Esco Romanesco Records Independent Venues Week Tour

Neve Cariad, Speedway Star, Prima Star Power

Hyde Park Book Club

A stripped back version of Speedway Star kicked off the evening’s entertainment at Esco’s hometown finale to their Independent Venue Week tour; which had previously taken on Nottingham, London and Manchester with a rotating line-up of acts at each stop-off.

Despite running at somewhere between 50-60% capacity there was still a dazzling array of instruments put to work – guitars, banjo, harmonica and some weird-looking but interesting-sounding sort of keyboard affair. Component parts coming together to deliver a collection of songs rich with plaintive melancholy and the sweetest between-tune chat as singer Billy introduces ‘Tom and Cicely’ with “This one’s about me Grandma and Grandad.” It amazes me how well these songs work with just three people on stage because listening to tracks like ‘Augustiner’ I can imagine them sounding just as good if they were arranged for a brass band with a tuba playing the bass parts; or if they had a cello and violin added to them. I also wouldn’t be surprised if the next time they cross my path they’ve added all this, or more, to the squad (but just for that particular gig, natch). Go see them, but don’t be surprised if you fall in love.

Prima Star Power were next on stage breaking a year-or-so hiatus to blast out a bunch of tunes in support of their new E.P. ‘ESCO013’. It’s a while since I’ve seen a band this well turned out - Louis Lota striding onto the stage looking like he’d been chiselled out of marble by Michelangelo and personally dressed by Armani himself; while rhythm section Kurtis and Luc both looked as sharp as a fresh Stanley blade kitted out in shirts and ties – more of this kind of thing!

There’s a definite modernist design-eye gone into Prima’s stage show ‘Keeping On’ in more ways than just the song title - but nothing is at the expense of the music, a bunch of snappy rock tunes delivered with a nonchalant swagger that would make Gainsbourg or Hallyday drop their Gitanes! We’re also treated to an Alex Chilton cover which might provide the inquisitive among us with a clue to the inspiration behind the group’s moniker; let’s just say I don’t think it’s an ode to Vauxhall vans! Fingers crossed (and soul fists raised) we don’t have to wait another twelve months for the band’s next performance.

Tonight’s headliner was Neve Cariad, and if I had to summarise her set in a word, it would be “breathtaking”. I’ve only caught her solo set before, which was tremendous, but bolstered by a full band (including Kurtis and Connall from PSP) the songs are given the opportunity to move past ‘straightforward’ acoustic folk into something much bigger and varied. Backing from guitar, bass, drums and keys seems to allow Neve the freedom to focus on her vocals as they move between delicate and powerful; tender and imposing.

‘Cul-de-Sac’, ‘Quicksand’ and ‘Daffoldils’ are the sort of tunes that should be playing on the wireless on a daily basis; chord changes and melodies that sound so perfect as I listen back to them on repeat in my head. But my favourite moment from the gig was watching Kurtis sat on the floor, cradling his bass, blissing out to the alto-sax solo of ‘Last Day’ – when someone who must have heard this over and over is still clearly in love with it you know it’s a work of substance.

Set-closer ‘Jigsaw’ builds steadily into an epic crescendo, with the band providing a wall of sound that’s closer to some kind of jazz freakout, as the stage lights glisten on the scratches in Neve’s acoustic from her frenetic strumming (a quick peek at the guitar post gig would suggest it could tell quite a few tales of its own!) The closer the song gets to the end, the more it sounds like some kind of cathartic exorcism and I can feel my heart pounding against my ribcage almost as loudly as the sound from the PA.

This is fearsome stuff and if it doesn’t move you, you probably need your pulse checking.

Words and pictures by Rusty Li. Poster (a masterpiece in style through simplicity) pilfered from Esco’s Instagram. First picture: Prima Star Power. Second Picture: Neve Cariad.