Sarah-Jayne Riedel has had a busy year - working on new material and embarking on a headline world tour, her band Dutch Mustard dropped by Bristol’s Louisiana to share established and new material in a fast-paced, fun set.
Support came with two bands, which represented the extremes of Dutch Mustard’s sound.
Spirited modern punk quartet The Hunger treated the audience to an energetic set, reminiscent of the early days of punk, completed with their very own dancer and much pogo-ing.
Ethereal-ambient-psychedelic-
Dutch Mustard has a strong, growing following with a sonic and visual style that is evolving into something with its own unique quality. Emotional yet without pathos, Sarah-Jayne shares vignettes of life stories without the messy details; vague, half-glimpsed sensations of an emotional journey that pass like shadows. The overall effect is a presentation that is engaging and uplifting ,whilst leaving a nagging sense of familiarity. These are her life experiences and yours, too.
Opening with ‘A Song for Dreamers’, the guitar-laden rock sound was never overpowering, instead serving as a complementary backdrop for Sarah-Jayne’s soft, soaring vocals. The band comprising Nath, Toby, and Luke was a well-rehearsed machine, leaning into the gaps with a coarse hardness and holding back to let the vocals shine. Overall, a well-composed soundscape that didn’t overpower the music or the audience.
‘Weeping Willow’ is a good example of Sarah-Jayne’s blend of dreamy emotion with raw rock, whilst established songs such as ‘Thank You’, ‘Loser’, ‘Beauty’, and ‘Dreaming’ show the musical journey unfolding. ‘Magnifique’ is another typically blended set of styles and influences that add to the broad appeal. Video is important too, with the theatrical process of visualising a song undoubtedly connecting back into the on-stage performance. Sometimes leading with guitar, floating almost ballet-like around the stage with only a microphone, Sarah-Jayne shows dimensions and layers to her work which seem to have already outgrown the scale of the show.
Wrapping up the set came ‘Feel Everything’, Dutch Mustard’s most popular composition to date. It mirrors Sarah-Jayne’s own experience of life, of the highs and lows of emotional connectedness. Luckily, as she explained in her MITB interview, she loves to perform live. Recreating the joyful connection with the audience is something that has driven her since childhood, when the film ‘School of Rock’ first inspired her to pick up a guitar.
“Every gig, we give it everything, even if it’s five people, a thousand people, you just never know when your next gig’s going to be, and it’s such a special feeling, you can’t get it anywhere else. The chemistry with players, making music, and bringing people together with what we’re creating, and then you have a room of people and we’re all in the same world. You just can’t get it anywhere else.”
Sarah-Jayne’s love of sharing that feeling was powerfully evident in Bristol, and as the tour progresses across the UK and US, that joy and her following are both gathering momentum.
Many bands work well in intimate venues and seem lost when elevated onto a bigger stage. Dutch Mustard, on the other hand, seemed a little cramped in the cosy room of The Louisiana. With more space to spread her wings, Sarah-Jayne will surely fly even higher.
Peter Freeth
Images: Peter Freeth
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