A lot of you may have possibly assumed that, this section of my blog was, for all intents and purposes; dead…and to be fair I can understand why. The last time I posted a live review here, was for HIM’s farewell tour back in 2017. That’s not to say that I haven’t been to any gigs since, far from it, it’s just that I’ve either not reviewed them due to being physically and mentally unable to (Thank you Jack Daniel’s), or if I have, it’s been for ALL ABOUT THE ROCK.
This is about to change however, and this page lays dormant no longer…back in June I was contacted by a group by the name of HAWTHORN AVENUE and, if you recall, upon request I reviewed their debut EP “Wildfire”. Not my usual cup of tea by any means, the musical duo (Consisting of Laura Benjamin and Marcus Gumms) were less alternative rock and more acoustic country pop, but to their credit I was pleasantly surprised and it’s a highly recommended EP. Having appreciated my review, they then personally invited me to their headline show at Cardiff’s iconic CLWB IFOR BACH, where I promised them I would run a follow up live-review. The question is; would I be swapping the crowd surfing for Kumbaya’s? Let’s see what went down…
This is about to change however, and this page lays dormant no longer…back in June I was contacted by a group by the name of HAWTHORN AVENUE and, if you recall, upon request I reviewed their debut EP “Wildfire”. Not my usual cup of tea by any means, the musical duo (Consisting of Laura Benjamin and Marcus Gumms) were less alternative rock and more acoustic country pop, but to their credit I was pleasantly surprised and it’s a highly recommended EP. Having appreciated my review, they then personally invited me to their headline show at Cardiff’s iconic CLWB IFOR BACH, where I promised them I would run a follow up live-review. The question is; would I be swapping the crowd surfing for Kumbaya’s? Let’s see what went down…
Not to try and put a dampener on things, the day of the gig was a miserably wet one. They say Wednesday’s child is full of woe, but so was this Wednesday’s weather…and to say that Womanby Street in Cardiff was a bit empty due to the rain would be an understatement. There was no queue to be seen forming outside the venue, only really a handful of people and I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t having doubts about this midweek musical endeavour. We remain committed however, and when doors finally opened, the select few in early attendance were treated to tonight’s opening support act JOHN NICHOLAS [6] who, all credit to him, soldiered through his set like a star. Performing solo with just an acoustic guitar, his backing tracks and loop pedals, the Bridgend-born singer/songwriter treated the handful of early attendees to some wonderfully impassioned, soulful blues-based pop. His newest single “Free” carries a distinctly bluegrass southern drawl, (Seriously, there must be a bayou somewhere in Bridgend, he’s nailed this sound) while “I Care” and “What Love Is” off of his debut EP “What My Eyes Fail To See” showcase his song-writing range. The former; a quaint campfire acoustic piece, with the latter then being a more energetic, pop-based number…it’s got subtle touches of YOU ME AT SIX at times and it’s a set highlight. As enjoyable as John’s performance is, it is sadly hampered by the lack of crowd and he really does deserve a better atmosphere.
Next up we have tonight’s main support and that comes in the form of Swansea based duo HOLY HOME VIDEO [4] and sadly here we suffer from the old switcheroo. While the crowd has grown by now to a more encouraging size, the set itself doesn’t encourage a great deal of enthusiasm. The folk-pop duo (Consisting of vocalist Cadi and guitarist/vocalist Samuel Owens) seem to specialise in minimalism; in terms of both their delivery and stage presence. Tracks such as “A Love So Sweet (I Can Taste It)” have a certain JOHNNY CASH & JUNE CARTER vibe aesthetically, with simple acoustic/country melodies and sickly sweet vocal harmonies, while “This Snake Don’t Rattle” suffers from a touch of drag and repetition in terms of chorus. Virtually motionless on stage, their songs, as bijou as they may be, aren’t enough to really hold your attention and sadly this set feels longer than it is due to a mixture of impatience and boredom. A clean, well delivered set of songs, but an uninspiring one I’m afraid...
Finally then it’s time for tonight’s headliners to hit the stage and what a treat HAWTHORN AVENUE [8] have in store for us all. While I enjoyed their EP, knowing they were another acoustic duo made me ever so slightly anxious given the previous act, especially given the promise of several brand new songs, I had everything from my fingers to my bollocks crossed hoping to not be disappointed here, but my worries wouldn’t last long as the duo were accompanied by a full backing band, immediately bolstering their set with more depth and character. New tracks such as “Trouble” and “Cross The River” go down incredibly well, with Laura explaining quite happily that the latter was about having burned several bridges in the industry but as the song suggests, there’s more than one way to cross a river, and it’s good to have that determination. If anything it’s already paying off as the duo have had some very positive feedback from the likes of BBC Radio Wales and multitude of radio hosts, which to be honest, IS deserved. “Raised Me Better” off of their aforementioned EP sounds so much bolder with their backing band playing alongside them, breathing new life into an already up-tempo track, before we slide into a wonderful cover of “Ring Of Fire” by that man Johnny Cash. Naturally this garners a sing-along and it’s impossible to not enjoy this quite frankly.
Sadly, this reviewer has to get the last train home tonight so I DO end up missing the last portion of their set, including “Wildfire” which I was genuinely looking forward to hearing live, but from what I DID hear, I can assure you the show went swimmingly. The idea of country-infused pop music may on paper seem like quite a niche genre, but if the likes of TAYLOR SWIFT can make the crossover work then there’s no reason why Hawthorn Avenue can’t find not only an audience but success too. Despite being a midweek show, despite the weather, they pulled it off and it’ll great to see where the next year or so takes them. Clwb Ifor Bach isn’t quite the Grand Ole Opry, but it’s a stepping stone on what is hopefully a lengthy adventure, down a winding country road.
Sadly, this reviewer has to get the last train home tonight so I DO end up missing the last portion of their set, including “Wildfire” which I was genuinely looking forward to hearing live, but from what I DID hear, I can assure you the show went swimmingly. The idea of country-infused pop music may on paper seem like quite a niche genre, but if the likes of TAYLOR SWIFT can make the crossover work then there’s no reason why Hawthorn Avenue can’t find not only an audience but success too. Despite being a midweek show, despite the weather, they pulled it off and it’ll great to see where the next year or so takes them. Clwb Ifor Bach isn’t quite the Grand Ole Opry, but it’s a stepping stone on what is hopefully a lengthy adventure, down a winding country road.
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