Live Review: Ginger Wildheart And The Sinners / Lauren Tate / Nick Parker – The Dancehouse, Manchester, UK, 17th November 2019

This evening sees us in the plush Art Deco surroundings of Manchester’s The Danchouse theatre, it’s rare that I welcome a seated concert but tonight brings two familiar acts in very different form on this current tour, Ginger Wildheart is of course well known as the frontman for The Wildhearts and he is coupled with Lauren Tate of Hands Off Gretel as the main support, both have released solo albums away from their more well known amplified outfits, “The Pessimist’s Companion’” and “Songs For Sad Girls” respectively, and tonight in the plush surroundings of the former cinema turned live venue and ballet school we are looking forward to relaxing end to a weekend in somewhat comfier and more civilised surroundings than we’re used to.

But first up in the Art Deco opulence is Nick Parker, his short solo acoustic set is delivered in an intimate and informal style that sets the tone for the evening. The majority of Nick Parker‘s set is delivered with just him and his acoustic guitar but there are moments he is backed up, Ginger Wildheart and a Sinner join him for the downbeat ‘Oceanographer‘ and in a more surreal move he encourages the audience to ring the person sat next to them so the ringing of the mobile phones provide an eerie acconpaniment to the penultimate song before he picks up the pace with the upbeat love song ‘Terry And June‘.

Lauren Tate is no stranger to The Punk Site, we’ve covered her band Hands Off Gretel from before their first album was released, through the sweaty pub shows through to the new album “I Want The World” and playing the main stage at the Rebellion Festival, but with her new critically acclaimed solo album “Songs For Sad Girls” she is given the chance to showcase a very different side of her songwriting. Tonight the difference in the sets is exemplified by Lauren’s appearance, she is clad in a shimmering evening dress matching the glamour of the surroundings, tonight she is accompanied by Hands Off Gretel guitarist Seán Bon, although it must the said that he hasn’t even come close to matching her in the sartorial elegance stakes.

There are nods to Hands Off Gretel throughout her set with tracks such as ‘Bad Egg Blues‘ and ‘I Want The World‘ but this is very different to anything I have previously witnessed by Lauren Tate, this is a set that is influenced by roots Americana and rock ‘n roll, with songs that are deeply personal, hard hitting and it must be said, faultlessly delivered. Lauren Tate seems more relaxed and at ease and the laidback atmosphere seems to bring out the storyteller in her, as well as showcasing her vocal range in a way that isn’t always apparent when Hands Off Gretel are in full flow. Seán Bon has to leave the stage early due to upcoming surgery, and Lauren dons the guitar and completes the set solo, having seen Seán after the show it’s a miracle he could play any of the set so we wish him a speedy recovery and hope to have him back and fully recovered for Hands Off Gretel‘s closing shows of 2019.

Ginger Wildheart And The Sinners are delivering a set that covers the majority of his career, it’s all easy too forget just how prolific Ginger has been over years but tonight’s set is a good snapshot, whilst we get a set that is largely drawn from the two albums recorded with The Sinners we also get tracks from his recordings with Michael Monroe, Courtney Love, Hey Hello, G.A.S.S. and, almost inevitably, The Wildhearts as well as a few well chosen covers from the Georgia Sattelites and Status Quo. In The Sinners it seems Ginger has found another faultless backing band with a special mention to vocalist Givvi Flynn who provides backing vocals and effortlessly takes on lead vocals on the songs previously recorded with Yolanda Quartey and Courtney Love.

Much of the material from Ginger Wildheart And The Sinners is personal and cathartic in nature and, like Lauren Tate‘s earlier set, it covers taboo and personal subjects, including an absolutely stunning ‘Daylight Hotel‘ that addresses Ginger’s struggles with mental health. Rather than treading a melancholic path this is an uplifting and positive set, something that is underlined when he is joined onstage by a sixth Sinner, his son, twice during the set and the arrival of the seventh Sinner, his dog Molly, who practically stole the show, she undoubtedly charmed the crowd occupying the front rows as only a four legged companion can as she ran round the stage and the front rows emanating an aura of sheer happiness that human beings struggle to even briefly attain.

After their triumphant set tonight an encore is inevitable, whilst it does take a while for The Sinners to return to the stage, something that Ginger blames on the distance to the dressing room, it’s well worth the wait. The encore of two songs from The Wildhearts back catalogue, Geordie in Wonderland and Loveshit, are of course deliriously received by The Wildhearts faithful who make up the a sizeable chunk of the crowd and rise to their feet and occupy the limited amount of space between the front row and the stage. Tonight was a revelation, stripped down support slots from Nick Parker and Lauren Tate were the perfect prelude to a faultless set by Ginger Wildheart And The Sinners. Tonight was a seamless, intimate and informal tour the by all accounts has been a perfect tour for both crowds and artists, and if you didn’t catch this one then you missed out.

Live photography is by Gary Hough, his Instagram account is located here and you can click on any of Gary’s photos to view a slide show of the images