It is a thunderous Friday evening here in York; the city that has a tendency to flood has already got overflowing drains and huge puddles to drive through. This could explain the poor attendance at this Friday night show, as the last time Nina Violet played this venue it was suitably packed.
Four artists take to the small stage in this intimate venue over the course of the night. First up local lass Ellie Sadgrove plays sad love songs like 'City Lights' and 'The Otherside'. Her voice is similar to many that are used on car adverts these days... soft spoken female voice (similar to Dido) breathing the lyrics. The songs are very slow pace, with sad content ('Drowning' is about a friends recent death), and the covers of Oasis' 'Wonderwall' and Olive's 'You're Not Alone' are haunting versions, stripped back and bare. The only thing that breaks up this mesmerising sound is the odd buzz of a phone down the microphone, which turns out to be Ellie's!
Next up is a guy I have seen before here, another local by the name of Tom Reeve. This guy has astounding fingerpicking skills, sometimes they seem a little fast for the music! I struggle to hear his song titles but catch a couple like 'Press Gang' about sailors, 'The Cuckhold And The Whore' and 'The Rat And The Sparrow Club' (influenced by watching the documentary 'Birds Britannia') . As you can probably tell this guy likes to joke about a little bit between songs, and raises a few laughs with his strange song titles. His tall friend jumps on the guitar to play a cover of 'Two Little Boys' by Theodore Morse and Edward Madden. Not bad for a guy who's just stepped off a flight from Rwanda "handing out pencil cases."
A duo take to the stage next; the Fox North Coalition. Again local to York this set features only two of the band members for a stripped back version of their shows. The singer Tim Fox has a very powerful voice, and at times I have to shield my ear, not because it's horrible but the sound peaks wreck my already savaged hearing (due to gigs; earplugs are handy folks!). 'An Eye For An Eye' and 'The Hangman's Wedding' are beautiful blues songs, and the covers of Jim White's 'A Perfect Day To Chase Tornados' and my favourite, Lead Belly's 'Where Did you Sleep Last Night' are amazing. Powerful stuff.
And onto the main draw tonight, Nina Violet. In a rare tour of the UK Nina is now playing solo (as the Chorus Of Arrows disbanded since playing here in 2007). She may be known to some as the viola player with Willy Mason, but this girl has a shining talent all of her own. Looking tired from playing a one off show in London last night with Willy (and partying until pretty late) she still makes playing and singing look effortless.
The fingerpicking skills are here again, and even when playing requested old track 'Slow Me Down' (which she forgets ever so slightly) you don't realise. Nina is out here to promote her second solo album 'We'll Be Alright', so many of the set comes from this. The album is only six days old, featuring a picture of a girl with wings holding a gun, just like what Banksy would produce if he worked with watercolours.
These are some solid folk songs, like the starting track 'All Your Own', with a classic sound. 'When You're Broken' is another classic in the wings. 'Yellow Flash' is one of my favourite songs from the last album Lose Strife', with its fast folk style. 'Run To The Stream' brings the tempo back down again, and Nina's raw vocals are evident on 'Fill The Well Up' and title track 'We'll Be Alright'. There's room for some older tracks now like 'Kiss the Blade', 'Slow Me Down' and the excellent 'When You Leave Your Body Home'. Nina finishes her short but beautiful set with 'Everything Comes Apart', and then hangs around to chat to the crowd. The storm outside has gone and we head home from another lovely chilled out gig that again takes your mind to a small island in America surrounded by the sea.
FUTURE GIGS
sorry, we currently have no gigs listed for this act.