Ben Watt – The Greystones, Sheffield 15/04/14

“I’m taking aim at a young man’s game tonight.”

More than three decades since he put together debut album North Marine Drive as a precocious nineteen year old folkster, Ben Watt has released Hendra, his exquisite solo return. Tonight Sheffield’s Greystones, once home of the prestigious Highcliffe folk club, plays host to the opening night of a UK solo tour three decades in the making.

But while Ben Watt might have been the only name on the bill, he’s not alone tonight. Old friend and album collaborator Bernard Butler brings light and shade to the night’s performance. His sharp fretwork contrasts effectively with Watt’s warm, open chords and adds a pleasingly rough edge; he’s the sand in the sun cream, bringing a pleasingly gritty dynamic to proceedings.

Throughout a set consisting of a mix of old and new solo material, the two of them playfully mix textures, finding interesting arrangements in an ‘acoustic’ setting. Guitars and electric piano are combined thoughtfully to add new subtle, effective dynamics to these songs; the pair bring previously unseen nuances to the more urgent tracks from Hendra such as “Forget” and the rambunctious “Nathaniel”. Watt’s vocal is pushed to the fore too, and manages to comes across as bold and sonorous, while still retaining an endearingly restrained vulnerability.

There’s more than a twinge of tragedy to the songs performed here, and the stripped back set up means the emotional kicks of these tracks are even more palpable than on record. As Watt puffs out his cheeks and takes a moment to settle himself after the performance of ”Matthew Arnold’s Field”, a candid and evocative retelling of the scattering of his father’s ashes, it becomes visibly clear that the performance of these songs is a truly cathartic experience for him, one the attentive audience are glad to share in.

The poignancy of these songs makes for a veritably intimate experience for everyone packed into the back room of the Greystones tonight, and while his return to the folk circuit may have been a long time coming, on the basis of tonight’s arresting performance, it’s been well worth the wait.