Live Review

Junkyard Jude – Mello Mello, Liverpool

• 3rd Nov 2010

MelloMello’s fast-growing reputation as a hub for the disparate and fascinating wealth of talent
in the city rolls on. But this wasn’t an evening exclusive to artists in possession of a capital ‘L’ at the front of their postcode. With semi-compulsory consumption of organic beer, red-wine ring stains and vague scent of mahogany, MelloMello doesn’t lack charm as a venue and in-keeping with this, was an evening very much aimed at music listener ahead of the music dancer.

First on stage were JIMMY LIGHTFOOT AND THE DISCIPLE’s comically aggressive ramblings. The disciples usually being plural in number, tonight it was just Jimmy plus drummer. However, by assuming a larger-than-life onstage presence including full-blown faux deep south drawl Jimmy was never in danger of lacking presence. Add this to the constant narrative to some of the most ridiculous song-writer’s fodder you’ll ever hear and you quickly come to conclusion that this is music much more about the fun, at the expense of musical pomposity. Taking songs titles such as Beach Perve and Dad’s Having A Sex Party as reliable indicators of what this project’s about, it’s probably fair to say that entertaining the crowd is high on the agenda. The style is a hybrid of sorts between country and hillbilly and comes across as gentle dig at a genre, although evidently one held dear by the artist.

From here the night took on an atmosphere much more bespoked to the purist. Starting with the traditional blues of S.J. DOWNES, a man very much devoted to his love of 1920’s Mississippi blues. Although whilst his listed influences might include the likes of Blind Lemon Jefferson and Charlie Patton, vocally he brings to mind the distinctive calm of Nick Drake. Downes’s set was in fact something of an homage, celebrating the vast array of early blues talent, now oft-forgotten with the passing of time. To this end most of the songs are covers, beautifully replicated covers at that, such as Blind Blake’s Too Tight Rag, Blind Willie McTell’s Searching The Desert For The Blues and the aforementioned Patton’s Shake It And Break It. The precision that these renditions are delivered with is not lost on the crowd who sit quietly and appreciatively before what rapidly became a blues masterclass. Downes does visit other eras in his set too, choosing John Fahey’s Take A Look At That Baby to showcase his talents as a fingerpicker. Seeing such a masterclass of carefully selected covers, acting as conduits of expression, really whets the appetite for some of the man’s own work.

The crowd were then encouraged to swap one man and his guitar for one woman and her piano in the form of TIKI BLACK. Manchester-based by way of Paris and Cameroon, Black offers gentle vignettes of highly emotional and deeply personal songs. A short set, comprising just five songs, this was a performance that really gave the impression of having been invited into the intimate surroundings of the artist’s rehearsal room, such was the introverted lyrical content. From opener Open Your Eyes to the french language Le Cinquieme Element these were sparse songs, making use of slow-building piano to accompany fragile and enchanting vocals. The former in particular, progresses with a haunting quality, exploiting a minimalist structure to great affect, giving it a power disproportionate to its quietude. Elsewhere, Free Like Smoke demonstrates that music can be just as much about the silence as the notes in between. There is obvious talent here and these are songs that tug at the heartstrings without ever giving the impression they were written purely to do so. Open Your Eyes contains the line: ‘do not hide in your cocoon’. Tiki Black would do well to follow this advice.

Finally, there was headliner ‘JUNKYARD’ JUDE WALDMAN. Appearing on stage in checkered shirt with guitar and harmonica in tow, Waldman immediately looked to be flying the flag of his North American heritage. Musically too, he is very much someone in touch with his roots. Waldman’s pathway to Mello Mello stopped several times along the way at Americana, Hillbilly and a touch of the folk-blues. More than anyone, he brings to mind Seasick Steve, sharing a lyrical style rooted in poverty blues. This is evident in tracks such as Please Say Yes, whereas others such as Look Out Mama are perhaps a nod to Dylan. There are perhaps other contemporary styles within too as Waldman himself hinted at influences on this side of the Atlantic, namely John Martyn, to whom his record Coca-Cola And Silver Screens is devoted. Waldman himself did cut something of a subdued figure, perhaps owing to the acts before him running over time, resulting in a crowd dwindling in number by the time he made it onstage. Towards the end of the evening, like S.J.Downes before him Waldman brought out the covers. All faithfully and immaculately reproduced, Dylan’s All Along The Watchtower and Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright sparkled before tribute was paid to Martyn himself with an empassioned version Over The Hill. Coming off stage, he didn’t seem happy with the performance himself but his music certainly wasn’t lost on the crowd that remained. All in all, Mello Mello is becoming hard to beat for new and live music.