live reviews
MusicOMH
If there was ever a night made for folk music it would be a Sunday evening. Its a night for winding down and zoning out, and even James Scallan, front man of indie folkers The Pony Collaboration, was having trouble summing up the energy needed to entertain his small but devoted following at Lark in the Park, as he mumbled to me that this Islington venue was some what off the beaten track and it being “a school night and all.”
But as soon as he got on stage his lacklustre demeanour fell away and under the spotlights he became his alpha self. He was head strong and loquacious in a bashful way, and hugely passionate about the music, its meaning and the onstage mayhem that is unleashed when this eight piece band get together. And I was amazed that a line up that includes viola, percussion and glockenspiel could all fit on to Lark in the Park’s tiny stage.
The set opened with a lazy, melodic, bittersweet number which sees Scallan dueting with the diminutive Claire Williams on Don’t Stay. He is steadfast, aggressive, almost swallowing and gurning in front of the mike as he sings, while she remains more aloof but no less compelling. However it was the anthemic Fast Lane, that really got people whooping and dancing, enjoying the upbeat tempo and effortless refrain.
Slumming Expedition, with its blend of indie, pop and folk, which is due to be released as a single in May, was also a massive crowd pleaser. Their eponymous album, recorded on a shoe string in a spare bed room is also out in April (if you listen hard enough you may well be able to hear the group’s neighbours doing their DIY).
By the time Sunday night comes around, you don’t want to have your ears pummelled by the righteous hectoring of the Next Big Thing, and so while the Pony Collaboration are new, there was something simple and homespun about their sound, and something familiar and reassuring in their lyrics, that made them the perfect calming coda to any hectic week.
4/5
Clair Whitefield
Whisperin’ & Hollerin’
This was April’s instalment of the monthly showcase at KroBar put on by new venue-hopping promoters Hey! Manchester, who pride themselves on offering gig-goers something a little different from the average live showcase.
Headliners were intriguing Cambridge collective THE PONY COLLABORATION, over halfway through their first UK tour, and fresh from recording a session for the Revolution’s former Paris Angel SCOTT CAREY’s ‘Transmission’ show that’s due to be aired this Thursday (19th April) between 10pm and midnight.
It was late when the main attraction got their turn, and the audience had thinned a little, allowing a decent view of the performance area for the first time that evening. Like myself, it was mostly made up of those who have been blown away by the debut album, and the collective breath was held a little as we finally got the chance to hear what they held up like live.
They began with ‘Don’t Stay’, and the hook of the keys together with the harmonies had time to grab us before the surging drums and all the rest swept us away, strings and all.
‘Slumming Expedition’ followed, and the glock’s intervention punctuated the easy flow of the band’s set. Warming up now, and clearly enjoying themselves, this was a sublime performance riding high on the back of unconditional love.
Strings a go-go, ‘The Lay Of The Land’ was another bouncing triumph of folksy orchestration, before the awesome pull of ‘The Fast Lane’ showcased the upbeat, down at heel side of this ensemble to perfection.
New tracks ‘No Reunions’ and ‘If These Are Good Times’ bounced hard as a premonition of the next album, whist ‘Dust’ shimmered in a shroud made up of acoustic guitar and violin.
‘Leaving With Your Heart’ was their beautiful and bittersweet parting shot, as the darlings of indie label Series 8 concluded this applause inducing set with style and ease. They had hammered through their set at 100mph, but left no heart untouched along the way.
It’s late when we hit the street, but it’s been a belter, and it isn’t raining: what a result!Promoters Hey! Manchester are back with sets from Vinny Peculiar amongst others, so look out for their second Friday of every month shindigs, as this one beat all the odds on it’s way to being a fantastic night out!
9/10 – Mabs
The Indie Credential
The Pony Collaboration rounded off the night in style, the upbeat nature of their music at odds with everything that had gone before. After the country pop of their opener had immediately engaged the crowd they played a varied set that incorporated some great boy/girl vocals and nodded occasionally towards The Go-Betweens and Eighties indie-pop and at one point managed to sound not a million miles away from Broken Social Scene. It was a good end to the night though I left slightly disappointed that the At Swim Two Birds set had backfired so badly.
The Ledge
Miwsig
It’s a little colder today and The Lounge is a sea of animal-headed hats from a nearby hat stall as we watch The Pony Collaboration ploughing quaint and pastoral furrows. The Collaboration’s singer is a tall fellow, and has repeated trouble with the bar that crosses the stage at head height. Numerous times it clonks him when he least expects it, but still the set abounds with a relaxed kind of charm, TPC purveying an earnest, emotional and downplayed range of original and stunning folk.
Neil Jones
Between Planets
Top billing on the night was Cambridge collective, The Pony Collaboration, very incorrectly described in the gig ads as “Belle & Sebastian go country”. Totally not. Obviously, someone was confused because Pony has quite a few members and one of them’s a girl, so the two bands are practically interchangeable.
In fact, they were the weakest link on the night, as Mr Soundman and rubbish circumstances conspired against them (we couldn’t even hear the violinist – I mean come on!). In all honesty, though, I think they should go back to the drawing board, starting with a few covers: Perfect Skin by Lloyd Cole, Under the Milky Way by The Church and possibly Heaven by Talking Heads, and go from there. All the ingredients are there, but they keep trying to make a chocolate souffl頷hen a nice chocolate pudding would do just as well. Could be good, but we’ll never know – Lucy and I left after four songs. And we didn’t buy a CD.
REPEAT
Another debut gig, another blinder. The Pony Collaboration have sprung from the ashes of Cambridge indie faves Return of Id, who are all now poncing about in London running up huge student debts. The teen energy has been replaced with a whole bunch of other stuff – female harmonies, melodicas, xylophones, you name it – but the quality songwriting is intact, as are the touching lyrics, gangly looks and complete lack of coordination. Gotta love ‘em. The closest band sound-wise is probably Cinerama, which is a big compliment coming from me.
Chris Marling
