Mostly Autumn - Tavistock Review

The gigging year is not completed without Mostly Autumn's almost-annual trip down the South West. While some years have taken in Penzance and/or Exeter as locations for their concerts, the band's usual destination is The Wharf in Tavistock. While somewhat off the beaten track, and small in size, The Wharf has a great reputation as a live music venue. The stage is a good size, the sound system produces a clear output, and the people of west Devon are known to make the effort when it comes to supporting live music. It is rare that a crowd at The Wharf for any show is less than decent, and Mostly Autumn's regular visits to the venue have gained them a strong fanbase in the area. It took the band quite a while to release the majority of their live dates this year, and I was starting to wonder whether their usual trip to the South West was even going to happen. These worries were unfounded however as the band confirmed their Tavistock visit a couple of months ago and luckily the show did not clash with anything else that I had already planned. The Wharf was the site of the first concert that I ever went too back in 2006, and it was Mostly Autumn up on the stage that day. As a result, the band's returns to The Wharf always feel somewhat like homecomings for me, and the shows are always one of the highlights of the year. Despite the relatively late announcement that this gig had, the show still attracted a decent-sized crowd. I have certainly seen the venue fuller for Mostly Autumn's shows there in the past, but there was still a strong contingent of the band's fans present - and was far from the worst turnout for a Mostly Autumn show at The Wharf (an award which I believe goes to their 2013 show). Despite a decent turnout, the crowd were fairly subdued during the early part of the evening, and only really got going during the latter half of the set. This was a bit of a shame, as it seemed like the band had to work harder than usual to elicit a reaction, but this did not seem to deter the band who put a show to equal their usual high standards.

Unusually for a Mostly Autumn show there was a support act, but with the support being made up of two members of the band it felt more of an extension of the main show that a true support slot. Chris Johnson (vocals/guitar) and Angela Gordon (flute/keyboards/whistle/vocals) took to the stage alone to play half an hour or so of folk covers for the growing crowd. The two play in various folk acts that perform in pubs in their native York, so this set was made up of material that the two play as a part of these other acts. The set was largely made up of covers, but Johnson also performed a stripped-back version of Gaze, a song he wrote for Mostly Autumn and can be found in a different guise on the delux edition of the Heart Full of Sky album. Johnson mostly took the lead vocally, with Gordon providing harmonies and flute melodies in fairly equal measure. With Mostly Autumn's current setlist not being particularly flute-heavy, it was great to see her laying into the instrument at times and peeling off excellent melodies. Gaze was the set's highlight, but a lovely version of Christy Moore's Ride On, which was Gordon take the lead, brought their little set to a close and proved to be a winner with the crowd.

With the band's latest album Sight of Day just a little over a year old, the band are still very much in the mindset to promote it. With this in mind, the band featured four of the new songs in the set while a good selection of older numbers made up the rest of the night. The new album's gargantuan title track got the evening started in style, and allowed to whole band to really pull together to turn in a special performance. Olivia Sparnenn-Josh (vocals/glockenspiel/percussion) showed her vocal diversity during the piece, with the subtle initial verses and the early choruses showing great changes of style early on. It is hard not to be taken in by her as a performer, and she consistently demonstrated why she is one of the best female rock vocalists currently active. Bandleader Bryan Josh (vocals/guitar) also had plenty of chances to show off, but it was the mellow, Pink Floyd-inspired mid-section where he really shone. His emotional guitar style is well-suited for this atmospheric songwriting, and his soloing never fails to impress. It would be hard for many bands to follow Sight of Day, but the all-out gothic rock of In for the Bite and the organic Simple Ways showed different sides of the band. The latter featured an excellent outro keyboard solo from Iain Jennings (keyboards), showing that Josh does not have a monopoly on instrumental prowess. Save for Simple Ways, the set was made up of songs that have been featured quite heavily by the band over the past year or so. While I felt that a couple of different older ones could have been featured, especially in place of songs such as Drops of the Sun which could definitely do with being rested for a while now, the set flowed very nicely which justified the band's choices in regards with what to play.

I doubt too many will ever complain about Evergreen's inclusion however, and it unsurprisingly brought a large cheer from the crowd as it came to an end. The ending is another showcase for Josh, and allowed new drummer Henry Rogers (although he actually filled in for the band's previous drummer at their Wharf show last year) to show off his skills with some high-energy antics. Other highlights were the folk/AOR mash-up of Nowhere to Hide (Close my Eyes), the first song on the band's debut album For All We Shared... which is 20 this year, and Johnson's spine-tingling Silver Glass which has really established itself as a setlist regular again over the past few years. Mother Nature is arguably the most complete Mostly Autumn song as it contains everything that makes the band great. Josh and Sparnenn-Josh sing the song together perfectly, before the song builds towards another explosive guitar solo for Josh to really sink his teeth into. It was met with possibly the biggest cheer of the night, and it seems the song is here again to stay after a fairly lengthy absence from the band's set between 2010 and 2016. Johnson's Changing Lives provided a more modern vibe, before Sparnenn-Josh's signature ballad Questioning Eyes took the roof off the place. The song is always powerful, but it seemed extra powerful this time with a stunning vocal display and Jennings' gorgeous piano lines. Tonight finished off the main set with cinematic aplomb, before the crowd demanded more with rhythmic clapping that soon brought the band back on. The ever-present Heroes Never Die and the new number Forever and Beyond brought the evening to a close, and as the band took their bows the crowd showed their appreciation. The band had put on another excellent display in Tavistock and had well-earned their applause. The setlist was:

Sight of Day
In for the Bite [Bryan Josh solo material]
Simple Ways
Evergreen
Tomorrow Dies
Drops of the Sun
Nowhere to Hide (Close my Eyes)
Silhouettes of Stolen Ghosts
Silver Glass
Mother Nature
Changing Lives
Questioning Eyes [Breathing Space cover]
Tonight
-
Heroes Never Die
Forever and Beyond

The evening's only disappointment was the fact that the moody Storms Over Still Water, which was listed on the stage's printed setlists as a part of the encore section, was not performed - presumably due to limited time. The song is excellent and I had not heard the band perform it live since 2010, but sadly it was not to be. Maybe next time! I have already got tickets to see the band again in December in Bilston, which will be my 40th Mostly Autumn concert. I am already looking forward to it!