"I played a folk club at the Hare and Hounds in Birmingham. Is it still there?"
Yes it is, Anais. Not quite a folk club, but we get the drift. That Birmingham appearance can't be recalled as opposed to the Glee Club in 2014 and Moseley Folk Festival in 2022. There may be others, but clearly we don't see enough Anais Mitchell in the West Midlands.
"It's the Birmingham debut for these songs tonight."
Eric D Johnson didn't really need to remind an eagerly awaited gathering at the XOYO Club that Bonny Light Horseman were playing Birmingham for the first time. Connections making it happen deserve to take a bow and these debut songs purred with blissful elegance from start to finish.
"I've got a different setlist to everybody else."
Josh Kauffman hurriedly changed guitars to play the right song. Whatever guitar he played had a luscious tone and the key to putting the 'rock' into 'folk rock'.
Bonny Light Horseman are a band of few words. These three quips formed the bulk of the chat. The chosen route of letting your music speak for itself is a testimony to the quality of the songs and a magical slant on collaborative performance. This evening saw the supergroup hype spilling from a smitten roots press turn into reality.
Everything was in place for a special show. The third and latest Bonny Light Horseman album was out and getting compulsive repeat plays to raise the pre-gig anticipation. The XOYO Club had an exceptional sound system and subtle stage lighting adding to a simple aura. A sizeable yet comfortable crowd was respectful, appreciative and responsive. Exactly what you would expect from an erudite assembly. Support artist Bridget Kearney of Lake Street Dive possessed sufficient craft and experience to enhance the opening slot, whatever your take was on a solo singer-songwriter set played on bass. The dynamics radically changed when Kauffman and drummer JT Bates joined her on stage for the final two numbers.
It was an incredibly tight headline performance with over twenty songs cramming the statutory ninety minute segment including the obligatory encore couple. Within a few songs you could clearly see the vocals being driven by the chemistry between Johnson and Mitchell. They occasionally lent in a three-way direction, but Kauffman was primarily the architect of wonderful electric guitar that melded into the heartbeat of each song. Evidence spawned that the entity of a five-piece band was the key ingredient with bassist Cameron Ralston completing line up.
When seeing a band live for the first time, you seek the moment when the code is cracked inducing the chills. This may not happen at every gig. Around twenty minutes into the set, 'The Roving' did it for Bonny Light Horseman in Birmingham.
While the axis of Kauffman-Johnson-Mitchell spices an alluring cocktail of elevated folk rock, there is a magnetic charm to the poise, movement and distinct voice of Anais Mitchell. Awareness of the enormity and eminence of her solo work including the Haddestown project prove a signage to what she brings to Bonny Light Horseman. Eric D Johnson holds the stature of your archetypal rock band front man. A role he orchestrates for acclaimed US band The Fruit Bats. The playing of Josh Kauffman would illuminate any setting. Checking out his associations and connections confirm this.
The Birmingham performance of Bonny Light Horseman gently evolved over its duration. The chosen route of minimal inter song interaction etched a studio feel into the first half. Immaculate, impeccable and impressive, but do you want some break that deviates from studio to stage; a little more unscripted and off the cuff - the beauty of in-person imperfection. That came in the second half where the shackles came off and you felt more connection. An important criteria of the perfect live show whatever the quality on stage. At the end the feeling of being at one with the band was sealed.
To get some further facts about the content check out this link - Set List - if Birmingham isn't updated, it was pretty similar to London from memory.
Gig of the Year? A candidate definitely, although it depends on a personal criteria. Flawless, engrossing and optimal on-stage band collaboration gives this show a huge leg up to the podium. Bonny Light Horseman framed why we go to live music. It inched a step forward to perfection, though leaving a space for development thus keeping the search for utopia fresh and alive.
