FIFTY3FRIDAYS: A TRIUMPHANT RETURN

This might be the first edition of Fifty3Fridays since May but today’s headline is all about a return to the stage by a very special artist after a 13 year break. More of which soon, but before we get to it, where in the world are we, James? Well, Friday night found me at the mid nineteenth century Anglo-Catholic church of St Matthias in Stoke Newington, North London. This in itself presents a profound public transport challenge, especially when you have decamped to Haslemere, Surrey. However, a combination of SW Railways, the Jubilee Line and Windrush Line saw your writer safely to Dalston Junction, from whence an icy 15-minute hike completed the schlep.

Offering customary fine acoustics, St Matthias is one of several London churches which also open as music venues. On a cold evening like tonight, it presents a certain glacial austerity. Thankfully the music provided the warmth that the church’s heating system and draughty front door somewhat countered. 21 November saw the return of Essex-born, Seaford-based singer-songwriter, Kate Walsh. Winding back, Kate had only just celebrated her 20th birthday when her debut album, Clocktower Park, came out in 2003. Her self-published and promoted follow-up record, Tim’s House, topped the UK iTunes album chart in March 2007, sparking a rush by major labels to secure her signature.

Signed to Mercury Records, a third LP, Light And Dark, was duly delivered in August 2009, though by then the label had decided that their promo budget would be better spent on Pixie Lott, and Walsh was back independently on her own Blueberry Pie imprint. Two further studio albums followed until we reach 2012, at which point Kate took a step back from the industry to raise a family, teach music, get involved with music therapy and shake off the ‘sad girl songs’ tag that had started to become a mental millstone. Her return to the stage this evening was greeted with such affection by a church full of Kate Walsh devotees, it seemed she had hardly been away.

All photos kindly by Kevin England

Before Kate’s arrival, we were treated to a fine six-song set by Family Stereo, the project of one Blake Watt tonight accompanied by band mates Sam (electric guitar and piano) and Dov on lap steel guitar. Usually now appearing as a full band, the stripped-down line up suited the occasion perfectly.  Blake confided that the set comprised all new songs from a debut album in the making. I suspect these songs were new to the bulk of tonight’s audience but that hardly dampened their reception. Blake has a gentle, high register vocal with a dreamy Transatlantic burr. Setting parameters with opener, “Fault Lines”, his acoustic guitar was nicely embellished with Sam’s electric pickings and Dov’s deft slide touches. I warmed to the ascending open chords of “Sea Change” and Blake’s delicate, swopping vibrato accented by lap steel in “The Thread as he mused on ‘a space between us.’

The songwriter’s intrinsic vulnerability and honesty was evidenced in the next two equally poignant songs, “Three Moon Trail” and “Removed, before the set reached a peak with “Remedy”, Sam switching to sonorous piano to underpin its anthemic feel. Though Elliott Smith is a good reference point for Blake, his vocal on this closing song put me in mind of Mercury Rev’s Jonathan Donahue. As these songs are yet to be released, I can’t share an example here but you can listen to the closing section of “Remedy” live on Instagram .

After a break when the hardier souls treated themselves to an ice-cold beer while others tried to keep the front door closed, Kate Walsh entered stage left with her regular accompanist, cellist Jocasta Whippy, to a rapturous welcome. 13 years is a long hiatus in the music industry to overcome but it seemed that her core fans are in it for the long haul. Fitting she began with the rolling, piano-backed, pastoral-feel of “Song of Hope”; its mantra of ‘You'll never feel love till you learn to love yourself’ exemplifying the ‘new’ Kate Walsh. With three exceptions, she premiered entirely new songs tonight, none of which had been recorded yet.

She switched to guitar for the next song – one of those three familiar tunes – “Fireworks” from her breakthrough second album, Tim’s House, named in honour of producer Tim Bidwell’s home studio set up. Despite battling with a cough all week, she hit those high notes seemingly with ease. Introducing the new song, “Calling Me Home”, Kate declared she had been on quite a journey these past 13 years. Her new material focused on a quest to find herself and to switch to writing songs about herself rather than she as victim. “Calling Me Home” has all the traits of classic Kate Walsh with gentle finger-picked guitar set against an exquisite vocal but the longing comes from a comfortable place, a return to where she feels she belongs. The song is not recorded yet but this live performance, filmed at her guitar maker Atkin Guitars workshop, will give you a flavour of the song’s intimacy and honesty.

Kate continued with “Warmest Light”, a new song with the warm familiarity of country music. Setting aside her ‘sad girl songs’ history meant that her signature “Your Song” would not be heard tonight, although she did not rule it out for ever. With remarkable candour, Kate opened up about the realisation that all her old songs are so sad, reflecting her past life. She broke down on stage mid-set at what proved, until tonight, to be her last gig at The Louisiana Bristol. Putting her heart and soul into live performances, she realised she was fully trapped in the past having to relive difficult times again and again. Stopping performing was the antidote that has led to the far happier place she is now in.

Kate returned to piano for the next collection of songs. Reviving “Bury My Head” from Tim’s House was perhaps a way of consigning those past loves to history, while “I See You”, a new song, inspired by the moment a blind boy first sees in a fantasy fiction story she read, reinforced the notion that her writing now centres on hope and fulfilment. Jocasta’s cello accompaniment, which had added a beautiful texture to Kate’s songs throughout the evening, contributed a sympathetic undertone to a poignant song in “Autonomic” (a word I had to look up!) “Count To 3”, a song about growing older and stopping to worry about what people think of you, followed.

Kate then elicited some modest audience participation in singing a repeated refrain in “My Shadow”: ‘Faith is a bird that sings in the dark,’ a poetic impression of hope. No relation to Keith Urban or Adele, “Somebody Like You” was a new song celebrating finding real love and contentment and the set culminated with “In Your Hands”. Decorated with a melody line that weaved in and out as it descended the scale, the song reprised the theme of light and dark which ran through her correspondingly titled third album. This time, however, it was the bond of a genuine love and support that allows her to come through the dark into the light. Here is a taster, again with thanks to Alister Atkin.

While Kate’s voice was slowly succumbing to that harassing cough, she returned for an encore that set the seal on a fine comeback. “Snow” is blessed with a beautiful piano melody and delivered with heartfelt simplicity. Embellishment came from Jocasta’s counterpoint cello which added an orchestral edge. Capturing celebration and contentment with a small dose of caution, summed up in the couplet ‘Our love is like snow / It covers all we know’, Kate delivered “Snow” with delicate precision and warmth. Kate Walsh connects with simple, heartfelt sentiments, served with quiet conviction. What a Christmas No 1 this would have made in 2011.

Asked after the show how she found the experience of playing live to an appreciative crowd once again, Kate declared: “I absolutely loved playing to the audience on Friday night It was very humbling to go out there with a cough and knowing I wouldn't sing to my best, but I felt so much love in the room. I will always remember that gig, I think. It has made me super excited about getting out to do more shows next year.” Despite the cough, she sounded in fine voice to me and to the assembled crowd who were on their feet at the end. The future is bright, or should that be light?