Another double-header, this; this time it’s consecutive Saturday nights out (sandwiching a Chameleons gig in Oxford, hence the number sequencing!) with the West Country’s finest and hardest-working DIY, have-guitar-will-travel, folk/ punk troubadour/ raconteur Gaz Brookfield… These 2, the 31st and 32nd times respectively he and I have crossed paths, form part of his “Morning Walking Club” tour, celebrating the album release of the same name. Honestly, this one’s taken a little time to really burrow itself into my consciousness; a few galloping and fun tunes, but a bit “Gaz by numbers” and a bit of quality control short of “Lostfolk”, for me still his finest work by some distance. However, given he’s a DIY musician, I understand and support Gaz’ plan to whack out an album every 18 months or so, plus he’s always great fun and good value trading the boards, and Logan is still keen on coming along, so off we go!
First was Gaz solo in the ‘don, so a bloody chilly trip up the hill saw Logan and I parking in the Planks car park and hitting the Hop at 8, meeting up with Rich and a visiting Ady, down from Glasgow for the weekend. Caught up with the guys before we heard some noise emanating from the upstairs venue, so wandered up for opener Shedrac. Another solo acoustic guy, he specialised in some very intricate guitar picking underpinning material which was quite scattergun, veering from very trad 70’s folk, New Orleans Bourbon Street jazz and swampy Delta blues, and even Dr. Feelgood-style bluesy pub rock. Not my thing, and sometimes it felt as if the material was a vehicle to showcase his guitaring dexterity rather than actually construct a memorable tune, but I did like his final number, a lament about a girl from Penhill!
We all took a step forward so Logan and I were front row, house left. Gaz greeted us in passing then hooked up onstage, overcoming some tech issues (“why do we even do soundchecks?” he bemoaned before sound-guy Ed Dyer, as ever, made it all better) before launching into the clarion call of opener “Loud And Clear” and the mundane daily detail of the swayalong “All So Rock And Roll”. The audience were in fine voice too, singing the roof-raising harmony before joining in with the call-and-response counter hook of “IOU”, to Gaz’ obvious delight. In fact, it then all got a little emotional, Gaz needing time to compose himself before a clearly heartfelt and meaningful “Pantomime”, commenting, “sorry guys; it’s been a long tour…” No need to apologise, mate!
Haunting
newie “Arborglyph” came with a lengthy preamble about history nerd Gaz meeting
the folks from TV’s “Time Team” on a local dig and sharing tea and cake with
them (quipping, “not so good for us Type 1 diabetics,” and nodding at Logan),
and the subsequent “Maps” (“my rule – I need to follow a sad one with a silly
one!”) followed that story, with Gaz reflecting that “TT”s Alice must have
enjoyed that one, when she subsequently took up his guest-list offer! Switching
moods again, “Godless Man” was angry, dark and dour (“I’m available for
weddings,” deadpanned Gaz afterwards), before he delved waaaay back for
rarely-played oldie “Things You Don’t Need”; “I still don’t have these things
[agent, record label, manager], but I do have a number one [Folk Chart] album!”
he announced at its conclusion to cheers.
“Morning Walking Club” was the last of the newies tonight, Gaz bigging up the absent Ben Wain’s fiddle solo on the record – I guess we’ll have to wait a week for that! After that, it was singalong, all-inclusive bangers all the way; “I’ve Paid My Money”, bilious and hard-hitting, the inevitable “Be The Bigger Man”, then a joyful and roof-raising singalong “West Country Song” to round off proceedings, Gaz leaving us with profuse and heartfelt thanks, and a comment of, “I never thought it would be so emotional!” Grabbed the list and a bobble hat – the last one! – for Logan, before heading off down the hill to end Gaz. Part 1!
Part 2 arrived the following Saturday, seeing us set off down a freezing and foggy M4 about 6ish for the annual “full band” Christmas show at the Fleece. Parked up on the main road next to the old Transport House, bringing back memories for me of that Jamie Wednesday gig there in 1987 (gig 78!).
Hit the venue just after doors and met Matt at the bar; he kindly got drinks in and we took a spot down the front, house right, for opener, Swindon’s very own Jim Blair. The grizzled scene veteran took a seat, as is his wont, and played some ramshackle and fuzzed-up pedal steel old school New Orleans/ Delta blues delivered in his distinctive gravelly Bourbon-soaked tones, interspersed with a few 70’s Fairport folkier rockers (his Valentines Day paean to “my queen” being an example). Not my kind of stuff, but an entertaining set from Jim, his usual deadpan banter about his 17 kids (!) and a foot-stomping cover of The Beatles’ “Come Together” (“I do work for Help The Aged, so I’m covering this so McCartney can heat his home!”) going down well with the early crowd.
Next up on short order was Nottingham’s George Gadd, another solo acoustic folky punky guy from a seemingly endless production line, but his oeuvre, delivered apace with octave-changing, yearning vocals, immediately called to mind Mr. Carraba’s early work with Dashboard Confessional – a pretty lazy comparison, I appreciate, but hey, as with Ben Sydes’ support Brightr last April (gig 1,217), if I hear clip-clops, I shout horse! Despite the frantic, tension filled delivery and angsty-emo overtones of his material (also pretty much nailing himself to the emo mast when he mentioned a member of the excellent Modern Baseball had sung backing vocals on an earlier single), Mr. Gadd himself was a buoyant onstage presence, giving a shout out for Gloucester Services then bantering with a punter who apparently works there (!), and giving props to Jake Martin for his songwriting advice (“[he] said, write what you know; so it’s imaginary girlfriends, dead dogs and the drink!”). The “ooo-eee-ooo” repeated refrain of “C’mon Courtney”, sung back by the crowd, clearly delighted him too, his comment being, “I love this! Look at me now, dad!” A little derivative for me, maybe, but the man warmed up the crowd nicely, so well done sir!
I took a wander back for a loo trip which nearly proved a mistake as the place was rammed and I needed to take the long way round to return to my spot! Gaz led the troops on promptly at ¼ to 9 with a cheery, “good evening, Bristol!”, ploughing straight into rocking opener “Loud And Clear” and giving it loads from the outset, shouting out the hook with furious intent. In a rejigged set from last Saturday, the singalong “March Of Progress” was next up, and a much earlier and raucously delivered “Diabetes Blues” made it clear the man was here to deliver a proper party set, the unexpected and superb fist-pumping manifesto of “Lostfolk” (featuring some excellent virtuoso fiddle from Ben Wain) underlining this point. Working up a sweat already, the man announced, “it’s taken me 15 years to [remember to] bring a towel onstage with me!”
“The
Tale Of Gunner Haines” was happily restored to the set tonight, Logan raucously
singing along from his barrier spot, and “Getting Drunk For Christmas” was
doubly poignant tonight, Gaz remembering his old mate Jock and also The Pogues’
Shane MacGowan, lost to us earlier this week. Oldie “Man Of Means” was a little
understated, but Gaz cranked up the volume and passion next, challenging the
crowd, “have we got any Land Pirates in tonight?” to cheers, and a rambunctious
“Land Pirate’s Life” ensued. The venomous “I’ve Paid My Money” and its’ slower-burn,
quizzical sequel “Living The Dream” was audience participation catnip, with a
roaring singalong for the first, and shouts of “Yes!” and “No!” answering the questions
in the lyrics to the second. Again, Gaz and band ploughed through into the
encores (“we’ve got 4 left, and if we [went off and on] we’d only have time for
3”), a jaunty and rousing “Thin” then leading to the final “West Country Song”
and a deserved bow for a red-faced and blowing Gaz, the man having really put
in a shift tonight and backed ably by his band.
Farewells to Matt, then a quick chat with both Ben Sydes and Evey, and a newly-svelte looking Nick Parker, before hitting the road for an equally dirty and foggy yet swift drive up the M4, home via the kebab shop for a late supper over “Match Of The Day”. A fine way to spend a couple of Saturdays, then, and another successful Gaz Brookfield Christmas Party!
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