REVIEW: TINY RUINS AT BRISTOL LOUISIANA (12/02/12)
You could be forgiven for thinking that seeing three of the leading lights in the New Zealand folk scene in an eggy cellar is a scene out of Flight of the Conchords. But Sunday night’s gig was actually a beautifully quiet and warm-hearted evening.
You won’t go to many gigs where the bands take the tickets on the door, but we were greeted by the headliner with a smile and lead down into the cellar. The bare room was decorated with balloons, a coloured lamp and a couple of speakers, and had a beer cooling fan which intermittently whirred. The three Kiwi singer song-writers on show were Jordan Ireland, Holly Throsby, and Bristol born headliner Tiny Ruins.
Ireland kicked off the show, with rocky, more electric sounding music. He had a voice similar to Phospherescent and some rather interesting song lyrics. A particular favourite was one where he listed people he knew that had died, but he also did a Townes Van Zandt cover and had some tender moments. Next up was the sweet sounding Holly Throsby, who had a fantastically pure voice which hit some beautiful notes. She was the only one to have any accompaniment, in the form of a friend who played drums, and sang songs of relationships, road kill and everything in-between.
Tiny Ruins is a project of Hollie Fullbrook, and she has enjoyed some moderate radio-play in the UK since the release of her debut album Some Were Meant for Sea last year. There were only around 20 people in the small cellar to watch the gig, but this seemed to make it feel more intimate rather than empty. This intimacy was added to by the fact that Hollie was born in Bristol, and some of her former neighbours and distant relatives were in the audience to see her play. She has a heart warming blues singing voice, and writes elegant and simple songs of love notes, cats and old age. The first line we heard her sing was ‘Lean in friends, can I tell you a tale’, and it set the tone for the remainder of the gig.
The most beautiful moment was Priest With Balloons which sings of her desire to ‘live in a world where the traffic conductors are ballet dancers’, a sensitive and idealistic ode to a more forgiving and romantic life. For a few hours on Sunday night that is exactly what it felt like for us.
Words: Max Boon
Photo: Adrian Pua via Flickr
