BOB KETTLE: The Old Courts, Wigan: Wigan Arts Festival
For those who would like an introduction, Bob Kettle is the mandolin and bouzouki player for Merry Hell, folk-rockers of this parish. Top of hat and wide of smile, he embodies the joyful spirit that many find in the band. However, his contribution to the band goes well beyond the above, his songwriting being an integral part of whatever success the band has enjoyed and it was this that drew a full house to the venue for a rare solo appearance.
Over two sets, we are treated to what fans of the band would consider his greatest hits, starting with the singalong ‘No Money’ bemoaning a lack of fiscal heft and where the blame may lie, through the recently released ‘Vagabond Army’, a history lesson and a wish fulfilment combined, and on to the romanticism of ‘I Never Loved Anybody’ dedicated to the inspiration of the song, her pleasure radiating across the room. And so it continued, Bob growing in confidence as the set progressed. A common element of his songs is their lyricism, as befits the inspirations on which he draws, from a love of literature, to the likes of Dylan and Cohen, there is imagery and narrative aplenty. What adds to the evening is the space that he enjoys to give insight into the origins of the songs, whether it be personal experience (as for the well deserved encore, ‘Fear of Falling’, delivered less than a mile from the location of the inspiring adventure), his hopes and fears for the world and a wider concern for community and humanity.
As we head through the second set, the hits just keep coming, and we are reminded that, not only is he a gifted songwriter in his own right, but a skilled collaborator, with his elder brother John, and current and past bandmates, ‘Only Love’ a musing on what is real in a digital world being a co-write with Merry Hell keyboard player Lee Goulding and ‘Moonlight Parade’ apparently 30 years in the making, with Bob taking up from a fragment shared with him by fiddle player Neil McCartney having been reminded of it during a car journey back from a gig.
In amongst the recognised songs, we are also treated to a possible vision of the future, with three songs that have not yet made it into the Merry Hell canon. The themes are recognisable, love, the natural world, metaphysics and philosophy all put in an appearance and we wait to see if and how ‘Mist In The Morning’, ‘Time’ and ‘Satellite of Soul’ develop with the addition of his bandmates.
Besides the insights into the song origins, we also get to hear them as they were originally delivered to the band, just a voice and a guitar, offering proof that a good song is a good song, capable of being delivered in different voices, thought they do make for some true folk-rock anthems as well. On the theme of this, the set finished with his celebration of the true nature and achievements of our country ‘Come On England’, the audience united in appreciation, as the song would like the remainder of the population to be.
We have been entertained, educated, enlightened, uplifted and given hope for the future – and all before 8pm on a Friday night in Wigan. Thanks Bob.
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