Liberté, egalité, fraternité is an old French revolutionary
saying that applies to Bennett Wilson Poole in terms of their free spirit, egalitarian
approach to music and comradeship. Maybe their unison has not quite stirred a
musical revolution in 2018, but it is definitively re-energising an iconic
sound. Billed as an Americana supergroup revs up the hyperbole, although echoes of 60s LA fire out of a multi
guitar attack stoked by the jangle tones of the twelve stringed Rickenbacker.
Gigs are beginning to stack up for this seasoned trio, formed to quantify a
mutual love shared by Robin Bennett, Danny Wilson and Tony Poole. It was no
surprise to see one of their early shows scheduled for St. George’s Hall in the
north Worcestershire town of Bewdley, a venue frequented twice by Robin in the
guise of his band The Dreaming Spires and sibling collaboration The Bennett
Family Singers. Therefore, it was all systems go when the full band hit the stage
at 9:30 complete with a further Dreaming Spires complement of Joe Bennett on
bass and backing vocals and Fin Kenny on drums.
When you want to expose the fruits of a brand new album then
why not play it in its entirety, even in track order. Self-titling their album
further etched the name Bennett Wilson Poole on the roots music scene and its
contents quickly accrued widespread praise when it hit the shelves earlier this
year. The birth of eleven new original songs only begin to tell the story of how
well this trio have gelled as both a recording and live performing unit. Across
the hour and forty minutes onstage, the vocal harmony and exchange excelled
alongside a tight knit sound that ebbed and flowed within the mood of each
song.
A carefree and good time atmosphere exuded from the stage as
frivolous humour sandwiched some heavy content in the songs. Danny adopted the
central position and lost none of the impish wit that defines a ‘Champions of
the World’ show, but it is clear that no leader emerges in Bennett Wilson
Poole. Robin plays the measured role, often keeping Danny in check and effortlessly
switching between electric and acoustic guitar as required. Elder statesman of
the trio Tony Poole, hailed as the UK’s greatest exponent of the twelve stringed
guitar, was up for milking the opportunity to share the limelight in an
acclaimed set up, probably re-living his performing heyday as lead member of
70s rock band Starry Eyed and Laughing.
There was a great deal of insight to the songs in the press
around release time and this reaffirmed during the evening. Interesting nuggets
included Robin writing ‘Wilson General
Store’ as a tribute to Danny’s grandparents in Australia, and Tony
providing the stimulus for the two politically charged songs – ‘Hate Won’t Win’ in response to the death
of MP Jo Cox and ‘Lifeboat (Take a
Picture of Yourself)’ paradoxically linking the refugee crisis to the
phenomena of the selfie. The eight-minute duration of the latter proved the
fitting climax to the main set with Danny strapping on the electric guitar to
ensure the powerful instrumental segment got the full amped up treatment.
Without exhausting the content of the album, it all came
across brilliantly in the live format and at least you should be checking it
out on a format of your choice.
Of course you need some extra material to pad out a full
headline set, but that presented little trouble for the band. The Dreaming
Spires’ ‘Searching for the Supertruth’
and ‘One Foot in the Boat’ by Starry
Eyed and Laughing were easy fits, while paying homage to the Traveling
Wilburys with a cover of ‘Handle With
Care’ saw the band pin an allegiance. The temptation to utilise the venue’s
piano was too good to miss and Robin showed his pianist skills to play Graham
Nash’s ‘Simple Man’, vocally
accompanied by Danny and Tony. This show saw no Grand Drive or Champs tribute,
with Danny choosing to celebrate the work of Michael Nesmith in covering ‘Different Drum’. The final cover
appeared earlier in the set when Crosby Stills and Nash’s ‘Find the Cost of Freedom’ bridged the serving of sides 1 and 2 from
the album.
In line with previous Severn Sessions presentations at this
venue, the evening opened with a double set from a youth and bona fide support
act. Local duo Ivywoods were the youngsters on show and used their slot to
deliver a bunch of mainly familiar covers, while the not much older but
distinctly more experienced Chloe Mogg followed with a set of original material
delivered in a quirky and offbeat style that displayed a growing confidence.
In contrast to the openers, it would be difficult to count
the number of years and shows members of Bennett Wilson Poole
have accumulated over the years. Yet you are often judged on your most recent
output and against this measure they are in safe territory. Although it
may be considered a side project in some respects, this set up is likely to
take up much of the year and keep all concerned busy. The blistering
performance delivered tonight proved ample evidence that no effort is wasted in
making it a wholesale success.
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