Elliott Morris @ The Jolly Brewer - Review

Flattering guest review by Calum Fuller.

It is difficult to comprehend exactly how Elliot Morris got so good at playing the guitar in such a short space of time. At eighteen years of age, many artists are still experimenting with new sounds and have no coherent direction to their music. KT Tunstall et al. certainly were in that predicament at eighteen. There is no such indecision here.

Instead, those at the gig at Lincoln’s Jolly Brewer were treated to a virtuoso performance that belied Morris’ years. His rhythmic, complex, unpretentious playing holds the attention immediately, and will no doubt draw comparisons with Newton Faulkner, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly and other such luminaries. Despite that, his music is still hard to define, taking elements from world music and rock but still healthily imbued with a liberal dash of individuality.

A potent combination indeed, and with a set entirely made up of original material, it was not long before the crowd was won over, presumably because they had realised they had been presented with an artist on top form. Morris leads the music deftly with his Faulkner-esque double-tapping , going from raging speed to soulful reverie in the space of a fret, while almost simultaneously employing a more percussion-based approach. The result is astounding. It is fresh, and given the broad scope of the lyrics and the precision and finesse of the instrumentals, coupled with solid vocals, it is easy to see why his stock is rising.