“I got chased by this tramp looking for money the other day,” admits VERTIGO SMYTH. “He was sure I was Elvis Costello.”
OO-er. Well, thanks to his outsize NHS specs and slightly nerdy appearance, I suppose you could take Mr. Smyth for a young Elvis or possibly Rivers Cuomo, though I don't recall either of them taking to the stage for wonderfully wry and witty solo sets armed with only a ukulele for company.
We're in the heart of West Cork to witness the opening night of the tour featuring two of Out on a Limb Records' finest, Windings and Vertigo Smyth. They have a split 7” single just out and the enigmatic Vertigo Smyth is admitting to first night nerves as well as narrowly avoiding the unwanted attention of tramps.
However, he has nothing to fear. Despite calling on only his tiny ukulele and – later – a slightly more substantial acoustic guitar to defend his honour, he also has a clutch of hauntingly beguiling tunes on his side, not to mention a winsome way with quality whistling solos. 'Armada Song', his contribution to the 7” single, sounds every bit as witty and wise without its' orchestral flourishes, and it's surrounded by equally lovely ditties like 'Dirty Blue', 'Comfort Me' and the anti-cuckoo vignette 'In Defence of Magpies.'
In Vertigo Smyth's world, history, wildlife and nature are the collective new Rock'n'Roll, though he finds room for some gentle genuflecting at the shoegazer's altar with a lovely, jazzy tune featuring the line “you're My Bloody Valentine, you're my Jesus & Mary Chain.” By the time he's serenaded us with one about obsessive compulsive disorder, I’ve decided he's not the new Elvis Costello at all. He's the Adrian Monk of Rock'n'Roll and we surely need his curious, bespectacled presence.
It's been too long since W&H saw Limerick's WINDINGS. The last time we clapped eyes on them, they were still Steve Ryan's folk-flecked 'other' project outside of the brain-battering 'ardcore of the revered giveamanakick and he was playing in tandem with second guitarist Liam Marley. In the interim, momentous things have happened. The all-new Windings have expanded to a five-piece (still including Marley, who contributes some gorgeously fluid guitar and bass) and a pure Pop heart now beats proudly beneath Ryan's plaid shirt.
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They've not entirely forsaken the introspection, mind. They bring it on gently on with a couple of mellow, wistful tunes, 'I Can't Breathe' and 'Pull Me In', both of which feature lightly caressed guitar, glockenspiel and drummer Aaron Mulhall playing melodica. Their split 7” track 'Old Like J' (a tribute to Dinosaur Jr's J.Mascis, no less) is also graceful and poised and features a restrained, kid-glove treatment from the band.
Steve admits they'll be “getting progressively louder” and this promise is borne out when they kick into the chiming, autumnal guitars of recent single 'Brain Fluid'. Despite its' jokey title, it's proper guitar pop with loads of yearning harmonies and a warm bleed of organ and from there on things really catch fire. I miss the title of one out and out power-popper which could almost be a Buzzcocks tune with Ryan unleashing a suitably trebly, excitable solo. 'These Horses' (jokingly introduced as an “epic”) builds and builds before finally delivering its' Valentines-style sonic overload, while 'Princess' provides a suitably grand-standing finale with Ryan and Marley trading solos before it finally winds down.
It's been a great evening. Vertigo Smyth is surely gonna be a contender in his own space and time, while Windings have returned more fully-formed and fabulous than ever before. It's swimming against the industry tide to say it, but the Out on A Limb label sounds like it's in great shape right now.
Windings on Myspace
Out on a Limb Records online
Vertigo Smyth online
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