Mostly Autumn - Bilston Review

Regular readers of this blog will realise by now that I listen to a lot of different bands. I am always on the lookout for new bands to listen to, but there are still those which I return to regularly. Due to the amount of bands that I like, it is hard to choose a genuine favourite. One band that is certainly in contention for that title, however, is Mostly Autumn. The York-based seven-piece were the first band that I saw live back in 2006, and they are also the band that I have seen live the most. As of this weekend just gone, I have now seen the band live 43 times. While I am sure that there are people who have seen the band live far more than I have, 43 is still a lot of times to see one band! Mostly Autumn's total is more than double that of my second most-seen band (The Quireboys) too, and they are a band for whom I will take every sensible (and occasionally not very sensible) opportunity to see that presents itself. As such, gaps between Mostly Autumn concerts are usually only a few months - as many years since 2006 have seen me attending 3 or 4 shows a year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, prior to this past weekend it had been over two years since I had last seen the band. My last concert was in Reading in May 2019, as there were no other sensible options to catch the band live again later that year. 2020 was a washout for Mostly Autumn shows, predictably, so I knew that I really had to make the effort this year to see them again. Understandably, given how unpredictable the COVID-19 situation still is, the band only scheduled a handful of gigs for this year - but one was at The Robin 2 in Bilston, a real favourite venue of the band. I have never quite worked out why The Robin 2 is as busy as it is, given its somewhat strange location, but it has been a real haven for small and medium sized rock bands over the years. Mostly Autumn often play there a couple of times a year, and I have seen them there a handful of times in the past. The gig at The Robin 2 was the easiest show to get to, even with the venue's hotel being fully booked and the West Midlands Metro suspended - which meant the the Wolverhampton bus network was put to the test. Thankfully, Wolverhampton's buses, even on a Sunday night, were excellent - and I got to the venue at around 5:30pm. It was an early show, with the doors opening at 5pm, and when I got there a handful of people were already gathered inside. Given the snow that had been falling around the West Midlands I had wondered if the attendance would be affected, but by the time Mostly Autumn took to the stage at 7:30pm a pretty health crowd had gathered.

Before the band's show however, and relatively rarely for a Mostly Autumn concert, the growing crowd was treated to an hour or so of music from the duo MonkeyTrial. MonkeyTrial describe their music as ambient electronica, which is probably accurate, but it is a style of music that I know almost nothing about. I went into the duo's set with an open mind however, but sadly it did very little for me. The duo's music largely consisted of synth layers, with lots of fluid lead guitar providing the main melody lines. A Theremin was occasionally employed too, but largely the duo relied on the synths and the guitar. I think that the duo only played five tracks during their hour or so on stage, which meant that most of the pieces played were very long. By the time that they were half way through their second track, it became clear that much of what they were going to play throughout their set would sound very similar. All of their pieces essentially took on the same formula, and for me there was very little variety throughout. I do not claim to be an expert on ambient music, and I am sure that MonkeyTrial are a good representation of the genre, but some variety would have certainly been welcome. That being said, however, there were clearly people in attendance who really enjoyed what the duo were doing. MonkeyTrial seemed to sell quite a few CDs after their set, which is always good to see, so some people clearly 'got' their music. I think that it is fair to say that the duo were not for me, however, but it is always good to take in something outside of your comfort zone and try new things.

By the time 7:30pm rolled around, the crowd were ready for the main event. Mostly Autumn are known for their lengthy live shows, and the early start allowed them to really indulge. The band were on stage for probably around two and a half hours, which is pretty typical for them. They looked really happy to be back on stage at The Robin 2 again, and they also took the opportunity to promote their newly-released album Graveyard Star by featuring seven of the album's songs during their first of two sets. The seven Graveyard Star songs were played straight through as a sort of suite, with the lengthy title track kicking things off. Graveyard Star is a dark and layered album, so the live renditions of its songs really brought the best out of the band's seven members. Iain Jennings (keyboards) and Angela Gordon (flute/keyboards/whistles/recorder/vocals) often teamed up to deliver the songs' atmospheric sound, while Chris Johnson (vocals/guitar) constantly moved between electric and acoustic guitars to bulk out the tracks. The title track showcased everyone's strengths, with Bryan Josh (vocals/guitar) and frontwoman Olivia Sparnenn-Josh trading vocal lines throughout. The complex, multi-part song came across really well live, despite a slightly muddy sound mix affecting the evening's first couple of numbers, with its transitions sounding less jarring than on the album. It really set the tone for the rest of the suite, and the rest of the Graveyard Star material similarly impressed. A standout track for me was Shadows, which is one of the album's least interesting pieces in my opinion, but on stage it really came alive. Josh and Johnson sung the piece in tandem, and the raw, bluesy rock of the track allowed it to work well in the live setting. Sparnenn-Josh's two showcase ballads were excellent too, with This Endless War in particular shining. She has contributed a number of these epic ballads to the band's canon over the past decade, and This Endless War is one of her best. She soared vocally throughout, with the performance easily aping the studio version. The suite came to an upbeat end however with the energetic Spirit of Mankind and a really powerful version of Back in These Arms - which featured lots of lead guitar work from Josh and some folky additions from Gordon. The emphasis on the folk melodies within the relatively hard rock confines of the song harked back to the band's past somewhat - and brought the run of seven brand new songs to a powerful close. Two older numbers were then featured before the band took a short break, with Passengers being dusted off for its first outing for a few years. The soaring ballad is always a welcome addition to the band's set, but it was a barnstorming rendition of Mother Nature that was the true highlight. The song is always a live favourite, and Jennings' Pink Floyd-inspired keyboard solo is always a joy to hear. It ended the first hour or so of music perfectly, but there was still plenty more to come.

Following a half an hour break, the band came back to deliver another hour or so of excellent music. The second set was largely made up of songs from the band's last three albums, but there were a few old favourites thrown in too. The upbeat Tomorrow Dies kicked things off, with Sparnenn-Josh owning the song vocally, before Henry Rogers' drum barrage led into the snaking, Ritchie Blackmore-inspired In for the Bite - a song from one of Josh's solo albums. The gothic piece has always suited the band's sound however, and Sparnenn-Josh delivered the song with ease. A couple of songs from 2019's White Rainbow then followed, and given that the band probably would have toured the album more throughout 2020 it was good that a handful of songs from it were retained in the set. The highlight of the two was the symphonic Western Skies, which was excellent from Gordon's flute introduction to the driving keyboard-led closing section. It has always been one of my favourites from the album, and hearing it live again was a treat. Johnson's atmospheric, emotional Changing Lives then hit the spot as always, before the band went further back into their catalogue for the folk/AOR mash-up of Nowhere to Hide (Close My Eyes). The song is pretty much an ever-present fixture in the band's setlists, but the catchy number always goes down well. It is one that always gets the crowd singing along, and it was one of the few songs from before Sparnenn-Josh's time with the band that was played. It is great that the band's setlists are so forward-looking these days, but it is still fun to hear some of the old favourites too. The Spirit of Autumn Past - Part 2 was also dusted off for a relatively rare outing. There was a time when the song was essentially guaranteed at a Mostly Autumn gig, but over the past few years it has rarely been played. Its inclusion in the set was fitting, especially following the folky The House on the Hill, and it really added to the triumphant feel of the set as a whole. Gordon's closing flute salvo was as good as always, and the song unsurprisingly was warmly received by the crowd. It was left to the epic White Rainbow the bring the set to a close, and hearing the song live again was great. It has become one of my favourite Mostly Autumn songs over the past couple of years, and it works very well live - with the whole band shining. Josh gets a lot of time in the spotlight vocally early on, while Sparnenn-Josh gets to let rip later with some siren-like vocals. The instrumental mid-section borders on metal at times too, especially live, with Rogers' double bass drumming elevating the band to new heights. It brought the main show to a powerful close, and the band were treated to huge cheers as they left the stage. There was time for more, of course, and a three-song encore followed. The ever-present Heroes Never Die was as poignant as ever, with Josh's closing solo filled with even more passion than usual, while the slightly whimsical and melodic Forever and Beyond has cemented itself as the band's modern set-closer in recent years. Given the time of year, however, the band then decided to debut their recently-released Christmas song For Everyone at Christmastime - which allowed the night to end on a really joyous note. The whole crowd were involved with the song, and it was a lot of fun seeing the band play an original Christmas song - rather than one of their usual covers. The setlist was:

Graveyard Star

Skin of Mankind

Shadows

That Harder That You Hurt

This Endless War

Spirit of Mankind

Back in These Arms

Passengers

Mother Nature

-

Tomorrow Dies

In for the Bite [Bryan Josh solo material]

Into the Stars

Western Skies

Changing Lives

Nowhere to Hide (Close My Eyes)

The House on the Hill

The Spirit of Autumn Past - Part 2

White Rainbow

-

Heroes Never Die

Forever and Beyond

For Everyone at Christmastime

Seeing Mostly Autumn live again after two years was a real experience, and the concert will certainly be one of my gigs of the year. A Mostly Autumn concert often has the potential to be one, but the band seemed to be more on fire than usual following their enforced break from playing live. All being well the band will be able to play more live shows again next year, as the Graveyard Star material deserves to be heard in a live setting by more people. Hopefully the band will make a return to The Wharf in Tavistock next year, but I am certain that I will also make the effort to travel to see them again regardless - as on last weekend's showing the band are as good as ever.