LIVE REVIEW: COUNTRY ON THE COAST DAY 3 - WINTERS HILL
- May 2, 2019
- 2 min read
Today Winters Hill today were reduced to just one player, guitarist and vocalist Max Hoar, sporting a Deus cap and a checkered shirt. The opener “Buried Alive”, had a delicately picked guitar with Max’s unique slightly raspy yet effective vocal style . From the 2018 EP “Stay Golden” about Dougal the dog!! was wonderfully upbeat and engaging, while "Shake it Off" – not the Taylor Swift cover, gave us another look at what can be produced by one man and a guitar.
Completely different from Simon James yet equally engaging, going more for the big chorus behind a strumming guitar. This was one of very few gigs he had played solo, and it was all the more impressive for that, The set continued with “Canada Grove” which seemed to have a very intense message at the heart of it
From an obsession of Steve McQueen films came the next song, "The War Lover", with gently plucked guitar this had a touch of Justin Currie of Del Amitri about it in the vocal delivery and was exceptionally well played.
"Bodyweight! – another darker song “I was hungry I was broken when I took up chain smoking” was strongly delivered playing the word "Bodyweight" off against its homophone in the chorus "Hoping her body waits". Max confessed to being obsessed with Irish singer songwriters hence an attempt at the Irish sound in “Ghosts That I Know” and it succeeded in having that Gaelic feel to it, The final song was a glimpse at the next Winters Hill single “You” – where Max seemed to literally paint figures and events into a great song that we look forward to hearing on its release.
It was a set that was relatively short and sweet, yet at the same time hauntingly memorable -
One final song – Back to the Ocean – intense opening – demanding attention – enjoyable set
Max
