Jess Silk – Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham – 12th January 2025

Well this was always going to be interesting. Jess Silk at a sit down gig. Something this prolific social media queen even passed commented upon, on her facebook page. As in, it doesn’t happen very often. Despite being an acoustic guitar toting singer songwriter, her natural arena feels to be outside, at a festival, or at a sweaty club with room to mosh. Which isn’t to say she wasn’t a good fit; she was, in fact, perfect, but, by virtue of her spirited performances and passionate anthems, her peers tend to be of the grizzled road warrior Celtic punk variety. As her barnstorming set at Bearded Theory, last year.

BUT FIRST – EDDY MORTON

But we are ahead of ourselves, as she brought with her one of her mentors, as and for support, moral and otherwise. Those of a certain length of tooth will recall the Bushbury’s, or the New Bushbury Mountain Daredevils, premier exponents of the Black Country folk and roots scene, 1990s style. Eddy Morton wrote many their tunes and played mandolin. Now he works in promoting affordable housing and, with his wife, runs Stourbridge’s Katie Fitzgerald’s, the estimable music bar and venue, where Silk first made her name and is still a frequent player.

Armed with a a guitar these days, he spun through a short set of, largely, new songs, road testing ahead a future recording. An affable figure, these were songs all of social conscience, spanning a divide between unplugged heartlands rock, country blues and folk. Deft fingers ensured as many eyes were on his fingers as ears on his words, it making for a an engaging build up to the main event.

JESS SILK STRIDES ON

A short break topped up our glasses, before Ms. Silk strode on. Not her first visit here, as with so many who do, it is a favourite venue, and she was eager to cement her pleasure of being here. Taller in real life than she can appear on a distant stage, she is an imposing presence, black t-shirt, black jeans, all important boots (you’ll see) and headband about her forehead, with her aura bigger still, anticipation surging across the packed room. Almost shy and not a little deprecating in her introductions, that aspect, swiftly falling away, belies the full octane energy that emerges the minute she starts to strum and sing, as if a blue touch paper lit.

Starting with Preaching From The Barricades, this is, broadly, what she does, if in the sense of of an old testament prophet you can believe in, rather than any latterday new age snake oil peddler. Preaching also as in to the converted, which, if not yet, you damned well will be by the time the set concludes. Her voice is a gravelly rasp you feel might struggle to hold much of a tune, but she soon puts you right on that one, too, as melody is as important as her message, and integral to her easily won communication skills.

LIVING AND BREATHING HER BELIEFS

Sea To Shining Sea swiftly follows, a song borne out of then disbelief as to the events of Trump’s descent from power last time around, storming the Capitol: “But they’ll make America great again, They’ll make America grieve“, her words little appreciating the now four year fast forward. A protest singer in the full meaning of the description, and one she fully embraces, she is oft compared to Billy Bragg and to Frank Turner, but, for me, she is far more than a singing soundbite, having more akin with real firebrands like Dick Gaughan and, even, Ewan MacColl. She lives and breathes her beliefs.

Drink Up Your Whiskey follows, a drinking song with cautions, before the far simpler tale of how something as simple as a cat can restore a sinking mood and seeping self-esteem. Yes, Silk is a cat person, that writ large, but, as she intimates, Black Cat is a little more than that, not least as it invokes also the corresponding self-evident black dog. Plus, for those who feel she can offer little than shouty exhortation, her fluid finger picking giving a shout as to the other side of her gift.

Many of these songs come from her most recent release, August 21’s Blitz Spirit, although it becomes apparent there is no chronological order within her releases, songs often awaiting years ahead the right moment, experiencing many a variation of delivery along the way.

THOUGHTFUL CONTEMPLATION

Break The Bottle is another slower thoughtful contemplation, with then, I think, a new song, Safe Harbour, which returns to stating that being what we here need, let alone anyone else. To round out the first set, old new favourite This Is Our Home gets a brisk and brash call out, the part autobiographical hymn to her coming of musical age, dedicated to Katie Fitzgerald’s: “This place it taught me about family and it showed me just what it means,
to make a stand in solidarity, and to never let go of your dreams.” I’ve never been, but was that a tear?

A second shorter gap had clearly the intended effect, as the extra lubrication now meant for a second set with looser tongues for any chorus. Which became evident within moments of starting Flags And Banners. As is so often the case, it is never quite the obvious or expected one who first jump in with their additional voices, adding always to the enjoyment of those around.

Old Broken Isle makes a lot more sense when you realise it is of “isle” rather than “arm” that she sings, another newer song. Is It Poetry is quite a pivotal song, it being the lead track on her very first release, all of ten plus years ago, recorded on her i-pad in her bedroom, but the sentiments and justifications remain as apt as they ever did. Somewhere there came also Boots, a song dedicated to her Doc Martens, faithful friends enabling her to always walk the long miles home

ACUTELY OBSERVED

Stranger On The Tube is one of her very best songs, an acutely observed description of where, even in part ovine garb, part uniform, the bigotry of random racism is still equally and culpably pernicious.As ever, it is righteous despair rather than blind anger that fuels the song. Sensitive all now done, it was now downhill (uphill?) with a bevy of singalong staples, Mayday and If We’re Damned, the latter proving the Kitchen Garden choristers were in fine fettle: “And if we’re damned we’ll all go down together, We’ll keep up the fight through the dark and stormy weather, ’cause that’s all we’ve got; we’ll hold on to each other. And we will mend, we’ll get there in the end!” (I should bloody cocoa!!!)

That should have been it, she looking even bewildered as it became clear she wasn’t going to be allowed to end there and like that, finding one last song to leave with.

I have been to the KGC often, and I shall go again, but can honestly say that seldom has a performer been met with so much evident affection. She promises some new material in April and you can be sure to read about it here. In the meantime, for an auditory taster, to get you in the mood. And, get me one in, should you get served first.

Jess Silk online: Website / Facebook / X (formerly Twitter) / Bluesky / Instagram / Bandcamp

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