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Faustus

Venue: West Heaton Tennis Club
Town: Stockport
Date: 07/03/14
Website: http://www.faustusband.com

Thinking back, it might have been Jimmy Page who coined, or at least purloined the term 'tight but loose' when describing Led Zeppelin at their best. It subsequently gave a title to the long running Zep magazine and also a handy lead in to this piece. And it's not the only Led Zep reference which springs to mind when talking about Faustus - but sits nicely alongside the Independent On Sunday whose call of "fans of Led Zeppelin III should take a thoughtful interest" furthers the Zep comparison.

Before I lose the plot and any possible readers, let's clarify the analogy. Despite being the opening night of a tour for it was a gig which showcased not only some meticulously played arrangements but combined the music with a more lighthearted and relaxed approach which gave the evening that 'tight but loose' feel.

With all three players able to showcase their own singing and instrumental skills as well as combining in some exceptional harmonies on the likes of post interval opener 'Brisk Lad' and the gentle roll of 'Blow The Windy Morning', they also possess the capacity to take time to relax and enjoy some (hopefully) good humoured banter - poor Benji Kirkpatrick being the butt of several opening night larks - the length of tuning time taken pre - 'Banks Of The Nile' prompting Paul Sartin's comment "I'm almost at the end of the song in my head." There was also the sudden realisation moment in 'Green Willow Tree' that by the time of the second verse, the words had gone; despite a shouted prompt across the stage from Saul Rose (who picked the wrong words too!) meant a start again 'from the top' moment.

To add to the slightly less serious side of Faustus, you can also follow Benji's tour adventures on his social media pages as he's pictured sitting in corners of various budget hotels around the country - clearly relieving the tedium and the less than glamorous life of being a band on the road.

Back to the music though - the new tour set is based on the two albums with welcome outings for two of the outstanding tracks from the debut album - 'Ballina Whalers', Harry Robertson's poem set to music and learned from the playing of everyone's hero Nic Jones, and set opener 'The Hostesses Daughter.' It was also good to hear 'the Old Miser' making a welcome appearance alongside a blistering encore set of tunes based on tunes written by all three players.

While there couldn't be a better word than 'rollicking' to describe the sea shanty that is 'Og's Eye Man' - the word surely made for this song - and there was the 'American Stranger' one of the more reflective songs from the 'Broken Down Gentlemen' to give some pacing to the set, but as Saul Rose said, it was an evening of singing songs of misery and murder all set to jolly tunes.

With so many individual and other projects on the go, when the Sartin - Rose - Kirkpatrick combo finally do find time to come together for an album or tour as Faustus, provide a show to relish.

Mike Ainscoe