple one—I don’t know about rock and roll music,” Ford joked, drawing laughs from the crowd.

Throughout, what stood out most was the trio’s chemistry effortless, precise, and deeply musical. This wasn’t just a display of technical brilliance; it was a performance rooted in feel, groove, and joy. A reminder that Robben Ford remains not only a formidable guitarist, but a musician who knows exactly how to make great players sound even better together.