Tom Farrer & the Pharaohs @ the Half Moon

16th November 2009

Never betray your reader. That's the first rule of criticism. Don't let your friendships, fancies or politicking get in the way of truth-telling, because integrity is mighty hard to earn and all too easy to squander.

These thoughts weighed heavily on my mind as I headed to Tom Farrer & the Pharaoh's EP Launch Party last night. I'm friendly, though hardly friends, with everyone in the band, and although determined to come away able to write some sensible words about the evening, I knew my objectivity was always going to be in doubt.

So screw objectivity: it's a naïve and futile thing to aim for anyway. Those professional reviewers of “important” gigs at big venues don't begin their articles with a disclaimer that explains that they got in free, had all their drinks bought for them by a sexy girl working in PR, and that they were lucky enough to be invited back-stage to a showbiz, coke-fuelled after-party at the end of it all. Perhaps they should but they clearly don't. I guess their readers are supposed to figure these things out for themselves.

Let the record show I paid my £2.50

Anyway, back to the Half Moon in Putney. Redvers Bailey got the music started, a man with a big strong voice and well-trained range. His songs usually involve daintily picked guitar with his powerful voice wailing impressively over the top, and so I suppose inevitably he draws some (perhaps not altogether favourable) comparisons to the likes of Jeff Buckley and Rufus Wainwright. Listening to him last night, I couldn't help wishing that his singing was as sensitive as his guitar playing, as too often his music felt like a vehicle to show the world how great his voice is, rather than the other way round. But he certainly warmed the room in his short, three-song set, and it would be miraculous to do much more in so little time so early in the evening.

Natalie Ross then took over as compere for the night, and helped to lighten the tone between the stuffier, more po-faced acts that were playing throughout the rest of the evening. Hers was a bold, quirky style of pop, and songs like At Least I Know Where My Shoes Are and multi-layered delights like Shock To The System suggest she could be on her way to wider success.

The charming Natalie Ross

With around seven acts scheduled to play, I started to fear musical overload, so disappeared shortly after Ross' debut to impair my critical faculties with over-priced beer. (Indeed, beyond the slightly awkward location, the £3.95 they charge for a Kronenbourg is probably one of the largest barriers the Half Moon has to becoming a truly great music venue.)

By the time I got back to my table, Caleb were just starting to play. The music of duo Dan Halamandres and Elyza is perfectly suited to small, intimate, candle-lit rooms, and their melancholy harmonies brought the crowd to silence. The sound was BIG, with Dan providing an angsty and intense growl against Elyza's colder, more soulful whisper. It's rare to hear just two people playing at this sort of evening without the music sounding a little incomplete, but they pulled it off with aplomb. In fact, I think drums and bass might have distracted from the raw strength of their sound. Whether the trick would start to wear thin over a longer set I wouldn't like to say, but the four songs they played left me feeling that I should definitely give them a chance to prove themselves by going to a gig of their own some day.

Ah. Now. The awkward moment. I see that in the "About Me" section of the Turncoat's MySpace page, it says slightly desperately, "come to a show you lazy bastards". So I feel particularly bad that I missed almost all of his performance. (Did I mention that the Half Moon has a large heated outside area, where smokers aren't made to feel completely unwelcome?) I'd certainly say that the half a song I did manage to catch was insufficient to qualify me to say anything very meaningful. Oops. I hope he can forgive me that.

Please don't take it personally Mr Turncoat

Anyway, I did get back in time for the headlining, EP-launching performance from Tom Farrer & the Pharaohs. Except, hang-on, where were the EPs? In what gives a pretty good indication of the band's commercial savvy, I asked three different people on three different occasions if I could buy one, and yet no-one ever came to take my money. There was no stall, no nothing. Even once they'd started playing, I don't think the audience was reminded once that this was an opportunity to buy their exciting new release. I suppose in some ways it's endearing that they hosted an EP launch party where there were no EPs on sale. Maybe even profound. I don't know. Perhaps I missed some subtle hidden message of great significance?

Anyway, the music. That's what counts.

They began with a lively rendition of Maria, and set the agenda for what would come: tight, well-crafted and entertaining pop music. Followed up with the Bells, it was clear that the night was intended to be a celebration.

The slower paced I Dreamed of You Again stood out in the middle of the set, although not necessarily for the right reasons. What I liked was that it gave singer Gabriella a little more to do than meekly back up leading-man Tom, and as a ballad it's undoubtedly effective and emotive. Yet lyrically and structurally, I found it all a little too reminiscent of Aerosmith's I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing to get very excited by it, and for me it was the low-point of everything they played.

Things picked up from there though, with an increased intensity and purpose to the closing run of songs. A sense of adventure that was maybe lacking at the start, combined with greater ambition rhythmically, helped ensure they finished at their peak. Dave Hatton's work on the guitar got bolder, his brother James on drums seemed a little more willing to stretch himself, and they all started to look like they were really enjoying themselves.

Their final song was Sundown Motorsound, which worked almost as a reprise to opener Maria. Both were party-spirited, powered by a strong stompy bass drum, and it made sense: we got off where we got on, having been giving a lightning tour of the songs that probably make a great little EP.

It just seems a shame I still don't know where I can buy one.