Kings of Spain + Yeah Sparrow + Alex Moir @ Hare and Hounds, Birmingham, 31st January 2010
A few dedicated gig-goers braved the icy elements and headed out to King’s Heath for the first Music Room showcase of the year, courtesy of promoters World Unlimited. Bathed in the warm glow of candle-light and clutching a cool beer, it was easy to forget how slowly the train crawled into New Street, and to secretly hope we’d all be snowed in. With its parachutes strung from the ceiling and performers set against a starry backdrop, the Hare and Hounds was definitely the perfect place to spend the evening.
Hopping onstage, Alex Moir’s fresh-face and cheerful banter belied his mature outlook and vocal performance. His smokey tones and powerful delivery were a surprise to those hearing him for the first time and a real highlight of his set, sticking in the mind when – although pleasant enough — no particular tracks cut through and stood out early on. However, closing tracks ‘Up/Down’ and the Del Amitri-esque, ‘No Beauty Hid’ felt much more rounded and showed that Alex is a promising writer as well as performer.
The solo set from Yeah Sparrow’s singer/songwriter Kevin Hadley provided a lovely counterpoint to the previous act. Sweet and earnest at first appearance, Hadley’s lyrics swayed from the romantic to the raunchy, but never lost their honesty. Picking rather than strumming, and with understated delivery, the audience was made to work harder but was rewarded for it. A bluesy, moody ode to our earthly desires, ‘Soho’ really shone, and would probably sound better still as part of a full-band set. ‘Thunder and Lightning’ by contrast was a disarming declaration of true love from the battlefield. Yeah Sparrow’s songs are comforting and familiar, but were at their best when their darker side was occasionally allowed to surface.
The addition of percussionists for the last act, Kings of Spain was a welcome change of pace for the show, with bongos and cajon to add an extra dimension to John McElwee’s guitar and vocals. Accomplished and relaxed, the band played a longer set jam-packed with skilful three-part harmonies but boasting few memorable moments. McElwee is certainly a confident front-man, although his between-song banter grated on the nerves and at times left some of the audience cringing. His band-mates constantly looked to him for their cues and this also proved distracting and added to an overall stage presence that was not particularly well received. Had the songs been allowed to speak for themselves, tracks such as ‘I Want to be an Angel’ or finale, ‘Let it be Heard’ may have made more of an impression, but unfortunately this was not the case.
Set Lists
ALEX MOIR
Upside out, Two shakes, No matter, Lessons, Up/down, No beauty hid
YEAH SPARROW
Breaking News, Wrong Choice, True Story, Soho, Thunder and Lightning, If You Want This, Angel
KINGS OF SPAIN
Royal shirt, Joy of making money, If I get there first, Push to shove, My heart is free, Sweet cheap luxury, More than years, Seen it and dreamed it, Little bit of love, I want to be an angel, Let me sleep, Hold on, Let it be heard
Review Angela Slater
Photos John Colson