Will Varley brought his latest album Postcards From Ursa Minor to a packed and enthusiastic audience at the Cambridge Junction with a mixture of wit, poignancy and the political cynicism that is his trademark;
if Bill Bailey, Tim Minchin and Michael Stipe had a lovechild Will Varley could well be it.
From the outset the crowd joined in; singing along to his opening number As For My Soul, with its lyrics that Leonard Cohen would be proud of. His latest single, the hauntingly beautiful Man Who Fell to Earth reveals a quality in his voice reminiscent of REM’s Michael Stipe, there is no doubt Will is a talented young man who has honed his craft from the tender age of 13, when he worked venues with a fake ID.
Will takes you on a ride that will have you laughing out loud one minute with his unexpected improvised comedy between numbers; including a moment where the audience was required to recreate The Big Bang for Weddings and Wars, in which he attempts a history of the world in under four minutes! To stopping you in your tracks with such heartfelt and melancholy songs as From Halcyon, February Snow and Until the Grass is Greener, the latter written for his girlfriend.
Will’s constant banter and interaction with the audience reached a high spot when a democratic vote was required over the choice of the next song between Talking Cat Blues and Monkey on a Rock it was a close run thing with but the cat won!
Wrapping up his set with Seize the Night, he was joined on stage for the final two songs by support act Molly’s Lips, with the addition of bass, a piano some great three part harmonies it was a fitting end to great gig. Will Varley is certainly an act to catch……
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