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Beth Jeans Houghton And The Hooves Of Destiny

Venue: Erics
Town: Liverpool
Date: 21st February
Website: http://fairportconvention.com/

What a night this was! It was almost unreal to see the extraordinary Beth Jeans Houghton and her amazing band in the hallowed surroundings of the "World Famous " Eric's club on the equally hallowed Mathew Street in Liverpool [home of the original and current Cavern Club]. I still have my membership card for the legendary, original Eric's Club [valid until 31st December 1980].I attended some truly memorable gigs there back in the day [I won't bore you with the details] and on my first visit to the Club since it reopened [relatively] recently, I attended an equally memorable gig by Beth, it was as if I had never been away !

Opening the evening was a talented singer/songwriter from Seattle [now living in Liverpool ], Emily Cimber, who accompanied herself on guitar and piano.

Next up were a 5-piece band from Birmingham, Goodnight Lenin. They came on stage in matching white shirts and black trousers, an unusual fashion choice, but effective nonetheless. As well as the usual guitars and keyboards, they also featured violin, concertina and mandolin. However, their main feature is their glorious vocal harmonies, which to my ears, are the equal of the much-touted Fleet Foxes. They played some songs from their debut EP "Wenceslas Square".

After a short interval, and a growing sense of anticipation, Beth Jeans and her band The Hooves of Destiny took to the legendary Eric's stage. Much amusement arose when the they were introduced as the "Horses of Destiny" ! The first thing to strike you is their appearance. Beth Jeans was resplendent with green-streaked hair, patterned sweater, red hot pants and white brothel-creepers. The rest of the band were equally striking, with various degrees of face painting in evidence!

The music was extraordinary. Taken from her incredible debut album "Yours Truly, Cellophane Nose" [how do they think them up?], the songs are inspired, the musical settings are a psychedelic swirl with touches of prog folk, glam rock and even a touch of punk. There is nothing conventional or predictable about this band, they take you to unexplored musical landscapes. Beth has been compared to artists such as Kate Bush, Bat for Lashes and Florence. These comparisons are totally wide of the mark! She is not like anyone else on this planet and is completely her own person.

Beth is possessed of an amazing voice and combined with her surreal lyrics and astonishing stage presence, she is a fantastic performer. Standout songs included Dodecahedron, Sweet Tooth Bird, Veins and Atlas. The punky "Carousel" transported me back to the Eric's of the late seventies.

All too soon it was over, but not before we were treated to Beth's rousing version of Madonna's " Like a Prayer" complete with backing vocals from all of Goodnight Lenin.

Incredible.

Peter Cowley