Issue 88 / May 2018

REVIEWS
Nick Ellis (Robin Clewley / robinclewley.co.uk)
Nick Ellis (Robin Clewley / robinclewley.co.uk)
Nick Ellis
Mellowtone @ Ullet Road Unitarian Church
07/04
NICK ELLIS is one of the names changing the face of
Liverpool music. After years of experience of playing in bands
and gigging in bars and pubs as a solo artist, his exploits over
the last three years have brought a new dimension to the
ever-widening experimental scene of the city. His experience
has spawned a strain of intelligent songwriting which has been
explored locally at various points in the past, telling stories
through the medium of song.
Something to which he has always remained true has been
venues. A venue is just as important to Ellis as the material
he creates, acting as a vessel for the stories to live in. Ellis has
been working with partners Mellowtone to bring his music to
interesting settings, the partnership taking over historic venues
across the city for one-off events over the past couple of years.
After his 2016 show at Leaf, Ellis then performed at the Nordic
Church on Park Road (a show which will surely be remembered
forever by those who were in attendance), only to be topped by
his performance at St. Bride’s Church on Percy Street.
Tonight, it’s the turn of the Unitarian Church on Ullet Road.
Both the church and its hall are separately recorded as Grade I
listed buildings, and the church was the first place of worship in
the UK that registered a civil partnership for a same-sex couple.
Its gothic revival setting seems to be the perfect match for Ellis’
heartfelt vignettes.
It’s a bold move to put on a show outside a promoter’s cosy
world of the city centre, especially on the day of the Merseyside
Derby. But the pay-off is worth it – what’s more, it doesn’t
deter Ellis’ loyal following. Whether it’s for a small set at The
Caledonia or a gig somewhere in the sticks, his fans turn out in
their droves. Tonight, gig-goers lug their Tesco bags of loot into
the church, or pre-order their drinks from Smithdown Road’s
Handyman Brewery ready for collection.
“Tears fall freely from
faces and you can
hear a pin drop as
Ellis unfurls one of his
newer tracks, full of
heartbreak and angst”
Upon entering, they have the option to venture into
the church’s smaller rooms to enjoy A Walk Through The
City, an exhibition of street photography by John Johnson
and Robin Clewley – potentially two of Liverpool’s most
celebrated photographers. Hung on walls and arranged on
the ornamental chairs, there are black and white pictures of
protests, architecture and forgotten places from around the
city. The images chime with Ellis’ own view of bringing to life
the forgotten, everyday stories around us. Along an adjoining
corridor, there are pictures of Ellis performing on stage at several
venues including The Jacaranda and Leaf.
The show, described as “an experiment in community”, fills
up slowly, with people popping in and out silently as an array of
support acts come and go. Compared to previous venues, the
Unitarian Church is grand with a large congregation area with
many passageways and Dickensian pews. Families sit patiently
waiting for the acts to start while lovers cuddle in the wings.
Acoustically-led, Ellis’ catalogue of music carries through
the wooden pews and arches as darkness creeps through the
stained glass windows. His typical slow-burning guitar solos are
full of emotion and grit, as his music takes us on a journey from
his first EP Grace And Danger through to debut album Daylight
Ghosts and then Adult Fiction. We’re also treated to a selection
of new songs from another album, recently recorded, which
would up his output to three albums in just over three years if he
can manage to release it before the end of 2018.
Daylight Ghosts, recorded onto 180-gram heavyweight vinyl
with only 500 copies available worldwide, was the release that
really began the city’s love affair with Ellis. Telling a tale with
each track, this is a theme that continues on second album Adult
Fiction, which delves even further into the world of storytelling
with its entirety based on local folklore that Ellis’ 105-year-old
aunt Molly Amero told him during her final days.
“It is a story about an architect who built one of Liverpool’s
most mystifying and beautiful landmarks, the Princes Road
Boulevard, located in the Toxteth Park area,” Ellis said of the
record at the time. Recorded at the neo-gothic Gustav Adolf
Nordic Church, a spiritual influence pours into the tracks,
complementing the composition and instrumentation.
Tonight it’s the setting of the Unitarian Church which feeds
its long web of tales into the atmosphere, with blue and red
spotlights highlighting the ‘stage’. It makes for an emotional
night, too. Tears fall freely from faces and you can hear a pin
drop as Ellis unfurls one of his newer tracks, full of heartbreak
and angst, so harrowing in this setting.
Favourites A Girl Desire and A Walk Through The City also
feature during the evening, to the delight of many who smile
widely as they’re aired. Never pawning himself to the times,
his vocals and melodies invoke modern-day folklore, telling a
personal history with every composition.
With a signature Nick Ellis acoustic solo lasting at least
five minutes, the night ends. After pleading for more, some
slowly pick up their things and take one last look at the beauty
inside the church. Sloping outside, hands wrapped around arms
sheltering from the cold, the crowd reflect on the power of
storytelling – just like Ellis wants them to.
Lauren Jones / @laurenmanual_
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