Alela Diane & Ryan Francesconi at Bush Hall
Vikesh Kapoor
Bush Hall, 11 November 2015
There’s not much doubt that Vikesh Kapoor is a huge Bob
Dylan fan. When he walks onstage he is dressed in an outfit that could have
been hanging in the legend’s wardrobe back in 1965: short brown suede jacket,
drainpipe jeans and pointy Beatle boots, and on top of that there’s the curly
hair standing tall on top of his head and the way he carries his acoustic
guitar up high. From behind he might well be mistaken for youthful Dylan.
Musically, it’s not quite as obvious, although he’s an acoustic storyteller, he
reminds me more of the mournful sounds of A.A. Bondy or even Ryan Adams at his
most sparse.
One song is about a girl he wishes he had spoken to and
imagining what could have been, “but even better I got a song out of it” he
jokes. He says he’s a first generation American, his parents having travelled
from India via London, before he was born and it’s clear he’s taken this to
heart because his soul-bearing folk-infused Americana sounds both authentic and
heartfelt. The crowd also seems to take to this charming folk-singer, remaining
respectfully silent during the songs and then loudly supportive between them.
He leaves the stage with a smile on his face and it’s true it’s been a treat
for both audience and performer, which is especially nice for a support act.
First time I see Alela Diane tonight, she’s walking through
the venue carrying her little toddler. Since I last saw her live, she’s
been divorced, released a fantastic break-up album, remarried and had her first
child. After her previous record though apparently she found herself with writer’s block
and found a kindred spirit in fellow Portland musician, Ryan Francesconi (who I
mainly know for his work with Joanna Newsom) who was similarly suffering a lack
of inspiration. And that’s how the sparsely beautiful new album Cold Moon was
born. It’s an album that really sounds like winter: all leafless trees and bleak
light, and completely unexpected given that Diane’s life seems so happy and
content now, as this album has a wonderful sad beauty.
Francesconi takes to the stage first and he is a fascinating
guitarist to watch just because he’s so good: it makes you want to study his
hands and his movements just to see how he is getting those sounds. On the
other side of the stage stands his talented wife, Mirabai Peart, who is playing violin
and providing back-up vocals and that’s it for the effectively simple band. It’s
exciting to see Diane with such a stripped back band and in such a beautiful
venue (Bush Hall is easily one of the nicest small venues in London). As if
matching the glamour of the setting, Alela walks on stage in a gorgeous
floor-length gold-check dress. It’s 70s bohemian in style but with an 80s
shimmer: she looks stunning.
They open with the title track of the new album, which
begins with an atmospheric instrumental featuring plucked strings on both
violin and guitar before gently falling into cascading strings and a mournful
violin. When Alela joins on vocals, singing of November moons and roads leading
to the sea, it is definitely is reminiscent of Nick Drake on his similarly
named Pink Moon album, although Peart’s warming backing vocals and violin make
the whole thing feel less lonesome and more defiant. But in a word it’s simply,
beautiful.
With the album consisting of just eight songs it’s no surprise
all are performed tonight, all are lovely and sound wonderful echoing around
the tiny, high ceilinged hall. The Ocean, Alela tells us, was written about her
parents and sounds like a traditional folk tune, haunting and evocative. Migration
is like a gentle morning rain layered with Alela’s crystal clear vocals. The
song quietly picks up momentum ending in a rousing and hopeful like a desperate
prayer. “We never tire of the changing of the seasons,” she croons on Quiet
Corner, another song that reminds you of water and nature, listening it brings
you to another place entirely. A fine example of this is The Sun Today, which
sounds exactly like its title: a beautiful, soul-warming winter sunrise,
spurred on by deep violins and stirring harmonies.
Mixed in between the new tunes are a few Alela Diane
favourites such as The Rifle (which she performs alone) and a gorgeous White As
Diamonds, which sounds fantastic as a trio complete with the violin part as
heard on the record. It’s particularly exciting for me to hear Colorado Blue,
from Alela’s last solo record About Farewell, as I had never heard any of those
songs performed live before (the tour for it was very brief due to her
pregnancy). Francesconi tells us that Alela very nicely let him re-arrange it,
giving it a feel I’d describe like falling snow, and it sounds utterly gorgeous
and could have easily fitted into the new record.
One of the best moments of the night comes with the song
Shapeless, due to a little audience participation which sees us all clapping
and stomping along to such bleak-sounding lyrics as “Blackness, blackness,
infinite black, take us back to the shapeless light.” Who would have guessed it
would have been so much fun but then in between the songs Diane, Francesconi
and Peart keep things light, with charming and funny stories and light-hearted
banter.
They end the set with the longest song on the album, called
Roy, which they tell us started off an instrumental and Diane was inspired to
write lyrics for when Francesconi told her what inspired it and she attempted
to put it into words, throwing some of her own experiences into the mix. The
end result is filmic, as it beautifully builds into a song of yearning. They
then expertly move into one of Alela’s prettiest solo songs, Lady Divine, which
provides a hopeful and sweet note to end on.
I missed Joanna Newsom playing earlier this week, partly
because I was already going to this show and I had wondered if I had made a
mistake, a Newsom show is a magical unique thing after all. But after
experiencing this incredibly good and wonderfully intimate performance I have
no regrets at all. Alela Diane continues to win over my heart and I feel
grateful to have been introduced to the brilliance of Ryan Francesconi now too.
 |
| Vikesh Kapoor looking very early Dylan |
Comments
Post a Comment