MORE TORN SAIL MAGIC
NO RECORD has got inside my head as much as Torn Sail since the Doves Cedar Room EP. With the promise of a full band, I had to attend the Dorothy Pax show. Sheffield is a behemoth of a city, but other than the Victoria Quays, symbols of poverty are everywhere. Consequently, I arrived a little depressed. It's also a little depressing to note how small the venue is coz they should be on a bigger stage. However, I couldn't help but feel blessed that this intimate show was ours and not everyone's. Huw, as ever, was politely explaining the late sound-check. Guitarist Henry hadn't slept for 2 nights.
The atmosphere was lively when they hit the stage. Giving much more depth of space to We Ride they set scene brilliantly. Ricochets followed and suffered slightly, without an accompanying female voice. When I say suffered slightly, it was still spell-blinding. Son of My Heart, a song I only know from a set-list photo, is handled superbly and highlights their beautiful tensions and chemistry.
Huw rightly got a little vexed at folk chatting over their achingly intense music. I'm Gonna Miss You is especially intense. Perhaps a break for fifteen minutes would have been of benefit to folk. I heard a lot of new material that marks a change of direction. Some of it very fast but never reckless and some slower but never languid. I think they need to make oscillating music that reflects the stranded state of being off land. Because the LP has become part of my own DNA, I felt I needed to be better acquainted with the new music. He's got two albums in the can and, unlike me, is happy to move on.
A reworked Disconnected is a thing of majesty stripped of its poppy energy that seems superfluous with hindsight. The players all seem to understand exactly what they have to do to give space to the songs. We got the full version of Treasure, which is utter dynamite, and Henry's fretwork needed its own applause.
Again, the chemistry is something to behold and treasure. Birds, a song that completely captures me, carries additional gravitas live. It really evokes the golden era of the singer-songwriters' wonderful collaborations with diverse musicians.
Nutshell really came into its own played live. Another wonderful song that just seems to spill effortlessly out of the band. It was great being mesmerized by this great troubadour again, and although I'm a little anxious; I am keen to hear the latest offerings. The venue and Sophie need a hearty bear-hug for giving them the stage to make their own for the evening.
First class, as always.
