Mostly Autumn - Tavistock Review

By this point I am not sure how many concerts I have been to, but it all started in 2006 with Mostly Autumn at The Wharf in Tavistock. I was not really familiar with the band at all at the time, but went with my Dad and a family friend - and it essentially kick-started my love of live music. I did not become a Mostly Autumn fan overnight, but over the next few months I started to listen to their albums - and my fandom was sealed in 2007 at the band's one and only convention. Since then, I have seen the band more than anyone else. I have now seen Mostly Autumn 45 times, which is more than double the amount of times that I have seen my second most-seen band, and a year without at least a couple of Mostly Autumn shows never seems complete. I have seen the band at many different venues over the years, but their annual return to The Wharf is always special. It feels like a homecoming for me in many ways, so it was with excitement that I returned to the venue last night to catch the band there once again. It had been a few years since I last saw Mostly Autumn at The Wharf, though. My last Mostly Autumn concert at the venue came in 2018, as I missed the 2019 show due to it clashing with another show that I already had a ticket for. I did see them the following day at Sub 98 in Reading, though, so I did get my Mostly Autumn fix, but I was sad to miss my yearly trip to see them in Tavistock. For obvious reasons, too, the band did not make it down to Devon in either 2020 or 2021, although I did head up to Bilston last November to catch them at The Robin 2 - another regular haunt of theirs. It was great to see the band live again after not seeing them at all in 2020, which is the only year that I have not seen them live since getting into them, and thankfully things seem back to normal now - as I also saw the band a few weeks ago at the Cambridge Rock Festival. I may travel back to Bilston in November to see them again, too, but first I need to digest last night's excellent showing. Mostly Autumn have always excelled at The Wharf, and it is the sort of venue and setting that is perfect for a band as organic as them. It has a large stage, which means that the seven-piece band can all comfortably fit on it - and the moorland surroundings really suit the band's music, especially their early, folkier work. Mostly Autumn have quite a following in Devon, too, and their shows in Tavistock are always well attended. Last night's show was probably the fullest I have ever seen The Wharf for Mostly Autumn, though, which was great to see. Their turnouts are often healthy, but The Wharf was packed - with lots making the effort having been starved of their regular dose of Mostly Autumn live over the last couple of years. Unusually for a Mostly Autumn show, too, there was a support act - a solo acoustic singer/songwriter - but unfortunately I did not catch her name. She played a very brief set of original acoustic songs, which generally is not really my thing - but her set was a nice addition to the evening.

With Graveyard Star still fresh in people's minds, Mostly Autumn are still keen on promoting it. Instead of playing a big chunk of the album as a suite, though, as they did in Bilston last year, the setlists so far this year have generally been more balanced. Graveyard Star is still featured quite heavily, but the setlist last night was focused more generally on the band's last handful of albums - and gave prominence to a handful of older classics, too. The band took to the stage at around 20:30 and, as they did at the Cambridge Rock Festival last month, kicked off with the up-tempo cinematic hard rock of Tomorrow Dies. The song has been a live staple since Sight of Day was released in 2017, but it now finds itself the set-opener - and the hard-driving, keyboard-heavy song worked well as such. It allowed frontwoman Olivia Sparnenn-Josh to showcase her powerful voice from the off, as well as allowing Iain Jennings (keyboards) to rock out behind his bank of keyboards. The song's big chorus always gets the crowd going, and the closing instrumental sections with the twin guitar leads of Bryan Josh (vocals/guitar) and Chris Johnson (vocals/guitar/keyboards) is always exciting. This led into another rocker, Spirit of Mankind - which was the first of four songs from Graveyard Star featured. It continued the vibe of the set-opener nicely, and featured another big chorus for Sparnenn-Josh to belt out. Johnson was highlighted too with a delicate acoustic guitar solo, which then led into one of Josh's trademark soaring solo spots. His guitar playing was as powerful as ever throughout the gig - and he was also in fine voice, too, as evidenced throughout The Spirit of Autumn Past - Part 2. Perhaps surprisingly, one of the early highlights for me was a stunning rendition of The Last Climb. It has been a semi-regular addition to the set over the past few years, but last night's version was possibly the best yet. It showcased Angela Gordon (flute/keyboards/whistles/recorder/vocals) in a big way, too, as she sung the main vocal harmony along with Josh, before launching into a lengthy flute solo that took the crowd back to the early days of the band. Josh's long guitar solo followed the flute workout, and it was probably his most powerful moment of playing of the night. A couple of more stripped back songs followed, with Johnson's Gaze getting a relatively rare outing. It was a slightly fuller arrangement than the acoustic version that has generally been played live, with some piano and flute to back him, before Sparnenn-Josh retook the stage for the slow-burning This Endless War. The track morphs into a huge power ballad, though, and it was a real vocal showcase for her. Back in These Arms was up next, and the lengthy band piece saw lot of great vocal interplay between Josh and Sparnenn-Josh - as well some folky interludes which Gordon dominated. The first set then came to a powerful close with a barnstorming rendition of Mother Nature, which hit hard as always thanks to its powerful chorus, Jennings' lengthy keyboard solo, and the symphonic closing section that saw the whole band powering through.

Following a 20 minute break, the band came back for another hour-plus, of music. Henry Rogers' (drums) barrage introduced In for the Bite, a hard rocking Josh solo number that has found a home in the band's sets in recent years. It set the tone for the early part of the second set, though, which in general was pretty hard rocking. The upbeat AOR-esque Into the Stars followed, which always goes down well live thanks to its snappy melodies and big chorus, before the band took a dive into more symphonic territory with Western Skies. The song built slowly from Gordon's flute melodies and Jennings' piano, which Sparnenn-Josh sang over, but it really got going around the halfway point. This section always goes down well live, and Jennings' driving symphonic keyboards and the siren-like vocals from Sparnenn-Josh made the song another highlight. The folkier Skin of Mankind followed, with more excellent flute playing from Gordon, and the band then went back to their 1998 debut album for the excellent Nowhere to Hide (Close My Eyes) which is pretty much an ever-present feature in the set. The big vocal approach of the current band allowed the chorus to really shine, and it is another song that the crowd always laps up thanks to its hooks and overall vibe. Two of Johnson's songs followed, with the alternative pop rock of Changing Lives going down well. The song has become another setlist staple of late, and its Anathema-esque vibe makes it a song that adds some diversity to the band's shows. His aching ballad Silver Glass followed, and the song is rightly often heralded as a true Mostly Autumn classic. Jennings' piano drove the song, whilst Johnson's shimmering vocals added real emotional weight - which was only then equalled by Josh's soaring guitar solo. It is great that Johnson has been back in Mostly Autumn again over the past few years. He was in the band when I first got into them, but left soon after. Whilst it was right that Jennings returned to the band, who's space Johnson was essentially filling at the time, I am glad that room was eventually found for both - with Johnson taking over the rhythm guitar position in 2014. He has been ever-present since, and his songwriting has helped to add some diversity to the band's last three albums - which I hope remains going forward. He then took over on keyboards, along with Jennings, for the dense ballad Heart, Body and Soul. Sparnenn-Josh led the song, but Gordon sung much of it along with her in harmony - with their two voices perfectly bringing the darker song to life. The main set then came to a close with the lengthy, multi-part White Rainbow - which was another big band showcase. Jennings' keyboard intro perfectly set the song's atmospheric tone, whilst Josh then dominated the song's early portions - with his gruff vocals and organic guitar chords. The song is one that builds as it goes along, and it soon morphed into an angular hard rocker - and then became another symphonic piece with more siren-like Sparnenn-Josh vocals. Everyone gave it their all during the song, and the closing acoustic-led melodic coda with both Josh and Sparnenn-Josh singing in harmony was a perfect end to the main set. The band were running out of time at this point, so they only had time for one encore - which of course was Heroes Never Die. The lengthy ballad is always a highlight of a Mostly Autumn show, and the closing guitar solo section brought an end to another excellent night of live music. The setlist was:

Tomorrow Dies

Spirit of Mankind

The Spirit of Autumn Past - Part 2

The Last Climb

Gaze

This Endless War

Back in These Arms

Mother Nature

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In for the Bite [Bryan Josh solo material]

Into the Stars

Western Skies

Skin of Mankind

Nowhere to Hide (Close My Eyes)

Changing Lives

Silver Glass

Heart, Body and Soul

White Rainbow

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Heroes Never Die

Mostly Autumn shows are always special, and last night in Tavistock was no different. It was great to see the band in Devon again, and it was also great to see such a big turnout, too. The band always find a warm welcome waiting for them in Tavistock, which is why they keep coming back. I am sure that next year will see the band back at The Wharf, at which they will no doubt receive another big welcome. Mostly Autumn always deliver, and that is a big reason why last night's show of theirs was my 45th Mostly Autumn gig - and I doubt that it will be too long before I attend my 50th.