By Sam Wise.
Pegasuses are like a national treasure, except that somehow, they’re local. The duo of Laura Lamb and Dave Miatt are light-hearted, soul touching singer songwriters who will make you laugh and cry in the space of a few minutes. The path from local band to doing something more is rarely as clear as musicians would like, and Southampton is no exception. You can build your portfolio of friendly pubs, you can try to get stage space at local festivals, or you might try to get yourself booked for support slots at venues like The Joiners or the 1865. Pegasuses have found a different route.
They enlisted Russell Marsden of Band of Skulls to produce their debut album, Sea of Joy, and with a wonderful group of local musicians, and got connected with the SoCo Music Project. Earlier this year, they were named as Turn It Up Associates, a development opportunity funded by Arts Council England (yes, they apparently DO still have some money!), and led by Turner Sims in association with Soco Music Project. This opportunity has meant access to industry advice, support in finishing the album and accompanying merchanise, and the chance to play a headline show at Turner Sims. This was my first opportunity to hear the band who played in my back garden for my 50th birthday appear in a full band setting, and it was an absolute revelation.
Turner Sims is not a typical venue for local bands, but Pegasuses are not a typical band, and they grabbed the opportunity with both hands. We come in to a stage covered in pot plants, furniture and ephemera, including an old tuba, all apparently to provide a cosy, homely setting to husband and wife duo Dave and Lamb, whose home décor style has been described as maximalist. First, however, we are treated to a set by Lucy Kitchen, a local singer songwriter with a deft and delicate touch, accompanied by Michael Davies, guitarist and pedal steel player known locally by his stage name Watching the Buzzards.
We don’t have to wait long for our hosts however, as they shuffle, almost bashfully, on stage after a short break. What happens next is extraordinary; as they break into their opening number, which I would honestly have expected to be the encore, “My Friend the Moon and I”, a transformation takes place. If, as a duo, Pegasuses are a beautiful oil painting, the full band transforms them into a 3D movie. Every single thing feels like an incredibly delicate piece of art, and the band doesn’t function at all like a band. Dave and Lamb remain a duo, and the rest are a choir of angels, decorating the already beautiful with something transcendent. Lamb’s glorious voice is front and centre, and with the benefit of a high end sound system and a very good sound tech, I felt that I realised for the first time how good it really is. Harmony is always at the core of what Pegasuses do, the two of them seem instinctive in how they sing together, and the songs are full of unusual chord progressions and melodies which lend themselves to something a bit special. Add another two singers to the mix and something really special happens.
The sense was that all the musicians saw Dave and Lamb’s songs as complete already. Frankie Knight on keys rarely did what a keyboard player normally does, rather adding texture and unexpected noises, plus her own ethereal harmonies. Similarly, Michael Davies on guitar and lap steel never made it about him, which is why he is in such demand locally as a sideman, but rather floated over the top of Dave’s deft and complex playing like a glider riding the thermals, adding his voice when needed. Dave and Russell Marsden seemed to co-lead on stage, with Russell taking both the traditional drummer role, and something approaching musical director, while Dave led from the front. Together, they guided us through a set of songs which are by turns whimsical, touching, amusing, baudy. We enter the world of squirrels, magic beans, friendly celestial bodies, sex, and far more. It’s not the typical content of a rock and roll band, and it’s delivered archly, literately, and often with great emotional weight. We laugh often, but cry at least as much. Most of all, we are transported; the experience is unreal, and we leave feeling that we’ve just woken from a dream.
Pegasuses are very keen to book more gigs with this full band lineup, but they face the challenge of having levelled up in both quality and scale. Their Facebook page reads “We sing songs. Contact us if you’d like us to sing songs in the same room as you.” You have to assume it may not be that easy for long.
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