Mostly Autumn - Tavistock Review

I have likely already said this before on the blog, but it gets harder and harder to write about the British progressive rock band Mostly Autumn. Whilst I am not sure that I can narrow down my musical taste to one favourite band, the York-based seven-piece would certainly be in contention for such an accolade - and they were the first band I ever saw live back in 2006. Since then, and including last night, I have seen the band live 47 times - which is more than double that of any other band. The big 50 is approaching, then, which I am sure will be hit in no time - although given that the band's live activity is not as widespread as it used to be and the fact that I no longer attend the Cambridge Rock Festival each year means it will likely take another year or two to reach said milestone. In the past, I would often see the band 3 or 4 times a year on average. The band's annual trip to Tavistock in Devon was sometimes accompanied by a Penzance or an Exeter show, too, plus the aforementioned festival and perhaps a trip up to London, Leamington, or Bilston for a special occasion. If the band announce a Christmas show in Bilston this year I will likely make the effort - as I feel that over the past few years I have not attended as many Mostly Autumn shows as I would have liked to. I only saw the band once last year, which has been quite rare even in the absence of regular festival going, so I hope to at least double that this year - but for now it is time to reflect on last night's latest visit to The Wharf in Tavistock. I have seen Mostly Autumn at the venue nearly every year since 2006. There are a couple of shows I have missed due to living away from the South West for a while and date clashes, and occasionally the band opted for Penzance and/or Exeter instead, but generally a Mostly Autumn show in Tavistock is an annual entry in any year's gigging calendar. The band last visited the venue in April 2023, so it had been over a year since I had seen the band live. It was a show that capped off an extremely busy month, too. I had been away every weekend in May and had travelled back from Bristol the day of the show - as I had caught a fun show by the Australian progressive metal act Caligula's Horse the night before. I was pretty tired, then, but nothing was going to stop me from seeing Mostly Autumn - so after chilling at home for a few hours it was time to get the bus out to Tavistock and go for an excellent curry. As has been the case at all of their recent Tavistock shows, too, the venue was busy. Attendances at the band's Tavistock shows have generally been good - but they did drop off somewhat in the mid-2010s for some reason. The venue was pretty full last night, though, with the crowd perhaps the largest for a Mostly Autumn show in Tavistock that I can remember for a while. It meant that the atmosphere was excellent from the off - as everyone was really up for a good time. It was a good thing that they were, too, as the band pulled out all of the stops - shaking up the setlist quite considerably and playing for much longer than the last few times I had seen them, which transported me back a good few years.

As is generally the case with a Mostly Autumn show, the band played two sets - and 21 songs were featured over the course of the evening. The first hour, with a couple of exceptions, was made up of songs which the band have generally played live often over the past few years. The first set was kicked off by a busy drum barrage from Henry Rogers whilst the rest of the band took to the stage - before Bryan Josh (vocals/guitar) counted everyone in and In for the Bite got underway with its spiralling guitar melody and gothic overtones. The song has often provided a strong introduction for frontwoman Olivia Sparnenn-Josh, and it was no different last night, although sadly Sparnenn-Josh was sometimes a bit low in the mix throughout the show. Generally the sound did level itself out, but early on it was a bit muddy - with the pop rock of Into the Stars and the more anthemic Spirit of Mankind perhaps not hitting the mark as they often do. From Western Skies onward, though, I felt that the early sound issues had been fixed and the band really powered through the symphonic rocker. Angela Gordon (flute/keyboards/whistles/recorder/vocals) got the song off to a perfect start with a flute melody before the symphonic closing section led by Iain Jennings' dramatic keyboards saw her and Sparnenn-Josh harmonising in a powerful manner. Despite the first set largely being filled with recent favourites, it was nice to hear Drops of the Sun live again after a few years. It was a song which I was glad was rested a few years ago as it had been played pretty regularly since 2012 - but after a few years out of the set the tougher rocker made a welcome return. It was the first song of the night which Josh sang, and he sounded powerful as usual - whilst Jennings laid into his keyboards during the more soaring chorus. After a pretty hard rocking start, then, the rest of the first set was a bit more reflective. The piano-led ballad Passengers comes and goes from the set, but it is always a welcome addition - which Sparnenn-Josh nailed vocally - before the slowest song of the evening, Heart, Body & Soul, saw Jennings' piano and Sparnenn-Josh's voice shimmer over the calm of the audience. The spotlight then turned to Chris Johnson (vocals/guitar/keyboards) for the first of two songs featuring his singing - with the soaring ballad Silver Glass sounding as powerful as ever, particularly when Josh launched into its guitar solo. The real treat of the first set, though, was a closing rendition of the lengthy The Night Sky - which ends the band's debut album. It is not a song which the band have played live that often in recent years and I had only witnessed a handful of performances of it previously. When Jennings' keyboard melody kicked in, though, I knew the next few minutes were going to be special - with Josh and Sparnann-Josh singing the opening vocal lines in tandem. Gordon then replaced the song's original violin solo with a lengthy flute workout, before Josh took over for his best solo of the night. It was a lengthy guitar moment and the song was one of the night's many standout cuts - and it brought the first hour of music to a powerful and emotional close.

The second set saw the return of quite a few songs to the set which I had not heard live renditions of for quite some time. It kicked off in familiar fashion, though, with the up-tempo and hard rocking Tomorrow Dies, with Sparnenn-Josh really pushing herself vocally, but a strident drum groove and a little bass showcase for Andy Smith saw the clock turned back for the folky hard rock of Winter Mountain -  a song I had not heard live in over a decade. The track has always been a great live cut, though, with Josh and Sparnenn-Josh singing in unison again - before it turned into a showcase for Jennings thanks to a lengthy, old-school synth solo. The surprises did not stop there, though, as the band followed it up with the punchy and more modern-sounding Broken Glass - a bass-led piece which I had not heard live since prior to Heather Findlay leaving the band. It has never been a personal favourite of mine, but live it always comes alive thanks to its infectious rhythm and Jennings' cutting piano additions - and there was plenty of singing from the old-school fans in the crowd. Perhaps the real treat of the second set, though, was another rare outing - this time in the form of Half the Mountain. This song was played pretty regularly during Findlay's last couple of years in the band, and I recall Sparnenn-Josh singing it at the first gig after she took over as lead singer, but since then it has not been played much - and the warm ballad really filled the room. It has become a real favourite of mine in the intervening years so it was great to hear it again - with Josh's closing solo and interplay with Gordon's flute bringing back memories of gigs past. Another surprise came in the form of Dressed in Voices - a song not as old as some of the other surprises but still one which has been absent for a while. It fitted nicely in the set, though, with Johnson's delicate acoustic guitar backing the perfect bed for Sparnenn-Josh's voice before the band crashed in during the soaring chorus - and Josh again closed everything out with another epic solo. It was back to more familiar territory for the last third of the set, though, with the sombre ballad This Endless War and the uplifting, folky Back in These Arms returning to 2021's Graveyard Star before the lengthy White Rainbow saw the main set come an end. The song is always an impressive piece to hear live, from Jennings' lengthy keyboard intro, through Josh's rootsy vocal-led section and Sparnenn-Josh's symphonic introduction, to the closing acoustic-based folky stomp which, again, featured another extended solo to bring the curtain down. A two-song encore followed and it was another which harked back somewhat. The ever-present Heroes Never Die kicked it off, of course, with Josh's solo seeming longer than usual. He really was on scintillating form last night with many of the solos seeming more potent than usual - but it was left to the credit scroll of Tonight, another song which had been absent from the set for a few years, to close everything out. Sparnenn-Josh sung it beautifully and Josh introduced the band - and plenty of cheering followed as the band took their bows. The setlist was:

In for the Bite [Bryan Josh solo material]

Into the Stars

Spirit of Mankind

Western Skies

Drops of the Sun

Skin of Mankind

Passengers

Heart, Body and Soul

Silver Glass

The Night Sky

-

Tomorrow Dies

Winter Mountain

Broken Glass

Changing Lives

Half the Mountain

Dressed in Voices

This Endless War

Back in These Arms

White Rainbow

-

Heroes Never Die

Tonight

Mostly Autumn never disappoint live, but I do feel that last night's show was likely my favourite of theirs for a little while. The first show of theirs I saw in 2021 following the pandemic was special, but since then I think last night really stood out. Shaking up the setlist quite significantly really helped and it was great to hear some songs which I had not heard live for a long time and also that a few perhaps over-played regulars were rested. The band have a catalogue which means they can mix it up nicely and still focus on their recent albums overall - but hearing some old favourites again was a treat. I am hoping that a new album is being worked on, too, as it has nearly been three years since Graveyard Star. Either way, though, Mostly Autumn's shows are always highlights of any year and last night was no different.