Venue:
The Junction, Goole
Date: 16/06/2018
The town of Goole lies in the flat lands of East Yorkshire at the confluence of the Ouse and Don Rivers. It was a small, muddy hamlet until 1826 when the first of a series of eight floating docks were opened, allowing large ocean going ships to venture 45 miles inland. The docks remain in operation today and Goole is still Britain’s busiest inland port. The town is littered with industrial heritage. The days of yore are reflected in the coal hoists, cranes and water towers that dominate the docks’ and the town’s skyline. At its industrial zenith, Goole had three cinemas, two theatres and numerous pubs to serve the entertainment requirements of the locals, dock workers and visiting mariners. Today the 150 capacity Junction fulfils the town’s performing arts’ needs.
We’ve been drawn to this venue by a one off performance by Wesley Stace, Gavin Bryars and Molly Townson, Stace’s mother. Both Bryars and Townson were born in the area, were friends at primary school, as well as briefly attending Goole Grammar School together. Molly’s father died suddenly during her first year there, following which she moved down to her grandmother’s house in Rye, East Sussex.
The performance commences with “Sussex Ghost Story”, the tale of a phantom seeking retribution for her unjust death at the hands of her husband. A Stace-Bryars co-written piece, the original studio recording features a string quartet, beautifully arranged by Bryars. Today we’re treated to Stace perfectly accompanied by Bryars on double bass and James Woodrow on electric guitar. The roots of this and other collaborations between the pair, spring from a meeting at a concert in the early 1990s, at which the connection between Bryars and Stace’s mother was made. Choosing location-specific songs only, Wes continues with “We Will Always Have New York”, taking us on a personal journey, starting with a visit to the city in 1988.
We’re led to the interval via the story of Ragged Robyn, which is based on the novel by Oliver Onions. Set in the late seventeenth century, Robyn is working on a farm in Holderness, when a gang led by the dreaded outlaw queen, Peg Fyfe, turns up. Ordered by Peg to assist with the theft of some horses or face the ultimate sanction, Robyn thinks he’s found a get-out clause. The horses remain in their stables, Robyn escapes with his life, but he’s left with the menace of Peg wreaking her revenge. The story of Robyn’s flight from danger takes in breached sea walls and frozen fens, but it ultimately ends in his grisly demise. “Ragged Robyn” is performed as a four part song. Molly Townson sings unamplified backed by Woodrow on guitar. Her vocals are crystal clear, their acoustic delivery adding to the recital. In between the four parts of the piece, Wes reads extracts from Onions’ book.
Suitably refreshed after the break, Bryars and Woodrow perform two instrumentals. Bryars started his musical life as a jazz bassist and was a pioneer of free improvisation. He’s been working with Woodrow for almost a quarter of century and the rapport between the two is obvious, never more so than when Bryars has to transpose one of the tunes as he plays. Despite no longer living nearby, Bryars’ affinity with Goole is apparent. He’s still a season ticket holder at AFC Goole and his latest album, “The Stopping Train”, is written to be listened to whilst travelling on the slow train from Goole to Hull and back, a trip that I unfortunately did not have time to make.
The most moving moment of the evening is the performance of “63 Years”. Based on interviews with Townson and Bryars undertaken by Stace, it’s a spoken word piece accompanied by some suitably understated guitar from Woodrow. Molly and Gavin relate their school days together, their piano lessons with their music teacher Dr Ramsey and their journey through life to where they are now. The delivery is made more poignant when they tell us that the rehearsal this afternoon was the first time they’ve met for 63 years.
The evening is drawn to a close by a journey back down south to Hastings, where Molly has lived most of her life and, in his youth, Wes honed his performance skills busking. “Hasting’s Pier” by Wes recalls the ghosts of the pier, and his memories of the night it went up in flames in 2010. It’s an appropriate end to an evening of personal recollections from wonderful artists, made more relevant to me by having spent the afternoon before the gig wandering round the sights of Goole. At the close it made perfect sense as to why this event could only have taken place in this corner of East Yorkshire.
The audience:
Friends and family of the performers together with a smattering of locals.
It made me think..
This was a true one off and, I suspect, highly unlikely ever to be repeated. I was glad I made the trip up north to see it.
retropath2 says
That sounds astonishing. Sussex Ghost Story is Wesley Stace’s epiphany, IMHO, and I hadn’t realised the beautiful orchestration was Bryars. I know you know we know, but no harm pointing out Stace often performs under the name of John Wesley Harding.
The Pizza Kid says
Thanks retro.
Yes definitely worth pointing out that Wes used to use release records under the name John Wesley Harding.
In fact he’s returned to that moniker this year to release a new album of covers called “Greatest Other People’s Hits” that he’s recorded across the years. It includes a great version of the Boss’s “Jackson Cage” and “Wreck On The Highway” from 1994 on which Springsteen guests. This version of George Harrison’s “Wah Wah” also appears.
retropath2 says
It’s funny: his early stuff seemed very Costello-copyist, lite at that, but, overall, and given recent experience, I feel I would far rather see him in a small club than Costello in all his pomp. And some better songwriting too. I must remedy never having caught him. I had spotted that covers album, the issue being I am not keen on many of the songs in their original, which, come to think, is a daft reason to dismiss intelligent reworkings. (Still can’t find love for Wah Wah, mind)
The Pizza Kid says
I’m a big fan of Costello, I must have seen him live over 20 times in the past 25 years; however, on current form I’d agree with you, Wes is currently a much better live act. The only problem is that, aside from the odd cabinet of womders, he hardly ever plays a solo gig in the UK these days. Since 2009 he’s done a grand total of two such gigs. One at the Slaughtered Lamb in London in 2011 and one when after much badgering from me he came over to Reading to play an invitation only gig for me, my friends and a few British people who follow him on Twitter. It was a great night, very laid back, a third of the audience where in camping chairs because we ran out of seats. Wes seemed to really enjoy it. I’m trying to persuade him to do it again someday! We’ll see…..
retropath2 says
I’d come!