The Chilli Dogs are an Edinburgh-based nine-piece blues cover band whose usual stage is a small pub in their resident city. However, for the Fringe they said that they had been upgraded to the biggest stage they had ever played on. Luckily, the size of the stage was not wasted on them.
It provided ample space for the group, which sports four vocalists, two of whom were guitarists, one a bassist and the other a mandolin player. Other musicians that didn’t sing included two harmonica players, a lap steel guitar-player, a cajon player and a pianist, who doubled as an accordion player.
The band were missing their fiddle player on this occasion but with such an array of talented musicians on stage the set was still strong. The church’s resonance was excellent and gave each instrument the acoustic it needed to stand out. The harmonica and lead guitar solos punctuated their set effectively.
The Chilli Dogs’ experience of playing live weekly seemed to put them at ease with the audience, who appeared engrossed by their performance. Interaction with the crowd was led by three of the four vocalists. The mandolin player felt more like a part-time addition to the group of singers, remaining in the background, turning his instrument away from the audience and facing the rest of band. The three main vocalists, however, had warm characters. They altered lead singers and created excellent harmonies.
The band solely played covers of traditional blues songs and the cover of Hayes Carll’s ‘If I Ever Find Jesus I’m Kicking His Ass’ received the most reaction of the evening, given that the gig was played in a church.
Although The Chilli Dogs played their covers expertly, this was not progressive entertainment by any means. Their self-acknowledged inability to write their own material seems to limit their artistic credibility somewhat. However, I imagine they make a great pub band.
