Otley is as English a small town as you’ll find anywhere. It has ten thousand people, ten fish and chip shops and twenty pubs. There’s a secondary school, a small hospital, a bus station and distant memories of a railway station. On Monday there’s a cattle market. The Chevin, a fine and ancient hill broods across the whole southern side and a strong flowing river drowns at last one person a year. Rugby Union and popular music are the principal public entertainments. Drinking and marital complications are as well supported as anywhere else.
So, with plenty of choice, and some live music most nights of most weeks, we have the chance to acquaint ourselves with an equally English and equally unique talent in the shape and sound of MICHAEL WESTON KING.
And how glad we were to have rolled up. It just happens that way in Otley – the Oysterband, Caroline Hester, Jackie Leven, Miss Black America … the most startling touring stars become normal once you live here. So a great Nashville songwriter with a huge talent, who just happens to have been born in Liverpool and who (for apparently accidental reasons) now lives in Birmingham is as natural as deer on the Chevin and local women in prison again for objecting to the US invaders at Menwith Hill.
Michael is on stage with Lou Dalgleish and Alan Cook. Lou (a fine singer songwriter on her own account) sings beautiful deep country harmonies and fills things out with well judged small percussion. Alan’s pedal steel guitar is the sweetest thing you ever heard. Every great night out should have one. Alan also plays some dobro. Michael’s band THE GOOD SONS are taking a break on this part of the huge tour and we’re getting a great opportunity to get up close to some very fine songs.
With his funny little pork pie hat and his librarian specs, MWK exudes intimate stage presence and good-hearted personal involvement. He’s our friend right from the start, and his laconic stories of a startled life in show biz fill out the evening with a sense of gently amused adventure. “Dinky Town”, Dylan’s archetypal bad part of every small town is his theme, and most of the title of his recent live album. ("Live in Dinky Town"). The songs themselves are compelling and utterly convincing top of the range country tunes. Many are drawn from the brand new studio album "A Decent Man" on the Floating World label.
This is truer stuff than most of Nashville these days. Michael is cut from the same emotional outsider stock as John Prime, Phil Ochs and Tim Hardin. When he pops in an affectionate cover of a Ronnie Lane or Townes van Zandt song, the standard doesn't falter. His own songs are up there, no question. One of the magical things about Michael's songs is the feeling that like the man himself, they're old friends that, somewhere in the cultural folk memory, you've heard before. "Mathilda", one of two rousingly nostalgic encores is just such a song. Someone shouts for it, your man sings it and everyone joins is. It's an all time classic that would be no surprise at all in one of those Channel 4 "Best 100 Country songs of all time" type programmes.
|
We're treated to some well established favourites like "God Shaped Hole" and "Tim Hardin '65". But to my ears the very best of the songs are on the newest album "A Decent Man". All the quality writers mature with age. "Where the Stars Don’t Shine" turns the vulgar Americanism into a dignified and poetic epic that takes the audience off into dreams and regrets of their own. "Always the Bridesmaid (Never the Bride)" is a self reflective acceptance song for the "Best Singer ever who didn’t get in the Country Music Hall of Fame" speech. Like all the latest stuff, it’s grown-up, effortlessly made and very satisfying. This has been a hugely entertaining show, with the perfect accompaniment for the room, the man and the songs. Otley's alt-country afficianados go home very happy with Mike and Lou's great voices ringing in their ears.
They have also been treated to a preview from the brand new NICK HALL album. Nick is a Wharfedale man, with a history in the Yorkshire folk scene. But in his own right, he's as alt-country a performer and writer as MIKE WESTON KING. He's more Phil Everley than Willie Nelson, but also more Richard Thompson than Martin Carthy. He is very good and his appearance on tonight's bill reminds us of the fantastic depth that English song writing has always had.
|
