Little Axe: From blues to hip-hop and back

SKIP MCDONALD was playing a gig in Portugal, billed as just him and guitar. A fair portion of the audience had seen the billing and decided an evening of traditional blues was just what they wanted. They might have wanted traditional blues, but they didn't get it. On entering the venue, they came across a stage upon which stood not a stool, a microphone and a guitar, but a selection of samplers and computers, as well as the setup for a full rock band. "The purists were outraged," says McDonald. "About 20 of them started walking out. The rest of them stayed and we got on fine. It was a particularly good gig."