Review: Bellowhead, The Forum – ‘Sublime’

There’s a little dance move that Sam Sweeney makes. He does it again and again. His feet shoot out, rocking back on his heels, shoulders thrown back, still playing his violin. You’d almost think that he’d been electrocuted. Or electrified. Either way, music courses through him, energizing him, charging his batteries.

He needs fully charged batteries because Sweeney plays a short six song support set before hitching himself into the 11-person folk juggernaut that is Bellowhead.

In his solo guise Sweeney, and the three other musicians in his band, picks out utterly beautiful tunes. All six tonight are taken from Escape That, his latest solo album, and all six are sublime, full of hooks and inventiveness.

Sweeney’s violin is front and centre but Ben Nicholls on double bass and Jack Rutter on acoustic guitar add propulsion.  It’s the electric guitar of Louis Campbell that adds colour though. There’s almost something shoegaze-y about the crystalline wash that he glazes each tune with, something like Ride at their most ethereal.

Pink Steps and the title track itself are exceptional expressions of searingly joyful modern folk tunes. A repeated whirl that makes it easy to dance to, a glorious noise that makes you smile.

It’s a glorious noise that Bellowhead are best known for too. This is a tour that celebrates the tenth anniversary of their exceptional Broadside album and marks the first time that they’ve played together, properly live, for six years. As many, many people have already said, it’s an absolute pleasure to have them back, however fleeting it might be.

Bellowhead are a phenomenon, a huge party generating machine, a two-hour explosion of exuberance. Jon Boden still directs proceeds, barking into the microphone, throwing his arms wide, welcoming the madness. John Spiers stands, resolutely eschewing sparkles and light up shoes (Sam Sweeney’s choice of footwear), driving the whole band forward with relentless melodeon. It’s like they’ve never been away.

The opening half is slick and glossy, well-rehearsed and packed with nuggets from Broadside. Byker Hill, 10,000 Miles Away, Old Dun Cow and Betsy Baker do everything that you need them to do. They bounce and hurl themselves about but you sense there’s an uncharacteristic reticence. It’s almost restrained although, admittedly, restrained for Bellowhead is going at a million miles an hour for most other bands. You just know that something is coming.

That ‘something’ is a beautiful tribute to their friend and band member Paul Sartin. An Oboe player, violinist and arranger, Sartin died earlier this year, at the age of 52, just before this tour. His voice is played, solo for the most part, singing Brisk Lad. As the rest of the band join him there are tears in the audience. It’s powerful and respectful and unlocks whatever it was that was putting the brakes on the juggernaut.

Bellowhead brought all the energy to Bath

Suddenly, the hinges are loosened and the doors blown off. March Past starts slowly but ends in mayhem, Melodeon, brass section and strings creating a wall of noise. From here on the mayhem doesn’t let up.

Lillibelero causes great swathes of the audience to flock to the aisles. Two hours ago, these Bathonians looked perfectly ordinary, now they are bewitched. Skidding ’round corners, flinging themselves into the arms of friends, dancing with arms, and pints, aloft. Roll Alabama, London Town and New York Girls induce more of the same but with added lusty singing. These are huge, raucous, folk-y favourites.

With all of this madness unfolding there is still only one person that it’s impossible to wrench your eyes from. Sam Sweeney. No longer the leader of his own band he is the soaring jet engine of this one. He bounces, he runs, he flings himself from the top of the ship shape set, violin in hand, tearing into every tune.

A highlight of a Bellowhead set has always been watching the utter silliness that unfolds between Sweeney and co-violinist (and cello player) Rachael McShane. The dance duels, the competitive games of Hokey-Cokey,  the slow-motion, collapsing Slinky routine. All the while playing music that brings nothing but joy.

By the time Sweeney launches himself into space at the finale of Frog’s Legs and Dragon’s Teeth every person is on their feet, celebrating the return of the greatest live band most of us will ever see.

All photos: Gavin McNamara

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