Way to Blue - A great tribute to Nick Drake at London's oldest music hall...

April 2nd 2013

London, Wilton Music Hall, UK

****

The life of Nick Drake paid tribute to in the right setting!

'Way to Blue: A Tribute to Nick Drake' - Album Launch.

Way to Blue **** is an event that is staged once a year in the memory of Nick Drake, for a lot of people this amazing talent touched their hearts and his death at the age of 26 from an overdose was a great loss. So many years on from his death and we are still talking about the singer songwriter, which for any musician is our only wish. Nick spent a lot of his time in the idyllic setting of Albion in the little village of Tamworth-in-Arden where his parents were from. In his life time his music was barely listened to and it wasn't until years after his death that he was truly respected. It's a sad state of affairs that so many artists don't get the credit that is due to them to after their death, and this is one that has to be respected because of the beautiful music that he left behind.

Joe Boyd was know for producing greats like Pink Floyd, Fairport Convention and The Incredible string Band was highly noted in London in the 1960's. His Folk / Rock attitude on the underground worked perfectly with Nick's artistic temperament. Joe discovered and produced Drake for a number of years and since his death has put together quite a few tribute events to him over the years. Including the 'Way to Blue: A Tribute to Nick Drake' live album which is why we are actually hear today.

Tonight Joe Boyd is comparing the event at Wilton hall. The amazing beautiful old building which has seen better days, has stood in London since Victorian times and is the oldest surviving music hall in the country if not in the World. Tonight's show is a mix up of stories and performers paying tribute to Nick's music a long with some video's run of Joe's laptop which are a little bit of a cop out. I am sure everyone here would like to hear more music from the great performers that are in attendance tonight, and not ones that have been playing live at previous 'Way to Blue' concerts.

The fist of these great performers is Olivia Chaney who comes on all shy and coy wearing dungaree's and is very posh but looks like she has been roughing it a bit. We are all shocked by her voice as she opens her mouth and sings 'River Man'. I personally not a fan of a lot of female singers but I can respect a good voice and she has a great one and she sings with passion like she is really their with the man when he first sung this song.

She is a self confessed Nick Drake fan but admits that she has just got into the music of Nick's mother Molly Drake and is at the moment loving that even more.Molly's songs were not heard until after her death and were kept as close guarded secret for many years. Only to be dug out by popular demand from people that wanted to hear her voice when they found out that she used to be a singer too. Olivia brings her heart and soul to one of Molly's songs which for many people in attendance is the first time they have ever heard any material by the woman that gave birth to a genius. The song that Olivia sings is called 'Dream your Dreams' and is sung totally un amplified and you can feel her voice echo around the music hall.

Molly always had an influence on her son Nick, he used to watch her hands harmonise on the piano and later in life Nick took this into account with his strange guitar tunings. These tunings are hard for any experienced guitar player to get a handle on, and Folk guitarist Neil MacColl surely gives it a good try and seems to get a grasp on it.

MacColl put's his own spin on the song 'Time of no Reply' which is just breath taking and you wish for moments like this, this evening and we all get what we are wishing for later on by the hand of Robyn Hitchcock. Who apparently was not that into Nick Drake at the start, but if that is true I don't know how he does the performance he does later on. Before Robyn shows his delights he duets with Scritti Politti’s Green Gartside on the song 'Free Ride' which is a nice joining of voices that I am not sure but could have been doing it for the first time.

Joe Boyd really must miss his friend because when he tells us a great story about when John Cale first heard Nick's music. When John first heard the sounds of Nick Drake he jumped out of his seat and said where can I find this man that makes this wonderful music, and chaos followed. John Cale jumps into a cab and heads to Hampstead and the next day he changes his studio session from what he was previously recording. This was the smartest idea he had ever had because without this we wouldn't have what can only be one of my favourite Nick Drake songs 'Nothern Sky' which is one of the first I ever heard and a song which over the years I have fallen in love with like many other people. The first time I heard this song was in a film called 'Serendipity' and it made me cry, it has so much feeling in it and it expresses so many feelings that we all have when dealing with life.

Listen! to the Track 'Northern Sky' Below...

Tonight Paul Smith (Maximo Park) a singer from the North of England gives the song a try and does a very good version of the song, but it's just a version and does not have the feeling of the original song. I don't think anyone else than Nick should really try to sing this song because it just has a feeling of the time it was recorded and sets a nice background to his life. For a Paul a massive fan that clutches his Nick Drake 'Way to Blue - An introduction to Nick Drake' like someone was going to steal it, seems to have a sense of pride to be singing tonight and for him I think this is the closest he will ever be to his hero. So you have to really respect him for giving it a good go and it was good.

The next song is sung by Green Gartside and is an emotional and aquarate version of 'Fruit Tree' which is possibly the second song I heard by Nick Drake. Is voice really suits the song and it lifts the melody into the air and makes us feel a magical feeling. In between all the excitement and acts images and music is played from the show at the Barbican in London which I think is not needed the venue speaks for itself and their is a magic in the air.

Robyn Hitchcock brings the magic on with a music hall style rendition of none other than 'I saw Nick Drake' which is just a moment in time that no one else that wasn't in the Wilton Music Hall would ever get to see and was the highlight of the evening by far. This was a nice evening in London but would have been nice to have more music in it and a little less talking and video's but for any Nick Drake fan was not one to be missed.

Nick Drake is sadly missed by all and if you have never heard his music... listen to it and you will see why years on it's still as beautiful as it was when it was first played.

Nick Drake - RIP (1948 – 1974)