Beans On Toast
Albert’s Shed
6th December 2024
If you’re of a certain age rather like me, you may recall the Slipper Inn on Barker Street. Just a pub darkened by the decade the Slipper was rather prosaic as pubs go. What a change we see today, The Slipper now known as Albert’s shed is a vibrant and very much alive music Music Venue and Pub and luckily now bears no resemblance to what it was all those years ago
It is there where the phenomenon that is Beans on Toast was performing. Back again, nearly a year to the day, he had returned and packed the place. American troubadour Dylan Warneck had the crowd nicely warmed up and ready with his own superb set when Beans (Real name Jay Mc. Allister) took to the stage.
His set started when Matt Millership began the piano introduction. Matt has been with Beans on Toast as a musical collaborator from the beginning and everyone knew what the intro meant. Beans, who rose to prominence in the British Folk scene, barefoot, jumped onto the stage and started his 90 minutes of great music.
You may be new to Beans on Toast, you may not have heard of him before, but he is a musical presence that will not be going away soon. Heralding from Chelmsford in Essex, Beans is best described as a sing songwriter with a difference.
His act comprises Matt’s piano and his own solid guitar rhythm and a bunch of the most sublime poetic lyrics that marks him out as individual. Not dissimilar to Bob Dylan in his time, he speaks to a whole generation of folk that can’t make sense of the ludicrous pompous society that we have woven for ourselves. His words are beautifully constructed and put together so cleverly that one knows that in front of you is an act with a difference. After all isn’t there a million guitar toting singer songwriters? You may ask. Not like this one I would reply. It’s in his approach to the audience and his accurate and sometimes searching lyrics that have brought Jay to the forefront and put him in a unique position of being able to maybe instigate sone changes.
Not to be misunderstood, Beans isn’t all about angst and anger far from it. He is an observationist and will sing on whatever takes his fancy be it love, be it family or be it politics he gives each subject the same level of scrutiny and understanding.
He is the most affable and accessible performer that I have encountered, and his words really speak out. It’s not a generational thing however, the audience was of all ages, but he can be more clearly understood or identified with by the 20/30 somethings that have had more chance of encountering a lot of the situations that Jay sings about. But he seems to be loved by all ages. This was proved when a six year old fan , Hudson joined him on stage to sing a Beans on Toast song. He’d come all the way from Durham with his parents and little Hudson won the hearts of all. But that sure gives credence to the fact that he speaks to us all.
A feeling one gets when watching Beans is one of awe at his summary of situations, conjured up in just a few words, his take on most things is warm and refreshing. One knows that underneath the performers baseball cap theirs is a very unique brain, a brain that makes sense of things, a brain that works in conjunction with his heart to mark him out as maybe one of the best latter day troubadours one might ever be fortunate to see.
Beans on Toast played for a full ninety minutes and finished just as fresh as when he started. Here is a man that loves his work. It is that love of his work and the care he takes that marks him out as unique and important. Important because he holds so many hearts in his own. Important because here is a guy with something to say that’s worth hearing. Matt’s piano is not to be ignored either, the keys bring out so much more of the music and turn a great act into a brilliant one.
This man is not going away, it is this reviewer’s prediction that soon he will deliver a song that will take him stratospheric. People will boast about seeing him in such an intimate and unique setting; as his name will be a synonymous with great songs and top performances and big venues. It will come, mark my words. Whilst well known in the UK he is set to become so much more if he wishes to. This was a great show by a great artist, more power to Jimmy Smith who manages Albert’s shed. He has brought great music to the people and the people came.
This is a Five Star review.
Sofia Lewis
Photography Lottie Lewis
Sofia is a successful playwright living in Shrewsbury. After graduating from Wolverhampton University in theatre. Sofia went on to become an actor and film maker. Her first play was published in 2015 and her plays have been seen all around the world. She is also the instigator of the popular concerts, The Sound Of Shrewsbury Folk. She has been writing with loveshrewsbury for 13 years and loves Theatre Severn and all she sees there.
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