Live Music: Anais Mitchell, Brudenell Social Club, Leeds 31st May 2011

"This feels like story time at the library" - the opening words of Anais Mitchell when stepping onto the stage at the Brudenell Social Club. And indeed she was right, there was an element of 'story time' about the evening. The audience, myself and my friends included, had begun to fill the lower floor of the Brudenell Social Club during the support acts, not standing, and staring meaningfully at our shoes, as is oft the case at a folk gig, but sitting on the floor. Sitting and staring intently, wondering if we ought to stand up, but secretly wishing we could remain sat, nursing our pints (there is Red Stripe on tap after all)and being told stories. Our wish was granted. Mitchell seemed more than happy with the sitting arrangement and began to tell us stories immediately.
Anais Mitchell, the American singer song writer and folky extraordinaire was preceded in the evening by two support acts. Sam Airey and Pengilly's. Pengilly's were in all honesty not my cup of tea. Although musically very worthy, there was just too much going on. The sound was off and there were far too many instruments and vocal lines produced by the six strong band, comprising of two guitarists, a drummer, cellist, at times two violin players and someone with a key board. On second listening to their myspace offerings I understand the music they were trying to create, but it just didn't translate into a small live space like The Brudenell Social Club. In direct contract to this however was the beautiful simplicity of the first support act Sam Airey. Airey, a Leeds based singer song writer had the early doors crowd paying full attention whilst he played songs from not only his debut E.P but also numerous other songs that were both lyrically beautiful and musically elegant. Airey confessed to having not written a set list but along with his cellist he meandered through a few beautiful songs. All in all Airey is certainly worth checking out, his E.P has been in my car for the last week on constant repeat, which is no mean feat.
When Anais Mitchell took to the stage she played an extensive set with extracts from her Hadestown album taking the fore. Mitchell's 'folk opera' tells the story of Orpheus and Eurydice and their journey to Hades yet it is set as Mitchell said in a "post apocalyptic waste land in the depths of a recession." The following rendition of "Flowers" was a request from the crowd that Mitchell played with pleasure.
Anais Mitchell, Flowers, Live The Brudenell Social Club 31st May 2011 by Zi_ish
In fact Mitchell frequently stopped to check that there were no particular songs people wished to hear, and did finish with the personal favorite, and request of my friends C and R, Old Fashioned Hat
In addition to her own songs Mitchell also played a couple of more traditional and older folk songs. Mitchell's rendition of Johnny Barbary, about the seduction of an Englishman's daughter was utterly beautiful and captivating. I'm sad I don't have a recording of it. Her voice whilst singing it made the room stand still, the bar went quiet, all eyes were on Mitchell. I'm loathed to use the word haunting to describe it, but I can come up with few better words; it definitely made the hair stand up on not only the back of my neck but also my forearms. Mitchell also played her version of Harry Robertson's beautiful Ballina Whalers.
Along with the inclusion of some new album tracks, which left us all with baited breath for the next instalment of the Anais Mitchell catalogue, it was a thoroughly beautiful evening. Mitchell had the crowd in raptures, like a group of primary school children listening to a fascinating story teller, except we had the addition of a bar and thankfully the omission of the usual mental hippies schools seemed to get in during the late 1980s to sing songs about animals and God.

Smoke Fairies and Sea of Bees, Brudenell Social Club, Thursday 30th January 2011

Last Thursday my dear friend C and I ventured into the bitter Leeds evening and found accommodation in the warm bosom of The Brudenell Social Club. The Brudenell could be no more perfect in my mind if it tried. Established in 1913 as a Gentleman's social and recreation club, (thank you Dr Wikipedia) the Brudenell has established itself over the past few years as a fantastic venue to enjoy up and coming bands in Leeds without gaining any of the pretensions and high bar prices that so often go hand in hand with rising fame as a venue. It maintains the best elements of working mens clubs and shuns the less desirable aspects of cool. That said, anywhere with Red Stripe on tap (still hanging on to my youth and drinking cheep larger in dirty clubs...) is all good by me.

Last Thursday saw no exception in the calibre of act offered by the Brudenell. We were treated to not one, but two wonderful post-folk bands. The opening act was the wonderful Sea of Bees, a musical project by Julie Ann Baenziger a Californian self taught singer-songwriter heralded in the last year by the Guardian as a "wondrous talent." Julie with support from a friend and bassist Abbey provided a wonderful set of haunting magical songs about being in love and as Baezinger herself put it "dreaming and floating over a prairie in the sun." Every song came with a beautiful dream like introduction and ethereal vocal. It is possible to liken Baensiger to Emiliana Torrini and Kate Bush, but that would be too simple. Baenzinger's talent is all her own, and wonderfully indescribable. We were lucky enough at the Brudenell to be able to buy copies of the Sea Of Bees album Songs for The Ravens which is due to be released 7th February 2011 and which I can heartily recommend.

Following Sea of Bees were the British folk duo Smoke Fairies.
The band made up of two front women, Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies along with a Viola player, drummer and third guitarist filled the tiny stage at the Brudenell. The music of the Smoke Faeries will not have been missed by anyone with an ear to the ground on the folk scene over the last few years. The name Smoke Fairies is often found in the same sentence as Laura Marling and Noah and the Whale, and yet more often than not the Smoke Fairies offer something quite different. Many of the songs of the new folk scene seem to have lost the storytelling that went with the folk music of the 60s. However Smoke Fairies seem to resurrect that storytelling with style. Their work references not only British folk, but American blues and to some extent there is a country vibe that is unmissable. Although their stage presence was seemingly far more awkward than Baenzinger's Sea of Bees, (they came back on for an encore at great speed professing to fear that people would leave before they came back) there was an endearing quality to their lack of self assurance. Their music is undoubtedly beautiful and the quality of sound they produced was amazing. You really must excuse the quality of this recording, I was stood near the bar (quel surprise?) however this is Gastown:


Their recently released album Through Low Light and Trees is certainly worth a listen and the Smoke Fairies are on tour until 3rd February taking in both Bristol and London.