Joshua Burnell – The Met, Bury – Saturday 26th October 2024

A welcome return to the North West saw Josh Burnell and his band on the second night of their Moonlight Tour giving us another superb evening of modern, synth enhanced, folk music .

return of the glass knight!

The return to The Box at Bury Met had Josh Burnell and his band sounding a little more raunchier than their last visit just under a year ago, but the level of performance also increased accordingly. It’s been our pleasure to see Josh and his band grow from strength to strength performing Josh’s creative, quirky and alternative songs based on his perceptions of humanity and the world.

Most of the set was dominated by the much acclaimed Glass Knight album, opening with the apocalyptic When Planets Collide. Fortunately the lanterns seemingly representing the solar systems planets lit up faultlessly without any glitches. They completed their visit to Glass Knight , which Josh told us is optional whether we view it as a concept album, with Moonlighter’s Child. This is a song to encourage never giving up despite life’s struggles. The main set ended appropriately with the only cover of the evening; we’re all familiar with Fairport Convention’s Farewell Farewell, but Josh’s version is exceptional.

old songs new songs

In between was a mix of material from earlier in their career with Le Fay from the Flowers Where The Horses Sleep album and some new songs due to be released from a new album initially called Lend An Ear but could be Here Is Your Ear Back or Ear, Ear! Send your suggestions to Josh… Also visit his website to support the future of the band through their Patreon system . This is allowing Josh to continue recording in the foreseeable future , which is not a bad thing and an innovative way to support music. Showcasing The Skylark and The Oak gave us a mouthwatering preview of the new album.

If there isn’t enough pressure on young Josh’s shoulders leading his band, to perform in front of his parents added to the strain. Not an easy task, domestic criticism or no comment always hits harder than any that comes from music media. Not that any will be forthcoming from these ranks as his instrumental Les Arabie, helps him to overcome the inevitable family separation caused by his music commitments and shows how brilliantly the band is progressing.His wife Francis Sladen, who is in the process of establishing her own solo career under the name So Fe, was given the opportunity to promote her EP with the hypnotic song Sidelines, currently being mixed in the States.

Josh has a confident rapport with the audience explaining his songs which probably stems from his teaching career. Friday afternoons in front of an upper junior class has its own unique pressures, not known to many, but can certainly make or break your confidence. Nathan Greaves on lead guitar regularly jumped in with some stunning solos and with Oliver Whitehouse on bass, Ed Simpson on drums and Kat Hurdley on violin and, of course, Frances on vocals, the band provide excellent support to Josh’s thought provoking songs.

There was plenty of opportunity for audience participation with finger clicks and clapping but particularly with the anthemic Lucy. In tonight’s performance we heard not only one more step for Lucy but also, as this tour will tell, another huge step in the band’s career. For the encore he returned to his early career with the first song from his first album, – Sing ForThe Island from Into The Green – which left the audience uplifted and in a feelgood mood.

Joshua Burnell online: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Soundcloud / YouTube

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