Sunday was incredible. And stressful.
Myself and Gemma headed into London to see Buswell & Nyburg perform with a 60 piece orchestra and various Xtra Mile Recordings artists. I was lucky enough to win a pair of tickets!
We decided to head up a bit earlier in the day to have an explore. Drove to Newbury Park only to find the car park was closed and had to go up to Redbridge. A little annoying, the start of my anxiety.
We headed over to Liverpool Street in order to visit the Spitalfields Market and then through to Brick Lane for Bagels. The market was slightly overwhelming. It’s been a while since I’ve been into London proper and I’m not used to so many people. We did get to visit Crosstown Donuts though and what an orgasmic experience it was! Dark Chocolate Truffle and Peanut Butter + Blackcurrent Compote. WOW!
If you haven’t been to Beigel Bake on Brick Lane, what have you been doing with your life? Honestly the best bagels I have ever had. The smoked salmon and cream cheese is devine. Unfortunately I managed to get myself pretty overwhelmed by the idea of queueing up and it took me a while to build up the courage. Sounds mad doesn’t it? But I can be quite good at getting overwhelmed by seemingly standard things. I glad I managed to get past it. Admittedly stumbled on my words slightly when going to order.
After we had eaten we walked to Shoreditch station to head over towards Hackney for the gig. I was beginning to feel somewhat out of it and the journey is actually a bit of a blur now. We made it to Dalston Junction and had a few minute walk to the venue. Arriving a bit early we had some time to kill. Not knowing the area I found myself in a position of being unable to make a decision on where to go. This is not a new thing, it’s something that has affected me a lot in the past. Unfortunately this time it sent me spinning. I felt removed from myself and was unable to talk. Truth be told, I felt like I needed to crawl up in a ball on the floor and rock back and forth. Thankfully Gemma recognised that I was struggling and asked somebody for a recommendation on where to get some tea. After a bit of a sit down and some excellent english breakfast I was feeling a little better. There was, however, still the problem of the venue. I had never been before, didn’t know the layout and had no idea what to expect. I did know that it was free for all seating which worried me a little. I struggle when there is a lack of control.
We joined the queue pretty early on and made our way into the venue when the doors opened. The first stop is a bar room where the merch had been setup. Bumping into the guys from PET NEEDS helped a little. Never hurts to see a friendly face. Initially the venue funnelled people into the merch room while leaving the main venue closed. We found somewhere out of the way to sit down for a bit but then the crowd started moving. Thankfully we managed to join the queue pretty quickly and shuffled up the stairs to the main room. What a venue! The room is clearly worn but it works to its advantage, creating a fantastic atmosphere. The seating is simple wooden steps in a semi-circle. Not the most comfortable but they do allow a feeling of openness. While everyone was making their way in the lights were setup as blue and yellow. A nice little nod to support for Ukraine.
We managed to sit close to the walkway in the hopes that I wouldn’t be too closed in. Ultimately this worry was unwarranted as the gig wasn’t fully sold out and a lot of people gravitated towards the centre and we were slightly off to the left. Once we’d been sat for a bit I started to relax a little. Still on edge but not as worked up as I was. The first half of the show was Shaun Buswell and Erik Nyberg performing with the orchestra playing a number of original songs along with the odd TV theme tune. Although I didn’t know any of this music I loved every minute of it. I was captivated by the songs and the beautiful arrangements. The show was split into two sections. 'A' included the Buswell and Nyberg performance along with Hannah Rose Platt and Mariska Martina each performing one of their own song. After a short break the 'B' section began with the Xtra Mile artists. Deux Furieuses kicking it off with a bang! Next came Berries, an unfortunate turn of events for their bass player who had contracted COVID and had to miss it. They stood proud with the stand in and delivered a cracking performance.
Guise came up next. I have seen them perform a couple of times before and Brother in Arms is a favourite of mine but this was the best the song has ever sounded. The orchestration really adding so much to the overall sound. I won the tickets through the PET NEEDS Facebook page and I am so glad I got to attend and support the local boys done good. I am a big fan of their music and they were the first of the Xtra Mile gang to get two songs. 'As The Spin Cycle Span' and 'Tracy Emins Bed' were absolutely the right choices. The last few times I have seen they play Spin Cycle has been turned into an upbeat punk song more in keeping with the rest of the show. This time they played it much closer to the album version which was already somewhat orchestrated. What a privilege to was to witness this. It has always been one of my favourites on the album. Emins Bed is their most well known song and the originator of the phrase 'Kind of creative but mainly just a mess' which now adorns much of their merch. The song started off slightly differently but then kicked in to its true, powerful self. Only with a whacking great orchestra behind it elevating the track further. Incredible. PET NEEDS finished to a well deserved standing ovation.
Johnny Lloyd and Mull Historical Society are not artists I know but will be sure to listen to in the future! Both fantastic songwriters with great voices. For those who were wondering, Colin from Mull Historical Society confirmed that he is, in fact, from Mull.
Last but by no means least, Frank Turner came on to perform three songs including 'Farewell to my City' from his latest album, 'FTHC'. He started with 'Don't Worry', a wonderful opener:
'Don't worry if you don't know what to do.
I've spent a little time in worried shoes,
I wore them out through walking, it wasn't any use.
Don't worry if you don't know what to do.'
I really respect Frank for how much he talks about his own mental health and this is a really lovely song. This was followed by 'Be More Kind', one of his more popular songs, the title speaking for itself. Definitely one that also lends itself to orchestration.
Finally he played 'Farewell to my City', the last track on the new album and a song about him leaving London and settling on the Essex coast. A powerful track for sure and great way to end the set. A number of the Xtra Mile artists also joined him on stage for the chorus. Getting to watch an orchestra perform together when many of them had only met the day before was incredible. The professionalism and sheer musicianship required to pull that off blows my mind. As I understand it a lot of the orchestration was done quickly, not rushed but speedy. Given all of this the standard of performance was outstanding! This show really made me realise how much music gives me strength. I was absorbed by the music and my worries disappeared. For the whole time the band were playing nothing else mattered. It also made me realise how much I want to be able to make music for a living. It is my passion and one of the few things that feels worthwhile to me. The chance to play with an orchestra is not something I had considered in the past but it is definitely something I would love to do one day. I have already dipped my toes into orchestrating while working on 'Always' and I am excited and invigorated to create more and worry less.
