Lowry Manchester 23 April 2009

A couple of months ago I caught a live performance by James Taylor at some ungodly hour on TV. The show was held at an intimate, lovingly renovated old theatre in Pennsylvania - a vintage venue for a vintage musician. It was a great show and immensely funny. Some weeks later I heard his son’s music for the first time and while I wasn’t blown away by it was intrigued to compare father and son in a live performance environment. More recently I received a new album by David Saw, a close British friend of the Taylor family, which was good enough for me to want to see him play. As luck would have it, I was invited to review a concert featuring both artists at Salford’s glorious Lowry Theatre complex, just north of Manchester’s city centre. Nestled in the historic Salford Quays area and surrounded by water it’s a wonderful place to be on a warm spring night, while for artists the acoustic quality of the Quays Theatre leaves little to be desired.

During a quick peep into the venue to sort out from where I would be able to take photographs I caught a three-piece female acoustic band sound-checking and looking/sounding pretty good. I asked my minder the band’s name and she was none-the-wiser but enquiries later revealed that the three ladies went under the name of Siskin. So three acts for the price of one and all totally new to me. I was excited…

As is usually the case (especially at The Lowry), Siskin walked onto the stage in front of many empty seats. I find it difficult to understand why punters pay good money for a night out and then spend their time drinking in the bar, waiting for the main act to appear. As it turned out, those boozing punters missed out on a very interesting and entertaining forty minutes of music. Over to the left of the stage sat lead vocalist and guitarist Galen Ayers, over the other side of the stage sat behind her long Roland keyboard was Kirsty Newton. At centre-stage the latest addition to the band, straddled quite provocatively astride her percussion box, was Genevieve Wilkins. Ayers and Newton started out as Siskin back in 2005 (following experience with other bands and solo work) and have gradually garnered fans and the attention of music industry figures. The addition of Wilkins is a clever move and I can only guess that the percussive element has given the band a new rhythmic edge.

I’ve got to admit that this is the first time (in over ten years of music media experience) I have witnessed an acoustic female trio and what struck me most was that at least two of them were good enough to play solo. I mention that because the vocal and instrumental performances from each were excellent (after the statutory initial nervous moments). New girl on the block Wilkins also chimed in with some quality backing vocals and in her role as percussionist created a solid bond between the other two. In fact I think that her presence opens up new opportunities in the area of song writing, and incidentally she looks as sexy as sin…

Then there were the songs penned by the band. This was a more difficult area for me to judge as I usually have more time beforehand to make my own critical assessments. That said, of the set-list (that seemed to fly by) I noted at least three or four songs that struck a chord, and not just with me. The audience responded enthusiastically to the girls who were strangers to them - a very good sign. Joe Jackson’s ‘Different For Girls’ was indeed very different in a good way. Other highlights included ‘Eddie Loves Mary’, ‘Blow Me Away’, ‘Traffic’ and show’s concluding song ‘Living On The Edge Of The World.’ On occasions I sensed a jazzy vibe, on others a pop-folk vibe, and on one occasion a blues vibe. But most importantly the songs featured strong melodies and decent lyrics. Were they great songs? Not yet but I felt that this band oozed friendship, unity, enthusiasm, great skill and something so vital in live concert, the ability to connect with an audience. Great songs therefore will come (perhaps digging deeper emotionally) and I certainly look forward to hearing the band’s debut album due out very soon. Hopefully the girls will tour extensively over the next year and if they do I can strongly recommend that you go see this attractive, distinctive and highly entertaining trio.