Beth Orton: Cheese & Grain, Frome, 14/3/2019

I went to see Beth Orton at the Cheese & Grain in Frome on Thursday. The concert wasn’t part of a tour, it was a one-off concert by Beth to celebrate International Women’s Day although it wasn’t actually on that day. The support act She Makes War had been taken ill so a young singer from Devizes called Tamsin Quin stepped in at short notice. She did very well with a very enjoyable set which included songs from her album Gypsy Blood. I was quite taken with one song in particular called Jennifer. During the interval I had a little chat with Tamsin and bought her album. I haven’t had a chance to play it yet, but I might write a review when I have time.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Beth Orton because I hadn’t seen her before and I’m not an expert on her career by any means. I had heard her music described as Folktronica so I was kind of expecting guitars and electronic instruments. I think she must have moved on from being the ‘chill out queen’ because as it turned out it was just Beth and her guitar and her husband, guitarist and backing singer Sam Amidon. I also had a quick few words with Sam after the gig and he told me that he comes from Vermont in the USA and he has his own solo career as well as playing with Beth. He is also a great violin player as he demonstrated on one song.

Gypsy Blood by Tamsin Quin.

 When Beth came on stage, she said most of the songs would be from her album Central Reservation as it is 20 years since that album was released. That was unfortunate for me because I only have one Beth Orton album which is Trailer Park. I think I would have enjoyed the concert a lot more if I had been more familiar with her work. I did enjoy it though, even if I couldn’t make out all the lyrics. She has a very nice personality, very humorous and self-deprecating. When she sings though, the songs are very emotional, and heart felt. I made a few notes of some of the songs but because I don’t know the songs I expect I have made lots of mistakes. I recognised Someone’s Daughter because it is on Trailer Park. It is a great song. I also enjoyed Blood Red River, a very soulful song.

Sam Amidon.

Pass In Time is another very moving song. The lyrics mention, ‘My mother told me before she died’ so it may be a very personal song for Beth. Central Reservation is much more upbeat, as is Call Me The Breeze which is a simple very catchy song. “ This is a fuckin’ classic”, said Beth when she introduced Shopping Trolley from the Comfort Of Strangers album of 2005. Wave is from a recent album called Kidsticks. Concrete Sky is a great song which Beth informed us was on the Daybreaker album. The only other song I noted down was She Cries Your Name which was part of the encore and is my favourite song from Trailer Park.

While writing this so-called review I have been listening to the songs on YouTube and I must say it has made a rainy windy Saturday afternoon very enjoyable. I like Beth Orton more all the time and I’m very pleased that I made the effort to go and see her in Frome. Thank you very much to the Cheese & Grain for organising the concert. We are very lucky to have such a great venue in this area.