From time to time I am fortunate enough to stumble on opportunities to play gigs with other artists whose music I admire. A couple of weeks ago I was privileged to share a stage with two of my most favourite London-based female singer-songwriters; Eiks and Kirsty Merryn. Unfortunately due to a vicious cocktail of slovenliness and busy-ness I did not get round to documenting said gig, but rest assured it was a beautiful night with some fabulous music from both Eiks and Kirsty.
This Friday gone I was delighted to accept an invite to play at Departure in Limehouse. It’s a café-come-arts-centre-come-community-centre run by the charity London City Mission which is also responsible for lots of other wonderful community projects sprawling around England’s capital. The gig was a fund raiser for Webber Street, its Homeless Drop-In Centre near Waterloo. Both Departure and Webber Street happen to be directed by my flatmate and all round legend of a human bean Duncan (owner of the Che Guevara coasters). There was also some spectacular art being exhibited by a few Berlin based artists who had recently stayed at our flat (the super talented Deborah Harder amongst others) and so I felt quite a personal connection with the whole setup.
The night consisted of 4 cracking acoustic acts, one splendiferous poet, and an extensive visit to a nearby public house. Kicking off the gig was none other than my good friend David Logan (formerly of The ColourCode) who now sings under the moniker ‘Officer’. I can quite honestly say that this man has heavenly pipes, and songs that can melt you down and tear you up all at once. It’s verging on a crime against humanity that he’s been off the gigging circuit for such a long time, but I’m delighted that he’s back on the scene and am confident that this won’t be the last gig I share with him.
The only annoyance about Officer’s brilliance was that I was left to follow up with a 25 minute set of my own; a somewhat daunting and challenging task. Thankfully the heaving and lively crowd was nonetheless gracious and attentive, and appeared to enjoy my smattering of angsty acoustica. I debuted my latest offering; a song tentatively titled Deus ex Machina. On reflection, I feel that the only factor that has thus far been holding me back from gratuitous global commercial success is the notable absence of both obtuse Latin phraseology and direct references to the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche in my songs. I am fairly confident that this new number will redress that unsteady balance. Or not.
We were then treated to a spoken word interval courtesy of the effortlessly stylish and sockless Wayne Holloway-Smith. His three powerful poems were framed by a comedic and rambling narrative, all of which entranced the audience with raw power and lyricism. Hot on his naked heels was Jack Cleverly (he of Cymbals fame), whose carefully crafted song-smithery was framed by a plaintive violin accompaniment. For his final track he was also joined by Neil Gillespie of the magnificent band Grand Forever. The combination of picked guitar, pizzicato violin, kick drum and tight harmonies was at once potent, heady and delicious.
The final headline act was fellow Australian Daniel Peterson who smashed it up with his insane electric guitar chops, gorgeous vocals and immediately catchy songs. Joined by Mark Evans on cajon and subtle BVs, the set coruscated with punchy riffs and an enthralling energy, belying the fact that it was simply the two of them on stage. Daniel has a full band gig coming up at the Borderline on the 13th April supporting Chaser. It will be an insanely good night- you have my guarantee on that one- so make sure you carve it in the diary.
After 2 hours of the finest (and incidentally free) acoustic music that one could hope to hear on a Friday night in London, a massively throbbing £527 was raised for Webber Street to assist the fantastic work it does in supporting and befriending the marginalised and homeless in London. To celebrate this fact, we all piled into the nearest pub and consumed a responsible quantity of alcohol. And then some more. Cheers to all the beautiful peeps who attended, listened, donated and drank. It was a real pleasure to share the night with you. (PS. For some super skilled photos that capture a flavour of the night, check out Roy’s photostream on Flicker here.)