Sunday 5th December: While it's not quite the mini Mostly-fest of last year, today sees Iain Jennings taking advantage of the fact that Mostly Autumn played York last night (and, possibly, that some of the crossover fans are still in York) to organise an afternoon gig for Breathing Space. So Debbie (who, for some reason, was under the impression that this was to be Livvy's farewell gig) and I find ourselves at Fibbers for a rare afternoon out together.
Support today was provided my Marc Atkinson who I've seen once before, who performed on one of my favourite albums of the last couple of years and who has one of the best biographies I have ever read. Having being involved in a number of projects over the years, it seems odd to me that Marc has weaved around the sort of "stardom" experienced by the likes of Bryan Josh without actually making it as big. Having said that, both his biography and his attitude when performing both seem to show that he is happy with his lot and it may just be that he prefers to more grounded and, for want of a better word, local than Mostly Autumn.
The last time I saw Marc he was performing acoustic covers in The Terrace. This afternoon, he mined his own material to give us a thoroughly enjoyable (still acoustic) set. Sadly, due to what seems to have been an incorrectly advertised start time, we missed the first song, but the second came from Gabriel, one of Marc's previous bands, while the next came from his much anticipated Riversea project (the album of which, he informed us, is due to be released at Easter next year, with many guest appearances). Other newer songs were the reminiscing of When We Were Five and Through A Mirror Darkly, while Clockwork Man dated back to 2006. For his final song, Marc reverted to a cover and produced a very good version of Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb (perhaps a brave choice given the Worst Band Ever video which has been doing the rounds on the internet, but I'm happy to say that this afternoon's version was infinitely better than that one...) Despite some guitar problems - apparently you shouldn't re-string guitars on a cold day - which seemed to both frustrate and slightly embarrass Marc, this was a very varied and, as I say, enjoyable set. The vocals were very clear and the choice of songs complemented each other. The first time I've heard Marc's own material and it impressed me enough to buy both of his available albums.
The departure of Livvy Sparnenn from Breathing Space (and, indeed, Bryan Josh from the live shows) had necessitated the second line-up change of the weekend. Replacing Bryan is Adam Dawson (who regular readers will know that we have already checked out), while Heidi Widdop is now the lead vocalist. Again, I have seen Heidi before, opening for Mostly Autumn last year as part of The Secrets. It had already been said that Heidi's voice was completely different to Livvy's and that this was leading to a new sound for the band, but I hadn't realised how much of a change it would be.
The band opened with Run From Yourself, my favourite track from Beneath The Radar, but the track sounded more rocky than normal, something that was to be reiterated with the new material that was to be peppered throughout the set. Before that, though, we took a trip back to the original Breathing Space album for a version of No Promises which featured some wonderfully atmospheric guitar work from Adam. Heidi then took up an acoustic guitar for the new song Unnatural Disaster, before Adam stepped up to perform vocals on Silver Skies, one of his own songs which has been revamped as a full band version, and an excellent version it is. Next up was Searching For My Shadow, proving that all the previous albums were fair game for the new line-up (and surprising me as I thought this track might have left the band with Livvy). Again, it sounded as though the track had been reworked slightly to provide for Heidi's stronger voice. The title track from Beneath The Radar was followed by When I Hold On To You, from Coming Up For Air and then another new track (the title of which I didn't hear). Finally, we got the second rendition of the weekend of Questioning Eyes and hearing the two so closely together showed just how different Heidi and Livvy's voices are - both superb versions, but very different. After a brief respite, the band returned to the stage for an encore and, in my opinion, a very welcome return of The Gap Is Too Wide - lovely to hear it live again.
This wasn't a perfect set. Heidi was struggling slightly with her voice and the sound was a little dodgy. At first I thought that the latter was due to my standing right next to one of Fibbers' main speakers (which, I can confirm, can give you the impression that it is driving a spike through your eardrum) but somebody who was standing at the bar has also criticised the sound. It seemed fine for Marc's set but didn't seem to cope too well with the increased volume of Breathing Space. Despite that, it was a really good performance and, despite the band being off the radar, let alone below it, for a few months now (at least locally) with very little news or updates being released, it bodes well for the future. The new, rockier sound is brilliant, Heidi's voice will be even stronger once her chest is better and Adam's playing was good enough to give any of the previous guitarists a run for their money. Given the number of new tracks played, a fourth album can't be far away and I, for one, can't wait.
Sunday, 12 December 2010
Friday, 10 December 2010
Mostly New
Saturday 4th December: ...and it's time for the now annual trip to see Mostly Autumn at York's Grand Opera House. Much has already been said, by better writers and critics than me, about the line-up change resulting from Heather Findlay's departure from the band and with Go Well Diamond Heart marking a return to form for one of my favourite bands I was really looking forward to tonight's gig. Overall, I have to say that it lived up to expectations. However, some of the following may seem a little controversial.
The first set started with an instrumental introduction while album covers and photos of band members, past and present, were projected onto a screen above the stage. I think I can understand why this was done - the message seemed to be that the band were experiencing both a departure and a new start and that this was a new chapter in their history - but, at around fifteen minutes long, it did start to overstay its welcome just a little and I almost breathed a sigh of relief when the band finally took to the stage and started playing Deep In Borrowdale, the rocker from the new album. What followed was a mix of songs both old and new, including two from the second disc of the special edition of Diamond Heart (The Sound Of The World and the superb Ice) and the live staple Spirits of Autumn Past. I had a vague feeling that this set was a bit more Bryan-centric than previous times when I had seen the band and this seemed to be confirmed by watching the That Night In Leamington DVD the next day. (Although it is possible that the Leamington gig, given its significance as Heather's swansong with the band, was more tailored to her and that I just have a bad memory.) Livvy only really seemed to really front Passengers and Questioning Eyes, a personal song that she has brought with her from Breathing Space. One highlight of the set was a guitar solo from Liam, used to introduce one of the songs (I forget which - there's that bad memory again) and give most of the rest of the band a few minutes off stage. This solo seemed a little more intricate than those of Bryan and if it is the sort of thing that can be found on Liam's recent solo album I will definitely be seeking out a copy.
After a short break the band returned to the stage and started the second set with Fading Colours then continued with most of the remaining songs from the standard release of Diamond Heart, including the lyrically challenged Something Better, For All We Shared and the title track, during which some effective light effects were added to the sounds of war to provide a somewhat harrowing backdrop to the song. Back To Life showed that Livvy has, indeed, got a superb voice and was the best song she performed all night. In fact, she seemed to almost be finding her voice so far into the evening as this was followed by Slow Down (from Bryan's solo album, Through These Eyes) for which she provided some stunning backing vocals and, shortly afterwards, she performed Evergreen very well. As usual, the main set ended with Bryan's dedication to his father, Heroes Never Die but the band soon returned for an encore which included Forever Young and the brilliantly performed When The War Is Over, before regaling us with the usual Christmas songs and, from Livvy, an unaccompanied version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow.
As usual, it's a treat to see arguably one of York's biggest bands perform in their hometown. I'm never sure of the Opera House as a venue but maybe that will be put right when York's Barbican opens again next year. I couldn't help thinking, though, that this year there was just a little something missing. Livvy isn't bad. In fact there's very little wrong with her performance except that she doesn't seem to have the vocal power that Heather had (something I think I've also mentioned when reviewing Breathing Space). One thing that did strike me was that, when Heather sang, I never really noticed Livvy or Anne-Marie's backing vocals but, when Livvy was singing tonight, it was easy to pick out Anne-Marie. It might just be a matter of time or it might be that the sound mix and, indeed, set list is being tweaked to make up for the new singer. Don't get me wrong, I'm not pining for Heather to come back - Livvy isn't Heather and there will, inevitably, be a change in the band dynamic - but I certainly can't agree with the person sitting somewhere nearby who, when Bryan jokingly said, "some of you will have noticed that Heather isn't with us tonight" was heard to mutter, "thank f*** for that."
The first set started with an instrumental introduction while album covers and photos of band members, past and present, were projected onto a screen above the stage. I think I can understand why this was done - the message seemed to be that the band were experiencing both a departure and a new start and that this was a new chapter in their history - but, at around fifteen minutes long, it did start to overstay its welcome just a little and I almost breathed a sigh of relief when the band finally took to the stage and started playing Deep In Borrowdale, the rocker from the new album. What followed was a mix of songs both old and new, including two from the second disc of the special edition of Diamond Heart (The Sound Of The World and the superb Ice) and the live staple Spirits of Autumn Past. I had a vague feeling that this set was a bit more Bryan-centric than previous times when I had seen the band and this seemed to be confirmed by watching the That Night In Leamington DVD the next day. (Although it is possible that the Leamington gig, given its significance as Heather's swansong with the band, was more tailored to her and that I just have a bad memory.) Livvy only really seemed to really front Passengers and Questioning Eyes, a personal song that she has brought with her from Breathing Space. One highlight of the set was a guitar solo from Liam, used to introduce one of the songs (I forget which - there's that bad memory again) and give most of the rest of the band a few minutes off stage. This solo seemed a little more intricate than those of Bryan and if it is the sort of thing that can be found on Liam's recent solo album I will definitely be seeking out a copy.
After a short break the band returned to the stage and started the second set with Fading Colours then continued with most of the remaining songs from the standard release of Diamond Heart, including the lyrically challenged Something Better, For All We Shared and the title track, during which some effective light effects were added to the sounds of war to provide a somewhat harrowing backdrop to the song. Back To Life showed that Livvy has, indeed, got a superb voice and was the best song she performed all night. In fact, she seemed to almost be finding her voice so far into the evening as this was followed by Slow Down (from Bryan's solo album, Through These Eyes) for which she provided some stunning backing vocals and, shortly afterwards, she performed Evergreen very well. As usual, the main set ended with Bryan's dedication to his father, Heroes Never Die but the band soon returned for an encore which included Forever Young and the brilliantly performed When The War Is Over, before regaling us with the usual Christmas songs and, from Livvy, an unaccompanied version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow.
As usual, it's a treat to see arguably one of York's biggest bands perform in their hometown. I'm never sure of the Opera House as a venue but maybe that will be put right when York's Barbican opens again next year. I couldn't help thinking, though, that this year there was just a little something missing. Livvy isn't bad. In fact there's very little wrong with her performance except that she doesn't seem to have the vocal power that Heather had (something I think I've also mentioned when reviewing Breathing Space). One thing that did strike me was that, when Heather sang, I never really noticed Livvy or Anne-Marie's backing vocals but, when Livvy was singing tonight, it was easy to pick out Anne-Marie. It might just be a matter of time or it might be that the sound mix and, indeed, set list is being tweaked to make up for the new singer. Don't get me wrong, I'm not pining for Heather to come back - Livvy isn't Heather and there will, inevitably, be a change in the band dynamic - but I certainly can't agree with the person sitting somewhere nearby who, when Bryan jokingly said, "some of you will have noticed that Heather isn't with us tonight" was heard to mutter, "thank f*** for that."
Friday, 3 December 2010
Sonic Engineering
Tuesday 23rd November: On of the joys of going to gigs either on-spec or on somebody else's recommendation is that you occasionally come across a band that you wouldn't hesitate to see again. Hence tonight's solo outing to Stereo.
It's not often that I've seen a band from outside the UK play in York, so it was a bit of a surprise to find that Freaky Age, tonight's first support, were from Belgium. They play in the time-honoured choppy guitar style and their first song reminded me a bit of One Night Only. The start of their set was a bit disappointing. Despite having their own sound engineer the mix seemed all wrong. The vocals were drowned out by the guitars and the guitars themselves were almost indistinguishable behind the too loud drums. It wasn't until the third songs in, Never See The Sun, that I managed to catch a title, let alone any of the lyrics. The introduction to the next song was just guitar and vocals and, without the battle of the sounds, I started to make out that the vocalist did have a good voice. Throughout the first half of their set, some interesting guitar noises threatened to surface above the rapidly becoming tiresome drums and backing vocals were non-existent - you could see mouths moving, but could hear nothing. It was a bit of a relief when, starting with the sixth song, the drums faded a bit into the background, the guitars were allowed to come to the fore and I started to hear lyrics with some clarity. Where Do We Go Now spent four weeks as a Belgian number one in 2008 and was slightly more "pop" than the rest of the set. This was followed by a cover of Pinball Wizard and a final song which I didn't get the title of but was the best of the set. The band are all young - nineteen or so, but have already released two albums and toured across mainland Europe. There was a lot of enthusiasm and energy on stage. It's unfair to write them off on the basis of poor sound and the second half of an unusually long set for a support act was hugely enjoyable.
Second to take to the stage were York's own The Blueprints, who are billed as "alternative/indie/new wave", which either means all the same thing or that they don't quite have a distinct style. Their first song was light and airy while the second started off much darker and added keyboards to the mix before lightening up again for the main section. Staring At The Sun was, for me, just a tad too repetitive, Skylines was a much slower, less bouncy, more melodic song while the next was true rock and roll. Spectrum Versus Commodore must be the only rock song written for the 1980s geek generation while So Melancholy was anything but. Their final song was, again, the best - heavier and louder than the rest. There wasn't quite as much energy on stage, but there did seem to be what can only be described as in inherent "cheekiness" in the performance, helped by a small amount of barracking (and, in the end a minor stage invasion) from members of fellow York band The Buccaneers. Like many local bands, The Blueprints aren't exactly my type of thing, but are well worth seeing perform live.
Engineers aren't exactly a York band but I believe that Mark Peters does live here. They have had a major line-up change since I saw them at Fibbers last year. Mark has moved from bass to guitar and vocals (and is also the main songwriter), Daniel Land now plays bass and Matthew Linley plays the drums. Keyboards are provided by Ulrich Schnauss who is now a full time member after previously playing live with the band. Original member Simon Phipps, on vocals, guitar and bass, completes the current lineup. Despite the membership changes, their sound has stayed more or less the same. Engineers weave the individual instrument sounds together, crafting music that hangs in the air, music that you can almost touch, that envelops you and is almost hypnotic. So hypnotic, in fact, that I couldn't actually say how far into the set we were before a song was played that could actually have been said to liven things up. Most of their songs simply sit there, refusing to be moved, resonating in a bass-line that vibrates the floor. Despite touring to promote the third studio album, In Praise Of More, tonight's set comprised of songs from all three albums. One song, simply announced as "from our first album" opened almost discordantly and was a little jarring before it settled down, but this was the only blip in an otherwise superb set. Whether you describe their style as shoe-gazing, ambient or prog (they were recently covered in Classic Rock Presents Prog) there is no doubting that Engineers are excellent.
It's not often that I've seen a band from outside the UK play in York, so it was a bit of a surprise to find that Freaky Age, tonight's first support, were from Belgium. They play in the time-honoured choppy guitar style and their first song reminded me a bit of One Night Only. The start of their set was a bit disappointing. Despite having their own sound engineer the mix seemed all wrong. The vocals were drowned out by the guitars and the guitars themselves were almost indistinguishable behind the too loud drums. It wasn't until the third songs in, Never See The Sun, that I managed to catch a title, let alone any of the lyrics. The introduction to the next song was just guitar and vocals and, without the battle of the sounds, I started to make out that the vocalist did have a good voice. Throughout the first half of their set, some interesting guitar noises threatened to surface above the rapidly becoming tiresome drums and backing vocals were non-existent - you could see mouths moving, but could hear nothing. It was a bit of a relief when, starting with the sixth song, the drums faded a bit into the background, the guitars were allowed to come to the fore and I started to hear lyrics with some clarity. Where Do We Go Now spent four weeks as a Belgian number one in 2008 and was slightly more "pop" than the rest of the set. This was followed by a cover of Pinball Wizard and a final song which I didn't get the title of but was the best of the set. The band are all young - nineteen or so, but have already released two albums and toured across mainland Europe. There was a lot of enthusiasm and energy on stage. It's unfair to write them off on the basis of poor sound and the second half of an unusually long set for a support act was hugely enjoyable.
Second to take to the stage were York's own The Blueprints, who are billed as "alternative/indie/new wave", which either means all the same thing or that they don't quite have a distinct style. Their first song was light and airy while the second started off much darker and added keyboards to the mix before lightening up again for the main section. Staring At The Sun was, for me, just a tad too repetitive, Skylines was a much slower, less bouncy, more melodic song while the next was true rock and roll. Spectrum Versus Commodore must be the only rock song written for the 1980s geek generation while So Melancholy was anything but. Their final song was, again, the best - heavier and louder than the rest. There wasn't quite as much energy on stage, but there did seem to be what can only be described as in inherent "cheekiness" in the performance, helped by a small amount of barracking (and, in the end a minor stage invasion) from members of fellow York band The Buccaneers. Like many local bands, The Blueprints aren't exactly my type of thing, but are well worth seeing perform live.
Engineers aren't exactly a York band but I believe that Mark Peters does live here. They have had a major line-up change since I saw them at Fibbers last year. Mark has moved from bass to guitar and vocals (and is also the main songwriter), Daniel Land now plays bass and Matthew Linley plays the drums. Keyboards are provided by Ulrich Schnauss who is now a full time member after previously playing live with the band. Original member Simon Phipps, on vocals, guitar and bass, completes the current lineup. Despite the membership changes, their sound has stayed more or less the same. Engineers weave the individual instrument sounds together, crafting music that hangs in the air, music that you can almost touch, that envelops you and is almost hypnotic. So hypnotic, in fact, that I couldn't actually say how far into the set we were before a song was played that could actually have been said to liven things up. Most of their songs simply sit there, refusing to be moved, resonating in a bass-line that vibrates the floor. Despite touring to promote the third studio album, In Praise Of More, tonight's set comprised of songs from all three albums. One song, simply announced as "from our first album" opened almost discordantly and was a little jarring before it settled down, but this was the only blip in an otherwise superb set. Whether you describe their style as shoe-gazing, ambient or prog (they were recently covered in Classic Rock Presents Prog) there is no doubting that Engineers are excellent.
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