There is no doubt that Brian May is one of the most lyrical and expressive guitarists around. His style was immediately evident back in Queen’s early days, notably on their debut hit Seven Seas of Rhye and Killer Queen.  His two solo albums and soundtrack project also provide good evidence of his style, which can be complex just as it can be accessible, and distinct in its own way, just as other like-minded lyrical guitarists like Mark Knopfler and the late George Harrison also managed to create their own trademark styles.

Over the past few years, Brian May has been collaborating with Kerry Ellis, who was the creator of the role of Meat in Queen’s Rock Theatrical We Will Rock You, and eventually starred in the musical Wicked. This also led her to a musical partnership with Brian May, resulting in Anthems, a successful debut album back in 2010. An equally successful tour followed and this led to more demand,s resulting in yet another tour which wound up in Malta last Saturday.

This recent tour, entitled The Candlelight Concerts, were more intimate sets usually held in theatres and pavilions. In Malta, they performed in an open air venue and somehow, despite the biting cold and occasional drizzle, this concert maintained the intimate-and trademark setting.   

Kerry and Brian’s performance should essentially be viewed and argued upon as a new venture for both talents. Inevitably, the Queen legacy does creep in and it would have been sheer injustice if any references to Brian’s legendary band were omitted on this eventful night. Though some standard classic covers, sounded predictable, other songs were dealt with in a deft and forceful manner.

The opening song, I Who Have Nothing, an old Italian classic, which has been covered by artistes as diverse as Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones,  Petula Clarke and even Manfred Mann’s Earth Band from the rock sphere, saw Kerry’s very English vocal delivery, accompanied by May’s guitar arrangements, which took a lilted Mediterranean and heartfelt touch. This was Brian May’s variation on the theme, and which also gave a different touch to this great song. The Kansas classic Dust In The Wind and the ensuing song, Born Free, the title song from the 1966 British drama film about three orphaned lions sounded rather pedestrian. It nonetheless remains a highlight of their concert, having also inspired an album that also showed their love for nature.

The second Queen cover song, Somebody to Love featured Jeff Leach, a proficient keyboards and tambourine player and former member of Barclay James Harvest. His contribution on this song was really good, as his keyboards playing substituted the harmonies on the original 1976 song. Tell Me What You See was a typical pleasant West-End musical song, which brought to the fore Kerry Ellis’s vast experience in this sphere. Brian May also took time to draw on his studies in Astrophysics and his references to British democracy, referenda, his appeal against spring hunting, his dislike for politics and his accent on people taking initiatives, would have made a perfect pairing with the likes of Patti Smith or Bono.

 Though The Candlelight Concerts saw Brian and Kerry perform stripped down versions of Queen classics alongside a number of their personal favourite songs,  Brian May’s abilities as a guitarist were evident during his guitar jam, and on Tie Your Mother Down. Here was another Queen song which again, will never reach the high vocal ranges that the late Freddie Mercury.  Brian and Kerry sang harmonies, and allowed Jeff Leach to provide some nice, ragtime-influenced stomping keyboards, with Brian delivering his killer, cutting-edge guitar solo. The Beatles, The Everly Brothers (whose So Sad was also featured in this event), among other talents served as an important source of influence for Brian May, and these helped to translate themselves into Queen’s unique vocal harmonies. However, Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix and The Shadows also left their mark on May and such influences, and have been morphed into Brian’s distinct style. Towards the end of the show, their version of Crazy Little Thing called Love, performed as the night became colder, and more humid, with some occasional drizzle, once more wound up with another Brian May guitar improvisation, and helped to maintain a mainly upbeat tone on such a chilly night.