While the Kitchen Garden is renowned for its warm and
intimate atmosphere, occasionally its hardened stone floor and bricked walls
can be the perfect setting for the steely songwriter. Michael McDermott is one
such artist who fits this bill and certainly packs a powerful punch when fully
immersed into his songs. Along with his wife and fellow performer Heather Lynne
Horton, Michael made his Birmingham debut in this Kings Heath oasis and left an
imprint as profound as the way he approaches the subject of his songs. There
was probably a varying degree of artist awareness at the start of this show
within a healthy gathering that frequented the venue on a Sunday night. However,
at the end each left a lot wiser in understanding a songwriter personifying the
well-worn statement of ‘heart on your sleeve’.Think the poetry of Dylan, the ground game of Springsteen and the inspiration of Van Zandt, to begin to unravel this Chicago-based artist. The tough façade did at times mask a tender interior, but it’s these traits and the sharpest of minds that make Michael McDermott a compelling artist to discover. A particular thought cropping up during and after this gig was, ‘did music save Michael McDermott or is he saving music’. No doubt there is a touch of both, especially the latter in the evolution of the literary songwriter.
On an evening that sprang a number of surprises, the first
act on was a Northern poet by the name of Paul Cookson who capably crossed the
line from writer to performer to share the wealth of his creativity in an
interactive manner. While adrift from your usual opener, there was an engaging
appeal to his twenty-plus minutes in the spotlight and in the context of an
evening when words mattered, his billing proved a shrewd move.
It transpired that first and foremost, Heather Lynne Horton
was accompanying Michael on the tour to re-enact the duo role with her violin
playing and sumptuous vocals. Although their solo work stretches back a few
years, indeed Michael as far back as the nineties, they have become better
known recently, especially in the UK, as recording act The Westies. This
project in name seems to be put on hold with Michael now back into the swing of
releasing solo albums and indeed Heather herself returning to the studio to release
a record this summer. In a fairly short second support slot, Heather shared
four of her new songs with the audience to give them a sample of what to expect
should they make the sensible choice to delve deeper into DON’T MESS WITH MRS
MURPHY. This was clearly Heather’s tentative first steps in taking her new
music out of the studio following a lengthy family-raising hiatus. The chosen
songs, especially those she stripped down organically ‘Did You Feel That’ and ‘Fu’,
sounded great and the challenge now is for her to re-connect with the appetite
to share more of her fine music in this capacity.
For a little respite across the board, Michael and Heather
followed these two songs with their alternative take on the pop classic ‘You’re the One That I Want’; the hidden
track on her new album. Elsewhere, Michael kept up a brisk pace of carefully
selected songs mixed with revealing, informative and entertaining chat. The
encore pairing of ‘I Know a Place’
and ‘Still Ain’t Over You Yet’ were
stellar choices, with the latter acting as a fitting finale in the way that Michael
dives deep into the passion of a song. Right from the off, Michael and Heather
found their groove with ‘These Last Few
Days’ and ‘Getaway Car’ also
proudly representing his latest album. Perhaps the strongest pride was reserved for the
song about their daughter ‘Willie Rain’,
with Michael poignantly remarking what he would have thought about recording
such a song in his darker days around a decade ago.
Other highlights from the set included ‘The Great American Novel’ featuring Michael in full literary flow
linking the names of Salinger and Hemmingway with Wilco and Ryan Adams. There
was also a new song presented which sounded great and further post-gig
investigation revealed the funding process is underway for a brand new Michael
McDermott album.
While acclaim is widespread in his native US, many more
shows like this Birmingham one will raise the awareness of Michael McDermott
tenfold in the UK. He is an outstanding songwriter with an unbelievable strength
of living and breathing every lyric of his work and exposing them for an audience
to share the effect. Michael and Heather are a dynamic force at the moment and
their artistic trajectory is taking the singer–songwriter genre to another
level.
www.heatherhortonmusic.com