Shelter
From The Rain
Well here we all are again clustered outside the Union
Chapel in freezing cold Highbury, drizzle dripping on us out of the
freezing night. A dispiriting experience that would be to most but such
is the air of anticipation that the drizzle might just have well have
been evaporating six feet above the hushed fervour of the Chapel's faithful
congregation. All About Eve, now two years re-formed are in there -
and should have it been necessary, we'd all have waited ten hours in
far worse weather for that. There's a rather forlorn looking tout walking
up and down the queue trying to get spare tickets to profiteer from
them. Fool! As if we'd even consider parting with them.
What do you get when you give your love?
Miracle upon miracles, the doors open fifteen minutes
early. Into what looks like All About Eve's custom-built arena we file
to see a sight similar to last year on stage, the fairy lights, the
smoke, the strobes, and of course the instruments; Marty's many guitars,
Andy's bass and 12-String, Ric's guitars and bank of keyboards and Del's
drums. Silent as they are now - only the soothing selection of Marty's
is heard through the speakers at the moment - we can surely anticipate
what wonderful sound they'll make when they're picked up. It seems to
me that yet another investment in love and (all things considered, quite
a small amount of) money is about to turn up trumps. But first let's
go and get some cans of Red Stripe lined up…
We've been alchemised…
Sure enough at the allotted time the lights go down
and a hush descends on the crowd. Then we hear it… the opening
strains, a record voice so perfectly layered that it could only belong
to one person. But where is she? The boys have already sneaked on the
silence from the crowd afforded to them by the music already playing.
They've strapped on their instruments and, backs to us, they seem to
waiting for their cues. The introduction reaches it's crescendo and…
…WOWEEE! With a sheer wall of sound the boys have turned round,
guitars going like they were plugged into power far beyond that which
could be provided by the national grid, and Julianne fairly well leaps
onto the stage for "The Dreamer," which is to be the opening
song. This performance goes way beyond anything, and I do mean ANYTHING,
I've heard so far from them live - not in terms of musical quality (they
always deliver that in spades) - but in the sheer vibrancy - the stage
is practically shimmering and that's only partly due to the lights.
Marty's look of studied carefulness when he's playing has all but gone
to the wind as he launches each riff with renewed gutso, Andy and Ric
are taking in turns to do rock-god poses, Del at the back is hammering
the drums for all they're worth and as for Julianne…
Saucer-eyed and stoned right out of the blue …her
fragile ethereal look from last year has been well and truly in binned
in favour of a sequinned basque, luscious long hair with flaming streaks
and eyes that seem so full of happiness one wonders what has occurred
between the last time I saw them (Guidlford) and now to bring about
such a change. The angel has definitely earthed her heart - it's like
watching someone who's fallen suddenly and deeply in love. Needless
to say this rather robust change of image has brought about a similar
change of voice. While the ethereal is still available in bucket-loads
for the songs requiring it, the power's back and every song is driven
with such an underlying happiness, brilliance and freshness that one
could be mistaken for thinking that Julianne is again twenty-seven and
singing the Scarlet tour at the Royal Albert Hall - except, of course,
that it's even better than that.
On our endless ship we sail away
The
set-list was a magnificent selection, quite heavily Touched By Jesus
influenced, with an absolutely cracking performance of the title track.
It was also a revelation to hear Blue Sonic Boy - always my favourite
of the Mice stuff. "One of the best songs ever written." Was
Andy's introduction and I am more than happy to cede the point. It's
pretty damn fine in both versions that are on the Mice album but done
in the context of this magnificent performance it was out of this world
(Please tell me that the clip will turn up on one of the websites, please!)
For three hours, though it such was the enjoyment to be had that it
didn't seem that long, we sailed across
the tide of All About Eve's finest music, finishing in the aforementioned
cracker that was Touched By Jesus and then a cover of "It's All
To Much" which to me, on the back of all the wonders that had gone
before it, actually sounded better than the original!
Whispering words are drifting like the snow
There was less banter than there was last year, possibly
due to the fact that the boys had hired lackeys to tune their guitars
for them and didn't therefore need to fill quite so much time in, and
also because the sheer energy on stage just carried them straight through
from one song to the next. A potential worry about this might have been
that as they've become so much more professional it might go back to
a "them and us" situation rather than the just the "us"
it has been at prior gigs. While not making the music any worse it would
still be a shame to loose the camaraderie that had been built up. Would
this be problem. Would it hell! They were still quite
happy to talk to us when it wouldn't interfere with the energy of the
act and there was still the jokes and friendship we've come to expect.
Just making such wonderful music is enough, yet even last night when
they were so dead-professional (and by God, didn't it show) they were
still more than happy to treat us magnificently.
When we're touched by Jesus, gather up your blues
and clear the way.
My reviews on this list have sometimes be labelled
a little bit too uncritical. I was determined; therefore to find something
I could whine about last night, if only to balance the review out. Perhaps
it's true I've been a bit to forgiving of minor faults at gigs before.
Well, I'm afraid I'm going to have to lay myself open to the same charge
again as I could not find one single fault. The music was perfect, the
band were lovely and looked lovely (it'll take me a while to get the
image that sequinned basque out of my head I can tell you), the lighting
and sound was perfect and the venue is fantastic (hard seats, cold toilets
and ten mile hike to the bar notwithstanding). In short a perfect evening
worth far, FAR more, than cost of entry. All About Eve have become everything
they once were and much more besides, and if that isn't cause for celebration
I don't know what is.
Paul Mendes
[more Union
Chapel Pics]
Union
Chapel Review 2001 - Paul Mendes
