The venue for this evening’s concert, St Nicholas Church, Beverley, can trace its origins back to at least the 12th century, possibly of Norman architecture, though by 1655 the original building had fallen into disrepair, partly as a consequence of the Civil War, and was demolished. The present church was consecrated in 1880, with more recent modern refurbishments completed just over 12 years ago. It is only during the last couple of years however that the venue has begun promoting live music, overseen by the current vicar, Reverend Mike Peatman, who, judging by the acts that have already graced this building, is clearly a man of impeccable taste with such renowned artists as Blair Dunlop, Campbell/Jensen and most impressively Mary Gauthier and Jaimee Harris having all previously performed here. With its atmospheric ambience, superb acoustics, and even a licensed bar, St Nicholas Church is without doubt an excellent addition to the town’s live venue network.
Tonight’s headline act comfortably holds its own alongside the aforementioned artists who have performed here in the past, as after several years away and with a new line-up, Red Sky July is back with a new album and a short UK tour. Fifteen years since they formed and eight years since their third and most recent album release “The Truth And The Lie”, the North London trio have just released their new album “Misty Morning” to broad critical acclaim, including from our very own Andy Short. In the interim time there has been a slight change in the line-up with esteemed vocalist Haley Glennie-Smith coming in to replace Charity Hair, who has returned to the United States, joining original members husband and wife Ally McErlaine, formerly of the Scottish band Texas, and Shelly Poole, one half of the nineties pop duo Alisha’s Attic.
Performing just the one set, the trio opened up with their version of ‘Joe By The Book’ a song written by Big Thief’s guitarist Buck Meek, which first appeared on his eponymous solo debut back in 2018. With McErlaine on acoustic guitar, Poole and Glennie-Smith immediately impressed with their harmonies. From here, it was back to their self-titled debut album that came out in 2011, and one of the most popular numbers, ‘How To Get Your Love’ which at the time of its release received considerable airplay from BBC Radio 2. The recently released album “Misty Morning” then took centre stage with Poole regaling the audience of the challenges that beset the recording, including Covid, that resulted in three attempts before the record was finally complete. First of the new songs was ‘Pool Party’, the one number to survive the two previous aborted attempts at making the album, with a narrative that harks back to Poole’s halcyon days during the mid-nineties in France. Here again, as he did throughout the show, McErlaine delivered some delightful guitar accompaniment, whether it be on the acoustic or his Fender Telecaster, the tone and fluidity of his playing was exemplary, offering the perfect foil and conduit to the beautiful harmonies of Poole and Glennie-Smith. Two more songs from the new album quickly followed including ‘Stars Turn Cold’ along with the second single, the excellent ‘Stones And Brambles‘.
It was interesting to note that of the thirteen songs that made up the night’s set, five were cover versions, though, in fairness, they were excellent choices. In particular, their version of the Daniel Lanois written ‘BlackHawk’, made famous by Emmylou Harris on her critically acclaimed album “Wrecking Ball”, was quite exquisite. Here, Poole and Glennie-Smith’s vocals complemented each other perfectly with another exhilarating guitar solo from McErlaine, while both the choosing and the delivery of the Chris Hillman and Gram Parson’s song ‘Juanita’, that first appeared on the Flying Burrito Brothers seminal album ‘Gilded Palace Of Sin’, was inspired.
Either side of these covers, there was still time to revisit the new album with ‘Two Magicians’, an old British Folk song that formed part of the ‘Child Ballads’ given here a subtle modern twist, followed by ‘Platform 5‘, a Glennie-Smith song that she had brought with her to this new project. Finally, ‘Kings Of Better Times’, another album highlight, allowed Poole and Glennie-Smith to expand their vocal harmonies, building to almost anthemic proportion and providing the perfect high to bring the set to its conclusion. There was, however, still time to respond to the audience’s raucous demands for an encore with the trio returning to their debut album for an excellent rendition of ‘Already Gone’. Eight years is a long time to be away, but Red Sky July are finally back, and on this evidence they are back with a bang.
The evening’s proceedings had kicked off with local singer-songwriter Tony Beacock who was ably supported through his eight song set by Sam Inglis on pedal steel. Beacock delivered a striking presence on stage, tall, bearded, and wearing a conspicuous hat, his distinctive baritone vocal drawing a similar comparison to Bill Callahan. Growing visibly more confident and relaxed with each song, his writing stood up to scrutiny with, in particular, the self-penned ‘Karma’, ‘Empty Room’ and ‘Cold July’ all impressing, while his cover of John Hartford’s classic number ‘Gentle On My Mind’, was another highlight of this short set. On this evidence, Beacock may well be an artist destined for greater things.
