Gregory and the Hawk – Brixton Windmill, London, 05/06/09

Last night, apparently, a generator blew up at an Oasis gig and the show was abandoned. But in Brixton tonight there was actually a music-related tragedy – Gregory and the Hawk’s keyboard would not co-operate for love nor money nor words of encouragement.

So this ‘special full band show’ instantly became a ‘special acoustic show’, for which the band were, it has to be said, totally unprepared. They assured us that, with keyboard, they had an amazing show prepared, but being without said instrument it left them floundering somewhat.
With a captive audience waiting, Meredith, though clearly rather unhappy– the phrase ‘rabbit caught in headlights’ has never seemed so apt, picked up an acoustic and timidly plucked and strummed her way through tracks off the wonderful Moenie and Kitchie.

Despite the Windmill being a somewhat ‘modest-sized’ performance space (read pub with a 10cm high stage), her delicate childlike voice was almost in danger of being drowned out by a rambunctious Scots man round the corner. The other two members of Gregory and the Hawk in attendance this evening – Susan and Mike – appear on stage, but sadly, it turns out, only for moral support, as yet more technical problems blight proceedings, with a broken electric guitar.

And so it’s left to Susan on flute – no technical difficulties with the woodwind instrument, funnily enough – and Meredith to grin and bare it through a few more numbers. Their lilting voices, as well as Susan’s augmenting flute melodies, produce captivating, spell-binding sounds, weaving in and out of each other like a spider’s web.

Whilst it was perhaps not quite the show they intended to play, there’s no doubt that hearing Gregory and the Hawk’s songs performed like this is a rare and precious treat.