Sheffield psychedelic troubadour Stoney is paying tribute to his parents, in the audience at Yellow Arch, when a beer glass smashes. “And that’s my grandad” he says.
It’s an appropriate quip as we’re here to celebrate the almost 20-year anniversary of Scene And The Unseen, a record that boomeranged Stoney across the Atlantic to acclaim from Rick Rubin and Jamie T.
Stoney, whose son is also in the crowd tonight, is another reminder of the passing of time since that sophomore record. “They both came out in the same year”, he says proudly. “I'd be as tall as him without the smoking and drinking.”
The songs off ..Scene still fizz with the ghosts of Britpop and New Yorkshire, Stoney's Brett meets Bowie vocals full of witty lyrics and killer choruses like Jailbird, Soap In A Bathtub and a bouncing Until You Leave which opens this majestic set.
The audience is also witnessing a bit of Sheffield music history as Stoney is joined by former Harrisons bassist Ashley Birch on bass, coming out of retirement to support his long-standing mate in a band also containing ex Reverend drummer Rich Westly. Ashley shows plenty of heft on backing vocals and the band rattle through a set which sounds entirely contemporary, clever, soulful and profound. Scene may no longer be the skin Stoney is in, but newer songs fizz by in a set that never let’s up. By the closing Nows A Good Time he has strapped on his guitar to come across like a South Yorkshire Prince or Lewis Taylor, showing the skills that have led to an in demand career as a producer and soundtrack composer.
It’s an excellent end to a set that transcends Neepsend nostalgia and points to a glorious future.
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