Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 71/12/10
How you deal with last minute adversity is how you can be perceived by an audience. Many is the time when a group of any genre persuasion has seen disaster heading straight their way, like an American College comedy being completely misplaced in British cinemas, and have panicked and the start of many an argument come their way. It is inevitable and it is part of life. If you greet that split second choice between carrying on and making an audience still enjoy the gig and respect you all the more then arguably as a band you have succeeded.
For Northern Sugar, one of Wigan’s great bands, the problem that led to two of them showcasing an acoustic set was overcome by great honesty, a knack for producing great Pop/Rock songs that transferred seamlessly to a more low key sound, despite the wonderful protestations that they had never played the songs acoustically before, and an overwhelming desire to make sure that people who had come to see them were not disappointed. For that alone the pair on stage deserved great plaudits, after all the show must go on.
The crowd were not be disillusioned, even if on stage the feeling of being thwarted or even frustrated by events was growling at the minds of the performers, it was not shown as both carried on and played in parts like a dream. Playing tracks acoustically for the first time can be hit and miss, there is after all so much energy being missed that to any musician who performs one way and with great satisfaction, to play something stripped back can be akin to suddenly being told that what you do is not valuable to society.
The duo played well though and deserved credit for songs such as Ride, Love Her So, Come On and the excellent Hot Blooded Woman, which still managed to capture the imagination in ways that only the thought of a strong minded dusky maiden can truly exemplify.
Whilst the full band effect was sadly missed, what was played in its place was not to be sniffed mournfully at, the music after all is still King, no matter what guise it takes.
Ian D. Hall