Johnny Flynn & the Sussex Wit
Royal Albert Hall
19th September 2007
It's actually pleasant to be writing about a new venue opening in London for once. With the demise of the Spitz, Hammersmith Palais and the threat of developers hanging over the Astoria and Camden Electric Ballroom, we've got used to thinking that performance spaces in London are dying. However, last night I went to the opening of a new performance space at the Royal Albert Hall.
Yes, you read me right, the Royal Albert Hall. While the venue has it's fair share of pop-music's historical events (Bob Dylan in 1965 and 1966, the Beatles and the Stones on the same bill, for example) it has never sought to be a place for up-and-coming acts to ply their trade. This has now changed with the re-opening of the Elgar Room, a refurbishment of the West Theatre at the hall.
Marching up the grand-staircase to the top of the venue, seems a little odd to be honest. The stewards in their red blazers seem like extras from Hi-De-Hi and are far too polite - I'm used to security/staff venue dressed like bin-men and who are generally pissed off at the world for having to marshall young people for a living. As I walk up the stairs of this amazing Victorian monument, paintings stare back down at me. It feels as if I'm going to meet the Queen.
But once in the Elgar Room, the vibe is different. London's music industry is out in force tonight, while there are a great number of music-trendies in the crowd too. It's a fantastic spot which has been lovingly restored and fits beautifully in the luxurious surroundings. With a raised performance area overlooking a simple bar, rich colours on the walls give the venue an overall wow factor which will be hard to replicate anywhere else in London. It is most likely London's plushest venue for up-and-coming bands. And one to check out for yourselves if you get the chance.
Tonight, to open the new space is Hush, a band night supported by Transgressive and Vertigo records for recently signed artists. Opening act, Absentee seem to be present at every single "event" in London. And with good reason, their genre-busting music has won them lots of fans and support slots with the Magic Numbers and Bloc Party. Their debut album, Schmotime, was even the NME's 49th best record of 2006!
It's hardly trendy, angular post-punk rock. It's a mix of many things. Country blues based riffs collide with the baritone vocals which sound as if Jarvis Cocker's and Johnny Cash's voices were intermingled. Meanwhile there's enough pop quality in there to appeal to Magic Numbers devotees and the back and forth vocal game played between female band member Melinda and lead vocalist Dan Michaelson on some of the songs is certainly reminiscent of the aforementioned pop group. Lyrically, it's the typical folk/country-rock fare - this will appeal to the heartbroken, or anyone who has been heartbroken in the past. It's all top-quality stuff and I've never failed to be impressed by this band who seem to be gaining more fans at every gig they play. The big time beckons for this band, should their as yet to be released second album live up to their first.
The main act of the evening was new-found Anti-folk heroes and folk-rock troubadours, Johnny Flynn & the Sussex Wit. He's an interesting character. His previous work was with the Royal Shakespeare Company and he's toured the world with said company delivering performances which have astounded critics for someone so young. And now he's playing music. Having honed his skills by joining the nascent Anti-Folk scene in the UK, he will soon be touring the UK with Jack Penate (of all people - seriously, is it any wonder that the music industry is going to the dogs when people make decisions like this?).
Tonight, himself and his band seem a little nervous. Perhaps the luscious surroundings are a surprise - he's probably more used to venues with sticky floors.
His music is a blend of UK inspired folk, US inspired folk and some country blues rock thrown in for good measure. He is a talented musician swapping instruments at ease (tonight he plays guitar, mandolin, trumpet, violin and banjo with ease). The Sussex Wit are amazingly talented - special shout out to the absolutely mesmerising drummer who added militaristic beats to the tunes rendering them into more than simple folk ditties. Indeed, the typical Johnny Flynn songs seems to start out wistfully before the drum beat and assorted musicians add their mark turning them into folk-rock stomps.
Lyrically, Flynn has been compared to Dylan in other reviews, but I think that this is wide of the mark. He's more akin to some of Billy Bragg's more poetic work with a terrible sense of Englishness/Britishness/Londoner seeping through his words. Tonight he even premiered some new tracks including the wonderful, ‘Hong Kong Cemetery' and ‘The Wrote & the Writ'. Even without these new tunes, it seems that the band have enough quality to release a debut album of note. Hopefully this will be out soon.
Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit were an absolute joy to behold on stage tonight. Within the luxurious and historical confines of the Royal Albert Hall, it truly was a very special gig. If future Hush nights resemble these gigs tonight, then the night and the performance space has a huge future in becoming the de-facto central London venue for artistically confident and musically credible artists. We look forward to seeing what else Hush come up with in the future.
by James Ketchell
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Reply #1 on : Mon March 31, 2008, 15:15:47