ROSALIE CUNNINGHAM
VENUE NEW CROSS INN, LONDON
DATE 27/11/2022
SUPPORT THE SITAR SERVICE, THE HIGHER PLANES
It’s well accepted that the mark of a good song is one that can be transposed from its electric incarnation to an acoustic delivery, the theory being that, stripped of additional musical embellishments and arrangements, the core material will be strong enough to stand on its own terms. And so, with her 16-date UK tour with her full band done and dusted, Rosalie Cunningham heads south of the Thames on a rainy Sunday evening for an additional one-off show in intimate surroundings to put this concept to the test.
A bold move, not least as her music draws on a high degree of instrumental interplay as well as varying stylistic flourishes that can be found on the other side of the doors of perception. Factor in the additional element of vaudeville that fuels her full band performances, and it becomes apparent that by stripping back, Cunningham is enjoying the risk, not least when playing against adversarial technical setbacks thanks to some bothersome monitors.
The acoustic flavour for the evening is established early on with support from The Higher Planes and The Sitar Service. As evidenced by International Diplomacy, the former trade in a doomladen variant of pastoral folk rooted in alternate tunings, elements of jazz and the kind of harmonies that necessitate the sticking of fingers in ears. The Sitar Service prove initially to be a more alluring proposal. Re-interpreting late 60s classics that include Jimi Hendrix’s Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) and Pink Floyd’s Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun via a combination of sitar, harmonium and tabla – the latter of which is enhanced by former Pink Fairies drummer and all-round psych legend Twink – the group, alas, outstay their welcome by playing on instead of clearing the stage for their hosts.
Backed by musical and life partner Rosco Wilson on bass and drummer
Pat Kenneally, Rosalie Cunningham is as adept at delivering her kaleidoscopic vision with fewer musicians as she is with more. Armed with an acoustic guitar and a phalanx of effects pedals, what really shines through is Cunningham’s powerful voice. Witness Nobody Hears, which retains the power of the original thanks to a forceful lowend groove that, despite the economy of instrumentation, puts Cunningham front and centre in a unique fashion. Likewise the charming Fossil Song.
New number Stepped Out Of Time – completed just the night before – is a playful psychedelic waltz that could still undergo a metamorphosis but right now sounds spot on. And Cunningham breathes new life into old material thanks to a blended reading of The Beatles’ Love You To/Tomorrow Never Knows that displays another side of this already intriguing talent.