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Dandelion Wine – Cabaret Nocturne @ Dream

It’s one of the great joys of life to wander into a pub or club somewhere and see someone up on stage doing something different, something interesting, something inspiring, something wonderful. It's why we head out weekend after weekend to see bands we've heard or heard of, why we walk the streets endlessly and get drunk in search of inspiration.

It's why I wander into Dream tonight on a friend's recommendation, why I endure an interminable soundcheck for tonight’s headline act, the diva-ish American Nora Keyes and why I'm out after midnight when I have to be up at bloody 5:30am the next morning. And it's why it's all worth it when the main doors open and Dandelion Wine take the stage as the room fills with the children of the night and the occasional bewildered bogan. Dandelion Wine are a particularly unconventional three-piece – singer Naomi Henderson also plays flute, recorder and guitar, while multi-instrumentalist Nicholas Albanis swaps between dulcimer, guitar and what appears to be a large antique lute. The sound is rounded out by a violinist, apparently playing his first gig with the band, and the "little square box" introduced as the band’s surrogate bassist and drummer.

The result is a unique and arresting blend of ephemeral, medieval melodies and more familiar modern sounds. The comparison that immediate springs to mind is Dead Can Dance, but Dandelion Wine are more varied and interesting than that band – one song features a guitar solo that’d do Johnny Greenwood proud, and the beats range from quiet, minimalist drum patterns to fully-fledged banging dance groves. The music is entrancing from start to finish and it's a shame that the late starts keeps the band’s set dead on 45 minutes.

All in all, a pleasant surprise and a band well worth investigating further.

by Tom Hawking / Date: 26.01.05