If you have been reading these blogs
for any length of time, you will know that RTM has, over the course of the last
25 years or so, been a huge fan of the late 80s British rock and metal scene.
Alongside our love for Thunder and the Almighty, we were - and are - pretty
much obsessed with the Little Angels.
We mention this, because the
redoubtable front man of Scaborough's finest export, along with the best cricket
ground in this country (no joke it's incredible!) was one Toby Jepson, and he
is here tonight.
We last saw Jepson when he supported FM in Stourbridge back in
July. Then as now, he was armed with just an acoustic guitar. These days a
producer of note as well as a fine singer, he must have enjoyed his solo experience
so much it got fleshed out into a proper tour.
Sadly there is only a sparse crowd to
see him - last year when he the Angels got back together places were packed -
but no matter.
Local boys Third Angle Projection are
performing opening duties tonight, and they too do so acoustically. As their
usual selves they play a modern take on grunge. Tonight, with just a singer and
a bass player it is difficult not to think that their entire set could come
straight from Nirvana's "Unplugged in New York" record. At one point
during "For What You Are" you expect to hear the lyric "a
mulatto, an albino" being screamed out. Third Angle do eventually give in
and finish things with their version of "About A Girl" which is
fitting. Not bad, but grunge has never been a huge thing to us, and TAP are
better when plugged in.
Former Abigail's Mercy frontman Steve
Mercy is up next and he is altogether more interesting. There is a darker
quality to his songs, especially "Peace of the Sun" which he co-wrote
with his accomplice Maria, who provides
backing tonight. This track has a mystical set of lyrics that wouldn't be out
of place on early Cult records. Others, such as "Friends Like These"
are more straightforward, but more visceral. Perhaps the pick of them all
though, is "Summerland" which deals with the loss of a loved one. Singer/songwriting
as it should be, passionate and with a point. The pair even manage to finish
with "Paranoid" with a ukulele (I think) and make it sound tolerable.
Any set that starts with Charlie
Daniels' "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" as it's intro tape has a
lot to live up to, but Toby Jepson has a
body of work to match most. There aren't many more prolific than him - and for
his variety of projects he could give Ginger Wildheart a run for his money. Not
a lot of people exist who were singer in a band with a number one album, and
who have since produced Saxon, James Toseland and written for Katie Melua, but
Jepson has. Then add in his stints as singer in Gun and Fastway and you begin
to get the picture.
Fittingly then, this is a set that
does not concentrate solely on Little Angels material. Jepson has a new mini
album ("we have to call it that so it gets reviews" he jokes onstage)
out and a couple of its songs, notably title track "Raising My Own
Hell" get an airing, as does
"Shadow Boxing,” which takes him into blues and jazz.
There are plenty of songs from all
periods of his career, with perhaps the biggest surprise being the title track
from his criminally underrated debut solo album "Ignorance Is Bliss".
Best of all though is "Small Talk" a fabulously angry song about
growing up in the 1980s and "Thatcher's disaster".
Throughout the hour and 40 minute set
Jepson answers questions that have been submitted by audience members and
amongst other things we learn that he would like to be Freddie Mercury and
loves Prog Rock but moreover he speaks passionately about music throughout,
particularly the Little Angels.
Of course the Angels are well
represented in the show, "Don't Pray For Me" and "I Ain't Gonna
Cry" are simply brilliant, while "Radical Your Lover" is funky
and "Big Bad World" swings.
Jepson ends the set with medley of
"Young Gods" and "Backdoor Man", before returning for
another in "Kicking Up Dust" and "Too Much Too Young" and
an evening which has been by turns, interesting, entertaining and funny is
brought to a close.
Who would have thought that a small
acoustic gig could have been this good? It simply proves that if you have great
songs they can be transferred to any medium. Jepson does. And they sounded
brilliant.
