Bellowhead
Where: Bradford
When: 17th October 2009
Folking Hell, what a gig!
Anyone who turns their nose up at ‘folk music’ should be forcibly tied up and made to sit (if that’s possible) through a Bellowhead gig! Pipe this into Britain’s hospitals and care homes and you’d probably find the mortality rate going through the roof - this is music to live for.
‘With the exception of The Who Bellowhead are surely the best live act in the country’ proclaimed The Independent. My quibble with that statement would be Who exactly? Take away the first six words of that declaration and you get closer to the truth; on this form they are without compare, certainly within their genre, (if you can tie them down to just one), and within others as well.
From the opening shot of 'Whiskey Is The Life Of Man' until the band danced off to the strains of 'Frog's Legs And Dragon's Teeth' this was a hugely enjoyable, rip-roaring run through of songs old and new. The gig mostly featured songs off second album Matachin, we also heard a few from debut Burlesque and a couple of teasers for new songs in the pipeline.
'Jordan' is still the sing-along crowd-pleaser, but then when the audience can dance like Saturday’s did it’s clear that every song is a crowd-pleaser.
Bellowhead’s members are all involved in other collaborations and many are talented vocalists as well as musicians. As such it would have been nice to hear a different voice for a track or two. Quite how Jon Boden manages to sing every song when the band play at this speed and intensity and when he’s also expected to dance and fiddle is anyone’s guess.
This was one of those gigs where you feel it’s all over before it has begun, simply because time flies when you’re listening to music this good; the smiles and dancing of the band showing they enjoyed it as much as the audience. It must be a long time since a folk group received as many whoops and cheers as this lot; two encores really wasn’t going to sate this baying mob
We may be in a recession but seriously, set aside £20 for yourself and catch this lot if you can, it could well be the best £20 you spend all year. It’s folk Jim, but not as we know it: sexy, snazzy, suited & booted, good-looking, musically-magnificent folk. The Sun summed it up as: ‘Music that is fresh, vibrant and cool’. I for one am not going to argue with that!
A word must also be given over to the evening’s opening act, Belshazzar’s Feast featuring Bellowhead’s own Paul Sartin and the equally talented Paul Hutchinson. These two are another group well worth checking out; their humour and banter alone will have you in stitches.'Rock Around The Clock' & 'Hallelujah' anyone?
All in all a fantastic night’s entertainment. One gets the feeling that no matter how hard you try, very soon, you won’t be able to ignore Bellowhead. But then, who’d want to?
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