03 July 2011 (gig)
19 July 2011
Picture the scene: Clapham Common at foodie festival The Big Feastival. It’s been a glorious warm day, the sun is still shining but it’s got to that late stage of the afternoon where it spreads a pretty pastel orange and lemon glow. Families have eaten their fill of delicious dishes, from Locanda Locatelli pasta to slow-cooked shoulder of pork from Berbocoa restaurant, and are dozing on their Boden picnic rugs. They find themselves gently nudged awake from their Sunday avo slumber by ‘Yesterday is Dead’, one of the atmospheric tracks from the Guillemot’s third album ‘Walk the River’. The band apparently wrote a lot of the tracks in London then holed up for three weekends in Wales to record the record.
Starting their set with this track is perfect, as wave after wave of chorus washes over the listeners as pleasantly as their afternoon vino, culminating in Dangerfield’s perfect falsetto. The track is eight minutes long on the album and the band are happy to draw it out for just as long on stage. They’ve arrived but in a majestic and if possible at the same time, unassuming manner. Second track in the setlist ‘Vermillion’ ups the pace slightly and it’s haunting, minor tones show that the Guillemots are more than a summertime background band. Unfortunately, while lush and flawlessly played songs from ‘Walk the River’ sound perfect on this summer’s evening they aren’t memorable enough. It’s only when the band revert to tracks from Mercury Prize nominated ‘Through the Window Pane’ that the Clapham crowd start to raise themselves onto their elbows and pay the band a bit more attention. ‘Little Bear’ is simple and beautifully played and sees Dangerfield move to his keyboard, where he stays for most of the rest of the set – and where he instantly looks more at ease.
In a setlist of just nine songs, the band keep crowd banter to a minimum, with new album track ‘I don’t feel amazing now’ introduced by Dangerfield as “a sad song for you all” and a brief allusion to the food the band have tried – popcorn shrimp and lamb curry. Even their current single ‘I must be a lover’ gets no introduction but Dangerfield does prelude ‘Trains to Brazil’ with a plea for silly dancing and jumping around from the crowd. Sadly furious toe-tapping is as much a reward as the band get – but that’s not to say it isn’t well received. Dangerfield hammers away at the keyboard like his life depends on it, it’s as if his head is attached to a string that pulls taut when he hits the keys, jerking him back and forth, while the rest of the band smile and sing along. It’s feel good, infectious and played with real joy, which says a lot for a band playing to an overfed crowd who are content to soak up the sounds without taking their role as audience too seriously. The Guillemots even come back for an encore – the epic ‘Sao Paulo’, which showcases the band’s musical breadth. Dangefield’s ability to sing his heart out and fearlessly bash his keyboard at the same time finally gets listeners to their feet to applaud this band. While the set sometimes lacked the intensity and musical drama, that’s expected or at least associated with the Guillemots, no one can fault the band’s flawless set and 100% commitment.
