Joshua Burnside – Live at the Elmwood Hall
Quiet Arch – 24 May 2019
The Elmwood Hall is a special place for me. I saw The Frames there in their hay day, a young Tommy Emmanuel set the place on fire, and a host of incredible acts I managed to get entry free of charge in my skint student days after bluffing my way into working for the Festival at Queen’s University when it was in its prime. With next door’s iconic Mandela Hall in the process of being flattened, the Elmwood is finally thankfully back to being one of Belfast’s leading venues, and here that noted Northern Irish record label Quiet Arches have decided to have their ‘show of strength’ on a cold December’s evening.
The evening features performances from the top drawer of Quiet Arches roster including a recently bagged and golden signing, Malojian. But the headliner is the golden boy of the folk scene and recent Northern Irish Music Prize winner, Joshua Burnside. I couldn’t stick around for Joshua’s set, but thankfully I get a chance to live it in his live album release of that performance.
It’s The Good Word, the closing track from Burnside’s award-winning Ephrata album that opens this evening. It’s a lush sounding live band with experienced strings, namely Zara Flemming and John Conway on cello and double bass respectively. Northern Winds, the lead single from this album, follows. A great track that for me separates Burnside from that of the simplistic Mumford end of contemporary folk and portrays a depth of imagination more in line with the Fleet Foxes or Nick Mulvey. This song betrays also the tension in the room, hundreds of people hanging off every note with the odd whoop of encouragement to a fine young writer and performer.
Holllllogram brings us back to Ephrata once again.
‘If I have to dance alone, I will…’
Thankfully Joshua shouldn’t ever find himself dancing alone, blessed as he is tonight with his brother Conor behind the drum kit, glueing everything down from the back of the stage. Yet in the next track Grapes, Conor’s kit isn’t needed till the last few seconds, showing Joshua Burnside’s maturity in arrangements that reach well beyond his years. Blood Drive has knocked up quite a few million plays on Spotify, and for good reason. It’s a song many would love to have at the forefront of an album. This version is even more pensive than the original with a lovely sense of space. Again maturity wins as this could have have been subjected to four on the floor closer status.
The Unrequited Kind, raises a laugh as Burnside confesses that he’s doing the band no favours by playing a well-rehearsed song in a completely different key. Would we have noticed if he hadn’t said? No. The band are on the money, especially guitarist Dan Byrne McCullough. The brass is a lovely addition also.
It’s hard to pinpoint Joshua down to particular influences, which I find very refreshing. Too often do Irish folk singers get overlooked by not sounding ‘Paddy’ enough. Burnside could be the start of a new sound of Ulster Folk. 26th street could be a Pogues song, and as easily a Simon & Garfunkel number. Class stuff.
Man of High Renown was his leading song of last year, and its appearance now might suggest that we are nearing the end of the album. In fact, it’s a solo song that I’m hearing for the first time The Only thing I fear is Myself that closes the album.
More often than not in this day and age, we are not presented with what we think. Most studio albums go through the mill in an effort to create something flawless, and its a trend creeping more and more into the folk and traditional genre. Many bands you see live at festivals up and down the country will be supported by hidden pre-recorded tracks. Even live albums where you think you have an essence of what’s real, are in fact a selection of songs recorded over a full tour, night after night that may still be manipulated and overdubbed to create the perfect performance. The reason why I’m pointing this out is that I want you to know that when you listen to Joshua Burnside Live at the Elmwood Hall, you are being presented with reality. This is a snapshot of a one-off concert that happened one night in Belfast. This is a true portrait of a young performer enjoying the art of captivating an audience and mastering his songs without losing any of himself along the way. Joshua Burnside may not be typical Irish Folk, but he is everything it should stand for, and no doubt will bring it to new places for years to come.
Pre-Order Live at the Elmwood Hall (out 24 May 2019)
Joshua Burnside Live Dates
3rd May – Unitarian Church, Dublin
5th May – First Presbyterian Church, Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival, Belfast
10th May – 4.30 pm – NI Showcase @ Queens Bar, The Great Escape
11th May –12.30 pm – PRSF Momentum Showcase @ Komedia, The Great Escape
16th May – King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow
17th May – Liverpool Irish Centre, Liverpool
18th May – Nells Jazz and Blues , London
June 15th – Other Voices TV
July 6th – Feis Festival Liverpool
July 20th – Caliremorris Folk Festival
July 21st Knockanstoxken Festival
August 3rd Cambridge Folk Festival
August 4th Wilderness Festival
Find out more here: http://www.joshuaburnside.com/