James Veck-Gilodi @NAC

So it’s always interesting to see how these ‘projects’ work out. James Veck-Gilodi (actually it’s James and bandmate Max Britton, but we’ll get to that) has broken away from Deaf Havana to put together a sideshow of low key tracks that steer away from his established ground. It’s a well-trodden path. We’ve seen this before, we’ll see it again. The question, as ever, is whether this transition actually works.I like the cut of Veck-Gilodi’s stage presence, a likeable chap in a pork pie hat. What might seem utterly self-centred and distant in the hands of some performers actually just comes across as pretty damn honest. Not many acts could get away with saying (in reference to the partnership with Britton) ‘we collectively go under my name because it’s just better’ without coming across as a complete phallic object. It must be the hat. As expected there’s something in the air that feels confessional, a musical rehab, the other side of the Veck-Gilodi coin. His songs are drenched in it, seeping through the lines of tracks like 'Holes' and 'Coffee'. Thankfully there’s enough assurance in its delivery that the world-weariness of JVG just about manages to avoid becoming too much, resting on his shoulders roughly as well as could be hoped for a man of 24. This probably owes a lot to the that fact that he’s been writing for a band like Havana for so long, with shots of grunt barging in to proceedings that are both a reminder of where he’s come from and provide a welcome harness to stop us all falling face first into full blown quarter-life crises.Though these influences of the heavier scene are entirely obvious I'm relieved to report that the moments that stray furthest from that world stand up damn well. I don't know where this venture is intended to go but you have to feel that more of this kind of thing will be needed in order to establish Veck-Gilodi as a viable soloist, especially to any audience who didn't augment their younger lives with Meet Me Halfway, At Least. 'Sleep' brings with it flashes of country leanings and he downs guitar for the piano-driven 'Brother' in which a captivated Arts Centre gets to see what a fine vocalist he can be. These are quality songs but the fact is that they stand out among everything else at the moment, causing a conflict in the identity of the set. Is this that singer from Deaf Havana doing a little ditty on the side or is this James Veck-Gilodi building his own thing? Eventually it will need to fall one way or the other, surely. On the strength of this evening I can say without a doubt that it has the potential to be the latter and I hope that it does. Time will tell which way this goes but for now the alternative frontman remains well worth checking out.