Torn Sail - Dimming the Lights

On Sunday we had the pleasure of playing a few records before Torn Sail took to the stage at 'Gezellig' the final night of a 3 day music and arts festival at Inkfolk in Hebden Bridge. 

Huw Costin from Torn Sail has put together this lovely review of his day. 

I pick James up from Gedling 3pm, loading all his bass gear in and hit the M1 up past Sheffield, with Aja on, half a mind in some fantasy metropolitan North American City watching the characters' lives unfold, snaking through the dusky valleys through Mytholmroyd to Hebden Bridge via a few circles round blocks, going the wrong way, asking a lad spitting where to go, who seemed to know where the parties are – Machpelah Mill.

5.30 -  Emma Reading, Jonny Eighttrack, Lee Horsley are loading the PA into the basement by the side of a canal and scented with incense.  Chris Price meets us bold-eyed and warm and we get to setting up the system, trying to marry it with the in-house gear still set up from last nights drum & bass all nighter. He's been up 3 days. So have the the other sweet folks who come to say hello. 

We get the sound fired up.  Andrew TC & Jeff O'Toole from Eighty Six help the upstairs meditators find it with a little 'light-music', giving me the shivers back from 20 years or so ago with that slow empty Underworld track, then we're tuning and on, sounding beautiful. The balance is just right and I can hear everything crystal clear. Jonny's tapping as the PA is on the quiet side, but it's lovely, like all you need is a high quality golden tap. Like the tambourine is the most important instrument. Like the drums on that Mark Lanegan covers album – Imitations – are just little heads-ups to measure the emotion, the orchestration and the soul. Nutshell is the best I've heard it. Ricochets too, though I miss Emma Thorpe's vocal tonight. And the folks that come down to listen fall for Birds - it's so alive. Lee & Jonny & Emma are elemental together - the crowd are amazed. Tears are shed for Self-Medication by a beautiful girl - wired, sleepless, needing red wine and valium. 

I worry about Birds – the record is loved so much I've sometimes thought we need to replicate it, lap-steel and all, but then we play it and I know the worst thing to do would be to consider it. It needs to breath, Emma, James, Jonny, Lee – they need to ride it...take it somewhere magic. 

Inkfolk Jimmy Welsh is a gentleman, and we leave with enough fuel in the tank, buzzing and working on how to take this further and louder.We hit the M1 again, and all the works at 50mph for hour upon hour so we stay awake with Four Sail by Love with Arthur Lee – a frantic rush of psychedelic energy, then I choose Judas Priest's Stained Class for some future Rock'n'Roll driving assistance. Jonny can't handle it for long and swaps it for Fleetwood Mac – Greatest Hits – and I'm amazed how few songs there are – It's a few lines of vocals, some gorgeous sounds and grooves – you couldn't communicate it without some serious technology. It goes quiet, James has wisely drifted off - he's back to personal caring at 6am, Jonny's lost in his thoughts, coming down, readying himself for his return to Brighton, handing the vacume cleaner back to his recently departed now-ex-girlfriend. We're back to mine by about 2am. I'm awake at 4 with my youngest coughing like a small dog barks. Thank God for the music & those that take a chance on it

- Huw