Sam Lee

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Hallé St. Peter’s, Manchester - So, back in May, before those hazy, lazy days of summer, which we did have a fair few of this year, it has to be said, I had what you might call a baptism of fire, when I was signed up to cover the Manchester Folk Festival. I’m what you might call ‘seasoned’ when it comes to the Manchester Jazz Festival having done that for the past few years now, but the word got about and the wonderful people at Soundroots, who run the whole folk shebang in Manchester, saw fit to have me traipse all over their numerous venues photographing the life out of their burgeoning roster over three days.

I’d never experienced folk before, pop, rock, blues and jazz are what I normally get to point my lens at and my knowledge of folk music was limited to say the least, but with a lot of help and advice from those that know, I was baptised and what a baptism it was.

From the traditional folk of Lisa Knapp & Gerry Diver, and Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne, to the melodic and soothing delights of Katherine Priddy and The Deep Blue, and through to the right raucous fun and games of Jon Boden & The Remnant Kings and The Longest Johns, I was immersed in it all. As they say, either go big or not at all. And it was decreed that I would go big ! !

Five months later with autumn well under way, I get to return to one of the venues. The hallowed hall of Hallé St. Michaels plays host to a new name to me – bear with me as I’m still very much learning who’s who. Sam Lee is what you might call one of folks ‘big hitters’ and can draw a crowd quite easily, such is the case tonight, quite handsomely actually, as it’s sold out.

Crowds arrive early at folk gigs, and I realise why, as there’s no Support, so if you walk in forty minutes after the doors open, you’ll have missed a good chunk of the gig. Lee takes the stage early, you might say, with no fanfare or announcements. Basically, the lights dim and he and the rest of the band, including James Keay and Josh Green enter stage left, as we look.

The opening tune is ‘The Green Mossy Banks’  is taken from the album ‘Songdreaming’ as many will be tonight, it having received such rave reviews and five stars all around, people want to see it performed live.

‘Aye Walking Oh’ is a Scottish song courtesy of Rabbie Burns about walking and wandering wherever your mind takes you, and dovetails nicely with ‘Bushes and Briars’, again from ‘Songdreaming’, which is as rocked up and as loud as things are going to get tonight, all things considered. It’s a song about listening to nightingales sing in the woods and reminiscent of Lee’s Singing with Nightingales’ events from a few years back where he led small groups into the woods at night to improvise duets with wild nightingales. A concept which brought him some ridicule from parts, which was then considered grossly unfair, especially by those who attended, and as it aimed to highlight the plight of the endangered bird.

Lee is a good raconteur in between the tunes, although it got a bit dark when he tells the tale of walking through the graveyard in the middle of the night for ‘Lay This Body Down’. ‘Sweet Girl McRee’ was borne out of meeting with the last of the Romany gypsies and he likes to think that maybe she’s the only one who knows and is still singing this song and so that it’s not lost to time he gets the crowd to sing the lament over and over which they politely do.

They then take a break after 45 minutes and it’s time to get a beer or two from the bar as it’s the only chance you’ll get on the basis that it closes during the actual performance, so as not to break the attention that many in the audience give the performance. This is all very civilised, and you can hear a pin drop as Lees voice echoes around the arches in this fine venue. You can see why the Halle Orchestra use it for rehearsals.

Sam actually uses the break to earn a few extra quid and heads off to the Merch Table and starts to sell his wares. No rest for the wicked when there is money to be make. 

It’ll take me a short while to get used to these type of gigs as it’s completely different from what I’m used to. I look forward to the challenge though, as it’s a more than pleasant way to spend an evening.

We reach the time when the second part is meant to begin. Piano, drums and acoustic are waiting patiently, but Sam is still trading and taking part in a fair few selfies, once purchases have been made, of course ! No one is panicking though; there may be a curfew but its all very relaxed and, well, civilised. No doubt a lot of it is due to the fact that this kind of folk audience are not going to wreak havoc in such a residential area as we are in, so maybe it is possible to relax a little.

‘John Barleycorn’ and ‘McCrimmon’ are the openers to part two, before one of Manchester’s favourites judging by the reaction before and after Lee performs ‘Meeting Is A Pleasant Place’.

That attentiveness has resurfaced again, and nobody moves an inch, except the odd photographer - and there’s only one - and he keeps said movements down to a minimum because he will be noticed and he will kill the moment as Manchester is very much in it.

The Moon Shines Bright finishes us off, but not before Lee and the band have received a much-deserved round of applause. Folk gigs don’t do encores it would appear and so as the lights go up, we leave (fairly) quietly and politely.

Now only whisper this, but I’m slowly, but surely, getting to really like this folk malarkey. I’m not too keen on having to creep around a venue so as not to disturb the ambience, but as I’ve shot many a Catholic Mass in my time - where the same rules apply - I’ll get used to it before you know it, because I’m already filling up the diary with gigs that are opening up my world to something new and exciting and that makes it worth the effort.

Sam Lee Setlist (ish)

The Green Mossy Banks

Aye Walking Oh

Bushes and Briars

Lay This Body Down

Sweet Girl McRee

John Barleycorn

(Unknown)

McCrimmon

Meeting Is A Pleasant Place

The Moon Shines Bright

Written in association with Manchester Folk