Gregory and The Hawk: Live at The Queen of Hoxton
Words by Alex Jackson
With a hushed, attentive and observant audience all sat down on the floor of the Queen of Hoxton’s sweltering subterranean bar, Gregory and the Hawk’s tour-ending gig had an air of school story-time about it: Upturned faces, dappled with light from the overhead glitterballs stayed silently, fixedly, rapt by US singer-songwriter Meredith Godreau’s breathy lullabies of sweet stardust and arch observance.
It was all very nice, very twee, but perhaps lacked a little dynamism on the night. Godreau (understandably given that this was the fag-end of a long European tour), seemed a little weary, with only a few spurts of giggly, injokey-type banter with her two-piece backing of guitars and keys/flute.
However, on the occasions when Godreau dispersed with their services GATH really soared, her delicate, wil-o-the wisp stories becoming far more captivating in the process.
Going solo just worked better. The fragility of Godreau’s lovely finger-picked melodies and tender tales really came to the fore. Left exposed, they became treasures; things to keep safe in a protective embrace, rather than sentiments half-hidden amid the padding of averagely arranged backing parts.
GATH gamely exhausted their repertoire to fill the stage time, appease the crowd’s lusty requests for “more” and, no doubt, to stave off the inevitable curtain call on a successful tour promoting Moenie & Kitchi, Godreau’s FatCat Records debut – a deal signed on the strength of Godreau’s solo presence during a single Brooklyn performance. Thankfully, the closer here was left to her to perform alone. In Boats and Birds, Godreau sings: “I live to let you shine,” a fitting tribute to her own songs that, live, need no embellishment, only her.
Posted Mon, June 29, 2009