20 October 2010 (gig)
02 November 2010
As the nights draw in and the weather gets cold, there’s no better way of getting through the autumn months by going to see some live music. It warms your heart and makes you forget about the bleak dark nights, and tonight The Good Ship has two fantastic artists playing, who deserve every accolade.
First in the offerings is the straight talking Alev Lenz. Of German and Turkish decent, she brings a certain stark honesty to her songs. Even though there are only a scattering of people here at the moment, as soon as Lenz starts playfully hitting the keys on her keyboard, more people creep over to see what’s going on. She plays songs from her new EP, ‘Alte Schönhause’, but as the venue is so small and her voice can be slightly timid at times, the chattering of patrons overshadows her outstanding performance. The track ‘Write About It’, is initially a playful and fun track with a marching element to it. Her shrilling and gritty vocals are a pleasure to listen to and throughout she maintains a beaming smile.
As her set progresses she becomes visibly annoyed with the noise from up above her. She asks if they could be quiet, but they just laugh, which is such a shame as she is giving her all and it seems like she is being disrespected by the audience. Fortunately, her last two songs ‘Dance’ and ‘Band Aid Man’ pack a punch. ‘Dance’ being a waltzing number with beautifully dreamy vocals and ‘Band Aid Man’ a playful yet clunky, jerky tune, that bares similarities to Fiona Apple.
She leaves the stage with her band in tow and the next band lugs their equipment and set up; it’s Francis Neve who plays guitar laden, melancholy tunes. He is featuring his debut ‘The Second Time We first Met’. However, what the audience discovers is that the people who were making noise through Lenz’s set were in fact part of Neve’s get up.
As soon as Neve starts he gets wrapped up in his music. Concentrating intently and never faltering from his stance. He barely makes eye contact with his audience as he is so immersed in his performance. Neve has a great rapport with his band and his non-chalant yet piecing vocals, echo around the venue.
He plays his mini album all the way through and you can tell that he wants to share his life’s woes with everyone there. As he gets through his songs, they become bleaker and more twisted. The addictive twangs of the guitars and the deep bass aid in his dark journey. You can hear the slight despair in his voice as he conveys his emotions and it is a truly fascinating experience to witness.
When Neve plays ‘Winterbury’, it is more of a reflective piece of music duet-ting with the stunning vocals of Lucy Randell. He questions what is happening in his relationship and Randell wistfully answers. It’s a quietly desperate track that is orchestrated so beautifully and delicately.
By the end of the set, the crowd are so involved in Neve’s process that they want to hear the finale. It is as if he is acting out a play, but it is in fact his real life. His last track ‘You Must be Somewhere’ is a complete breakdown and is a spectacle to witness. Neve’s vocals become threatening and he looks crazed as he repeats “Where did you go?” The music gets louder, a bit freaky and weirder, as the guitars descend into his madness. As with most of his tracks, it ends abruptly and he mumbles: “That’s us, goodnight!” as he stumbles off stage.
Neve is an exceptional solo artist and his wholly immersive performance tonight proves that he is a serious contender for best newcomer of the year.
