Heart(Ag)low

On Wednesday evening, I zipped down the M5 to see Jane Weaver at the Bristol Beacon.

A big deal for me as I had tickets for Jane's gig at Komedia in Bath last April and I had to bail at the last minute due to a(nother) family crisis. So this was not only a chance to make amends, it was also my first time seeing Jane live in concert.

Quite the turnout, and quite the view from the far reaches of the Beacon balcony, isn't it?

Fortunately, I was in the standing/stalls area, about three deep from the stage, and my walk up a few minutes before show time was a little less obstructed.

Jane and the band came on stage, said hello and then launched into Quantify, her standalone single from 2024. From there on in, the audience was captivated. 

The band were on it: Joel Nicholson (guitar), Matt Grayson (bass) and Andrew Cheetham (drums, out of shot to the right of this photo and in my direct line of sight). Jane was coughing a fair bit between songs and maybe not 100%, but you would not know from her singing, her voice floating up and down and through the songs that was seemingly effortless.

The set itself was a heady mix of music from the last decade or so, two each from still-current album Love In Constant Spectacle, Modern Kosmology and The Silver Globe. Only one from Flock, which was my proper entry point to Jane's music in 2021, but when that one is Heartlow, how could I complain?

Jane apologised for not moving about as much as usual, due to a "very slippery" stage, but the performance was so dynamic that I didn't notice and I'm not sure anyone else did either. I was transported to a world where magic could happen and I didn't want to leave.

Sadly, it was over too soon and Jane, Joel, Matt and Andrew left the stage to rapturous applause, we were all aware that this was a special night and it was great to be a part of it.

My recreation of the setlist cannot fully do it justice, simply because the live performances were so fantastic. However, I have dropped in a session version of Perfect Storm for Marc Riley and Gideon Coe's BBC Radio 6 show, the extended 'Loops Variation' of Slow Motion and partner Andy Votel's remix of 2017 single The Architect to add an extra dimension. I love it.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that, incredibly, Jane Weaver was the support act.

Come back later today to see what I thought of the headliners.

1) Quantify (2024)

2) Perfect Storm (Riley & Coe Session) (2024)

3) Heartlow (2021)

4) Love in Constant Spectacle (2024)

5) Slow Motion (Loops Variation) (2019)

6) Mission Desire (2014)

7) The Architect (Andy Votel's Brutaliszt 250KG Readymix) (2017)

8) I Need A Connection (2015)

2014: The Silver Globe: 6

2015: The Amber Light: 8

2017: The Architect EP: 7

2019: Loops In The Secret Society: 5

2021: Flock: 3

2024: Love In Constant Spectacle: 4

2024: Quantify / Deep Perelle EP: 1

2024: Riley & Coe Session, BBC Radio 6, 8th April 2024: 2

Heart(Ag)low (43:30) (GD) (M)

Apart from my photo of the gathering crowd at stage front, a big thanks to Guy Cooper and Martin Copcutt for the additional photos, posted on Facebook following the gig.