At The Barrier favourites Barbara ride into Masham on a wet and windy Friday, accompanied by a large posse of eager Barbarettes. And if that isn’t a cue for an evening of fun, frolics and phantasmagoria then, quite frankly, I don’t know what is! And, this time around, they’ve got an album to promote…

CHAMPIOIN THE WONDERHORSE

Even blindfolded, I’d have known that I was in the right place, at the right time. That’s because, as we entered Masham’s sturdily magnificent Town Hall, the theme to 60s fantasy drama, Champion the Wonderhorse, was playing over the PA. And that could only mean one thing – At The Barrier’s favourite fop-poppers, Barbara, were in town.

In fact, the clues had been evident throughout the afternoon, as we wandered Masham’s damp streets in search of shelter and sustenance – solid sustenance, in the form of the area’s bountiful local produce and liquid refreshment, in the form of the town’s magnificent locally-brewed ales. Yes, the band’s posse of eager Barbarettes were in vivid evidence; people who’d been lured onto the Barbara bus by recent stellar performances in support of The Divine Comedy, Haircut 100, Paul Weller and, most recently, Kid Creole and the Coconuts. The Barbara word is, clearly, spreading.

JIM DANBY

Barbara have a new album to promote, of course, and their eponymous debut (released just last month) is, verily, a five-star offering – and you can read allabardit here. The new album would get lots of coverage during the evening – and, after the show, the band would shift a few units. But we’ll talk about that later, because one great feature of every Barbara show is the care that the guys take in selecting a complementary support act and, for tonight’s show, Jim Danby – a singer-songwriter from the environs of Hull – was an inspired choice to get the evening’s events off to flying start.

“We’ll start with the Bingo, shall we?” joked Jim, before explaining that his songs occupy a continuum that spans the gulf between ‘serious’ and ‘the other end,’ and assuring us that, in view of the evening’s main attraction, he’d be focusing on material from ‘the other end.’ And, true to his word, he kicked off his set with Trifle – a song ostensibly about his favourite food, but, actually, about people – because there’s such a wide variety of ingredients in a trifle. There’s a distinctive Jake Thackray attitude concealed between Jim’s choppy guitar style, and that suits the messages within his lyrics, such as when he points out that “…if we were all the same, the world would be just a pea soup.”

A DESIGNATED DRIVER’S REWARD…

Jim pays tribute to his mother’s culinary, tailoring and cross-dressing skills with Mother Showed Me How, before moving onto a skill that his mother probably didn’t teach him for the hilarious Room 29. The song is a wonderful story of a gentleman, doomed to spend the evening drinking cokes as his group’s designated driver, who meets a lady in the same situation. The pair decide to rent a room and spend the evening together in way that offers fun without alcoholic intoxication. And who would blame them?

A POTENT ENDING

And, sticking with the subject of tributes, Jim also takes the time to eulogise his home city of Hull (UK City of Culture in 2017, remember…) with Big Fat City. His lyrics might touch on some of the more depressing aspects of living in a northern, provincial, town or city but he nevertheless concludes that the city’s inhabitants are: “…proud of their accents, proud to be living in Hull.” Dedicated to every town that can call itself ‘a real place,’ it’s Jim’s slant on Ralph McTell’s Streets of London.

There’s “Great views, but no loos” to be enjoyed from the summits of Helvellyn and Ben Nevis, sings Jim in Trekking before he draws his set to a close with the heartwarming Be Happy, Not Sad, a song written to celebrate the life of his daughter, Jessie who, sadly, passed away ten years ago. It’s a lovely, thought-provoking song that will strike a chord with any parent, with a potency that even Jim’s ‘make-light-of-it’ banter couldn’t blunt. It was a lovely way to close an absorbing set, and the Masham audience lapped it up.

BARBARA

Barbara’s entry to the stage is always an impressive event and tonight was no different in that respect. A cry of, “Y’ know what, Barbara?” was the prompt for the band to emerge. John took a photo of the assembled throng, informed us us that “You can stand, you can stay seated – you’re the boss,” and off we went. These New Communications is an inspired choice of opening song – it’s well road-tested and it was clear from a glance around the hall that it was familiar to most of the audience – still all taking in the lavish stage set that included a reading lamp, a bookcase, flowers and a glitter ball. And the place was definitely jumping as Barbara then launched right into Pretty Straight Guy, a growing favourite.

John’s question, enquiring who, within the audience was a Masham local drew a surprisingly small response – and it did seem, from the conversations that I’d held with numerous attendees, that people had travelled from all over the north-eastern quadrant of the country to be present. That notwithstanding, John was still moved to comment that “Masham is the most beautiful town this band has been to.” And I don’t think that was just an idle compliment…

IN PERFECT ACCORD

Barbara frontman John Tydeman is a bundle of energy, as he demonstrated by skipping through the Sparks-like intro to the delightfully retro Little Bird Sing, the band’s November 2024 single. Brothers John and Henry were in perfect accord as they sang the song’s “Ooh-la-la-la” refrain and the sun-drenched birdsong playout was luxurious! Rainy Days in June was this writer’s personal introduction to this most retro-revivalist of bands and it’s a song that I still love. Guitarist Dean Llewellyn and John paced the edge of the stage as the band’s bubble machine churned out its soapy product and we all swayed along to the “Da-da-da-da-da” chorus. A moment of sheer, summery, bliss.

The band had taken advantage of the opportunities on offer in Masham by taking their pre-match meal at the nearby Black Sheep Brewery and, according to John, the lamb burger was “lying heavily in his gut…” But his digestive difficulties didn’t visibly hinder his moves as he gyrated his way through Father Before Me – an excellent new song that had support act Jim knocking out a few shapes of his own in the aisle. And Jim’s efforts weren’t wasted on the rest of the audience as, they to, started to move with the groove for Property Owning Democracy, singing lustily along to yet another chorus.

BERYL – AND A PERSONAL INTRO!

Dedicated to the wonderful seaside artist, Beryl Cook, Beryl is a real highlight of Barbara’s debut album (“I wasn’t trained to look this stupid onstage,” quipped John as he introduced the song) before Henry voiced his dislike of the dominance that mobile phones impose on modern-day life in his introduction to the splendid Don’t Send Me Messages. In defiance, John took an onstage phone call – and the number of dancers in the audience continued to grow…

I will treasure the dedication that I was given from the stage, as I was spotted taking photographs – “A wild John Barlass – a true champion,” said John, and the audience even applauded! Thanks, John!

SARTORIAL ELEGANCE

Guitarist Dean and bassist Jack Hosgood (now clad in a fetching pink jacket) both come right into their own during recent single Tolerant Nation, each chipping in with a stirring solo, before the cynicism was cranked up to 11 for the glorious Master Narrative. “Is this song about Boris Johnson?” whispered my friend – a newly anointed Barbarette. “Yes – I suspect it probably is”, I replied…

And Jack’s pink jacket reminds me. It wouldn’t be a Barbara review without some mention of the band’s sartorial choices. Henry’s brown shirt and checked trousers were a remarkably subdued choice as far as Barbara wardrobe is concerned, but drummer Lawrie Miller rose magnificently to the occasion in his 70s retro jacket. But, tonight’s fashion statement award surely goes to John and his hand-knitted sleeveless slipover, complete with integral ‘Barbara’ logo. It was knitted by a fan and, apparently, was seven months in the making. That’s dedication, right there.

A BRIGHT FUTURE AWAITS…

I’m particularly pleased that, although copies of the band’s debut album are still warm from the presses, new songs continue to see light of day. father Before Me (see above) was the first of the new generation to get an airing tonight, but it wasn’t the only one. With it’s ‘Taxman’ guitar lick and enticing ‘it could be wrong, it could be right’ lyrics, Isn’t She Strange is another song that provides reassurance that the future of Planet Barbara is in safe hands. Dreamy harmonies give the song a post-Roxy retro feel; I suspect that we’ll be seeing another Barbara single release pretty soon…

A rousing Mein Fraulein led into faux-closer Waiting Outside Alone and I was prompted to consider how the band’s long-time opening number had now evolved into an equally-dynamic finale. It didn’t take a lot of audience effort to drag the band back onstage but the effort saved in ovation was, instead, reinvested in participation as we sang lustily along to The Contented Commuter, another great highlight of the new album. I was overwhelmed by the tightness of the band, the sincerity of their delivery and the warmth of the reception. and, as we sang, it seemed that the Masham audience really DID “love to work on Mondays.”

STANDING OVATION

This time around, the ovation was a standing one, and the audience stayed on their feet, to dance along to the ABBA-saluting BRB, the evening’s final word. I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep on saying it: Barbara are a band that get better and better, with every song, with every gig and – now – with an album. they’re a band that I’d love to see on the bill of a certain annual festival that we, at At The Barrier, hold very close to our hearts. Let’s hope that our admiration one day reaches the right ears.

Watch the official video to Tolerant Nation – Barbara’s most recent single and a track from their new debut album – below:

Jim Danby online: Facebook / Instagram / YouTube / Bandcamp

Barbara: Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / X / TikTok / Bandcamp

Keep up with At The Barrier: Facebook / X (formerly Twitter) / Instagram / Spotify / YouTube