Someone at The Doghouse is a genius!! I'll explain at the end of the review.
First up tonight were Hello Pirates?. The band with the floating guitar player syndrome, tonight had the other guitarist who didn't play at their previous acoustic concert at The Fort, a couple of weeks back. Now, I've been to loads of concerts where the band was playing acoustic and I was expecting electric, or the band was playing acoustic anyway and I wished it had been electric. I'm very picky when it comes to my love of acoustic acts. But I can honestly say that Hello Pirates? are one of the few bands that give me the same thrill and excitement, acoustic or electric. Tonight it was acoustic and it was a joy to hear. The same line-up of acoustic guitar and acoustic bass, bongos and vocals delivered THE most sublime set of songs in a mannner that was just heavenly yet strong at the same time. We started with a soaring "AOK" as the band immediately got the attention of the audience and with a mixture of anthemic joy, commercial seriousness and purposeful playing, delivered as perfect a set of acoustic songs as it's possible to hear. The new track, "These Are The Things" had a touch more life to it with the ballad nature now bearing a more playful approach as the track possesses swing, the acoustic guitar soaring over the rhythms to great delight as Samantha's vocal flies effortlessly on top. The brought out of the musical closet, a really ancient track that I'd not previously heard them play and that was gorgeously donw, again more balladic than anything but very strong, while the incredibly addictive "Il Pleut" had its chorus swirling around the heads of the attending spellbound onlookers and positively flew on waves of bvongos, bass, surging acoustic guitar and those wondrous vocals. This band are just so catchy in a serious kind of way - their songs have a quiet determination and a burning intensity to them while at the same time being immensely commercial and still the sorts of things you just never tire of hearing.
I'd not seen the Peski Kings in ages, and guess what?
Yep - THE MAGIC'S BACK!!!
I remember the first couple of times I saw the band and their songs and riffs that were twangy, bouncy, poppy and more, just blew me away with delight. But, although I've seen them play loads since then, the effect was never quite the same, even though some of the gigs were quite superb - just different! But now, they've got tighter, more cohesive, are well practiced and play with confidence, every member's contribution spot on. Then there's Becky - lead singer - who now looks just fantastic and now dances to take command of that stage, every bit the consummate front woman but with a voice that's still the wonderfully rich mid-range delivery, almost husky in parts, high in others, soaring through ballads and anthems, pop gems and rockers, with absolute assuredness. The songs themselves are still the epitome of fun in music - still perfect pop - and putting the Peskis on between the Pirates and Pearl is a bit like putting "Grease" on between "Moonstruck" and "Sleepless In Seattle" to use a slice of film imagery. But here's the best bit - it's now cool to admit you like the Peskis - no longer need they be your dirty little secret - take a song such as "Deep Inside" - gorgeous harmonies, enchanting use of electric and acoustic guitar combined, Becky's mid-range vocal full of sultry, sexy invitation, while the song itself is just as inviting, lyrically as much as performance - the perfect "adult pop" song. Then you get "Sean The Lazy" - a wondrous new laid-back anthem with Barrie's lead vocal surging alongside Nicky's equally flaming guitar lines before dropping back to the gorgeously reflective harmony-laden chorus with Becky an integral part. All the time the rhythm section providing the outstanding mix of fluidity and strength, propelling the songs along and providing great dynamics along the way. But the real evidence that the Peskis are back with a vengeance, came with "Just Need A Good Song" as Nicky's guitar hit that twangy hook to perfection as it rang through the hall, and the audience were bouncing from foot to foot as the song cruised effortlessly through, hooks, choruses and verses, all equally infectious. From ballad to good-time rock 'n' roll, this was the band proving that serious pop can be fun, that singles can be repeat playable too and that this band has got a stack of the things in its arsenal.
Then as things were cleared off the stage, this guy wandered on who looked uncannily like a more tousel-hairded answer to Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson (maybe it was the light) and proceeded to give us several songsw from just one man and his trusty acoustic. Immediately, your attention was grabbed as this guy had a voice like honey - a richly toned, warm sounding vocal somewhere between Donovan and Nick Drake emanated from the PA and the manner in which the song unfolded with its undoubted charm and restrained feeling, oozed affection. With few words between songs - "I'm suffering from a terrible hangover", he explained - The Boy gave us a short set that, as it went on, became ever more emotive and emotional, and when the final number came and the last few words were wrung out several feet - or seemingly - away from the mic with the audience so wrapt up in it all you'd have thought they'd nodded off, you knew you'd witnessed a very special acoustic experience indeed. The Boy Who Trapped The Sun - remember the name - not that you're likely to forget it!!
What was every bit as gratifying - and here we must pile heaps of congrats onto Mitch from Audio Wave for the sound throughout the event - was that any criticism I had last time about the sound balance for Pearl & The Puppets, had now long gone, as this was the band and singer sounding every bit as magical as the first time I'd seen them - moreso, in fact. Pearl has got this absolutely amazing, thoroughly uniquely phrased, vocal - a high register purity with a colloquial wang - sort of "Lily Allen-meets-Alison Krauss with a Scottish accent". The band - guitar, keys, bass and drums - provided this gloriously understated backdrop, sounding at once relaxed and authoratative, chilled and strong,giving obvious anthems the necessary depth and cohesion, while letting ballads light up with great dexterity. The songs were performed with passion, purity and toatl singing perfection by Pearl, who rendered "Because I Do" to an audience so attentive, you could almost hear them breathing, and had begun the set with the jaunty and catchy cascade, depth and emotive taking off that was the wondrous "Mango Tree", its chorus a thing of great beauty. The set was paced to perfection, the stronger songs next to delicacies of great delight, and all tasting sumptuous. This was every bit as good as you might have expected, amply illustrating that there's a new twist to the realms of British folk-pop and a new player who's right as heir to the throne of "street pop queen" is being firmly staked.
Oh yeh - The Doghouse - in my review of Broken Records' gig, I remarked on the fact that The Doghouse had re-started to put on gigs with the huge door separating the concert hall and bar areas, firmly shut, something I thought that might a bit unfair to the bands. How wrong could I be!! The delight here was that everyone in the concert hall was there to see and hear the bands, attentive to such a degree that you could hear the proverbial pin drop during the quiet bits. The Pirates gig was the first acoustic gig I've been to in ages where the audience wasn't louder than the band - and that counts for one heck of a lot, trust me!!