The girls are have headed down to the ever-brilliant Brudenell Social Club early tonight to catch 17-year-old Pip Mountjoy, who is opening for Beth Jeans Houghton tonight.
It looks as though we are not alone as the venue is already almost full
with eager fans securing their seats for the night. Pip
has an incredible understated confidence, sitting in the centre of the
stage on her own in front of the silent and expectant crowd. At such a
young age, she is inspiring to watch as she puts on a set of simple,
heart-felt and tuneful songs, with no signs of nerves or uncertainty.
Beginning with
‘The Fall’, Pip moves into ‘Live Hard, Live Your Dream’ and ‘Louisiana’,
the title track of her gorgeous EP with hand-stitched artwork, which
gets snapped up by several new fans after her set. Her louder, more
powerful songs, such as ‘Wolves’, fill the large room with impressive
force. Yet she also has the ability to draw you in during the more
delicate, sad songs, with the stark simplicity of her voice and guitar,
in a way that brings to mind Laura Marling. Her cover of James Vincent McMorrow’s
‘Follow you down to the red oak tree’ is enchanting and ‘Louisiana’ has
the room mesmerised, with the softly plucked strings and dreamy
“mmmmm”s of the chorus bringing us all into her world. Her thoughtful
lyrics really add to her great talent for songwriting, as she tells
little stories and conveys her emotions and commentaries on things going
on around her in her life.
By the time that Beth Jeans Houghton and the Hooves of Destiny begin,
the venue has filled up and the crowd is noisy and excitable in
anticipation of the theatrical show about to take place. Beth appears
wearing a bright multi-coloured kimono, with her hair perfectly
sculpted, standing doll-like in place on the stage. After some
last-minute sound-checking, the band are off, beginning with ‘Atlas’ and
‘Nightswimmer’. The crowd is captivated by her ethereal and haunting
voice, which glides through an astounding range, hitting notes
effortlessly that most singers can’t get anywhere near. Beth’s musical
style ranges wildly between jaunty folk, 80s pop, country, 50s rock n
roll and singalong bar music. The atmosphere tonight is one of awe and
humour, as Beth encourages her band members to tell us jokes and gets
two fans in the audience to start a dance competition, before throwing
us back in to her crazy world with the 50s-style ‘Honeycomb’. ‘Humble
Digs’ really allows her to show off her incredible classical voice, as
the song breaks down to just her voice before kicking in again at the
end. A bit of banter with the crowd follows, with Beth insisting to a
heckler, “you’re not a dick,” before dedicating ‘Dodecahedron’: “This is
for the dick.”
‘Shampoo’ is a
galloping country number which has everyone dancing along to its
infectious rhythm. As usual we are kept on our toes by where the song
is heading as it quietens down into whispering vocals before Beth and
her fellow singers shout through the final chorus. The singalong songs
continue with everyone clapping along to the stomping beat and
trumpet-driven ‘Return’. Finally, support band, Goodnight Lenin, join the band on stage for a theatrical rendition of Madonna’s
‘Like a Prayer’. “Thanks for coming. This is the most people I’ve
ever seen,” says Beth as she puts down her guitar and turns her back to
the audience to deliver the opening lines before everyone on stage,
including a doll, joins in on the very random and psychedelic
performance. The bands are cheered back onto the stage for an encore
and leave us with the shouty, feisty, singalong, ‘Prick’.
Carrie Beth
Beth Jean Houghton and the Hooves of Destiny’s debut album, Yours Truly, Cellophane Nose,
is out now. You can catch the rest of their tour on 27 Feb at the
Buffalo Bar, Cardiff, 28 Feb Louisiana, Bristol, 29 Feb the Hare and
Hounds, Birmingham and 1 March Hoxton Bar and Kitchen, London. Pip
Mountjoy will be at the Gala Theatre, Durham on 6 March and the
Cornerhouse, Manchester, on 18 March.
______________________________________________________________________
Author: Carrie Beth
Source: The Girls Are
Date: February 26th, 2012
Original article: HERE
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