The Delines

Wednesday 12th November. Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen. The Delines. It’s a wet Wednesday night with the Burgess Boys (like the Venga boys but taller), Graham and Anne. It’s been six years since the first time I went to this venue and it’s fair to say the area has gone a bit up market. It’s all trendy bars and boutique restaurants now instead of pubs where they issued you with a weapon if you weren’t carrying before. The Delines hail from Portland (definitely on the list of US cities I need to visit) and are led by singer songwriter Willy Vlautin from Richmond Fontaine. However the main vocals are handled by Amy Boone who I had never heard of before this band came along. He voice has a silky smooth country tone that places her somewhere between Carpenters, Karen and Mary Chapin. We’re set for an evening of hushed tones, gentle guitars and story based songs. And that’s exactly what we got. Vlautin specialises in songs that take you on a journey through American life and Boones vocals perfectly capture this essence giving a different spin on Vlautlns own voice. One album in and expecting a short set it was filled with most of that album plus three new ones (two of which sounded very good) and a cover of Ode to Billie Joe where Boone comes on stage solo with just an acoustic guitar. It’s difficult to pick a highlight in amongst the night but 82nd St and State Line shone through for me. This was not a night for rock and roll and moshing as the music just seemed to envelope you and suck you in like a warm duvet with Boone’s voice acting as a soft pillow in which to rest your head. I am guessing that Bob Mould next week will be a little livelier.