Hove Folk Club

JEZ LOWE: Friday 7th January 2011
Report by Jon

The New Year at the Hove Folk Club started in fine form with a packed night – very, very busy. And for a lot of that we must thank our guest, a proper respected and loved Big Name, Mr Jez Lowe. I must admit I wasn't particularly familiar with Jez's stuff, but I'd heard some really good opinions of it, so I was very much looking forward to hearing him in person. What was particularly exciting even on top of anticipation of this, though, was that of the crowd, a huge number of people were floor performers wanting to sing or play – so many it was a struggle for our host Robb Johnson to fit them all in.

But fit them in he did, and a good thing it was too – even by the standards we've come to expect at the folk club, they were really good. Robb himself started things off with a rocking and rousing new song, and from then we had a seemingly never-ending run of different acts – there was a range of songwriters (both familiar and new to the club) playing fantastic original songs, a stunning guitar instrumental, four-part harmonies, klezmer… It's really unfair to pick any one act out, but last time I did a write up for the club I promised that if one act played again I'd get their name right, so I will: Charlotte and Spong, who played concertina and mandolin and sing together, all in a stirring but seemingly effortless way – tonight they did their song about midwinter fishing off the coast of North America, and it was a joy to hear them do it again.

Jez Lowe was brilliant, as well. A natural and utterly engaging performer, I was really glad to have heard him finally. His songwriting is of a really high standard, mostly evocatively capturing his native Northumberland, and he has a style of playing the guitar, bouzouki and mandolin that is rhythmic and upbeat but incorporates complex melodies that were catchy and mesmerising. And he can accompany himself on the harmonica but actually play a tune on it, not just do howling solos – how many people can do that?! He was a thoroughly decent and affable bloke as well, and all his songs, whether about heart-touching social ills, childhood memories or curious whims of the modern world, were all shot through with the same warm, human humour so even when your blood was burning with a political injustice you still felt something of a smile on your face. He's capable of a remarkable variety of narrative voices, too, from out-and-out comedy, to frankly capturing an old friend's outrage that anyone would want to write a song about the harshness of a mining life, to the blank, alien but still emotive perspective of "Gull's Eye".

I was thoroughly glad I came tonight – one of the best nights out I can remember in a long time, and I'll definitely be looking up a lot more of Jez's songs and records. Very excited about next month already!

Web site: www.jezlowe.com

MySpace: www.myspace.com/jezloweandthebadpennies

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