01 December 2011 (gig)
02 December 2011
There is an underground of incredibly talented but non-mainstream performers around Blighty at the moment and this ‘gig’ achieved the goal of being a celebration of these performers and a really enjoyable evening’s entertainment too.
I am a big fan of Adrian Roye, his songs are little vignettes of his life and his voice is sweet, strong and original while the other members of The Exiles are all highly talented musicians in their own right – when the two come together the result is a joy to behold.
The setting, St Leonards Church (Shoreditch in the ‘Oranges & Lemons nursery rhyme), is a stark and high-ceilinged hall with flagstone and wooden floors and a huge wooden Cross behind the altar but with twinkling candles set all around the gallery and the pillars it made for a festive location and the mulled wine and mince-pies lifted the audience on a very wet night in the East End of London.
The concept was to have different members of The Exiles play their own set along with a few specially invited guests, all performers that the band have interacted with over the last couple of years and so the audience were treated to a number of different styles but ultimately a feeling of great warmth and love between the performers.
We had a short set from Josephine Lloyd and her band and her mix of folk, classical and the downright unworldly was beautiful and well received. JonPaul Palombo gave us a few sharp and urban folk/pop/rants and the combination of his singing and the energy of his performance went down a treat – he has his own set of Winter Nights around the North that look well worth checking out.Raevennan Husbandes was a fascinating solo performer, just back after a year out getting over double retinal detachment (!), and her little girl voice and clever use of the Copycat to produce a massive sound were simply lovely.
But the evening was all about Adrian Roye and The Exiles and they did not disappoint. Simon Lewis’ cello was present for all of the solo sets but they all worked together to show just how able all four of them are and the new songs that they featured sound as though the forthcoming album will be brilliant. The highlight for me was one of the older numbers and ‘Josephine’ never sounded more heartbroken or plaintively angry. Beth Dariti’s bass playing was as good as I have heard it and Daniel’s drums were restrained – they needed to be in the acoustic of the church – while Simon’s cello was a stunning lead and perfectly suited to the environment.
All around it was a delightful evening and although the pews were too hard on this reviewer’s butt I was able to leave with a real spring in my step and massive smile – a heck of a lot of talent on show and nice people too – perfect for a Winters eve.
