Review: Will Varley In Frome.

It is Sunday afternoon now and I’m listening to The Hole Around My Head which is the most recent album by Will Varley. I bought it from the merchandise stall as I was leaving Will’s gig at the Tree House in Frome on Friday night. It is a tiny little venue above the Vine Tree pub, and apart from the Village Pump folk club in Trowbridge is possibly the smallest venue I have ever visited. It is run by the same people who organise the Cheese & Grain in Frome where the likes of Paul McCartney and the Foo Fighters have appeared in recent years. Last summer I was disappointed not to see Will when he played the Leftfield stage at Glastonbury, so when I saw that he was playing in Frome I knew I had to go. Also, I recently bought his 2015 album Postcards From Ursa Minor which I thought was great.

I arrived too early, so I had a pint in the pub before the doors to the Tree House opened at 7.30. I was a bit concerned that I would be the oldest person in the audience by about 40 years, but was pleased to see that Will seems to attract fans from all age groups. It was also great to see my nephew Howard and his girlfriend Sophie who had travelled from Bath for the evening. The support act was a young singer-songwriter from Manchester called Chloe Hawes who played a short set of about six songs. I had never heard of her before, but enjoyed her songs and liked her personality. I would describe her music as autobiographical folk with a self-effacing punkish attitude. She even got the audience joining in with the chorus of a couple of songs.

By the time Will Varley arrived on stage at 8.30 the venue was packed out and it got very hot with all the people crammed into the small room. I didn’t write down a setlist because I didn’t know all the songs, but I was pleased that Will played several songs from the Ursa Minor album including Send My Love To The System, From Halcyon, Seize The Night, As For My Soul, and the hilarious Dylanesque Talking Cat Blues. I also enjoyed other songs that I have heard previously on Youtube such as Weddings & Wars, (see video below) and We Don’t Believe You. There were also some newer songs which may be on the album I bought on Friday night, but I’m not sure. There is a lot I like about Will Varley, firstly his great singing voice which has an underlying melancholic edge and gives his ballads an effortless emotional quality. He has a great sense of humour as well, and is a natural story teller. I like his left leaning political lyrics as well. You can tell he has no time for Brexit and all that nonsense. When you see people like Ed Sheeran being multi-millionaires it seems an injustice that Will Varley who is at least just as talented is playing in tiny venues like this. 

Anyway, the time flew by, and I had to leave at 10.30 because my lift home was waiting, so I missed the encore. I said cheerio to Howard and Sophie and on my way out I spotted Chloe standing at the back listening to Will and told her that I enjoyed her songs, which she seemed pleased about. I was home by about 11.00 still buzzing from a great night, so I sat up until past midnight listening to Will Varley. What an enjoyable evening it had been.