Following up a searing soul session yesterday from ‘Matador! Soul Sounds’ at the Field of Heaven stage was an equally hot set from the legend that is George Porter Jr. The stage stood upto it’s name as the heavens opened up and poured buckets down on the unwavering crowd.

And there was good reason that the audience was staying put regardless of the weather, it’s not everyday you get to see a funk legend in the flesh. For those of you unfamiliar with Porter Jr. he was the bassist and singer of the 60s American funk group ‘The Meters’ and along with keyboardist Art Neville formed the blueprint for modern funk and soul music. Although they rarely enjoyed significant mainstream success, it was their innovative approach to chunky and heavy, mostly instrumental funk, that has influenced generations of musicians since.

Of course, you can’t have funk without the bassline and Porter most certainly brought the undeniable low down groove yesterday in full force. Other than a funky and fun start-to-finish set, what perhaps struck me the most is just how tight the New Orleans legend still is at 71 years of age! Some established artists sometimes ride the coattails of their previous success, organizing reunion tour after reunion tour and playing their same old hits. Porter on the other hand, sounds to only be getting better with age, bringing forth a wide ranging set of classics and contemporary sounds.

As the soaked crowd cheered for more, George Porter and his band strut back out onto the stage for an encore of the 1974 classic ‘People Say’ by the Meters. It was the perfect funk fuelled feast for the final finale!