Music > Live Reviews

The Vagaband Orchestra in aid of Sistema

OPEN

26/09/18

When I was at school (a long time ago, and in a far away town) music lessons were free to all who wanted them. Nowadays, budgets for school music lessons are tight, and many children miss out simply because the money and the opportunities are not there. Thank goodness, therefore, for organisations like Sistema in Norwich, a registered charity set up by Norwich and Norfolk Community Arts (NORCA) to provide local children with performance opportunities, and to nurture and encourage their musical development.

On Sunday night, in the main Banking Hall of Norwich Open, a packed audience enjoyed a collaboration concert by Sistema in Norwich's Colegate Nucleo Orchestra as they played with one of  this region's most popular and successful alt-americana acts, The Vagaband.

The evening began with a welcome from NORCA Director Marcus Patterson before members of the orchestra, conducted by musical director Juan Gabriel Rojas, performed two pieces, Presto by Robert Sheldon and Cellos Olé by Richard Meyer. Then it was the turn of  The Vagaband, led by José McGill, to perform a band set that included the title track and Not My Way To Die from their latest album Something Wicked Comes This Way, and Lifted and Not My Way To Die from 2014's Medicine For The Soul. Joining José and regular band members on stage, Mark Howes (of Dove and Boweevil) on guitar, and Yve Mary B on vocals.

But it was after the interval that the real magic unfolded. With orchestra and band ready to go, the second half opened with the aptly titled Potent Symphony, taken from The Vagaband's debut album, Town & Country. Originally released six years ago, this song seemed to perfectly encapsulate what this collaboration was all about. The orchestra appeared to grow in confidence and stature, and whilst essentially still a school concert, their pleasure at playing with a band of The Vagaband's repute produced a synergy that was altogether quite moving and obvious.

I have seen The Vagaband many times – squeezed into the corners of pubs like The Wildman, on stage at venues like Norwich Arts Centre, and at outdoor festivals, but there was something glorious about the performance this evening as they shared the limelight with the youngsters of the orchestra, and ran through especially arranged versions of The River and The Ballad of El Molino. The instrumental Ten Bells Waltz, inspired by the story of Jack The Ripper, prompted José to quip that perhaps The Vagaband may not have been the best choice of band chosen to work with children, and also asked, in all seriousness, if anyone knew the difference between a violin and a fiddle. The reply came back – 'You don't spill beer on a violin'.

An homage to Townes Van Zandt, Medicine For The Soul, and a song about cheap alcohol, Cisco Wine, completed the performance, prompting a standing ovation that ensured a richly deserved encore in the shape of  the rocking An Eye For An Eye (from Something Wicked This Way Comes).

An audience made up of a mixture of proud parents and families, and fans of The Vagaband, guaranteed that this was a memorable evening for all concerned. The Banking Hall at Open provided a beautifully lit backdrop to a truly special event, and I look forward to future Sistema in Norwich collaboration concerts.