Event: Guest Night with Limerance
Venue: Spire Cafe, Wallasey
Reviewer: Paul Robertson, Liverpool Acoustic
I was looking forward with some anticipation to going to Wallasey Folk and Acoustic Club that takes place in the Spire Cafe, Breck Road Wallasey, each Sunday evening as they had ‘Limerance’ coming as their guest spot for that Sunday.
I was told on arrival that the Club is invariably full every week and it is best to be there before 7.45pm to register as a performer from the floor but not too early as the cafe is converted into the club from around 7.20pm.
The club has a number of residents who host. Using humour and experience they all have developed the ability to create a welcoming and friendly atmosphere in the club for those appearing for the first time and wanting to perform as well as those just there to relax and watch. The hosts do an admirable job in fitting everyone in with a chance to perform one or two songs. The performances are with full mic and amplification.
Guests are regularly booked and there is no charge to attend. Charity Nights are held occasionally to support local worthwhile local charitable organisations. The Club is sustained by a raffle held on each Club evening.
The normal standard of performance is equal to or higher than that experienced elsewhere on the Wirral and Merseyside. Many of the performers at Wallasey are part of the travelling troubadours of Wirral who play in many of the Clubs regularly at open mic nights ; Bromborough, The Hungry Horse, The Cornmarket, The Everyman, the The Elephant Lounge and the Owl to name but a few. Let’s be honest the Wirral is well blessed for live music and open mic acoustic venues for people to choose from to watch and listen to and also of course for people to choose to perform.
Fifteen floor singers and poets performed in the first half of the evening I went to at Wallasey. The second half was filled with a stunning performance by Callum Gilligan and Jenny Coyle, otherwise known as the harmony duo Limerance, who predominantly sang their own compositions with a few of their favourite covers included.
Henry Ball, a talented singer songwriter who performs with guitar or keyboard was our resident host for the evening and opened the first half by playing two songs (as is the host’s privilege to warm up the evening!) both self penned. The ‘Streets of Yesterday’ is beautifully accompanied on guitar with a melody and lyrics that draw you into the words and the message within the song. A great performance and his second song was equally well received by the appreciative audience.
I cannot highlight every one of the fifteen performers at the club in the first half that night but I have selected a few and have reviewed them below. The Wallasey Club offers an eclectic mix of performers with guitars, singing unaccompanied or reading poetry, all well appreciated by the audience and making it an entertaining night out. There was a detectable anticipation on the second half performance by’ Limerance’, as the club had had a taster at a previous club night and everyone was looking forward to their set in the second half.
Al Peters the well known Poet performed a poem which was his story covering his trip to America in 1999 on his ‘Trail for the Blues’. The poem was introduced as titled ‘’You don’t know know what it’s like?’ It was a thought provoking rendition of a trip from Huyton to Mississipi via Memphis. It was only in the last few lines that Al, in the words of the poem and the story he related, revealed the true full title of the poem and story. It should have been ‘You don’t know what it’s like to grow up being Black in America!’
Shay Kinsella accompanied by Phil Chisnall on guitar treated us to one the many Irish songs in his repertoire ‘Dublin City in the Rare Old Times’. It was fine rendition, as always from this ‘Spanish Irishman’ and was received warmly by the appreciative audience. Shay is welcomed home to Wirral whenever he travels home at weekends from his new home in sunny Spain. He is a great supporter and performer on the Wirral scene, singing his Irish Songs and Ballads of home, in many of the Folk and Acoustic Clubs when he is here on the Wirral.
Ruth Dyke and Iain Paterson played a song from their new CD as a Duo known as Clean Slate. Ruth on her Autoharp and accompanied by Ian on guitar. They of course both perform as individuals but in combining in a duo they project their inventive song writing abilities and performances of covers more fully. This was evident when they performed one of the songs from the CD ‘Jokers Wild’. That song showcases both of their singing and prowess playing the guitar and Autoharp. If you listen to the recent CD, ‘ Walk It With You’, or catch them playing a longer spot at another venue live, you get the full impact of their talent as songwriters and playing selected covers of their choice.
Phil Chisnall is the resident host that many would say is the ‘gem’ at Wallasey. Well known on the Wirral scene he has performed for many years at the Wirral Guitar Festival at the Floral Pavilion as ‘The Phil Chisnall Band’ and as the instigator of ‘The Songwriters Circle’. His performances never disappoint and are usually a highlight of any Club night. He chose to perform a Sam Cooke song Get Yourself Another Fool. He played this in a laid back fashion well received by the packed club. He never disappoints whether doing a floor spot at Wallasey or a gig or spot at other venues around the Wirral. Phil is a performer with a recognised talent who has a great support amongst the Folk and Acoustic fraternity of Wirral. Don’t miss a live performance from Phil. I promise you find it a worthwhile investment in time, petrol and money.
CK then treated us to a cover performance of Lying Eyes by the Eagles, which had the audience joining in with gusto. It was an excellent performance by CK who is based in Liverpool but well known around the Wirral scene and in Liverpool at the Everyman in particular. You can catch his performances from the floor at many venues 3 or 4 times a week. Join in and sing along or just listen to a guaranteed fine rendition of a cover or one of his self penned songs.
Roger Parker was the penultimate performer in the first half and in his usual entertaining and accomplished manner treated us to a Woody Guthrie –Pretty Boy Floyd song played on the Banjo. He described it as one of the ‘Outlaw Trilogy’ which were Ballads in the Robin Hood vain of robbing the rich to pay the poor.
The closing act was carefully chosen, as by this point you could sense an excited anticipation for the second half from Limerance. It fell to Lynn Strange to perform Well Well Well by the Seekers accompanied by Phil Chisnall. Lynn has a fantastic voice which was complimented by the versatile and talented guitar playing of Phil Chisnall. It was a rendition that lifted the audience to join in enthusiastically until the last words.
A great close to the first half as Limerance’s set in the second half was now greatly anticipated. LIMERANCE are Callum Gillingham and Jenny Coyle performing Acoustic Americana, Country and Folk style songs as a duo. They play and sing original songs in the main with heartfelt, optimistic and interesting lyrics delivered with wonderful close harmonies. A melodic accompaniment on guitar by Callum and words sung clearly and naturally with warmth that enhances every song they perform. This ensures audiences can follow a story or meaning that their songs project.
They opened with an original song My Turn which was a song of being lost in astorm and introduced to the tight harmonies ,clear words and melodic sound that they would produce throughout their set. I found it quite mesmerising and there were stand out lines as you listened. A sign of a well constructed lyrics to a song by talented songwriters.
A Country and Western influenced song came next, a cover of Spend my Life on the Road. It was a wandering, lilting, longing song for the road to travel on.
Callum then treated us to a solo original song with no harmony from Jenny, called Wiser. Great performance of a song that I sensed had a Paul Simon influence.
Jenny joined Callum again as they sang an original Limerance song Marie. Thiswas alively song with tight harmonies as usual.
They then performed two songs that can be found on their EP In The First Place by Limerance
First, Hellbound a songwhich includes the standout linesthat explain the story of this song. ‘Where I’m going I can’t tell’ and ‘Down the river straight to hell’.
Second was My Old Sky as a love song aboutScotland strummed melodic on guitar and epitomising their style of singing in tight harmony with clearly enunciated words that made easy listening. No wonder this was well received.
Jenny then played a cover of Ralph McTell’s Streets of London which had the voices in the club singing loudly and enthusiastically as they accompanied her with the chorus. Not in harmony I must add!
They continued together to sing a deliverance song titled I’m on your side’with an upbeat strummed rhythm on guitar and rousing words to the song that raised the roof in the club.
They were asked by a member of the audience about the origin of their name of the duo. Callum explained that as a word it means, “ a state of mind resulting from a romantic attraction characterised by feelings of euphoria ,the desire to have ones feelings reciprocated” He suggested that it suits them as a couple very well. He added that when they talk of ‘Limerance songs’ they are born from collaboration between them not the work of just one of them. On with the songs!
Continuing they sang a song Rain another self penned song which had a haunting rythmn.
Callum then performed his own song Knowing all I Know which was one of his own songs. It was a love song performed with a lyrical voice and guitar and was well constructed with the clear words making the message easily understood. It again had a Paul Simon influene as his earlier solo.
We were coming to the end of the evening when they introduced their song Shine On which had been released as a single but was now included on their EP. This was a standout song amongst many excellent self penned songs sang during the evening. It is very much a song with the message that love can pass you by as it arrives at the wrong time when you are in the wrong place. Great redition with a now expected performance of their own song.
They continued with another cover a Country and Western song, Sing little darling with m’. Well performed with usual tight harmonies.
They introduced their new single as the next song Along for the Ride. By this time everybody in the club had been mesmerised by their performance and at the end of the song the reception they received from the appreciative audience was loud and well deserved for such an entertaining evening.
They had to respond with an encore and decided that they would give the audience a chance to sing by performing the Irish lament, ‘Our Town’. This was an excellent rendition with all the qualities that Limerance bring to their performance and the stage.
It was a great night in a great Club at Wallasey with a very appreciative audience.
Review © 2019 Liverpool Acoustic – all rights reserved