EU welcomed an wonderful bassist and vocalist Penny Pangaris – Orianthi and her friends at our Europe Jazz Blues Festival 2025 in Dortmund, Germany.
Penny Pangaris, better known as Orianthi, is an Australian guitarist, singer, and songwriter. She is best known for her collaborations with Michael Jackson and Alice Cooper.
She has her own successful music. She’s playing a completely sold-out PIANO in Dortmund. Orianthi’s three-piece band also consists of Justin Andres on bass and Demian Arriaga on drums.
The band opens with a rocking performance of “First Time Blues,” featuring heavy riffs, deep bass, powerful drums, and a dazzling guitar solo.
A great opener that immediately draws the audience in. “Sinners’s Hymn” has short, sharp solos, and her clear voice comes through beautifully. It features a heavy top solo in which she uses the entire guitar neck, without any fiddling.
Great. A short bass and drum intro features “You Don’t Want To Know,” from an album she says was produced by Dave Stewart of The Eurythmics, and it’s a somewhat dark, gloomy song.
Bassist Justin Andres takes over as vocalist and provides the vocals throughout the concert.
The harmonies with Orianthi sound excellent throughout the concert. In “Never Make Your Move” by B.B. King, Orianthi’s vocals are much lower, and the heavy, deep bass gives the song a darker character, also thanks to the low-pitched wah-wah guitar.
“Rescue Me” is from the new album and has a beautiful, slow, thick groove with a heavy rock solo. In the announcement of the classic “All Right Now,” she mentions that Paul Rodgers is one of her favorite singers and has toured with Bad Company as the opening act.
The song is played well, but Rodgers’ voice is simply not replaceable for me… “Light It Up” follows with a rocking sound, followed by the calm, guitar-strummed slow rocker “Heaven In This Hell.”
Sunshine Of Your Love gets a bit poppy and radio-friendly. “Dark Days Are Gone” is uptempo and groovy, featuring Orianthi singing parts without a guitar, with that clear voice. A great song.
Then a song by her good friend Billy Gibson, the well-known “Sharp Dressed Man,” in which the cheerful, cheerful bassist Justin Andres connects nicely with the audience.
This is noticeable throughout the evening, alongside his fantastic bass playing.
Great! “How Do You Sleep” is sung sensitively, her frustration venting in a blistering solo, after which it ends quietly. The final song of the performance, without a break, is her first recorded single, the uptempo “According To You” with beautiful breaks.
It’s also radio-friendly, which is usually the intention of a single. After wild cheers and clapping, they naturally return for a rousing, explosive, extended rendition of “Voodoo Chile,” and the very, very warm, packed hall falls silent…
A superb concert by top musicians in a packed hall for a very enthusiastic audience. Orianthi is a top guitarist with a beautiful, clear voice, bassist Justin Andres is simply fantastic with a beautiful, full, warm sound that comes through beautifully, and drummer Demian Arriaga is incredibly tight and subtle when needed.
A fantastic concert!
By Olivia Peevas
Line-up:
Orianthi: guitars, vocals
Justin Andres: bass, background vocals
Demian Arriaga: drums
