Stealing Sheep
It’s all very Christmassy. The restaurant downstairs is
doing good business. A fat guy is so drunk that he is repeatedly falling
against the table on which the DJ is perched, causing the records to jump. All
is merry and bright.
I had heard good things about Kiran Leonard. What I
initially actually get is a drummer and bassist gamely accompanying a gawky,
gurning guy who is howling like Wild Man Fischer and assaulting a guitar. It’s
not entertainment so much as a possible cause for medical intervention. Not good at all.
However, having retired to another room for what seems like
a safe period of time and then returning for his last three songs, I find the
band transformed.
There is now a driving jungle rhythm and Leonard’s guitar is
soloing wildly over the top. The whole room is rocking and dancing. Leonard
seems much less physically awkward and is tying himself in knots to wring notes
from his instrument.
Needless to say, this is a vast improvement over what went
before. Speaking to friends afterwards, the
general consensus seems to be that the artist started very slowly but that
everything seemed to gel and take flight about halfway through the set. So,
recommended, but with reservations.
We have been promised that Stealing Sheep would put on an
extravagant show. They certainly know how to make an entrance.
Led by a vast life size Chinese dragon, a procession of
Pharonic figures make their way around the room. There appears to be a giant
pink hippo with a fish stuck in its head. The rear of the party is brought up
by a magnificently horned white ram. I’ve been drinking – but this is
definitely real.
The three members of Stealing Sheep are almost unnoticed on
stage, but start playing as the pageant in front of them moves away.
There is an immediate problem. Stealing Sheep are polite and
pleasant but their music is so slight that they initially have difficulty in
obtaining the interest of the crowd, many of whom are just blithely ignoring
the band and are excitedly shouting into each other’s faces.
Stealing Sheep remind me rather of Ravioli Me Away, another
band of women for whom the visual elements of performance are at least as
important as their music. Stealing Sheep though are more lightweight, so
unobtrusive that while they spread an undeniable vibe of bonhomie, there is
very little else to fasten on to.
About halfway through the set, many of the musicians who had
formed part of the pageant join the band onstage to play a variety of
percussion instruments. This immediately beefs the sound up immeasurably and
adds a sense of direction and purpose to proceedings. There’s a happy
atmosphere and a warm glow about the place.
It’s been a very convivial evening. The visual elements will
stick in the mind longer than the music, but that’s cool too.
Merry Christmas.
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