Having watched his own support band ‘Truckstop Honeymoon’ deliver a storming set and mingled with the audience in his typical friendly fashion, Beans on Toast opened with huge hit ‘Whole Lotta Loving’ which immediately had the crowd chuckling and singing along to his heartfelt lyrics.
Beans’ set was jam-packed with top-singles from his whole musical career, drawing cheers from the audience as the likes of ‘Can’t Get a Gig at Glastonbury’, ‘Things’, ‘the Chicken Song’ and ‘the War on Drugs’ reverberated around this intimate venue. Pausing between songs to converse with the audience and treat us to anecdotes about his ever-hilarious antics, such as losing himself to an eleven-day rave at a South African desert festival, the joyful atmosphere in Rescue Rooms yesterday evening was reflected by the smiles on the face of every person present to witness one of the most genuine acts of entertainment to have ever graced the stage.
The impressive expanse of material showcased by Beans ranged from his classic crowd-pleasers such as ‘M.D.M Amazing’ to one of his first live performances of new seasonal song ‘this Christmas’, as well as taking specific requests from members of the audience; a rendition of nostalgic record ‘Stinging Nettles’ was accompanied by an uproarious account of the track’s creation as a result of him being asked, ironically some would say, to play at the child and family-friendly festival ‘Camp Bestival’ earlier in his musical career. The crowd also had the privilege to be some of the first to hear new material from Beans’ highly anticipated album ‘Rolling up the Hill’ to be released on his birthday 1st December in a couple of weeks’ time; Truckstop Honeymoon joined him on stage for much of the set and the upbeat, energetic sound filled the venue with impressive melodic style. After jumping into the audience to bring the set to a end at an even more intimate level with those watching, Beans on Toast closed with a soulful rendition of social and political reflection ‘the Price of Rice’ before promising, in his always-nonchalant way, to have some drinks with the crowd until he was forced to leave the venue. It can safely be said that Beans’ authentic personality as well as his unique musical talent brought delight to every person in the room at this gig which was enjoyed by all!
Bethany Munley
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