Heather Findlay

The Lantern, Halifax

6 December 2018

I seem to have started obsessing over Heather's leggings. In my defence, she started it.

So anyway, this isn't a review, it's just a few random thoughts.

Halifax is really nice. And would probably be even nicer if it wasn't raining. The Lantern is a good venue, a small room above a pub. It has a bar but they thoughtfully don't open it (the worst thing you can have in a venue is a bar serving while you're trying to listen to music). Their seats are really uncomfortable though.

The audience is exactly 30 people I think, the smallest audience of the tour so far. Heather deserves much more.

Joska played the support set again, and switched a few songs so it was a different set from Hull. Went down very well with the crowd again, which is good because his music choices are so eclectic it's hard to know what different audiences will make of it, but the mix obviously works for other people as well as me.

The gig starts very late (miscommunication between the promoter and venue I think) and I was fearing a short set, but we still got everything—in fact, it was the longest set yet, because we got both Above the Blue and I've Seen Your Star. It was well after 11pm when Heather asked if anybody had a bus to catch, and did we want one more song or two? The answer was fairly predictable (someone shouted for three).

I thought in Hull that the recorder playing was slightly ... off. Tonight, Heather seems convinced that the instrument has gone out of tune. Can you even tune recorders? I am bemused.

Despite that, everything sounds perfect. Everything is perfect. Again.

It's really unfair to compare bands with each other, but, this is the best way I can think to describe Heather:

When Mostly Autumn play Evergreen I think: this is an awesome song, this is the best band I've ever seen, this is an incredible singer.

When Heather sings Evergreen I don't think anything. I'm just blubbering.

That's why this is the best concert I've ever seen.