With a beer brewed specifically for its anniversary, a great pale ale from Bath’s very own Electric Bear Brewing Company, 45 Years Loud, sold at the bar and walls scrawled with artists from Moles history (“You saw Oasis here??? This close!!!” exclaimed our main act) you know you’re in a real venue. The only downside being that these quirky types of venue generally have a weird space and Moles is no different, with about a third of the audience having no view of the acts at all, save a small TV screen.
But we’re not here to talk about Moles, we’re here to talk about our softly-spoken host for the evening, William Prince. “Welcome to the meet and greet”. With those six words he introduces himself and his superior, and lightning fast, wit. Owning a voice that feels like a warm blanket paired with a soothing cup of chamomile tea, William takes us through 90 minutes of stories, music, and his uplifting life-affirming seques. Hailing from Manitoba, Canada, before moving to Peguis First Nation as a boy, and then finding success relatively late (his breakthrough came with 2020’s Reliever), Prince tells his story through his songs as well as filling in the details in between. From the beautiful ‘Tanqueray‘, written about proposing to his wife, to ‘Leave It By The Sea‘, written in Brighton about leaving things in the past, the vocals are perfect and matched with steel guitar played with sublime complexity.
From the almost spoken word vocals of ‘Goldie Hawn’ to the crowd participation of ‘Wasted’ Prince puts on a show in the most unshowy way. At one point there’s a hushed, almost reverential, singalong that breaks out, almost like we in the crowd don’t want to break the spell that’s being cast over us. It’s a wonderful evening, spent in good company, and leaves a feelgood feeling that even the late evening rain outside the venue can’t break.
