Homefires has probably the most good-natured and welcoming atmosphere of any music event I've been to - taking place in a hall in central London which, complete with hanging paper banners and more paper circle stuck all over the wall, has somewhat of the feel of a school assembly about it, especially when everyone sits down cross-legged, apart from those who have come prepared with cushions and really relax. Being allowed to bring in food and water is as great as it is sadly novel, with just alcohol having to be purchased on site (from a wider variety than the Carling or else of most venues...) and some tasty looking food on offer too.
Chris Stills is first on and shows off an amazing voice which comes a lot closer to Jeff Buckley than any of his appointed successors that I can think of. Unfortunately he still lacks the songs to get much beyond mediocre folksy singer-songwriter stuff, except on a cover of "Rock The Casbah" so ridiculous it works.
Later on, Final Fantasy eventually turns up over half an hour late for his slot and seems audibly and visibly out of sorts for a while, not helped by having misplaced his belt, leaving him alternately pulling up his jeans and showing off his arse troughout. Choosing to start with "This Lamb Sells Condos" probably doesn't help either as even by He Poos Clouds' general standards it's absurdly ambitious and impossible to play solo with a violin, no matter how many clever effects pedals and playback devices he has within reach of his feet. His vocals are worryingly muted too, and the second song, "Hey Dad", which seems to be an extended version of "->", fares no better.
"The reason that I'm not saying much is that I'm filled with rage" says Owen Pallett, worringly calmly as anything, but things do pick up and watching him assemble (the word is really fitting in this case as he patiently records and plays back layer after layer) a perfect version of "This Is The Dream Of Win And Regine" is captivating. The rest of the set seems to further prove that Has A Good Home, while the weaker album of his two, is much better suited to a solo live show, although recording the backing shouts of "Many Lives -> 49 MP" through his violin and playing back the distorted results is winningly creepy.
While waiting for him to turn up, organiser and host Adem did an excellent and charming job of keeping the audience occupied, playing several warmly enveloping versions of his songs. In possibly the highlight of the whole day, he received a phone call from his mum during one of them, holding the phone up to the microphone for everyone to hear her responses to his perfectly dry mentions that he was going to be on at seven but was actually also on stage now. He returns later for his assigned slot with the Ellysian Quartet in tow, who add some nice arrangements to his songs, but without knowing any of them in advance, the same songs played on his own when he was put on the spot earlier seemed that much more magical.
The downside of the homely atmosphere seems to be various organisational and equipment problems, with ex-Delgado Emma Pollock's set having a complete false-start when none of the effects pedals on her sole present band member's piano work and they have to spend a good 20 minutes fixing matters. Her set is rather underwhelming, with even her vocals seeming a bit thin and not as gorgeous as expected, although things pick up towards the end and a couple of songs, including one called "The Optimist", suggest that hope shouldn't be abandoned yet. She promises that they'll all be "much louder" on record as well which is a good sign - more massive orchestration like Hate please! She also comments on being unable to play the guitar while standing up because she's "too wee" which is rather adorable.
Vashti Bunyan is too twee for words, whispering throughout her set and seeming a little embarassed to be back in front of a crowd and receiving so much love. While a little samey her gentle folk songs bring a smile are all short enough to not drag and her band is really excellent. "Diamond Day" is the inevitable highlight, questions about whether the hippy image can take being used by T-Mobile notwithstanding, and it's a fine end to a very enjoyable day.
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