Wooden Arms

by Lawrence 20 November 2016

This was my first trip to The Shoe Factory Social club at St Mary’s Works for a gig, and what a first impression. The venue is very much a derelict former factory with only a small bar, sparse decoration and non permanent toilets present. Despite this, or perhaps because of, the venue oozed charm. A floor level stage in the centre of the room bedecked in coloured fairy lights and some rather swanky looking rugs made it feel more of a live recording studio than your standard venue.

A sell out crowd, which I can imagine was no larger than 100, only emphasised this feeling. In a huge space the small amount of people gave a surprising sense of intimacy. There was a warm atmosphere as punters grasping their mulled wine welcomed Joe Osborne to the stage.

Joe Osborne tonight was a band consisting of four people playing songs in the vein of Alt-J and Ben Howard amongst others. Each song was well constructed and the presence of a harmonica on various tracks is always a bonus. The Republic was probably the strongest song on offer last night. After a slow start the intensity rose throughout the set, though there was always a sense that the band were playing within themselves.This isn’t necessarily a bad thing but can make it hard to really understand where a band is coming from. An enjoyable and well received performance nonetheless.

I had been meaning to see Wooden Arms for a while but for various reasons had always been unable to. Opener Cole Porter was an excellent start. There was expertly crafted interplay between the obviously talented band members and the song was very reminiscent of Bonobo’s Black Sands era. There were some excellent songs on display last night such as Tide from the debut album of the same name. Its string section was beautiful, and not unlike Ralph Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending. New cut Trick Of A Light was enjoyable and a hinted at a departure from the sound of the debut album. Despite this well crafted excellence though there was a sense that some songs were somewhat over preened and merged into an indistinct whole. I like songs with some soul and this feeling wasn’t always apparent.

A heartfelt tribute to Leonard Cohen with a performance of Chelsea Hotel No.2 was a nice touch and its reception by the crowd showed the esteem with which the man was held. Following this was always going to be hard and closer False Start was somewhat aptly named. Overall, there was some excellent and moving musicianship on show, and Wooden Arms left the stage to warm and enthusiastic applause.

With my Wooden Arms itch well and truly scratched I left The Shoe Factory with an overall sense that the real winner tonight was in fact the venue itself. It is utterly unique in the city and could very well be the setting of some special nights of music. It is equally suited to the type of music seen last night but equally would be perfect for something a lot heavier. Here’s hoping it happens. With its development into flats not far away I’d urge everyone to make the most of this unique venue whilst you still can.