Merry Hell, Atkinson, Southport

stage presence

noun

the ability to command an audience with impressive style or manner  (Dictionary.com)

Two support acts to open the evening, with Nottingham singer/songwriter Luke Whitmore up first.  Initially nervous, he relaxed as his set unfolded and became much chattier with the crowd.  Culminating in his taking a photo of us, to show his wife the size of his largest ever audience!  He has a pleasant voice and some nice phrasing, but the songs lacked any distinctive qualities and his lyrics were too often predictable and banal.  It felt like a work in progress.

The evening was being held under the banner of Grateful Fred's, who hold monthly events at this venue, and before the interval we got a trio drawn from their resident house band.  An unusual line up, instrumentally.  What I took to be a tenor guitar turned out to be bass, the expected lead guitar was mostly on rhythm duties, and solos were provided by an electrified ukulele.  Add in a bit of harmonica and you have a surprising sound.  There was the odd bum note, the guitarist had by far the better voice of the two lead vocalists, and too many jokes were aimed at the in-crowd of regulars.  But the songs were good, arrangements imaginative and they provided plenty of entertainment.  What more do you want from a house band?

I opened this review with a dictionary definition, and it came into play immediately after the interval.  The arrival of Merry Hell on stage changed the whole dynamic of the room.  There's no glamour or pizzazz or flashing lights or dry ice, just an immediate connection with the people they are there to entertain.  And that's the key word for their set.

There's no virtuosity, but solid, professional musicianship.  No sparkling musical imagination, but well crafted, well written and lyrically clever songs.  They cover a wide range of subjects, including politics, death, consumerism, violence and love, with wit, humanity and an innate sense of decency.  Wrapped up in some stonkingly catch tunes.

On this occasion performing as a six piece outfit, with bass, guitar, fiddle and mandolin/bouzouki, fronted by their two excellent vocalists.  It is the contrasting and complementary voices of Andrew and Virginia Kettle that encapsulate the MH sound, his rasping and raucous, hers sweet and soaring.  Both are natural stage performers with mime, dance and comedy as integral parts of their appeal.  Meanwhile the facial expressions and physical antics of Bob, on mandolin, and Nick, on bass, add their own visual xxxxx to the show.

Stage presence.  So often forgotten as an essential ingredient of live music, but served up with all the trimmings by Merry Hell.

For a finale the Hell were joined by the opening acts, and whole audience, in a rendition of the Monkees' Daydream Believer, one of the great singalong numbers (well, it was for a crowd where most of us could remember the sixties....).

And all I could think as I left was .... please come up to Scotland, and soon.  Merry Hell are a great live act.