Dan Torres gave a crowd pleasing performance at the 606 Club.
My wife and I have seen Dan more times at the 606 than any other performer, but only because he has been working there for the last two years. It was only recently that he told us that he was a singer-songwriter, so it was a mixture of his likeable personality and curiosity that made us want to see him perform. Not knowing what to expect, we were delighted that his performance was far better than we had dared to imagine.
When Dan took to the stage, he described his music as a mixture of Rock and Soul, which was an accurate description, although there were two blues numbers added as well.
Dan mixed a number of his own songs with his interpretation of classics made famous by The Beatles, Eric Clapton, Marvin Gaye, Prince, Bill Withers and Stevie Wonder amongst others.
Dan’s own songs were a mix of Rock songs written for his band Dan and The Underdogs and more soulful songs which were released by him as a solo singer-songwriter. His songs were a delight to listen to and complimented his cover versions well.
For much of the show he was joined in stage by an excellent band, Richie Aikman and Will Looms on guitars, Sonny Winslow bass and Christiaan Oyens drums. Dan performed the last three songs of the first set solo, one of his own compositions and stripped back versions of ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’ and ‘Billie Jean’ which showcased his soulful voice. The second half opened with two songs performed with just Dan and his cousin (who also works at the 606), one original and a cover of ‘Something’ before the Band returned.
This was a very competent performance; highlights for me were his three solo numbers to close the first set and a song inspired by his grandmother which he sang with the band.
Dan’s next gig at the 606 is on December 16th and I would recommend it to any music lover. He deserves to be heard by more people.
Johns London Music Reviews 