Buswell, Steven Gilmore, Gaz Brookfield and BIllyjon
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- lazarus
- Location: Kingdom of Wessex
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Buswell Swindon, Wiltshire
Review Rating
Posted Tue 26 Jan 2010 12:35 by lazarus.
Buswell, Steven Gilmore, Gaz Brookfield, Billyjon @ The Victoria – 24th Jan 10
Seeing the Victoria so full of eager punters on a Sunday night was certainly refreshing in such fiscally challenging times. Seeing it that full for a bill made up of local acts was doubly so. The reason for such a turnout was the promise of something a bit special from Shaun Buswell and his eponymous and fluid musical vehicle, but more of that later.
The night kicked off with Billyjon, plying his trade of laid back, emotionally themed, acoustic songs, aided and abetted by Ben Morris who really spiced them up with some delicate and slightly hypnotic hooks. Plenty of new songs were being given an outing, songs that seem to show a more mature artist but still possessing his trademark sound and a bit of a taster of the forth coming release, The Darkness of the Night. Having seen Billyjon as both a solo act and with a full band, I thought that the guitar duo format was well suited to a night of music that had an ambient vibe at its core.
Gaz Brookfield followed, a man who seems to have undergone a bit of a re-invention in recent months. The songs are still honest and instantly accessible, but there appears to have been a neat development in the playing style. Now alongside the normal approach to the guitar, is the ability to use it as a percussive tool, as well as some very dexterous two handed fret board shenanigans. Add to that the natural charm and humour that he brings to the performance and you have a player who seems to be getting better with age.
I find it odd that I have never seen Steven Gilmore perform before, but I suppose that there aren’t enough nights in the year to keep up with every act treading the boards, even in a relatively bijou musical community such as Swindon. What was therefore wonderful to experience was the plethora of genres that he managed to showcase in the short time available. Blues grooves were supplanted by lilting folk tunes and classical themes gave way to frantic flamenco in this marvelous display of styles. The icing on the musical cake was the final offering, a glorious interpretation of the folk standard, She Moves Through The Fair, made even sweeter by the, apparently fairly improvised, violin accompaniment. Not only was this a great way to bow out but the addition of string sounds at this point was the perfect link to what was about to follow.
When it comes to music charged with wistful reflection and dark emotion, Buswell are in a league of their own. They manage to weave fragile wisps of sound and heartfelt lyrics into songs that often relate to the fallen dreams and broken relationships of life. What sets them apart from other musicians pushing these same boundaries is that they manage to do it without wallowing in their own misery or being unnecessarily indulgent. It is music that has always hankered for a bigger sound to help expand its fractured charm. This was the night the last piece of the jigsaw would be put into place, as the band was augmented by a string sextet and the result was stunning.
As the set opened up with a long instrumental lead into Between the Murders and Death, it became apparent that the songs were being treated to the format that they truly deserved. Be it the lone voice of a violin meandering through the quieter moments, moody cello’s building a tense atmosphere or the full effect of all eleven players building powerful soundscapes, something truly memorable was being created. With that amount of players on stage it would have been easy to over play the music, but all credit to the orchestration, as well as the ability of those involved, as the balance was perfect. Songs were allowed to build dramatically from a single note, blossom in a riot of aural colour, often to fall back into near silence. Much of the material was from the 2006 album, Buy Me New Shoes, old favourites such as Sleep and Don’t Go Wasting Time but there were some newer pieces too, such as the haunting Lebanon and some seeing the light of day for the first time.
I’m sure this is one show that will be talked about for a long time to come and if there is any criticism, it can only be that if Buswell put this show on again, they perform it in a bigger venue as I think the amount of interest in this was seriously underestimated, making for a slightly crowded night. Actually make that, when Buswell put this show on again, as they really need to get some mileage out of this format. When seemingly separate genres of music are woven into the same musical tapestry, the results can be interesting to say the least. Here, dove-tailing classical sounds into these dark, contemporary, heart-aching ballads not only paid off but was nothing short of breath-taking.
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