John Coghlan's Quo - Tavistock Review

With gigs on consecutive Saturdays, and another coming up next Friday, life is certainly starting to feel normal again. Following a long period without live music, it has felt great this past week to get back in the saddle so to speak. Last week's trip down to Cornwall for an all-day event topped by Orange Goblin certainly blew away the cobwebs, but yesterday saw my first 'normal' gig since March 2020. It was fitting that the venue was the excellent Tavistock Wharf as I went to my first ever concert there in 2006, and it is a venue that I have visited a large amount of times over the years. We are lucky in Devon to have a venue as well-respected as The Wharf, and I am very pleased that it has managed to survive its enforced slumber as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. John Coghlan's Quo were the reason that I was pulled back to The Wharf for the first time since Cats in Space rocked the venue in December 2019, who have been regular visitors to The Wharf over the past few years. Having clearly got the touring bug again following Status Quo's 'Frantic Four' reunion shows in 2013 and 2014, Coghlan has been touring the UK with his own band for the past few years. Prior to yesterday I had seen Coghlan and his band three times, and each time was a very enjoyable experience. I have often likened John Coghlan's Quo to a very good Status Quo tribute band that happen to feature the band's original drummer, and that is essentially what the band are. Coghlan knows what the fans want, and his shows always feature a strong selection of Status Quo classics (and a few deep cuts) from the band's 1970s heyday - with the occasional trip back to the 1960s and into the early 1980s. Coghlan played on most of the band's classic albums, and draws from a variety of them during his shows - with the songs being brought to life by the musicians that he surrounds himself with. Guitarists Pete Mace and Mick Hughes, and bassist Rick Chase - all of whom sing - form the core of Coghlan's band, and are the perfect musicians to bring the classic era Status Quo sound to life. They totally understand the band's boogie blues sound, and they play the songs with the respect that the catalogue deserves. This show, however, was different from the previous John Coghlan's Quo gigs that I attended - and, sadly, not for the better. I think it is fair to say that the Coghlan of 2021 is not the one of 2019. Age is clearly catching up with the legendary drummer, and the show was altered to take this into account. Coghlan only sat behind his drum kit for a quarter of the 20-song set, with many of the songs either being re-arranged in a more low-key way or featuring drummer Russ Chadd instead. While I understand the need for the change, parts of the show felt more like a Status Quo tribute band was performing than ever before - and the lack of Coghlan (i.e. the star of the show) was a real shame.

Following a short acoustic support set from Fi Channon, which I watched from the bar, the band took to the stage to play the first half of the evening sat on stools along the front of the stage. Channon stayed with the band during the first set, adding additional vocals and percussion, and the six musicians on stage ran through eight Status Quo songs that had been re-arranged in a semi-acoustic, low-key manner. Chadd sat on a cajón, and drove the songs, while Coghlan was positioned behind a couple of bongos. Coghlan introduced the band, but much of the between-song talking was left to Chase - who has often acted as the band's unofficial frontman. Much of the first set was sung by Mace however, with Down the Dustpipe and the groove-based Railroad kicking things off in fine fashion. Despite the low-key arrangements, this first set was still very enjoyable. I am not sure that Coghlan's bongos really added much to the sound, but it was great to hear quite a few rarely-played Status Quo songs given an airing. A highlight for me was Spinning Wheel Blues, sung by Hughes, which inevitably included a lot of great blues-based soloing. In previous sets by the band, Hughes has been the band's rhythm player and rarely stepped into the spotlight. It was great, then, to hear him take the lead on a couple of songs vocally, as well as perform a few more guitar solos than usual. Spinning Wheel Blues was a highlight as a result of his efforts, and he also shone during a rare outing of Lakky Lady which followed. Another early highlight for me was the ballad A Year, sung perfectly by Chase. A Year has always been a regular feature of the band's setlists, and it is a song that shows some of the diversity in Status Quo's sound. Not every song that the band have put out follows the famous three-chord pattern, and A Year is a perfect representation of the band's more melodic side. It was clear at this point too that, despite the altered show, the crowd was enjoying hearing some of these deep cuts. Lots of people were singing along, and the following number Nanana featured probably the biggest sing-along of the first set. The atmosphere was excellent throughout the evening, and it was great to see such a healthy turnout - which no doubt pleased both the band and the venue. Following a speech from Coghlan, the first set came to an end with the strange Gerdundula, with its somewhat folky melodies, which led to a 20 minute break to allow the crew to get the stage ready for the second, heavier set.

The second set was more typical of John Coghlan Quo sets of the past. The Marshalls were turned up, and the crowd were treated to an hour or so of heads down boogie rock that channelled that classic Status Quo sound. It was a shame, therefore, that Coghlan himself was absent for so much of the second set. He did take to the stage again towards the end, but for the most part Chadd handled the drums. The band still sounded great, but without Coghlan on stage the legitimacy of what was going on was certainly stretched. At this point, a very good Status Quo tribute band was essentially performing the band's greatest hits - but this did not seem to impact the overall atmosphere, although a couple of shouts of 'Where's John?' were certainly audible over the cheers. Despite the classics that followed, it was actually one of the band's two new original numbers that kicked off the second set. The band released a single and a b-side last year which were written and recorded during the lockdown, and the b-side No Return kicked the set off. The two songs are very Status Quo in style, so easily slotted into the set. Many around me seemed to know the songs, which was great to see, but the biggest cheers were reserved for the many classics that followed. Roll Over Lay Down had everybody down the front moving, but one of the highlights of the second set for me was the fast-paced Little Lady - which Chase sung with all the power that the song requires. It is a song that I had not seen the band perform before, and it was a welcome addition before a number of more regular staples followed. Paper Plane featured more excellent audience participation, before the band's own Lockdown single went down a storm. Despite it only being two songs, I like the fact that this band have now added to the wider Status Quo canon - and those in attendance really seemed to enjoy these new additions to the set. Following Lockdown Coghlan took to the stage again and joined the band for the last four numbers - with Chadd moving over to percussion. Status Quo's biggest hit Down Down reintroduced Coghlan, with the shuffle of Don't Drive My Car allowing him to get into his groove. It was clear at this point however why the change in show format had taken place, as Coghlan seemed to struggle a bit with the songs. Chadd's percussion was there to help him keep time, and there were a few moments where he seemed to briefly loose his way. This was sad to see, but he is in his mid-70s now and has had an enforced year off the road. It did make me wonder whether John Coghlan's Quo may be put to rest soon so that Coghlan can enter a well-deserved retirement - and it was clear that he is not the drummer that he was. Something 'bout You Baby I Like and Pictures of Matchstick Men brought the set to an end - but an encore of Rockin' All Over the World gave everyone a chance to have one last party with the band. The set ended on a high, and the large crowd took the opportunity to make their appreciation heard as the band took their bows. The setlist was:

Down the Dustpipe [Status Quo cover]

Railroad [Status Quo cover]

Most of the Time [Status Quo cover]

Spinning Wheel Blues [Status Quo cover]

Lakky Lady [Status Quo cover]

A Year [Status Quo cover]

Nanana [Status Quo cover]

Gerdundula [Status Quo cover]

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No Return

Roll Over Lay Down [Status Quo cover]

Little Lady [Status Quo cover]

Don't Waste My Time [Status Quo cover]

Big Fat Mama [Status Quo cover]

Paper Plane [Status Quo cover]

Lockdown

Down Down [Status Quo cover]

Don't Drive My Car [Status Quo cover]

Something 'bout You Baby I Like [Richard Supa cover]

Pictures of Matchstick Men [Status Quo cover]

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Rockin' All Over the World [John Fogerty cover]

Despite the new format and my concerns relating to the continued legitimacy of John Coghlan's Quo, a good time was still had by all. It is a real shame that Coghlan's abilities to play the drums are deteriorating, but age will catch up to us all and he has had a great career. I do wonder if the next year or so will be Coghlan's last on the road before retiring, so I also wonder whether this will be his final appearance at The Wharf. If this is to be the last time, then it has been great seeing Coghlan back behind his kit over the past few years, and he has brought a lot of joy to Status Quo fans a as a result. The show itself was still a lot of fun, and it was great to hear a number of new additions to the set - which certainly helped to make up for Coghlan's absence during big portions of the show.