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Newcastle’s finest folk singer for a while, Beth Jeans may look a bit of a diva but she seems genuinely put out by the crowd’s chatty contingent, replying in a deadpan way to a drunken call of “Get your tits out!” with “They’re fine where they are, thanks”. Her apparent discomfort with the creepier members of the crowd goes against her faultless image and shows her to be a real girl even under those eyelashes.
Not only that but she also forms some beautiful arrangements with her band, The Hooves of Destiny. Using a loop pedal on the vocals of the enchanting ‘Night Swimmer’ (which she has recorded with Adem), and surprisingly incorporating the Antiques Roadshow theme tune into her opener, her songs are exciting, character-filled and mythical.
Houghton uses the gig both to showcase latest EP Hot Toast and to try out her band’s newly recorded album with stand-out beauties ‘Lilyputt’, ‘Dodecohedron’ and ‘B-Road Blues’. She enigmatically reveals a little bit of a story behind forthcoming single, ‘I Will Return, I Promise’, saying: “This is about falling in love with a farmer, but no one knows who he is…” before dedicating the song to her mum in the audience.
All in all, with the sparkly knickers, lovely songs about fields, love affairs with farmers and dreams of dodecahedrons, Beth Jeans Houghton proves she has the makings of an artist more creative, talented and mad (but also grounded) than Marling and Gaga put together.
Photo: www.sophiepickard.co.uk
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