Acoustic Night @ The Parish, Huddersfield, 18/3/10

by Matt Waring

Photos by Matt Waring, see more at the Rather Hip Flickr.

It is really quite amazing how putting out some chairs and throwing down some beanbags can transform the ‘dilapidated shed’ that is the venue at Parish, into a haven of acoustic charm.

Tonight’s gig was a showcase of the talent that Huddersfield has to offer, but rather than the heavy rock artists that have become the norm in this venue, all the artists on show tonight performed stripped back acoustic sets.

The first act tonight was Jim Sputnig. Sporting a low slung, single-cut guitar, he rocked through several upbeat covers from the likes of Joe Strummer, Bob Marley and the Lemonheads. Although, Sputnig did admit that each song used the same three chords, with varying sequences and positions on the fret board, and introduced each of his songs as ‘Miserable, Political songs’. Although miserable is hardly the word I’d use to describe his powerful style. This admission was a charming addition to what was a very pleasant opening act.

Second on the bill was Rowan Olivia Weaver, who encapsulates the notion of folksy charm almost as well as Donovan himself. Gently strumming a guitar probably a bit too big for her, and softly singing in a surprisingly powerful tone, her performance was nothing but pleasurable. Made more so by the comedic factor of some of her material, with a stand out song being one in which her friend had sex with a kitten ‘on a dare’. What also stood out was the speed of her lyrical delivery, especially when contrasted to the softly softly approach of her music. It was quite a contrast to Sputnig’s angrier material, and was welcomed by all in attendance.

Third up was Steve Brierly, with his mate Jim on what looked like a Batá drum. The addition of some percussion gave Brierly a very upbeat sound, perfectly accentuated by the harmonies that Jim and Steve complemented each other with. It also meant that their cover of ‘In the Air Tonight’ was even better, certainly much better than that chocolate eating gorilla. Their set was peppered with several cover songs, including an excellent reimagining of ‘Setting Sun’ by the Chemical Brothers and a version of ‘Puke’ that was arguably better than Eminem’s original. The duo also, slightly embarrassingly, performed the same Lemonheads song as Sputnig, but any awkwardness was soon washed away, with the earlier performer singing along in the crowd.

Although a large portion of Brierly’s set was made up of covers, the original material was also excellent, set opener ‘Geek in the Pink’ and ‘Nerd Girl’ particularly standing out. Probably just the geek in me, but the referencing of ‘River from Serenity’ brought a smile to my face, and it certainly seemed like the rest of the audience enjoyed the duo too.

And so, to the final act of the night, Alice Nicholls. Switching between guitar and keyboard, she played a unique brand of stripped down songs. With some excellent musicianship and a beautiful voice, her set was a joy to behold, and a great way to end the night. It is just a shame that many of the audience had left following earlier acts, and could not get to enjoy Nicholls’ music.

Now, I really love stripped down, acoustic music. One musician with their instrument is something that I really do like. There is no hiding behind your band, or relying on a rather loud mix from the desk, it is much more intimate, and tonight, we saw four excellent examples of how this can work well, really well. If all the Acoustic nights at Parish are as good as this one, I’ll have to reserve a beanbag.

Second opinion by Rob Samuels: Matt gets this one pretty much bang on. Alice’s set was good; we’ve all had those gigs when you play to an empty room, it happens. She didn’t let it faze her and still produced some quality music. Steve and ‘his mate Jim’ as Matt put it (which should be their band name, by the way) were marvelous, as a percussion geek I enjoyed this set a lot. Rowan also put in a really enjoyable performance, her songs were tongue-in-cheek, and it’s nice to see someone be a little self-deprecating. The opening act, Jim Sputnig was okay, he tried hard, although I thought he was a little too aggressive at times. A really good night, check out the Parish acoustic nights, particularly if any of these acts are performing.