No, please don't be scared, regular readers. Yes, I am (reasonably) using proper capital letters and so forth, look you see. I figured best to do so, for if "links" or hits or whatever wonderful things the internet can do to help someone, let me write (as close as I can get to) properly for a change. Certainly not, no, this is a trend which shall not extend beyond this.
So, a little while ago (couple of weeks, give or take), I had that reasonably rare thing of a week at home. Yes, still in lodgings in place of exile, but still, it was not a week on the road for verk. The purpose of that week "off" was, once again, to see a concert. Which, but of course (once again) got cancelled at quite short notice. Oh, bother. My week for live music was not to be bereft of such, though, for reasonably close it was so that Marie Marx was doing a gig, playing live or putting on a performance, however you kids refer to it. I mean, no, I don't know, once upon a time records simply got released, now they are "dropped" apparently.
For purposes of clarification, Marie Marx is a singer songwriter who(m) I really, really like. Up to now she's done two albums, This Is The Thing (here) and Universe (here), both of which were brilliant. It has been great to see the latter get some attention, for I believe a few radio stations have picked up some of the songs, adding them to their playlists.
As far as I am aware Marie Marx is a fairly regular gig player. Chance, circumstances and what have you have just meant that I've not been able to get to one of the shows before, but here we are now. By the way, what an excellent venue, too. It's called, as you can tell in the above pic, NEVolume, and is clearly run more for the passion of a great place than simply profit. Here's the link, and I cannot recommend or endorse the place enough. Sure, I don't have that much club or venue experience these days, but then perhaps I would if there were more places like this one.
To be honest, it was kind of (sort of) a last minute decision to go. I was rather tired out and particularly drained, what with it being one of those celebrated "hottest weeks in history" weeks. And then I went no, let me drag myself up, going all "yolo" on it, saying rather go and regret in a worst case than not go and simply wonder. Besides, in exile I had little else to do, and figured it would be all over and done by my usual bedtime. Not quite so on that last one.
Off I went, then, paying for a ticket on the door (which cost more) rather than buying in advance on the internet, which kind of threw the staff a little. Not quite packed but a fairly reasonable crowd gathered, and we were treated to not one, not three, but two (2) support acts. The first did quite a bit of shouting with swear words, which I wasn't expecting, and then the next was a really good straightforward rock guitar player.
Just a touch of video for you above, then. Actually, I felt a little awkward taking it, and the couple of pictures. The venue, the gig, all felt somewhat intimate (or similar), and recording had a sense of grand intrusion. But, of course, I went ahead and did so. Ultimately the decision was let me grab a few seconds, and then if that is enough to persuade someone or other to check out this excellent music, well that's worth any irrational discomfort I felt.
Going back slightly, then, that idea (or notion) I had of it being an evening where I would probably be back home for bedtime, Well, no. Not that anyone would have much interest in this, but normally I would seek to be in bed around 10pm. Yes, go ahead and add your comments on how I need beauty sleep, etc. All probably true. That all went out the window with two lengthy support sets, then, with Marie only taking to stage ever so slightly south of 10pm. Oh.
Quite the set too, with some 17 (seventeen) songs played over the course of somewhere between seventy to eighty minutes. A rather loose set list too, with her swapping and changing when people in the audience asked for a specific song. Lots of lovely interaction, and certainly it's not that Ms Marx is at all shy in front of the crowd.
Most impressive was that Marie's singing was as note perfect live as it is on the CDs I do indeed play from time to time. What a wonderful, wonderful voice she really has. Add that to the songs she writes and wow, my only surprise it is only a few dozen radio stations which have picked up on her songs. It is so that I am pretty much in awe of anyone with not only talent, but the belief and confidence to go and put that talent out in the world, where an audience is all to keen to be ferocious than welcoming. My feeling is that she's one of those performers capable of winning over any, if not every, crowd.
Plus points for the bass player. True, the whole band was great (yet at times it seemed the drummer, like me, was surprised at the late night), but the gent on bass caught my attention. For a start his bass guitar was one of a nature that I had not seen before, and it was awesome. Other than that, he appeared to have styled himself somewhat on John McVie. Possibly a "left field" choice in this day and age, but my what an excellent one.
One more link for you then, the official facebook page for Marie Marx. Needless to say I encourage all to visit, give a "like" and what have you. Should you be in the area and she's playing a gig, trust me there are many, many worse ways to spend an evening, with only a few better that I could think of.
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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