LIVE REVIEW: MORGANWAY - DYLAN TAYLOR - THE JERICHO TAVERN - OXFORD

When you glance at an artists tour poster, somehow venues you have never visited always seem more glamorous and legendary than ones you frequent more often. So it was with Oxford's Jericho Tavern, that curious mixture of the Bible and Inspector Morse, and a history that takes in the formative Radiohead among others. Surely with such a back story, the venue must be steeped in history. It would turn out to be a lovely venue with a nice quirky layout, located on the 1st floor up a slightly eccentric staircase. Effectively split into three parts. one housing the stage area, with black walls, the second part adjoined and was brighter containing additional seating and a merchandise area, with thin strip lights on the wall, while in a third section making the venue L shaped, was the bar. The stage seemed relatively small although with 6 piece Morganway most stages can seem that way, the sound quality was superb managing to be loud yet still able to separate out the individual instruments and voices.

The evening would start with a short but fascinating set from Dylan Taylor. an American lady, now based in Nashville though originating from Kentucky with a nice line in songs and stage patter. She looked very slight, like a gust of wind might blow her over, yet her stories would tell of someone with a definite steely strength. She would prove to be excellent company both on and off stage, with her quirky stories and unbridled enthusiasm there was much to like. As she took the stage in her cardigan, with her curly locks swept to one side of her head, and her acoustic guitar, there was little indication of quite how much fun was about to be had.

She would open with "Radio Flyer" the title track of her forthcoming EP, with vocals much stronger than you'd imagine from someone with her tiny frame and showing a strong guitar style, this was someone that immediately intrigued and you wanted to hear more of. Even the way that she left the last line of the opening tune just hanging in the air, waiting for the applause to start showed a certain panache.

Immediately dispensing with her additional knitwear, she then laid a musical trail of crumbs for us to follow. The next song was inspired by her "years in active addiction" and for her "addict friends" adding almost chillingly "They're everywhere they just don't always speak up about it". "Shot In The Dark" had an unexpectedly bouncy tune and a chorus that saw Dylan repeat the chorus at volume first time round and barely as a whisper when it came round again later. In between there were lots of fascinating lyrics that flew by before you could scribble them down.

She would sweetly ask "Are we still friends?" before going on to play a new song "Baby Blue" a little gem written about a friend who was not being a friend. Slower with a gentler guitar line, it came with a delightful vocal line - Dylan "All Y's no I's" Taylor was a delight that just kept on giving. Her next tune "Miss Betty" started a trend of ever more bizarre introductions to songs, this one being about "The hardest ever lesbian to set foot in Nashville!". Gloriously upbeat with descriptive images painting verbal pictures, along with some laugh out loud lines.

Her home state of Kentucky, formed the intro to "Apple Pie Fries" along with moonshine, jail and the advice that it was best to come with a weapon in the moonshine game! Definitely this was a lady with a lifetime of stories to tell! Another bouncy tune with a hook that reeled us in immediately, saw Dylan firing out her vocals in rapid succession. She declared it to be her favourite of her most recent songs and it was easy to see why.

Dylan's final song of an all too brief set was "You Only Love Me When I'm Gone", a gloriously strident bit of guitar playing, mixed with joyful singing delivered with a smile. The loud applause at the end of her set was a testament to just how good time with Dylan Taylor was

Various reasons have kept #TEAMw21 away from Morganway for well over a year now, apart from a sighting at Long Road, where we were severely under the weather, so it was great to see if anything had changed and whether their position as the UK's premier live performers was still in tact. Needless to say, it was! Still a reviewers nightmare with more happening at any given time than one pair of eyes can ever hope to catch. They do not as much perform songs, they more resemble sonic set pieces, each tune has many layers that somehow affords the opportunity for each member to shine, and that is before you add in the multiple vocals and of course the stomp! It means that each song is an event in its own right.

Tonight Morganway would begin with only 5 of the 6 members on stage as the opening intro began. Suddenly from behind SJ could be heard cutting swathes through the crowd with the odd "Excuse me" or two. It was a glamourous Vegas style start to what would undoubtedly be a 5 star performance on the bands Oxford debut.

It would prove to be the opening for "Hurricane", previously the traditional closer of a show now setting the stall out at the very beginning. It is very much the epitome of Morganway where each individual member seems to be playing the key part, yet the full joy is only truly realised when heard as a totality. Whether it be Matt's pounding keys or madcap hammond style solo, or Ed's incessant drumming driving things forward in concert with Callum's bass lines, where should the viewer be looking? Keiran's guitar lines seem to hold things together or is it the magnificence of Nicole Terry's fiddle playing that is the real glue? Perhaps it is SJ's vocals, which tonight seem better than ever, yet even they are supported by the backing vocals of the other five. They are effectively the Six Musketeers, "All for one and one for all" - the magic only truly appearing when all are present.

The sound was thrilling and perfectly balanced, barely only one song in and Morganway were aurally and visually stunning, for let's not forget that most of the time they are perpetually moving, SJ and Nicole literally bouncing as they play and sing.

It was then straight into the party atmosphere of "Feels Like Letting Go", with the audience clapping along. SJ would be wide eyed as she powered out her vocals while Keiran and Nicole at one point would drop to their knees. Switching over lead vocalists, Callum would open up for the single "Boy On The Train", SJ sporting the new "Kill The Silence" tambourine.

SJ would then don a guitar of her own for "Come Over", a smouldering brooding affair, the pace may temporarily drop but the intensity if anything rises - SJ and husband Keiran are at one point facing off against each other with their respective guitars. Blessed with more hooks in one song than many bands muster in an album, by the end it was hard to remember that this song was supposed to be slowing things down.

Always moving forwards, a new song "The Machine" on the machinations of the music industry, had a funky rootsy sound with SJ simultaneously sounding at her most soulful and fierce.

Finger clicking would be the order of the day for "Goddamn Time", where again you could literally pick a member to follow with everyone seemingly playing a key part, though special mention should go to Matt's keys and Nicole's fiddle which was divine.

The most hilarious point of the night was SJ choosing Oxford to mention about coming from Cambridge, further compounding things by saying "It's just about rowing isn't it?". It was all good natured and soon she would be shaking the tambourine on "Devil's Canyon" which would come through super clear in the mix despite all it was battling against. One of a number of songs in the Morganway canon that seems ever fresh and ageless.

Another alleged breather would come with "Frozen In Our Time" a true Morganway set piece. Starting with just SJ singing over the keyboards, the sound slowly builds, first Ed's drums, the additional vocals and then Kieron's guitar until suddenly the whole band had once again enveloped you in their all encompassing sound,

In a campfire moment, the band would decamp from the stage into the audience and gather around a solitary light, to be joined by Dylan Taylor and Tom Webber for a sing song. With Matt on melodica, Keiran and Nicole playing acoustically and Callum holding the mic, "Halfway Tonight", this would turn into a mass clap and singalong - Dylan looked truly stoked to get her own solo line. A joyously harmonious moment.

The band would return to the stage for the big theatrical intro to "Wait For Me Now" a madcap romp which would later include SJ's head banging resulting in a stunning hair display perfectly captured by John Gillespie on the night.

A preamble piece of guitar work from Keiran would signal the start to the mayhem of "Let Me Go" another Morganway set piece that like a fine wine only seems to improve with age.

The title track of the new album "Kill The Silence" would introduce a more dreamy sound to proceedings. At times almost more band harmonies than instrumentation this showed another side to Morganway, Ed's constant backbeat would be added to by individual flourishes from each member. The silence was indeed susbsequently killed by another piece of hearty audience participation

A combination of "Don't Turn The Lights On Yet" and "London Life" would see the audience bouncing and stomping as much as the band which was wonderful thing to be part of.

The evening would close with "I Feel The Rain" offering a final piece of urgency to stomp along with. A truly magnificent evening would end with SJ hitting two fearsome notes.

The Jericho Tavern can now start adding to the roll call of fame - This is where Morganway rocked Oxford to its very core!.

All pictures by kind permission of John Gillespie.