Gig Review - Bellowhead Margate Winter Gardens 25th November 2014

Bellowwho?  Is what many people seem to say to me when I mention them - well go find them out.  They are a large multi instrumental folk group.  However before all you rock fans turn away and ignore them - they are very rock sounding to me in their arrangements even if they don't have a traditional rock rhythm session - in fact the bass instrument of choice is brass - Helicon, Tuba or Sousaphone...  Most of the band are multi-instrumentalists too adding incredible range to the bands sounds.  The venue I thought would suit them well, the Winter Gardens is an old seaside dance hall/ theatre- very ornate big rectangle with the stage on one of the long sides, which was more suitable with a dance but not maybe a modern gig.  But what made it worse was the decision by someone for it to be all seated.  I've been to gigs there before when the "dance floor" is standing only.  Sadly this lack of dancing/jumping about meant the atmosphere was a little flatter than I'd expected from them until into the second half.

However they did hit the ground running with Roll Alabama as the kick off song- one of my personal favs of theirs and a highlight off the lastest album Revival.   The mix then onwards was a mix of a lot of the new stuff off Revival (Let Her Run, Let Union Be, Fine Sally, Gosport Nancy ... etc.)  and old hits - a lot from Hedonism album which is my favourite album after Revival from them.

Sound I thought was good for me although one friend thought it not so clear but I thought it good, to cope with so many acoustic instruments without a muddy mix and only one or two little feedback squeals I was suitably impressed with.

Top gig!