LIVE REVIEW: Chris Helme at the Old Courthouse
REVIEW Chris Helme, The Old Courthouse, Thirsk. BORN in York, as a singer-songwriter, Chris Helme is probably best described as 'modern English'.
By that I mean he eschews the subtle nuances of the classic songwriters of old and presents his material with that hard edge fostered when he shot to fame as the frontman of The Seahorses, the band formed by ex-Stone Roses guitarist John Squire.
Helme now fronts his new band The Yards but it was as a solo artist he performed in The Old Courthouse in Thirsk this last Friday night, to what was yet another sell out crowd for promoters In The Dock.
His style of gritty and harsh vocals and music took a bit of getting adjusted to and, sadly, a few audience members left before he had really got under way, saying they preferred the sound of the support act, the truly superb The Lost Brothers.
Was it the best show I have seen at the Old Courtyard? Probably not, but as he worked his way through new numbers and classic Seahorses tracks such as Love is the Law (which reached no 2 in the UK charts in 1997) and You Can Talk To Me (no 15), Helme gradually won the crowd over to the point that, as the show ended, the audience was firmly in his grasp.
The applause for his final song said it all.
Perhaps early problems were caused by the fact Helme does not deliver a quiet relaxed acoustic set, the intensity of his performance serving to divide the audience on the basis of taste.
Helme for me is the Marmite of music, love him or loathe him – you won't find yourself sitting on the fence.
Stuart Rhodes
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Weather for Harrogate
Monday 21 May 2012
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