Early August, and at last summer would appear to have arrived, as the recent rise in temperature encouraged sparsely clad holidaymakers to hook up their caravans and head for the coast, competing for road space with the plethora of tractors, as farmers scurry frantically to complete the harvest before the weather breaks. This combined traffic hazard makes me grateful that I chose to leave ample time for my journey, as I headed to Lincolnshire’s premier Americana venue, The Town Hall, Kirton in Lindsey, for the evenings show, with promoter Brian Chudley managing to attract one of Australia’s finest new singer songwriting talents to tread the boards of this hallowed stage.
Riley Catherall hales originally from the Canberra area of Australia, but these days is based in Melbourne and is probably better known as the guitarist for Lachlan Bryan’s two musical outfits, The Wildes and The Pleasures. In fact, it was as a member of these two bands that initially brought Catherall across to Europe and eventually the UK back in June, after which he embarked on a solo tour, first supporting Alan Fletcher, (better known to some as Doctor Karl Kennedy from Aussie tv soap Neighbours), and now headlining a handful of dates before heading back to Europe. He recently released his sophomore album “The Light, The Beautiful Liar”, that looks to build on the promise of his debut “When I Go”, that garnered much critical praise in his homeland on its release in 2021. For this evening’s performance he was joined by Emily Lawler, who also opened proceedings with a short set, more of which later.
Taking to the stage alone for the first half of the night’s performance, acoustic guitar in hand, Catherall’s demeanour comfortably inhabited the image of the touring singer songwriter. His drawn features and slightly unkempt appearance no doubt the by-product of months on the road and restless nights spent on one too many couches. Most recently Lawler’s. The opening set began with ‘Leave Me Out To Dry’, a song from his debut album that immediately grabs the attention of the local congregation, drawing them in close, his sensitive vocal delivery underpinning a heartfelt narrative. Next up was the first of two songs during this opening half from his latest album, ‘Duty Free’, a song that deals with life on the road and the people and relationships you leave behind. Catherall’s writing is always direct and to the point, whatever the subject matter, he never sugar coats the pill, offering up layers of poetic sincerity that inevitably draws comparison to Jason Isabel. His between song banter was relaxed, and easy going, with just the right amount of Aussie humour as he compared the various differences of life from home and the UK, initially stating that the he regularly visited our shores at this time of year to escape the Australian winters (sic), though up until a few weeks ago he may well have been warmer back in Melbourne. The first set also included two songs not available on either of his albums starting with ‘Robin’, a song that originally saw the light of day on the 2018 EP “Venture In Vein”, followed by a previously unreleased number with the rather long title ‘Let’s Fall Off The Wagon For A While’, which Catherall claims is the reason that it was sadly left of the album, as it certainly seemed to resonated with tonight’s audience. ‘Like A River’, one of the standout tracks from the most recent release delivers another high-point and brought to close the first half of a show that appeared to have just flown by.
The second set got underway with the one and only cover version, Paul Simon’s ‘Graceland’, receiving a playful rendition, before Catherall returned to his debut album and ‘Mother Please’, on which he was joined by Lawler on fiddle, who would remain alongside for the remainder of the show. The addition of the extra instrument provided another layer to the following songs, thus helping to highlight both Catherall’s eye for detail in his narratives, as well as the song craft within the construction of each track. The somewhat unseasonal ‘If You Come Home For Christmas’, was followed by another number from his first album, ‘Germany’, unsurprisingly inspired whilst holidaying in that country during a low point in his life that again provided testament to a keenly poetic soul.
Way to quickly the concert reached its conclusion with the final track of the evening, ‘The Ferryman’, again from his debut, bringing the proceedings to a close. It came as no surprise however that Catherall and Lawler received a typically raucous demand for an encore from the local congregation, to which they dually obliged with the opening track from the new album, ‘Bark At The Moon’, (no, not that one), which interestingly was less representative than one might have expected during the evening’s set. With that it was back to York for these two wonderful artists, and for Catherall another night on Lawler’s couch. Let’s hope that the Aussie winters continue to see him migrate back to these shores for many years to come.
Emily Lawler is already a regular visitor to the Town Hall, having provided support for the aforementioned Lachlan Bryan on his short solo tour just a matter of weeks ago. As a member of Bryan’s band The Wildes, she and Catherall have worked together regularly over recent years, a fact that bore witness during the second set where Lawler’s keen ear and musical craft enabled her to quickly provide the perfect conduit for Catherall’s song choices. Earlier, Lawler had opened the night’s proceedings with a seven track set that began with a wonderful rendition of ‘Ghost Of You’, a song written by the multi-talented Richard Hardcastle, who along with his obvious musical prowess is also a seasoned radio presenter on Jorvik Radio. This was followed by a quintet of self penned numbers that marks Lawler out as an unique talent with songs such as the hauntingly beautiful ‘Ophelia’, and ‘Lament For Lost Time’, to the modern folk of ‘To The Thief’, the jaunty ‘Note To Self’ and the curiously titled but no-less enticing ‘Recovering Doormat Society’. Lawler’s between song banter was warm, full of self effacing humour, whist her musical dexterity, as she swapped from finger picked guitar, to staccato struck viola, to the lyrical lines on her fiddle, is indisputable, but it is her stunning vocals that has the audience totally transfixed throughout her half hour set. The anticipated release of her debut EP can’t come quickly enough.
A review that perfectly captured the vibe and ambience of an extremely enjoyable evening. Thanks Graeme.
Many thanks Alan. It can sometimes be difficult to confidently capture and relay how a live show is connecting with its audience, so appreciate the positive feedback.