FEEDER + BROTHER & BONES + KEZIA
SUNDOWNER SESSIONS @ LUSTY GLAZE BEACH, NEWQUAY – 26/07/2012
For the large proportion of my
life, going to a gig has meant venturing in to dark basements or the back rooms
of pubs past dubious men in overcoats to watch bands struggle with ropey sound
systems and minimal audience interaction. Every now and again, however, a gig
comes along that offers you something different and tonight, on the gloriously
named Lusty Glaze beach, was one such gig. Lusty Glaze is a horseshoe shaped
cove just up the road from Newquay on the North Coast of Cornwall and is perfectly
shaped to capture sound and so is perfect for an evening of live music.
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| Kezia |
Shortly after reaching the beach
via the long and winding staircase (I didn’t fancy the option of taking the “queue
jumping” zip wire down the cliff), it soon became clear that the mood was
relaxed, friendly and calm – pretty odd for what had been advertised as a rock
show. Within 10 minutes of arriving a nervous blonde girl shuffled on to the
stage with a guitar, approached the mic and introduced herself as Cornish
singer-songwriter Kezia. The
Camborne lass’s gentle plucking and sustain laden vocals drifted out across the
beach and made the perfect background music to sit with friends, sip a beer and
watch the sun go down. A cover of Bowie’s ‘Ziggy Stardust’ worked well within a
set of original material that also features some excellent Piano work but my
one fear for Kezia is that she seems to write music that is perfect background
music for idyllic evenings on the beach and that’s a fairly niche market to go
for.
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| Brother & Bones |
Talking of niche markets, Brother & Bones are up next with their consistently unique and
refreshing blend of rock, folk and soul. Now I’ve seen Brother & Bones a
few times before in a variety of venues on cold winter nights and sunny spring
afternoons and they have always put on a fantastic show. But seeing them
perform tonight in front of a Cornish cliff face with seagulls circling
overhead and the orangey glow of a sunset lighting up the stage takes their
music to another level. ‘Here Comes The Storm’ and ‘Back To Shore’ mean more
when performed on the coast and the sparse strains of ‘Gold and Silver’ ring
out like a 21st Century sea shanty across the Celtic Sea. Like
watching Hamlet in the Globe Theatre or hearing a Gospel choir sing in Queens,
some things are just improved by the surroundings they are experienced within
and the music of Brother & Bones definitely falls in to that category of
art form. The band have a new EP on the horizon and from the new material they
played tonight it sounds like they are going from strength to strength but the
live arena is where these guys excel so keep an eye out for their autumn tour
if you can’t make it to one of their remaining festival shows.
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| Sunset over Lusty Glaze |
Judging by the t-shirts adorning
many a punter at Lusty Glaze, there is no doubt that Feeder are the big pull tonight but there is a strange feeling that
is hard to point your finger on. There is anticipation but not quite excitement,
happiness but not quite exhilaration and there are fans but not quite fanatics.
So when Feeder hit the stage and start to work through their songs it’s no
surprise that the gig has the feeling of a local band playing in front of their
supportive mates rather than internationally recognised rock superstars playing
an uncharacteristically small show. But then Feeder have always been the
unassuming, nice men of rock and from Grant Nicholas’ thanks to both support
acts to numerous bits of banter with the Cornish crowd, they do nothing to
dispel this impression. ‘Buck Rogers’ and ‘Just The Way I’m Feeling’ get the
crowd singing along as the sun gives up and sinks behind the horizon but it’s
new tracks ‘Idaho’ and ‘ Generation Freakshow’ that indicate that Feeder might
just be back to their pop-rock best and that is no bad thing. For all they lack
in the bad-boy attitude that you might expect from a British rock act, Feeder
do provide a cracking live show with pitch-perfect songs and timing that Rolex
would be glad to have. Some might say Feeder have become a little predictable
but if you asked any of the hundreds of fans making their way up the winding
stairs from Lusty Glaze this evening I think they would be more inclined to call
them reliable and that is nothing to be ashamed of.