On a steamy summer’s night, this was such a treat offering a fabulous combination of dry wit (courtesy of the advertised “sarcastic robot” projected on a screen) and great songs, some with a romantic bent, from “the foolish man bun” aka Pieter Egriega.
Nothing was inaccessible. There were catchy tunes and choruses and irresistible beats, often with a Latin feel. Egriega’s wailing voice exuded emotion and the lyrics were beautifully poetic and resonant. His set captured the uneasiness of today’s world when “the neighbours are looking frightened and the news does not enlighten”, or mental health breaks down: “Oh I can feel your pain, oh here it comes again…”, this last performed against a disturbing rhythmic thrumming. Love is never out of fashion; Egriega crooned about having “perfume on his mind” or of standing on a pavement looking up to see “There’s a light in your window but no place in your heart”. And there was a feeling that we are all in this together in his sing-along anthem, “We are the people” (more of the fatboy’s “Marxist nonsense” according to the robot).
The projections, also by Egriega, added greatly to a dreamy, fascinating evening A song called Promenade, with a walking pace tempo, took place against a backdrop of city folk constantly on the move, the visuals gradually becoming distorted as if we were all just one step away from molten wax (not out of the question on 30 degrees-plus Monday night). Other films showed everything from fairground roller coasters to monochromatic abstract patterns or even just the surface of the moon. With only Egriega and his guitar on stage, the backdrop also offered him the chance to play with a lively three-piece band at one point.
The robot offered a great counterpoint and laugh-aloud lines. In a way, it was like having both sides of ourselves up on stage - on occasion we agreed with cynical IAN (the Idiosyncratic Artificial Narrator), at other times, as when it reminded us that “humans are puny”, we felt aggrieved at its unfeeling harshness and found ourselves back in man bun’s camp.
There were some technical glitches and the all-important visuals did not show up as clearly as they might have sometimes. I wondered whether it might have been better to have Egriega sit to the side of them rather than in front of them. But with a little help from his technician friends, Egriega made it through and even (following a warning about defibrillators) performed a little dance at the end. A stroke survivor, he must be aware that weakness is part of the human condition but that’s also why his sensitive lyrics speak so eloquently to us all.
Stephanie Billen
It really doesn’t get easier to review Pieter Egriega’s gigs. Better to have no preconceptions, approach the whole experience with an open mind and just revel in sharing an insight into a uniquely original creative mind.
‘When a piano and a story ran into a song’ with Pieter and Charles Ormrod is, as Pieter says, a collection of songs and stories which have survived.
Like Charles’ keyboard playing - which switches effortlessly from barrelhouse to chamber music, to tango, church organ, and one piece which starts out disconcertingly like Satie’s Gymnopedie - they range widely in style, lyrical and emotional content. Strangely, this does not make them seem disjointed because what binds them together is Pieter’s voice, personality, observation and outlook on life. The whole show is enjoyable, thought-provoking and intelligent.
I will just pick out some highlights:
A priest planning a sermon on Saturday afternoon starts as a mono/dialogue with God about whether the theme should be forgiveness to tolerance. Will these go down well with some elements of the congregation? But Alan Bennett certainly couldn’t break into song with the lines ‘Lets give this world another go’, All you see isn’t all there is.’
A tale about how to calm wolves (not advice to be followed rigorously) points out that there are times when we must stand our ground and challenge adversity head-on. This leads into (and I use the term loosely) a song ‘Little Lies’ which includes a burst of scat singing which puts me in mind of George Melly. How on earth did that happen?
Another anecdote comments on the current obsession with recording experiences on smartphones instead of relying on memories and our own emotional internal life. This segues into the song ‘I knew your father before he was a knob’ - which has featured on egriega.co.uk.
There are several lyrical, poetic songs which are rooted in memory, observation and local detail, even at the level of a Stockport bus shelter in 1977 and ‘South Manchester Serenade’ which Egriega says he found by the 192 bus-stop.
By this point I was groping for a way of summing up the show and wrote down the one word - ‘chansonnier’. Later, Wikipedia gave me this: “A chansonnier was a poet songwriter, solitary singer, who sang his or her own songs…Unlike popular singers, chansonniers need no artifice to sing their soul poetry. The themes of their songs varied but included nature, love, simplicity, and a social interest to improve their world”. Could be a good way to sum up Pieter Egriega…
Graham Jowett
This is Pieter Egriega’s fourth show for the Buxton Fringe and each one has been completely different - both in terms of concept and the collection of original songs.
11 Reasons is his most accessible and complete show yet. Combining jazz trio (piano/tenor sax/bass) with a brief spoken word soundtrack and accompanying black and white images made in Buxton specifically the whole show is much tighter than previous Egriega events.
The story is essentially about young love and the consequence of choices made when it comes to partners and commitment. A further layer is introduced in that each song is related to one the Major Arcana cards in the tarot deck (the Lovers, The Chariot, The Hermit etc). I know nothing about tarot and will leave observation about that aspect to others. Just to note that the philosophical aspects of the spoken word soundtrack which includes reflections on the nature of life and inevitable death might be rooted in the cards.
Egriega’s songs have always had a wit and immediacy about them and this is true of 11 Reasons. There is a directness and warmth about this set largely attributable to the playing of Alex Clarke (tenor saxophone) and Charles Ormrod (electric piano). In their playing they don’t stray far from the conventions of mainstream jazz established 60 years ago but it fits perfectly here. Alex is a young player but she has a full tone and suitably breathy touches. Charles is a nimble and fluent pianist and the arrangements are tight.
11 Reasons is a song cycle and should be taken as a set but Our Town - pretty and tender - was especially appreciated.
I looked forward to seeing 11 Reasons and some times anticipation leads to disappointment - but not this time. There is a rare audio and visual warmth and harmony that sits well in the Rotunda late on a summer night.
Keith Savage
Egriega is just a duo: Peter Egriega sings and plays guitar and Steve Taylor accompanies on double bass. But what a life affirming noise they make!
Peter has been in music making for many years but following a stroke a few years ago he has had to reshape his life and his approach to music. His starting point is to recognise the fact that he has survived and that "If there is only one thing you do with your life, don't let go." There is a tremendous amount of positive energy in his playing and singing and he is an enthralling and intelligent story teller.
You'll want to know more about Lillian Gish's leg and the yarn about his Gibraltarian uncle, the monkey, the cursed diamond and the shark - and why that leaves you with reasons to be hopeful.
One of Peter's songs was offered to his daughter who is now a student; "I knew your father before he was a knob" he advises. In many ways that sums up his current approach - he doesn't take himself too seriously, certainly he is not precious about what he does, but he seeks to engage people in a way that they will be comfortable with.
"Like all songwriters," he begins casually, "I have a song about erectile dysfunction. But this one is different because it is about premature ejaculation too." He describes his songs as "catchy with a ribald world view" and to that extent they sit in a broad folk tradition, but his influences are far wider than that.
He says he loves the music of Louis Armstrong and that is evident in his vocal style; he has lived and worked through the Manchester post-punk era and that plain excitement and enthusiasm has left its mark on his music.
Peter and Steve are back on Saturday lunchtime. Hear them before going to the Carnival procession - the whole thing will be much more enjoyable that way.
Highly recommended.
Keith Savage