Oh Wonder
Three years ago Josephine Vander Gucht and Anthony West were still dreaming of the big time, recording and uploading one song a month as part of a collaborative writing project. Now, after two months criss-crossing the USA and Canada, the Oh Wonder tour hits the UK for just six dates before moving on to mainland Europe. An articulated Fly By Night truck and a Starsleeper tour bus outside the Nick Rayns LCR at Norwich's University of East Anglia are just two indicators that Oh Wonder's big time has well and truly arrived.
Outside it is a typically damp and cold Guy Fawkes Night, and the greyness of the evening is interrupted with regular peppering from exploding rockets. Inside the packed venue the excitement builds. Support comes from Laurel, a beret-sporting singer songwriter from London with an electric guitar and a strong voice, somewhat reminiscent of Lana Del Ray. A troublesome lead connection is soon fixed and, having regained her composure, Laurel proceeds to win over the audience with a set of well-constructed, and neatly-executed numbers, including one which she claims never to have sung before in public. The rawness and confidence is so much more than I had been expecting from a singer who had initially been acclaimed for recording and producing all her music in a DIY bedroom studio.
The stage is reset during the interval, and suddenly you can see why Oh Wonder need that FBN truck. A custom-made lighting rig, dominated by a giant O and W constructed from neon tubes, is flanked by barrages of halogens, spots and strobes. A pair of keyboards stand front of stage. Behind, on a slightly raised platform is a drum kit and another keyboard.
Oh Wonder and their drummer and bass player enter to strains of Waste before launching straight into Dazzle, a perfectly timed excuse for that lighting rig to burst into life. The stage sound is reassuringly familiar, especially when you consider how exquisitely crafted the recorded versions are. Anthony West's voice, which is typically fed in via both channels in the studio, is given more prominence alongside Josephine Vander Gucht, yet the harmonies are still hauntingly beautiful.
It is Vander Gucht that makes the informal introductions to the crowd. 'My name is Josephine and this is Anthony, and we are really thrilled to be in Norwich', she chirps. She later reveals that is over ten years ago since she last visited our city, performing in a pub as an aspiring solo singer. It provides an insight into the Oh Wonder ethos, a mantra of hopes and dreams fulfilled to those who refuse to give up in the face of desperation. No wonder Oh Wonder strike such a chord with their predominantly young audience.
The setlist is generous and more or less equally split between the debut album and this year's release Ultralife. The sandwiching of the new material serves to emphasise a gentle progression towards the new, slightly weightier, more experienced sound. My personal favourite moments both come on songs from the first album. The drummer and bass player leave the stage after High On Humans, leaving Josephine and Anthony alone to perform a sensitive, almost folky, version of Midnight Moon. Later, just after Live Wire, the band are joined by a saxophone player (someone said it was Josephine's brother Will) who delivers an amazing saxophone accompaniment as Anthony West explains that this is the time in the show for us all to find our place and Lose It.
After a closing fiery version of Technicolor Beat, with all lights blazing, Oh Wonder inevitably return to receive the rapturous applause. The encore is the title track off Ultralife followed by Drive. Tonight's audience has responded to well over an hour of much-loved material by singing along to much of it word for word. There have been moments of arms waving, hands clapping, and bodies moving, but most of all there it has been a genuine connection and mutual love between performer and audience that has been a pleasure to witness.
Some middle aged cynics will claim that Oh Wonder are sweet, bordering on twee. On stage they sometimes resemble a pair of over enthusiastic primary school teachers (Not that there is anything wrong in that). But their heartfelt manifesto of embracing life with open arms during the tough times is a welcome antidote in a world consumed with political angst and concern. Once you begin to love Oh Wonder, you will begin to love life.
