"I’m just happy to be back home," he grins, raising a bottle to the assembled and involving himself in some good-hearted heckles. It obviously been a hard set of dates, but there’s only love in the room tonight. The atmosphere, for all the sleek lines of the venue, is one of a front-room show, of a band popping round to play a few tunes for their mates.
 | | Alfie at Life Cafe |
Not that this is the same Alfie that most of the crowd are used to. As much as Gorton may protest otherwise ("you know us by now," comes the plea, "we’re nice folk"), Crying At Teatime has marked a departure from the woozy tunes and unguided melodies, showing a new level of power and songwriting that set opener Your Own Religion embodies better than any other. They are a band that’s been wandering through musical meadows for many years, only to discover that there’s a crashing sea of sound beyond the horizon just waiting for them to plunge into it. It’s a find that has brought new life to old tracks. You Make No Bones, included "for the old school", wriggles out from under its duvet to shine, and People, which always had great potential, blooms with new found confidence. In the end, even Gorton can see the truth. "This is what I always wanted Alfie to sound like," he says with a knowing smile. Truth is, having kept the faith for so long, there were many agreeing nods round the room, and a general thought that thankfully, they’ve made it in the end. |
