Live Music Review: Dom Pipkin’s Smokin’ Boogie at Peggy’s Skylight

Throughout his Smokin’ Boogie show at Peggy’s Skylight, Dom Pipkin charts a history of blues from the earlier days of Jelly Roll Morton that was based on the more formal ragtime music, through to the hedonistic times of Dr John casting Voodoo spells on people in the sixties and seventies with his brand of funk-inspired blues.

Not only does Pipkin demonstrate impeccable technique as his hand slides effortlessly up and down the piano in incricate solos, but he’s clearly well versed in the music of time.

Throughout the session, he references influential artists and mixes the different approaches, in particular the piece I’ll Be Seeing You – a Liberace piece he plays in the style of one of his favourite blues artist James Booker – is evident of this. Look no further than the performance of his own original song Love Affair with New Orleans to glean his passion for this era of music.

Of course, no late December show would be complete without a boogie woogie version of When the Saints Go Marching In. He really is a true entertainer. As a fellow lover of this type of music, it’s great to see someone who is significant in the music industry; he’s the musical director of Paloma Faith and has played with Paul Weller and Morcheeba to name but a few. He’s paying homage to the music and artists from whom the origins of the pop music stemmed.  

At a mere £8 a head, this gig is a throwback to the time when there were more live music venues and it was cheaper and easier to access than sadly often is the case these days. It would be great to see more music venues like Peggy’s Skylight appearing around the city.

Dom Pipkin performed Smokin’ Boogie at Peggy’s Skylight on Sunday 16 December

Peggy’s Skylight website