The Hanging Stars + Hollis Brown live. Q-Bus Leiden, Tuesday 1 November 2022

Photo: Wout de Natris

A double bill at the Q-Bus in Leiden. It turned out it was over 3,5 years ago I was present for a show there. John Paul Keith it was, with a fine rock and roll show as Buddy Holly reincarnated. This time it was The Hanging Stars from London and Hollis Brown from NYC. Although there are some faint similarities between the bands' music, the contrast was quite big.

The Hanging Stars was a totally new name to me. The concert started with this beautiful sound, dreamy and so well played. As I had never heard a song of the band before the show, I had no idea what to expect. This music was a mix of country, ah, that pedal steel, 60s pop and psychedelia. The Byrds came forward as an example immediately, but then only an amalgam of all the incarnations of the band between 1965 and say 1970. Today I would say in the atmosphere The Hanging Stars share with Canadians Half Moon Run comes close.

Listening now to Spotify, the opening song must have been 'Ava'. This band does a lot of things right in its opening song. It mesmerised me immediately. This feeling did not last. But, the setlist was built up perfectly. The longer the set of circa an hour lasted the more the band held me in its grip. The great harmonies, the trippy, dreamy atmosphere worked a miracle. A keyboard was added to two songs, adding to what was already good. And there's the very pleasant voice of the singer.

The Hanging Stars play almost everything in the same tempo. This led me into their groove in a perfect way. I was totally alright with it. The beauty with this band lies in the details. And it has so many of them.

Now, for decades already I'm horrible in song titles and names but not in recognising songs. "This song is for all those who know the title of this song", the singer announced. The Hanging Stars' final song was a Madrugada cover, a very welcome gesture. In fact during dinner I had played the band's 2022 album, 'Chimes At Midnight'. Sivert Høyem's voice in the original is even deeper than Richard Olsen's. Still, it was much fun to hear this song end a show that had won me over for The Hanging Stars.

Photo: Wout de Natris

The order of the bands was just right. The other way around would have been harder. Hollis Brown blew the venue away with its mix of tough country rock. Now Hollis Brown is a band that never fully convinced me on record but I also suspected the band to be perfect live. And it was. With its mix of power and subtlety, harmonies and keyboards the band has the right mix alright. Hollis Brown is a band that will never disappoint in my opinion because its repertoire is rock solid. The whole of American's legacy, let's call it "across the great divide" like The Band did. Everything that came after is somehow caught in the band's music.

A bit stranger is that the band also covers albums integrally. First 'Get Loaded', its take on The Velvet Underground's album 'Loaded' and recently 'In The Aftermath', The Rolling Stones' 'Aftermath'. From both albums one song came by, 'Oh Sweet Nuthings', which made my day and night. Had they just played that song exclusively, my day could not have gone wrong in any way. 'Going Home' was The Stones cover.

Fact is that Hollis Brown does not need these covers. Its own songs are more than good enough. None of the musicians are virtuosos on their respective instrument. They are very decent and from that position they are able to write, arrange and play great rocking songs that can only come from the U.S. The kind that makes my body move from the very first up to the last second of the show.

Where does time go?, I wondered to myself when I found out it was April 2019 that I was last in the Q-Bus. I know where it went, but it is striking how long ago it was. Once again I had a fine night there. A new one in a long string of shows over the past probably 20 years. Normally this will not be the last one either.

Wout de Natris