In troubled times, these sounds are our weapon

That’s the hook that accompanied my review of Merry Hell’s latest album Rising Of The Bold, summing up the rallying calls that are the hallmark of the band’s output, and for me, the Settle gig was the most complete demonstration of what their music means to so many of us.

The Venue

A sold out Victoria Hall (the oldest music hall in the UK) was reconfigured and promptly sold out for a second time, this was the first time I’ve seen The Hell at this venue, following an unsuccessful attempt in 2020…Victoria Hall in Settle is a magnificent place, heritage oozes from the walls, staff are super friendly, there’s excellent sound and lighting and the audience vibe is always top notch. Needless to say, it’s a favourite place of several of the ATB team.

No Holding Back

Merry Hell opened with serious intent, belting out Ghost In Our House, Morning After and Stand Down in quick succession. The audience suitably warmed by the performance (and the central heating), were then treated to the compulsory and riotously joyous Bury Me Naked – with only minimal pockets of resistance observed, it was clear that the band had the North Yorkshire massives in the palm of their hands. Andrew was also on fine form, the Wiganese Bob Mortimer went on some elongated, but highly amusing verbal ramblings throughout the evening that had the audience in stitches, with Virginia prodding him in an attempt to keep the timings on track.

The first half drew to a close with Lee Goulding’s superb Only Love – which appears to have (rightly) cemented itself into the setlist, Leave it in the Ground and Bob Kettle’s iconic Come On England – before the boys left the stage and left Virginia Kettle to roam freely and acapela amongst the audience with Spy In A Previous Life.

Hydration Break

Band and audience suitably refreshed by the bar, and the rather chilly autumnal air that was gratefully welcomed in through the venue’s double doors, we strapped in for the second half. Kicking off with Different, We Are One – which is the second song from the When We Meet Again EP, before being roundly smacked in the face with the emotional sucker punch that is Bob Kettle’sThe Old Soldier. My unashamed favourite Vagabond Army followed, the juxtaposition of styles demonstrating Bob Kettle’s tune and lyrical mastery for all to hear.

We Dont Stop Dancing Because We’re Old, We Got Old Because We Stopped Dancing!

But as the old adage goes, it takes two to party – Merry Hell may have fine musicians and an incredible back catalogue, but that can only take you so far, and without buy in from the audience it can be a rather one dimensional affair. There was never any fear that this evening would fall flat, the audience had already proved game with their enthusiastic sway in the first half and there had been a pocket of determined shape-throwing towards the back of the hall from the get-go.

Just before Lovin’ The Skin You’re In, Virginia had spotted two young sisters in the third row – who at the approx age of 10 years old had reduced the average age of the audience to at least 68…the demographics were shifted further as Andrew read out birthday wishes to Simon King, who had apparently (and very adroitly) chosen this gig to celebrate his 40th at.

An Emotional Finale

It didn’t take much to convince the entire audience to leave their seats from this point on and dance, this was the point were the gig most definitely cemented itself as one of the great Merry Hell evenings. At one side of the hastily formed dancefloor the young sisters were spinning around, not a care in the world, on the other side an elderly couple determindly got up and shuffley-bopped with the support of a zimmer-frame – I simply can’t do justice, or have the words to describe what a beautiful and joyful sight was unfolding in front of us, I can only refer to my initial comment In troubled times, these sounds are our weapon, and in a world that is apparently set up to divide and rule, this is how we counter and resist together.

The main set concluded with One More Day, the audience briefly retaking their seats – before the well-deserved and universally observed standing ovation. The encore was split with the now familar duo of the full-throttle Let the Music Speak, followed by the band joining the audience in the main hall for a deeply moving, acapella rendition of When we Meet Again, the final song from the COVID EP When We Meet Again,

A perfect conclusion to a perfect evening.

Merry Hell, perpetually on tour, continued up to a COVID delayed gig in Ulpha (yes six years later, and also where the Bury Me Naked video was filmed!) they will have a whole two weeks off before their annual, helloween party at The Citadel, St Helens, they then return to St. Mary’s Creative Space in Chester – check out their website and social media, they will undoubtedly be coming to a parish near you soon!

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