Back in March, we brought your attention to a little-known band called Dear Reader. Supporting the stunning Fanfarlo, Dear Reader blew us away with songs from their debut album Replace Why With Funny, moulding folk and pop together with an explosive live show.
Cherilyn MacNeil’s introspective lyrics are soaked in bittersweet charm, delicately orchestrated by just two other band members. Though most folk bands are traveling along the increasingly lo-fi road, Dear Reader are a rare example that to write a great song, the backbone of a great storyteller is equally important as the production.
Debut album Replace Why With Funny was released earlier this year with expectation sitting squarely on their shoulders. The album demonstrated how relevant pop can still be to the folk market, Dear Reader showing that sing-along
choruses and punchy lyrics are just as effective as whimsical musings.
Debut single Dearheart is built around a shuffling piano backbone, creeping along with smooth jazzy drums and silky strings. This delicate and dynamically intelligent instrumentation is the perfect accompaniment for MacNeill’s soaring vocals. To write a song of love and comfort is an increasingly hard task as metaphor turns to cliché but Dearheart tackles the overworked subject in such a beautiful way, the song feels like an anthem from the very first listen.
Live, Dear Reader turn into an energy-filled experience. With such a dense sounding record, it would be all too easy for Dear Reader to play to backing tracks and sing on top. Instead, the superb instrumentalists that make up Dear Reader utilise vocal and instrumental loops as they rush around the stage, building and swarming instruments into their crashing crescendos. Cherilyn’s voice is somehow more impressive live, each song sung with conviction and assertion whilst retaining its individuality and soul.
However, tonight’s talent stretches deep, with excellent support acts that deserve highlighting and are equally impressive live.
Funk-folk may not be the most notorious of genres yet, but HOT FEET are certainly paving the way for an explosion in folk to dance to. A voice to melt any boy’s heart, Marianne Parish is reminiscent of Joni Mitchell in both the quality of her voice and her superb storytelling techniques. The instrumentation behind her is equally stunning, a mixture of ukuleles, violins, funky guitars and delicate and evolving drums. HOT FEET are equally adaptable live with as many people playing as they can fit on stage. With high praise from Alessi’s Ark, Chess Club and Cherbourg, HOT FEET demonstrate that not all folk is campfires and casket ale.
Club Shuffle is all about the innovative, the exciting and the unexpected. JAMIE N COMMONS is a classically trained opera singer performing folk songs, his hushed tones transforming into powerful and dominating vocals before switching back again before your very eyes. His wandering guitar lines are similar to those of Iron and Wine with chords turning into melodies into chords, an amalgamation of musical theory and heartfelt direction. As expected, the vocals command a lot of attention and rightfully so. Playful lyrics are juxtaposed with his touchy subjects and as a live performance, the pitch perfect harmonies are natural and evocative.
A stunning night, I'm sure you will agree. Tickets for this incredible show are a mere £6 with no booking fee from www.clubshuffle.co.uk or by calling 0207 323 7229
Be sure to buy your tickets in advance, this is going to be very very busy
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