 |  | John Amor | Saturday 2nd June 2007 | |  |  |
| | | | In the early nineties, from a tiny village in deepest darkest Wiltshire, UK, there came forth a band with fire in its belly and blues in its heart, and that band was called The Hoax. One of its four key members was Jon Amor, a long, lean guitar player who, along with his cohorts, toured the UK, Europe and the USA for eight years until the group disbanded in 1999, with four successful albums and a string of awards to its name. Since then, Jon has taken on the role of frontman with his band AMOR and established himself as a singer and songwriter in his own right, releasing two highly acclaimed and influential albums and giving the British blues rock scene a much-needed kick up the backside. Jon disbanded AMOR in 2005 and made the final leap into solo performance with a string of unique acoustic gigs. He also recorded a brand new album Unknown Soldier which is set for release on May 2nd and features guest performances from Led Zep legend Robert Plant and renowned tub-thumper Clive Deamer of Portishead and Roni Size fame. | | | |
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| | | | | | REVIEW:
was delighted when biG al said he would reserve two tickets for me and my beloved at Amy’s first solo outing for a while. So where exactly was Rosliston and the Madhouse? We ventured forth up the M1, across country until we found this lovely little village with a pub that did the best chips we’ve consumed in a long while. It augured well for the evening.
Then, of course, Arrrr Jayyy gets to meet biG al! At last! And what a true gent and, of course, a hero. Anyone putting on love (or even live) gigs consistently of this quality has a big heart for music. I know myself the risks involved and the time and effort that goes into promoting live music – people like biG al make it happen. He had guys doing the sound who at least had imagination and ears and tried to add some of their own touches of delay and reverb, unlike some of the cloth ears I’ve heard at other gigs recently. Roses to you all, especially you, dear biG al.
Another plus was the support John Amor. Imagine one of the McGann brothers merging with John Lennon via Pete Townshend but being a better guitarist and singer. That sums this guy up –and he was a dab hand with the ol’ looping. On the final number, he just slightly missed one of the bass rhythm loops he set up, smiled ruefully but still made it happen. Amy and Amor make it look easy – but the timing is so difficult.
A short break and then "Her Wojness" took to the stage, motoring in with Freefall. After having only heard it by HBird for a while, it was nice to be reminded of Amy’s original take on the song. The heat was making the guitars lose their tuning and Amy, normally so fast and furious with the tuning whilst telling a story and dashing hither and thither actually had to pause to take a breath! This wasn’t looking easy. She was working really hard during ‘Scream’. ‘Always’ started at a blistering pace and then slowed into a rhythm that seemed more comfortable for Amy. She still managed to hit all the loops spot on.
It felt a relief to me when Amy said she was, indeed, feeling tired and was taking a short holiday immediately after the gig. This seemed to free her up and she seemed more able to be as she truly was, rather than having to be Amy the Professional Performer. The speaking of her truth seemed to enable her to enter into the songs without having to try so hard. She was just Amy being Amy, giving us all a great night out and singing her big heart out. Consequently, ‘Shattered’ (which I’ve never been very taken by) was a complete triumph as were the subsequent songs in the set. ‘Clean’’Breathe’ and ‘Therapy’ are amongst those I remember hitting the spot.
However, a new piano number, written in response to a family event involving Amy’s grand dad, had me (and a fair few others) suppressing the ol’ sobs. The lump in my throat was a real biggie that took some stifling. The song is all about letting those closest to us know how much we love them, being fully present in the moment – you know, those kind of big existential themes. It has been written with great clarity and insight.
At one time in the night, Amy said something about ‘Maybe I shouldn’t be telling you all about how tired I feel tonight.’ Some Big Mouth (me) shouted ‘Keep it real, Amy’. Technically, she may not have been at her best, but Amy’s vulnerability made this one of the best, most sensitive performances I have ever seen her give. She gave it her all. I hope it didn’t cost her too much physically or emotionally and that now she has a bit of a rest.
In the manufactured world which is so much of the popular music industry, Amy gave a stunning performance and has written another new, magnificent song which talks about what it is to be human and tells it just how it is. It doesn’t get much more real than that. | | |
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