Realised that this was our first visit to Snape for a music gig that sat outside the annual Snape Proms festival; and coupled to that, it has been many a year sice I first expressed seeing Merry Hell in live performance. I’m a long time fan, having long enjoyed their rather singular take on the folk rock genre…
The gig was a joint effort with the Suffolk Rabble Chorus Community Choir, who were fine, but it was Merry Hell we came to see. The pace of the set was excellent, with well chosen tracks from each of their albums. You often wonder what makes a live gig special over and obove simply sitting down and listening to the albums in the comfort of your own lounge. Merry Hell is the perfect answer, with two front men (sorry, persons) with charisma and humour aplenty making the whole event a ‘performance’, something you would always remember above and beyond the record itself. Virginia an Andrew Kettle take a bow :-). The humour is often found embedded in their excellent self penned material as well, but it is often masking quite passionate, political themes that sound all the better for avoiding the pious nature of others in this field. Passion, energy and joy can be delivered amidst the seriousness if you’ve got the nous!
A fantastic Friday night, all the better for Mrs. No Name, a novice to the band’s extensive repertoire, thoroughly enjoying the evening and suggesting she would be more than happy to repeat the experience. High praise indeed!