A medium-rare treat on a Wednesday evening , sees Alex Hart chauffeured up the M6 with her full band for a great evening at a rather refined venue.

APERITIF

Alex Hart, as part or her other musical line-ups, can normally be found at Nantwich Civic Hall – just a couple of minutes walk across the historic Cheshire market town. The Civic Hall is characterised by its large capacity, comprehensive but cheap beverage options, and an audience that can sometimes be considered more akin to a ladies night than an evening of premier folk.

So it was with some trepidation that we hot-footed over to Nine Mill Street to see Alex Hart (vocals and guitar), Paddy Blight (double bass), Adam Sweet (electric and acoustic guitar) and Garry Kroll (percussion) – however Nine Mill Street turned out to be a far more luxurious proposition than the industrial revolution inspired name initially suggested.

ENTRÉE

The evening was presented by Gentleman Jack’s, a new venture who by day offer a short back-and-sides and by night showcase small, intimate music events. The venue itself is within the highly rated restaurant that serves globally inspired tapas, small plates and Asian-fusion cuisine – the menu rounds to a single decimal point and the noticeboards outside do not reveal the a la carte prices – a quick google of the reviews and a scan through the offerings result in hastily made plans to return to sample their gastronomy.

The audience are largely comprised of clientele who have been suitably refuelled and hydrated within the dining room, and who are presumably there for the entire evening’s experience, as opposed to the fans who have popped along solely for a gig.

There’s a palpable air of sophistication at the venue, which befits Alex Hart’s full band line up – Paddy leaves the electric bass guitar at home and comes armed with a double bass that feels completely at home in the warmly lit, table-service, cabaret style music room. We are treated to two, 45 minute sets that start with Onside, Orange Van and Very Last Time – leaving any debutants in the audience in no doubts that they were in for a very special evening.

SPÉCIALITIÉ DU JOUR

Alex Hart’s songwriting and performance prowess are not up for debate, being able to play two 45 minute sets, containing a diverse range of musical styles, keys and tempos speaks for itself, arguably no more so during the warm, latino sway of Strangers and Lovers.

However the shining moment of the evening was undoubtedly the first of her two covers. Right at the end of the first half Paddy started to slap out a familiar bass line, Garry adding the sublimely timed rim-clicks as Alex introduced the song and reaffirmed her dislike of all things house-music. We experienced the heady cocktail of song, presentation and the setting coming together in perfect unison. I think we all wished that I Wish I Didn’t Miss You never ended, it was like a sophisticated, multi-layered, rich dessert, oozing sophistication and class.

DESSERT

Following the opportunity to powder ones nose, avail ourselves of the merchandise boutique (including Visions, which forms the bulk of the set-list), and ensure that hydration levels were optimally sustained, we returned to our very comfortable seating arrangements for the second half.

Alex and Adam took to the stage and performed Tilly’s Song – a beautiful tribute to Alex’s long-time, canine companion – who had consistently and loyally supported Alex through some very challenging times, and they had shared their last moments together only the week before. Tilly may have had a long and fulfilling life, but I don’t know how Alex managed to perform that.

On to our feathered friends, and Blackbird makes a welcome appearance. Then onto a little Wren, as Alex introduces Mistake and talks about the challenges of being a touring Mum – which just a few years ago would have been deemed an impossible combination with a career on the road, but which more and more women are proving to be challenging but achievable.

WILD

The evening moves on all too quickly, and just like that the main event concludes with Old Man, which even as a cover, fits seamlessly into the repertoire and could easily be mistaken as coming from Alex’s own pen. There’s a curtain-call of sorts – as it wasn’t really feasible to leave the stage for the obligatory 30 seconds. The evening concludes with NY-esque, foot-stomper Wild (which could easily form part of the curtain calls for Alex’s other collaborations…) – and very apt as we are all released onto the mean streets of Nantwich and back into the real, wild world, but at the very least with a full heart and renewed sense of joy – its a fantastically upbeat conclusion to a memorable evening.

Alex will be appearing at festivals across the country, before returning north on Friday 25th September in Skipton.

Alex Hart: Website 

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