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For those seeking refuge from a harsh world outside, there was no better place than Cambridge, its gleaming spires, ancient waterway, historic places of learning and the constant ring of bicycle bells in the town centre suddenly the epicentre of all that’s beautiful in the Universe.
I attended two gigs in the same week which proved there is a desire for something natural, the artists featured were as far from a big, soulless stadium show by the latest star or starlet as could be imagined.
Bereft of dazzling choreography by a cast of dancers, retina scorching lightshows, elaborate staging, or mortgage level ticket prices, this was art at its most raw and human, filled with performances that will long echo in memories.
All the way down from his base in Scotland, Stephen McAll, A.K.A. Constant Follower, has quickly gained the reputation as one of most unique and authentic voices on the modern folk scene. In a rare solo outing from the rest of the band and armed only with an acoustic guitar and effects pedals, McAll showed exactly why he’s so feted by all who’ve heard or seen the band.
An overnight success story that took twenty years, the singer, songwriter and guitarist brought a fragile, yet defiant spirit born of two decades of struggle, miraculously surviving a terrifyingly vicious gang beating whilst a teenager in Glasgow. It’s no stretch to say that music saved his life and his ability to turn that experience and the long road to recovery into something so unutterably gorgeous as their music borders on the alchemic.
Stood there in the modern auditorium of Anglia Ruskin University’s Recital Hall, McAll exudes the persona of a friend you’ve known all your life, a big bear of a man with a gentle soul as he clutches his guitar.
Opening number ‘Happy Birthdays’ unfurls gently as subtle effects add layers and atmosphere, the voice something so full of character and nuance that it wraps you the audience in a warm blanket.
The effect is soothing but never soporific, the lyrics engaging and seeking as the storyteller peels back layers that speak of a life lived and yet to be explored, numbers like ‘Weave Of The World’ dance like candle lights on a Winter night as the delicately plucked strings ring with a bright adoration.
With a second album recorded but yet to be released, the bulk of the material came from the critically acclaimed ‘Neither Is, Nor Ever Was’ debut and collaboration project ‘Even Days Dissolve’, so favourites like ‘I Can’t Wake You’ and ‘Watching The Black River Run’ were presented in their naked form, gloriously alluring.
Big enough to fill a cathedral with sound yet as quiet as a whisper, ‘One Word Away’ beguiles, its irresistible tendrils reaching out to touch all there and closer ‘The Merry Dancers On TV’ is a vision in gossamer, its grace enough to make angels cry.
Timeless and transfixing, there wasn’t a person leaving the auditorium who went off into the night without feeling a little taller and warmer. Positively sublime.
Review by Paul Monkhouse
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