Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Every person finds the church that carries their own belief, that teaches them the right lessons for them about humanity, of suffering, agony, pain, and the beauty of relentless hope. Not every church comes with a spire, not every place of worship has a priest, a rabbi or swami in attendance and yet there is always the one overwhelming feature that binds them all, that of the choir, the crowd in full voice singing songs passed down through the generations, the gathering raising their voices on high in praise, and quite often detriment, to those that a higher power has called to the alter of idolatry.
From the lowest reaches of any football league, to the highest range of influence of skill and appreciation, from the fields of Crewe and Gresty Road, the gallows humour singling that was once a staple at Maine Road and to the floodlit nights as You’ll Never Walk Alone was rejoiced, bathed in beauty and spirit as Liverpool players took to the pitch with thousands of raucous, harmonious fans behind them inside the Kop; all have their belief, all have seen lean times and exulted the stories of heroism, of bravery, of kings, and that church is the centre of many a community to which people are drawn.
For Folk singer and musician Minnie Birch, the sound of the terraces, the football chants and the oral banter when sung are as close as a listener might find to understanding the how interwoven the beautiful game is and being able to hear music that is inspired by the songs passed down from father to son, mother to daughter, history in its most purist sense; and in Ms. Birch’s You’re Not Singing Anymore, the sound of the salute and the mass chant is one that touches a part of the soul that has long been ignored.
Everyone has their own particular favourite terrace song or sarcastic chant, but in the hands of Minnie Birch, football regains its place away from the fear of business, and once more returns it to those that matter, the supporter, the ones who can hear Stoke Fans singing “Going Down, Going Down“ on the last day of the season and counter with the absurd, excellent response of “So Are We” sung back by 10,000 opposition fans.
Across songs and timeless memories, which kicks off beautifully with the intro of The Lord’s My Shepherd, sung on the West Bromwich Albion terraces, the superb cover of Billy Bragg’s God’s Footballer, John Brown’s Body, with its stirring call back of The Battle Hymn of The Republic firmly sewn in its fabric, the traditional song of My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean and Minnie Birch’s own Cash Out, You’re Not Singing Anymore defies itself, it argues that each moment should be sung loudly, with others and with passion. There is also the moments in which the breathe is simply taken away, the stories supplied of the people who matter of what they remember being delivered by the crowd to the pitch below and the wider community.
A football album it is not, but is one that that embraces the idea of its own secular church, where any person can stand or sit next to each other and strike up conversation, where forgiveness and solidarity can become sisters and bring societies together; and in that Minnie Birch’s album deserves the attention and love it deserves.
Minnie Birch releases You’re Not Singing Anymore on June 13th.
Ian D. Hall