Me and Josh both went to see Mumford and Sons, Laura Marling and the Dharohar Project perform in Bradford recently. We couldn't decide who should review the gig, so we decided we both would and then post them both. Enjoy.
Josh's Review
On July 12th, I went to a concert to see Mumford and Sons, Laura Marling and The Dharohar Project with my good friend and musical companion Nathan. The gig was at St. George's Hall in Bradford, which is only a small venue, but still rather beautiful and quite large inside with space for about 500.
Mumford and Sons was founded in London, England, by Marcus Mumford (the lead singer), who is also 'romantically linked' to Laura Marling (lucky bloke), a talented folk singer/musician/song writer. After doing a successful UK tour, the band was offered a tour of India, which they accepted. While there, they were promptly teamed up with an Indian group, The Dharohar Project. Laura Marling and her band also tagged along. Whilst in India the three groups created a 4-song EP, combining all of their talents and musical experiences.
After a couple of drinks, I entered the Hall to be greeted by the man himself, Marcus Mumford. Not personally, unfortunately, but he was on stage talking about their tour. After finding our seats, which were actually pretty good, The Dharohar Project walked on. To be honest, I was not really looking forward to them. I didn't really look into The Dharohar Project before the concert and it is not the kind of thing I usually listen to, but I managed to tackle this problem with a combination of beer and an open mind.
I had no idea what they were playing instrument wise, or what they were actually saying but both the instrumentals and the vocals were incredibly impressive. Our favourite members of the group we named 'The Turbanator' with his suave moves and crazy maraca things, 'Crazy Hands' with his self-explanatory skills on the barrel drum and 'Wafer' because of his stylish turban. The performance itself was incredibly interesting, fun, enjoyable and far better than I originally anticipated.
After The Dharohar Project had performed, Laura Marling entered with her band (don't know the name). I can't really remember what song's she played, and I think we missed the first song because the queue to the bar was really long. I recall hearing 'Goodbye England', 'Hope in the Air' which was really good and one of my favourites, 'I Speak Because I Can' and ‘Alas I Cannot Swim’. All the songs were extremely good and I enjoyed all of them, so nice to listen to, enjoyable and so much better live. She was also quite witty which makes her all the more attractive. I love Laura Marling and her live performance did not disappoint, and even without knowing the words I attempted to sing along. I would seriously recommend seeing this women live, especially if you are into folk. She has a beautiful voice, she knows how to write a good song and she is also a talented musician. What more do you want?
Then, after an interval of pure excitement, Mumford and Sons came on and were, quite frankly, amazing. I have never enjoyed a live performance so much in my life; I don't believe it is even legal to have so much pleasure in a public building. Again, I can’t really remember what songs they played but I can recall 'Timshel', 'Awake My Soul', 'White Blank Page', 'I Gave You All' (one of my favourites) and ‘Little Lion Man' (by far my favourite song of the night). They ended with 'The Cave', their most recent single. They also played two new songs, one of which I got a bollocking for recording and the other was called 'Lover of the Light'. Both were immense. I loved every second these guys were on stage; they are by far my favourite band at the moment. I would recommend these peeps to anyone and I believe they are arguably the best folk band of our generation if not the best in a very long time. If you like folk then you must see Mumford and Sons live, they are the leading folk band at the moment (my opinion). Now my lips are sore after all that arse kissing...
After all had performed, they all came together to form some super folk group which I don't believe they have a name, but I shall call 'Wafer and The Gang'. I also don’t know the name of any of the songs, except one which was a cover of one of Laura M's songs 'Devil Spoke'. It was well sung and the mixture of Indian instrumentals plus vocals seems to combine well. All the songs were fun and exciting; these guys clearly make a good team. They have brought out an EP which I’m sure will make for good listening, I haven't checked it out but from what I heard on the night I would recommend it. It was both interesting and enjoyable and would suit those who are in to a combination of English and Indian folk aka Engdian folk.
Overall I had an amazing night, listening to the best music with my best mate, with whom there is no one else I would rather have gone. If these groups are playing in a venue near you either together or performing separately then go watch them. I guarantee you will have fun and not be disappointed. Gorza out.
By Joshua Owen-Gorza
Nathan's Review
This is the first proper gig, by fairly well known acts at a pretty big venue, that I’d ever been to. Normally, my forays into the world of live music have been limited to acoustic nights and local bands at pubs. Needless to say, I was a little excited, and maybe a little apprehensive too. What if they weren’t as good as they sounded on my iPod? What if I didn’t enjoy it? What if, what if, what if.
Walking in to the St George’s Hall in Bradford, the first thing that struck me was the huge cross section of people who had come to watch the gig. The folk music revival, represented by acts like Mumford and Sons and Laura Marling, had always seemed to me to be more interesting to student-y types in waistcoats, jeans and Converse (like me), than to 50-somethings. How wrong I was. Old and young, rich and poor, all sorts from all walks were there. Shows what I know.
The venue itself was pretty good, a beautiful building with plenty of the essentials (bars and toilets) for such a small place. Our seats were cracking too, in the centre of the upper tier. We had been worried that we wouldn’t be able to see, but we had a good view and could hear everything. Although, to be honest, the venue and the crowd (about 500-600 people) were so small, that I think we could have seen and heard no matter where we were.
When we walked into the hall, we were greeted by Marcus Mumford himself explaining the program for the evening and how the three acts had come together during a recent tour of India. The first act of the night was the Dharohar Project, an “Indian folk collective from Rajasthan in India”, apparently. In all honesty, I wasn’t really looking forward to them. I had heard some Indian music before and not enjoyed it, and I thought that this would be more of the same. Big mistake. I thoroughly enjoyed the combination of strange and interesting instruments, beautiful vocals (although I didn’t understand a word) and the energy and enthusiasm of the performers. A pleasant surprise to start the evening, then.
After a short interval, Laura Marling came onto the stage to perform. We missed the first song, thanks to Josh’s refusal to return to his seat without a drink. However, we were back in time to hear a brilliant performance, including ‘Hope in the Air’, ‘Goodbye England’, ‘Alas I Cannot Swim’ and ‘I Speak Because I Can’. Laura Marling is an excellent singer/songwriter, with an amazing voice, powerful songs and no mean talent on the guitar. She was well supported by her band, who gave her the instrumental backing her voice deserves. Definitely one to check out if she’s performing anywhere near you.
Another interval later, and we were back in our seats to hear Mumford and Sons take to the stage. They were, without doubt, my favourite act of the night. I think that their music tends to be more “live-performance friendly” than the other two acts, with lyrics that are easier for audiences to sing along to. They did not disappoint. Performances of songs like ‘Timshel’, ‘The Cave’, ‘Awake my Soul’ and ‘White Blank Page’ had the audience singing along and even dancing in the aisles. When they broke into ‘Little Lion Man’, all the audience were up, belting out the words and cheering. They definitely earned their standing ovation at the end of their set, and they are a band I would unquestionably recommend to anyone looking to go see some outstanding live music.
Straight after Mumford and Sons, all three acts took to the stage to perform the music from their new 4-song EP (check it out). The mixture of English and Indian folk music was both interesting and highly enjoyable, the groups seemed to gel well together, and it was an enjoyable end to a brilliant night. Throughout the whole gig, the music was amazing, and small audience meant that the gig felt intimate and very personal. The banter between those on stage and the audience was witty and enjoyable, and all the acts had good stage presence to make the night even more enjoyable. If any of them are playing anywhere near you, and I know Josh will say the same, go and see them for a night of excellent live folk music that you won’t soon forget.
By Nathan Murphy
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