One man with an acoustic guitar and a harmonica, Fraser A. Gorman, provided a personable and solid set of highly individual acoustic sounds for the arriving crowd at the Corner Hotel, with some great tracks such as ‘Book Of Love’ and ‘Shine A Gun’.
Unfortunately, being one man on stage, he was fighting something of a losing battle with the chatter and general din emanating from the crowd. Over the past few years, this has become something of an irritant at concerts both in relation to local artists and overseas visitors (note: if you want to chat instead of watching the band/artist presented to you, stay at home with the CD instead).
In a further taste of musical contrast to the headlining act, Atolls had a genuinely charming and effective take on jangly guitar pop perfected in the nineties by the likes of You Am I and The Lemonheads.
Between sets, DJ Chris Gill proved beyond doubt why he is the local guru of all things soul and funk, playing some rare and obscure cuts from the genres to a seriously cool crowd. This was an incredibly effective device and clever way to get everyone in the right frame of mind for the main act of the evening – the mighty Saskwatch.
The show was a triumphant hometown return for the band, who have spent some time away. Various tours and a celebrated spot at the Glastonbury Festival have really focused and sharpened what was already a great band to a truly stunning degree.
The early part of the set concentrated on new material that’s set to shape the debut album the band hope to release next year. Tracks like ‘Not Ready’ hint at greatness to come, with the nine-piece sharp as a tack on stage. There was a beautiful ‘simpatico’ going between the members, where everything clicked and everyone complimented each other brilliantly in regards to the sonic dynamics of the band.
The absolute linchpin and musical glue that brings all of them together is undoubtedly their powerhouse pocket rocket of a lead singer, Nkechi Anele. One can hear many sources of inspiration in her style and attack, but the end result is truly and uniquely her own. The rest of the band are incredibly adept at playing around her, both knowing and appreciating the absolute gift they have in the singer.
Older tracks like ‘Don’t Wanna Try’ and the propulsive new single ‘Hands’, of which the show was the launch, set the sold out crowd on fire. Both the audience and the band members danced like their life depended on it. The sheer infection and joy that the group put forward was an absolute joy to experience. Saskwatch have always been a solid band, but this show saw them truly aspire to a higher level.
One of the most heartening aspects of live music is when you see a band in their infancy show a great deal of potential and promise, and then, over time, really hit their straps and vindicate that positive feeling you had when you first saw them. If Saskwatch keep putting forward utterly electric shows like the one at The Corner, it’s only a matter of time before they take over the world.
