Vortex Jazz Bar, Stoke Newington (London), 7th May 2001
words by Julian Mount, Sylfest Muldal, Sean Kelly; pictures by Richard Whiting
Stoke Newington, and all that jazz.... [taken from MV6190]
To Stoke Newington, we went, Jane and I. The Vortex Jazz Club.
We calculated it's been over 20
years since we saw Pete Atkin play live! Now 20 years is a long time and
people change. Of course they do. We hadn't EVER set foot in a Jazz Club
and it had been 10 years since we sat in a Folk Club too.
It was small. The tables were jig-sawed in between the chairs. We had loads
of room....until the next table's people arrived. Then we didn't. There
were the smells of scented candles, alight on each table, and the scent of
spicy foods. The light mostly came from strings of red, heart-shaped lamps
hanging across the ceiling but there were lattices of white lights at each
window too.
As we neared the advertised start time, the venue began to fill. It was
crowded. A stage at the far end of the room had a grand piano, an amplifier
with blinky flashing lights, microphones and speakers hanging from the roof.
We noticed him immediately. Pinky shirt, slightly older (as we are
ourselves). He spoke to me, he did! "Excuse me" at the interval. I was
standing in his way, you see!
Pete's set opened with Ice Cream Man and there was that voice....that
musicianship....that sound! The years didn't fall away. Our lives didn't
flash past us. We just listened. And it wasn't long before I realised I
was smiling. Not just at the jokes. At that sound again. Live.
He mentioned the Website, naturally. He said that he'd read things there
about himself that HE didn't even know!
After Search And Destroy and Tenderfoot he murmured: "Nice piano!" It
was. Perhaps that's what prompted our hero to remain at the ivories all
evening. No guitar tonight.
During Thirty year Man there were sirens
from the busy road outside. I swear that they were in tune and in
appropriate rhythm! Maybe it was me. Maybe it was him.
Three songs later, during Sessionman's Blues a bus was revving. Then its
brakes squealing. Even this became part of the experience rather than a
distraction. Everything seemed to add to the music....and that sound.
With History and Geography Pete said that this was "the only place in the
entire country that is dedicated to songs".
A 21st century folk club perhaps?
We wouldn't let him go....the encore was Early Days. At one point Pete
said that nearly all of these songs had been written in the 70s and that
some were perhaps a little out of date. An apology that wasn't needed.
None of them sounded dated at all to me.
In the car on the way home, the tape player stayed off, the radio silent.
We didn't need music....we had new memories. They needed some thinking
about in silence.
But we wish he'd played guitar too, we really do!
To all our new MV friends (those we met and those we didn't) AND to Pete
himself....
Thanks....for a great night out.
It was worth the 20 year wait!
Julian the Juggler
(aka: Julian Mount)
Sylfest Muldal adds [from MV6204] :
Julian's review caught the evening spot-on. I'd like to offer a few anoraky
notes for those who enjoy details:
Pete was clearly pleased to play at a club dedicated to songs. It was he who
had contacted Des de Moor and asked for the gig. "There should be one in
every town", he said at one point, adding "then I'd be able to give up
producing radio programmes..." He was also clearly enjoying playing the
club's Steinway piano – which sounded great, but you couldn’t see him so
well.
Ice-cream Man
Search and Destroy
Tenderfoot
Thirty-year Man
Trophies of My Lovers Gone
Sessionman's Blues
History and Geography
Stranger in Town
Great concert, not least IMHO because of the other two singers and the
cabaret ambience. There should indeed be a Pirate Jenny's in every town.
It was great to meet more of the gang - and thanks to Simon Wallace, through
the windows of whose instrument-strewn car the lights of town went streaming
as he helped me get back to my bus stop afterwards.
Sylfest
And a brief report from another MV member [from MV6184] :
Stoke Newington - was excellent. Pete on great form. Robb Johnson I knew
already - but they suited each other well (simultaneously similar and
dissimilar ; chalk and cheese in fact!). An excellent night - who there
would disagree? We (MV's / PA audience) seemed to have significantly
swelled the usual attendance to the the host's (Des de Moor) great
satisfaction. Let's hope he meant it when he said they'd rebook Pete soon.
Only downside was how difficult it was to thread through the intimately
close tables to get to the loo (especially if you needed to cross the room
urgently mid-song - because you'd waited so long!). Anyway sorry to lower
the tone (!). It was a great night.
Sean Kelly
Set List :
Ice Cream Man
CIRCUS UNLIMITED!
Pete autographs a CD for Frank Parkinson (click to enlarge)
Pete played slowly and reflectively, ending the song quickly on the final
punchline. After Des had introduced him as Clive's musical partner, this was
a particularly good opener for people who hadn't heard Pete before – Clive’s
wit is instantly apparent, but amid the brilliant phrases there's a
melancholy note, a sign that it's not all just for laughs.
Declaimed with a weary and tetchy aggression, Pete's second choice was a
savage one, with the devastating closing lines (beginning "The faithful talk
some wishful-thinking cock ...") sending shivers down your spine. Perhaps
some first-time listeners were surprised by the range and scale of the songs
at this point?
Pete varied the chorus from verse to verse - instrumental in verse 2, and
with verse 4 running into verse 5 without a chorus. He described how the
song continually resonated in his mind when he visited Arizona.
Straight into this one – a song that needs no introduction, and a great
choice for a cabaret setting. In the second verse, police sirens wailed in
through the window and perhaps put Pete off, since he jumped to the third
verse (tinkles instead of rustles); but then slotted the skipped four lines
smoothly into the last verse. No loudmouths in this audience, anyway.
"From the days when we were trying to write AABA Tin Pan Alley songs" – A
languid and haunting melody that fitted the occasion well.
Pete chatted about how the song came to be written, and pointed out the
significance of "doubling on baritone" – which, for a second instrument,
gets you 25% on top of the standard session rate.
Launched straight in with no preamble – sure sign that H&G has now achieved
"standard" status. He changed the piano accompaniment, and moved the short
musical break from after verse 3 to after verse 4, which nicely sets up the
recapitulation of the final verse. On cue, during the last verse, the little
nitelite candle on my table chose flamed its last and flickered out. Sigh.
The only really jokey number, given the piano treatment as on the album,
featuring the asinine chromatic bass run. Great comic timing.
Search And Destroy
Tenderfoot
Thirty Year Man
Rain-wheels
The Trophies Of My Lovers Gone
Sessionman's Blues
Cold Bitches
History And Geography
Stranger In Town
Payday Evening
Early Days (encore)
