Adam Nutter & Experiment 637 - Polar Bear - Hull - 14/10/2023

Adam Nutter and Experiment 637 both gave a masterclass in innovative, creative and truly beautiful music, mesmerising and captivating throughout and giving those present a night to remember.

The venue for this occasion was the Polar Bear in Hull. A quirky yet unassuming place located on the outskirts of the City Centre of Hull. Known to locals for their regular hosting of local Hull acts and promoting the talent within the city. On this occasion, it made way for two acts from the west of the County to showcase their outstanding talents.

A co-headlining tour, both acts rotating set positions for these shows, Adam Nutter and Experiment 637 brought with them their own history of musical pasts, yet now find themselves in a similar position…. a new project and venture….. a fresh process of creativity and promoting, a musical journey of who have both experienced the highs of the industry…… yet are now going their own ways…. given the freedom to do what they want in exactly whatever way they want to do it.

The venue lent itself perfectly, a small yet charming setting for the acts to showcase their work and huge thanks to both acts who were present from our arrival. Chatting and greeting those who had come to see them and both watching each other’s sets. That does seem rare nowadays that you do get the opportunity to have a conversation and appreciate not just the act’s performance, but to get an insight into the person behind their work.

In my review of the Music’s huge reunion show from 2022, the journey of Adam and his creation of the beautiful Badlands on Fire has been a public one and one that I and many others feel we have shared along with him.

The whole story is Adam’s to tell and he does so, largely in the form of his superb Podcast, documenting and capturing those beautiful moments and the insights that he and his fellow band members experienced in the Music, through to the present day.

The podcast is raw, open and emotional yet combines humour and reflection throughout, giving us a real view of the industry, but also the person behind his album and its creation.

Adam connects with so many and his journey is inspiring. When listening to his music from years ago, to his latest self-released album, you feel you don’t just listen to it, you feel what it is truly about and where it came from – yet it has the ability to take us personally somewhere else too.

It feels so much more than just coming to see him perform this evening. It also gave me the opportunity and others to meet with Adam. He was approachable and kind, humorous, honest and passionate about what he does. It was a pleasure to meet him and have 5 minutes of his time and I could so easily have spent much longer with him and wished I could.

Adam took to the stage first, introducing himself with a brief history of how this album came about. He then opened with Dreamtwister.

The sound he produced was breathtaking. There are no vocals… yet it had the ability to tell its own story. It was atmospheric, powerful and intricate. Some of the notes Adam played appeared unique and demonstrated his prowess on the guitar.

He looked so at ease on stage. He took time to introduce each song, honestly detailing how they came about before mesmerising those who watched with every song that followed.

Each song he performed gave you another step on the albums journey and another chance to marvel at the creation Adam had made. It was stunning.

Produced lovingly with James Chapman, known as MAPS, the Badlands on Fire album was performed by Adam and his guitar, no gimmicks. The set did not need anything else. Just Adam doing what he does.

Following Adam was Experiment 637. A two piece band consisting of Mickey and Ronan.

Much like Adam, the band are ultra-creative and gave not only a musical masterclass, but also a visual one, the stage flanked by stunning video footage, blending itself perfectly to the music.

The thought provoking images portrayed seemed as delicately and well-crafted as the songs they played…. songs that often started slow paced and built, and built and built… right up to an uncontained finale and then back down again. It was beautiful.

This set combined with Adam’s were beyond special. Both acts deserve to be heard by as many people as possible. I will take great pleasure in sharing these acts with as many people as I can as well as continuing to follow them on their respective journeys.