The Live Room Double: Rosier and Elanor Moss, at Caroline Street Social Club on a rainy West Yorkshire Sunday night.
I took the train to Saltaire, which has been listed as a UNESCO world heritage site for 25 years. The unassuming Caroline Street Social Club, just a few minutes from the station, hides a cosy live music venue – The Live Room – with an eyecatching stage, dressed with bright red velvet curtains.
Tonight, its 180 seated capacity is halved by tables placed between each row of chairs, each decorated with electric candles. Fairy lights sparkle, winding their way up speaker stands at either side of the stage.
Despite the clocks having just gone forward, with unashamedly wet Yorkshire weather and Monday only a few hours away the room is nearly full, with many seats reserved by members. Speaking to a few of these members, I learn that they often come out with no knowledge of what they are going to see. They simply enjoy the surprise of each evening.
Hilary – who has been standing by the door next to the soundman, Ron, to welcome everyone and check tickets – gets on the stage to introduce the first of two acts in an all-female double bill: Elanor Moss from London. For me, this adds to the warm and intimate feel of the venue and I can really see the appeal of being part of the membership in a world where bigger venues can feel impersonal and indifferent.
It turns out that Elanor has lived locally in Leeds for quite a while, but this is her first time in Saltaire. She has a rather distinct style with auburn, wavy hair – cut with a severe fringe – and wore a light grey jumper over what looks like a navy wool skirt with a light check pattern.
Joking that she is ‘flying close to the sun’ with a guitar whose strings have not been changed in a year, she sings a set that tells tender stories of love and change like Secrets of The Universe; of discomfort bordering on abuse and coercive control like Fixer, that touch you with their vulnerability and awkward optimism; songs about the patterns of relationships and the roles that we (particularly women) find ourselves in.
Between songs, Elanor describes listening to other female musicians in the folk tradition, Joni Mitchell and Joanna Newsom, weaving their songs Cactus Tree and On a Good Day within her own, which
displays not only her taste but also her musicianship.
After a short break, Hilary introduces Rosier, a bilingual French-Canadian band from Quebec, whose members are on the final night of a European tour covering France, Switzerland, Germany and the UK.
As they begin playing, with no further introduction, the French vocals bring to mind sleepy TV theme songs, lazy summer electro pop like St Etienne and atmospheric movie soundtracks.
Sarah and Béatrix are seated next to three keyboards. They have wavy, warm-brown/brown hair and wear jackets with ties. To their left is a set of chimes and their guitarist Éléonore, who wears a smart white shirt, tie and tank top. Somewhere off stage is Marie, who plays bass but today was looking after the merch stand. They each come from families with Quebec folk performers and folklorists with Béatrix’s mother, Dana Whittle, a singer- songwriter who was a founding member of “Folquebec” (dedicated to promoting Quebec folk music internationally).
Folquebec’s aims are reflected in the songs they sing, with synchronised vocals about the devil, inspired by old folk tales which they call “wacky and beautiful stories”. Many songs like Si te veux ta mēre are from their new album Elle vielle encore, which translates as “She watches over us” referring to motherly spirits that watch over us – their inherent “beauty and tragedy”. They continue this theme, highlighting the lyrics that “mother will hide the murder” as they cover a Kate Bush song Mother stands for comfort.
“Something of the darkness and the melancholy speaks to us,” says Béatrix, describing the people of Quebec and wondering if this might strike a chord with a local audience. As the band plays a short encore at the end of the night, Béatrix gives a review of her reception in Saltaire as “very warm-hearted – not outside – inside!” And it turns out the band are not put off by the heavy rain tonight (coming from a city that doesn’t get warmer than 0 degrees in March) as they describe their plan to get up at 5am the next day for a ‘Wuthering Heights’ inspired hike.
Their enthusiasm is infectious and though I spend the next few days listening to music from the night,
I also look up what’s going on at the Live Rooms this year. I’m left with a refreshed excitement about the rich culture, history and beauty in West Yorkshire, as well as what you get when you come out of the house with no knowledge of what you are going to see.
Learn more about Elanor Moss here.
Learn more about Rosier here and
more about The Live Room here.
Photography by Maddie Armstrong.
