It’s a return to what is becoming his London home, Julian Taylor and his crack UK band for a Green Note presents concert at The Water Rats. A pretty much packed out room – this is a sold out gig, with the venue split between rows of seats and standing behind them. Supported by Siân Monaghan on drums and vocals, Raevennan Husbandes on a variety of guitars and Michele Stodart on bass, Julian Taylor started the evening with the instantly recognisable The Ridge, title track of what was his initial breakthrough release this side of the Atlantic. It’s autobiographical in nature and tells of formative years on his grandparents’ farm, the daily rituals of egg gathering and manure shovelling and the crystal clear memory of the birth of a foal. It’s a song of beautiful memories touched with the poignancy of loss, as the house eventually had to be sold. The applause is received with an acknowledging comment that “It feels like coming home, it really does.” And it’s clear we’re in for a night of big songs and more autobiography with Wide Awake celebrating Taylor’s heritages “My father was born in the islands / My mum was born on the Great Turtle’s Back” and the warmth of a supportive family and weaving in his positive philosophy for overcoming life’s trials. And the band, well they just shine – with Raevennan Husbandes adding just perfect slide guitar, which continued into the instantly recognisable Ballad Of A Young Troubadour.
Julian Taylor remained on stage solo for the mid-section of the gig, with a mix of songs and stories which veered from the light hearted but meaningful 100 Proof with its own map for living life well “if it’s sad, cry, if it’s funny, laugh, if you lose your way just stop and ask, if someone asks you how you feel just tell them the truth, and if kindness were a spirit be 100 proof.” The song was written by Tyler Ellis, but it just resonated with Taylor. Be With You has an added poignancy when it’s origin is explained – Julian was taking part at a camp and songwriting workshop with terminally ill children pre-covid, and at the end of the session he wandered into the woods and found himself writing this song with images of childhood scrapes, and inner courage.
With the band back on stage there was time for one of Julian Taylor’s personal favourites of all his songs – and it’s easy to understand why Weighing Down is a song to be proud of, mixing as it does acknowledgement of regrets and the difficulty of throwing off the weight of mistakes – with its slow country feel it proffers a way out, a chance to not get forever lost in those regrets and mistakes even as he confesses “I didn’t get it right, but wanted to.” Pathways is beautiful, but the redemption and survival themes of SEEDS makes for an epic – naturally with audience participation on the chorus, and a mid-song breakdown with Julian Taylor explaining his beliefs that music forges a connection between us all, making that communal singing even more significant, before launching into a couple more verses and chorus repeats – the band hanging on his gestures for when to pitch back in again themselves. And if that felt cathartic, then that was as nothing compared to what was to come.
Julian Taylor takes his audience on quite the journey, the lyrical Americana singer-songwriter, the solo troubadour passing through emotional highs and lows and the all-out rocking bandleader, with a band willing and able to follow him wherever he leads. Having strapped on an electric guitar he declared it was “time to step it up“, and step it up they did. Crowd pleasers like the bluesy Bobbi Champagne rubbed shoulders against the ecstatic Too Much Of Everything, but it was the extended and funky Sweeter that let the whole band get a little wild – with Michelle Stodart and Raevennan Husbandes gleefully showing off their best rock star moves or Stodart and Siân Monaghan having an impromptu rhythm section solo workout. The encore of Why Would You Do That built on that joyful feeling, with the band playing right up to the last seconds before the curfew.
What a triumph of a night – and looking at the power that Julian Taylor was giving to his music on this Thursday evening in London it was hard to credit that he’d flown in from Canada and only touched down in London at seven in the morning earlier the same day. He’d said right at the start “I’m running on fumes, but that’s the best thing to run on” – well, if this was just fumes it’s hard to imagine what a fully energised Julian Taylor would be capable of. The other snippet of note was that this band had convened in Toronto earlier this year and recorded a new album – that should be coming out this year and based on their previous single recording it should be another landmark on Julian Taylor’s musical pathways.
As well as playing bass in the band, Michelle Stodart had also opened the evening with a selection of her solo music, with several songs taken from her award winning album Invitation as well as some new cuts. Tell Me is a country ballad of emotional turmoil, shot through with the fear of a relationship ending. Push & Pull contrasts the twin attractions of home and family and the endless touring road, whilst the bluesy These Bones makes a sly declaration of independence. She has a busy year ahead – there’s the current tour, and the new album with Julian, some new solo music and an upcoming tour later in the year with The Magic Numbers, who also have some new music. Busy indeed.
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