Mostly Autumn gave a performance at York Opera House on Saturday evening, as part of their 2011 tour. The annual Opera House performance- a homecoming for the York band- is becoming something of a ‘Christmas tradition’, and the seven-strong group of prog-rockers seems to welcome this.
The performance ran to an ambitious two and a half hours, with no support act. Although this might at first seem like a risky venture, it doesn’t take long to realise that this is in fact a very down-to-earth move. The Autumners are simply trying to give a no-nonsense performance of a length which suits fans; it works perfectly, and actually the time flies by.
Josh has said that the band always looks forward to the York performance- and that the Opera House allows them some latitude in terms of stage setup. The lighting was certainly spectacular, and really added a depth and visual engagement to the show. It’s not very rock and roll, but I did have a small complaint: I was temporarily blinded by a direct hit by a powerful light at the beginning of the show, and throughout the performance a small minority of the lights made it impossible to watch the stage. I’m all for the big pyrotechnics, but not at the expense of my retinas.
I’ve been to see Mostly Autumn before, when they played in Exeter. That was in 2007/08, and it struck me at the time that the group dynamic was a little off; it was almost like two bands onstage at the same time, struggling to co-exist. There was no real cohesion, which diffused the attention and made for a performance it was difficult to commit to. Whether this has been resolved by experience or simply by the change of venues is unclear, but it certainly has been resolved- there’s a real sense during the Opera House gig that you’re in fact getting two bands’ worth of talent in a one-band show, which is just perfect.
The between-song banter is minimal, and when it is forthcoming it doesn’t feel rehearsed, but genuine. This element of a show is always important to me, but again I recognise the intention- the band is here to play songs, and they don’t want to waste any time explaining themselves, especially to an audience mostly composed of established fans.
Olivia Sparnenn shows off an incredible vocal talent, and essentially fronts the band while Josh Bryan is busy handling- with equal aplomb- the guitar. Andy Smith is the third performer in a very energetic trio- while the other four members have their moments, there’s a real sense that these three are leading from the front, and they’re certainly the focal point of the show.
The writing’s top notch and there’re plenty of stuck-in-your-head, take-home quality songs. There’s a lot of tonal depth too, when all seven performers are perfectly coordinated- which is almost all of the time. – and they end the show on a cheery, Christmassy high. A top-quality band, and one of York’s true musical treasures; when you come to Mostly Autumn’s end of year show you not only support a local band- but have a great time doing it. In the words of the timeless classic, I wish it could be Mostly Autumn’s Christmas gig every day.