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Maria Taylor Live at the Metro Club, London May 10th

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By: Charbarred | in: Music |

A cold and rainy night will usually prompt you to stay at home. This, being London, rain is hardly an excuse, and having passed the first hurdle of finding a parking space in central London, we were ready to rock on.

Maria Taylor

The Metro Club is a rock venue. Having played there a few times, we were always upstaged by a more energetic Metal band or some elderly Punks ripping the stage to shreds. I found it very odd that a sensitive singer-songwriter would book such a place, and judging by the opening acts, it seemed like it was business as usual at the Metro. Joining the regular crowd of too-cool-for-school cokeheads and confused tourists were a slew of single gals in their 20s and even more single guys in their 30’s. Maria Taylor was ready to take the stage.

Maria Taylor: A Good Start

Having listened to her albums I was sure this was going to be an acoustic affair. Instead, the petite songstress took to the stage sporting a shiny Gretsch. Even more unexpectedly, the motley crew of characters that accompanied her didn’t seem like they were planning a quiet candle lit evening. With 3 electric guitars on stage, and no acoustic guitar in sight, this was shaping up to be an interesting night.

Opening with “Smile and Wave” the band meant business. Any fears that Taylor’s delicate voice won’t make it through the wall of guitars and chatty crowd were completely crushed. Although, seeming a bit distant at first, Taylor’s emotional rollercoaster was getting through to the audience. After a few rocky tunes, band members started disappearing one by one leading to a captivating rendition of “Clean Getaway”. When the band returned, the gig was reaching new heights. Their version of “No Stars” almost sounded like “My Bloody Valentine” taking a stab at a love song.

Maria Taylor

As the night progressed, Taylor started opening up. Her musicians were really into the gig and it showed. With three band members sporting the same last name as hers, it was obvious they were going to carry the songs loyally. As Taylor’s cool exterior was slowly cracking the songs got better and better. A crazy country version of “The Ballad Of Sean Foley” was taking the crowd to new heights.

Maria Taylor - Song Beneath the Song

Curfew was nearing, and Taylor chose to end the night with a double bill of “A Good Start” a rocking version of “Song Beneath the Song”. As far as gigs go, this was as good as it gets. Maria Taylor is touring Europe at the moment, and if you’re in the area, you still have a chance of catching this amazing show.

I don’t usually write live reviews, hence no photos or videos. I’ll leave you with a borrowed live performance of “Clean Getaway” I found on YouTube. If you haven’t heard her latest album “Lynn Teeter Flower” I recommend that you visit her MySpace page for a little taster. It’s really worth it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4ztZkEMoq8


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Posted on May 12, 2007

Comments

One Response to “Maria Taylor Live at the Metro Club, London May 10th”

  1. Mark Kirby on June 11th, 2007 4:03 am

    I also wrote a review of Maria Taylor on the Brighton date of this tour. I agree she was superb and I too was surprised it was not acoustic. Good review btw, looks like our sites are for a similar cause!


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