Last year Cameron Winter thought he would be broke and living with his parents. From New York, his band Geese were slowly rising as respected cult figures in modern rock with their 2023 album 3D country but it was not enough to buy a lofty city apartment. Luckily (for all Cameron Winter heads) this put him in a position with little to lose. Winter said himself that he was able to not care “about what anyone expects or wants from me,” “I’m free to chase whatever ideas I want.” It was these conditions that allowed Winter to make a record that was so entirely him: Heavy Metal.
It released nearly out of nowhere, its sometimes Weird Al zaniness and sometimes Leonard Cohen emotionality did not look like a financially backable career choice to Partisan Records. They allegedly begged Winter not to release the album as it could ruin Geese’s potential for success. By some luck it still came out on 6th of December with no marketing other than one single, a few youtube videos and Instagram stories. Now, a year later, he and Geese have catapulted to mainstream and critical adoration (and thank God for it).
I followed his solo work as it was being released and was conflicted. Some songs like ‘0$’ where so soft but lyrically bombastic (he sings: “God is real, God is real / I’m not kidding, God is actually real / I wouldn’t joke about this / I’m not kidding this time”). There were beautiful songs that sounded like a modern Waits or Dylan passionately hammering down keys like ‘Love Takes Miles’ but then songs that sounded like he was playing the piano with an actual hammer: ‘Nina + Field of Crops’. I did not like it all at once but as the months grew on, Heavy Metal became a place of cozy comfort for me. I connected with his very human relationship with love and inability to be loved in ‘We’re Thinking the Same Thing’ and accepted the wild weirdness of many of his songs, like ‘Nina + Field of Crops’ and ‘Drinking Age’, as his way of being himself.
So I was a big fan, now stood in a fully sold out Albert Hall in Manchester in warm anticipation. The venue, an airy chapel, was ideal for the gig. The acoustics were brilliant and the grandeur of it all fit Winter’s over the top style. The stage was set under massive organ pipes, it was just the piano with golden and white spotlights pointed at his seat. He then walked up onto the stage, seeming happily nervous, and started playing.
He opened with ‘Try as I May’, a slow and sombre song. To play the songs live, he had to strip the songs down to just vocals and piano, something I had some doubts about, but he threw all expectations away. His voice swelled and filled the entire venue, this aspect had been missing from the recordings. There was another dimension to it live that reverberated through the Church, it was an incredible feeling. In interviews he talks a lot about how he wrote all these songs alone and for himself; I now realised what he had meant: in this simple form there was a lot more of an emphasis on his voice that gave his words more emotional power and depth.
It was an incredible way to start. He moved on to some unreleased material (a crazy song called ‘Emperor XIII in Shades’) then he played ‘The Rolling Stones’ and ‘Love Takes Miles’. I have to admit by this point I was crying happy tears, these two songs had meant so much to me the past year and hearing them in this even more personal environment was really moving. ‘Love Takes Miles’ especially, ranked number one on Pitchfork’s top one hundred songs of the year (despite coming out last year – but oh well, it deserves best song of the decade anyway). He played the simple melodies of the song so strongly as everyone sang along.
He then turned to face the crowd for the first time. He told us pretty honestly that he had not played in a while and was feeling nervous but grateful to have such an enthusiastic crowd. He also told us about the last time Geese played this venue: it was not even full and that they kept getting heckled by kids. It felt special to be there now with a crowd that was completely in love with what they were hearing.
We were captivated as he played through the rest of the set. He played two more new songs, both of which had a strong focus on God and the Devil in a very Dylan and Waits way. The spotlights behind him would grow or diminish depending on the song but then, as he started playing ‘0$’, they went completely dark. The soft piano carried through the blackness as he sung at his most touching of the whole night. The song welled up and grew along with the lights which were now providing a faint light around his head. He softly built the song to its final part, the ‘God is real’ bombastic ending that I had been unsure about, and the golden light exploded into a halo around him. He sung so passionately and powerfully, pounding on the piano – the song made so much more sense to me. Hearing it live, it was no longer ridiculous, it was deeply personal and oddly spiritual. It was the highlight of the entire night and incredibly cathartic.
I was left out of breath, with a buzzing feeling as he thanked us and left the stage. It had been one of the best gigs I had ever seen.
Heavy Metal was born out of passion for music and an unapologetic vision. Hopefully its commercial success represents a growing demographic of music lovers who are tired of plastic commercial pop sung by someone who did not even write the song, they want to hear something new and personal. If this is what twenty-three year old Cameron Winter makes and performs when everyone tells him he shouldn’t, then imagine what will come now everyone is telling him he should. His record label owes him an apology and a cake shaped like the Pitchfork number one.
I highly recommend you catch Cameron Winter on his current tour or Geese as they tour around the world next year.
You can find Cameron Winter’s tour dates here and Geese’s upcoming shows here
Cameron Winter: Website / Instagram / Bandcamp
Geese: Website / Instagram / Facebook
Review by Laurie Green
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