Wednesday 11 December 2013

How best to finish the year... With a BANG!!! of course.

Drag your filthy mind out of the gutter... Thankyou!! Right I didn't have any pre planned gigs to see this late in the year but I have been venturing down to the local Folk Club for the past month which alternates between a guest artist one week and then a singers night for the local members the next. When I checked for the last guest slot of the year nobody had been booked so I mosied on down to the club expecting it to be a singers night. As it turned out Winston official heartbeat and booking personage of Sandbach Folk Club had invited Hayley Strangelove along to do a set. Hayley also performs as part of a duo called Baxter and Paul the other half of said duo was waiting in the wings ready to do a couple of songs alongside Hayley as well.
Once Winston had duly rotored the ever ready floor singers on to the stage [which included yours truly] Hayley took to the stage. After a bit of playful banter and a bit of tuning she opened with a yuletide offering from The Pretenders -2000 miles I was immediately on the edge of my seat not only was it a great song to start with but Hayley's vocals were like a wall of sound giving you a good slap round the chops just in case you weren't paying attention. She filled the room with powerfully delivered melodies which had people moving in their seats, well I know I was nodding and tapping my foot singing along. 3 songs in we were interrupted by the break which was followed by a selection of floor singers before Hayley returned to the stage. During the second half Paul stepped up onto stage with Hayley and they did a great Foo Fighters cover followed by Trouble from Ray Lamontagne (Sorry I get a bit vague about what was played when.. what? I don't take notes you know ;]) Paul delivered these wonderfully and especially hit the spot with me as these are two artists I really love to listen to. So how could you top all this musical wonderment......
Well Hayley introduced the last song as one of the best songs(or even THE best song ever, can't quite remember now, anyway I digress again) and then hit us with Fairytale Of New York. Not only were the vocals out of this world she was doing the vocal equivalent of that Music Hall act where the person dresses half man half woman and keeps switching sides doing female then male. She sang the Kirsty McColl parts in her usual tones but the Shane MacGowan bits she sang low and boy did it work she blew the lid of it and finished my musical gigging year off in the best way possible and The Bells Were Ringing Out for Christmas Day....... ;]]]]]

For everything Hayley Strangelove go to
facebook.com/hayleystrangelove

And for Hayley and Paul as Baxter head to
facebook.com/baxterduo

Friday 22 November 2013

The Majesty of Queens Of The Stone Age

Well I think I've pretty much put my cards on the table with that title but there is more to say than that title. Words bubbled to the surface like watching a pan of boiling water as I replayed the show in my head on the way home.

As the lights went down a night of musical ecstasy started perfectly for me with the first 2 songs off one of my all time favourite albums Songs For The Deaf. The thumping beats just run you through, there is no escape once impaled on the rhythm, with every kick and bass lick you are thrown about. My body was moving and there was nothing I could do about it. One of the things I love about Queens Of The Stonage music is the prominence of the drums and the bass it's like an engine you can just let tick over or rev as hard and fast as you like. The guitars and vocals are steering this machine though and they take you round hairpin bends with songs like No One Knows or down lazy winding lanes as I Appear Missing seeps out and runs down your ear canals. It is testament as to how good the new album is because almost all the tracks made it onto tonights set list. Quite often bands that have been around for a while are happy to rely on their back catalogue of tried and tested tunes to appease people rather than stand by the new music but it was all in here and stood proudly next to some of the best rock riffs around. Suffice to say I was in musical Nirvana. The main set was finished off with 'Go with the flow' and after the obligatory whooping, cheering, clapping and stomping the band reappeared to deal the knockout blows in the encore starting with the wonderful 'The Vampyre of Time and Memory' a tune that starts beautifully simple on the piano and then builds and builds taking you higher and higher as the gusts of sound get bigger and bigger. The night finished on 'A Song For The Dead' which was the 'Thelma and Louise' ending we were all committed to, the band pushing the accelerator to the floor the engine at full revs and we all went off the cliff together on a musical high.

Queens Of The Stone Age delivered everything I expected and more, I'll be re-living this concert in my head for a long time to come. I suggest you go check them out for yourself you won't regret it.



You'll find everything Queens Of The Stone Age here...

http://www.qotsa.com/

Tuesday 19 November 2013

Manchester's Gone Loopy KT Tunstall Live

So this outing was to be a late birthday present or early Christmas present or something like that for my wife and daughter who both love KT Tunstall I was just along for the ride in hope of some musical magic......

After we had laden my daughter with T Shirts and CD's we made our way into the Bridgewater Hall. I'd never been to this venue before and it opened out into a clean precise looking sound space ( Yep I have no idea what I'm on about either basically it looked really nice ;]). We made ourselves comfortable and wondered at the height of the ceiling.....

Now I would normally run for cover nowadays if somebody is described as being played on Radio 1 as I don't think I've listened to Radio 1 for at least a decade( Checkout Roots & Fusion on Pure FM it's very cool ) but thankfully Billy Lockett didn't spring this on us until already part way through his set. By this time we'd already decided we loved what he was doing which was playing great self penned music and then telling us between songs his name was Billy Lockett. His music had a beautiful simplicity bolstered with a voice which with it's hint of vibrato at times really complemented his sound. Needless to say my daughter shot for the door as soon as he finished his set to go buy his EP and get it signed by the man himself(Don't think she stopped grinning till she fell asleep on the way home).

After a short break the lights dimmed and KT Tunstall strolled on stage. You could feel the relaxed calm of someone who has been gigging for a while. She headed straight into the first song off the new album 'Invisible Empire' and all was right with world. The whole place was transfixed on the stage immediately floating along with KT's beautiful tones. I do love it when an artist surpasses the sound of their recorded songs and KT Tunstall definitely delivers live. I don't know whether it's the added edge of being in a situation where everything can go pear shaped(Always wondered why 'pear shaped' was used to describe things going wrong. I quite like the shape of pears. Anyway...) or whether when sound engineers and producers are looking for the perfect waveform they remove some of the irregularities that give a voice or playing style character but there is definitely something more to the sound of KT Tunstall live which was wonderful to hear. The whole feel is even more engrossing as you see the songs build from a thump on the guitar body(Very technical term that, thump, maybe I should have used percussive strikes, Oh well) and then layer upon layer is added by the press of a pedal until you are immersed in an ear caressing soundscape. One of the many high points of the evening for me was hearing the stunningly beautiful Alchemy which apparently was only available to the 'Inner order' of followers or was it just on an EP that you could only get at gigs it was definitely one of those two;]. As counterpoint to the floating flowing tunes there were some down in the dirt gritty bluesy stompfests like the 'Black Horse and The Cherry Tree' 'Seven Nation Army' mashup and 'Suddenly I See'. Basically you know you're in the presence of someone who is great at what they do when it all seems so effortless, just strolling between instruments or reaching down for the next instrument to add another looped layer without looking anxious or hurried. It's really easy to sum up KT Tunstall's performance at the Bridgewater Hall Manchester  Class!!!!



I reckon I've earned a few years worth of Brownie points with my wife and daughter judging by how much they enjoyed the night. (think I'll remind them of that next time I put my foot in it) So big thanks to Billy Lockett and KT Tunstall.

For all things Billy Lockett you can find him here...
http://billylockett.blogspot.co.uk/
and here
https://www.facebook.com/billylockettmusic

The amazing K T Tunstall can be found here(It's not actually her it's a web site ;])
http://kttunstall.com/

Saturday 2 November 2013

Ks Choice Acoustic Night at Unit 51

So this was another new venue for us to see some amazing acoustic music but the first problem was going to be making sure we could navigate through the usual Friday rush hour mayhem to Liverpool from Sandbach. With this in mind I closed up early and we headed down the back lanes avoiding the gridlocked M6. We arrived at about 7pm and to be honest when we looked in through the panoramic windows at first we couldn't see an obvious way in. Not phased we approached the large wall of glass in front of us to be confronted by some strange new internal access apparatus. Conventional techniques were not going to work here we were going to need cunning and guile to gain access to the buildings innards, so we used all our years of entry experience to read the instructions and slide the doors open like a huge patio door. We were in (I know that was a bit over dramatic sometimes that's just where my weird head takes me!!). First impressions were that Unit 51 was a lovely space emitting a very chilled vibe, I liked it. The hope was that the acoustics would match up to the surroundings? Well the nice thing about arriving early is that we got to have a chat with one of the owners of Unit 51 and found out a bit about the creative area it's situated in . They really have created a great environment to chill out and listen to some live music. There were locally produced drinks and Lynn expressed her approval of the coffee (the amount of coffee shops she frequents I'd say she is something of a connoisseur). Once adorned with drinks we positioned ourselves close enough to the performing area to get a good view but not so close as to freak the artists out by looking up their noses ;]. Once we'd enjoyed the silent piece just called 'The Coat Stand' (only performed for early arrivals as once they were ready to get going properly Derek moved the Coat Stand out of the way) everyone was ready to enjoy some audible pleasure.

The Coat Stand in full flow


The evening was introduced by Derek King who started the musical ride with a couple of covers and an original and pleasingly he warmed the room up nicely and demonstrated the acoustics of the venue were going to be a perfect partner to the surroundings. After a short change around which was going to be the order of the night Billy Kelly was introduced. It's always great to see someone I've not seen before and Billy Kelly carried the evening on in fine style just confirming this was going to be one of those top nights full of acoustic quality. Following Billy Kelly was Jo Bywater... She's alright;] Who am I kidding Jo was one of the main reasons I was there and for the second time in a month she blew us away (for more superlatives of Jo Bywater's performing go check out my Chasing Tales EP launch blog). Once we'd all finished marvelling at Jo Bywater's slide playing it was time to drive a six inch nail through my foot because I was liable to knock the table over when Me and Deboe start playing. I should explain a little further, every time I hear Me and Deboe my leg starts tapping away like I'm thumper the rabbit(think I said this before in another blog but can't think of a better way to explain). Tonight was no exception they delivered again. The night was nearly at an end but not before a lively and charismatic performance by Shoes4Brakes (I like this name by the way seems like a biking ref to me? and I like bikes a lot), what's not to like they've got a cajon and great energy.

I'm sorry I've not been to be as detailed as normal in my musical description of the night but while all this wonderful music was going on we managed to have a chat with Me & Deboe which was cool and I also spent quite a bit of the night discussing guitars and grunge bands with Jo Bywater but don't shoot me I'm not a reviewer this is just a blog and the main thing from the evening was that we all had a great night.

Derek King put on a superb evening and I'm sure the K's Choice Acoustic evenings at Unit 51 are going to go from strength to strength. I know we really enjoyed all of the music and the atmosphere of the event, I can't recommend it enough. The fact that it is free is almost criminal. While people were out paying £30+ to see processed pop this amazing talent was available to see for free.

So if you've not guessed I totally recommend if you see any of these names around go and check them out. Big thanks to Derek King, Billy Kelly, Jo Bywater, Me and Deboe and Shoes4Brakes

Just a surreal note during the evening a Fox scuttled across the windows and then returned from it's night out in Liverpool a while later..... weird.

For all the info on K's Choice Acoustic events..
http://kschoiceacoustic.wordpress.com/

For Unit 51 check them out on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/Unit51Coffee?directed_target_id=0

You can find Billy Kelly here...
http://www.reverbnation.com/billykellywwk
or here
https://soundcloud.com/billykellywwk

Everything Jo Bywater   including guitar tuition.....
http://www.jobywater.com/

For Me & Deboe (I actually know which one is Sarah Deboe and which is Mercy Elise now. Cheers Jo)
http://www.meanddeboe.com/

Everything Shoes4Brakes can be found on facebook
https://www.facebook.com/Shoes4Brakes?directed_target_id=0
 
To find out what the Fox says

Sunday 20 October 2013

Sean Taylor at The Liverpool Irish Festival

So I was back in Liverpool for another gig. I can safely say it is becoming my favourite City to watch music(and this coming from a Mancunian) all the gigs I've seen here the audiences are attentive and appreciative making it a great place to go and watch and listen to an artist. Entering the Zanzibar Club I was in no doubt this would be no different. Tables and chairs were set out and we were in early and found ourselves a real sweet spot for listening.

I made sure we were in early as I'd been reliably informed that Dave O'Grady was not to be missed. From the first punchy strum of his guitar I was in. On his first song there was a punch coming out of the speakers that gave you a good slap just in case you weren't listening it sounded like a very loud percussive thud that almost made me fall off my chair first time it hit me. Once I'd gripped my chair so as not to be knocked off next time the sound wave came I found myself tapping my foot and nodding my head(hopefully in time) to a great sound. The rhythm was easy to fall into and just roll around in and his voice has a great tone with just the right amount of grit to rough up the edges and leave a memorable bluesy/americana sound massaging your ears. I really loved his take on the Beastie Boys 'Fight for your right' it took me a few seconds to recognise it but left me grinning when I did. He definitely seems at ease on the stage and really cracked me up when he asked for everyone to join in on a few bars of a Neil Young cover 'I don't mind if you can't sing or you're out of tune just don't make me look a dick'. This was a great start to the night and I am now going to frantically search out anything he or the Dave O'Grady Trio (his band) have got out there and snap it up because I want to hear more and I can't wait to hear the new album they are currently recording.

I'd been trying to find somewhere I could see Sean Taylor live for ages and when all the stars had aligned to make me available on a night he was playing Liverpool there was no doubt I'd be going. The first thing I noticed as he kicked off the first half of his set was how chilled he seems up on stage talking about recording in Memphis like he's recounting a story to old friends and then easing into his music like sliding on a comfy pair of shoes. Being somebody who has to fight with a guitar to make any noise helps me appreciate how wonderful it is to see Sean floating over the fretboard stroking and teasing exquisite sounds from his guitar( I know!! it's starting to sound a bit sexual, put your hands where I can see them and keep reading ;]). His sound drifts into your ears pushing it a little deeper into your subconscious with every echo. One thing I noticed live, which I don't think comes across as much on his recordings, is how cool his voice sounds when he gets his grit on. He can really dirty up a vocal making it more intense which came across brilliantly while I sat there transfixed. He brings plenty of humour filled banter to plug the gaps while he tunes for the next song which peaked while he was plugging his Uncles book which was being sold at the back of the room 'Look somebodies already over there buying it, the power of words' to which the would be customer shouted back 'No I'm nicking it' everyone including Sean fell about laughing.



All in all this was another wonderful night of music in Liverpool I can't recommend seeing both these artists highly enough. Very different styles that made for the perfect night and I'd definitely go back to the Zanzibar club to checkout music a very cool vibe.

 Sean Taylor has a great new album out called 'Chase The Night'
which you can find through his website as well as checking live dates and vids
http://www.seantaylorsongs.com/

Dave O'Grady has an EP out called 'Dirty Little Secret' which you can find on Itunes
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/dirty-little-secret-ep/id574111001

and I think this is the right website where hopefully you'll be able to find the new Dave O'Grady Trio album when it's released
http://daveogradymusic.wix.com/davesitenew

Saturday 28 September 2013

Chasing Tales a Musical Journey by Bilbo Baggins

Sorry about the title I typed it in a coffee fuelled frenzy and it made me laugh so it's staying.
The title should just say Jo Bywater Chasing Tales EP Launch.
So normally I blog about the concerts I go to but I have recently missed one which was Soundgarden at the Manchester Apollo the reason being I was stood about 20 feet away from the right side speakers and I couldn't hear any sound. Having seen Chris Cornell last year doing his acoustic set I know they're awesome but I could only sum up that night with buzzing for atmosphere but unfortunately also for sound. The reason for this preamble was because I was already comparing this nights venue and sound quality to my last outing and I was very pleasantly surprised. We hadn't been to the View Two Gallery before on Mathew Street and we were a bit wary as we saw the entrance to a narrow building squeezed between the noisy bars and nightclubs which all seemed to be named The Cavern. Going through the door was a bit like going through the wardrobe into Narnia you were in a different world protected from the stereotypical British city center nightlife that was carrying on regardless outside the door. Climbing the stairs we were watched by some lovely artwork lining the three flights of stairs and as we neared the top we could hear the warm clear tones of Jo Bywaters guitar getting ready. I was immediately put at ease because even before entering the room my ears were telling me this was going to be an acoustically fantastic night. On first entering the room I almost felt a bit under dressed I even took my beanie off out of respect for such a pleasant looking venue Lol ;] .

This night was going to be a night of discovery in the main because I had not heard three of the four artists before which is always exciting, I like the unknown. First up for the evening was Little Sparrow which is normally Katie Ware and four band members which tonight was reduced to one due to transportation issues. Now I know you shouldn't prejudge but I couldn't help thinking this was going to be you're usual finger picking with a small but pleasant voice which I knew I would enjoy but you can see in a million places up and down the country... How wrong was I. Ok there was some lovely finger picking guitar but when Little Sparrow opened her musical wings I realised she was a soaring Albatross her voice filled the room beautifully. It was wonderful as her voice soared then swooped taking us with it and all accompanied by some tantalising violin. It's great seeing how versatile a violin can be as it's played and then picked and then used percussively. So I think you can tell we thought this was a great opening to the night.

In contrast to Little Sparrow Anna Corcoran had increased her ensemble to two as she was joined on stage by Steph (i hope this is right) playing Cello and I am a sucker for a Cello sound. It's not very often I get to listen to a piano based artist so this was a refreshing change. The mood and sounds were very mellow and I could hear why she had been nominated for a Liverpool Music Award. It was a warm chilled sound (hold on is that right, what am I on about 'warm chilled' anyway you know what I mean) that had a lot of interest from the audience.

Now at this point in proceedings there was a real shift in pace. Me and Deboe started strumming frantically and they obviously had Bluetooth equipped guitars that were paired with my leg because my foot started tapping frantically I felt like thumper the rabbit. It was superb. I'm actually listening to their EP as I type this and my leg is at it again :) . I apologise for not knowing which one is Mercy Elise and which is Sarah Deboe but the main singer has a wonderful bite to her voice which grips you by the throat and shakes you about insisting you sit up and listen. This is all complimented as the harmonies kick in and fill out the sound, simply superb!!(have I said that already, I'll have to get a dictionary and find some more superlatives). As soon as they finished their set my wife chased them down to get the EP CD so we can share their music with my guitar playing 11 year old daughter because we're trying to give her as many female guitar role models as possible and Me and Deboe are a great example for her. I was trying to think of a music genre that best describes Me & Deboe because Country & Folk as it comes up in Itunes doesn't seem to fit their edgy sound. I plumped for the description Grace and Tony have given themselves on their bio page which is Punkgrass(you can make your own mind up).

So by the time Jo Bywater hit the front I was already on a musical high. Now I was introduced to Jo's music by Brian Player(Who asked me to say hello on the night for him and I was kind of carried away with the music and forgot. So 'hello Jo' from Brian better late than never eh) what seems like forever ago as I've been listening to her 1st album 'Cycle Grace Pulse Break' a lot since I've had it. So no pressure but this had to live up to a sound I was in love with , bluesy, mellow with pointy edges ( I have no idea what that describes but it's too late I've typed it now). From the first strum of her guitar I knew I wouldn't be disappointed. Jo started with songs off the first album gradually being joined by musicians on the Cajon and backing vocals and much later on electric guitar. The wonderful bluesy tones floated around the room filling my ears and lifting the edges of my mouth into a contented smile. As if that wasn't enough to leave me happy for the evening Jo then picked up a Gretsch Resonator(I think) and started to play a mixture of slide and picking to showcase the tunes of the new EP Chasing Tales which after all was what this evening was all about. It wasn't just the sounds that had me captivated I was mesmerised by Jo effortlessly coaxing interesting sounds from her guitar.
Just in case you are in any doubt I really enjoyed the music and would definitely recommend going out(or staying in) and getting a copy of Chasing Tales EP by Jo Bywater.



I seem to label the latest gig I've seen 'One of the best I've ever seen' and my wife tells me you say that every time rendering the statement a bit useless. All I can say is if it makes me want to give it that accolade I had a great night so  that was 'One of the best I've ever seen'.
Big thanks to Little Sparrow, Anna Corcoran, Me and Deboe and Jo Bywater for filling my night with musical wonder. Also a big thanks to Liverpool Acoustic and the View Two Gallery for putting this all together and hosting it in such a lovely venue.

For everything Jo Bywater go to
http://www.jobywater.com/

Me and Deboe can be found here
http://www.meanddeboe.com/

Anna Corcoran home on the web
http://www.annacorcoran.com/

You can find Little Sparrow flying here
http://www.littlesparrow.org/


Friday 16 August 2013

The Civil Wars Album

If you watch the news there's plenty of evidence that we're not as far removed from animals as we'd like to think but every now and again something appears that reminds us we are different. One of the things that does seem to separate us is the ability to create premeditated beauty. To set out with an idea to do something, make something that will improve the world or people around us and as I sit here listening to The Civil Wars latest album again I am filled with child like awe at how far removed from mere mortals their ethereal harmonies seem. Even with the dark undertones of the lyrics it still all just seems so beautifully enchanting. The album feels like a mermaid calling you to the rocks, your ears are channelling gorgeous tones to the brain that seems to mask the darkness of the lyrics.
Some things really make the world a better place, well my world anyway. I just sit down and allow the sonic currents to wash me away on a lazy river with not a thought for everyday life to be seen.
I know they may never tour again, they may never make another album, who knows? All I know is I am going to treat listening to their music like seeing the passing of a once in a lifetime shooting star feeling I was in the right place at the right time to witness the splendour.

So thanks to John Paul White and Joy Williams I hope everything they do in the future brings them as much pleasure as their brief time as The Civil Wars has given me..........

If you want to treat your ears go check them out on spotify and then once they've massaged your ears into submission you can get everything Civil Wars here
http://thecivilwars.com

Sunday 23 June 2013

Sweet Soul Music..

Growing up listening to 7" & 12" Stax vinyls from Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Booker T & the MG's I felt I'd missed out when it came to going to gigs for the first time in the late 80's early 90's. The golden age of high octane soul was long gone and my favourite of those Stax stars Otis Redding had been sadly missed for over 20years.

Fast forward another 20 or so years and the social media revolution of facebook and twitter was now feeding my hunger to hear new music. Twitter in particular has put sounds into my ears that quite often would not have appeared on my radar. So about 12 months ago a Folk singer called Katie Gentry or @tea_one_sugar mentioned that I should check out a video of a band playing acoustic music on the shores of Loch Ness.. That band was Vintage Trouble and I was hooked straight away. I went and bought The Bomb Shelter Sessions album as soon as I could. I'd just missed the tour dates they were doing in the UK that I could get to but promised myself I would go see them if they came around again.... and come around they did.

Waiting in the dark at Fibbers music venue York the expectation and excitement was palpable everyone knowing we were in for something special.
The band came on and faced away from the audience as 'Worlds Gonna Have To Take a Turn Around' played and when they finally turned to face us the place erupted. The band Nalle Colt, Richard Danielson and Rick Barrio Dill looked like they had walked straight off the set of 'The Assassination of Jesse James' , Richard Danielson rocking the coolest looking moustache and if you look up the word 'Cool' in the dictionary it just says - 'Ty Taylor'.
The band took control of the crowd immediately if they told you to clap you clapped if they told you to wave you waved it was like some kind of Pied Piper magic. With Pelvis Pusher you found your hips doing some Garth like thrusting (Foxy Lady from Waynes World) while your head looked down as if to say 'That's not me doing that is it' ;] People just couldn't help themselves the music had everyone in it's grip. So they started high energy and just kept the room there everyone having a great time I noticed part way way through I had been smiling right from the off which can only be a good thing because I am one grumpy f****r. As if to let us have an unofficial break they would slow it down and I remember distinctly feeling the hairs on my arms go up as Ty Taylor started 'Run Outta You' it felt exactly the same as the first time I heard Otis Redding sing 'These arms of mine' on one of my dads crackly old LP's a feeling that stays with you forever.
The sound went a bit AWOL just before they started the acoustic session which meant the spell was broken temporarily but when harmony was restored  the band came back with a vengeance taking us even higher. Ty Taylor disappeared into the crowd a couple of times, something that gives the band an extra special connection at these smaller gigs, even standing on one of the bars at one point to direct the crowd into even more of a frenzy. As the encore finished the band walked through an appreciative crowd to stay and chat and sign stuff at the back of the venue to finish off what was one of the most memorable gigs I have ever been to.

If this were a film review it would be 5 star, if it were an exam it would be an A+ and if it were an Olympic event it would be a gold medal performance......

If you get a chance to see the amazing Vintage Trouble grasp it with both hands, feet and ears as it's something that will stay with you for life. This is how good music can make you feel in the right hands. A very big thanks to all the fellow Troublemakers for a great atmosphere and all of Vintage Trouble for taking me to a musical place that I thought I'd never see after the end of the Stax era.

Checkout everything Vintage Trouble here
http://www.vintagetrouble.com




Monday 27 May 2013

Oh Aud-l-em The Reads Live

Well this was a day of firsts. First time we'd been to Audlem, never mind the Audlem Music Festival, first time my daughter had been to a music festival and first time I was going to see The Reads play live. 'Stories from the Border' had quickly become one of my favourite albums of the last 12 months after it had been recommended by Clive Summers ( @CliveSummers ) on twitter. The music was a mix of contemporary sounds like Snow Patrol, Athlete or Elbow fused with some Pink Floydesque haunting melodies and a soft northern accent to the vocals.

We pulled into the pretty village of Audlem at about 3pm The Reads were listed as being on at The Bridge Inn at 4pm so plenty of time to wander and find the venue. The sun was beating down as we walked through the center, you could here music coming from alleys, shops and the volume increased as we passed The Lord Combermere pub on the corner. We paused briefly to take in the bluesy sounds being watched from the front of the Church then carried on to The Bridge Inn.

The stage was setup around the back of the pub on the car park. Once I'd fought my way to the bar and got the drinks in we checked out the remaining songs of a covers band Gambler who were doing a great job of the U2 classic 'Where The Streets Have No Name'. We found a shaded spot under the canopy (so we didn't get sunburn rather than trying to avoid rain another first) and waited for The Reads.....

Now I have to say that normally when I've seen bands at these smaller festivals or carnival type events the sound is crap but hats off to the event organiser. There was a proper sound desk and sound engineer and when The Reads had finished directing him to get their levels the sound was great. It really struck home when they broke into Galaxy Egg with the harmonica sounds that I thought might get a bit lost in this sort of a performance. Even with the distractions of dogs, wasps  and kids I was enjoying the mellow sounds that really suited the warm Sunday afternoon. The thing that struck me most was that the band actually looked like they were having a laugh even if the audience didn't seem to be in on it at times as Stu Bennett described himself as looking like Wordy because you couldn't see his legs from the audience( I cracked up but the rest of the audience including my daughter seemed to be saying Who? which made it even funnier to me :]). The banter did seem to be breaking down the barriers though as Stu announced their return from a massive US tour while Clare shook her head in the background putting the audience in the know, he then followed this up by introducing the next song as their last US number one ;] It was all very funny to watch and he seemed to be enjoying that some of the people were going with it. The high point came for me as they played my favourite song off the album 'Nothing Bound' it really is a superb sound and deserves to be enjoyed on a warm chilled out day. As the set progressed the audience grew as did the audiences connection with the songs which was confirmed as they called for an encore after the announced final song Aud-l-em (Avalon). This seemed to throw them a bit but they finished on the wonderful Good Omens to a standing ovation (To be fair there were no seats so I might be milking that a bit).

The only thing missing from this performance was that I think Stu Bennett forgot to thank Ian ;]

Having seen The Reads live I wouldn't hesitate to go and see them again and I suggest you go check out the wonderful Stories from the Border.

If you want to find out more about The Reads and how their 2nd album is progressing here's a few links
https://www.facebook.com/The.Reads.Music#!/The.Reads.Music

http://www.pledgemusic.com/artists/the-reads

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/stories-from-the-border/id424042436

http://thereads.tumblr.com/


Just as a final note we really enjoyed the time we spent at The Audlem festival and we'll definitely be back to check out more music next year......

Sunday 12 May 2013

Kishi Bashi at Trof Fallowfield

Well I have to confess while I was looking forward to seeing the mastery of Kishi Bashi live I had dubious feelings about the venue which was not in the Center of Manchester but in the student area of Fallowfield. Pictures of noisy uninterested people talking over the music were filling my head. My thoughts were not eased as we parked up in front of a row of dank looking terraced housing with what looked like filthy sheets limply hung over the windows blocking out the remaining daylight.
We were  a 100yds or so from the venue Trof which the sign outside told us was an eating and drinking palace. We hovered at the door discussing whether to eat here or try and find somewhere else. The decision was made we were going in...

Inside was like walking through a curtain. Don't get me wrong it wasn't like walking into a salubrious restaurant but you could immediately feel the atmosphere lighten from the dingy street. This was all helped by a relaxed warm greeting from the staff behind the bar. I know this might sound counter intuitive but the place had a relaxed buzz about it, even though we could see we were by far the oldest in there we just felt chilled straight away. Alright I know this was supposed to be about the music but I just thought I should set the record straight with myself if no one else that my prejudices were totally unfounded(as most prejudices are). We had a very tasty meal and some good beer to set us up for the musical aperitif.



Once we saw a few people heading upstairs to the music venue we tentatively followed. My first impressions were that we'd been invited around to someones flat and the furniture hadn't arrived yet. It was smaller than I'd expected it had a bar on one wall and on the windowed side there was a sound desk at one end with a corner stage at the other. More friendly chatting to the bar staff and Chris the sound engineer was the lead in to the support act Francis Lung, who did a fine job of unsettling some of the young fellas at the front of the audience as he wandered off the stage and into the midst of them.

By now I was really starting to enjoy this venue the intimacy and relaxed vibe was great. Throughout the support Kishi Bashi (or K Ishibashi) had been sat at the back just behind the sound desk like he was just keeping an eye on this house party he'd thrown. One young fella walked over and pulled a violin out of a bag for Kishi Bashi to sign and he smilingly obliged I was really enjoying this vibe.

Soon enough he had moved from the back to the stage and showing some thought for his standing crowd invited people that could not see to move to places at the front obviously aware that people are just as interested to see the magic as well as hear it. From the first stroke of his violin I could feel the reflex action of a smile across my face. My ears channelling sonic bliss straight in allowed muscles to relax and mundane thoughts of everyday life to disappear while I just focused on that little corner of the room. At times you could see him hopping like a cat on hot coals as his feet worked feverishly pressing the next pedal to help build the soundscape he was creating and all the while everyone in the room was transfixed on him. It was amazing to watch as he moved from a violin run to beatboxing to singing. The set list went through quite a few of the songs on the 151a album as well as a few others I'd not heard before but thankfully included my favourite track Manchester. The night was over all too soon with the wonderful Bright Whites bringing one of my favourite music filled nights to an end.

I can honestly say I have never seen someone so talented entertain so few but I'm so glad my first experience of seeing Kishi Bashi live was at Trof Fallowfield because it really added something to the whole feel of the night. I do think the Lowry should beg Kishi Bashi to grace their venue though so his performance can be fully appreciated and he can reap the rewards of his amazing talent.

Not sure if you can tell from this but I and my wife had a fantastic night all made possible by a little gem of a venue with a great crowd a cool sound engineer by the name of Chris and not least an amazingly talented Kishi Bashi.......



For all things Kishi Bashi here's where to go
 http://www.kishibashi.com/

To check out the Eating and Drinking palace that is Trof Fallowfield and it's staff
http://www.troffallowfield.co.uk/



Wednesday 27 February 2013

Richard Hawley For Whom The Bell Tolls

Our first outing of 2013 was a much anticipated return to the Liverpool Philharmonic to see Richard Hawley. Last time we were there to see The Civil Wars at the end of 2012 and I'd never been surrounded by a quieter audience it would be interesting to see if this was a one off or if it was going to be a continuing trend.

The lights dimmed and the band strode on to take up their positions with an air of relaxed confidence safe in the knowledge that we were in for a treat. From the first sonic wave of 'Standing at The Sky's Edge' I was washed away on a sea of sound, all the everyday thoughts disappeared as I let the musical currents carry me away. The melodic trance was only briefly interrupted as someones phone rang out like a bell perfectly placed after Richard Hawley sang out 'The bells I hear them ring' from the song Soldier On the theatre was in uproar. It was one of those unexpected moments that will stick in the minds of everyone that was there but as funny as it was at the time I still think we lost out on hearing a beautiful song as the band couldn't even attempt it for laughing. Composure regained the band headed back into The Doors like psychedelic masterpiece which is 'Leave Your Body Behind You' which was very aptly named because that's exactly what it felt like as I was carried off again  on wave after wave of wonderful music. Songs were interspersed with Richard Hawleys grounded and humble comments and remarks endearing him to this attentive but subdued audience. The standing applause welcomed the band back for the encore and they finished in style washing us away with 'The Ocean'

I new it had been a wonderful night because Richard Hawleys deep massaging tones were still drifting around my head as I floated off to sleep that night and anything that can transport you out of the humdrum of everyday living is priceless.

So if you want to be washed away in an ocean of wonderful sound go and see Richard Hawley......

http://richardhawley.co.uk/

By the way The Liverpool Philharmonic is a great place to go and LISTEN to music the audience is quiet but it seems to be in appreciation of the music they're listening to which can only be a good thing.