Beans on Toast - Magic

Beans on Toast - Magic

Essex born folk music Jay McAllister aka Beans on Toast returns to Belfast on the 20th of March for an intimate show in local music hostel Voodoo. Fresh off his tenth album in as many years (literally ten albums in ten years. I know. Mental), Bird In The Hand sees the troubadour tackle his usual bevvy of social, political and technological issues, but now McAllister deals with a challenge of a new kind: Parenthood. Dedicated to his first-born daughter, lead single Magic explains the fears and joys that come with the day of delivery, and see McAllister at his most tender.

Led as always by a simplistic arrangement of acoustic finger plucking and rustic vocals, Magic is essentially a spoken word retelling of the day his daughter was born. Fear and joy are given equal platforms amidst the confusion and exhilaration, as does the trademark humour that fans know and love. It's impossible not to join in on the laughter as McAllister pokes fun at himself while lauding his wife (“Your mum was so calm, I put on my bravest face… Your mother swam to shore, climbed a mountain and run a marathon. I stood on the sideline offering encouragement”). The singer-songwriter has a way of conveying great importance on matter-of-fact observations. “They hooked up a machine, to listen to your heart” he croons, “It’s a sound I’ll not forget, in fact, I can still hear it.” His attention to detail opens up the door into the operating theatre and unleashes all the emotion that accompanies it.

The tune continues, traversing the maelstrom of emotions that all new parents go through (praising the midwife as if they had won an Olympic medal seems to be a common enough reaction. Just ask my dad). Despite the calm pace, a breathlessness takes over the song as the words “something wasn't right. Declared it an emergency and said they'd need to operate” ring out, but all is well once his daughter is delivered. Gentler plucks and delicate keys emphases the tender mood, as the singer is humming a lullaby to his new child, slowly rocking her to sleep. A deliberate use of intonation helps to hammer home the reality of the situation -

“Then you arrived.

And I cried.

Your whole life flashed,

before my eyes.”

as if he himself cannot quite believe it. Mcallisters knack for putting word and situation to emotion is executed brilliantly on Magic, which is a standout tune from his newest album. A decade in, and with no sign of slowing down, make sure to grab your ticket and not miss out on his performance this month.