The Present Bee, Bee And Gee (Still No Bee Gees, But I Don't Mean To Be Mean)

Nearly three weeks ago (!), I had the pleasure of seeing Butler, Blake & Grant perform live in concert at St. George's in Bristol. 

Tucked away on a side street near the top of Park Street, the St. Geroge's website succinctly describes the venue as "580-seat concert hall was converted from a 200-year-old Georgian church, and [...] a truly special space". With the emphasis on "truly special".

Amazingly, it was the first time I had been inside St. George's full stop, let alone to see a concert, so I was already excited to be there. I was literally sitting in the back row, though in real terms, I was only a few dozen metres from the stage.

It wasn't long before support artist Charlie Noordewier took position at the microphone and started playing. I wasn't familiar with Charlie's music, though this was less of a surprise when he shared that he'd released his first single, Moonlight Hotel, a couple of weeks beforehand.

Charlie was previously in The Native, who also passed me by but produced a truckload of raucous, anthemic tunes. Charlie's one person, one guitar (at a time) and occasional harmonica set up was a different proposition altogether.

Steeped in folk - no surprise perhaps, given that Charlie has lived between Devon and Cornwall - what really made the set stand out were the interesting arrangements, some lovely playing and a voice full of character and emotion that the sympathetic acoustics of the venue allowed to take flight and soar.

Moonlight Hotel is a great song but honestly, it doesn't do him justice. Go see Charlie Noordewier performing live for the full experience, if you can.

A strong start, but even so, the best was yet to come. Entering from the left - Butler, Blake & Grant in that order - the three took their seats, twiddled their guitars and prepared to entertain. 

"We just heard the news that Brian Wilson has died," said James. "As a mark of respect, we are not going to play any of his songs".

And that kind of self-deprecating wit and easy humour with the audience and each other was evident throughout the night. But no mistake, these were three consummate artists playing together like they'd been doing so for decades. 

With the exception of one (instrumental) song, the debut album was performed in full, although not in sequence, starting with One And One Is Two and opener Bring An End reserved for the penultimate song of the night.

The rest of the 16-song set was made up of cover versions, of their own and other artists. Teenage Fanclub got just the one, Planets from 1997's Songs From Northern Britain, and a Norman Blake co-write. As a (very) latecomer to the TFC catalogue, I may be stating the obvious by saying it's one of their finest records,

That album includes a song called Winter, but it was it's namesake, a 1991 single by Love And Money, that was performed, one of two by James Grant's band. I didn't particularly follow them back in the 1980s but have come to appreciate them, particularly this song and it's parent album Dogs in The Traffic, thanks to it's re-release on Past Night From Glasgow. Winter has become a favourite since, so it was wonderful to hear it in a live setting.

Two songs also from Bernard Butler's ouevre: People Move On, the title track of his 1998 solo debut, and his UK Top 10 hit from thirty years ago, Yes. Bearing in mind that the original was sung by then-partner, the peerless David McAlmont, a daunting prospect, perhaps. If so, it didn't seem like it, Yes recast as a rootsy acoustic number with Bernard's earthy vocals facing down any suggestion of comparison.

The first wave of covers was rounded off with a surprise: Me And Magdelena, which appeared on The Monkees' 2016 swansong Good Times! and was written by Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie. I've never heard the original, but as a tribute to both the songwriter and the band, the trio pulled a blinder.

Which pretty much typified the night, an intimate setting with three incredible musicians, completely at ease with each other and exuding the sheer pleasure of performing music, amplified by the venue and the general joy felt by the audience (though sadly, not a full house, an indictment of the sad times we're living in).

Far too soon, we were at the final encore and, maybe less surprising, a cover of Cinnamon Girl by Neil Young & Crazy Horse. I would have been quite happy with an 18-minute version of the song. I think it was closer to the three minutes or so of the original, but a satisfying end to a truly wonderful show.

But it didn't end there. Post-show, James, Norman and Bernard were staffing the merch stall, so of course I joined the queue and bought the limited edition gold splatter vinyl, which I asked them to sign. When I unsealed the album at home, I realised that there was also a signed print inside...! 

We had a brief chat, I shared my appreciation of the incredible show I had just experienced and of course they were all lovely blokes. But, there was a queue behind me, more merch to sell and more chat and photo opps to satisfy and, as Bernard sang earlier, people move on. 

In my case, the five-minute walk back to the car park and subsequent drive home. I think most of it was levitating, and I've still not quite come down, nearly three weeks later.

If Butler, Blake & Grant are playing anywhere near you, then run, don't walk to get a ticket. Opportunities like this don't come around very often, so grab it while you can. In the meantime, buy the album from their website (vinyl & CD) or Bandcamp (vinyl & digital).

Photo credits (all from the Bristol show, apart from the LP, taken in my back garden):

1, 2, 3 & 7: Me!

4, 5: Paul Duckett

6: Richard Prescott

Simon Cawley was also there, and he posted their cover of Planets by Teenage Fanclub on the Book of Faces.