Issue 33 / May 2013

26 Bido Lito! May 2013
Reviews
tonight; at one point there’s even a wooden
stump being sawed onstage. For effect. However,
it isn’t the overt musicality that resonates - but
rather the simple and heartbreaking romanticism
that Briggs nails in the likes of Fuel Up, or newie
You Take Me As I Am. Boys, take note.
We are treated to two new acoustic songs,
with Briggs performing a stunning rendition of
November Song completely off mic, and later
during the encore the whole band chip in to
sing The Ones We Hurt The Most accompanied
only by strings.
Right down to the slightly awkward but
charming between-song banter, this band ain’t
faking it tonight and we hope they never do.
True gentlemen indeed, they’ve made the effort
and made us feel special.
Jennifer Perkin / @jhperkin
BILL RYDER-JONES
Delta Maid
2000 Light Years From Home
@ Camp And Furnace
Following a move to Nashville, DELTA
MAID has somewhat understandably found
success as a songwriter Stateside: her recent
co-write for US country band Little Big Town
scored a gold disc across the Pond. Returning
to stage work in Blighty, a stripped-down
approach with the singer appearing solo is
opted for, reducing the songs down to their
bare structures, with only an acoustic guitar
to map out the tracks, dispensing with the full
backing band of years past.
Unfortunately, when compared to
contemporaries such as Lindi Ortega, a
singer-songwriter who takes traditional
country and imbues it with new life, Delta
Maid’s material struggles to raise its game
beyond the merely straightforward. A feeling
of sameyness begins to creep in over the
course of the set, the tracks largely rolling
along at the same tempo, with many of the
Bill Ryder-Jones (Alex Nicholson / amhnicholson.blogspot.co.uk)
songs principally based around similarly
descending guitar figures.
BILL RYDER-JONES, taking to the stage in front
of the expansive backdrop of the album cover to
A Bad Wind Blows In My Heart, leads the band
into the reproachful minor key melody of the
album’s title track. Following lauded debut solo
LP, imaginary soundtrack If..., the second opus
sees Ryder-Jones reappear in a singer-songwriter
guise fronting a band, alternating between the
upright piano and guitar.
Backed with harmonium-like keys - supplied
by The Coral’s Nick Power on organ - the new
tracks, in keeping with the ethos established
on novel adaptation If..., draw their strength
from low-key melodies that percolate in the
mind. The crack squad of musicians assembled
and the quality of the tunes, such as the
sumptuous likes of Lemon Trees and lead single
He Took You In His Arms, overcome any nerves
emanating from Ryder-Jones (this is only his
second gig) in his new-found role as frontman.
While the second room at Camp And Furnace
is comfortably full, the big echo-y space isn’t
entirely suited for the slow-burning melodicism
of the new LP; however, the jangling likes of
There’s A World Between Us manage to skewer
any real reservations.
The highpoint arrives with the wonderfully
wry You’re Getting Like Your Sister, piloted by
Ryder-Jones’ sidewinding lead guitar lines. It
sidles past with the same resigned air as Pulp at
their most downbeat, the title easily a ringer for
a lyric Jarvis could conceivably pen.
Proceedings are marred, however, by a nearconstant
murmur of chatter that burbles away
from near the bar area and continues for the
remainder of the gig. Despite repeated attempts
to quell the gabbing, with Ryder-Jones politely
asking for quiet, it continues. With his irritation
plain to see those listening can’t help but share
his frustration.
Concluding with the second instalment of A
Bad Wind Blows In My Heart, the drama with
which the songwriter suffuses his soundtrack
Making Liverpool
sound great ...
call: 0151 707 1050
email: info@parrstreetstudios.com
rs
visit: parrstreetstudios.com
Parr Street Studios: 33 – 45 Parr Street, Liverpool L1 4JN