ahab. live. chapel arts centre.

who: ahab

where: chapel arts centre, bath, uk

when: 18 february 2012

support: ash hancock

every time i take a trip somewhere to see a band, i’m worried if the trip will be worth it in the end, even if i already know that the band is great live. there’s always this little voice inside my head that keeps saying - "please let the band be good!" much to my reassurance, thinking this in case of ahab is just a waste of time and energy, because there’s simply no need to worry about anything when it comes to their live shows. still buzzing from their london show the weekend before, i made my way down to bath for another great performance. 

singer-songwriter ash hancock was up first. he basically fits right into this nice circle of singer-songwriters that’s out there right now. ash and his guitar didn’t have much stage presence due to him sitting, but that almost didn’t matter. despite the sometimes pretty scratchy vocals, he delivered a decent set. if you’re into acoustic folk music, he might just be your new favourite.

normally i’m one of those friendly people that shows up early to see the support act too, because that’s the only decent thing to do if you ask me. and most of the times, the support is actually quite good but at an ahab gig, no matter how good the support might be, you just want them to be done as quickly as possible. in nerve-wracking anticipation of ahab, there’s just no time for any supports.

8.40 pm and ahab finally entered the stage; and enter is the right word here as they’re definitely one of those bands that simply owns the stage once they start playing. they kicked their set off with the wonderful lucy, easily one of my favourites. this song might be so brilliant because it works in every way – either as a full band version or as an acoustic version. moving right along to some of their signature tunes including lightnin bug, we didn’t have to wait long for the first highlight of the night. lots of bands covered wagon wheel over the years but i think it’s safe to say that rarely one of them did it with such energy. if their version of wagon wheel doesn't put you in a good mood, nothing ever will.

new tune love is hell is only one of many songs that requires some serious instrument swapping (except for grahame rolfe on drums who stays true to his roots). the "normal" line-up (if there actually is one) includes callum adamson on 12-string guitar, seebs lewellyn on bass, luke price on mandolin and dave burn on acoustic guitar. but the fact that they all seem to play every instrument on stage at least once during their show, just makes them even more authentic as a band. love is hell finally shows off callum’s vocal talent as he takes over the lead vocals for the first time. if they know what's good for them, we will see this song (and other new ones like soho and love and you and me) on their upcoming album that's due later this year.

another thing that ahab accomplished (unlike many other bands, except for the travelling band perhaps) is that their live performance made me fall in love with one of their songs that i wasn’t too keen on before. like roses never grabbed me on cd, but is now on the best way to become one of my favourites.

after a stunning 17-song set, i was dreading the encore. not because i didn’t want an encore but because i knew what was about to come next. i’m not sure if my father’s eyes is the best ahab song to date (regardless of how you would define "best" in this context), it certainly is the one that moved me to tears. after an absolutely horrendous outburst during this song in london the week before, it did not lose any of its magic and had me in tears again, which was probably mostly due to them singing it unplugged off stage in the audience. they didn’t give me much time to sob though as rosebud provided a perfect end to another amazing evening.

so what’s the verdict of my 5th ahab live experience? even if you’re normally not into alt-country/folk music, you can’t help but enjoy those guys. they make it extremely easy to fall in love with their music because the fun they have on stage is just infectious. amazing four-piece harmonies, songs that get you dancing and crying at the same time and a bunch of very talented musicians – what else could you possibly ask for?

 ahab - love is hell (live in bath)

there are various ways that you can connect with ahab - website, facebook, twitter, youtube. make sure to check the website for all upcoming tour dates. check them out live if you have the chance; i guarantee you that you won't be disappointed.

setlist

lucy

lightnin bug

wish you

docker's hands

to the light

wagon wheel

call a waiter

love and you and me

run me down

love is hell

where's the one you love

soho

like roses

joanna

million reasons

woman's arms

rosalie

encore

my father's eyes (unplugged)

rosebud

ahab - wagon wheel (live in bath)