Goldenhorse

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It's no mean feat galloping at 93 Feet

The evening of Tuesday 13th September, and Brick Lane in the East End of London possessed its familiar concoction of bright lights, delicious smells and hungry punters seeking a free beer with their curries. Up near Brick Lane's old Truman brewery, in 93 Feet East to be exact, a beer was slightly more expensive, and a crowd of around 250 had gathered, eagerly anticipating being engaged by the crisp and funky sounds of New Zealand's Goldenhorse. Comprised of lead singer Kirsten Morelle, drummer Ben Collier, bassist Vincent Hine, and guitarists Ben King and Geoff Maddock, their debut, "Riverhead" was released in late 2002, reaching number 1 in New Zealand and shifting around 50,000 copies. Buoyed by its success, the follow up, "Out of the Moon" was released earlier this year.

Now, fresh from a multi date tour of their homeland, Goldenhorse had galloped back to London for their second visit of the year. Fresh from a 6 day break in Dubrovnik, I was bearing down on London a tad faster, praying that flight delays weren't going to scupper my chance to see one of the brightest prospects of Kiwi music since the emergence of Bic Runga. Thankfully we were on time, and eventually, armed with no more than a sense of excitement and a can of Red Stripe (us www.mosh2music.com reviewers are a classy bunch), I took up residence at the bar.

"Spice Islands", dreamy, wistful and exotic, opened proceedings, and Kirsten's enchanting voice began to make an impression on us. I also noticed that she loves to gesticulate; as the set matured she got more engrossed in the songs, feeling them and caressing them with her hands. Eventually she was handed a tambourine and the energy she was displaying was put to a more productive use. The upbeat, disco influenced "Don't Wake Me Up" confirmed it - Kirsten was having fun. Solidly into her stride, she suggestively enquired if the assembled throng were keen for some "cowgirl". Cue an excited buzz from the male contingent. Happy days? Alas, no. "Cowgirl Lament", sad, slow, sorrowful and deliberate in it's tale of lost love, recited by Kirsten in a style reminiscent of Eponine, one of the main characters in the musical "Les Miserables".

"Fish", lazy and one to strum to, was delivered as a duet between Kirsten and Geoff, their combination and harmony on this and other Goldenhorse tracks is comparable to the understanding between Jacqueline Abbott and Paul Heaton that brought The Beautiful South so much success during the 1990's.

The cheery "Northern Lights" made an appearance, as did the optimistic "Maybe Tomorrow", both from "Riverhead". The quintet's 3 guitars meshed superbly together for "Run Run Run", and although the album version of the simple "Cold Mountainside" benefits from a robust strings accompaniment, a luxury that wasn't available due to the limited stage space at 93 Feet, it was still sung beautifully by Kirsten.

Buoyant and rocky, "Used To Think" was reserved for the encore, delivered with as much gusto and commitment as the opening track, and once her vocal contribution was complete, Kirsten exited stage right, leaving the guys to jam together, bringing the song and the performance to an energetic close.

If you get the chance to see Goldenhorse, whether it be here in the UK, in New Zealand or on their travels, its definitely worth parting with your hard earned time and cash to take that opportunity and experience some fresh, inventive and rousing music.

Reviewed by Dan