Our Man In The Field
On what was the hottest day ever recorded in the UK I ventured to Norwich Arts Centre armed with unknown expectation on what the night might bring.
Stepping into the unknown musically is something everyone should do at least once. I used to do it a lot back in the 90s living in London, I saw a band called Oasis purely because I liked the name, shame they never made it eh.....Whilst there wasn’t any Gallagher brother style angst on stage we did get a selection of stunning songs and musicianship.
Alex Ellis (lead vocals/guitar) and Henry Senior (pedal steel/dobro) performed songs from their debut album The Company Of Strangers and yet to be released sophomore album which was recorded in Portland Oregon with producer Tucker Martine (Martine has worked with the likes of R.E.M, The Decemberists and My Morning Jacket and many others)
Alex and Henry filled the room with real beauty, the Arts Centre is perfect for their type of sound. Alex voice is like velvet, gravelly and yet wonderfully mellow. Henry’s pedal steel guitar married Alex’s vocals perfectly, at times it reminded me of the legendary performer B.J Cole, especially his performances with R.E.M in the late 90s (for an example take a look at their performance of Country Feedback taken from the Later....with Jools Holland session)
Stand out track for me was Feel Good, written about a dodgy agent who stole 10k from the band to fuel a drug habit, but was told talking about to the band would help ‘clean him up’ We also had a song dedicated to one of Alex’s best friends, George, and how much respect Alex has for him and also Teachers who have worked so incredibly hard, especially during the pandemic. Songs about fatherhood and how once you become a parent you reflect on how your own parents raised you.
Our Man In The Field have a real down to earth feel about them both on and off stage. But that’s not to say they are lethargic; they are hardworking musicians writing beautiful songs and honing their craft. I’m excited to see what the future holds for them and hopefully they’ll return to this fine city real soon.
