Bellowhead LIVE @ Shepherd’s Bush Empire, 20.11.14

Rating:

As the imposing silhouette of Mr Jon Boden appears on stage against a dark backdrop, cheers and woops fill Shepherd’s Bush Empire: the curtains lift, the unmistakable figure of Boden appears – donning a typically glitzy hot pink suit –  and the joyous sound of Bellowhead begins. Starting off with a new tune from their current album, instantly the tone is set for a night of raucous enjoyment and folky fun.  The most successful ever traditional folk act, Bellowhead marked their 10th anniversary with the release of Revival earlier this year.

 

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From songs about “your girlfriend being deported to Australia” to “the English involvement in the American Civil War…. (Didn’t think that was how civil wars worked!)”, each thunderous blast of jolly brass, fluid fiddles and – of course – Boden’s distinctive charming drawl, sweeps across the venue as frenzied folksters clap and cheer.

 

Each song presents us with flawless musical executions and an exceptional ability to take something ages old and create a contemporary, energised masterpiece – take ‘Rosemary’, for example: “A version of Scarborough Fair”, Boden explains, “but with different words, and an entirely different tune”.  As each exuberant offering flows from the stage, there isn’t a member of the band whose skill isn’t admirably displayed: every single one of the many people up on stage expose their talent with pride – the band as a collective gel perfectly as they bounce buoyantly to the uplifting sounds they create. Each musician appears to be not only multi-talented, swapping instruments every few minutes, but also wonderfully charismatic. Whilst Sam Sweeney energetically bounces up and down with his fiddle, Paul Sartin and his oboe treat us to a little jig, John Spiers swaps from squeezing his Melodian to lounging on a sofa with a cigar, Pete Flood vigorously attacks his percussion and Brendan Kelly shows off his raconteurial skills telling tales of bitter doctors (‘Fine Sally’).  And then there’s Jon Boden – front man extraordinaire. A ‘folk punk’, I like to think of him as: with his eccentric neon attire, spikey locks, solitary earring and general loveable roguish charisma. It’s pretty much impossible not be cast under the spell of his  magnetising grin and hyperactive index fingers.

 

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And these fingers are at their most active for crowd favourite, ‘London Town’: as each and every one of us point up and down along to “Up to rigs, down to the jigs, up to the rigs of London Town” in true Boden style, Shepherd’s Bush Empire is transformed into a throbbing mass of limbs, all in utter folk-induced ecstasy. The highlight of the night.

 

 

As the evening goes on, juxtaposed with the riotous, jig-inducing numbers, are also some more mellow moments. As the riddle-based ‘Captain Wedderburn’ oozes from the stage, we see Boden’s fingers take some time out, as he sits with Rachael McShane and together they create spine-tingling harmonies alongside the band’s flawless rendition of traditional folk melodies.

 

Whether you’re a die-hard Bellowhead fan, or have never heard any of their songs before, it’s impossible not to enjoy these fantastically smile-inducing tunes and get caught up in the extreme energy and contagious charisma of this band.  Though I may not often put on a Bellowhead album whilst chilling out at home, live, they remain one of the most entertaining and utterly enjoyable bands to see: whether they’re reworking traditional sea shanties (‘Let Her Run’), singing of unrequited love and heartbreak (‘Besty Baker’) or simply getting everyone up and dancing with jolly instrumentals such as ‘Cross Eyed and Chinless’, each offering is bursting with that vivacious folk spirit that oozes from Boden and co so tirelessly.

 

Mari Lane

@marimindless

Mari Lane

Mari Lane

Editor, London. Likes: Kathleen Hanna, 6Music, live music in the sunshine. Dislikes: Sexism, pineapples, the misuse of apostrophes.