Annie Dressner The White Room, Stanley, Co. Durham

Annie Dressner
The White Room,
Stanley,
Co. Durham

18th April 2024

This was a joy on two very separate levels for me. After getting married 45 years ago I left the ex-mining, market town of Stanley to set up a home 8 miles away, and we still have lots of family living in the surrounding villages.
So with that in mind, I was staggered to find an artist of the standing that Anne Dressner; whom I’d never seen play before, was playing a gig there in the White Room, a venue I’d not heard of. A tiny bit of research on FB shows a couple of friends are regular visitors and the coffee shop has been promoting acoustic gigs for several months now.
I appeared to be the last entrant at 7.30 and loved the way the quirky tables were set out with candles not unlike a Parisian cafe.
Like so many touring acts these days, support act Gary Stewart would later play bass and drum when Annie herself performed.
He introduced himself as a Scottish singer-songwriter who’s regularly mistaken for being Irish; which I kind of grew to understand as his soft Scottish accent has been diluted somewhat to become generic Celtic; which is no bad thing.
His first song, The Waking of The Kraken was very easy going with some delightful acoustic guitar playing; which set the tone for the next 45 minutes.
This was followed by a fascinating story that led into the more punchy, and dare I say it ‘punky-folky’ Take Me Down which was particularly well received by the audience.
As I type I’m listening to Gary’s latest album Lost Not Found and now; as last night I’m particularly impressed by Gary’s inventive guitar playing, which was very intricate and imaginative on Hot To Trot from that very album.
As his set continued he explained that apart from being a solo act and an integral part of Annie’s ‘band’ he is also in a Fleetwood Mac tribute act as well as having his own Paul Simon show; which begat the request for a Paul Simon song called Duncan that I’d never heard before; and Gary actually sounded very much like Mr Simon, which would bode well if he was to return in that guise.
Alongside another couple of his own songs (one I noted as being ‘dreamy’) Gary finished his slot with a gorgeous ballad called Song For The Asking which got a cheer from the table that had requested Duncan; and Gary later told me that it was the final song on Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water which I doubt I’ve listened to in 50 years, hence not recognising it!
Following a twenty minute break Annie came on stage alone and began her set with the graceful NYAK which I’ve loved for several years; and tonight it sent goosebumps down my back, with Annie’s crystal clear vocals and some very gentle guitar picking, which perfectly suited the acoustics in the room.
As the raucous reception faded away Annie was joined by Gary and Ed Blunt who would play keyboards and add harmonies too starting with a fabulously raw rendition of Black & White from her new album.
This was followed with a really special version of Do You Want To Start a Fight which was introduced with a fun discussion as to whether it should have a question mark or not. The song sounded so desperately personal, that you could hear and feel the angst in Dressner’s voice throughout.
Although it had appeared that very few in the audience actually knew who Annie Dressner was, I looked around the room and saw faces transfixed as they watched in wonder; which begged the question as to why no one else had ever tried to bring Culture to this backwater ex-mining town.
At one stage Annie explained that she was from New York but now settled in Cambridge, and as part of the story described writing Morning Sun (?) with David Ford, then asked if anyone knew him …. cue blank expressions …. at least they are honest folk in Stanley.
There were highlights dropped in like musical time bombs all evening; not least the charming re-working of I Just Realised and the song dedicated to Graham the owner/promoter; the punchy Big Grey Couch with its quirky Wurlitzer interludes, because it mentioned Bruce Springsteen; who he has his own acoustic tribute act.
Annie interspersed the songs from all of her albums with warm and funny back stories that helped create something of a familial feeling among the crowd, not least the story of her Grandmother that preceded the beautifully brittle Leather Chair.
It was one of those nights where I could write a thesis about each and every song; but will force myself to hold back but After The Storm, Should Have Seen It Coming, and the encore, a Magnetic Fields ‘cover’ Book Of Love, that she knew she couldn’t remember all the worlds of; but various members of the crowd and Ed Blunt …. helped out from around the room …. which is the reason I love live music.
Many readers know that I’m struggling to leave the house these days to go to gigs, but tonight in this fabulously intimate setting seeing and hearing one of my favourite acts made the effort well with while; and restored my faith in the restorative powers of Live Music.

https://anniedressner.com/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095399083542
https://www.garystewartmusic.co.uk/gary-solo/
https://edblunt.co.uk/