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I have been a fan of Ezio since the mid 1990’s, after being taken to a gig @ The Junction by a colleague. The power, passion and musicianship on that first gig was - to coin a phrase - electric and I have bought all their albums and been to as many gigs as possible since then.
I have to admit that my favourite music of theirs is probably around the ‘Black Boots on Latin Feet’ and ‘Higher’ eras and I love the Shepherds Bush and Manheim live albums.
Due to a variety of circumstances I’ve not been to a December gig of theirs for a few years, but when I used to go it always started my Christmas off in a great way. I’d forgotten that Ezio and ‘Booga’ (Mark) are approachable and mix with the crowd before and after the gig, so when Booga came out into the crowd I did the classic double-take. Now I’m big, 6’4” and over 20 stone, but Booga has a presence all his own and his shy confidence and warmth elicits a bit of awe in me.
I managed a few stumbled words with Booga before the gig and shook his massive hand and after the gig stumbled even worse with Ezio at the Merch desk. But this poor communication was my issue not theirs. I’m 58 and have seen and done things you people wouldn’t believe, but put me in front of people I respect and admire and who have that special gift of musical talent and my innate shyness blooms over me like poison ivy.
The crowd on the night was of a reasonable size but The Junction (1) was not filled. If I tell you I met a chap - meant to ask his name but forgot - from Germany who had flown in on the day, was staying over night after the gig and then returning to his home on Sunday, you get the idea of how strong the bond is between fan and band. I hope he got back to Germany without incident.
I’ll not go through the gig sing by song. This is due to brevity (yeah right) and my not always knowing some of the later song titles. But the sound was superb, Ezio’s voice on point, and the guitar playing sublime. I’ve only ever seen the full band before in all my gigs so to see them as a duo was an unforeseen treat.
Ezio’s connection to the crowd was evident (and very funny if littered with some choice language) and he comes across as a genuinely nice guy. The quiet but strong presence of Booga gives them an almost ‘Penn & Teller’ quality (with sizes swapped round) but their impact on the stage cannot be underestimated.
Ezio’s voice was sublime, the guitar playing was strong and mesmeric and the vocals were loud and strong. The duo took the crowd and lifted them Higher (sorry) than you’d have thought a couple of guys with guitars ever could.
We were engaged, enthralled and for me, hearing some of the songs for the first time live, the evening opened up new listening avenues for me and if I can find the set list I’ll revisit my CDs with a keen interest.
One great thing they did - which I’ve not seen them (or others) do before - was to ask the crowd what song they should play next. This Ezio ‘Jukebox’ event was enthralling and the shouts for a variety of old and new songs became a cacophony, which Ezio dealt with in a humorous and deft manner.
Did they play all my favourites? No. Did I know each and every song? No (to my shame). But like the crowd; I was caught up in the power and majesty of the evening and the two hours went by far too quickly.
Like most bands, Ezio have a ‘big finish’ and I doubt it’ll be a spoiler if I reveal theirs - ‘Saxon Street’. This is a powerful and strong song that whips the crowd into a frenzy and I’ve heard it live many times. The set closed (as an encore) with Saxon Street (a personal and enduring favourite of mine) and I wasn’t disappointed - it must have been over 7 minutes with new elements and sections I’d not heard before.
And that’s the thing with a great band. They play songs you love and know but somehow bring a new quality to them that changes their shape in your mind whilst embedding them Deeper (sorry again) in your heart.
After the gig, as Ezio was moving over to the Merch desk (“we have Turkeys to pay for”) I asked the German chap if it had been worth it.
He smiled in a very happy way and said “Every Euro” and I wound my way back to Chrlmsford with the songs and the crowd singing in my head.
There has become a tradition in Cambridge over the past few years and that is the weekend before Christmas we pop down to the Junction to watch and listen to, arguably, the two best guitarists in our City.
Ezio and Booga have been playing their contemporary folk and acoustic rock for a couple of decades now and the beauty is they fail to disappoint on every occasion.
Their shows are some of the most intimate you will ever experience. Old men, lovely ladies and now a few youngsters spend two hours signing along with Ezio and admiring Booga's guitar masterclass.
There is in fact a point when Ezio just has to stand and strum.....with the whole venue pouring back his descriptive lyrics.
There is no set list....they go wit the flow. Responding in banter with the crowd heckles for their favourites.
Tonight was a bit another classic filled with the gems, Angels, A Thousand Years, Ice Cold Like Alex, and ending with the encore of Saxon Street.
It was a tremendous evening and it was capped off with their famous bow.
Brilliant.
Happy New Year Ezio and Booga
Yet again Ezio and Booga pull off a fantastic gig , Greystones is a great venue to see these talented musicians, the audience gelled with Ezio when he interacted with the Ezio fans lots of singing back well impressed tonight, can’t wait to see them again .
Ezio and Booga absolutely fantastic yet again , we need to make a trip to the junction inn in Cambridge to see them on their own patch and we want to make a trip to the Cambridge folk festival
Brilliant show, nice venue. They had a really good repore with the crowd. The music was great. Would definitely book to see them again, maybe when they go to Cambridge
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Ezio is not due to play near your location currently - but they are scheduled to play 1 concert across 1 country in 2025-2026.View all concerts.
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