Making plans for a busy January is Nigel Wearne, with an official showcase at AmericanaFest in London on 24th Jan as well as other dates and a rather good single "To The Edge" which also harnesses the talents of Lauren Housely.
Nigel hails from Australia and "To The Edge" shows how to build up an atmosphere in this wonderfully spacious production - a bluesy guitar, a fantastic Hammond organ sound and a haunting brass section all seem to have a lot of room in which to operate as if playing on a huge soundstage - it certainly has a definite cinematic feel to it as it veers from sparse guitar to full on mariachi horns.
The opening verse only adds to the intrigue generated by the musical backing as you wonder what on earth is going on?
Nigel's vocal opens up proceedings, his voice with a soulful blues timbre to it, sets up something of a tense ominous opening, there's a definite sexual tension in the air.
"To the edge of the river with you
My resolve got wild and your mind got skewed
Down by the edge of the river with you
That's wher I whispered what I was going to do"
The second verse changes the perspective as we hear from Lauren Housley
"I was confused by the change
By your conviction, the silence in flames
But then your gaze well it turned my way
Then the words I couldn't let you say"
Something has undoubtedly happened between these two but the end result of this illicit liasion seems to please neither party as if the realisation that it should never have happened has come too late.
"Listen up honey listen up real
We needed truth, but now there ain’t time to heal
We had each other, we had our song
Never mind that, the timing was wrong"
It's all a mystery , we never really find out much about what is going on but the intensity of the outstanding horn section and organ lets us know that it has been dramatic.
"To the edge of the waterside
I’ll never forget how I lied
Then how I ran for, to save my life
For some true love lost has a will to survive"
Probably unlike anything you'll hear all year, equally something that stays with you long after the music has faded.
There's a suitably perplexing David Lynch style video to accompany it which asks as much as it answers in its duration https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmzjkBASSQw
NIGEL WEARNE 2023 JANUARY UK TOUR
Friday 13th January - West End Centre - Aldershot Saturday 14th January - Chapel Arts - Bath Sunday 15th January - Edge of the Wedge - Portsmouth Tuesday 17th January - The Witham - Barnard Castle Wednesday 18th January - The Crescent - York Thursday 19th January - The Met - Bury Friday 20th January - Liverpool Philharmonic Saturday 21st January - Alder Bar, Sheffield Sunday 22nd January - The Hive - Shrewsbury Tuesday 24th January - Americana Fest Friday 27th January - The Stables - Milton Keynes Saturday 28th January - Thimblemill Library - Smethwick