Wesley Centre Live Archives

19th April 2024- Honey and the Bear at The Wesley Centre, Maltby

Next for us in Maltby at the Wesley Centre Live we see Honey and the Bear, a Suffolk folk duo who have ventured here for the first time with a sound more towards the indie folk, and a soundscape of music exploring the natural world. It is a nice addition as the weather starts to turn better, and the clouds retreat just a little bit more. As always, this venue is great on sound quality, value, atmosphere and friendliness. We are always keen to promote these venues where they exist and have attention to detail of both the core music experience and the little welcoming niceties.

Honey and the Bear are a duo, but here they are joined by Evan Carsen (assorted percussion including a bodhran of some description) and Tony Shaer (violin, flute, numerous). They are all really good, Shear is a versatile instrumentalist, Carsen has a most fantastic array of percussionist tools at his array which he works magic with. If there was a way of describing the sound that comes from Honey and The Bear, it is the balming wind that sails through the leaves and under the heat of the high afternoon sun. Nature can seem timeless in the odd moments, the band here encapsulate that gentle Spring and Summer brightness that rarely exists in the UK. Nevertheless the one time it is a scorching day, it is baked into the memory of us old ‘uns and thought fondly of each time.

In terms of subject and spread of the set, we have songs that cover tales from their geography and industry, lesser known but accomplished celebrities, and the odd folklorist tale here and there. There is a lot to listen to, and a lot to enjoy, so we will give you a snapshot.

Let us start with what wets our whistle the most, the folklore. Here the band talk of and sing about “Black Shuck”, a black dog (if memory serves with eyes like “saucers”) who terrorises no-er do wells outside in Suffolk. With it’s drums pounding in simplicity, as an audience we indeed “fear the black dog” when it calls. Early in the set it highlight’s the duo’s natural tones away from large instrumentation, it cannot be beat. A lighter, more breezy number later on which is almost it’s mirror is “Tinker”, a palate-cleansing song, a ramble through nature and in a sense, pure sensation. The immersiveness of Honey and the Bear is hard to deny, and much like the song says, “the soul of the forest is drifting in”.

“Finn’s Jig” by Honey and the Bear

“Finn’s Jig” is from their album “Away Beyond the Fret” which concerns their little son Finn with the song being dedicated by his older sibling Ash to commemorate his being. Blazing with woodwind, it is expansive and optimistic, “we can be daring, we can be strong, we’ll be explorers, we’ll get the job done” it reminds of those artists who have encapsulated the world through their child’s eyes in sing such as Megson and Kate Rusby. Highly melodic and light it has a youthful essence that burns bright. Similarly in the set, there is also “The Swallow” a pacey, nature-bounding escapade into the wild, a road trip through the Summer and a song full of indie folk sensibility. Here you get a sense of “Honey and the Bear” as you listen to the playful intermix of major vocals, the gentle simmering backing vocal and the hayful footpedal leading forward the epitome of their image and sound.

“Over Land and Over Sea” is a good historical number that charts the work of people from Garrett’e Engineering Works with the “Living Van”. The engines that are transferred overseas are so big the driver would continue on with them in these vans, the name given to a wooden trailer that is towed behind for the worker to live in away from home. On delivery they would then have to return home without a vehicle to move them.. and this could take a while. The percussion is industrial, the guitar is moody, and Lucy’s voice is lifting, mysterious and willowy. It has a bounce and hypnotic quality like the introspection in the mind of a long distance driver coming up to Hamburg.

Honey and the Bear have a good setup with a generally gentle sound that is bolstered by a great harmony. This earthy, green sound is bolstered by an expansive number of instruments (seriously you cannot see the wood through the strings) which are played pitch perfect by all. Honey & The Bear are a band of balance, they have a few songs influenced by this and that, natural and man-made and it is all tied into that essence, that feeling of bird song and sunshine.

Wesley Centre Live has some more gigs starting in October, check out their Facebook page here.

More Information about Honey & The Bear can be found here.

5th March 2022- Phil Beer at Wesley Centre, Maltby

We have recently had the pleasure of visiting the opening night of “Wesley Centre Live”, a series of folk gigs that has started in Maltby. We wanted to share our experiences with you, for more information about upcoming gigs, go to https://www.facebook.com/wesleycentrelive/?ref=page_internal.

Heading out in your car a little East of Rotherham you come to Maltby, and near to the centre of that there is the Wesley Centre. The Wesley Centre is a Methodist Chapel with it’s first references to worship being from a directory entry in 1832 and for this night it is the setting for “Songs of the Road”, a post-Covid solo gig by Phil Beer (from folk band, Show of Hands). Phil Beer is a great choice of the inaugural gig for meetup being a multi-instrumentalist who not only lived and played through modern folk’s golden age but is also a personable lively sort of individual who is an affable, early tonic for the recovering live music scene.

We found The Wesley Centre to be a great modern space for folk gigs. On entry there is enough space to fit a good number of audience members without it being a cramped space (there was around 80 for this gig with space for more), but not so large as to detract from the intimacy of the event. The whole thing started with a warm welcome from Nick Wilson, one of the organisers who seems to have a great passion for live music. The overall shared sentiment was that live music was returning and this was a very welcome return indeed.

Following the introduction, Phil takes the stage. Phil himself has many years of experience on the music circuit from his individual endeavours, partnerships, and of course recognition in the Exter everyman band that is “Show of Hands”. During the gig he regaled tales from his travels, recalled the folk club that was resident in the building many years ago, and had a few gentle humours regarding the Romans and their roads. Beer was softly spoken and with his banter he came across as a person very much interested in history, the landscape and the enduring purpose of music (folk or not). This was apparent as he dedicated his last few songs to singers of late who had themselves been given these gifts of early song. The most notable of these mentions was, of course, for Norma Waterson who passed away earlier this year.

The set itself was split across songs that Phil and Show of Hands are well known for (folk and folk rock), and later on a delve into the blues influences that made up, “The Blues Hour” that Phil was involved in during the height of Covid-19 restrictions. This spread meant that Phil was leaning into the genres he has most been interested in, ones he has performed in extensively.

Just about timely was Phil performing, “Fire and Wine”, a song steeped in the immersive imagery of the cold season with it’s references to Robin Redbreast seeking food, and “wine for the mind”. With its winding recall of “we will sing Jack Frost away”, and the hint of light through the grey, heavy clouds, it is a great introduction to what will be a first live gig for many people. You could say that Beer’s guitar opens this lively, descriptive number with the careful eye of a jolly watchmaker. We also heard the succinct, emotive fiddle of “The Blind Fiddler”, a historical American song about a blacksmith who gives up his job after an unfortunate accident and becomes a traveller seeking to help others. Beer brings an old, desperate angst to the song alongside some beautiful violin playing that both rises above the canopy of a verdant forest and to the low levels of despair felt by a drunken reveller lay in the drains.

Phil’s rendition of “Cocaine Blues”, as most songs of it’s type, has a sparkle in it’s guitar that belies the nature of its subject matter. It is a popular and well-received song by the audience whose reception is only eclipsed when Beer turns his attention to that stalwart sing-a-long work number, “Blow the man down”. Both are a joy to hear and an example of Phil rousing the audience without even having to ask. We also hear “The next Best Western” which was Phil’s interpretation of Richard Shindell’s number about lorry driving. That signature blend of Christian imagery and occupation shines as a more deliberate part of the evening that like the slow whistling of the dust from the Southern Plains caused the audience a moment of reflection and thought during the twilight part of night.

Seeing Phil Beer again, and at the Wesley Centre, has been an enjoyable experience. In relatively uncertain times there is a smile to be had to hear the well-travelled Beer sing songs inspired from history of the world, and the history of songs themselves (from several foundational Blues numbers). Cosy and inviting, the Wesley Centre is a good venue for the purposes of folk music (as shown from history) and long may it do into the future. The magic is in how Beer’s words and songs recall decades ago but it feels literally like yesterday as his spirited showmanship brings them right up to date and into our hearts.

To find more information about Phil Beer, go to http://www.philbeer.co.uk/