A review of TG Elias at the Market Bar on Monday 2nd December, 2013.
So, here I was, at the Market Bar on a school night! A friend had highly recommended Manchester based artist TG Elias who was making his debut performance in the Highland capital.
Tom (TG Elias) is a witty and charismatic singer songwriter and he kept the growing audience amused with his banter between numbers much to their delight. Originally from Plymouth before moving to Manchester via Liverpool, his accent, songwriting and humor would have been created with heavy influence from all three cities.
A tall, thin, spindly and strong-featured individual, his looks are as towering as his music. He took to the stage accompanied by backing singer, an occasional banjo player and a fiddle/slide guitar player.
They played a selection of songs from the debut album, which was released in October 2012 including ‘Final Ever Fling As An Englishman’, The Ballad of Lenny Crow’, ‘and The Vagrant Son of a Policeman ‘and others mixed in, with a cover of Hank Williams’ Rambling Man’ for fine measure.
I could imagine some of the songs featured in the background of a strong emotional film, but there is no immediate label you can add to TG Elias. Folk, country, Americana, vocal harmony all creep in to the mix at some point and even the odd Dylan influence. You can buy the album direct from his website, but the best way to experience this artist is up, close, live and personal.
