The Live Rooms, Chester - The cold, dark nights are pretty much in their element now. Incessant rain and the promise of snow if you believe the Weather Forecasters - but when have they ever been right. It’s the kind of night where you’d prefer to hit the motorways if you’ve got a journey to make. As it is though, I have to head across country on the A51 to a venue that’s becoming a favourite of mine and one that’s given me some good nights, not least a fortnight ago, when multi award winner from the past few years, Dom Martin, rolled into town.
Tonight though, it’s the turn of the female multi award winner from the past few years, none other than Elles Bailey, who I first encountered back in 2017 when I spent a week photographing the Cork Jazz Festival, one of the best in Ireland with an eclectic mix of music all loosely based under the jazz umbrella and its many disguises.
Anyway, I digress, purely by chance, I was recommended a venue that wasn’t on the main jazz trail, Cyprus Avenue, and after a quick chat with the management, I got access for the times when I wasn't on ‘official’ duty. It was on one of these nights that I came across Elles Bailey. There she was dressed in black leather and backed by two musicians, plying her trade for anybody that would listen - and many did.
Fast forward seven years and she arrives in Chester almost at the end of a fifteen-date tour that started back in September and finishes in a fortnights time. There’s a heck of a lot of water gone under the proverbial bridge since then. Four studio albums, two live ones, a bucket full of awards, an induction into the UK Blues Hall of Fame and a baby, means the girl from Bristol has been very busy.
Demi Marriner - It’s not every gig you go to that has the Headliner announcing the Support Acts, but Bailey likes to do things differently, I guess, and so she enters stage right, welcomes us, and then gives us strict instructions that we’re not allowed to have conversations or mess about with our phones, whilst the Supports' are on, and once we’d got the message, she introduces a lady who we shall see a lot of tonight, not least because she also plays in Bailey’s band, so first up is Demi Marriner, and before she plays or sings a note, it’s blatantly obvious that there’s an awful lot of love for her in the room. You get the feeling that everyone knows who she is and has no intention of having a conversation, or ‘swiping right’ while she’s on stage.
She introduces herself and her first song ‘Repeat Refrain’ which gets a big cheer in itself and is a pleasant enough tune to start things off with. Marriner is quite a sociable individual, it would appear and chats away with everyone as if they’re long-lost friends. She tells us that this is what she calls her “speed dating session”. She has “four songs to see if we want a second date with her”. Now, I’ve never heard a Support Act described in such a manner, but it’s as good a description as you’ll ever get, I suppose.
‘One Way Conversation’ is taken from her album released last year, ‘The Things We Didn’t Say‘ and it comes with a monologue about her writing it with Tom West, a guy she met on a song writing retreat in Arkansas, and of their reward for their hard earned effort being a trip to the ‘International World Champion Squirrel Cook Off’ - which really is a thing, see below, where you can sample the delights of squirrel on a skewer, just for starters - but not what Demi was expecting. “It has nothing to do with the song itself” she admits. “Totally unrelatable, really!”
‘Good Guy Act’ was the final tune and you get the feeling that you’ve witnessed the start of something good. The only downside will be as her presence rises; Bailey will probably lose a valued member of her band. You win some, you lose some, eh? Four songs is more than enough to whet the appetite though and create a need to hear more.
A bit of research after the show leaves me feeling like I’ve been living under a rock for the last few years, as I find that Marriner gained the title of Whispering Bob Harris’ Emerging Artist at the UK Americana Awards in 2021, and there’s a bucket load of her material on YouTube, for which I am very grateful. All’s I need now, is for her to tour again with her band, so I can properly experience what I’ve been missing. For now, I’ll wait for Amazon to deliver the album and the new EP ‘The Things We Said’ due for release on 29th November. I think it’s fair to say, that on this showing, Chester would welcome that second date …with the full band though …and not too long into the New Year, …so we haven’t got too long to wait.
…and if you really want to, you can find out more on the Squirrel Cook Off by clicking here… ! !
Ida Mae - …and now for something completely different, as they say. Husband and wife duo, Stephanie Jean Ward and Chris Turpin are another band that’s passed me by, but as these two have been predominantly living life in America, and making music in Nashville, I may have a valid excuse this time - perhaps ?
If Marriner has a good country twang to her music, then Ida Mae has an alternative / David Byrne / Talking Heads vibe to them. There’s no set list available and the chat in between tunes dealt more with the ‘we've been living in America’ and ‘our toddler plays with Elles toddler’ than it did introducing the songs. They’re three studio albums in though, the latest being ‘Thunder Above You’ released in 2023, and a couple of live ones thrown in for good measure too.
It was a completely different kind of set to warm us up with, esoteric and moody at times but heavily accented with one heck of a meaty stomp pedal that would give any heavy-footed drummer a run for their money. It was used to maximum effect by Turpin around his gritty vocals, which in turn were accented and complimented with Wards more subtle tones.
Ward tells us that they have a few more gigs to entertain people with until the end of the year if we're interested, but then they’re off to have another baby. A good topic for new material perhaps, in between feeds, and as a way to occupy yourself during the sleepless nights ! !
Elles Bailey - With the beer break over, the lights dim and the pin spots at the back of the stage start to project beams of light around the room. The band have sneaked into place, through the darkness and started the overture for the first song. Chester starts to get excited especially when Ms. Bailey appears, and the lights lift. She grabs the mike and dives into the first line of ‘Enjoy the Ride’, a fast-paced tune to start with. It’s followed up with ‘Leave the Light On’ and Chester is already in its groove, and noticeably so as Bailey suggests that “Glasgow was good last night, but I think this might be even better”. Chester likes the sound of this.
‘Ballad of a Broken Dream’ was “one of the first songs she wrote for the new album which was going to be called ‘Silhouette in a Sunset’ until she realised “that she couldn’t spell Silhouette, and it tells the story of a life doing this kind of job”. She takes her place at the piano, alongside Jonny Henderson who’s sat at the fake Hammond - but there is a gorgeous Lesley Cabinet in the background, so all is forgiven.
If we hadn’t gathered by now, the main purpose of tonight is to introduce us to Bailey’s new album, ‘Beneath the Neon Glow’, from which we will hear all ten tracks, so that we get the message. There is still time for some other stuff though, as Bailey reminisces of one of the last times she played here, with Walter Trout, before she launches into a John Martyn tune, ‘Over the Hill’.
A quick trip back into ‘Neon Glow’ land sees Bailey having learned how to spell silhouette (or let spell checker do its stuff) as it’s actually called ‘Silhouette in a Sunset’ which is a nice slow ballad which lets her voice really show through with heart rendering effect, and leaves you wondering what she was going through at the time she wrote it, as, she says of the album, that “some of the songs were written through some really dark moments and others during the highest of highs”.
‘Hell or High Water’ is taken from her second album, ‘The Road I Call Home’ and used to be played in the set, until it fell out, but when she was putting the songs together she "wanted to give some love to songs that didn’t get enough love first time around". Bailey tells us that “It’s about determination and celebrating every part of you”. It starts with that gorgeous Hammond sound with a punchy guitar solo breaking through ever so nicely. There’s a big fake ending to it that causes a round of applause from some, who then realise that there’s more to come, just as Wilkin’s guitar slowly kicks in before Jones’ drums pound away picking up the pace… Bailey talks over this saying that she “feels like a million dollars and what makes the dress”, (an elegant black number with a huge split, if you were wondering) “is the jacket” (with a thousand sequins, again, if it’s important to you) “which has lots of pockets, in one of which there is a sharpie” ! ! Well, you never know how many albums will need signing after a show, so better come prepared eh Elles ? !
All this came with a huge round of applause at the end that seemed to take Bailey’s breath away, causing her to take a moment before she introduces the next song, ‘Hole in my Pocket’, which is also a big favourite, and again it leaves her taking the accolades and enjoying the moment as the applause goes on and on.
Again, once her composure was back in tact, Elles kindly offers us a choice and we’re invited to pick one of four songs, which in our case is quickly whittled down to two. ‘What's a Matter with You’ wins out over ‘Angel of Montgomery’ but only just. Still moved she acclaims, “This is so special. We’re all a big community and it needs to be cherished. Keep music alive !”
After a quick introduction of all of the band, for the few that have never been to an Elles Bailey gig before, we get ‘Truth Ain’t Gonna Save Us’ and ‘Love Yourself’ and then the story behind ‘Let it Burn’ which was offered to Elles by Katey Brookes, recorded, released as a single and then received rather ungratefully by critics who suggested that the writer should have offered it to Adele and the retired on the proceeds ! ! Critics, eh ? ? Can you hear Adele singing this, maybe, but there’s a wonderful Hammond that plays all the way through this version and I can’t imagine her including that. As it is, it’s Elles song now and long may it remain part of her set.
That Hammond sticks around and starts off ‘The Game’ and plays all the way through it too and, just for kicks, starts off ‘If This is Love’ which Chester shows its appreciation for with a huge round of applause and cheers. Bailey seems a little overwhelmed, saying “This has been one of the most memorable nights of the tour and it’s the last song, so the balls in our court”. ‘Riding Out the Storm’ is the chosen tune before the band leaves. All of them. A real everyone off and on again. No fake encore stuff here. The applause thunders in the stalls and on the balcony. Chester has loved every minute of this, and its hell bent on it not ending just yet.
With just enough time taken to make it all worthwhile, the band return and the rapture is increased to an even higher level. Elles waits for them to subside and confesses that “there’s one more track from the album that they haven’t played yet and as I like to take you up, and bring you down, and do it again and again, I’ll do the final track from the album’. ‘Turn Off the News’ is a very slow song with Bailey’s husky vocals cutting through and a band wide harmony at the end that was just delicious.
We’ve just enough time for one more before curfew – but we haven’t - as it’s been decided to add a song, and as ‘Angel from Montgomery’ lost out in such a close call; it gets a reprieve. Demi Marriner takes over the vocal in the middle and gets huge applause for doing it. So much love for Demi, and it has a big Hammond solo, bang in the middle of it, so much love for that from me. Just wonderful. 'Sunshine City' finishes everything off and as the lights go up there are huge smiles all around at having witnessed a night of wonder and pleasure.
This has been one of the best gigs I’ve been to this year - and I’ve been to a good few. Chester was really up for it, with everyone seemingly on first name terms. You can see why Bailey won the Best Live Act Award - and it’s a tough category to win as there’s some serious competition out there. Maybe it’s the love and affection she gets from the audience that clinches it. Whatever it is, long may it continue.
There’s only two dates left on this tour, in Wolverhampton and Leeds, so you need to be quick. You won’t be disappointed. Bailey says that Chester has been “the best audience of the tour”. No pressure then Wolverhampton, let’s see what you can do.
Elles Bailey’s Band are: -
Joe Wilkins - Guitar
Jonny Henderson - Keyboards
Matthew Waer - Bass
Matthew Jones - Drums
Demi Marriner - Acoustic and BV’s
Beneath the Neon Glow Tour
September 2024
Wed 25 - Lincoln, The Drill
Thu 26 - Norwich, The Waterfront
Fri 27 - Cambridge, Junction
Sat 28 - Oxford, 02 Academy2
October 2024
Sat 12 - Gloucester, Guildhall
Thu 24 - Exeter, Phoenix
Sat 26 - Bristol, SWX
November 2024
Sat 02 - London Islington, Assembly Hall
Sun 03 - Southampton, Engine Rooms
Thu 14 - Sunderland, The Fire Station
Fri 15 - Edinburgh, Cabaret Voltaire
Sat 16 - Glasgow, Oran Mor
Sun 17 - Chester, The Live Rooms
Sat 30 - Wolverhampton, KK's Steel Mill
December 2024
Sun O1 - Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
Elles Bailey Setlist
1. Enjoy The Ride
2. Leave The Light On
3. Ballad of a Broken Dream
4. 1972
5. Over the Hill (John Martyn cover)
6. Silhouette In a Sunset
7. Hell or High Water
8. Hole in My Pocket
9. ‘Voted For Song’ - What’s a Matter with You
10. Truth Ain't Gonna Save Us
11. Love Yourself
12. Let It Burn
13. The Game
14. If This Is Love
15. Riding Out the Storm
Encore:
16. Turn Off the News
17. Angel from Montgomery
18. Sunshine City
Written in association with Central Press PR
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