You have to be a great band or be playing a very special kind of show to justify a trip to London. Thankfully, for the latest Virginmarys tour, both boxes are ticked. With their new album, Beyond the House of Fires, Ally Dickaty and Danny Dolan’s reworking and reinterpretation of The House Beyond the Fires, finally in the hands of fans, they’ve just finished one of their most unique and special tours to date. With only a premise to explain the album and tour before the release of this record’s version of “White Knuckle Riding”, the fans showed their faith and appreciation by selling out several shows in advance as they hit a number of towns you don’t normally see on a tour poster (plus London) before the album was released and indeed, its release only fuelled the fervour for these shows.
Given the nature of tonight’s stripped back affair, it wouldn’t have been a shock if the band decided to tour it as “An Evening With…” format. However, being the great people they are, they’ve brought IDestroy along for the ride. It’s a pairing which has surprisingly never happened before. Being between drummers at the moment, it provides them an opportunity to perform as a duo with just guitar, bass and vocals. As power pop meets the likes of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, The Runaways and even hints of Blondie, they’re presenting themselves in a more traditional acoustic format. IDestroy have always had something to say with their music but this allows the words to hit harder on numbers like “Headphones” and “Sad”. There’s some excellent vocal harmonies between the pair of them as punky chords sit well with the chunky bass lines. Having not seen them for a couple of years, it’s great to be reacquainted with them and for a band you wouldn’t think of in an acoustic format, they rise to the occasion and it wouldn’t be surprising if their full-blooded iteration makes an appearance at some point down the line with the headliners.
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Tonight isn’t about a couple of guys playing an album with acoustic guitars in the vein of their Stripped album. It follows the alternate version of the album so there’s a heavy focus on keys, guitar has been reinterpreted along with vocal takes and drum work. Such a format means Ally can’t play his synth and a guitar at the same time whilst belting out his passionate vocals. However, they’ve recruited Gareth Price (AKA Azda) on guitar and if you’ve been to a show before, chances are you’ve seen him in various roles as a guitar tech/tour manager/merch seller/driver and any other job which needs doing. Indeed, he might not normally be on stage, but it’s not a Virginmarys show without him. Gareth sets up the stage, in tech mode, his eyes scanning quickly and methodically for what needs done, as well as draping the stage in LED strip lighting and candles, adding to the atmosphere of the night.
Finally, it’s time. The lights go down and Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” signals their arrival; already the goosebumps are out in force and the hairs on the back of my neck are standing to attention. Ally, Danny and Gareth make their way out and take their places; Danny behind his drum kit and in a strange sight, Ally sits behind his synth stage left rather than right. Meanwhile, Gareth goes to where you’d usually see Ally but it means they remain faithful to him being to the right of Ally, just this time it’s fully on stage. Keys introduce “My Nettle”, Beyond the House of Fires’ opening track. Dextrous and delicate strokes and Ally’s vocals turn the angst-ridden number into something truly heart-rending, full of longing and submission. And even on this opening song, you can hear the trio aren’t going to treat this show as a recital of the album.
They could have played it in order and gotten away with it, to faithfully recreate it, and create a truly immersive experience. Despite the show not consisting of thrashing power chords, drums with enough force to level the entire city and vocal chord-shredding screams, the band still manage to work with dynamics. They inject even more emotion with vulnerability in both the compositions and Ally performing on an instrument he admits he’s not as comfortable with compared to guitar and Danny playing with more restraint than possibly thought. Meanwhile, before second song “Dance to the City” is even finished, you can see why Gareth was asked to join the tour as the guitarist. It’s not that he’s a great or even perfect choice; it couldn’t have been anyone but him. Anyone who’s seen him simply soundcheck knows what an accomplished guitarist he is, his performance is full of passion and nuance, understanding the touch and dynamics needed for these reworkings and it’s plain to see that it’s coming straight from his soul as if he’d written the songs himself. His deft use of EBow creates a textured soundscape, allowing the notes to sustain and sounding like they’ve come from a classical stringed instrument.
Other than pausing for applause, it takes a few songs for Ally to address the crowd and it creates this feeling that they’re performing this for themselves, as if we’ve all just wandered into something private. Indeed, there’s the vulnerability from this kind of show but there’s also the sense of it being so incredibly precious and pure, given this is a tour likely to never happen again. Indeed, as someone who’s travelled the length and breadth of the country to see this band, and will happily attend multiple shows in one tour, this one is different. You’d either haver to commit to going to the entire tour or one show; there’s no middle ground and if you were in any of those rooms, you know exactly what I mean. Frankly, the restraint I had in only going to one rather than a handful (because I couldn’t do the full thing) is on par with Danny’s performance for this tour.
There’s a couple of breaks in the full band performance for Ally to perform on his own, evoking memories of his People Help the People tour, and he slides into those songs so organically. He noodles on the keys, almost as if he’s warming up before commencing and in those moments, you can tell what’s coming, even in their reworked versions. “Look Out For My Brother” becomes far more poignant whilst “Cast the First Stone” becomes even more fragile for the first section. Meanwhile, “Moths to a Flame” and “Passing Place” in the second make for great thematic partners. Had you replaced “Look Out For My Brother” with “Looking For Love”, you would have had all the hallmarks from an Ally solo acoustic set and going into this show, I was pretty much certain we’d hear most of those four. All eyes are naturally on Ally but quick glances elsewhere show Danny transfixed on his bandmate, practically unblinking whilst Gareth’s eyes are shut, completely lost in the moment. The crowd have been quiet and respectful all night but during these interludes, the silence is otherworldly and as cliched as it is – yes, you could hear a pin drop. Although the last-minute request of “Stripped”, which Ally indulges, generates a bit of chatter and he respectfully shuts it down with his dry and self-deprecating sense of humour as he feels out how to play the song.
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The jangling guitar of “Veteran Soldiers” towards the end of the show is a perfect way of thanking the fans for attending tonight given its lyrical content. It’s the grittiest song of the evening and whilst hints of the familiar Danny come out on “You’re a Killer” and “When the Lights Go Down”, the guitar drives this one before the finale of the appropriate closer of “White Knuckle Riding”. For a show that was purposefully only an hour long, it passes by in a flash yet simultaneously, time stands still. The band are still powerful, even in this format and much of that comes from their conviction and authenticity. There’s always a sense of unity at a Virginmarys show but tonight it feels more like the crowd are supporting them, allowing them to show a side that we know is there and we’ve seen flashes of before, rather than simply humouring them. If the band never tour like this again, it wouldn’t be a tragedy as we have the memories of this one but if it does happen again, there will be even more fervour.
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IDestroy: official | facebook | twitter | instagram | soundcloud | youtube | bigcartel
