CONCERT REVIEW: Stornoway @ Johnny Brenda's 12/4

The Web site for the award-winning alternative weekly, the Philadelphia City Paper.

options

CONCERT REVIEW: Stornoway @ Johnny Brenda's 12/4

POSTED: Tuesday, December 7, 2010, 6:00 PM

Filed Under: Music | Concert Review concert photos

Photo | Eric Schuman

STORNOWAY

Photo | Eric Schuman

STORNOWAY

We've all felt like strangers at one point or another. And, more often than not, it's the warmth of fellow strangers that makes us feel less alien. Imagine that, instead of starting at a new job or new school, you were taking a spin around a new country. It's a good thing that Oxonian quartet Stornoway packed a healthy supply of pleasantly poppy Brit-folk for their first American tour. Having already built a sizeable following back home, the guys arrive about six months after the stateside release of their debut, Beachcomber's Windowsill (4AD). Though they don't identify themselves with the London scene that birthed the Mumford & Sons and Noah And The Whale sensations, Stornoway's glowing reception in the US is undoubtedly bolstered by those bands' recent success. Regardless of what brought the crowd to Johnny Brenda's for Stornoway's first ever Philadelphia performance, they were there to see one of England's most promising young groups do its thing. Leading the night was Franz Nicolay, the dapper multi-instrumentalist formerly of The Hold Steady and Against Me!. Nicolay and his band have released several records of original material credited to Nicolay himself, though his own career has yet to match the acclaim of any of his prior bands'. The reason for that certainly can't be chalked up to a lack of charisma; whether wielding a guitar, banjo or accordion, Nicolay presents his tunes with the rousing energy of a cabaret ringmaster. Nicolay's wordy songs aren't too big on hooks, making his set a little tough to get into. Still, it's hard to resist the guy's charm, and his between-song stories and banter were some of the most enjoyable I've heard in a while.

Photo | Eric Schuman

FRANZ NICOLAY

Though Stornoway have but one album to their name (so far, at least), their debut set wasn't just a retelling of Beachcomber's Windowsill. That album's sonic variety really comes through in a live setting, with "I Saw You Blink" and "Zorbing" providing the upbeat bookends to an evening that alternated between sparse emotionalism and jubilant bounce. Lead singer Brian Briggs' soaring voice and the rest of the bands' rich harmonies are the cornerstones for each song, giving a traditional, almost nautical folk implication to songs about love in film ("The End Of The Movie") and ornithology ("Watching Birds"). That juxtaposition between old and new really stands out in a new song, "When You Touch Down From Outer Space," and the very last song of the night, "We Are The Battery Human," a satirical celebration of wasting the day away online. As guests in our strange land, Stornoway are quickly earning loving favor. As one particularly impressed attendee exuberantly proclaimed, "I freakin' love this British shit!" From endlessly looped violins and empty (?) kegs banged on for percussive effect to a singing saw and a banjo emblazoned with a detailed mollusk illustration, there really isn't anything not to love.

(Video | John Vettese)

(Video | Eric Schuman)

ross

Posted 2010-12-09 09:04:54

what a fantastic show.  the un-amplified encore, in particular, prompted some of the most unabashedly genuine crowd enthusiasm i've seen in a long time.  the new (or at least non-album) "november song" was also really great.

Posted by Eric Schuman @ 6:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Comments (0)

Q&A with SHARI SOLANIS: "The goal isn't pornography"
What we're trying to do this weekend
SEXY TIME Q&A: I've never had an orgasm during sex with a man — and I'm 30!
NOW SEE THIS: Transit cop arrests marijuana activist for alleged disorderly conduct.
Q&A with Tony Goldwyn: "Life is gray, and relationships are, too"
CONCERT REVIEW: Primus (3D & quadraphonic sound) @ The Tower 10/17
ICEPACK ILLUSTRATED: The Archbishop meets the Geator, the Mayor goes suit shopping, Le Bec Fin fin.
ICEPACK ILLUSTRATED: Indian fare rules, Dunder Mifflin lives on, Tom Jones is a god
SWIMMING HOLES: Some of our favorite places to get wet
Q&A with Goon’s Seann William Scott

About this blog

Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

Follow Critical Mass editors Patrick Rapa and Emily Guendelsberger on Twitter:

@mission2denmark | @emilygee

Search this blog:

Topics:

Blog archives:

May
April
March

February
January

Past Archives: