It was an intrepid soul who ventured out into the night to brave Storm Lorenzo on Thursday night. The Motorways had been closed as the big machines did their work to try to clear the flooding further down the M4 towards Neath. But hey, nothing was going to stop me and my gigging 'husband' Craig as we left the ladies at home and headed towards Acapela Studios to see the rescheduled gig by Chrissy Mostyn & Richard Pilkington aka The Blackheart Orchestra.
I've been waiting for the guys to come to Wales for quite some time and to get them in the Acapela was a dream come true. Yes, the audience could have been and should have been larger but considering the conditions outside it didn't really come as a shock. But it didn't spoil the evening one jot and for those who missed out - you missed out Big Time. And for those fans who knew what they were in for, they were Magnificent.
The band are about to release album number 5 - Mesmeranto on October 11 and it was a chance to hear some of the new music in a live setting and get a good preview of the forthcoming release after being teased by the rather intriguing pre-release video.
As is normally the case with Acapela performances, the show is split into two halves - tonight over 2 hours of quality music. The band kicked off with the suitably titled Hypnotize from their last album Diving For Roses. The sound in Acapela as usual was phenomenal and the band's choice of vintage keyboards, including a rather gorgeous Omnichord, filled the Chapel with glorious swirling sounds and incredible dynamics.
Chrissy & Richard played instruments tonight that included Keyboards, Bass, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitars and Electronic Drums.
It's pretty hard to pigeon hole the sound of The Blackheart Orchestra - it varies from song to song on their albums. Some call them Prog, some call them New Electronica, at the end of the day they are incredibly gifted singer songwriters who choose a varied way to present their songs to the world. Hopefully, if you're sufficiently engaged you will seek out their albums and judge for yourself.
There are some influences that are impossible to ignore. If Kate Bush had a musical daughter, then she'd almost certainly be in the mould of Chrissy Mostyn. Adventurous in sound and form, she has the enquiring spirit of Kate and can be traced over the four so far released albums. And in Richard, Chrissy has a partner who has the skills and vision of a seasoned Multi-instrumentalist and brings the songs to life with a multitude of colours and sonic adventures.
As what is to be expected on this latest tour, the band took the opportunity to play the majority of their new album Mesmeranto. And what a great album this is going to be and I'll discuss this on another Blog page later in the year. Suffice to say following the rather dramatic year the Band has just experienced the album has shades galore of light and dark and everything in-between.
Below is the Acapela performance of the band's current single, Left To Right from Mesmeranto.
Left To Right
The show included tracks from most of the band's albums including Sebastian and Hey, Pluto.
Sebastian
The swooping vocals and harmonies generated by Richard and Chrissy are breathtaking and with a little electronic trickery. fill the Chapel with a multitude of voices akin to a choir. It is very emotional and moving.
Hey Pluto
A lot of the music of The Blackheart Orchestra is visual and cinematic in scope and presentation and in the intimate setting of Acapela gives an extra dimension to the evening. The audience in Acapela is very attentive to this type of music and in the quieter passages you could literally have heard a pin drop. Truly inspirational to experience.
Breathe
With the new songs fitting beautifully into the set, this new show should lift The Blackheart Orchestra into another level, both in performance and success. Every Band seems to have a point in their career where all of the stars seem to align, and I think for the Blackheart Orchestra, this could be that time. So I cannot urge you strongly enough to ensure you catch the band on this tour before they really go stratospheric
In Another Lifetime
After nearly two hours of music where the band had covered all the bases and left the audience inevitably wanting more, there was time for one more spine tingling moments before we all headed off back into the storm that was battering Ireland and Wales that evening. And they chose to go all the way back to the beginning.
Invisible
With a request from the audience, Chrissy & Richard come back onto he stage for one final song - an absolutely showstopping (or closing) version of one of their first songs, Invisible. And the audience just took it in for a second when it finished and gave it the rapturous applause it deserved.
It was a truly memorable evening and for those lucky enough to attend, it is a night they will never forget. I just hope Chrissy & Richard decide they want to come back to Acapela because if they ever had a Welsh spiritual home, it would be there.
Twitter - @blackheartorch
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