One Quiet Night….Charlie Winston:

UK Album Launch– Monday 28^th September

Walking into Cargo, a charming venue in the chic London borough of Shoreditch, everything about the place screamed style, Charlie Winston Style. Small in size yet big in character, the intimacy and flair of the dimly lit bar-restaurant created a friendly atmosphere with a touch of excited suspense. Off-the-beaten-track, stylish and inviting– the acoustic come folk singer couldn’t have chosen a more appropriate spot on which to shower the small, expectant audience with his music and entertain them in an album launch to remember.

The primarily French audience, which Charlie affectionately described as “Franglaise”, is testament to his unbounded success in France. I met one girl who had travelled from Paris alone especially for the gig– she explained that what were costing £10 a ticket here would have been 4 or 5 times that in France. To be able to get so close to the singer was for this Parisian an absolute dream, and she explained that this was the case for many of the French people who attended on the night. The girl regaled me with tales of Charlie Winston inspired fashion trends whisking their way across France, super-marches bursting with his infamous waistcoat & tie get-up (this harks back to my July interview with Charlie, when he described how “Charlie Winston” had become not just a name but a brand), 40,000 deep concerts , women swooning and men admiring. Charlie Winston excitement has well and truly captivated our friends across the Channel, but what kind of impact would this enigmatic musician have on a 200 odd audience in the intimacy of an unsuspecting bar down an obscure street of London?

True to himself, yet atypically of a gig, the novel singer inverted expectations by stepping straight onto the small stage (which cannot have been more than 10cm from the closest audience member– me) all alone and an entire song before the other band members– with this small gesture Charlie met his audience as a man, not just a musician. With a tip of his hat (another Charlie trademark) he greeted us with a big warm and welcoming smile, before opening with a jaunty, fun piece called Gone Gone, from his latest Album Hobo scheduled for release on 26^th October. Again atypical of a gig set-up, Mr Winston encouraged audiences to sing the baseline and get wholly involved from the onset. This created an instant bond between entertainer and audience, which you would usually expect towards the end of a set. The response couldn’t have been better. Instantly occupied and cheered by his presence, the audience were prepared for the utterly energetic and passionate performance that followed.

The carnival-like set was intense and boisterous; Charlie’s energy never wavered but gathered momentum. At one point Charlie leaped out into the audience and had a dance with some of the crowd, walking amongst his supporters in yet another humble act of good humour. Supported by the drummer and bassist who found the rich, jaunty baselines, Charlie is primarily complimented by his animated right-hand man on the harmonica, who comes in with tones varying from beatific blues to gritty cries that add unique texture to every song. Seconding with his single In Your Hands, Charlie shows off his personal and musical depth in a song about the struggles of people who come over from India to work and earn money to send back to their families. The moving piece is surprisingly uplifting, though, and this is down to the lively sound and positivity of Charlie’s plight. Showing his personality as well as his talent in the absolute gems of songs such as this one, Charlie and his band create a rich, textured sound that comes together in one sprightly swoop of positivity, emotion and hand-clappy good humour.

When the first notes of Like a Hobo sounded around the room, a ripple of excitement weaved through the French audience. This golden track was No.1 in the French charts for 4 weeks and the upbeat, zealous performance he gave of this song was dazzling. Winston’s soulful and textured voice complimented the meaning of the song perfectly and he raised up his sound right from the bottom of his Charlie Chaplin shoes. Vocal comparisons have been made to David Gray and Antony Hegarty, though Charlie’s voice is more powerful and somehow energetic. He builds to the peaks with such passion that the lyrics seem to almost escape from his own command and roll off the tongue before he has even formulated them. His merriment was contagious and only ever calmed down for the more serene tracks like I love Your Smile and Boxes. The multi-instrumentalist swapped his guitar for the piano for these slower songs that showed another edge to his voice– a lighter, reigned-in version. Though the intense emotion prevails in these softer songs, it is more delicate, gentle and calm.

Even thematically Charlie’s tunes hit the unique bracket, as he deviates into singing about elements of life that are non-stereotypical for an acoustic artiste. In Kick the Bucket he manages to relate his ideas about immortality, though in a skilfully optimistic manner– consolidated by the lyric “this is not a sad song, I don’t mean to bring you down”- as if Mr Winston does anything but up-lift. My Life as a Duck is also testament to his quirky subject matter, as he analogises his life and ponders on…being a duck. The way to visualise Charlie Winston on stage, is to imagine a turbo-charged wind-up toy setting off around the room as it sings, dances, entertains, smiles and sings some more, never slowing down but gathering momentum as it whisks its way around the room, leaving behind an unforgettable beautiful mess. His act is by no means “messy”, quite the opposite, but the overspill of talent is tremendous and it is like watching a waterfall of flair and music flow out of this man because there is just too much to contain. In Charlie’s case, his turbo-charge would be his supreme aptitude and passion. By the end of his set, Charlie was leaping around the stage, his body literally contorting into the shapes and rhythms to which his songs took him.

For the finale, Charlie and his merry band did a funked up version of In Your Hands that had the audience clapping and jigging and stomping and smiling, bringing the boisterous, happy atmosphere of the stage, down and out into the audience, filling the room wall to wall and raising the bar even higher for what had already been an unforgettable performance.

Charlie quietly reigned that night, inadvertently and inevitably attracting attention, though his unaffected manner did not demand it. During the support act– King Charles, a quirky and electrifying bang who’s lead singer’s charisma and passion made up for the apparent lack of amongst the other band members– Charlie stepped quietly into the shadows of the audience to just enjoy the show. With absolutely no self-importance, he watched on the sidelines, neither hiding nor asking to be seen. Modestly shaking the hands of those who noticed him, and with such down-to-earth charisma, the Charlie Winston vibe quickly whispered its way around the room, murmuring to the expectant audience that an over-flow of musical extravaganza was about to erupt…

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Writen by Hannah Hassack of This Is No Bridget Jones

Posted on Wed 7th October 2009 and filed under Live Shows, Reviews.

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