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Little Sparrow, Anna Corcoran, Me and Deboe and Jo Bywater

Venue: Liverpool Acoustic
Town: Liverpool
Date: 27/9/13
Website: http://liverpoolacoustic.co.uk/

Not for nothing has Liverpool Acoustic won the prestigious Liverpool Music Award for Live Music Night of the Year for two consecutive years [2012 and 2013]. It is, quite simply, the best music night in Liverpool and, if any evidence was needed to prove that point, just look at tonight's amazing line-up. ....Little Sparrow, Anna Corcoran, ME and Deboe and Jo Bywater [who was launching her new EP Chasing Tales]. Not only do Graham Holland and Stuart Todd hand-pick the most talented performers on the local and national scene but they present it in one of the best possible settings, the wonderful View Two Gallery. As Jo Bywater put it, View Two "is the Secret Lounge of Goodness" on the otherwise raucous Mathew Street.

Tonight we had an exceptional roster of musical talent beginning with Manchester's Little Sparrow [aka Katie Ware].I had the great pleasure of reviewing Katie's second EP in these very pages earlier this month [ see September Reviews] and the four gorgeous songs on that EP whetted my appetite for seeing Little Sparrow/Katie live. I was not disappointed.

Despite transport problems [two members of her band had their car break down on the M62 and were unable to get here] and a lost guitar, the show went on in the best showbiz tradition. Katie [and new guitar] were accompanied by the amazing jazz violinist Graham Clark, who has worked with the likes of Keith Tippett and Andy Sheppard and who was also a member of psychedelic jazz-rock band GONG in the early 1990's.

Katie has an extraordinarily beautiful voice and she puts a great deal of emotion into her music. Tonight Katie performed songs from both of her EP's - "The Hunted [A Bear's Tale]" and "By My Side", from her first EP and "Polly" and "The Swallow Flies" from her second, together with two unreleased songs "The Flame" and "I Found A Way".

"Little Bird" is a most apt name for Katie as her voice soars and swoops like the swallow in one of her songs. Add to this the beautifully melodic, interweaving violin of Graham Clark and the results are spectacular. I really must get to see the full band sometime soon.

The "goodness" continued with another of my favourite singer-songwriters, Anna Corcoran. Anna was, deservedly, nominated in the Liverpool Music Awards in the Female Artist of the Year category and again, as with Little Sparrow, I had the great pleasure of reviewing Anna's EP "Anything Better"in the pages [see Reviews for March 2013].

Anna is a superb singer, songwriter and pianist who evokes the spirit of the great female singer-songwriters of the 1960's and 1970's, particularly Joni Mitchell and Carole King. Tonight she was joined, for the first time in a live context, by the highly accomplished cellist Stephanie Kearley [who also plays on the EP].

Anna was delighted to be playing View Two's grand piano [a "proper piano" as she put it] and she and Stephanie played all three of the excellent songs from the EP - "Anything Better", "Fallen Easy" and her popular single, the wonderful "The Show", which oozes class. The combination of Anna's piano and Stephanie's haunting cello was enthralling, particularly on the lovely "Tied Up With A Ribbon".

Anna had selected one carefully chosen cover song, the wonderful "Strong" by London Grammar. Returning to Anna's own compositions, we had the glacial "And Winter Came", which conjures up snowy landscapes with its lovely piano motif.

Following the gentle, melodic sounds of Little Sparrow and Anna Corcoran we had a totally contrasting change of pace and volume when ME and Deboe took to the stage with their spiky, driving, rhythmic acoustic rock.

ME and Deboe are from Cheshire and are Mercy Elise and Sarah Deboe. They both play acoustic guitar, and they play fast, very fast, with an almost punk-like intensity. They played a blistering set of songs including "Take It Away", "Here They Come", "Ten Toes" and the haunting "Mother Shipton".

Top of the bill and launching her new EP "Chasing Tales" here tonight was Jo Bywater, originally from Yorkshire but now based in Liverpool.David Kidman recently reviewed this new EP in these pages [there seems to be a theme running through this....] and described Jo's music as "unusual and challenging,exciting and rewarding" and I wholeheartedly agree with this summary. Jo took the stage alone and proceeded to play three songs from her excellent 2010 album "Cycle Grace Pulse Break", namely, "Disclaimer", "Wave" and "Scratch The Surface".

After this, Jo was joined by her guests Blythe Cooper[ on cajon and flute] and Jo Cook [on harmony vocals]. Later on Andrew Jones also added electric guitar. Jo and company then played the four songs from the EP, "Chopping Wood","Sun Shines Under Water","This Garden"and "Woollen Hearts" with Jo switching between finger-picked acoustic guitar and bluesy slide resonator guitar, at times evoking the ghost of some long-lost country blues player from the early twentieth century. Jo's music is both unorthodox and uncompromising, her songs don't follow conventional structures and can change tempo and style several times within the space of one song. Her music can vary from gritty blues to hazy melody and it demands your full attention but ultimately it is deeply rewarding once you "get it".

Tonight was another superb night at Liverpool Acoustic with four great acts and all for the price of a couple of pints. How do they do that?

No wonder it's officially the Best Music Night in Liverpool [and most probably, anywhere else, for that matter].

Peter Cowley
Photocredit Neil King, pic Jo Bywater not taken at gig