Rather than being transported off in a space-ship with the intergalactic cast of HENGE, frontman Matthew C. Whitaker (better known as Zpor) was very much down on Earth this Valentine’s day, as he kicked off his UK album tour, Songs For The Weary, at Leeds’ Hyde Park Book Club.
Whilst I was walking in mostly blind to Whitaker’s work, both with HENGE and as a soloist, I made sure to listen to Songs For The Weary in full on its release last Friday (13th). The opening instrumental Overture immerses listeners immediately in the cinematic landscape that largely sets the tone for this work – pairing electronic drum sounds with rich layered string arrangements to spill varying shades of light and dark, tension and release, into the ever developing sonic sphere. It is reminiscent of Beatles-era Englishness, nostalgic and thoughtful, swept along by the gentle Mancunian inflections in Whitaker’s vocal delivery.
You can understand my scepticism then, when I entered Book Club’s most intimate performance space, The Snug, to find only the singer-songwriter and his co-producer/support act Alan Keary (artist name Shunya), perched atop the persian rug that would be their stage for the evening. Although it didn’t take long to notice that this setup was offering a lot more than originally meets the eye…
Whilst Whitaker was armed only with his classical guitar, Keary was surrounded by an abundance of apparatus from the analogue (violin, bass, drum machine), to midi pads and an array of foot pedals that allowed him to manipulate pre-recorded tracks in real time.
This meant that we were allowed the full experience of the album from only the duo, and whilst Keary seamlessly moved between instruments, Whitaker’s tender and introspective performance was allowed to come to the forefront.
This was perhaps expressed most fully in their performance of Lucid Dreamer, a fan favourite from the album, verified by the jeers and whoops bouncing around the packed out room on its arrival. As the name suggests, the song explores the wishy-washy subconscious state between dream and awake, beginning purely with Whitaker’s rhythmic classical guitar, his lullaby-esc vocals and pizzicato violin by Keary before growing outwards into something bigger.
The dimly lit snug room with its terracotta floors, towering shelves of books and big windows dripping in condensation were the perfect cocoon to experience this in – so much so that a passing ambulance siren blended into the audio dreamscape with ease. With the room swaying and audience held on a pin drop, we were only broken from our reverie by the duo’s laughter down the mics, as they explained that they hadn’t quite yet figured out how to end the track live, as we were the first to hear it.
If I hadn’t already, the easy conversation flowing between performers and audience alike was enough to make me feel at home in this room full of strangers. Whether to discuss Whitaker’s reinterpretation of the biblical Daniel and The Lion’s Den or the blue isotonic sports drink that was to get him through his first evening on tour, the strong sense of community and camaraderie in the room was palpable, with that slightly gritty note of northern pride.
Even as I waited in the long and winding merch line to say hello at the end of the night, it was clear that the mutual respect Whitaker has garnered within his fanbase is huge. Whilst many of the attendees were already HENGE fans, especially eager to hear the stripped back version of the sun-drenched Indigo Dust the duo played, it is a testament to the frontman’s craft and magnetic crooning vocals that he was able to captivate them so easily in this setting.
I felt this most keenly during his performance of Stand Up To The Man, the closing track of the album. In this, Whitaker’s tender yet assured vocals are showcased against a backdrop of an “Eleanor Rigby” style string arrangement, the singer explained to us. Whilst the recorded version features a lush quartet, the live show did not suffer its absence – favouring instead beautifully interweaving classical guitar and plucked violin. Though staunch in its message of equality and protest, the track feels like advice shared between friends rather than a call to action – leaving the listener to sit with it however they may choose.
Ultimately, the whole evening lent itself to unhurried enjoyment – from the casual chatting between tracks to Whitaker excitedly taking the audience through different beats on his omni-chord, from what he coined “Sleazy Slow Rock” to “Techno Foxtrot”.
Songs For The Weary offers its tired traveller a chair, both on record and on tour. So, come on in, take a seat, and prepare to relax into the warm and whimsical world Whitaker has crafted.
Photography by Jazz Jennings.