It was a soporific November Sunday afternoon, but despite modelling a heavily weathered Hawaiian shirt, Yaqui Yeti seemed to not have quite caught the feeling of impending summer with his songs of pushers on wintry streets. Some of his compositions still seem to be taking shape, but he certainly seemed to have enough gravel to distinguish him from other aspiring folkies.
Seemingly primed to detonate some seriously out of control block parties somewhere near yours, Crisis Mr Swagger astonished the Railway Hotel with complex yet fluid verses, propulsive beats and surprisingly high-tech production. His young daughter Munchkins (probably not her real name) looked on spellbound, as the man she calls “Dad” cajoled a shellshocked but willing crowd into waving, chanting and saluting his neck of the 'hood, Morley (seriously!). Swagger looks ready to command much larger stages - right now.
Bringing us back to earth, acoustic rap pack Nodes spooned out lashings of surreal lyrics. Witty and resourceful, the MC seemed like he'd be equally home at a poetry slam event - can't say I've ever heard DH Lawrence cited by a rapper before – backed by some nimbly picked acoustic guitar and a percussionist slapping a miniature cymbal and the wooden box (a cajon) he sat on.
By the time The Lonesome Marys hit the stage, twilight had fallen. The pretty mirrorball lights, ostensibly a bit modern for their cosy semi-acoustic vibes, somehow added an appropriate layer of sentimentality to their mature, detailed songwriting. A band of siblings, their “at homeness” onstage made them super-easy on the eye and ear.
All that remained was for Sublight to take us with their melodic, ever-so-slightly grungey rock. Their warm, nicely weighted sound – filled out with some chunky Korg technology – eased the night to a close with a final swell of bittersweet emotion.
