Paul McLaney
12th October 2023
Paisley Stage, Napier, New Zealand.
Review by Rob Harbers, photography by Andrew Caldwell.
Paul McLaney would safely be described as anything but a household name, a fact which, simultaneously, is both a great shame and a Very Good Thing. A shame because it means that he goes criminally under-appreciated in his own country, but a Very Good Thing in the sense that it allows the cognoscenti the opportunity to experience his incredible talent up close and personal. Last night at Napier’s coolest little music venue™, Paisley Stage, an uber-bijou audience got just such an opportunity, and what a special experience it was!
A late arrival on my part (the busy life of a roving reviewer ep 243) meant that I only caught about half of the support set, by the Lord of the Manor himself, Mr James “JR” Rochester. Having encountered another of his all-too-infrequent appearances earlier this year during the Small Hall Sessions Hawkes Bay Music Month special series. I would have liked to have seen more of this set, but such is life… His set of emotive material played with only the accompaniment of acoustic guitar and loop pedal set the scene perfectly for what was to follow, demonstrating why it is that this man holds a special place in many hearts (that and the small matter of running a brilliant empire, that is!)
Shortly thereafter, the main man himself entered from stage right. Touring in support of new album “As the North Attracts The Needle”, his most personal yet, this master of his craft proceeded for an hour and change to bare his soul, delivering his songs of pure emotion and heart to those with the ears to hear. This is a man not afraid to display vulnerability, with songs that are almost disarming in their honesty, sung in a voice that is made for just such material. A direct quote perhaps best sums this up – ‘Music without empathy is just noise’. No noise here!
The first part of the set consisted of material from the “Edin” and “Diamond Side” albums – selected, by his own admission, because of all being in the same key – no risk of snapping a string, or any such disaster! These songs are largely free of extended instrumental elements, thus being what they are in their own right – heartfelt renderings of the soul of their creator. This made the few times where the guitar was a star stand out all the more, one of these being in a tasty wee sampler of Led Zeppelin’s Bron-Yr-Aur (which left me, at least, hungry for the full feast, but this night was for Paul’s songs!)
His ‘New Year’s Eve song’, “Many More Days of Happiness”, was a particular highlight of this first part of the set, inspired by a childhood in which this night was dominated by a brace of Scottish(ish) songs, “Auld Lang Syne” and “Mull of Kintyre”, and wanting to expand this canon – and crafting a worthy successor indeed! As he said, a couple of the songs he’s come up with in his 20-odd years of performing ‘sound like bought ones’, and this is most definitely one of those.
Having set the ground, we were then treated to a full top-to-bottom rendition of the new album, a set of songs that have been around for some time, in some instances (one being his first ever written, at the tender age of 13, but only just recently having acquired lyrics!). This album carries a direct lineage of influence from Nick Drake’s seminal ‘Pink Moon’ seeking a similar directness of expression to that classic, and by the sounds of it, succeeding quite admirably. The recording process contrasted nicely, for him, with the ‘ambitious new album’ he’s been crafting in the background, this one allowing him freedom from a click track.
The album’s title track is one that he admits to having taken a few years to grow in to, it’s worldly – wise lyrical content requiring of a certain physical age having been reached. Thankfully, that time has come, allowing this special little treat to reach our ears! The album’s final track, “Go Well” , continues the Pink Moon homage, being the only one with any overdubs, in the same way that that album contained just the one song with an overdub, in both cases the element being piano accompaniment.
Having exhausted the album content, it was then time for more old songs, a number of which were, appropriately enough, recorded ‘just around the corner’, this city being where he spent some formative years. These ranged across the ‘sound of Napier – the drop D’ of “All the Time In The World” , “Let It Go”’s slow burn, and “Give Me Strength” (quite an appropriate insertion, given the presence of one extremely vocal audience member with no volume control!)
As is so often the case with my scribblings, it’s time for me to cut them short without having done true justice to the subject – deadlines and the working life wait for no man! Just hear me on this – this is a man touring an album he’s been building up to for a whole career, playing at the top of his game – go see him, if you can!
And a last-minute reminder: Vote wisely tomorrow! Vote for the most vulnerable person you know, thinking of their future.
Paul McLaney:
James “JR” Rochester:
Were you there at Paisley Stage for this superlative singer-songwriter? Or have you seen Paul McLaney perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
Note: Ambient Light was provided passes to review and photograph this concert. As always, this has not influenced the review in any way and the opinions expressed are those of Ambient Light’s only. This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase a product using an affiliate link, Ambient Light will automatically receive a small commission at no cost to you.
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