REVIEW: Jont Unlit
- Posted on May 2, 2008 10:12 AM
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Jont - The Bristol Unlit Sessions
Thursday 1st May
Review by Charlotte Davies
Tonight Jont has come to Bristol to hold a night of Unlit. The singer songwriter has been holding these nights for the past four years – he’s contacted by people on his MySpace page who invite him to come and play at their houses, joined by local musicians. Advertised on MySpace and across emails, the nights are open to anyone. Think of a Skins party without the destruction and you’re part of the way there. As we soon find out, Unlit is all about the “vibe”…
In contrast to other Unlits, the night has been split into two. We start at the Folk House on Park Street, an adult education centre with a café. It’s a fitting venue – there’s a piano in the corner, artwork hangs from the wall and the bar serves vegetarian, organic food. When Jont appears, donned with a turquoise hat, a blue blazer with embroidered flowers and beads, he fits right in. He’s the host of tonight’s proceedings and it’s all going to be filmed for his online TV show “The House We’re In”.
All the musicians tonight are local to Bristol and the quality of the music is very high. Danny, who also performs with the band Babel, kicks the night off with an unamplified set of “folkabilly”. This guy doesn’t need a mic. His voice fills the room as he sings and strums along with his guitar. It’s truly captivating.
The Cedar is next, the highlight of their set being the introduction of kalimbar (a percussion instrument that looks like a coconut), trumpet and glockenspiel. Then another bearded man follows – Stanton Delaplane. He’s playing the ukulele along to sweet tuneful songs like “Magical Bird” and “Melpomene Her Tragedy” feature soaring vocals that wouldn’t sound out of place at a monastery.
And in true Unlit spirit, Jont gets the café attendant out to play. Her name is Ruth Royall and she’s a budding musician Jont spoke to earlier. Sitting at the piano she stuns the crowd with her beautiful vocals –tender yet powerful, vulnerable but also strong - before returning to serve at the café. It’s like a scene from a Hollywood film.
The final act of the Folk House is McDowell, a folk five piece featuring a flute and another ukulele. They’re a new band, but they keep things tight and sound like they’ve been performing together for years. Their sound echoes The Jam at their most acoustic (think “English Rose”) and the lead singer has a strong look of Paul Weller about him.
With this stage of the night drawing to a close, Jont invites everyone to the next house in nearby Montpellier. This is what Unlit is really about. When we arrive, the kitchen and lounge are already full of people, instruments are scattered about and we’re welcomed warmly into Andy’s home. Someone’s even made fairy cakes.
Jont speaks a lot about the “vibe” at Unlits and now it’s clear what he means. In a house of virtual strangers, people are chatting, drinking and enjoying the spirit of the night. So when Jont announces that the music is about to begin, we pile into the lounge. It’s a fair sized room, but there’s so many people that we resort to sitting on the floor, some people are sitting on the backs of chairs and there’s even some people left out in the hall. The lights are dimmed and Nik Young begins her 4 song set. She is amazing and her bluesy, sultry voice weaves a spell over the room in honour of the snacks she even sings a song “Cake”.
Five piece Slow follows with songs of epic proportions- chilled, soft rock with an accordion. Then next is a favourite of the night… the marvelous Stanley Forbes. In a bowler hat, he gives the impression of an old fashioned gentleman. He’s a born storyteller – his face expresses as much as the music, he recreates trumpet sounds with his mouth and his lyrics are inventive and amusing. “Pungent David” is a highlight of the night- the sad tale of a boy with a body odour problem. There’s audience interaction as we join in with the “ooooo”s of the chorus and shout out names of Bristol areas which he skillfully fits into the song. He’s a definite crowd pleaser.
Finally, it’s HmnaHmna’s turn to take the floor. They’re funkier than the rest of the bands today and the party “vibe” really breaks out with murmurs of “hmnahmna” erupting from the floor. In a break of the music as Liz finds her flute, Jont plays what is his second and final song of the night. He sings from the heart with a sweetness and sensibility that’s reflective of the night he’s hosting.
There’s something about tonight that harks back to the free-love of the 1960’s. At Unlit, you’re accepted into the homes of strangers, trusted to treat the place with respect and to listen intently to each and every act on show. While the newspapers write of rising crime statistics, the stresses of the credit crunch and a closed, unfriendly society, Jont and his Unlit sessions prove that society isn’t as bad as they make out. Everyone’s had a good time, the music’s great and it’s all going to be on YouTube…
Related links:
Jont on Seatwave.
Jont's MySpace.
Jont Unlit on YouTube.
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