Gig Review: Hels Pattison – ‘Missed Connections’ EP Launch at Pilgrim
Max Swinney reviews Hels Pattison’s Missed Connections EP launch at Pilgrim, Newcastle, with support from Robyn Banks and Crane House.
Pilgrim provided a New York jazz-club vibe for a beautiful and intimate trio of performances by some of the North East’s most talented musicians in support of the launch of Hels Pattison’s latest EP, ‘Missed Connections’. A small crowd filled the city centre venue and was graciously attentive during vulnerable moments, responding with rapturous appreciation when given the chance.
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Robyn Banks kicked off the evening with a solo performance akin to Jeff Buckley at Sin-é. Backed only by an electric guitar, she gave a performance that captivated the room in seconds and showed an intimate and personal side to her music, giving a different flavour to the full-band performances she has recently been playing. Late in the set came ‘Ode to Anna’, which propelled the audience into feeling every emotion she was vulnerably laying on the table. Her openness about industry struggles gave the audience an insight into the daunting superpower that is the music industry.
After Robyn Banks came Crane House, a six-piece, dual-vocal-led band who brought an alt-folk vibe to the night and crossed a medieval feel with two hugely talented singer-songwriters. Their tight harmonies filled the venue as they seamlessly flowed through their half-hour set. Their accompanying fiddle player gave the songs an ambience befitting headline-worthy, acoustic-driven music. Their malleted drums provided a range of alternative beats, giving the whole band a unique feel that largely shies away from traditional backbeats, while the harmonies provided the colour to the canvas laid down by the fingerpicked acoustic guitar.
Hels Pattison’s performance in support of her latest EP, ‘Missed Connections’, was one for the whole room to remember. Opening with the EP’s first track, ‘Skinny Dipping in November’, set the tone for the rest of the performance, with a steady train beat forcing a toe-tap out of everyone in the 100-strong crowd. Down a member of the band in their ever-present fiddle player, all solos and licks were seamlessly handled by the band’s lead guitarist, Zachary Savage, who picked them up without a hitch.
The middle of the set consisted of two songs performed by Hels and lead guitarist Zachary without the backing of the rhythm section. ‘Flowers’ is a new song written at The Glasshouse’s Autumn Studios. It is a ‘light-hearted’ piece about wanting just that little bit more from your partner. The second song performed by the duo was ‘Woe Is Me’, the closing song of the new EP. It is a song filled with love, loss and everything in between.
After a short intermission, the band gained two members in Jess and Jeannie of Crane House, who provided harmonies for the five-song closing performance. These five songs lifted the audience into a two-stepping trance, powered by the once-smooth lead guitar turning into a fiery showcase of individual talent as the weight of another instrument fell on Zachary’s shoulders. Among this final group of songs was another track from her newly released EP, ‘Love Is a Fire’, making the audience feel as though her most vulnerable moments were ours, in a way only showcased by the greatest songwriters. After this, the planned closer, ‘Merry Go-round’, and the real (unplanned) closer, ‘Moreish’, left the audience with that very feeling. Hels Pattison gave a performance not only for herself to be proud of, but one that the entirety of the North East music scene should be proud of.
Reviewed by Max Swinney
