Cherry Ghost performing live at EVAC
Cherry Ghost sweep into Liverpool’s East Village Arts Club with new album Herd Runners, Getintothis‘ Alan O’Hare saddles up.
A killer hook is as rare as rocking horse shit. You don’t always need it, of course. We could all name ten of our favourite songs that meander around a mood and atmosphere to do something to us. But one now and again doesn’t hurt.
This is all our way of beating around the bush of describing a very good, but quite sedate, gig from Cherry Ghost. Simon Aldred, the main hoofer, is clearly a good singer and songwriter. His band is tight and knows what they’re doing. And yet… and yet… something is missing.
East Village Arts Club was packed for the Friday night gig and the big favourites (Mathematics, People Help The People) sounded great. But the gig never took off. New album, Herd Runners, dominated the night and its wistful ruminations on love and life drew a veil of melancholy around the Seel Street room.
But, whereas say Elbow or Richard Hawley, ply a similar trade, Aldred’s approach feels a touch heavy handed and the group lack a lightness of dynamic touch.
Drums are brushed for most of the evening, tempos stay mid-paced and the colour pallets used for these melodic and intricate tunes stays resolutely mono. What price a guitar, organ or horn solo?
Cherry Ghost are popular and here to stay it would seem. It may just be a pity for them, that they’ve arrived to the new acoustic movement (remember that?) party as the sweeping up occurs.
Cherry Ghost performing live at EVAC
Pictures by Getintothis‘ Gaz Jones
