A Gig In A Church - A Review
Walking through the pine double doors and into the foyer, I was greeted by a jovial young chap in a top hat, acknowledging my arrival with a slight bow of his head. He was charming, up until he asked for my money. This vaudevillian-looking squire was none other than our own Nick Bird. So, first of all, great job Nick!
In the kitchen, Paul and Bronwen (next week's vibraphone-swinging singer), were on hand to provide mulled cider, and other slightly less exciting drinks, with a selection of nibbles to boot. Service with a smile. Tip-top hospitality, folks!
...and onto the music. The night began with the final gig of local 3-piece shoegazey band 'Sombre'. Last gig ever? We don't know. Artistic differences? Not sure. We can speculate all day but suffice to say they went out with a bang. Robert Green, keys, and Luke Saxton, guitar, had voices that suggested "Oh hi, Magic Numbers, meet Hope Of The States", and they reversed the previously melancholic festive feel with the traditional Christmas song, "White Christmas". Laurence Huntington was great on drums too.
After a short break, Tom Morris came on to delight our ears. People were quite slow to realise that he'd started performing and carried on merrily in their conversations, but once he opened his mouth he had everyone's attention. Tom quipped that his 3 previous shows in York, with band Her Name is Calla, have been largely awful, but there was certainly no evidence of that here. He went from the often sublime to the subdued (most notably in delicate set closer "Water"). A fantastic singer/songwriter without a doubt, but also demonstrated his ear for a cover with Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" which had many toes tapping.
[a slightly longer break]
Fair play. What the Cat Dragged In are a large band. Having seen Emily, Alice and co's band a few times now, I can comfortably say they're better every time. Like a fine mulled cider that matures with age. Their vocals remind me of Glaswegian "indie" band Sons & Daughters - but minus the 'sons' - and lyrically, they're beautifully poetic. With their glitter-stained faces, they proceeded to deliver their unique style of post-rock, with a brief visit to cabaret, and a 3D performance (oooooohhhhhh...) in which the show comes out into the audience. The one they call Jeffels has settled in seamlessly and amusingly noted that we were "a miserable lot" when showing no response to the heartfelt sentimentality expressed by a daughter towards her mother, in the crowd. Highlights for me were the dreamily ambient, "Derive" [editor's note: sorry can't find the accent on my keyboard], and a humourously fantastic cover of Bill Bailey's "Midnight in Parliament Square". Rock n' roll.
The one thing I didn't like about the entire night was the chanting monks being played through the PA system in between, mainly because I kept trying to sing along.
So, given that I'm going to have to rate this gig 3/10.
Just kidding. Seriously though, it was the downright bee's knees.