If Devizes was a woman, my patient and understanding wife would be livid because I’m smitten, and I’m about to explain my reasoning. Please humour me best you can…..
Starter for ten, ignore the sensationalising of a few roadworks by the local press, it’s having no negative effect on congestion, and ignore political sway, for the corruption is nationwide. I’m about entertainment in our humble market town, of which comparatively we’re punching well above our weight, on any atypical evening such as this.
Such causes me the dilemma of what pub to pick and what live music to enjoy. A problem I sought to solve by attempting to trundle between all three, though with questionable repercussions; I don’t get to witness and report on an entire set for any of them. A personal niggly I’m willing to shoulder, for the average punter either choice saw a great night of talented musicians doing their thing. Devizes is open for business, and is highly flammable!
Yes, I’d have loved to have dropped into the Pump in Trowvegas, Wiltshire Music Centre, and the Crown in Bishops Cannings, where they hosted a free all-dayer with Talk in Code and Purple Fish, but this takes driving, and occasionally, I want a cider, or four! There’s a thing, doing this is a hobby, you wouldn’t deprive me of sticking around the Vizes and enjoying a jar, would you?!
There is no grand public event in town tonight, as often there is, just three honest and wonderful pubs putting on free live music. My starter was the Southgate, where, after guesting at a particularly memorable Jon Amor Trio residency, Philadelphia-born axeman LeBurn Maddox made a welcome return. Justified as my top choice, because while I’ve witnessed the other two more local acts in The Lamb and Three Crowns before, the chance to catch this bluesman doing his thing is far rarer. And boy, can he play the electric blues with passion and plentiful saucy banter; a sublime performance in our lively juke joint, a longstanding blessing to Devizes.
Another outstanding night at the trusty Southgate, which despite having the most varied and regular music programme in town by a country mile, predominantly remains favourable to the Mel Bush effect of Devizes being a blues town, appreciated by the regulars and reverberating this afternoon when Jon Amor makes his regular residency.
But though I coulda-shoulda stayed for the duration, I gotta dust my broom and make haste for The Lamb. Once the go-to pub in town, the birthplace of Sheer Music in the Fold, and historically simply a functioning and aesthetic tavern, it’s recently waned in popularity, but while it’s certainly true tonight, they’ve attempted to bounce back and have the breathtaking gothic-folk-rock four-piece Strange Folk to assist. Hailing from Hampshire, this proficient band we’ve seen playing these backwaters at the Gate, and on the Vinyl Realm stage at a DOCA street festival of yore, still, they’re not widely known here, ergo attracting wider appeal to a pub rarely providing music was never going to be a simple task.
Strange Folk are tight in performance, unified in sound. With the hauntingly impassioned vocals of Annie, a kind of PJ Harvey or Kate Bush, they polish covers with uniqueness, such as the apt Stones’ Gimmie Shelter, and have a repertoire of epic, mind blowingly emotive original pieces. Think Fairport Convention doing a Siouxsie and the Banshees tribute in the vein of Pink Floyd with Evanescence, if your imagination stretches that far!
Bottom line, Strange Folk deserved a bigger audience. Getting a foot on the first runner of live music in a small town with two other venues renowned and currently trending for it is no easy task. I suggest The Lamb books acts popular locally to attract a returning crowd before an outside chance such as Strange Folk, wonderful as they are.
Leaving the Lamb with reservations, if we don’t use this iconic tavern do we risk losing it to another antique shop?! I’m not willing to let it happen, not the Lamb, it’s legendary.
With the night coming to its cumulation, I hotfooted it across the carpark to the rear of the Three Crowns, echoes of Illingworth covering Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here growing as I approached, upset this is usually the outro to their set, but too steadfast to check the time!
It unfortunately was, my consolation being I’ve seen the Illingworth duo play a number of times, and you can guarantee the creme de la creme of acoustic era-spanning covers, the kind of setlist to appease the broad demographic of the Three Crowns. Here’s a town pub currently winning the race, deservedly. Food served late, efficient cashless bar, its spacious, comfortable, covered, and heated yard has an epoch of supporting wider-appealing local live music acts. The benchmark for booked bands is literal here; blast nostalgic Britpop covers to attain tabletop dancing!
It was as rammed as expected there, my only reservation being I only caught the finale of Jon and Joylen, a duo you cannot fault. Still, I downed a Thatchers haze, got a cuddle and good chat with them both, and blagged a haven for eating the best chicken sandwich in town, from the most excellent Kebab House, in Jon’s van, which he gratefully dropped me home in; what an utter legend!
In conclusion, even if there’s no grand ticketed event at the Corn Exchange, Devizes is happening, and is the perfect town for a great night out, thanks to wonderful pubs like the Southgate, the Three Crowns, encompassing other lively options such as karaoke in the Pelican, and I sincerely hope and pray, The Lamb rejoins the list too, we simply have to support it. Please keep an eye on our event calendar and weekly roundup articles .The next music night there will be advertised, and I hope to catch you there then.
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