Shhh! An All Day Celebration Of Quiet Music – Cecil Sharp House, London 23/01/10

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Sam Amidon. All photographs by Anika Mottershaw unless otherwise stated.

Whilst “quiet music” to some may be synonymous with “boring folk gubbins,” the organisers of Shhh! set out to dispel this notion with, to my mind, a reasonable degree of success. Take David Thomas Broughton for instance. I’m still unsure myself whether the man’s a genius or a complete charlatan but dull? Nah, never. Whilst I sometime suspect he’s being difficult for the sake of it, the fact remains that beyond his inscrutable antics, there’s a quality songwriter gifted with a stunningly mellifluous voice, with a penchant for offbeat sonic experiments that hit the mark more often or not. What’s more, his hauntingly beautiful duet with Beth Orton was worth the price of admission alone- a surprisingly understated moment from this most unpredictable of eccentrics.

Other highlights included a masterful set from Sam Amidon and Nico Muhly, forging Amidon’s cracked vocals and Muhly’s effortless virtuosity into something quite special, and a stripped-down incarnation of underrated Londoners Revere, who toned down their bombastic post-rock tendencies to focus on Stephen Ellis’ vibrato-rich tenor. Felix impressed with their stripped-down slowcore balladry (although the lack of strings was a minor disappointment) and hotly tipped French six-piece Coming Soon injected a welcome dose of fun with an energetic set that recalled Herman Dune and Slow Club.

Alas, it wasn‘t all perfect. The first half of the day rarely provided much of great interest- Emit Bloch’s hippy country ballads failed to set the world alight; Dry The River impressed with their Fleet Foxes harmonising but their melodies paled in comparison. There was also tendency for bands to employ lots of instruments as a substitute for substance. Multi-instrumentalists Tim and Sam‘s The Tim And Sam Band With Tim And Sam weren’t nearly as awful as their name suggests, but their unvaried and unadventurous song-writing resulted in a fug of instrumental pleasantness that engaged only on the most superficial level. Ditto Spencer McLean, who apparently shares the same voice as EVERY OTHER MALE FRONTMAN IN LONDON, although he and his band can be partially excused on the grounds of it being their second-ever performance.

But even the weakest acts had their charms, and the unfussy, relaxed atmosphere ensured that the day never became an endurance test. Good choice of venue too- there’s something eminently comforting about Cecil Sharp House, even though I suspect it’s because the plastic chairs scattered about the wood-panelled hall, the musty smell and the constant exhortations to BE QUIET reminded me of primary school. Even if the music wasn‘t always to my tastes, at the very least it was refreshing to be at a Camden show without drunken morons blathering over the bands- if only more shows shared the same laudable ethos…

Dry The River. Photograph by Tim Ferguson.

Tim and Sam‘s The Tim And Sam Band With Tim And Sam.

Sam Amidon. Photograph by Tim Ferguson.

Jon Hopkins. Photograph by Tim Ferguson.