I achieved a hat trick of Carol Hodge performances for 2022, covering all bases, Carol solo, Carol with Crass and finally The Carol Hodge Band. I have to say that on a dreich November Thursday, The Glad Cafe was the place to be, amongst friendly faces and a musical welcome that was like a pure shot of Serotonin.
I’ve always been an advocate for turning up to gigs early to catch the support band. You never know what you might miss. I was once lucky enough to see a fledgling Radiohead support Kingmaker in King Tuts. Tonight I was there specifically for the support band, and anything else was a bonus. But what a bonus.
If you’ve never seen Sarah Borges before, I’d suggest rectifying this at your earliest opportunity. And on this tour, Sarah was joined by Eric Ambel, a fact which didn’t register with me until a good friend pointed out just what a legend he is, having play with Joan Jet & the Blackhearts (before being unceremoniously dumped) as well as the likes of Steve Earle, The Del-Lords and the Yayhoos – with plenty of stories to go with this distinguished career.
Sarah and Eric alongside bass player Keith and John on drums played an absolute barnstormer of a set with songs covering her 17 year career. As a frontwoman, Sarah’s personality shines through. Not only has she got a seemingly unending list of superbly powerful country rock songs, she had a fantastic line in witty between song banter, enough to outshine many stand ups on the circuit. I get the feeling the band could have played all night if it wasn’t for the curfew they had to stick to.
I know several of the crowd were there to see Carol specifically, all went away Sarah Borges converts.
Before Sarah and her band wowed the gathered throng in The Glad Cafe it was the turn of my namesake Carol Hodge (she was selling coasters with the legend “Chas Hodge’s is not my Dad” – I’ll need to get one that says “Carol Hodge is not my sister”) to entertain. And entertain she most certainly did. Having literally just released her phenomenal new album, Vertiginous Drops, which I’ve been lucky to have had access to for the last week, a review of the album will follow, but let me tell you now, this is a phenomenal release, cementing Carol’s place as one of these islands top songwriters. Despite her living in Huddersfield and having a broad Yorkshire accent, I’m claiming her as a Scot with her Port Glasgow roots.
The band she has gathered around her is magnificent, with Piper a virtuoso on guitar, an extremely animated Matt on bass and providing a solid rhythm, Tom on drums. Then of course Carol out front with her double keyboard decks creating the mesmerising focus for the crowd.
The set was pulled from three of Carol’s four albums, opening with one of my favourite songs Stop Worrying Baby and including two cracking songs from the new album The Price & Clean the Slate. The set was packed with highlights, but when the band played their epic rock opera of a song This, things went absolutely stellar heralding the first of three sky scraping end of set bangers culminating in the soaring singalong that is 20 Miles High.
If I had one complaint it’s that the set was over on a flash, I could have listened to this quartet all night. I hope the reception they received encourages a return trip sometime soon.