Review:
'STANLEY SUPER 800/ CLARKE, LIZ & PERRY, TESSA'
'Baltimore, Glebe Gardens, 15th August 2006'
- Genre: 'Rock'
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Our Rating:
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Summer invariably means struggling with mud and rank’n’clogged portaloos in large fields and braving the festival season, yet tonight W&H get a pleasant surprise as we’re ushered into the lush confines of the attractive Glebe Gardens in the heart of West Cork to be regaled with free (!) white wine, a barbecue and the spotlessly clean toilets reached by means of the conservatory in the main house. The Camden Barfly this most certainly ain’t.
Indeed, the only initial disappointment is that tonight’s show has been moved from the Gardens’ outdoor amphitheatre due to the fact it’s been steadily pissing down all day and the transporting of gear (mostly requiring tractors, I’m led to believe) would probably end with vehicles literally being bogged down. Still, the alternative arena – the bijou, but still extremely pleasant Glebe Gallery – has been transformed from its’ daytime role as a craft shop into a theatre for the evening and supplies a suitably intimate atmosphere.
It’s just about the perfect place to witness a stripped-down acoustic set from American/ Irish-American troubadours LIZ CLARKE & TESSA PERRY in any case. Trading tunes and taking it in turns with lead vocals, these two are well-worth checking out individually or in tandem. Irish-born Perry has recently released her debut album “Weightless” (Loyalkaspar Music / www.tessaperry.com ) and seemingly veers between spells gigging at home and in the USA. Generally, her songs are the more reflective and romantic of the two (at least where the likes of “Magpie” and “Jumping Puddles” are concerned), but when she wheels out the considerably rockier “I’m Waking Up” and concludes with tense and desperate “One Chord Song” (in finest Lou Reed tradition, it only has one chord too) and joins Clarke in going for the jugular on the fraught “it’s the end!” hookline then you begin to re-appraise your original line of thinking.
Denver-Born, but NYC-based Liz Clarke, on the other hand, has recently released her second album “Hand On The Stove” (Pommier Music/ www.lizclarkemusic.com ) and has been making a name for herself as a regular contributor at New York’s Laila’s Lounge Tuesday night slot “Whiskeybreath.” She reprises this tonight, with herself and Perry gently swigging glasses of whiskey ‘tween songs and Clarke engaging us with a series of tough’n’tender, Suzanne Vega-ish songs like “Who’s Your Angel?” and “Suffocated Heart”. She tells us she’s been suffering from the ‘flu since she arrived in Ireland, but there’s little evidence of it in her sparky, but shy stage presence and witty, erudite songs. On occasion, they’re joined by a fiddler called Marion who adds a surprisingly abrasive edge to the proceedings and – on the basis of what I hear tonight – both performers should hang on to her phone number for future reference.
Of course, those of you who’ve been logging on here for any length of time will know how highly W&H rate Cork boys STANLEY SUPER 800. Tonight is their first collective venture this far west, though drummer Dave recently played at the Glebe Amphitheatre with Mick Flannery and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The change of venue has provided a few technical hitches for the band tonight and during an otherwise rousing version of the opening “Summer In The City” Stan’s guitar totally refuses to respond. Unfazed, he picks out the melody on a keyboard instead, adding a motorik, Kraftwerk/ Death In Vegas quality to the tune which works surprisingly well.
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This writer wasn’t sure what the all-seated crowd ( who it must be said aren’t the average club-going set in the main) would make of SS800, but mostly they applaud generously and respond favourably to the newer material the band are still road-testing for their as-yet-untitled second album, due early in 2007. Of these newer tunes, “Love x3” rides a deep, swerving groove in some style and a robust “Gatecrashing” is beginning to pump iron and sound like the band’s second classic single on the trot, with Stan and Flor really leaning into the “we’re rising, we’re rising!” climax. Very good indeed.
Naturally, there’s still plenty of room for everyone’s favourites too, and tonight we get a healthy smattering of these, ranging from the fuzz bass-heavy “Over & Over” to a taut’n’rhythmic “Mountain Climbing” while the band’s techno roots bubble to the surface on “Voices In The Music” and Tosh plays some excellent counterpoint banjo. It might sound unlikely, but it works beautifully, as does a spirited version of self-destruction anthem “It’s All Over Now” which pulls a suitably dramatic curtain over the proceedings. Well, it would if the band hadn’t come back to treat us to a slice of supremely cheesy Euro-disco which can’t fail to send us home with a shit-eating grin on our collective mug.
So it’s been a thoroughly enjoyable night in a generous venue which should be encouraged to more regular gigging opportunities. Both sets were poles apart in style and execution, but surely that’s what should be persuading us to take a longer look at talent as individualistic as the intimate singer/ songwriter activities of Liz Clarke and Tessa Perry and the classy, diverse alt.rock sounds Stanley Super 800 specialise in.
All of this and clean toilets too. Bloody hell, who said there’s no glamour in this business?
(www.stanleysuper800.com )
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author: TIM PEACOCK/ Photos: KATE FOX
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Stanley Super 800
Liz Clarke & Tessa Perry
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