St. Pancras Old Church sits nestled among the traffic snarled highways of North London, standing as proud as a wise old oak. The grand old building is mentioned in Dicken‘s A Tale Of Two Cities and it was last night that another rather brilliant storyteller; Gabriel Rios, invited us to hear his timeless tales of struggle and hope from 2014’s ‘This Marauder’s Midnight‘. Rios‘ blend of minimalism and raw emotion is mesmerising and utterly captivating.
Flanked by the the multi-talented upright bass player, vocalist (and Producer of ‘This Marauder’s Midnight‘) Ruben Samama and the superb Cello playing of Rares Mihailescu, Rios‘ songs echo exquisitely into the rafters, a vulnerability about them that is both haunting and addictive.
‘Work Song‘s’ nakedness and ‘Swing Low‘s’ utter bewitchment remind of us of the darkness that lies outside the doors of our hallowed venue, whilst the gorgeous ‘Gold‘ reminded us we all have an imagination and that we should use it every chance we get.
Rios‘ ended with a sensual and slow version of the Guillermo Portabales country lament ‘El Carretero‘ with hypnotic bass pulses and an irresistible chorus that left everyone leaving Rios‘ haunting world for the evening feeling pretty sexy.
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