Gig Review: Atlantic Sessions- Sullivan and Gold, The Vals - Sunday 16th November
Across The Line
Tagged with:
Sunday afternoon in the quaint town of Portballintrae, Sullivan and Gold (aka Ben Robinson and Adam Montgomery) play at the Bayview Hotel, the Atlantic ocean as a backdrop.
As the gentle vocal and piano chords of first song Jigsaws are performed the tone is set for the afternoon. The audience are immediately attentive, willingly finishing conversations to listen.
Ben switches from keyboard to bass for Changing, a stirring song with reflective lyrics. As you look out to the open sky and ocean beyond, it’s hard not to connect to the song being performed. Adam and Ben interact with us humorously between songs.
They describe the inspiration of Don’t Stand In Line, the personal connection of the song reflected with smiles exchanged between the duo. Right now all eyes are on them as children and diners from the adjoining restaurant listen intently to the powerful yet contained vocals and gentle music.
After a break they return with new song Guatemala, a song combining their love-song style with political empathy. It’s clear the break hasn’t lost the audience’s connection. Ben’s leading vocals are complemented perfectly with Adam’s harmonies delivering intelligent, descriptive lyrics. Their rapport with each other is reflected in their performance, perfectly in sync, a strong bond clear with the banter and humour they bring.
The pace changes with a more upbeat, assertive delivery of Forget Myself and People Talk, with its storytelling, expressional lyrics. A final performance of Run Faster, the audience invited to sing along ends the Sunday afternoon session beautifully.
Onto Portstewart, in the Anchor Bar where tonight Belfast’s The Vals are closing the festival. The five piece band fronted by Paul Doherty warms us up with a selection of short tracks as a duo before being joined by the full band, opening with Smile. Their upbeat breezy sound is delightedly received by the happy crowd.
The Vals retro vibe and catchy beats make it hard to define into one genre. It is infectious, and impossible not to respond with foot tapping and head swaying from the start.
Echoes of Summer with its bass riffs, high energy, building drum beats and bouncy vocals shows the band enjoying themselves as much as the dancing audience.
Each song showcases The Vals diversity, Quiet Part of Town gives a dramatic instrumental and quirky vocal style followed by the soulful, rocky These Little Reasons which brings a strong balance of guitar chords, keyboard and drums. Each song is a surprise, yet distinctive to their sound.
Their set follows with more psychedelic and folk like tracks with melodic happy sounds, simple, colourful and honest lyrics which are irresistibly likeable and memorable.
Finishing with super upbeat folk rock track Look To The One, we are left on a positive and warm high, The Vals bringing the perfect end to Atlantic Sessions on a crisp November night."
Stacy Fitzpatrick
