The turkey has been plucked, stuffed and recycled. The post Christmas sales are in full flow and the best bargain I've seen is the £2 admission charge to watch six bands at the Night & Day Café.
The three females who take the stage go under the title of
Literature Thieves, and with them is a sizeable contingent of friends and family to lend support. The name is derived from the reluctance of one band member to return books to their owner. Such literary leanings inevitably find their way into the songs, producing some intriguing results such as the line: “Woven into the story of my skin”.
All three, Angela Hazeldine, Amy Clarkson and Cassie Ellwood supply the vocals, with each song being dissected in order to allow each one to take a turn. The harmonies are a key feature of their tunes and they combine well even though each of their voices occupies a different range. A mandolin (Amy) and a guitar (Cassie) support Angela, whose drum kit is absent tonight, creating a more delicate effect. Whilst they may tag themselves as occupying the folk arena, there are tinges of a stripped down Midlake in the Americana direction.
“Meet me at midnight,” urge the
Wild Birds, but there are quite a few in this crowd who can’t wait that long, so for the first time tonight people have gotten down to the front for a dance. This is what the band can do; get people off their backsides to start moving.
Sometimes you need to move on in order to progress. On stage tonight as Wild Birds are Steve Ballinger, Joe McAdam, Paul Hodson and Alistair Garner, former members of outfits such as The Travelling Band, The Vox and Sycamore, all displaying their musical abilities to great effect.
Rousing, full-bodied songs bounce across the venue. Skilfully crafted mixtures of aggressive guitars sit alongside melodic harmonies that conjure up distant memories of sunshine and fun.
Within a few minutes of finishing their set the crowd melts away, possibly looking for another place to meet at midnight.
Words & photography:
Ged Camera
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