In what was an evening defined by quality over quantity, the
trio quite rightly decided to major on the recent release which was played
almost in its entirety. Perhaps we needed Jack Savoretti to bound on stage and
sing his part on ‘Any Day Now’ but they
wisely decided to put an alternative version on hold. However the rest of
SHADOWBIRDS sparkled and flowed with several anecdotes and observations showing
the record in a new light. Is it possible to listen to ‘New Morning Light’ again without a feel for the joy Shelly is
sharing in Ally’s recovery, while an enlightening awareness of ‘Renegade’ metaphorically painting the canvass of a Cormac
McCarthy novel turned this haunting tune on its head.
The latter heralded a brief fiddle interlude from Charity,
although I’m pretty sure that she and Shelly will bow to the prime musical steering
stemming from the dual acoustic and electric artistry of Ally McEarlaine bringing
all the experience of his many years at the heart of Scottish rock band Texas.
Not that the background of his wife Shelly and Charity (surname Hair thus the
sole non-McErlaine in the trio) has been short on success and their sweet
vocals comfortably smothered around both their own compositions and the selected
works of others. These included recently aired social media versions of ‘Hey Brother’ and ‘Take It to the Limit’, along with the delightful ‘The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA’, one
of a handful of tracks lifted from their self-titled debut release.
With Shelly extolling the virtue of an album carefully track
ordered in fine precision, the closing number of SHADOWBIRDS ‘Solitary Woman’ shivered your senses in
a similar way that ‘Made for Each Other’
exalted heart melting qualities. ‘Losing
You’ has been a rapidly evolving progressive track from the record and
although its stripped back version significantly altered the sound, the
mesmeric nature of the melody refused to lower the effect of tantalising your
listening genes. Maybe the light hearted closing version of ‘9 to 5’ was a touch out of sync with
the ambience of the evening but by then the die was cast and this fine album had
successfully completed its fulfilling journey from studio to stage.
Prior to Red Sky July showing how a UK act can make a great
record absorbing all that’s special about country, its alt compatriot and
Americana flavoured music, a four piece band (sadly reduced to three on the
evening) under the name of Mr Plow opened proceedings with their take on the
self-described ‘ugly side of Americana’. While struggling without a lead guitar,
they left a dark but prominent imprint on the evening in a style not short of
conviction and belief in the quest of their mission. Sad songs reigned supreme for
half an hour before Red Sky July demonstrated a more balanced view of the human
emotion.
Shelly McErlaine, Charity Hair and Ally McErlaine are well
on the way to cementing Red Sky July as a key player on the UK scene. Since
their support slot to Beth Nielsen Chapman in the early months of 2014, the
trajectory of their career as a trio has grown steeply upward. This Leicester
show crowned the joy derived from many repeated listens to SHADOWBIRDS and
attention now excitingly turns to what next.
www.redskyjuly.co.uk
