Susie Jones at Studio 2 in Liverpool May 2014. Photograph by Ian D. Hall
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
In a night that was filled to overflowing with very cool and deserving female musicians making all the headlines inside Studio 2 on Parr Street, to open up ahead of the likes of Little Sparrow, Ingrid Frosland and the superb Norwegian band Kalandra might be considered a tad daunting. However, for Susie Jones, daunting is just another word for showing exactly what you are made of and watching her and her two fellow musicians on stage, the equally cool Dave Parker and Rob Kentell, daunting was a by word for secure and musically affluent.
An evening which would never be in much doubt of being anything other than a serene and pleasingly composed affair, Susie Jones kicked it all off with a great set which demonstrated just how good her music and her song-writing is. The magnitude of the unrepressed lively melancholy was not lost upon the privileged audience inside Studio 2 as the music flowed like traffic with no hindrance or road works placed in its way. The type of traffic in which suits a car owner suddenly finding themselves alone on one of the lengthy interstates that line the American states and only tempted to sneak over the required speed limit, mindful of the danger but allowing themselves to feel alive.
There were some incredible moments that emanated from the stage as the cerebral nature of the songs crashed into the subconscious of the audience with a bang and a huge smile. Tracks such as Queen of Starlight, the amazing Tides of Time, the very brilliant One Way Out of This and a very good cover of Bob Dylan’s One More Cup Of Coffee all made the opening set a real pleasure to be in attendance of.
No matter who the crowd turned up for, if they made it in time for Susie Jones’ participation on the evening’s entertainment they would have the best start possible to a Sunday night around.
Susie Jones will be performing at The Head of Steam in Liverpool on August 26th.
Ian D. Hall