Words: Suzy Sims
Editor: Rob Ball
(c) mINtSOUTH.com
LIVE REVIEW - ATHLETE, LOZ BRIDGE, GARY MUNDAY, IDOL RICH, THE L.C.D. + BRYONY MARIE FRY @ THE SOUL CELLAR, SOUTHAMPTON 26/08/09
It’s like musical Tetris, trying to fit Athlete onstage; band members, roadies and Wave 105 presenters are carefully being dropped into place between keyboards and amps and guitars and drums and more guitars and more people.
Wave 105 are there because it’s Their Night at the Soul Cellar. Athlete are there because they have been picked to play Wave 105’s Up, Close and Personal series of gigs which have previously hosted the likes of Frankmusik and Sharleen Spiteri. The roadies are there, because that’s what they do. Never underestimate the power of a good roadie.
It takes roughly an hour for people to filter upstairs until everyone is crammed up close. There is no warm up act, though temperature-wise it couldn’t get much hotter without the fans and competition winners starting to wilt a bit.
Standing front left, just underneath the speaker, I struggle to see most of Athlete hiding behind their equipment. There’s singer Joel Pott in a red checked shirt. Serious-faced keyboardist Tim Wanstall is shielding his eyes as he motions to the soundman to adjust a few settings. Drummer Stephen Roberts is completely out of sight, and I can’t work out how many other guitarists they have onstage.
The setlist takes a few tracks from the band’s latest album, Black Swan, including the beautiful title track which Joel dedicates to his granddad, and the fantastic singalong of The Getaway. Longer-term fans aren’t disappointed either, with Vehicles & Animals’ Beautiful and radio-friendly You Got The Style, and a couple of tracks from Tourist including Half Light thrown into the mix. Throughout the night, the band are friendly and relaxed, though leaving their frontman to do most of the banter with the audience. They’re often criticised for not having much of an edge, but Athlete are always a welcome pleasure to listen to.
The band have always been one for mature epics, and the set closes with a stripped down version of powerful tearjerker Wires, with the rest of the band leaving Joel alone to face the crowd chanting “I see it in your eyes / You’ll be all right.”
The set is sadly over after what seems like a short time. It’s no rest for the wicked though, as mintsouth then hotfoot it across the stage and disappear behind the scenes to interview the band.
http://www.mintsouth.com/2009/09/minterview-athlete/
Afterwards we take a short trip downstairs to see what mintsouth have to offer in the way of acoustic acts. Loz Bridge is just finishing his set as we descend; he’s very intense and the sounds seems to completely fill the small room. Up next are the multiple personas of Gary Munday which keep switching back and forth– Gary#1 is a slightly muffled deep voice, while Gary#2 has a belting voice which wakes everyone up. The acoustic is nicely sparse, but the voice is too shouty. Idol Rich is incredibly understated, so understated in fact he’s almost lost beneath the chattering post-Athlete crowd. He’s very bluesy and beautifully mellow, covering a few songs including ‘Walking The Dog’ and ‘I Just Wanna Make Love To You.’
Next up is The L.C.D. and his incredibly quick tongue. The guitar is almost incidental to this street / beat poet who performs a curious cover of Bohemian Rhapsody. The final act we manage to catch before sloping away is the lovely Bryony Marie Fry whose voice is sweet and spot on; easily the best singer of the night.
Often a little mournful musically but always heartwarming, it’s been a successful night for Athlete. And the drinks were cheap. Hurrah.
Athlete
Wave 105
Loz Bridge
Gary Munday
The L.C.D.
Bryony Marie Fry
