You may have thought that most people’s Christmas cheer had all but gone with the arrival of “treacherous” snow (that damn snow loves betrayal!) but there were a handful of people congregated in the Port Mahon trying to rekindle our festive spirit. The amalgamation of the decorations, chunky jumpers and the Noddy Holder lookalike made me certain this was going to be a special evening.
Jess Hall opened, and her achingly beautiful set left the crowd wanting more. Her version of ‘In The Bleak Midwinter’ could have been horribly clichéd, but she definitely surpassed my expectations and left a great impression on all present. For her last song she was joined by barney Morse-Brown on cello which added an extra dimension of Christmas magic.
It was great to see Barney back after the 5 years he has spent in Bristol, and with this being his first gig back, we were surely in for a treat. He confessed of his shyness but while playing he had the whole room in the palm of his hand. His skills on both guitar and cello were astounding not to mention his nostalgically wonderful vocals. ‘Work Harder’ was a resounding success but unfortunately like all beautiful things his set showed its ephemerality as he declared the next song was to be the last.
For this finale he played ‘Greetings Hello’ and what followed I can only describe as the most epic five minutes of my life. He started out on his guitar and proceeded to partake in the most ambitious live looping I had ever imagined possible. He must’ve had around ten loops going at the same time with the audience obediently clapping along. Now with cello in hand, he began shredding to an extent that I thought only the likes of Hendrix and Clapton were capable of!
Once he had finished the room erupted, but I feel even this great reception wasn’t enough as this was a performance to really remember forever. Regrettably I couldn’t stay for the final few acts but what I did see was truly exquisite and made for a great evening.
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