FROM the opening bars of Detour it was clear that Duane Eddy has lost none of his ability to thrill an audience with his unique guitar style.

The audience at The Cheese and Grain, Frome, most of whom were not much younger than the star, who is now in his 70s, loved him and his style of playing on the bass strings of his guitar to create his trademark ‘twang’ style. The concert included many of his massive hits from the late 1950s/early 1960s, including Movin’ n Groovin’, Yep, the Lonely One, Shazam, Ramrod, 40 Miles Of Bad Road, Because They’re Young (dedicated on the night to Johnnie Walker), Rebel Rouser, and Cannonball.

It was particularly appreciated that the hits were faithfully reproduced, complete with the sax breaks (a terrific performance from Paul Corry), hand claps and yells.

Interspersed with the old hits were selections from his latest album, Road Trip, which has been produced by Pulp guitarist, Richard Hawley, whose backing group provided great support on the night. As well as the title track, we were treated to Bleaklow Air and Mexborough Ferry-Boat Song, among others.

The Cheese and Grain is a small venue and so provided an intimate setting for the audience to be near such a star. The two long standing ovations were very much deserved.

The supporting act was Nell Bryden, a singer-songwriter from New York. She has a very strong vocal style, matched by her guitar playing. On the night she sang several numbers from her albums ‘What Does It Take’ and her soon-to-be-released ‘Shake The Tree’.

She has featured on a number of radio shows of late and, on this performance, it’s easy to see why.