LIVE REVIEW: JULIAN TAYLOR - MICHELE STODART - RAEVENNAN HUSBANDES - SIAN MONAGHAN - WATER RATS - LONDON

To try to recreate a show, that was one of the events of 2023, seems an act of enormous hubris, yet here are #TEAMw21 once again at The Water Rats for a Green Note presentation, to see Julian Taylor. The support, in the shape of the nights band leader Michele Stodart is the same, as is the band she has put together to support Julian on his UK tour, even Radio 2 / Channel 5 presenter Jeremy Vine is to be found in the room once again. The only difference is the appearance of a front row of benches and an additional couple of rows of chairs. The room is once more easily as packed as it was on our original encounter.

Michele Stodart would take to the stage dressed in black, in 2023 she had just released the first single from what was to be her stunning new album "Invitation". It was a deeply personal album and an undoubted critical success. The set would even open with the same song "Tell Me" but the manner of playing was totally different. Whereas before Michele created the atmosphere by barely playing the guitar at times, this version had an air of confidence and showmanship about it. The words were still delivered at times seemingly syllable by syllable, but they were delivered in a more assertive fashion, the line "Lie to me" even came with a forceful stomp.

Next came "Ain't No Woman" written in response to "Jolene", which had a delightful guitar refrain running though it and would see Michele bounce up and down as she performed. It would all end with a big smile. The balance of family versus career and the sacrifices to be made, came with "Push & Pull", it climaxed with an audience "la la la la" along!. The bluesy intro of "These Bones" would lead to another excellent recurring riff, and Michele would play with her vocal volume, at times barely a whisper, while at others rocking out. The line "I ain't hanging around to die" towards the end would show this transition perfectly each time it was repeated.

A treat would come with a powerful new song, the title of which was not revealed so we'll go with "Everything and More", packed with hooks and harmonies, this blend of message and music will be well worth waiting for a recorded version of. A final song "You Can't Dismiss Me" built around the seeming simplest of guitar refrains, shone all the attention on Michele's intense lyrics and powerful delivery. Michele did not match the performance of three years ago - she bettered it!

It cannot be overstated just how much the assembled band brought to the table, having been to a couple shows recently where the percussion was far too loud to the point of drowning out the singer, special mention must go to Sian Monaghan, who could create atmosphere from the lightest brush of a cymbal but who could equally rock out when required. Quite possibly the widest display of percussive skills ever in one show. A veritable octopus on the night who seemed to have arms everywhere. The contributions from Raevennan were equally marvellous, which justified the smile on her face which was pretty much evident throughout. Her contributions started with such subtlety before moving through the gears to all out rocking by the end, and not forgetting her backing vocals as well. Michele Stodart on bass and backing vocals, would bounce the night away clutching her bass like it was an extension of herself, as she would patrol every inch of the space around her.

Julian who had earlier been in the bar sporting a tremendous jacket that just oozed musical superstar, while at the same time was totally humble and approachable, brought just that attitude, ( if not the jacket) to the stage. Little did we realise that he and the band were starting to paint an aural masterpiece within the show, for like a snowball rolling down a mountain, things would start small, more acoustic, higher on subtlety, gradually building momentum and volume as the evening progressed, through the perfectly paced program. Arriving to the PA playing out the Waterboys "Fisherman's Blues", Julian would note "Shame to turn it off", he would be met by someone in the crowd shouting "You're worth it!"

The show would open with "The Ridge", Sian's energetic brushwork providing the drive, while Raevennan's dobro flourishes gave the overall sound its texture. Julian the natural narrator welcomed you in, leading to the chorus with Raevennan and Michele providing additional backing vocals. It would fall to Sian to bring things to a close, calming things down like a slowing train finishing with a shimmering cymbal. Dedicating "Wide Awake" to his parents, Julian's lyrics would vividly recall various family events, blessed with a welcoming chorus, the audience were totally engrossed in Julian's world.

Julian would tease us with news that this fantastic lineup had just recorded a new album before then taking us back in time for "Ballad Of A Young Troubadour" which had the audience swiftly joining in unsolicited, on the "Na na na" chorus. The sympathetic playing of the band made such a perfect backdrop that Julian could not help but put in a great performance, even though he had only set foot in the UK that morning.

The band would temporarily leave the stage as Julian would play solo for the homespun wisdom of "100 Proof" and "Ain't Life Strange" with its hypnotic recurring guitar refrain.

For "Be With You" the whole audience were 100% invested, just from the truly moving introduction, so much that the song just had to be a success. The band would return, Raevennan now sporting an electric guitar, "Weighing Down" however was initially given its atmosphere by Sian's cymbals and Michele's backing vocals. Raevennan's guitar would almost quietly wail in the background, on this sublime performance.

The volume and intensity would start to ramp up with "Pathways", the chorus possessing a soulful, almost spiritual feel. With the spiritual genie out of the bottle, a quick "1 - 2 - 3" from Sian took us into "Seeds" and the overall sound went to another level, the chorus with the 3 voices on stage were met by a barrage of support from the audience playing their part.

Julian then gave us a sneak preview of the new album he had trailed earlier with a new song called "Drive". It's never easy to make a judgement on first listening, but it seemed to be a sweet sound tied to powerful lyrics that reflected the current times we are living in.

It was now time to ramp up the sound further as Julian also went electric for the easy groove of "Back Again", which would see him reveal his swivel hips as well a guitar face off with Raevennan on this piece of pure pop.

The sweet soul of "Desert Star (Who Could Ask For Anything More)" would see Sian now providing the crisp power back beat while the funky blues of "Bobbi Champagne" would see more full on audience participation, screaming the name of the titular character.

It would also see Raevannan throw in a solo, and the wondrous sight of Julian and Michele bouncing up and down was something to behold.

From there the band hit the top of the rocking spectrum and went almost ZZ Top'ish for "Sweeter", the looks on the faces of the band, a testament to the enjoyment they were having, as well as us. The rocky mood continued mixed with a little latino mixed in for "Just A Little Bit", which had the audience now finding their dancing feet in the party atmosphere. The final song would be a mad combination of rocking soulful funk in "Zero To Eleven" to bring a quite fabulous evening to a close - Did lightning strike twice? Was it as good as last time? - #TEAMw21 think it was probably even better! Last time Julian had the element of surprise, this time round he had to face the burden of our already high expectations, a challenge he and the band met and surpassed.