Canada House - Moth Club, London Jan 24th 2023
On a bitterly cold January night, the RGM team are in London’s Hackney, where I’m pleased to report, despite the multiple issues of recent years, live music is thriving with a wide variety of venues still hanging in there. Moth Club is one such venue, tucked away just off the main street but still, very much, part of the bustling Hackney ambience. The reason for our visit this evening is the first of two nights showcasing some of the very best Americana and Roots music Canada has to offer as part of Americana UK Music Week (that’s Americana Fest to you and me) hosted by CIMA (Canadian Independent Music Association) in partnership with Music PEI. Twelve acts over two days with a good mix of old favourites and new blood, so let’s dig in to Canada House.
The honour of kicking things off fell to Shane Pendergast, the first of many Prince Edward Islanders to perform (It might be the smallest province in Canada, but it does feel like if you throw a stone, you will hit a talented singer with a story to tell). Shane’s 2021 album 'Second Wind' won Contemporary Roots Album of the Year at the Music PEI Awards. The folky troubadour instantly had our attention via ‘Maiden Voyage’, ‘The Future Of Tradition’ and the particularly lovely ‘Autumn Rain’, songs rooted in the themes and history of Prince Edward Island.
If you’re familiar with Canadian folk and roots music Tara MacLean needs little or no introduction. With six solo albums already under her belt, the PEI native will release a new record and her first book in the spring and duly opened with the title track ‘Sparrow’, as lovely a thing as you’ll likely hear all year. Tara comes over as a fun, feisty lady regaling us with stories of growing up in a “rebellious” family that didn’t quite fit in with the mainstream (and I didn’t mention the Magic Mushrooms…oops). Back to the music, the moving and heartfelt ‘Love Never Dies’ certainly struck a personal chord with this listener before Tara concluded her set of “songs of death, love, sex and redemption” as she called it, with old friend Catherine MacLellan joining in, their vocals blending beautifully before an appreciative crowd.
The Juno award-winning Catherine MacLellan would be next up for her own set. Catherine is steeped in the sounds and vibe of PEI (her late father Gene MacLellan wrote ‘Snowbird’ an international hit for Anne Murray) and has an uncanny ability to transport the listener to that far-off Canadian province. Catherine is joined tonight by guitarist Nick Gauthier, who’d also added his acoustic guitar talents to Tara’s set. Listening to Catherine sing is the musical equivalent of being wrapped in a warm blanket before an open fire on a cold winter night (pretty apt considering the temperatures outside this evening). If you’ve not heard her 2019 album ‘Coyote’ stop reading now (‘Out Of Time’ is a personal favourite) and have a listen, we’ll wait for you. ‘The Tempest’ from the album was achingly beautiful as Catherine and Nick’s guitars perfectly complimented each other, ebbing and flowing like the titular storm.
Lawrence Maxwell has been compared to John Prine and Merle Haggard, which can be a bit of a cross to bear, but he seems to be holding up well. He certainly has a pleasingly old-school country feel and charm to his delivery while still finding room for humorous lyrical references (the vagaries of Spotify) and light modern production flourishes (thankfully without finger snaps or auto-tune). In the live setting, with just an acoustic guitar for company, Maxwell, with his long hair and impressive moustache, displays an engaging personality while delivering a string of smart songs with a pleasantly warm vocal tone. Equally happy with the punchy, almost funky ‘Wolves’, which relates to his time in the Navy, the outlaw country of ‘Listening To Keith Whitley” or the wryly amusing ‘Happy Little Life’, Maxwell knows his way around a good tune. To quote his press release, “Lawrence Maxwell will tell it to you like it's folk and sing it to you like it's country” which sounds about right to me.
Dylan Menzie is one of those hard-to-categorize songwriters with a relaxed approach that sits in some kind of middle ground where rock, folk and pop converges. The likes of ‘If I Married You’ and ‘Modern Classic’ from the recent EP of the same name (which could well be a…) are delivered in an understated way that captured the Moth Club audience from the off. The combination of expertly picked acoustic guitar, a wonderfully versatile voice and the strength of the songwriting is a sure-fire winner. Dylan has a knack for a relatable lyric (his new song ‘Fake Friends’ has plenty of lyrical bite). Taking to the stage in a Back To The Future T-Shirt, Dylan, in all honesty, had me on board before he sang a note. I’m pleased to report he lived up to his choice of film merchandise.
Last but not least on day one we were treated to Andrew Waite. Andrew has been harvesting award nominations and wins in recent years including ECMA Solo Recording of the Year (2022) and the coveted Music PEI SOCAN Songwriter of the Year (2020). Frankly, Andrew and his band were incredible, tearing the roof off the Moth Club and obviously having a ball doing it. Andrew on record features plenty of musical light and shade delivered with soul eclectically inspired by the New Jersey shore, Detroit soul and folk/country songwriting. This short, thirty-minute, live show was all about swinging for the fences as Andrew belted out the tunes with gusto (undaunted by some of their gear still being in Poland, including Andrew’s trademark choice of hat) while his rhythm section of drummer Mat MacEachern and Evan McCosham (bass) hit hard and swing in equal measure. Andrew’s approach is refreshingly blue-collar as guitarist Nick Gauthier, back for his third show of the evening, swapped acoustic guitars for an electric Gretch to peel off a string of impressive guitar breaks while trading blows with Nikki Waite’s saxophone. This energetic and fun approach, rarely seen since the great days of the E-Street and Silver Bullet bands, had the crowd enthralled. Andrew Waite and his band were the perfect way to conclude a great day. Roll on day two.
On a facecrunchingly cold January evening, I throw myself selflessly upon the mercy of the bus gods, in a futile effort to travel in an approximately straight line from my house to the MOTH club in Hackney. For why? Well, it’s the second of two Canada House shows promoting independent Canadian artists and I owe them, frankly. Having taken a sabbatical from my regular RGM Maple Leaf duties, I feel it’s time to make amends with that wonderful country to which we are so culturally – and, of course, monarchically – connected. The shows are taking place as part of UK Americana Music Week and the MOTH is pleasingly bedecked with Canadian flags, to make double-sure we all remember which countries are which.