PETE MORTON SHEILA MOSLEY
IAC 22nd May 2025
Another gig last night at the International Arts Centre and it was another absolute gem...
First up was Sheila Mosley, a fine singer and performer delivering a great set of familiar and no so familiar covers, starting with the old song "Queen of Hearts" learned from the Joan Baez recording then continuing with one of her own songs. She also delivered a fine version of "Shallow Brown" which the audience was only too happy to join in with.
Sheila said at one point that the great thing about playing live is the chance to deliver a political rant... which she does in the form of some fine songs with strong political or social (or both!) content.
A fine singer, excellent performer and artist who delivered a hugely enjoyable fine set... as indeed she always does.
The main event however, was the return of the exceptional Pete Morton, surely one of the best singer/songwriter/performers anywhere in the country.
Pete's set started with "Rivers of the Isle". a tour-de-force listing of countless rivers in Britain, delivered at high speed and with total vocal control... a great opening to the show. From there, it is all emotion and passion... Pete writes superb songs, often powerful pieces with a strong political or social conscience, but also shows that you can make a strong point with humour, as in the beautiful "Related to Me" (the lines about "eating a poacher...") as well as tender emotional love songs.
Pete does include a couple of covers in the show, notably Pete Seeger's "Oh I Had a Golden Thread " which closed the first set and a great version of "Barbary Allen". from the singing of Jean Ritchie.
Pete's performance is powerful and intense, as well as emotional, but laced with humour and warmth which has the audience totally engrossed throughout...
The last portion of the set last night was an excerpt from Pete's
"Ghost of a Sailor Talking Blues" show.. .in which Pete plays a sailor lost in 1603 and now resident in modern harbour... The sailor narrates the history and history of popular song in talking blues style, in an apparently haphazard, but perfectly structured way bringing in snippets from songs as diverse as "Sweet Caroline" "Long Way to Tipperary" "Hi Ho Silver Lining" "Daisy Daisy" "What Shall we do with the Drunken Sailor" and countless others... even including a full length version of his beautiful song, "Another Train". This whole section had the audience laughing and singing vigorously throughout..
I really regret missing the full show earlier this year... but other commitments kept me away
After this, the inevitable encore.. and almost inevitably the wonderful "When We Sing Together"... mind you, last night this segued into " Rock Island Line" which picked up speed as it progressed to a breathless end...
Whenever I see Pete I marvel at the power and resonance of his voice, the way he blends passion, emotion and humour together through the force of his great warmth, charm and charisma...
A truly outstanding singer, songwriter and performer... you can't leave a Pete Morton show without feelings of joy and being totally uplifted... Superb performance
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