ORLANDO WEEKS + CAMERON PICKTOP -ST. GEORGE’S CHURCH, BRIGHTON 4.10.24
20 years ago, a young London-based indie rock band, destined for greatness, flicked open a copy of the Holy Bible. In a moment of random result, this band were searching for a name to call themselves, eventually picking the one word that demanded their attention: Maccabees. Across their brief, yet successful tenure, The Maccabees gave birth to four studio albums and a slew of singles such as ‘About Your Dress’, ‘Love You Better’ and ‘Toothpaste Kisses’, the latter of which was a particularly much-loved stape of the indie world of the mid-2000s. In 2017, the band went their separate ways, with guitarist brothers Felix and Hugo White going on to form the group 86TVs, who had enjoyed a spell at Concorde 2 back in August as well as a Resident instore performance in the same month – Review HERE. However, for lead singer and frontman Orlando Weeks, his artistic journey was only just beginning, cementing a new art pop-driven sound towards the release of his third studio record, ‘LOJA’, with a tour surrounding said record concluding at St. George’s Church in Brighton for a wonderful Friday night performance.
Opening for Orlando Weeks is a true icon of mine, Cameron Picton, the bassist of my favourite group of all-time, Black Midi. The unfortunate disbandment of Black Midi came as a shock to many fans, including myself; however, given the musical ambidexterity of Cameron, and co-members Geordie Greep and Morgan Simpson, watching the band blossom into their own distinctive solo paths would always be something to be excited for, and Cameron is no exception to that, with his two single piece CDs ‘44m50s’ and ‘36m33s’ already making a splash with fans. Armed with only an effects board and a nylon acoustic guitar, Cameron takes a moment to say hi to the crowd before he hits us with the first song of his set. Incidentally, I should point out that every single song, according to Cameron, is untitled; however, I am using titles given to the songs from fans made on bootleg videos on YouTube. So, the opening ‘Camera Picture IV’, opens with an extremely elaborate picking pattern in open D minor tuning, with Cameron’s singing voice here sounding breathy and soft compared to the occasionally anguished presence he gives to characters in Black Midi songs like ‘Near DT, MI’ and ‘Eat Men Eat’. His vocal inflections remind one of Jacques Brel in the theatricality of the way he sings certain words or lyrics, not to mention some stunning falsetto here and there.
The second track is a much shorter cut, with less complex patterns, giving Cameron a chance to emphasise his storytelling through delicate, yet powerful vocal expressions. The only instrumental track of the set, ‘Jasperless Jasper Song’ sits in an open C tuning, with a more American Primitivism vibe seeping through the cascading walls of looping guitar trills, think Robbie Basho meets Jim O’Rourke. The humorously titled ‘Diss Track’ is one of the more mellow and melancholic tracks in the show, with some slick, bittersweet chord changes that mutate into heavy strumming towards the song’s last leg. Something that Cameron is exceptional at achieving with his performances is a distinctive soundscape, even considering the small amount of instrumental set-up on stage, so hearing a moment like in ‘Who Will Be There’ as he re-enacts the lyric “when the thunder claps” by striking through his guitar strings is refreshing and exciting. ‘Sexy 3’ is possibly my favourite of the set, with some wonderfully nostalgic chord patterns that remind me of something David Kauffman would write on ‘Songs From Suicide Bridge’. And finally, the closing ‘365partyboy’ includes some saturated electronic percussion that Cameron is able to cue in and out while playing the song’s main flamenco-tinge strumming patterns, with some growingly animated vocal performances pulling the song into ecstasy as an amazing closer! Honestly, seeing Cameron live by himself was a truly remarkable experience, the oddly vulnerable, yet majestic soundscapes he painted with just his vocals and a nylon guitar, with the odd effect here and there, reaffirmed my feelings on Black Midi’s post-break-up state; it’s fair to say we’re in safe hands!
Cameron Picton:
Cameron Picton – acoustic guitar, vocals
Cameron Picton setlist:
‘Untitled 1’ (Camera Picture IV)
‘Untitled 2’
‘Untitled 3’ (Jasperless Jasper Song)
‘Untitled 4’ (Diss Track)
‘Untitled 5’ (Who Will Be There)
‘Untitled 6’ (Sexy 3)
‘Untitled 7’ (365partyboy)
Some fifteen minutes after his scheduled 9pm start, the lights dim down once again as Orlando Weeks and his cohorts walk on-stage to an array of applause. Already my excitement is riding high as one of his backing musicians is none other than ex-East India Youth spearheader William Doyle, who I caught back in March at the Alphabet on tour of his ‘Springs Eternal’ album – Review HERE. Also joined by producer, songwriter and Richard Dawson lookalike Hudson Scott on trumpet and synths, the trio kick off the set with ‘Sorry’ from the new ‘LOJA’ record, making use of some soft electric pianos and sampled trip hop drum grooves, with Orlando’s voice here evoking the sounds of Richard Hawley…! ‘Best Night’ is a steady and hypnotic number with a warm and luscious progression and French spoken word samples playing out the song’s last leg, while ‘Blood Sugar’s more low-key atmosphere explores some breathy group vocalisations and deep sub-bass tones from Hudson. Orlando persuades the audience to engage in some crowd participation on the track ‘Milk Breath’, creating some soft “shhh”ing noises emulating static for the entire song; a novel idea, even if it did become somewhat of an endurance test for a three and a half minute song.
I get some slight Moby vibes from the song ‘My Love Is (Daylight Saving)’, mainly from Orlando’s usage of a second microphone, effected to sound more like a radio, but also from the rich builds in atmosphere that engulf the track. The song ‘Beautiful Place’ was definitely a strong highlight of the set for me, thanks to some solemn trumpet lines and incredibly weighty piano textures from Orlando that give the song some emotional strength. The mood begins to pick up again on the song ‘Longing’ (despite its title), with some rhythmic synth pulses that remind me of Brighton electronic folk duo Nierra Creek’s incredible ‘Move Together Now’. However, I can’t take my eyes off William Doyle during this track, just his excitement and enjoyment in his playing is utterly infectious, strumming harder as the song goes along. Another strong favourite of mine, ‘Good to See You’, plays around with some electronic muzak-esque beats and synth tones à la The Postal Service, while ‘Look Who’s Talking Now’ is utterly bittersweet with some stunning synth work and samba-infused drum machines.
The vastly-sculpted ‘Big Skies, Silly Faces’ sees Orlando moving in his own element, feeling each word he’s singing with passion and confidence, with some beautiful vocal arrangements between himself, William and Hudson. Entering the last third of the set, ‘Deep Down Way Out’ is a much slower cut, with a more sparse drum arrangement and exotic synth passages, unfolding to quite a gnarly chorus adorned by William absolutely demolishing his guitar in textured distorted bliss. ‘Seasonal Hero’s harrowing chorus of ‘I’m Still Your Man’ is utterly captivating, alongside some great reverberating guitar textures and piano arrangements, leading to this being my favourite song of the entire set. Next, we get treated to a performance of a Maccabees fan-favourite, ‘Toothpaste Kisses’, reworked marvellously into arrays of electric piano, saw synths and William’s guitar almost emulating a string trio; naturally, this track receives the biggest crowd reaction of the night!
The one-two hit of ‘Takes A Village’ and ‘Safe In Sound’ treks across a vast range of dynamics, with the former exploring a calmer, meditative surrounding and the latter engaged in hyperactive drum sounds and the three cohorts enjoying an intense jam section that closes the song out. Arguably the heaviest song of the set, ‘Dig’ is a short cut with its time made up by some distorted guitar tones and motorik beats topped by some more of Orlando’s effect heavy microphone crowning the track’s glory. Orlando gives his love and thanks to the crowd one last time before bowing out with the song ‘Tomorrow’, with its euphoric progression and chirping synth lines blooming into a stellar closing section of looping guitar feedback drones that act as the carpet for the band to leave the stage on. It’s now been seven years since the disbandment of The Maccabees, with all its adjoining members flourishing in their respective creative paths. However, Orlando Weeks has demonstrated that his own path is continuing to blossom and flourish, touching the lives and hearts of many Maccabees fans after all this time; you could say that he “won our hearts with a woop-a-woo”…! I’ll see myself out.
Orlando Weeks:
Orlando Weeks – keys, lead vocals
William Doyle – electric guitar, bass guitar, backing vocals
Sam Hudson-Scott – synths, trumpet, backing vocals
Orlando Weeks setlist:
‘Sorry’
‘Best Night’
‘Blood Sugar’
‘Milk Breath’
‘My Love Is (Daylight Saving)’
‘Beautiful Place’
‘Longing’
‘Good To See You’
‘Big Skies, Silly Faces’
‘Deep Down Way Out’
‘Seasonal Hero’
‘Toothpaste Kisses’ (The Maccabees cover)
‘Takes a Village’
‘Safe In Sound’
‘Dig’
‘Tomorrow’
