VENUE OF THE WEEK Hope & Anchor, Islington 15 August
- Posted on August 20, 2007 11:35 AM
- 1 comment
By Peter Coulston
I have not been to the Hope & Anchor in ages, so was glad to receive an invite from Bethany Packer to watch her perform there. The last time I went to this very old, established venue was to support some friends from Birmingham and, on that occasion, I was less than impressed with the sound system, which did my Brummy mates no favours at all. It has certainly improved since then, in fact the whole place has had a makeover which gives it a warmer ambience with more alcoves and the moving of the bar to the back of the room. It is still every inch a rock venue; very intimate with a friendly atmosphere. Located in Islington, it is best reached on the Victoria Line to Highbury & Islington, whereupon you turn right and proceed along Upper Street where you will find it on the right. The problem right now is that the Victoria Line closes at 10pm for maintenance, but this is only for a few months. However, Angel, on the Northern Line, is not that far to walk (turn right when you leave the pub) or you can get a bus on the other side of the road.
The show opened about 8:30 with Helen Lawson, who gave us a very enjoyable acoustic set of her own gentle and melodic material. I particularly enjoyed “Enough” and “Comfortable Monopoly” and would like to see her again. I believe she is at Ginglik sometime next month and you can check her out on myspace/hclmusic. The Bethany Packer Band gets better (and bigger) each time I see them and I am always impressed by the sheer enthusiasm and drive that they display. Beth is also an actress who comes from Cornwall and is one of the songwriters for the band. They did some great numbers, especially the bluesy “Getting Sleepy”, “Where Do They All Go”, which shows off Beth’s vocal range, and “Why Don’t You Do Right?” an old Peggy Lee jazz number. “Going Under”, with some infectious slide guitar, finished the set brilliantly. The rest of the band is Andrew Blundell and Howard Watson on guitars and the recently added Matt Poole on percussion. Find them on myspace/bethpacker and go to see them soon.
The electric spot was filled by the very competent Infa Red, an indie/alternative rock outfit from Kent who are as tight as a drum. Si on vocals and guitar, Stevie on lead guitar and vocals, Rich on bass, Ives on keys and Al on drums made it clear from the outset that they take their music seriously and know where they are going. With an impressive array of guitars, including a Vox, a Gibson Les Paul and an unusual but effective Rickenbaker, these boys from Kent were the business. All the songs were good and “Heroes” stood out. Check them out on myspace/infarednet. The closing act, Freezing Eden, were a joy to listen to and managed to sneak two encores. Listed as folk/metal acoustic they are influenced by the likes of Dylan/Young and the Band and all that follows, and have a lovely West Coast feel about them. All the songs are accessible and enjoyable, being superbly sung and played on acoustic instruments. The band is Stuart Lennon on vocals, guitar and harp, Will Cox on lead guitar and vocals, Simon Van Blerk on bass, and a guy called Chris on percussion who they apparently met on a train and gave him a job because he didn’t have one. Good move guys, this was his first gig with them and he didn’t miss a beat! You can hear and see them on myspace and check out in particular “Come What May”. A great evening, so thanks Beth for the invite. That’s another venue that I must go back to and more artists to catch again. Where do I find the time?
Tags
Beth Packer, Freezing Eden, Hope & Anchor, Infa Red
Comments (1)
Katie
A great review... sounds like I'll have to check both out. Oh, and Peter - don't slow down - speed up! London's music scene just doesn't leave room for much of a quiet life does it? Thank the musical lord above that reality TV is so s****! At least there's nothing to head home for (says the lass with no family/pets/ties!). I don't know how the rest of you family guys cope.
Posted on August 20, 2007 12:51 PM
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