I’m deep in’theart of rural Lancashire on a Friday night, and worryingly, not too far from home. Tottington is hidden in the funny lookin’ hills that lie between Bury and Bolton on the edge of the West Pennine Moors, and the locals are gearing themselves up for a good old night on the piss. It might be the back of beyond, but thanks to the forward thinking music policy in place at the ‘world famous’ Hark To Towler inn, it’s the only place to be in the Greater Manchester area tonight if you’re a fan of live music.
The guiding hand of fate has played a part in throwing up a unique double-header that sees Swindon film score sensations BUSWELL supporting Swedish pure pop purveyors THE FLAMING MOES.
On the road to promote latest single ‘Sleep’, Shaun Buswell’s one-time solo project has expanded over the past few years, gradually evolving into a full band as collaborative relationships with other musicians and film-makers cemented. Two miles north of Bury, W&H finds Buswell in duo form.
Though the singer/songwriter has been making music for the best part of a decade and has a working relationship with pianist/singer Becky Gibbons that goes back some three years, it’s strange to think that this is, in a sense, Buswell’s UK touring debut. It’s no ordinary trail either - the Swindon outfit’s whirlwind jaunt round Northern Britain has taken the duo well off the beaten track: a bizarre string of dates has seen the film-score compositors take in such places as Winsford and Wigan during their latest musical quest.
“It’s the first time we’ve actually come away for a long period of time” muses Shaun
“It was kind of a last minute decision. We were away for 6 weeks, with the whole band, and then we came back and made the decision to release ‘Sleep’ as a single. Then we decided that if we’re gonna do that, then we’re gonna have to at least tour some part of the country
“It’s easier to get shows down south for us because it’s where we can all get close to, but we thought if we’re gonna go away for 2 weeks, then we might as well go north. It’s worked out well, because that’s how we met up with the FLAMING MOES”.
Both are enthusiastic about the set-up, which has seen the pair support the Moes on the past few dates of their hastily arranged tour of Northern Britain
“It’s worked so well” enthuses Becky: “It’s nice to be around a group”
We’re all fans of the band’s addictive sound (‘– where would we be without Swedish pop music?’ is one of my inane comments, but there’s no denying the quality of their fetching and eccentric songs).
“It’s really, cheery, poppy music” comments Shaun
“but lyrically…some of it’s really dark” he and Becky comment in unison
They’re not wrong – more of that later.
The last minute tour is the latest instalment of a unique story so far. A recording career that has produced not only albums, but also seen the band provide the film score for the movie ‘Port Washington, a bizarre but impressive feat that sees the cinematic potential of BUSWELL’S music realised. This came about as a direct result of Shaun’s interest in film:
“Some of it came through people in Swindon that I know who were making short films. There was an ad I saw for a movie being made in Seattle, called Port Washington, but the music was just the soundtrack from ‘Medal Of Honour’, the computer game (note: Director Ben Heckendon is better known for his work designing video games, so that’s not as unusual as it sounds). It didn’t really fit. So I emailed, and found out that that was a fill-in, pending the composer, whether he could commit or not”
The rest is immortalised on the big screen:
“There’s definitely a cinematic feel to our music, and I was wanting to get more into video (The videos for Buswell’s three singles have been mostly Shaun’s work)
The singer/songwriter rather modestly points out that the editing process is easier for him, because of the sync of images with music:
“I can see a waveform in a video editor, and I know exactly where that is in the song” he comments, and it makes sense, but is nonetheless impressive. All three videos are well worth a look.
“We’ve done the album, and released singles from it, but before we moved on to other projects, we were keen to get one last thing out. Like you said, it’s not the most obvious choice for a single…”
Becky explains: “….but having to gig the single, there was only the two of us, and we wanted to pick something that would come across well”
Shaun: “Also, because of the last-minute thing, it was easier to get gigs, pick up support slots than it would with a full band”.
“At Winsford, you could hear a pin drop, so we could play everything with a bit more space, but tonight we’re going to experiment” adds Becky
“We’ve played all the strong, safe ones so far”.
Future happenings already include plans for brand-new releases. Shaun elaboratres: “The next EP will be called ‘Beauty’, and include cinematic stuff, then there’ll be one called ‘Beast’ - very dark music. So we’ve separated the two.
“A lot of the music on the album (‘Buy Me New Shoes’) is very real, based on real experience but then some isn’t – I find it really hard to separate the two, hence the conscious decision to do it – we’re kind of doing it ourselves”
TAKING to the stage at around half nine, they’ve got a pub full of disinterested older-generation drinkers to win around as well as the local music fans lounging in armchairs close to the stage. A potential nightmare in the making? Not a chance. Following an unassuming introduction, the duo opened with a haunting and immensely powerful version of the new single that quickly earns the respect of those who greeted their arrival onstage with raised eyebrows and feigned half-interest.
Right from the start I’m blown away by the sheer scale of their delivery. I was expecting an acoustic show, ‘cos there aren’t any electric guitars on the album, but the huge sound that the duo create is like the work of an orchestra. Loud, with endless horizons, Shaun’s vocal capacity is huge. His acoustic rings out with incredible resonance, whilst Becky’s piano playing oozes with feeling. Beautiful harmonies pull you in, and both are quickly lost in the stunning sound that the room is beginning to absorb.
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It’s a set full of wasted second chances, the spilt milk stuff of broken dreams, deep regret and vast emotional wastelands, but it’s big-screen stuff alright, bravely honest and near-deafening. ‘Breakups and Breakdowns’ is stunning, as is ‘The Fallen Line’, the volume huge and the music as intricate as lace.
There are new songs too, before ‘Let Me Love’ brings matters to a headspinning conclusion. Raw, with big-assed drop-outs, it was a real iron fist in a velvet glove. Harmonies that took the breath away revealed the intricate power of songs that come straight from the heart, and there were whoops of delight from the hard-to please locals as Shaun went for the bridge during the jammed-out penultimate track. Catching them in action is an education, and an exhilerating experience that gives you a complete understanding of the hugeness of their songs. If they come to a town near you, I strongly urge you to check them out.
On came THE FLAMING MOES to hammer home their pure pop message in fine style. Fresh from a 2-day break set aside for midsummer celebrations, they began with a pretend-naff ‘midsummer songs for you’ ditty that instilled cold fear into the hearts of much of the audience. The fact that many who had heard their earlier Svensk soundcheck had exchanged wild looks of confusion was not lost on them, though they could barely keep their faces straight at the reaction.
Having had their fun, they proceeded to launch straight into the tidal wave (yes, TIDAL WAVE) of relief that their songs sparked - a big-hitting set full of Hammond-flavoured grooves, sung in English, just like ABBA used to.
Their show could be described simply as: ‘A succession of pure pop masterpieces that had ‘HIT’ written all over them’, making me consider my good fortune at catching the talented four-piece full of festive cheer
But there was much more to them than cheesy humour. The Simpsons-inspired outfit offered gravity-defying slices of pure heaven with a smile, but on a lyrical level, many of their songs held a much darker message. It all went part way towards explaining the wired idiosyncrasies apparent in the fixed-grin antics of nerve-wracked lead singer Erik Nyberg (who was being further freaked by a foot-touching piss-head at the front).
This gave their bubblegum performance a depth that was hard to fathom right from the opener, a lyrically dark, but musically bouncing number ‘Walk On’ – a song that Shaun and Becky from Buswell had earlier cited as an example of their shadowy side:
“Some people smoke, some go straight/but in the end it all gets real – walk on”
belted out Nyberg, with eyes wide open, over this lovely, jazz infused 6T’s/indie sound that mainly came courtesy of Andreas Wendelholt, who manned the keys with style as well as occasionally whipping out an accordion to help things along. Yet the stick-tapping bass bounce of ‘I Got It’ was just as addictive, the dizzying rhythm section whipping up a noise that made my feet shuffle all by themselves.
‘Might Never’ was absolutely electric. Kicking off with the words “I might let my eyes go blind/Like this city has gone blind”, it was a full-on display of vulnerable - insane soul-searching set to a valium happy sound. Kaleidoscopic melodies filled my head with sparklers and a thumping backbeat provided the undercurrent that came close to sweeping my helpless body right out of the venue.
‘They surely can’t keep this up’, I thought to myself - but I was wrong. With every tune delivered according to the pure juke-box ethic and obsessive thoughts shared at every turn, their frenetic psychedelia was impossible to resist The drum-rolling, cymbal-happy ‘Bag Of Starlight’ came with harmonies from heaven, and the 4/4 stomp of ‘Someone else beat you to it’ was soulful and mind-blowing.
‘Carpet King’ was another highlight of their outstanding set, booming and pulsating with brass warmth, nostalgia, and unconditional love. What a night! Thanks to the horizon expanding big-screen/pure pop combination, I’m left with the audible equivalent of a thousand-yard stare, but it’s been a brilliant. If you live in the Greater Manchester area, keep your eye on the venue listings, as you never know who could be next out of the pot. If you get the chance, catch up with The Flaming Moes if you can!
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