LIVE REVIEW: APRIL MOON - THE PRINCE OF WALES - MARLOW
- Jun 9
- 4 min read
Our favourite UK based Canadians, April Moon rarely point their live in, camper van towards the South of England, so a chance to see them was to good to be passed up. Sadly we were already occupied for their preferred date at the ACanteen, with the ever wonderful Gina Larner and resurgent Roisin O'Hagan, however a date at nearby Marlow stood out and so our first meeting coincides with a debut visit to The Prince Of Wales, a pub on the outskirts of Marlow.
On entering, April Moon ( Jaime April & Jason Moon ) are set up in a corner in the front section of the pub, a board announces their name and while there is no stage per se, they have a nice little set up including a rudimentary, although highly effective lighting rig. This was a repeat visit for April Moon having excelled at a previous Open Mic night, however with five minutes to go there did not seem to be much appetite for a musical evening, with an England football friendly playing out over the TV, and a general hubbub of chatter - but how wrong this initial assessment would prove to be!
This evening would be a mixture of covers and their own material, not our usual Saturday night fare, but this was our only chance to see April Moon in the forseeable, so for one night #TEAMw21 made an exception. Jason in shorts would be on electric guitar for the evening mainly taking the lead vocals and also providing cymbals via a foot pedal, Jaime would have the more acoustic guitar, and ownership of Stompy, the suitcase snare drum which she would power with the heel of her foot while also providing backing vocals.
At #TEAMw21 we always judge a band by the quality of their choice of covers and opening with "Stumbling In" a relatively obscure minor hit for Chris Norman ( Smokie) & Suzi Quatro did some what pique our interest. It was played with a certain joy and it certainly attracted the attention of the assembled audience who were up dancing on the first number. As Jason then went on to an urgent strum, singing the lyrics
it took a few moments to sink in, but we were watching a countrified version of Alanis Morrisette's "One Hand In My Pocket" which would end on with a high 5 between the two as per the line in the lyrics.
This was not you usual country cover fare, no "Jolene", no "Sweet Caroline", April Moon were not going for the cheap wins and yet the audience, who seemed very musically aware, were singing along to every line whatever genre popped up.
With the momentum up and running, the announcement of some home grown material is normally met with some chatter and disinterest, yet somehow April Moon were once more able to break the mould. Their self composed song "Mama I Told You Not To Worry", seemed to nestle in seamlessly and did not derail the evening in the slightest. The title is slightly misleading given that the follow up line in brackets would be ( but I shot a man down today) as it details the journey of a girls downfall via loving the wrong man.
It was back to the covers with Paul Simon ( Me & Julio) and Willie Nelson ( On The Road Again) which Jason would open a capella before we were back to some home grown material.
April Moon's tale of life on the road in their van "Long May You Roam" was our step on point to their work and this version was stirring, with rocking guitar and the dual vocals serving up a treat, ending on an audible "Yeah!". It was followed by covers of The Who's "The Seeker" and The Eagles "Take It Easy". Every one of these covers was played in a unique way, with a freshness, you went from kind of knowing the song, to definitely knowing the song, then loving it in its new version!
Jason is an excellent guitarist and when he took the lead vocals on songs more often performed by women, it just gave them a new dimension. Jaime had a delightful urgency about her playing, enhanced by her providing the stomp and backing vocals. It should also be noted that they have mastered their own sound and so Jaime's guitar and vocal appear high in the overall mix when they could otherwise be drowned out.
Another original "Part Of The Game" was another rocking joy to listen to
"You’re telling me that you’re leaving me
But it’s only a part of the game"
that would finish with a kick in the air from Jason.
Part one would close with "Thorn In My Side" with the Prince of Wales crowd providing the supporting "Wha Wha Wha Woh's" of the chorus, Jake Bugg's "Lightning Bolt" and a Pink Floyd medley which closed on "Another Brick In The Wall Part 2" and a pub crying
"Teacher Leave them kids alone!"
The second half would prove slightly rockier yet equally eclectic, opening with a slowed "Heroes" seguing into "Where The Streets Have No Name", "We Will Rock You", Buddy Holly's "Heartbeat" ( by request) and Golden Earring's "Radar Love!". Simon & Garfunkel's "Cecilia" would become "Get Back". Within all this there was still room for the original rousing, rocking "Leaving For Montreal".
Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way" would be not only a floor filler, with the audience bellowing out the chorus, but would also incorporate the instrumental finale from Dire Straits "Sultans of Swing". Visits to Bonnie Tyler's "It's A Heartache", The Rolling Stone's "Paint It Black" and Queen's "I Want To Break Free" would close the second set before the inevitable country encore of "Anarchy In The UK", a final unlikely singalong!
There is far more to April Moon than covers, and we'll be looking forward to seeing them on an evening full of all originals. They've shown that their own material can happily sit alongside the classics played tonight, so they will surely make for a highly entertaining show in their own right.
Go join April Moon in June for more outrageous good times!!!
