A SOLD out Norden Farm in Maidenhead played host to the ‘incredible’ Carlos Santana tribute band Oye Santana on Saturday night.

The band last played the venue in December 2013 to a crowd of around 70 but the message must have travelled about what a good show they put on as the venue for this gig was absolutely packed.

They opend up with Jingo which had everyone tapping the armrest and it got the audiences attention for some follow up numbers with African themes.

A new member of the band since the last visit was Auriol Kobani, the only female member of the group who sang Game of Love in the first half and played trumpet and sang a Santana rendition of Gloria Estefan’s Oye Mi Canto.

Milan ‘Carlos’ Webb the lead guitarist and founder member of the band was magnificent and if you closed your eyes you would think you were listening to the man himself.

Not that the band doesn’t look like the real thing as last year they released the single Mas Que Nada onto iTunes and Apple pulled it off saying they could not use a picture of Carlos Santana in their publicity for the single. Milan had to point out to them that it was him in the image. iTune reinstated the song but not until after the world cup so the momentum of the sales was lost.

Check out the image by putting Oye Santana into iTunes. I feel a bit guilty as it was me who took the image at the 2013 gig at the centre.

With an eleven tune first half and a twelve song second session it really was great value for money with the audience dancing in the aisles and even a 15 person ‘conga’ worming it’s way around the auditorium.

They finished with the old favourites of Oye Como Va and Smooth but for me it will always be Black Magic Woman complemented by the fantastic vocals of lead singer Hector Gomez from ‘Madrid’ or does he really live in Slough ? We never really did get to the bottom of that.

A must see band who will play at the Guitar Fest 2015 at South Hill Park Arts Centre, Bracknell on the weekend of Saturday 23rd - Sunday 24th May 2015

Check out the Oye Santana website at www.oyesantana.com to get some more info on the band and the members of this incredible latin tribute act to the great Carlos Santana

Words and pictures Mike Swift