LIVE REVIEW: SAVANNAH GARDNER BAND - SUSANNAH CLEGG - DINTON PARISH CHURCH
- May 8
- 7 min read
After 40 minutes of driving down increasingly narrower roads, it seemed as if the sat nav was playing a cruel trick and that we were nowhere near Dinton or indeed its Parish church, yet seemingly one turn and like Shangri-La it magically appeared before us. As venues go, it offered the most spectacular views on this warm sunny evening, less so later on, when creeping through the graveyard in the dark, but fantastic by day!
This was the choice of Empty Rooms Promotions for a gig featuring the Savannah Gardner Band supported by Susannah Clegg. The interior of the church was as stunning as the outside, with a small bar, a merch area and a nice sized performing space offering unblocked views. With the room made up half of locals and half of familiar Americana aficionado's, more used to gracing the mean streets of London, we settled down to very special evening.
It was only last month that #TEAMw21 caught up with Susannah Clegg for the first time, this time the hat was the same but she was distinctly less coal miner and more Coal Miner's Daughter in a white dress that she would later refer to as her Tess Of The D'Urbervilles outfit. As she is ploughing a musical furrow quite unlike anyone else on the UK Americana scene, it was great to get an early chance to reassess our original thoughts. Strangely bathed in a red light for most of her set Susannah would open with "Prospect Street", it does take a second or two to attune to her singing voice for although hailing from Lancaster, her vocals are authentically American, all we were missing was a camp fire to sit around. Although written about her hometown if she'd said it was Lancaster Missouri we'd have believed her. For the final verse, the vocal shackles came off and the vocal projections filled the high ceiling of the church.
The second song "Tess" opened in dramatic fashion, with a first verse that said so much creating an immediate back story.
"I don’t ever think about the man that’s done me wrong
The time for foolish butterflies and summer wine is gone
Maybe I was naive but I know I was not warned
That men like him are weak as they are strong".
The chorus is equally downbeat
"I used to think an angel would save my soul and make me whole again" sees Susannah able to carry the voice of the disaffected with great ability.
The hope of the earlier chorus is later tempered with an additional line suggesting it's all too late "I'm not that girl anymore" then gently the song closes with Susannah placing her hand over the strings of her guitar after they've played their final notes. It only makes you want to immediately want to dive back into the song and listen again.
Hearing these songs for a second time, allowed the chance to hear the lyrics a little more. For "Good Times Are Coming Our Way" which proves to be a falsely optimistic title.
There is lot of songwriting technique on display, from the title playing with our expectations, through to the introduction of a letter midway through - the two simple words "It read" are sung in such a way that you fear for what will follow. In the previous show and from the earlier song Susannah had professed a liking for Thomas Hardy and this was exactly the sort of thing that he would do.
By comparison "Caroline", inspired by Susannah's dog was positively upbeat, even including a chirpy solo. The opening chords of "Colorado" once more prepare you for a sad epic, and you will not come away disappointed
"If I get back to Colorado Is an unrelenting flow
Of broken memories all I’ll find?
Or if I get back to Colorado
Will that rocky mountain grant me peace of mind?"
Susannah elongates the word "Colorado" so it all but reverberates around every inch of the church such is the verbal punch it is delivered with. Closing in total contrast with "Last To Know Blues", Susannah moves her guitar playing to ultra fast and supplies vocals to match. Preparing to record her debut album, details are at the bottom of the page should you wish to assist this most unique of performers.
It's been over a year since #TEAMw21 has seen Savannah Gardner play with a full band, and tonight was a reminder that the loss has been all ours. Her band The Recovering Good Girls are a revolving set of gifted musicians normally anchored by Carmen Ruiz Vicente on percussion and backing vocals, another instrumentalist who has the ability to adapt to the room in which she is playing. On guitar and pedal steel tonight, a performer in her own right was Holly Carter while on stand up bass, possibly recovering but definitely not a Good Girl was Tomas Siroky
With her black frills and trademark white boots, Savannah would establish her local credentials by referring to having lived in Thame. It would prove the ideal introduction into "Home Again", Carmen's percussion would be in total sympathy with the surroundings in an evening that would see her in multiple roles. A divine Holly Carter guitar solo and Tomas's warm bass sound, let alone Savannah's contributions got the second part of the evening off to a roaring start.
For "Recovering Good Girl", Savannah would lead off solo, the band gradually falling in behind her. Carmen transformed from a gentle shuffle with brushes to a more traditional back beat, still in keeping with the performing space though. Savannah has a walking on the spot style of dance as she sings this tune, the chorus seeing her rock out in style.
There are undoubtedly few performers on the UK Americana circuit who could quite pull off a song like "It'll All Come Out In the Wash", part acted, part sung, always totally entertaining, the announcing of the title being Holly's cue to join in, now on pedal steel. Savannah's delivery is magnificently overblown like a latter day Eartha Kitt. Full of drama from start to the sudden finish, it was undoubtedly good fun.
An undoubted high spot of any Savannah show is "Wildfire", the elongated introduction pulls in the beauty of Montana, the effects of forest fires, before then taking that idea and skillfully using it as a metaphor, for herself. The skillful blending of the themes together is a songwriting masterstroke, and could easily be a question on an A Level syllabus, trying to decypher all that has gone into making this the undoubted classic that it is. If the previous song was big and theatrical this was like a movie close up, with Savannah seemingly barely whispering the vocals at the start before gently working her way through the vocal gears. Carmen in her second role of the night, added the subtlest yet most effective backing vocals, while Holly's dreamy guitar work set things off perfectly.
For "Cowboys Of Carrizo", Savannah weaved one of those magical introductions that journeyed from a family trip, via a cemetery full of ranchers, to tales of lost souls searching for their lost love. Her skill as a narrator is unparalleled and as an onlooker you are so far invested into the whole song before a note has been played, that it cannot help but succeed. It starts out as just Savannah but before long, it has all the classic elements of a Western ghost tale, Holly's pedal steel all but haunted the song, while Carmen's percussion evoked the feeling of those riders.
From there after a few acknowledgements, it was into the rocking of "Wayward Wind", with a chorus that just screamed to be heard by a wider audience.
Recently #TEAMw21 had asked Savannah about how much material she had gathered for a second album and it seems her cup is overflowing, this was magnificent it has to be said, even raising a smile with its fake ending, with even Savannah letting out a laugh of enjoyment as it finished.
One of the more unusual events of the night saw Bruce Knapp ( Tomas the bass player's friend) step from the audience to make his stage debut. Savannah would say that "We were in good hands" and Bruce did excel leaving Savannah free to act, express and dance as well as sing on the rumba of "I Left You Behind" Bruce even got to throw in a solo. Nor is it often that your drummer moves from her stool to come up front and play guitar, but this is a Savannah Gardner show, and with multi instrumentalist Carmen at the back so anything goes - for the singalong of "City Of Cowboys", though the most moving moments came when for just a few bars Savannah went a capella reducing Dinton to pin drop silence.
Another of Savannah's engaging introductions to "Lying Cheating Stealing" prepared the way for a classic bit of country songwriting. The title professes the things that she will not accept in a relationship before then subverting the negatives and turning them into positives that are acceptable. Savannah would go on to turn the audience into 60's backing singers in this feast of good fun, with Savannah sporting a broad grin at each response.
From a chat about magic mushrooms, we were suddenly into the fast paced guitar intro of "Deep Blue Sea" which was matched by equally speedily delivery from Savannah, swiveling as she played this was another song that ended to big smiles all round.
With an ability to switch the mood in the blink of an eye "Heaven Is A Feeling" totally slowed things down, Savannah one of those rare artists who really seems to live their songs as they sing them.
Lifting the mood once more, it was time for honk tonking with Savanna pleading "Don't throw any beer bottles Dinton" after her explanation of what a honky tonk was. There would be dancing and clapping in the aisles for "Tomorrow I'll Be Free", leading as ever into "Dead End Relationship" with Carmen speeding things up ever faster. A magical set would close with "Heartbreak River" with its message of hope "The colours will come flooding back". It seemed to really find its place in Dinton Parish Church and Savannah's vocal soared around the old building to stunning effect.
Of course this could not be the end, a solo version of "This Pain Is Love" was delicately fragile at times but so beautiful and entrancing that the audience hung on every word, so much so that Savannah had to say "Thank You" to confirm that it had finished, so afraid were they to clap early on another performing masterclass. Leaving us with "Born In The Wrong Generation" with its Bruce Springsteen "Dancing In The Dark" addition, this really brought the curtain down on a most fabulous evening.
To help fund Susannah Clegg's debut album https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/susannahclegg/susannah-clegg-debut-album
Savannah Gardner & Susannah Clegg - will both be at Country Calling
Additional Susannah Clegg Pictures courtesy of Michael Chowne
