Reviews
Artist:Belinda O'Hooley & Heidi Tidow + Aimee Newsome-Stone
Venue:The Bourne Beat
Town:Bournemouth
Date:31/03/09
Website: http://www.fatea-showcase-sessions.co.uk/showcasesessionlive.html
In fairness I do need to apply a caveat to this review. This gig was the first ever ‘Fatea Showcase Session LIVE’ gig. The first time Fatea has moved into live promotion and as such is directly linked to the magazine you are about to read this review in.
The idea came about following a meeting between the venue, The Bourne Beat, a new venue in Bournemouth and our magazine, brought about by Dorset Music Forum.
The Bourne Beat is a fantastic venue, walls adorned with memorabilia of gigs through the years in the Bournemouth/Poole area. Guitars and pictures, concert posters and gold disks all help to provide a very special atmosphere.
A problem with the sound system less than an hour before the gig had seen one of the team despatched across town to get a set of powered speakers to ensure that the gig happened at all.
Fortunately a combination of light instrument requirements and the wizardry of sound engineer Andy Stone had the hastily acquired kit up, running and ready for the doors to open
The first artist ever to take the stage of a Fatea Showcase Session LIVE was Aimee Newsome-Stone, whose track “Drive Me Down” is on the “One” download session.
Aimee continues to show how far she is moving forward as an artist. Her progress from shy backing singer to confident main artist continues apace. She talks to her audience between songs and makes eye contact.
A number of songs, including the aforementioned “Drive Me Down” and “Madeline” came from Aimee’s debut EP, due for a re-launch later in the year, but already she’s adding new material to her repertoire and judging back the audience reaction, it’s going down well.
Aimee performed most of her songs as a trio with Andy and Simon performing alongside her, rotating through guitar and percussion duties, depending on if Aimee was accompanying herself on guitar of piano.
As well as making strides as a performer, Aimee is also moving forward as a songwriter. Her songs are tackling emotional issues at more of a depth as well as exploring issues such as the exploitation of people.
Aimee was a fantastic start to the Fatea Showcase Session LIVE. The reaction of the highly appreciative audience showed that Aimee is an artist with a star strongly on the assent.
Belinda O’Hooley contributed “All Stand In Line” to the first ever Fatea Showcase Session “Songsmiths”. Arguably still best known as the original songwriter and pianist with Rachel Unthank & The Winterset, Belinda and Heidi Tidow are in the process of changing that perception with a series of well received gigs playing with the likes of Jackie Oates and Chumbawamba as well as headlining in their own right.
You know you’re in for something special when a set starts with an unaccompanied song, Belinda & Heidi highlighting the vocal dynamics that would permeate their set throughout the evening.
Belinda is renown for the way she can contrast her deep and meaningful songs with acerbic wit and a delicious sense of humour that often had the audience in stitches. She’s so quick to boot. A reference was made to a Russ Conway poster and a request was shouted to play a bit like him. Belinda complied and at the same time sampled herself, suddenly reaching for her drink as the piano kept playing.
Nothing is safe when Belinda is on a role, always good humoured, Belinda draws her banter around to the song and then draws a line between the two. Regardless of the type of introduction a song gets she has this knack of leaving a dividing line between the two.
No where was this emphasised more than on the introduction to “White Thorn” a song that draws on her family history and roots in Ireland. The song is about a tree under which the stillborn and unbaptised children of her great grandmother are buried because the church wouldn’t let them in the graveyard. A song that just leaves your emotions hanging.
It was the first time I’ve seen Belinda performing with Heidi and it was quite a revelation. The addition of a second voice provides an emphasis to the songs, gives them points of focus that a solo vocalist couldn’t.
It’s like if you were looking at a mountain range, Belinda would be the mountains, strong, slightly craggy, magnificent and dominating. On their own looking magnificent. Heidi is the addition of mountain streams and of lakes in the valley, sometimes reflecting the mountain, sometimes reflecting the glittering sunlight and sometimes drawing the eye to them in their own right.
It changes the aural view from magnificent to spectacular and I find myself looking forward to the projected album later in the year with considerable anticipation.
All of a sudden it was over, who knows where the time goes, but go it did. There was enough to call Belinda & Heidi back for one last number, then the night was over. I think those that were there would agree that we were treated to two great acts in a venue that appears to be conducive to quality performance.
The Fatea Showcase Sessions LIVE are held on the last Tuesday of the month, click here for more details.