This autumn I have been very taken by saxophonist-composer James Allsopp’s Stars and Sand and so popped in for the first set of the London date at the Vortex last night when material from it was performed.
It’s a slightly different line-up to the album but live this grouping compares very well. I very much enjoyed listening to percussionist Zands Duggan of Minihi – couldn’t quite see what the jockey cap wearing one was playing: looked like bongos mostly but shoot me if wrong. Even stood on tippy toes from the back of the club wasn’t enough to be certain given how heaving the place was last night with lots of bodies in the way. Allsopp’s additional Mellotron touches opened up new vistas in the musical style which was groove heavy. Tom Herbert‘s bass guitar was perky and lively and Chris Batchelor on trumpet added some cup muted jungle-like trad jazz touches that recalled some of his work with Pigfoot. Of the tunes I liked ‘Gravity’ best. The place was packed, as big a turn-out as I can remember at the Vortex in years.
Earlier at a more intimate gathering downstairs Swedish singer-guitarist Rebecka Edlund who is on the excellent Kasper Rietkerk album The Happy Worrier – actually Herbert from the Allsopp band is also on that top release – delivered a folky, good humoured set in duo with her campervan loving driving companion piano accordionist and pianist Tom Step. Their material included a wrapping of experimental vocal sounds from Edlund whose approach at this juncture of the evening was quite Lauren Kinsella-esque, a touching (it can’t really be otherwise) treatment of the Beatles’ ‘She’s Leaving Home’ and material redolent of Edlund’s Swedish roots. The pair have been living in a camper van for months after fleeing accommodation in Brockley that came with all the mod cons – a certain psychopathic landlord just for one. Edlund relished the word “psychopath” as she theatrically intoned the word, practically growling into her microphone.
Towards the end of the set there was a kerfuffle outside as some noisy individuals dragged chairs over for an impromptu meeting al fresco with snacks of sorts on what was a mild but will-it won’t-it tip it down sort of evening weather wise. The music played on. Someone also had draped a Palestinian flag I noticed near the old downstairs entrance door on afterwards turning left and mounting the stairs to make it in time for the beginning of the invigorating Allsopp gig.
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