Setlist: New Life, Life, Firefly, Plunk, Long Gone, Home, Wongle No. 9, Shout, Mount Ephraim, A New Day Encores: Your Move, Sacred Run
After the delightful but formal setting of Kidderminster Town Hall, this was about being up close and personal with the band. The Old Cold Store certainly lives up to its name but once the music started the place heated up.
First up was Leoni Jane Kennedy with some songs from her forthcoming album Synthetic plus a cover of Rush’s Tears (from 2112 and her New World Woman album). Leoni plays the set on her acoustic and I enjoyed it even more than at the Town Hall because of the closer connection with the audience. It was a wonderful performance and culminated in Ammunition which is the most overtly personal song in the set. Here watching her perform it only about six feet or so away it was deeply affecting.
Leoni, of course, returned with Solstice, and suddenly the small stage looked even smaller with eight on it. What was so good about it was the band were so close to the audience, as well as each other. Space was at a premium, with bass player Robin Phillips right on the edge of the stage. I worried for him but Robin was, as usual, looking completely unfazed.
New Life opened the Solstice set and it’s one of the oldies that has grown significantly with this line-up. I like the studio version very much but it crackles and pulses more now. The live vocal mix Solstice has on-stage is superb and they showed it here. From New Life to Life which is one of the tracks that has grown on me more and more. It gives Jess the spotlight vocally after the warm-up of New Life with Jenny’s fiddle weaving around her and oh my those backing vocals are such a sweet treat too. It’s about mid way through this song in the quieter section – ‘I hear you’ that I caught my breath and marvelled at just what an incredible performance I was seeing and how much the band are enjoying it. Does any other band anywhere look as happy as Solstice?
That thought leads nicely into the warmly uplifting Firefly which has the rocksteady beat of Robin and Pete underpinning all the lovely fluffiness with those exuberant synth runs a feature. Great solo from Andy on this one too – I get a feeling it’s one of his favourites watching him.
About half-way through Andy announced they were going to be channelling some Zeppelin at Earls Court 1975 spirit. Zeppelin had played a mini acoustic/ mid set break set at those shows and that’s what we got too with Solstice playing Long Gone. It was quite lovely and following it up with the breezy Home was an equally smart and well received choice.
I do like the funkier hot styles that the band do so well and we have three big hitters in the set, sandwiching that mid-set ‘break’. Plunk is Dyane’s vehicle on stage and she does a great job, delivering a powerful magnetic performance and vocal with the band cooking away.
Then there’s Wongle which seemed even more scorching than usual. This was taut and rhythmic and groovy right from Robin’s bass intro. I love it when Steve breaks out the Hammond organ chops which he clearly loves playing and then there’s Andy and Leoni’s guitar duel. Being right up close for that I swear you could feel the intensity coming off the stage. They keep that intensity up with Shout riding on a funky groove – Andy playing a melodic rhythm part with Robin and Pete and that killer solo from Steve.
The band introductions proved to be another unexpected highlight. Always a fun part of any Solstice show, but tonight we were treated to an instrumental workout on Bob Marley’s Lively Up Yourself which I would have loved to go on longer and feature vocals. This was a really fun and excellent little diversion.
Jenny Newman’s fiddle leads the charge on Mount Ephraim, while set closer A New Day is arguably the best it gets live from Solstice. It has everything you love about the band in one song. It’s moving and epic on record but it’s even more overwhelming in this setting. Andy Glass tears off one of his many immense solos and he is just outstanding as they build to the finish.
No going off before the encores – it would have been ludicrous in this venue – so there’s only a brief pause before we are into the cover of Yes’s Your Move. It’s proving a sing along favourite and it segues into Sacred Run. which is always a great way to finish. A stunning vocal mix to it and Leoni’s flying hair is one of those visuals you don’t forget.
Because of the close proximity, it was a full-on and right in your face experience of Solstice and I would definitely go back and see them there again. Next stop for me is York in August.
For more on Solstice go to :- Kidderminster: Jellyman’s Mill Interview with Andy Glass Interview with Leoni Jane Kennedy