Witness: Before the Calm
The town of Wigan has something of an illustrious musical history for a small northern town whose only other claim to fame is a large Heinz Baked Beans factory. In recent years, the Wigan region has produced the excellent Starsailor and the mighty Verve, and inevitably when the little-known Witness emerged from their converted chip shop/rehearsal room in the late 1990s with their debut single Quarantine they were greeted with caution and even dismissed by some as being Verve clones. Certainly, Ray Chan, the main guitarist is a personal friend of the Verve’s Nick McCabe and also has an improvised style of slide guitar, but Witness sound more like REM or some other soft rock/folk outfit from the States. Before the Calm is a stunning debut album that manages to take vocalist Gerard Starkie’s weed-induced musings and present them as deep, profound and ultimately moving.
The opening track, Second Life, starts off as a soulful and undemanding tune that chugs comfortably along, followed by the psychadelic single Scars, before the tender piano intro to Freezing Over Morning. The next song, Hijacker, is in my opinion the highlight of the album, mixing slide guitar, beautiful melodies and Starkie’s plaintive vocals. I very much doubt that any listener would sit without a lump in their throat after hearing “And nothing gets to work because everybody’s retiring…I’ve got love in my bones…”. The most downbeat and angst-ridden song, Cause and Effect is followed by the warm and comforting Heirloom, which, for some reason, conjurs up images of the Lake District on a summer’s evening. The more energetic Audition follows, before the restful vibe returns with the almost comatose My Friend Will See Me Through and is rounded off by the beautiful Still.
In Summary
In short, Before the Calm is am absolute classic from one of the UK’s most underrated bands. Every song on the album is a gem: perfect for listening to on a lonely winter’s evening (with a rolled-up cigarette full of a banned substance if that’s your thing). This record will guarantee to leave you feeling warm and at peace with the world.
Tracklisting:
- Second Life
- Scars
- Freezing Over Morning
- Hijacker
- My Own Old Song
- So Far Gone
- Cause and Effect
- Heirloom
- Audition
- My Friend Will See Me Through
- Still
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