tim bowness / iamthemorning - bush hall, london 14 november 2016

A lovely venue for an evening of stunning music.

Tim Bowness was on first with Steve Bingham opening the set by looping some gorgeous violin to create the soundscapes for "Only Rain". It was a beautifully atmospheric way to start the show. By the time Tim had hopped up on stage to whisper "What can you say? ...no more fountains, only rain" I was already completely hooked. 

The rest of the band (Pete Morgan on bass, Andrew Booker and iamthemorning's Evan Carson on percussion, Stephen Bennett on keyboards and Professor Michael Bearpark on guitar) silently took their places ready to crash into a chunky "Time Travel In Texas". Tim laughingly called it their version of swamp rock. The double percussion worked surprisingly well when you consider that frequently Tim's music is so delicate. But in concert his songs often seem to gain a different sort of strength and pulse with life. Stephen Bennett moved to the grand piano for a tight version of "The Me I Knew" then iamthemorning's Gleb Kolyadin took his place on the piano stool for a lengthy and darkly brooding "Mixtaped". Never my favourite no-man song on record, but in concert this becomes something else entirely. A very powerful piece.  

Another song from Schoolyard Ghosts followed. In my opinion this is one of the most wonderful tracks Tim has ever written - "Wherever There Is Light". It's both devastatingly sad and stunningly beautiful at the same time and this performance was all that and much more. I had to wipe away tears by the end. Steve Bingham's violin work was gorgeous. A change of mood came about with a pounding blast of "The Warm Up Man Forever" showcasing Professor Bearpark's superb guitar skills and giving the two drummers plenty to do. Then the shortish set rounded off with another deeply atmospheric song, "Days Turn Into Years", on which Marjana Semkina accompanied Tim. The song dissolved into a terrific swirly conclusion as Tim sat on the stage giving out almost primal howls into the maelstrom of music around him. 

Tim Bowness so rarely plays live that it's always worth catching him when he does, and he never disappoints. The choice of songs tonight was excellent, the musicianship first rate. Once again I was struck by how versatile and accomplished is Bowness' band. It's such a shame they don't perform more often. The sound in Bush Hall was also excellent, clear and sharp allowing the quietest of whispers to be heard but giving a satisfyingly crunchy sound when needed. Bowness may not be the most relaxed of front men, but his reticent manner and self deprecating stage banter is always very appealing - never more so than when introducing the band. Apparently someone had earlier confused Pete Morgan with Porcupine Tree bassist Colin Edwin, so Tim ran around the band introducing them as alternative musicians (Bennett was Brian Eno, Booker became Gavin Harrison etc). Then he introduced them properly which ended up being just as funny - Bingham is such a star of the violin that Bowness claimed, with a wicked grin, that he makes his children call him Maestro!

The stage was reset slightly for iamthemorning - flowers around the mic stand, a few candles, that sort of thing. Then Marjana and Gleb took to the stage accompanied by a bass player, a violinist, a cellist and Evan the percussionist. They played a number of older iamthemorning tracks before launching into a selection of songs from their recent, award winning, album Lighthouse. Along the way Bowness returned to perform his own "Beautiful Songs You Should Know" with iamthemorning which was, for me, one of the absolute highlights of the evening. For an encore Tim and Marjana duetted once again, on a delightfully light and pretty "Sing To Me". Bowness rarely duets with anyone but this and the other vocal collaborations worked so well that I'd love to hear more in this vein.  

Iamthemorning are, perhaps surprisingly, a formidable live act. The delicacy of their records translated very well to the little stage and intimate surroundings of Bush Hall. I can't see their music working quite as well in a much larger hall however, as it's all the little touches that make it so lovely. You need to be able to see Marjana's expressions and tiny hand movements - it adds so much to the mood of the songs. Her gentle skipping and ability to almost float across the stage is bewitching, but would be lost in a much bigger venue. Musically they are incredibly strong - not only Marjana's enchanting voice, but the string players created so much colour and Joshua the bass player and Evan on percussion were vital too, anchoring the songs with depth. Gleb's virtuosity on the piano is actually breath-taking yet he seems extremely humble, sometimes looking into the audience with a faintly bemused smile, as if he couldn't quite believe all these people had come to see him play.

Marjana is a charming and engaging singer and front woman, her pale skin contrasting strongly with her vivid red hair. She was effortlessly cheery announcing, with a wide smile, how their songs are all about death and mental illness and things like houses burning down. And she was clearly thrilled by the enthusiasm the normally reserved English showed in joining in with the clapping on "5/4". Marjana was also encouraged by a highly supportive Russian contingent in the audience and the whole band was visibly delighted with the richly deserved standing ovation at the end of what I believe was their debut headlining a London gig. 

A thoroughly enjoyable two and half hours of superb music. A perfect evening!