After Black Country, New Road released their second studio album Ants From Up There in 2022, lead singer and guitarist Isaac Wood left suddenly: this left the band at a crossroads, unsure where to go from there. However, they decided to stay together as a band, evolving their sound into a genre they describe as “avant-garde folk-pop”. Before the top three album Forever, Howlong came to be, they released Live At Bush Hall to bridge the gap between their early work and their newest studio album, while developing the avant-garde rock of their second album and introducing split vocal duties. It was an evolution for their sound too, including more flute and piano-centred compositions with a focus on storytelling.
For Forever Howlong, instead of drawing influences from their post-rock and post-punk peers, they became inspired more by 60s band Fairport Convention and singer-songwriter Joanna Newsom. The band performed the album in its entirety to a grand auditorium at the gorgeous Stockport Plaza, the perfect setting for a ground-breaking work.
Ninush (Nina Lim) and her band preceded Black Country, New Road, and by playing songs reminiscent of Black Country New Road’s previous album Live At Bush Hall, proved herself to be the perfect opening act. Also a band with complex instrumentation, Nina Lim’s band features a lineup with artists rooted in Brixton’s Windmill scene, drawing further similarities to the band she preceded. All the components of the band made for a beautifully complex arrangement with cello, violin, keyboard, flute and drums coming together to create something unique and atmospheric.
Ninush makes the kind of theatrical, transformative sounds that would feature in a musical: the song ‘Stardoll’ is the only single she has released, and its live performance truly did the studio version justice. Ninush divided her time between singing and playing the violin, further demonstrating an incredible versatility of instrumentation and genre. The band affirmed that they are not limited to the sound of the single, notably drawing influences from chamber pop, folk and similar baroque-pop styles not dissimilar to the headline act.
‘Besties’, the first single from Forever, Howlong and the opener for Black Country, New Road’s performance, set the tone for the night. From the harpsichord intro that has a whimsical feel to it, to the elements of classic grandeur that they are known for, the song eased the audience into a baroque-pop and folk-inspired sound. It features Georgia Ellery, of Jockstrap fame, on lead vocals and mandolin: even though she notes she is struggling with a cold, she delivers a captivating performance. The song is more uplifting instrumentally, in stark contrast with lyrics which tell a story of unrequited love with a friend, discussing the difficulties of emotional relationships in an age of social media. The band have always interrogated complex themes in their songs, but with Forever, Howlong comes a different perspective on life, relationships and the world that they bring to the studio and live performances.
The standout song from their set was ‘For the Cold Country’, a song that builds up gradually using only vocal harmonies and guitar. With an ending that is evocative of many songs from Ants From Up There (the band’s second studio album, and final release featuring Isaac Wood), the six-piece illustrate that they can still deliver on these grand endings even while they have a matured and developed their sound. It’s a song that completely subverts expectations, driven by progressive rock influences. A highlight of this track are its vocal harmonies between the band’s three lead singers (Tyler Hyde, May Kershaw and Georgia Ellery) and live they recreate a gorgeous blend of intense but lush vocals. It was the most transcendent song from the set: even without being the closing song it left the audience with a profound feeling of detaching from reality and being taken somewhere beautiful and ethereal.
After Isaac Wood left Black Country New Road, Luke Mark had to fill in all the guitar duties for the band. He demonstrates his range at Stockport Plaza, with his playing varying from an almost brit-pop inspired sound on ‘Happy Birthday’ to slide guitar on ‘Mary’ that seems as if it was inspired by George Harrison and 1960s folk. All the members show maturity in their sound: they’ve progressed from their noisier post-rock origins, whilst still maintaining the progressive rock attitude and chaos within songs. The band swap and change instruments that were not featured on the first two albums to further develop their sound, such as pan flutes, banjo and accordion. Overall, Black Country, New Road are showing that they are constantly evolving, pushing the boundaries of contemporary progressive rock among many other genres.
