[2013053] Moorish!
The Moor Rose @ Holden Street Theatres – The Box
3:00pm, Sun 24 Feb 2013
I was scooting through the Fringe Guide mid-January, highlighting the shows that would become The Shortlist, when I came across the listing for Moorish!; I saw the word “cello”, and it was heavily asterisked straight away… but then I noticed that the containing phrase was actually “bouzouki and cello”, and I went over that asterisk again. And a third time, just to impress upon myself the combination of cello and curiosity.
It was another sweltering day as I dragged my creaking and hungover bones out to Holden Street; I was surprised (and, given my many years of Fringe-going, a little ashamed) to learn that “The Box” venue was actually the bar area; I was even more surprised to discover that the average age of the audience already assembled was at least a decade older than me (and I’m no spring chicken). And that tempered my excitement a little… until Stuart Rose and David Rose (no relation, if I recall correctly) took to the stage corner and started playing.
Their opening songs surprised me (again – it was a very surprising performance) with their uptempo rhythms. With Stuart on guitar and vocals, and David on cello and bass, the music had real folk & blues flavours about it; but Stuart’s breathy (and slightly husky) vocals gave the songs an almost ethereal feel, and when he breaks out the bouzouki, the quirky notes are truly compelling.
And when Anne Harrington joined the two Roses on percussion (principally cajon), the trio (who looked comfortable throughout) produced a full, well-rounded sound; but they weren’t afraid to pare the sound back during their second set, where the brighter, more upbeat songs were supplanted by more sentimental, almost melancholic, tracks. Having said that, the second set opener – Break It Down – was flat-out amazing; the high cello notes gave me shivers of unbridled joy.
I went out to Holden Street that afternoon expecting little more than some close-up cello action; what I encountered was a wealth of great songs and superb musicianship… and goosebumps. And that makes it a pretty bloody good show, in my books.