CHARLIE BARNES
VENUE eagle inn, salford DATE 21/03/2018 SUPPORT peaks
Up first at tonight’s show is Ben Forrester, also known as Peaks. There’s a hint of the one‑man‑band mathy post‑rock of Mylets in what he does, without really fully dispensing with the singer/songwriter trappings that work well for his playing style and voice. The use of guitar and vocal loops to build up textures and atmosphere around the motifs recalls a certain prog‑pop kid with a keyboard and a looper terrorising amplifier crowds at the start of the decade.
Speaking of which, Charlie Barnes may have long ago become Charlie Barnes the band, as opposed to Charlie Barnes with a keyboard and looper in a hiking rucksack, but his intensity and stagecraft have only improved with time. Some might have worried that due to his day job with indie pop megastars Bastille, he’d lose something, but there’s still the same sense of fun, and the same over‑the‑top rock star persona Barnes used when playing to five people on his own, rather than to a full venue.
Breaking character for a second, he says, “it’s hard to do the same banter you do every night when most of the room are your friends,” presumably a reference to the numerous members of Oceansize and amplifier hovering near the stage. indeed, when his pick goes awOl at the beginning of the set, Mike Vennart leans in to hand over a few from his pockets, in a slightly Spinal Tap moment.
Of the new material, all i Have works the best, though there are people visibly singing along to the chorus of Maria, and will & Testament is surprisingly much stronger live than on record.
an early highlight is heavy rocker Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth from his second lP More Stately Mansions, and it’s a welcome, heavy deviation from his usual tone. “Here’s a song from when i thought choruses were for sellouts,” Barnes says with a laugh, introducing easy, Kid, another track from More Stately Mansions. Though naturally there were a number of great choruses on that record, the best tonight is Sing To God, which closes the set in fine form.
Though the day job prevents frequent touring, tonight just goes to show that it’s really a case of quality over quantity.