Colours Will Fly

Patrick Briscoe

At sometime and someplace in Patrick Briscoe's nomadic childhood he acquired a love of music. When his family settled for a short time in Manchester Patrick's love became an obsession. After suffering a near fatal accident at eighteen he still worked on his music through the discomfort of recovery. Partial success came in the shape of various Mancunian bands in the 1990's.

Drifting back to thoughts of being a solo performer he soon had his first album under his belt 'Timekeeper.' Then he was shortly supporting Jose Gonzalez and Scott Matthews. He's working in the same ballpark as these fellas but in a more organic way.

Patrick takes a bit more of a Jackson Pollock approach to the guitar. There's a surfeit of ideas thrown down and against the odds a melody emerges. In this respect the solo format suits him. These guitar styling's need room to breathe. It's also a great foil for his brand of philosophical lyrical statements. The simplicity of the words being a soothing balm against the busy fretwork.

'Colours Will Fly' is partially preoccupied with time. The inevitability of it passing, how easy it is to let it slip away. How it should be treated with respect. It's all here. 'Another Country' has a plaintive violin the only supporting instrumentation and a warning, 'while we're busy making plans, a life is going past.'

'Brighter Days' comes with a timeless quality and an unavoidable Nick Drake tag attached to it ( 'It's a long way from everywhere when you can't find a friend and the road stretched forever there, through a night with no end.' ) Midway into proceedings on 'Portrait Of England' Patrick gives us his own highly individual commentary on the state of the nation ( 'The price of a seat on a charter plane. Is this where the hopes of a nation lay nowadays.' )

He coax's the most from his guitar and voice. The power of 'Scars And Mountains' is undiminished by the purely acoustic delivery. The rumbling of his bass notes driving the tune along. Proof of how good songwriting will always win the day.

Sometimes life can be too regimented and claustrophobic. Other times we can feel as if we are on the outside looking in, merely an observer whilst time slips away. Patrick toys with these conundrums and teases out his hopes, dreams and fears. He's a romantic, a realist and a rare talent.

David Kushar