RICHARD DAWSON + TWO WHITE CRANES – ST. GEORGE’S CHURCH, BRIGHTON 7.12.23
By definition, a hermit is often referred to as an individual closed off from society and remaining in solitude for a lengthy period of time, often for religious reasons. The concept of hermitage naturally shifts and adapts itself across time, now mapping itself against the often-perceived dystopia of a society of AI-generated practices, dogfights via bludgeoning keyboard warriors and the decline of kindness. In 2022, a 41-minute music video portraying a hermit’s reawakening was gift-wrapped and delivered to cinemas across the UK, directed by Bristolian video director James Hankins, as the only single and opening track to an album entitled ‘The Ruby Cord’. Far-futuristic endeavours are detailed via walls of progressive folk palates collated from rustic acoustic guitars, swelling harps, and all manner of luscious arrangements. But, what of ‘The Hermit’ himself? One could refer to a grey-haired Newcastle native that headlined St. George’s Church on Wednesday as the titular character. For now, let’s refer to him as Richard Dawson.
Richard has been regarded as one of indie folk’s best kept secrets for the past fifteen years. Following several folk and singer-songwriter experiments in the form of his 2005 debut ‘Richard Dawson Sings Songs And Plays Guitar’, the Hermit began to find his footing on albums like the homely ‘The Magic Bridge’ and the acapella-oriented ‘The Glass Trunk’ in 2011 and 2013 respectively. A versatile range of influences from jazz artist Sun Ra and Faith No More frontman Mike Patton to Sufi devotional music began to colour the sounds that would culminate in 2014’s ‘Nothing Important’, an odyssey consisting of two 16-minute singer-songwriter opuses around the darkness of childhood nostalgia and a spiralling school trip involving alcohol, bookended by two American primitivism-esque instrumentals. However, it took until the medieval ‘Peasant’ in 2017 and ‘2020’ just a couple years after for Richard to receive notoriety as a unique voice in indie folk music with an eccentric array of sound, ambidextrous vocal ability and a style of songwriting so singular in concept, yet approachable and relatable in meaning. Following a collaborative record, ‘Henki’, with Finnish experimental rock band Circle in 2021, we were blessed with the aforementioned ‘The Ruby Cord’ the following year, containing its 41-minute ‘The Hermit’ as well as six fantastical insights into a future overwhelmed with technology and optimal living.
Richard has been enjoying several jaunts in the form of music video cinema screenings and five-piece odyssean excursions of ‘The Ruby Cord’s material; however, he has chosen to explore a majoritively two-man live band set-up for the last month stretch of 2023, joined by Manchester drummer Andrew Cheetham. My third time visiting St. George’s Church (after seeing Swans and Gary Numan here earlier this year), I patiently waited in the pouring rain for the big blue doors to open to the Dawson patronage at 8pm on the dot. I was fortunate enough to place myself roughly in the middle of the front row, in direct, unblocked view of the stage, joined to my left by Kowloon Cowboy frontman James Li. The backing music dies down, giving way to the entrance of one Roxy Brennan, aka Two White Cranes, our support act for the evening. Originating from Bristol, Roxy has been operating under the pseudonym of Two White Cranes for some considerable time now, as well as various spells collaborating as a band member of Grubs and Joanna Gruesome. Roxy sets up shop on the stage with a red electric guitar, crowded by two amplifiers (one of which is for Richard’s set). Following a soft-spoken “Hi, everyone”, we are introduced to the opening number ‘Sandstone’, brittle and fragile as per the majority of the set. The song contains a simple guitar pattern with a very 90s indie feel, with Roxy’s singing voice reminding me a lot of Eric’s Trip vocalist Julie Doiron.
What eventually won me over with this set was remarkable however; Roxy states that she restarted her songwriting after watching several episodes of the popular TV show ‘Grand Designs’ and emulating events that occur in them through her lyrics! ‘Eroded’, the first of these, holds a slight Vashti Bunyan flair in the composition, with Roxy’s voice rising and falling across the melodies within some solid vocal dynamics. Fun fact, Roxy last supported Richard Dawson ten years ago in Bristol and has seen him play live almost every year since…! Not that she’s a massive superfan or anything, like my good self! The next track, ‘City Streets’ was quite an intriguing point for me; it made me think about how these songs sound in their recorded format as the guitar chord patterns have such a propulsion to them, they would fit so snuggly in a classic indie rock track. A non-’Grand Designs’ track, ‘Blood Red Moon’ centres around a group of people gathering to watch a supermoon, packed with prickly guitars and Roxy casually bobbing along to the song.
Following the beautifully melodic and aura-shaping ‘Old Stone & Ivy’, the story of ‘We Rise’ is oddly quite a sweet one, based on the episode of ‘Grand Designs’ that features a group of people who built a house on a flooding island in the Thames, floating up and down with the tide. This was easily one of my favourites of the set for the story alone, but the sombre chord progression and the lyric “We’ve always been just one more floating thing” hit me straight in the heart. Roxy spends her final three songs backed by a laptop with no electric guitar in hand, starting with ‘Forest’. Simple and rudimentary drum and synth patterns blanket the speakers in the church, with the sound of minimal wave artists like Solid Space and Casiotone for the Painfully Alone coming to mind. My favourite of the three laptop tracks, ‘Shimmer’, centres around a man who spent most of his life on a boat… for tracks about ‘Grand Designs’, Roxy’s songs are incredibly poetic underneath the sparse synth tones and barely-formed chords. Finally, the closing ‘Haunting’ finishes in a perfectly encapsulating way, with the aura of a rickety house in the middle of a grey-skied beach floating through my mind as Roxy dances her way through the song’s refrain of “the house is not sure…”.
Two White Cranes:
Roxy Brennan – vocals, guitar
Two White Cranes setlist:
‘Sandstone’
‘Eroded’
‘City Streets’
‘Blood Red Moon’
‘Old Stone & Ivy’
‘We Rise’
‘Forest’
‘Shimmer’
‘Haunting’
www.instagram.com/twowhitecranes
As Roxy packs up her stuff to make way for Richard Dawson’s set, I had to walk up to her and thank her for an incredible set, stating that it was very emotional and thought-provoking for a set-up so minimal! Twenty-five minutes later, and the time had finally come. Cue the Hermit himself, the Geordie folk king, Richard Dawson quietly walks in to the sound of loud applause and cheers from the churchgoers, “Like a little mole wandering into the sunlight” as Richard put it…! He takes a moment to give thanks to us for coming out to see him play, before warming up his voice for the introductory song of the set, ‘The Almsgiver’. Despite his ‘The Glass Trunk’ album being his only full excursion into acapella music, Richard has been known to thrown in a song of this nature in his live sets, whether that’s the downtrodden and unforgiving ‘Felon’, or the stomping-led ‘The Ghost Of A Tree’ from the aforementioned album. Here, ‘The Almsgiver’ gets a shine, seeing its eventual release on the ‘Republic Of Geordieland’ compilation released during lockdown. I always loved the melancholia that comes through on Richard’s acapella songs and ‘The Almsgiver’ was certainly no exception, with incredible pitch control and hand movements almost acting out the song throughout.
Richard’s resident drummer Andrew Cheetham joins the stage for the remainder of the night; regarded as an exceptional noise in improvisational music, Andrew has been known for his collaborations with artists like Jane Weaver, Can’s Damo Suzuki, and one of my particular favourites, totalism composer Rhys Chatham. A touring member and musical contributor of Dawson’s work since 2019, Andrew finds a home just underneath Jesus himself watching over the audience. Some brief free-noodling between the pair (Richard, that is, not Jesus), leads into ‘Thicker Than Water’ the first track to follow ‘The Ruby Cord’‘s 41-minute opening ‘The Hermit’, with some brush-stick rhythms in a steady folk pattern. With Richard now donning his open C-tuned electric guitar, I feel blessed to finally hear music of his performed live after being a fan of his for some time now! Richard informs us the meaning of his next song, regaling a tale of watching his nephew’s football coach, f-ing and c-ing at his Year 8 students’ match. Of course, if you’re a Richard Dawson fan, you’ll recognise this story as the lyrical foundation to ‘2020’ single ‘Two Halves’, complete with polyrhythmic guitar finger patterns and infectious cries of “Man on! Man on!” in its chorus.
Andrew places all manner of cloths, gongs and bells across his drum kit in preparation for the following ‘Beggar’, a track which has one of the most gorgeous guitar introductions to any song I’ve heard, falling in melody and marching in progression. There is a great usage of ambience compared to the more rhythmic version that appears on its parent ‘Peasant’ album, as well as a brief moment of acapella leading towards an intense array of drum flourishes and sharp formant-twisted vocals from Richard. Next up, a fun solo piece from Richard called ‘Cumberland Rag’, off ‘The Magic Bridge’, dedicated to a favourite pub of his known as The Cumberland Arms. This track gives the audience a chance to really appreciate his electric guitar performances, versatile, complex and invigorating. There is a distinctive disjointment in chord changes and melody writing, something that is a clear mainstay in many other pieces of his like ‘Judas Iscariot’. Richard swaggers silently across the stage, waving his legs around like a Geordie ragdoll before coming to a close. Ooh, a new one for us now, known as ‘Gondola’. From the get-go, lyrical references to ‘Good Morning Britain’ and “Piers Morgan sending pains down my left leg” grab my attention (with this era of social madness in mind, this track would have fitted in perfectly on the modern day dystopia of ‘2020’...).
Richard takes a moment of his time to ask if anyone in the audience is from Germany, meaning only one thing… that’s right, they win a Chocolate Orange! Richard hands a Chocolate Orange to Sarah from Melting Vinyl for her to give to the German audience member and does the same again for an Irish audience member shortly after. ‘Scientist’, one of Richard’s most nightmarish and heavily toned tracks, comes next, with Andrew providing a steady gallop beat, like riding into battle. Let’s also not forget the gnarly falsetto that Richard is capable of reaching whenever he sees fit! Following a quick tale about a Northumbrian myth of “a man who lives in the hills that can cure many ills”, we are blessed with the slower-paced and meditative ‘Hob’, where Richard’s vocals take a softer approach, leading us to really appreciate the versatility of his guitar dynamics; even at their more desolate and controlled, the weight that he carries is nothing short of tremendous. Another new track, ‘The Question’ is introduced as a ghost story surrounding a cousin of Richard’s witnessing a ghostly figure carrying his own head, only to discover that the house that the ghost had occupied had been previously owned by a man who eventually died from decapitation by a train… much to ponder on there. Even with this in mind, the song is uplifting in guitar patterns, with Andrew’s marching snares giving it a real kick. There are more off-kilter and jerky rhythms in the chorus, with some really unnatural phasing polyrhythms coming from Richard’s guitar that slide into my brain so smoothly!
Now, we come to the final track of the main set, and a song that safely sits in my top ten songs of all-time, the propulsive, infectiously melodic ‘Jogging’, the lead single from ‘2020’. Even with a brief false start, the track slams into motion perfectly, with Andrew’s upside-down drum groove (in a similar technique to that of XTC’s Terry Chambers’ ‘Making Plans For Nigel’ rhythm) and Richard’s chugging guitar chords. The song tackles the premise of finding new ways to overcome social anxiety with jogging eventually becoming a mainstay for the protagonist’s lifestyle. The thrill I got from finally hearing the perfect melody of the chorus lyric “I know I must be paranoid…!” was totally indescribable! The song comes to an end, with both Richard and Andrew departing to a standing ovation and an overwhelming flood of applause and clapping that, of course, brings the former back to the stage for an encore! Richard displays his appreciation for the attendees, even taking into account his awareness for planning to end a set with a brand new song acting as “a special feature to the DVD”. That being said, the idyllic ‘Poly Tunnel’, with its lyrics stemming from Richard’s adjustment to village life and self-sufficiency with his partner and regular musical contributor Sally Pilkington, is a gorgeous and luscious way to end the show.
With my own life going back and forth between my birthplace of the comely, yet geriatric Angmering and the highlife of Brighton, I’m now at a point where going to live gigs has become a staple of my social life, with the long waits between doors and music becoming shorter, and the excitement of live performance riding high as always… However, watching one of my biggest heroes headline Brighton was something else; it was enthralling, picture-esque, musically fruitful and emotionally satisfying. It does pain me that individuals like Richard Dawson are not as recognised as they could be in a parallel universe that isn’t dominated by Taylor Swift, digital technology and artificial intelligence, but at the same time, having a small Geordie avant-folk personal icon is perfect, because it’s my little secret that I only share to those with keen interest.
Richard Dawson:
Richard Dawson – guitar, vocals
Andrew Cheetham – drums
Richard Dawson setlist:
‘The Almsgiver’ (from 2020’s ‘Republic Of Geordieland’ album)
‘Thicker Than Water’ (from 2022’s ‘The Ruby Cord’ album)
‘Two Halves’ (from 2019’s ‘2020’ album)
‘Beggar’ (from 2017’s ‘Peasant’ album)
‘Cumberland Rag’ (from 2011’s ‘The Magic Bridge’ album)
‘Gondola’ (unreleased)
‘Scientist’ (from 2017’s ‘Peasant’ album)
‘Hob’ (from 2017’s ‘Peasant’ album)
‘The Question’ (unreleased)
‘Jogging’ (from 2019’s ‘2020’ album)
(encore)
‘Poly Tunnel’ (unreleased)
Find out more about Richard Dawson’s sounds by checking out his YouTube HERE.
richarddawson.ffm.to/linkinbio
