Live Review - Thea Gilmore

Thea Gilmore’s Wintertide


The Sage Gateshead, Hall 2, December 17th 2009-12-21



The evening’s support came in the form of Thea’s longtime friend and collaborator, ex Lindisfarne , local guy, Rod Clements. It struck me as ironic that a week to the day after I was in The Sage surrounded by the thickest fog I’ve ever seen over The Tyne, the man who brought the world the song Fog on The Tyne was in that same venue, although he sadly omitted that song. Commenting that this really was his stamping ground as he grew up near here, he proceeded to take us through a range of his songs, from his early days with Lindisfarne , to his newer material. Including Train in E Major, which has altered, he joked, over the years, to Train in E major, though it remains the same song. Other enjoyable numbers included New Best Friend, a song about the Red Light District of Shreveport, Louisiana, and Whiskey Highway , which perhaps of all he sang, best demonstrated the gravelly quality in his voice, as well as his unquestionable songwriting ability.



Following a break, the lights dimmed everything began to feel very Christmassy indeed, as bells played to announce Thea Gilmore’s arrival on stage, one of four on stage wearing fancy dress, along with her guitarist/ husband Nigel Stonier and her band of two; Fluff and Dan Logan. Thea, referencing this, joked, ‘Well, this is our work’s Christmas do, hence the fancy dress!

With that, she eased straight into Yoko Ono’s Listen the Snow is Falling, immediately reminding me that her voice is even more striking live than on disc, such is the clarity of every word she sings, penetrating the silence of the room. Looking around and being reminded that there were people above her, she quipped, ‘Nigel, they’re behind you…!!!...well, it is panto season! In fact, on that note, I’d like to thank Newcastle Gateshead for providing the snow; we wondered when we would finally see some!’ She went on to tell us that her new release, Strange Communion, is a seasonal album, as she wouldn’t use the ‘C word’ until later.



Backtracking through her catalogue slightly, she asked for audience participation on Saviours and All, and I have to admit to having not only forgotten how great a song it is, but also to having never noticed the reference to St. Nick.



Telling us that a source of frustration to those close to her, is her stock reponse of ‘Oh Come on, ’ whatever the occasion. On one such occasion, she recalls, the ‘lightbulb’ went off and she realised there was a song there; needless to say it was called Oh Come On. Asking us questions to which, obviously, our response was a very loud ‘Oh Come On!’ she led us into joining in the song. I have to admit, if you heard it on the radio you’d be in no doubt that it was Thea Gilmore song, from the lyrics and the ‘attitude’ hidden within them.



Cold Coming followed, which considering the weather, seemed more than appropriate. Another original seasonal song, from which the CD title, Strange Communion originates. It was as she sang this song live that realisation dawned for me; communion refers to a group of people, not something that happens in Church!

As Thea quipped that we were lucky our show was closer to Christmas, being as the Wintertide tour started in November, she introduced us to Fluff on the fiddle, which gained a few laughs from those of us who heard that not quite as it was delivered. At this point, it has to be acknowledged, what an incredible fiddler Fluff is; certainly one of the best I’ve seen.



Drunken Angel, a truly beautiful song, was preceded by the observation that so many times she has felt she is being watched over, but such is her haphazard luck, she is convinced her guardian angel must be inebriated most of the time.



Thea then spoke about writing a collection of winter songs and how she loves winter; seeing it a s a time for gathering, connecting and giving thanks. Inviting friends, Mike Heron and his daughter, Georgia Seddon, onto the stage, she demonstrated just what this winter gathering can do. Initially they backed Thea as she sang Are You Ready, Georgia’s snare drum and backing vocals, taking the song beyond any rendition I had previously heard; just stunning. Mike and Georgia then took centre stage, Thea stepping back to sing harmony for them.



Sol Invictus, we learned, was inspired by the Roman festival of the Sun God in December and ended up a hymn to winter. I will admit, that whilst not my favourite song on the Cd, hearing Thea sing it completely a capella, (as she does The Parting Glass,) in Hall 2 was enough to make even the most stubborn hairs stand on end, as a magical, almost ethereal, sensation washed over us.



As Nigel returned, a surprise classic Christmas song was thrown into the mix, with Blue Christmas, which actually suited her voice incredibly well. This was followed by a joke that she was now going to play ‘a song in D Minor; saddest of all keys,’ and what followed was an achingly beautiful rendition of December in New York; an older song which Thea re recorded for this album. If anyone was ever in any doubt that Thea is an amazing wordsmith, they need look no further than this song, in my opinion; ‘I will tune into the radio, to hear some guy sing like chocolate,’ is such an evocative line, which could actually describe the singing we were hearing.



As the lights dimmed even more, there was huge applause as Rod Clements returned to the stage to join the band for Old Soul, a song which Thea wrote when she was pregnant with her son. Thea divulged that the Christmas, sorry, Winter CD, idea, was inspired by BBC Radio 2 presenter, Janice Long, at an Elvis Costello gig. She had remarked that she couldn’t believe she was going to have to start playing the same Christmas music and asked Thea to write an original song, and Thea says, when a Radio DJ asks you to write a Christmas song, you write a Christmas song. She admits it would be fair to describe her as a cynical girl, but she is willing to allow a certain amount of fluffiness around the edges at Christmas. This song became the lynchpin of the album. That song is That’ll be Christmas; the closest Thea is ever going to come to writing a cheesy Christmas song, it is in fact proving very popular with radio – who knows, maybe it could become the next Christmas classic? Live it is nothing short of genius, complete with Fluff’s whistling in between verses.

The set was ended with a very clever Elvis Costello song, The St. Stephen’s Day Murders, ostensibly the story of two sisters. At times it felt reminiscent of Fairytale of New York, in style and delivery.



Following great applause, they returned to the stage, Fluff holding a home made dartboard. A volunteer was requested to throw the dart at the dartboard, which would choose the one permitted ‘cheesy’ Christmas song of the night, assuring us that other than the few which have been picked already, none had been rehearsed, as evidenced by the sheets of song lyrics being held! Our ‘port and stilton moment’ came in the form of Santa Claus is coming to Town, which had apparently been requested in the style of a few different people already, from Monty Python to Leonard Cohen, so Thea opted to sing it as Bob Dylan. What followed was one of the funniest five minutes I have ever experienced anywhere, never mind at a concert, as Thea delivered the song, in an almost perfect Dylan voice, in between fits of laughter. Thankfully, she gave us a rest, though not for long, as she opted to sing the final verse in her own voice (again carrying it off really well) and having us all join in. Between the sounds of laughter and people singing, it was a touching reminder of how music brings people together.



The final Christmas song of the evening came in the form of the simply beautiful, Old December, before she reminded us of her other musical side, ending with the upbeat Mainstream, which again had everyone singing along, a great end to a fabulous night of music. What struck me, having seen Thea several times before, is that she seemed more relaxed on stage, like she has discovered a whole new level of confidence. My hope is that she has finally had her epiphany as to how very talented and under-rated she really is, although I suspect if you were to say that to her, you’d be greeted with that trademark ‘Oh Come On!’



As we all left the hall, and looked out of the windows of the Sage, over the River Tyne, we realised it was snowing again...just perfect. Suffice it to say that it was one of the best nights of music I can recall, especially coming so close to Christmas, to get us all in the spirit. It somehow signified the start of the Christmas season, as we all embraced together the opportunity to ‘Sing, sing, sing for Old December.’