Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage – The Met, Bury: Live Review

Mike Ainscoe

2 years ago

Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage – The Met, Bury – Friday 25th October 2024

It’s the first date of a new tour for Hannah Sanders and Ben Savage and luckily it’s just down the road from ATB HQ. The traffic light gods are with us and just a few minutes from locking the front door we’re getting comfy at The Met.

They’ve not long since released the In The Dark We Grow album (“a glorious record“) seeing our man Seuras Og installed into the already strong ATB S&S fan club. The prospect of taking in some more of the new material is exciting after more of a ‘hits’ set for the festival goers as per our last encounter as we observed at Cropredy earlier this Summer.

It seems strange to see Hannah and Ben with a band. We could get used to this though. Jon Thorne on bass, Josh Clark on drums and Jacob Stoney, just off the plane from a mega US tour with Billy Bragg, on keys are an empathetic trio providing a backdrop so subtle you’d hardly notice (which is a back-handed compliment, not harsh critique). The usual up close and personal intimacy around a single mic is temporarily shelved but the intimacy of the theatre is a nice contrast to that bright afternoon in a big big field.

But whatever the space, the key is about the Sanders/Savage connection; the combination and see-saw balancing of of their voices against a soundtrack of immeasurable subtlety and sensitivity. It’s a pindrop and hold your breath moment as they ease in with Come All Ye Fair And Tender Maids before the first new song on show. Castles And Old Kings is all gentle rolling country, deserts, valleys and coyotes (the leather chaps will come later) and brought to us with the balance shifting onto Ben’s world weary vocal. It confirms the move to doing something different as the snare is stroked with brushes, the deep bass tones come through in Jon Thorne’s expressions while Jacob adds sounds and textures from an electronic array that’s about enriching the mood and atmosphere.

The new First Footing sees a well rehearsed ending, everyone finishing at the same precise pint (which helps) landing on a sixpence before Ben jokes “We’ve not sung that in about forty years,” after heading back into the catalogue for a rendition of Clayton Boon (from 2016 to be truthful) where the Appalachian dulcimer blends beautifully with some Moog washes.

The band leave the stage for a duo A-Life A-Lie from the last album, led by lovely pair of guitars that sound so much more than two guitars. It’s that acknowledgement of the tradition where the tale is of one left behind. The band is back though for a pre-interval weighty roll (if not rock) through Youngest Sailor that adds a few decibels and ends part one on a inspired high.

The second set sees kicks off in low key fashion. Ben straps on the Dobro for a tender I Gave My Love A Cherry that’s as archetypal a Sanders/Savage piece as they come as they weave a narrative through their catalogue via A Winter’s Night (yes – “Winter is coming…!“) and Save My Life from the latest work. The latter is introduced as a love song. “Aren’t they all love songs Ben?” asks Hannah but as they combine on the “sing like a little wren and save my life” line, you can appreciate why this piece has been flagged.

The Lilac Bloom continues a slow build – “in love’s light, truth will grow” indeed – and the band weigh in with some electronic synth lines bringing the piece to a grooving close; all very Grateful Dead on the night that news of the death of Phil Lesh appears. It all leads rather nicely into a spotlit Hannah, an eerie bowed double bass and synth wash as she begins “As gentle tides go rolling by.” Ben simply says : “Richard Farina” the the close, and yes we all know the iconic Fairport take, but tonight is proof that the S&S version is hard to beat.

They could only follow with A Thousand New Moons. “A song of hope,” says Ben. If the phrase was good enough for Robert Plant to intro Stairway in The Song Remains The Same film…why not…and yes, Ben may have borrowed for the title but if I’d written that line and it was matched to such an exquisite piece of music, I’d be well chuffed. The ‘worth the admission price alone’ moment with the whole ensemble earning their reward with the deftness of touch.

The antidote is an unexpected, but most welcome trip back to Hannah’s Charms Against Sorrow for The Werewolf. An Eagles shuffle and some Doors-y electric piano adding a soulful blues-y groove to what is a topical time of year (ie, time of year unless any lycanthropes were present in The Met or on the local streets).

Encoring with a traditional Deep Blue Sea from Hannah’s neck of the woods (check out a nice version on Youtube with Emily Mae Winters in the mix) Ben has been quoted as calling it “a song that pulls us all together and lifts us.” As a parting shot, it may well have done, but to recall Hannah’s comment, the term could well apply to many if not all of the Sander and Savage songs. Undeniably, a whole evening that’s been a warming and thoroughly captivating musical experience.