- The Coal Porters
- Waterman's Arts Centre
Brentford 10 April 2000
- A sunny spring lunchtime by the river sounds good
enough in itself but add to this the fact that
The Coal Porters are playing a free gig inside
the adjoining Arts Centre and you have an almost
perfect afternoon set up. When I arrived with
wife and family in tow, the band were still
setting up their equipment. It later transpired
that guitarist Neil Robert Herd had actually had
to set up the PA himself, which may have
explained the slight del ay in the band getting
started.
-
- The line-up today was Sid on mandolin, Pat on
banjo, Neil on acoustic guitar, the mysterious H
on dobro and newcomer Chris Morgan on stand-up
bass. The set began with Christine's Tune, with
Sid, Pat and Neil all sharing the vocals on the
Burrito's classic, before Pat took the main vocal
on The Byrds' I Am A Pilgrim. Next up were two
more Burrito's chestnuts from The Gilded Palace
Of Sin and Burrito Deluxe respectively. Firstly,
My Uncle which is fast becoming a live favourite
of mine, followed by the very rare Cody Cody. The
three frontmen then again shared the vocals for a
great rendition of Bob Dylan's When The Ship
Comes In.
-
- Sid then took time to explain that the next song
Git It On Brother was an even simpler song then
Louie Louie, having only 2 chords to follow. This
made his mistake during the song all the more
telling!! Next up there was a real treat in the
shape of I Tell Her All The Time, a long time
Coal Porters favourite of mine, and one not heard
live for many years. It's appearance at a
Hillman/Parsons tribute show was therefore all
the more special. It was preceded by Sid's tale
of how it relates to an ex-girlfriend of his who
went on to marry a descendent of the man who
invented the credit card, with Sid quipping that
"that's the reason I still don't have a
Mastercard"!
-
- The band then had another jaunt into
Byrds-country with Draft Morning followed by Pat
taking the vocal lead on Satisfied Mind and then
Time Between, all the while H and Chris Morgan
giving their best backing, with Chris especially
keen to share the vocals. Neil Robert Herd took
the lead for Hank Williams' Lost Highway before
the band covered Chris Hillman's Summer Wind and
ended the first set with Fallen Eagle.
-
- Sadly the second set was not to be as long as the
first, due to the fact that there was a film
about to start in another part of the centre. It
began with Sin City, dedicate to someone who has
specifically asked for a Gram Parsons song. This
was followed by the Byrds' The Girl With No Name
which was one of the first Byrds' songs I ever
really liked and a song I've not heard the band
play live before to my recollection. He Was A
Friend Of Mine has also been a favourite of mine
for many years, so I'm always glad to hear Pat,
Sid and Neil share the vocal harmonies on that
one.
-
- Despite Sid's comments to the contrary the band
do not run short of material to play, though a
couple of songs are dropped from the set. So
there was no Sweet Mental Revenge or Six Days On
The Road today, both of which are perhaps more
suited to a sweaty, smoky pub atmosphere than
today's relaxed family outing. Instead we are
treated to Older Guys and to end the set the
marvellous Brand New Heartache.
-
- With a packed and appreciative audience in the
relaxed cafe atmosphere o f the Waterman's Arts
Centre, this was a great way to spend an early
Sunday afternoon. The band too seemed to enjoy
the more easygoing ambience surrounding them and
rose to the occasion to once again put on a very
special show - and at no cost to the punter!
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