Matt Millership long-time associate and musical partner of Beans on Toast heads to the piano and begins the intro to `Faith in the Moon` as Jay McAllister, better known by his stage persona of Beans on Toast walks on stage and shares this uplifting tale of taking time to almost reflect on the beauty of life despite the difficulties it holds. Singer, songwriter, storyteller, raconteur is back in the second city after releasing a new record which arrives each year on 1 December,
McAllister’s birthday. The artist shares that the latest album `Wild Goose Chasers` his seventeenth was recorded in a day under a full moon, a celestial offering in many ways.
The heartening `Beautiful Place` follows with another track from the latest release in the questioning `Why?` which has an almost ragtime feel.
There`s a more spiritual hymnal vibe to `Work to Do` a song that BOT says is about rivers but is more an environmental plea. The joy of this artist is that within a song we can move from ecological dilemmas to more personal reflections on his own home life and missing his family while on the road. The dreamy `Watching the World go by` is followed by `I`m Home when you hold me` a delightful domestic love song and the amusing `The Dragicorn` written for his young daughter.
We head into the singalongs with `The Chicken Song` and `MDMAmazing` during which we are told the true ending of this number that has become nigh on, his biggest anthem. We are asked for any requests and the delightful `The War on War` is thankfully chosen. A new song about political modules comes with `Counterculture` which possibly has veiled inferences to the current US President and `Taylor Swift` who it seems to be his own choice for Commander in Chief.
There`s a further audience request for `Lizzy`s Cooking` before another new song `Tequila` about the downside of drinking this distilled spirit made from the blue agave plant. I suppose that constantly travelling around the country would rouse inspiration and after `Sold Out Shows` we have a couple of new songs with what may have been `Middle England Beauty` about Wolverhampton and the Shrewsbury influenced `Come the Morning Light`.
Alt-rock singer William Crighton joins BOT as a trip to a hippy paradise is recalled possibly Nimbin, Australia where they guys shared their love of country music with a Randy Travis cover `Send My Body Home on a Freight Train` which they replicate here tonight before the singer heads into the crowd to share `World Gone Crazy` and the field holler styled `Money for War`.
We are asked to consider the final song `Life` as the encore as somebody admitted to the singer that leaving the stage for an encore was like `Peekaboo` for adults and he just can`t take it seriously anymore.
It was a little surprising to realise that ninety minutes had passed in what felt like the blink of an eye but that`s what these engaging and optimistic shows are like, an experience where you whole heartedly leave your troubles behind and partake in an enriching and thought provoking event or occasion in a communal gathering.
I look forward to December`s new release and also to catching this Outlaw English folk musician next spring.
