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Neil McSweeney, Arthur Rigby & The Baskervylles, Garron Frith

Venue: Gullivers
Town: Manchester
Date: 01/02/14
Website: http://www.neilmcsweeney.com
http://www.arthurrigny.co.uk
http://www.garronfrith.co.uk

Having witnessed Neil McSweeney at the back end of 2013 in a nationwide support slot for Bellowhead, accompanied by Vera Van Herringen and Bellowhead's own Sam Sweeney, he'd impressed enough to warrant a trip out to see him in his own right. In the wooden floored upstairs room at Gullivers it was table candles and wooden slatted seats adding to the atmosphere of his solo performance of songs from his recorded output.

After taking a short time out with a young family, it's not surprising that it's had an influence on his songwriting - a couple of gently picked songs from his 'The Seventeen' EP being what he calls his "memory songs" opening the set in a low key fashion. Inspiration has also been gained from various key places from his life; from the stark battlefields of Scotland, Glencoe and Culloden, to the more mundane locales and roads which lead from his home town of Sheffield. Whether it's on the stomping 'We Are Here' or an early take on a country waltz, Neil McSweeney is an engaging performer who sways and shuffles across the platform as he marks out his guitar notes from a lovely electric Gibson and a couple of acoustic guitars on the likes of the crooning Mediterranean influenced 'San Miniato'.

McSweeney's own support on the night, not to say that either of the other artists on the bill were any less or more worthy, came from local singer Garron Frith, whose set of guitar and harmonica based material at one point had by his own admittance, some considerable influence from the great Stephen Stills and allowed him some lengthy slide guitar indulgence. In contrast to the two solo performers, the six piece of Arthur Rigby & The Baskervylles generated enough volume and musical and visual impact to drown out the back of the room conversationalists and grab the attention of anyone who'd not witnessed their show before. Their brand of brass infused pop soundscapes was vaguely reminiscent of The Divine Comedy's 'National Express', with Arthur's classic voice and styling all adding to an impressive set of songs (including 'White Houses' and the the new 'Go Ahead') from their 'Tales From Pegasus Wood' CD. Working on the philosophy of 'always see the support band' which brought us to see Neil McSweeney tonight, it looks like The Baskervilles will be ones to watch for in 2014.

Mike Ainscoe
words and pic