My definition of a Dutch Treat is where both parties give equally to the occasion, rather than the traffic being all one way and at one person’s expense. Well, that was certainly the case down at The Perth Blues Club for the first gig of March.

Hans Theessink 

The performer was HANS THEESSINK and he gave something of himself to the audience during his 90 minute set, through both his wonderfully deep and resonant voice and his highly-skilled finger-picking on his acoustic guitars. As for us mere mortals sitting in the stalls, taking in this memorable performance, we actually gave him something back, which he can take away with him. No, I'm not just referring to his fee but to the fact that he succeeded in getting the fairly small, yet appreciative, audience to partake in accompanying him with some of his songs. Not too often that you get crowd participation like this down at The Charles !!  And didn't it sound sweet !!

Hans is a seasoned Blues artist who has toured the world and met and played with some of the finest musicians in his genre. Yet this was his first (and hopefully not his last !!) trip to Western Australia. He performs around 200 gigs each year and he has been honing his skills for the past 35 years over a series of 20 albums and dvd releases.

Now tell me that you have never heard of him !!

This is the shame. A musician of this caliber should be part of every erstwhile Blues fan's collection.

We were treated to a musical journey through the Blues of the Mississippi Delta, starting with his genesis into the Blues via Big Bill Broonzy (thankfully NOT following the Dutch Swing College Band !!) and moving on to some 12-string delights courtesy of Blind Willie McTell.

A mixture of originals and covers made up the set, with his song about Cyclone Katrina, meshed with Woody Guthrie's "Li'l Liza Jane", being one of the highlights. For the encore, he brought out the title track to his most recent album, "Slow Train", and an unusual rendition of Chuck Berry's "Maybellene". What set this gig apart for me was the story-telling between songs, often told in a humorous way, explaining anecdotally how he came to record certain tracks.

One thing's for sure. When HANS THEESSINK returns, the audiences will be much larger, given his first-up Perth performance has guaranteed that word will get around. Whilst playing, he grins like a happy customer leaving the red light district of Amsterdam.... And no wonder !!

Those lucky enough to have witnessed this Dutch Treat, albeit one who lives in the Alpine region of Austria, will be boasting about this gig for years to come.

Time to check him out !!

Hardy John 

Starting off the evening was HARDY JOHN from Stuttgart, Germany, playing full-on honky-tonk and Blues. His fingers moved like lightning across the keys, with his steady left hand providing the basis for the right hand to cut loose. Plenty of Blues standards in his repertoire, which warmed up the audience nicely.  Many thanks to Mike Vdelli for getting Hardy over to Perth. It won't be the last time, that's for sure.

Empire Blues 

With the admittedly-difficult task of closing out the night after a performance by the likes of Hans, EMPIRE BLUES were up to the mark.

Their sure-fire set-list of recognizable Blues classics proved a winner for those seeking the electric Blues and the guitar work of Andy McIlroy and bassist Alan Dawson.

Once again, The Perth Blues Club has set the benchmark for all other Blues Clubs to follow. Two international Blues acts in the one night !!

Beat that !!

Derek Cromb is the announcer for "Play The Blues" on 89.7 TWIN CITIES FM, each Sunday from 8 to 10pm.