An evening in Praise of the Fender Guitar

Who knew that there were so many fans of the Fender guitar living in Diss? An evening celebrating a particular guitar might sound like a niche evening appealing only the select few but that clearly wasn’t the case, as the Corn Hall was full to capacity for a performance that celebrated some of the greatest performers, and the greatest music played, on this beloved instrument.

Perhaps word got around that the experience was going to be helped along by a collective of excellent musicians. It’s impressive enough when a group manages to pay tribute to a single band – here we offered tributes to anyone from Buddy Holly to Nile Rogers. Along the way we were treated to the music of the Shadows, Richie Valens, Eric Clapton, Genesis, Beach Boys, Chris Rea, The Who, Rainbow and Pink Floyd. Fans were treated to Let’s Dance, Pinball Wizard, Layla, Get Lucky, Another Brick in the Wall and countless other songs that have exploited the instruments signature sound. Given David Knight’s clear affection for the instrument it was easy to see why. Although this was fundamentally a tribute show – albeit to a guitar not a person – it was heavily interspersed with his amusing and informative anecdotes. Together with the faultless Chapman stick playing of Alistair Begg, the emphatic beat of Alec Heald’s drums, Joe Boult’s supporting guitar and vocals, and Kingsley Sage’s keyboards, this was a night of virtuosity, entertainment and education.

The evening closed, as I think we all expected, with Dire Straits Sultans of Swing, but there was also an invitation to suggest new songs and new guitarists. My vote goes to the late, great Wilko Johnson and his 1962 Fender Telecaster. I look forward to hearing Paradise next time they come.