Set in the heart of Coventry’s FarGo Village, Just Dropped In encapsulates all that’s good about independent record stores. Not only do they stock albums you wouldn’t find in major chains, they are also community minded and their roots are woven tightly into the City’s cultural fabric. In addition to feeding our vinyl fix, they also hold gigs within their space and tonight they host two of the very best avant-garde artists. Case in point being tonight’s special guest, the artist known as Greet, a one-man army from Leeds who deals in a decidedly dark line of folk. The brainchild of Matthew Broadley, Greet has just dropped his debut album (I Know How To Die), a ten track affair that takes the green and grey from his surrounding environment and presents it in a sound that melds drone and folk in equal measure. Echoing the Germanic coolness of Nico, Greet’s harmonium means his set ululates like waves lapping the shore, creating a hypnotic effect that soon casts a spell over the crowd. These songs which echo from a distant age ensures that Greet has a bright future.

It’s surely no coincidence that Jarboe’s tenure in Swans was undoubtedly that band’s best, most critically-acclaimed, period. Whilst Jarboe is quick to acknowledge the influence bandleader Michael Gira had on her as an artist, that influence was definitely a two-way street with Jarboe being the final piece of the puzzle that made Swans a three-dimensional entity. The strength and depth of Jarboe’s solo work meant that there was never a danger of the Swans’ legacy overshadowing her own discography, and with latest album Sightings (reviewed here) out in the world and garnering great reviews, her light is burning brightly. It means there’s a certain expectation surrounding her appearance tonight, an anticipation heightened by almost every seat being taken. Arriving in typically understated fashion, Jarboe emerges from the shadows as if a spectre, yet her arrival is no less powerful for it. Layers of sonics are added, almost imperceptibly, and like the urban legend of a frog being slowly boiled, you don’t realise the enormity of the sound until you are totally subsumed within its sonic shell.

What really becomes evident from a Jarboe performance is the malleable quality to the songs. Whilst they are easily recognisable, they are also markedly different, and that’s exactly how a live show should work. The songs shouldn’t be mere facsimiles (we have the studio recordings for that), rather they should be organic entities that waver and grow and branch out in unusual directions. There’s a basic framework to these songs provided by baroque keyboardist Joy Von Spain, who creates a canvas onto which Jarboe splashes bold colours and pastel shades. Becoming an instrument in itself, Jarboe’s voice has lost none of its range and texture, and along with the keys creates towering sonic structures fashioned from stained glass and they shine their light in every direction. Against a backdrop of swirling images, Jarboe creates an otherworldly aesthetic and a sound so encompassing it alters the very fabric of time. It means that curfew comes around far too soon, Jarboe disappearing as if into the ether, and as the crowd spill out into the evening, it is with the feeling that we’ve been part of something very special.

Jarboe Set List:

1. Alchemic Heart
2. Ode to V
3. Vireo Serenade
4. Holiness
5. CAUGHT
6. Walking a Tightrope
7. Choir and Night Fox
8. Wayfaring Stranger in the Bardo
9. Illusory