Beau - Palace Of Light

 

Consistently inspired singer songwriter returns with a satirical 15-song set. Modern life may well be rubbish but at least we have Beau to survey it with gentle humour and poetic barbs.

I've always admired artists that are in it for the long haul. There are certain songwriters who stick to their principles and stylistic choices, riding out the changes in fashion, sensibilities and taste that affect the wider musical world. Beau, AKA Trevor Midgley is one of these artists. His latest album is his nineteenth for Cherry Red Records and confirms his status as one of the sharpest satirical songwriters this country has produced. He won't be appearing at Radio One's Big Weekend, neither will he grace the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury this year. But at 79 years of age Beau still has the drive and talent that was evident on his eponymous 1969 debut album (which was the first release on John Peel's Dandelion label don't ya know!)

Palace Of Light is, like Beau's previous albums, a simply recorded affair - just one voice and one guitar (a vintage 1968 Harmony 12-string no less!) It's a contemporary look at modern life and its strange political and cultural climate. The accompanying sense of dissatisfaction and occasional bafflement is best encapsulated in songs such as 'Twenty-Twenty Vision' and 'Cuckoo Land'. Serious subject matter for sure but Beau lays into it all with delicate humour. Similarly smile-raising is opening track 'I Plagiarise Beethoven' where we get an insight into Beau's wide-ranging melodic influences. Other subjects/targets include cultural appropriation, social media, cancel culture, Brexit, identity politics, society's obsession with celebrity, rigid adherence to ideology and more. Also worth looking out for are references to Adele, along with one to Paul McCartney's sheepdog Martha on 'Celebrity Memorabilia'.

He's a pretty decent guitar player too, perhaps no surprise given that he's spent a good 60 years at folk music's coal face. You can take a listen to Palace Of Light via the Spotify player below. It's a good place to start before working your way through his extensive and highly-recommended back catalogue.

http://beausrecordings.blogspot.com/ 

http://www.trevormidgley.com/

 

Beau - Twelve Strings To The Beau

Lost album from Peel favourite finally gets released. Fourteen tracks of post-Dylan, literary folk.

We all love a lost album story don't we, usually those featuring shelved classics such as The Beach Boys' Smile or Dylan & The Band's Basement Tapes. Though not as well known as those artists, singer-songwriter Beau occupies a pretty hip position within the parameters of Brit-folk, as having recorded the very first release on John Peel's Dandelion label. This 7” single, '1917 Revolution', was followed by two well-received albums for Dandelion.

A third album was recorded at Tractor Sound Studios in Heywood Lancashire. Before Beau could secure a release for this album real life intervened, prompting promotion at work and the relocation of his family. The recordings were shelved, perhaps not forgotten about, but certainly not listened to.

Fast forward 38 years to the digital age and a random blog post about Beau sees connections and deals made. The “lost” third album gets a release courtesy of The Sound Of Salvation label. Featuring simply Beau's singular voice and trademark twelve-string acoustic guitar, the music lies somewhere in Dylan's long shadow. Traditional folk song forms with a sometimes political, sometimes introspective bent it owes much his Bobness' Another Side Of album.

Though very much a product of its era, it's aged pretty well. There's a Donovan-esque naïvety on some tracks that today's smug smart arses might scoff at but that's part of its charm. And the sparse arrangements let you soak up the lyrics, which what the record is really about. Wordy, literate, informative and as beneficial as a slow release pill. Subject matter is diverse, ranging from colonialism, war, industrial action as well as the problems of Leeds' drainage system. There's also room for a love song or two. Give it a listen on a relaxed, balmy summer evening with a glass of something nice and it will all make sense. Beau is still making music so go catch him at a gig if you get the chance.

Click here for Beau's website.

Click here for The Sounds Of Salvation website.