A barely functioning voice and a bout of ‘flu are probably not two things that Woodpigeon singer Mark Hamilton had in mind for this homecoming-gig-of-sorts, but sadly that’s what he got. To his credit, he manfully took the stage anyway, croaked through some light-hearted tales of his brief previous life in Brighton and struggled through some of his band’s beautifully dextrous gloom-folk before giving up the ghost after six or seven songs. A lesser man would have just cancelled, but hopefully next time around, Brighton will get to see a fully restored version of this nuanced and lilting Calgary band who sounded so bewitching on recent album “Treasure Library Canada”.
Fortunately for the crowd, they had already been treated to a coruscating display from local favourites the Miserable Rich, who elegantly turned The Albert into their front room for 45 minutes (disregarding the fact that The Albert is already effectively a front room). James de Malplaquet addresses a microphone stand like a man with a name like that probably should – regally, but also showed here that his vocal range and delivery is every bit the match of his stagecraft. With no drummer, the strings and de Malplaquet’s soaring voice are left to fill the percussive void, a task they achieve with such grace that you don’t notice the absence of a typical rock rhythm section. What is noticeable though, is a sense of musical precision melded with a pop-writing sense that comes through strongly on songs like “Boat Song” and “Pisshead”. These are diamonds flecked with dry humour, stylish musical adventures which break out triumphantly from their chamber origins. Amongst the inter-song banter de Malplaquet asks if the crowd would like to hear a 1980s or 00s cover version; the retro-heads win the vote and are rewarded with a superb reworking of “Golden Brown”, a symptomatically smart choice from this thoroughbred band.
The Miserable Rich’s chamber-pop deserves a wider audience and may well get it, while Woodpigeon are an understated pleasure in waiting for those with an inquisitive ear. Hopefully both bands will be back soon to bestow their treasures on lovers of thoughtful left-field pop music.
Words by Joe Owen
