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Vol. 79

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Live Reviews

Beans On Toast

Colchester Arts Centre

Thursday 27th March 2025

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BEANS ON TOAST – COLCHESTER – LIVE REVIEW

đŸ“¸ Denis Gorbatov

It’s a day with a Y in it, so you better believe that Beans On Toast is touring! Tonight, as the sun sets on what’s been a glorious spring day, Colchester’s local music lovers congregate in the beautiful surroundings of the city’s Arts Centre for an opportunity to revel in his tales and song.

EVY FREARSON

Colchester Arts Centre is one of the best independent venues in our beautiful country (with possibly the best toilets – seriously check them out) and it’s only right that tonight we have a local opening act to get the evening rolling.

Evy Frearson is an Essex born singer-songwriter who this evening showcases a haunting alt-folk sound which is rather fitting for this deconsecrated church! Whilst her time on stage is short, she is able to mesmerise those in attendance and undoubtedly leave them wanting more.

Frearson finishes her set with her fantastic new single, ‘Kiss Me In The Winter’ and serves as Exhibit A for the case of always getting down to venues early to support the support act!

WILLIAM CRIGHTON

Exhibit B for that case soon arrives onstage as a longtime friend of our headliner, William Crighton, takes things in a grittier direction with his brand of storytelling folk-rock.

Crighton has welcomed Beans On Toast over to his homeland for a number of shows and tours and now he is clearly enjoying his trek around the UK with Beans. His Aussie charm helps to bring his songs to life and the crowd eat up every word of the likes of ‘2000 Clicks’ and set closer ‘Priest’.

It has to be said that whenever Beans On Toast tours, he always manages to pick interesting and engaging support acts and Colchester has been blessed with two of them.

BEANS ON TOAST

Soon enough, it’s time for that man himself to hit the stage and on both legs of his tour supporting latest album, ‘Wild Goose Chasers’, he has been accompanied on piano by Matt Millership (known to fans as Tensheds or King Killership).

The man known as Beans On Toast, Jay McAllister releases a new album on his birthday each December and in recent years he has mixed up his recording process each year. This latest release was written in collaboration with Millership and it’s great to see the pair bring these songs to the stage together.

Whenever Millership takes on the musical lead tonight, it allows Beans the freedom to roam the stage and deliver his ever-thought-provoking lyrics with even more verve. The likes ‘Faith in the Moon’ and ‘Why?’ segue perfectly amongst fan favourites ‘A Beautiful Place’ and ‘Watching the World Go By’.

Mid-set Beans picks up his trusty guitar and delivers a run of songs solo including some fan requests and local-based tracks given his status as an Essex lad himself. Later Millership returns and we even see a Millership, Crighton and Beans team-up for Randy Travis cover ‘Send My Body’.

We also get a glimpse of where Beans is going with his new material this year with three new tracks making their way into the setlist including the return of his scathing political commentary on tentatively titled ‘Counter Culture’ and ‘Taylor Swift II’!

Beans has long established himself as an underground national treasure and fans that head out into the now considerably cooler March night do so glad that they left the house and supported live music.

Look at the upcoming shows section of his website and it would be fair to wager that it will never be blank. For that, we should all be grateful for the work ethic installed in Beans On Toast because any night spent in the company of ol’ Beano is always going to be glorious time.

So, the moral of this review is simply to do yourself a favour and next time Beans comes to town, do the right thing and pop along!

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Emily Barker

Portland Arms, Cambridge

Tuesday 4th February 2024

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EMILY BARKER – CAMBRIDGE – LIVE REVIEW

Emily Barker has been nothing short of a prolific songwriter since first making her name here in the UK. But as the Australian native shares so fondly this evening, it was here in Cambridge where her journey began. Her show at the fantastic Portland Arms could therefore be regarded as something of a homecoming show – just 9,000 miles from home!

The venue is packed and rightfully so as fans gather to hear tracks from her phenomenal 2024 album, ‘Fragile as Humans’, brought to life on stage. Before then however, we have another UK thriving Aussie songwriter as Liz Stringer serenades the audience with songs and stories from her life.

Each song is superbly crafted to deliver the powerful lyrics in which Stringer explores her life, and the wisdom gained whilst overcoming the challenges that life presents. Stringers’ personable and down to earth demeanour endear her to the crowd instantly and her time on stage feels all too short.

That is naturally a good sign and thankfully as she closes her performance with a great rendition of ‘Anyone’, that isn’t the last the crowd gets to see of her this evening!

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘ANYONE’ FROM LIZ STRINGER
Liz Stringer – ‘Anyone’

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Soon enough, it’s time for Emily Barker and her band to make their way through the crowd and on to the intimate stage. As with Stringer before, Barker has an enate ability to engage with the audience and make it feel like you are stood watching her whilst sat in your living room.

There is a respect from the audience and even during her most delicate songs you could hear a pin drop in the crowd. Barker has built her reputation over two decades of creative ingenuity, and that prolificacy shows no signs of dissipating.

Her latest effort ‘Fragile as Humans’ is proof in itself and its these songs that take centre stage this evening. These delicately constructed songs are amongst the best that Barker has produced in her career and that frankly is saying something!

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘THE QUIET WAYS’ FROM EMILY BARKER
Emily Barker – ‘The Quiet Ways’

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From sensational opener ‘With Small We Start’, through the sublime ‘The Quiet Ways’, to the title track itself, each song from the album excels in the live setting. Other favourites and deep cuts including ‘Nostalgia’ and ‘Ghost Narrative’ help to fill out what is a mesmerising ninety minutes.

Stringer returns to the stage to accompany Barker on select songs including main set closer ‘Machine’, which accentuates the special feeling of the evening. An encore of new track ‘Bight Idea’ (or Brightest Day as one audience member calls out) and ‘Dear River’ is a wonderful way to close out a beautiful evening.

Barker is an enthralling songwriter and mesmeric live performer. Her songs are packed with meaning and performed with grace. So, do the right thing and seize any opportunity you get to witness this magic for yourself!

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The Full Pelt Music Podcast – Episode 61 – Emily Barker

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Vol. 62

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