Liam Hayes and Plush, King’s Head 16/10/09

Tonight is a band outing for The Untied Knot – me and Matt hop a 91 bus for the long crawl to the nether regions of Crouch End in search of a fix of what the NME once described as a “one-man Love Unlimited Orchestra”. The gig is billed as Liam Hayes and Plush which is the official new moniker for 2009’s “Bright Penny” album.  Starting as we (it turns out) mean to go on we commandeer the 2 best seats in the venue, front and centre to the obvious dismay of the too-polite punters behind us. Not terribly English I’m afraid but that’s several ales and a one hour bus journey for yas, if you’re reading guys – sorry… Barring this unforgivable faux-pas, we settle in on our best behaviour as Liam lifts on his Fender Telecaster for the first number.  It appears the two Fender Rhodes and upright piano will remain untouched but just before a sense of mild disappointment sets in for both of us, the guitar is discarded for the second song and Mr Hayes is joined by his new right-hand man on duelling Fender Rhodes and synth bass – Mr Jimmy Rowland. I say “mild disappointment” as I would have been more than happy with a solo electric guitar set just like the brilliant one we witnessed at The Luminaire 12 months ago but finer still it is to witness my 4th variant on the Plush live sound since 1998.

Certain people talk about “outsider artists” but Liam Hayes and his music seems to exist in a timeless bubble somewhere on the outskirts of the music scene, untouched by any trends or concessions to the present millennium. There’s a strange inevitability that; as he has for about 15 years or so, Hayes will continue to create music with an inexplicably select appeal as it grows in melodic richness and pop sensibility. In short, he’s one of those guys who should be huge. This is made even more evident as he and Jimmy kick into “Take A Chance” the lead-off track from “Bright Penny” and biggest hit-single-that-never-was of 2009 (or is it 1973?). The sound of the Fender Rhodes is almost uniquely evocative in the way it captures a specific era i.e. the odd pre-punk wilderness of the early/mid 70s mainstream and the use of two makes for an ideal method of articulating the sound of Plush. I’ve tried many times to pin down the influences that make up this sound but on the whole they remain fleeting and mercurial at best – I have heard hints of Brian Wilson, Curtis Mayfield, Burt Bacharach, Alex Chilton, Marvin Gaye & Neil Young (later we also agree on The Carpenters and The Doors with Jimmy). Regardless of this, Plush has a sound that vividly transports me back to an early childhood of chart friendly soft rock and soul soaked up through my little blue battery powered AM radio. But don’t let that put you off…Hayes has a voice that could blunt the most embittered cynic and tunes which make grown men smile rather than weep – it’s no mean achievement. There are highlights from all three albums tonight and the set is received rapturously by the small but unusually vociferous crowd.

Both of us are enthused and while I go off to chat to Alan whose label Broken Horse released the latest album, Matt takes the opportunity to collar Mr Jimmy (right) and congratulate him on the night’s performance. Plush have given Matt his mojo back and we join Jimmy upstairs for a(nother) pint, he turns out to be charming company and regales us with tales of his many bands and his sweetheart back home in Nashville.

By now, the evening has turned into “An Audience With Matt and Nige” as we welcome Liam Hayes to our bar-based chat show. Our protestations at his lack of more widespread acclaim are greeted mostly with bemusement  so we move on to  chords stretching over four frets, analogue recording,  his “daring choice of patent leather shoes”  (my words) and god knows what else. I have to admit, it’s all got a bit hazy by now but to his credit he’s either too polite to make his excuses and leave or we’re making some sort of sense – who knows? Anyway, I have a coach to catch to Bristol the next morning so it’s one for the road and off to flag down the sodding night bus. Happily, this is one of those rare nights that refuses to be spoiled by such trifles…

Thanks to Matt for his super “lo-fi” photos.

And here’s a clip from the gig I’ve just discovered: