 
Ah, back at the Joiners, what happy happy days
these are. And it was
time for Mr Hudson, now performing under his own
name, having dropped “
And The Library.” However, thankfully, The
Library are still touring
with him, with the exception of one or two members.
Regardless, this was
going to be a great night, as they showcased new
material due out in the
coming months.
However, first up was Alan Pownall – who,
donned in a scruffy shirt,
jeans, and wooly hat, could have easily been mistaken
for a misguided
beggar, or a sloppy roadie. That was until he
approached the microphone
with his guitar, and began to play. Easy-listening
acoustic-driven
songwriting at its best, which despite its relaxing
tone, is remarkably
uplifting, probably down to the rhythmic off-beat
strums. A fairly
simple voice, but executed so perfectly over the
gentle backing, which
after a couple of songs, gained a second guitar
and a small drum kit.
“Take Me” and “Clara,”
the forthcoming single, are ones to remember.
The
beauty of it all is that it just appeared to be
effortless. What an
unexpectedly fantastic set, and certainly one
to keep an eye on.
Next up was MPHO, and yes, I was fooled too. Although
it sounds like a
crazy down-tempo electro group, it's actually
a female solo artist and
it's pronounced Mm-Po, as she explained to the
crowd, and even got them
to say out loud just to make sure they'd got it
right. Mr Hudson is
known to support up and coming soulful artists,
his Library tour a
couple of years previous included support from
Adele – but MPHO is
another kettle of fish altogether. The Beyoncé
wannabe had a good voice,
but coupled with the average song-writing, the
dancing around like she's
the sexiest thing since some really sexy sliced
bread, the drummer with
Stevie Wonder glasses and a backpack, the middle-aged
man on the
keyboards who looked far from enthused, the fact
that every song only
comprised of vocal, drum, and another part which
was clearly coming from
the keyboard and made the overall sound disappointingly
thin, and the
overwhelming sense of arrogance; I wasn't impressed.
That said, some
other people in the room were enjoying themselves,
though they were
mainly women. Even if I could overcome all of
the negative points just
mentioned, it all seemed a little out of place.
However, if you love
Beyoncé but wish there was a less famous
and less talented clone that
you could get into, give MPHO a go.
And finally, it was Hudson's turn, welcomed to
the stage with a huge
applause and pats on the back all round. Opening
with a new track, the
name of which I'm not sure, this was the start
of a fabulous set. The
sound, as is often the case here, was spot on.
Despite Hudson himself
appearing *slightly* intoxicated, it was all incredibly
tight and
well-played. You'd never guess the line-up had
been chopped and changed
since the last tour. Torville Jones' replacement
Rob Barron who
apparently saved Hudson's life, (although this
was probably by just
being Torville's replacement; don't read too much
into that!) was
flawless in his performance and everyone was working
together
beautifully. “Two By Two” and “One
Specific Thing” were the first tracks
played from the debut album, the latter featuring
Joy Joseph who time
after time, does not fail to amaze me. As if playing
the steel drum
wasn't hard enough, managing to couple that with
a fantastic voice,
well, hats off. Newer tracks to be featured on
Straight No Chaser such
as “Lift Your Head” and “There
Will Be Tears” were included in the set,
making for a promising album launch this Summer.
The next single
“Supernova” featuring Kanye West,
was also performed, however not
surpsingly, Kanye wasn't there. This song however,
was a bit of a
disappointment. Hudson and Kanye get on really
well, they've worked
together on accoasions before, but here, Supernova
had taken a slightly
grimey edge that may suit Mr West, but didn't
seem to work on its own at
the Hudson show. I don't know whether that was
the song, or the
performance, but it just wasn't right. “Ghosts,”
“Upon The Heath,” and
“Too Late Too Late” were played to
the pleasure of the room, as well as
the newer “White Kids” and “Stiff
Upper Lip.” Finishing with arguably
one of my favourites, (and no doubt a real hit
with everyone in the
room,) “Ask The DJ,” we had been exposed
to a fabulous evening of
entertainment. The new material sounds fantastic,
and despite the
Supernova hiccup, it's clear that this album is
going to do well.
Alan Pownelel 4.5/5
MPHO 2.5/5
Mr Hudson 4.5/5
Review By Thom |
