John Coghlan's Quo - Tavistock Review

The Wharf, in the Devon town of Tavistock, has been an unlikely hotbed of live rock music for a number of years now. Growing up in Saltash meant that concerts at The Wharf were a fairly regular occurrence, and it was the scene of my first live music experience back in 2006. It often fares better than venues of a similar size in the nearby Plymouth and Exeter so, even now that I live in Plymouth, trips up to Tavistock are still a semi-regular experience. A regular visitor to the venue in recent years has been former Status Quo drummer John Coghlan, who has been touring as part of his relatively-new project John Coghlan's Quo for a few years now. His first trip down to Tavistock was in 2017, and has returned each year since - meaning that yesterday's concert of his at The Wharf was his third appearance there in as many years. Clearly getting the touring bug again after Status Quo's Frantic Four reunion shows in 2013 and 2014, Coghlan formed his own band in order to continue to play the songs that he helped to make famous. While on the surface John Coghlan's Quo feels a bit like an extremely authentic Status Quo tribute band, the three other musicians that Coghlan has picked to help present his legacy live are all clearly big Status Quo fans and really help to bring the feel of the band to life - especially the band's mid-1970s heyday. Guitarists Pete Mace and Mick Hughes, and bassist Rick Chase manage to accurately re-create the sound of those classic 1970s Status Quo shows, with Coghlan himself holding everything together with his boogie beats. With the vocals shared by Mace and Chase the multi-lead vocal approach that Status Quo took is replicated also, with Mace handling the vocals originally sung by Francis Rossi, and Chase taking on Rick Parfitt and Alan Lancaster's parts. The authenticity of the shows make them a popular draw, with large crowds often packed into The Wharf to sing along to many of Status Quo's best songs. Yesterday's Saturday night show was no different, with a large crowd assembled by the time the band hit the stage at 8:30pm prompt.

I had seen John Coghlan's Quo a couple of times previously, and both concerts had featured almost-identical setlists, so it was nice to hear a few different tunes this time around. The show started off in the same way however, with the old Steamhammer song Junior's Wailing, a song which Status Quo used to cover a lot in the 1970s, getting the show underway. The blues rock of the piece is the perfect way to get a John Coghlan's Quo show underway - and proved that the large crowd were in fine voice from the off. The first set was largely made up of songs that Status Quo used to play a lot live back in the 1970s, but are not too often a part of the 'proper' band's set these days. The fast-paced rhythms of Rockers Rollin' and the down and dirty blues of In My Chair proved to be early highlights, before the old Richard Supa cover Something 'bout You Baby I Like proved to be another moment that showed how much the crowd were into what was happening on stage. Status Quo have never been the greatest writers of ballads, but one of their better offerings is A Year, from 1972's Piledriver. Chase sung the song perfectly before Hughes, who often stuck to the songs' rhythm parts, took the chance to deliver a lengthy, bluesy solo. It provided a slight change of pace, but the first set of the evening came to a barnstorming close with a powerful version of the shuffling Don't Waste My Time which took the evening up to a fifteen minute bar and toilet break. The second set was, largely, made up of more well-known Status Quo concert staples, and got off to a great start with the boogie blues of Caroline. With the exception of the ballad All the Reasons, which actually prompted quite a spirited sing along section between Chase and the crowd, all of the songs played during the second set were the songs you would expect to hear during a Status Quo concert. Roll Over Lay Down upped the heaviness somewhat, before Paper Plane saw Mace encouraging the crowd to help him out during the big choruses. Mace is a relatively new face in the band, but has fit in nicely already. His voice is quite similar to Rossi's, so sings the material very well, and his tough approach to the lead guitar and bluesy riffing helped to give the songs an added edge. Songs like Paper Plane really showed this, and hopefully he sticks around in the band for a while. Coghlan came out from behind his drum kit to give his customary speech towards the end of the evening, and talking about Status Quo's formation and early days to amuse the crowd. He introduced the band, and dedicated the set's next song, Rain, to the late Parfitt - its creator. It was a great version of the song, before the main set came to a close with an extended version of the old Doors song Roadhouse Blues which was a fixture of Status Quo concerts for years. Chase sung the song perfectly, and both Mace and Hughes had a chance to show off with some solid, bluesy soloing. There was of course time for one more however, and the band obliged by playing Status Quo's Number 1 hit Down Down, which often saw the crowd drowning out the band vocally. A small snippet of Chuck Berry's Bye Bye Johnny was included too, and everything came to a close with Coghlan's short drum solo. The band took their bows to large cheers, and I am sure it will not be too long before they return to Tavistock. The setlist was: (N.B. all of the songs below, unless otherwise stated, are Status Quo songs):

Junior's Wailing [Steamhammer cover]
Rockers Rollin'
In My Chair
Something 'bout You Baby I Like [Richard Supa cover]
(April) Spring, Summer and Wednesdays
Gerdundula
A Year
Don't Waste My Time
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Caroline
Roll Over Lay Down
Pictures of Matchstick Men
Paper Plane
All the Reasons
Rain
Roadhouse Blues [The Doors cover]
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Down Down/Bye Bye Johnny [Chuck Berry cover]

While John Coghlan's Quo have clearly found their niche and intend to stay there, without ever shaking up the setlist too much, they are always a fun and lively night out. Status Quo's music is made to be experienced live, and Coghlan's current act are as good as delivering the band's classic sound as anyone else.