When I wrote the preview to the this show all I had to go on was the other reviews, the press release and my own knowledge of the music. I had no idea how good it was going to be. To satisfy musically, they had to be very competent and in time. I couldn’t imagine how they were going to pull off what they had promised.
Taking my seat in this magnificent theatre and looking at the number of instruments set up on the stage I was even less convinced that they could do this. The slightly apprehensive applause as the two Australians, Daniel Holdsworth and Aidan Roberts, walked on to greet the crowd told me I was not the only one to have my doubts.
When the final soft guitar notes faded out to signal the end of ‘Side 1’ and the start of the interval, the thunderous applause and open mouths around the auditorium showed you how wrong we all were and just how incredible a feat we had just witnessed, with more to come.
The stage was set up more like a messy studio than a well crafted performance space, and that was one of the reasons the effort looked so amazing. With only one wireless microphone, the amount of cables moving around the stage, getting caught under the stools and being whipped out of the away with a very satisfying sound looked nothing short of a health and safety nightmare.
And yet, in amongst this chaos, the musicians bounced and ran, playing everything in perfect time, creating loops and changing instruments to give the audience a breath taking, energetic show.
And to prove they where not just playing along to pre-recorded backing tracks, a number of things went wrong. Microphones didn’t work, strings broke and stuff fell over. All of which made it even better.
During ‘Side 2’ there was an amazing, powerful, full on drum track. Once finished the lad got up, visibly out of breath, picked up a guitar, gathered himself and then carried on. The people around me smiled at this effort, and yet, when he did start to play the timing was perfect and the transition, musically, was seamless.
By the end of the show I felt tired, as if I had been up there playing along side them. This was one of those shows I was so glad I had seen. To all those who didn’t go, you missed a real treat and the next time it comes to town I expect you to join me there because I will be going.
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