LIVE *3
Martin Harley Band / G Love & Special Sauce
Manchester Academy 3
Before you read this review I have a bit of a disclaimer. This review is going to have a little bit of bias involved. I have been listening to G. Love & Special Sauce since I was first introduced to the band’s self-described hip-hop blues sound some ten years ago. It’s a sound, which has been imitated, but never quite duplicated in the thirteen years since G. and the Sauce released their first album. Tonight I want to find out if all their great songs can be performed live, as well as they sound on the albums.
However, first things first, I can’t go on with this review unless I mention The Martin Harley Band out of Surrey. A strong three-man set up made of a slappin stand up bass (Graham Ross), the world’s smallest drum kit (Paul Swatton), and distinctive slide guitar (Martin Harley). You know you’ve got a great opening band when they’ve already packed the venue with their powerful blues tunes. The band, including the drummer, are pushed right up to the front of the stage, giving the set a very interactive, intimate feel. Songs like ‘Dealer’ and ‘Money Don’t Matter’ have gotten everyone into the right frame of mind for the rest of the gig. I find there are people who have come to the £12.50 show just to see this band, not knowing anything about the headliner. Definitely worth checking out these guys, as they’re now going to be on their own tour around the UK in the summer.
Garrett Dutton (G. Love) hits the small Academy stage behind his band that is the Special Sauce and starts things off. With harmonica around his neck and guitar on his shoulders he is soon back and forth on the stage rhyming out his refreshing lyrics for us all. I’m hoping he’s not going to just play the songs from his new album Lemonade, and he doesn’t disappoint. He’s right to his old school tracks like ‘Baby’s Got Sauce’, ‘Things I Used to Do’ and ‘Garbage Man’. We get a surprise when he performs ‘Blues Music’ and moves straight into a cover of The Velvet Underground’s ‘Take a Walk on The Wild Side’. Everyone is singing along with each tune G. throws at us. The venue is steaming, and after an hour set the band takes a breather while G. Love does an acoustic set with some requests from the crowd and some of the songs from the new album. When the band returns, so does the tempo of the gig. As the band is playing ‘Cold Beverage’ G. Love breaks out into a cover of Snoop Doggs’ ‘Gin & Juice’ and the whole audience is loving it. It’s not just these covers and well known tunes that he’s doing though, he goes into a couple of freestyle rhymes of his own. People are dancing, grooving, throwing their hands in the air and around their partners. The ice cool and thirst quenchin’ two hour set served up by G. Love & Special Sauce tonight gives me the feeling that a nice hot summer is on its way.
Dave Logan
Mother Vulpine / Samsa / Downdime / Massive Heron / David Broad / Wintermute
@ Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
If you go down to the Brude today, you’re in for a big surprise… though, as certain keen-eyed reviewers would like to point out, those green plywood trees have very sharp edges – Dave, call health and safety!
First to emerge from the artificial greenwood are Wintermute, smart as a button in a nerd rock style and stomping out some very precise, upright indie pop. Midway, the set experiences a slight dip, but when it returns it has all the erratic energy of At The Drive-In. Morphic pop in motion.
David Broad is one quarter of the Folk Theatre Partisans and the bluesman of the bunch. Tonight, he’s throwing out the standards, no nonsense, uplifting and homey, though the sight of Massive Heron setting up behind him is very Morecombe and Wise; I fear, unnecessarily, for Fran Rodgers when she joins him on stage.
Improvisationists Massive Heron, on this occasion, are Andy Abbott and David Ronalds playing Kalimpas through a variety of pedals and effects. The sound is hypnotically Balinese, but the sight of Andy sitting on a box playing what looks like a rudimentary Gameboy is bemusing. Then it ends. Intriguing, but ill-fitting.
Downdime, however, are rocking-fat tonight as the atmosphere swelters; there is much bopping to be had to their heavy euro-indie. In fact, they seem like a new band, and when Ged steps up to a roaring crowd on a wave of phase, you can almost see a rock god in the making behind that floppy fringe.
Calming things down a touch, Samsa set the room vibrating with keyboard and drone before laying down bass lines the likes of which have not been heard since Rob Smith discovered Kohl eyeliner. The brothers Deakin and Mr Wood are in full progressive pop post-rock mode tonight, and new single ‘To Conquer’ shines with beautifully pitched vocals and darkens with filthy bass. Though I’m wanting them to really let rip, I’m content to wallow in a sea of white noise tonight.
I’m not going to let Mother Vulpine off that easily, though. Fortunately, the black and green machine hit the ground running and get faster from there. Guitars are drop-keyed and riffs rumble from your bones outwards; by the time they unleash ‘We’ll Be Detectives’, the floor is full. Momentum falls for a moment, and then Lins kicks in with the killer riff of ‘Keep Your Wits’. Matt leads the frenzied mob like a feral conductor to shrieking climax and then… they run out of songs! Need more songs! They encore with ‘… Detectives’, throughout which I am thrown about like a rag doll, to end what has been an unforgettable evening. Another Bone epic.
Rob Wright
New Young Pony Club / Holy Hail
@ The Cockpit, Leeds
Once you get past the not-quite-in-tune screaming of Holy Hail’s opening song, it becomes more apparent why this group from New York are an ideal support act for New Young Pony Club. As their set goes on, each song grows more infectious with some amazing bass lines and throbbing drum beats that almost convince people to start dancing. Almost, but the array of ‘indie’ kids, electro throw backs and those who desperately want to look like a member of gothic punk band The Horrors, don’t go for it, this time.
Despite this, Holy Hail have the potential to be a band that, in a few months time, will have people dancing. Like the headlining band, its female members are in the spotlight. Aside from the lead vocalist, the bassist in particular stands out; her powerful and focussed stance declaring independence. No doubt this is what impressed New Young Pony Club’s vocalist, Tahita; a fellow feminist.
Equipped with a standout dress and a band ready to create an electronic frenzy, Tahita Bulmer steps onto the stage. She attacks all her lyrics; she’s feisty and comical without being overconfident. It becomes obvious that, apart from a handful of dedicated fans, the only songs people really know are ‘Ice Cream’ and ‘The Bomb’. The great thing is, it doesn’t matter. The friendly banter, the bright personas and the songs that brainwash you into dancing mean that you don’t need to know much about New Young Pony Club to enjoy them.
By the end of the set the audience can see that Tahita has put every fibre of her being into this performance; she evens lays down to rest at the end she’s so exhausted. She’s coughing and wheezing as she says goodbye but we get the impression that this is what she does for every performance. Believe me, it’s a show worth seeing.
Tasha Pert
Patti Smith
@ Plug, Sheffield
Imagine if your grandmother was Patti Smith. It'd be awesome, wouldn't it? Rock and Roll icon, punk poet de jour... grandma. And it could conceivably be the case, considering she passed the big six zero last year.
Talking of birthdays, her friend and peer - not many can say that - Bob Dylan celebrates his 66th birthday today so Smith's set begins with 'Highway 61 Revisited'. It's an impressive, and faithful, rendition of a great song; certainly better than most of Dylan's own attempts at performing his back catalogue these days, but that's for another review.
Cover versions are a big part of the Patti Smith show, and having released an entire album of them this year ('Twelve') she's pretty well drilled in performing other people's songs. Flanked by two guitarists, a bassist and a keyboard player, the sound is nice and full, plus Smith's voice has weathered surprisingly little considering her no doubt vicarious living over the years - a real bonus.
Perhaps inevitably, it's the familiar ones that sound best, and when you're covering absolute classic songs that the world and his wife knows then even your own enviable material has to take a back seat. The Rolling Stones' 'Gimme Shelter' is a highlight, so too The Doors' 'Soul Kitchen'. Anybody who covers 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' is brave at best, and that one passes me by, but The Band's 'Helpless', delivered in the encore, more than makes up for it.
For the numerous Smith aficionados in the room, it's rare glimpses of material from her own albums ('Redondo Beach', 'Gloria') that draw the biggest sighs and silences. My guess is that they'd probably prefer a set consisting of more of her own material, and you can understand that perspective, but regardless this is still a show to remember. Add Patti Smith to that all-too-short list of artists who could be your gran, but can and do still rock.
Rob Webb
The Pigeon Detectives / Air Traffic / Micky P Kerr
@ Leeds Town Hall
Tonight, even though tickets are said to be sold out, the fans are not in high supply. On entering the large hall in which The Pigeon Detectives will kick-start their first performance of their two-night appearance, you could be mistaken in thinking that the majority of people who have attended have probably got ‘something better to do’.
Micky P Kerr casually walks onto the stage, initially seeming a little unassuming and maybe even a little bewildered. Kerr opens with some original poetry, then dabbles in jokes, acoustic folk music (including the recent release ‘Susan May’) and then ends with a little hip-hop. Despite constant reminders to buy tickets for an upcoming gig, this act receives a tremendous appraisal from the dwindling crowd. Let’s hope this great performance is a sign of things to come.
Next up is a band from Bournemouth, Air Traffic. There’s been a buzz surrounding this band of late, which makes for an interesting result. After many reviews and interviews building up this band to such height, it would be dangerous for them to slip with tonight’s performance. Upbeat tracks ‘Charlotte’ and ‘Never Even Told Me Her Name’ are crowd favourites and things are looking promising until the slower songs start. They verge on being boring and sound fairly similar, excluding latest release ‘Shooting Star’.
After this slight dip in entertainment, The Pigeon Detectives arrive with a cocky swagger and a sweaty disposition that remains constant throughout their set. The once patchy crowd pulls together in aid of belting out popular tunes, ‘I Found Out’ and ‘Romantic Type’. After a while we get a familiar feeling; a feeling that most of their songs are very similar. Even after saving new song ‘I’m Not Sorry’ near their last, it doesn’t feel enough. They do have a great live persona, but I still feel under whelmed.
Tasha Pert
Pitch Invasion / Front Runner / Hey Bulldog / Sandbox
@ Night and Day, Manchester
Having been to Designer Magazine events before, I knew that the bands often varied dramatically from Manchester's finest to Manchester’s worst, and this held true tonight.
Opening four-piece Sandbox single handedly justify the entry cost. This is the band’s first gig this year and, ignoring a few false starts, the set is note perfect. This is a band with raw energy, controlling the stage and captivating the crowd. Lead vocalist / guitarist Lennie oozes sex appeal and performs with power reminiscent of a thin Beth Ditto. This, coupled with flowing bass lines and one of the best drummers in Manchester, makes Sandbox ‘ones to watch’ for the future. The only flaw in the performance is from the bands new lead guitarist, who stands stationary whilst the rest of the band give it their all, something that will no doubt improve with experience.
Debutants Hey Bulldog are clearly nervous taking to the stage, and this shows in the opening two songs. The three-piece look awkward, and despite good riffs are let down by basic drumming and out of tune singing. There is a stark improvement by the third track as the band start to loosen up, performing a well-written song and showing hints of potential for the band. Although not necessarily crowd pleasing, this is music that could appeal to many. The improvement is short lasting however, and the songs quickly become mediocre again.
Initially sounding and looking like ‘another Manchester band’, Frontrunner show they have a lot more to offer. Although playing typical rock'n'roll guitar music, they are incredibly tight and have a distinct, moody sound which has some great hooks (without the boring, ‘twiddly’ guitar solos that plague other bands). The only flaw in this combination? The killer punch. Tending to sound like an impotent Kasabian, the songs fail to kick in. The band show promise in their closing song, with great use of effects to get the ‘huge’ sound they need, but other areas of the set are left lacking which would otherwise propel this band to bigger places.
Final band Pitch Invasion are a real let down to an otherwise upbeat night. A disjointed looking quintet, they are one of the worst bands I have ever seen. The guitarists seemed to struggle to play, the drummer too busy flying around his kit to keep any sort of tempo, and the lead singer gives the impression of a poor man’s drunken Iggy Pop. However, most of the 130 strong crowd have departed by this point, so little damage was done to
Designer Magazines’ reputation.
Sam Atkinson
Reel Big Fish / Army Of Freshmen / Beat Union
@ Manchester Academy 2
Army Of Freshmen, who look old enough to have been at college three times over, like to act like kids and perform synchronised pogo-ing on stage. There are two keyboardists, and what they play may differ slightly, but while one takes on vocal duties the other just seems to play around with his keyboard, variously pretending it’s a gun or holding it behind his head. It all looks quite impressive but I don’t see the practical side. But that said the youngsters here lap it up, and while their pocket money / EMA handouts are paying to see this, it will continue to be present at our venues.
Now at least Reel Big Fish know not to take themselves seriously. Their songs are about basic matters: girls, beer, and the odd cover (as well as the infamous ‘Take On Me’ there is ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ from The Cure and Lita Ford’s ‘Kiss Me Deadly’).
The vocals from trumpet player Scott Klopfenstein are amazing, switching from high pitched wailings to gruff, deep yells in the same breath. The banter between him and singer Aaron Barrett is very funny, while John Christianson and Dan Regan dance about like madmen. There is a reserved member of the band, bassist Matt Wong stands out of the way at the back near drummer Ryland Steen (‘The Rabbit’).
‘Where Have You Been’ is of course a huge sing-a-long, being one of their best hits next to the truthful ‘Sell Out’. ‘Take On Me’ is probably the best thing they are known for; played just before the encore. The band show their talents during ‘S.R.’ by playing a few of the lines in the style of the blues, ballad, punk, electronic dance, and my favourites, death metal and country.
This is just a band out to have fun, and you see what you get. They even have a song to tell you that it’s the ‘end
Danielle Millea
Revelation / Robin Beatty’s Magic Tree Orchestra / Far Flung
@ Jazz in the Field, Edale
A short train ride away from Sheffield lies the village of Edale, which every year plays host to this lovely little curtain-raiser to the summer festival season. Situated in a picturesque showground surrounded by some of the Peak District’s most popular hill-walking destinations, Jazz in the Field provides a laid-back evening’s entertainment whilst raising much needed funds for The Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture.
As the first band take to the stage the field is already busy, not just with people expectantly filling seats, but also with fun-loving folk scattered around the field, making the best of the remaining sunshine, with picnics, Frisbees and games of football. Far Flung, an eight-piece group composed of local young musicians who met through Hope Valley College, provide a fine soundtrack to this early-evening revelry. They roll through a selection of classic jazz tunes, such as ‘Feeling Good’ and ‘Is You Is’, warming the audience up nicely and even persuading a few to take to the dancefloor.
Next up, Robin Beatty’s Magic Tree Orchestra take things into more original musical territory. A thirteen-piece ensemble, sharp of dress and musicianship, they spin-out a groove-filled soundtrack mixing elements of world music into their loose-limbed jazz compositions. Sandwiched between more simplistic interpretations of the jazz template, they provide the event’s clear musical highlight.
It is headliners Revelation, however, that really get the crowd out of their seats. A talented collection of session musicians, who between them have backed an impressive roster of talent, their easy-going, feel-good grooves seems to be just what people have been waiting for. As darkness falls and the bar runs out of real ale, the crowd dance on happily into the night.
A great atmosphere, entertaining music, beautiful surroundings, and all for charity. This early-summer treat is well worth discovering.
Tom Schrieber
Reverend & Makers / Gas Club / The Hosts
@ The Leadmill
This was a gig with a very real sense of being lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. Most of the audience had no difficulty buying tickets when they went on sale, but that was in those far off days before Reverend & The Makers were officially 'the next big thing'. Expectations tonight are high. Jon (Reverend) McClure and his band are approaching the end of a highly acclaimed tour and the Leadmill gig tonight is sold out. It is hard not to think back to January of last year when they played this very stage alongside Milburn, the Harrisons and of course the Arctic Monkeys. What price a ticket for that line-up now? Back then they were fresh-faced and unheard of outside of this fair city; now they are on the verge of nationwide acclaim.
Let us not neglect the two supports though. Gas Club were the first playing good, if unremarkable, fun. I was a bit under-whelmed, as it was all a bit same-y, and they seemed dogged by a muddy sound on the vocals which left me wondering what it was they were trying to say to us. They were quickly followed by the Hosts. Suited and waist-coated, they picked up the ball and ran, with a highly polished sound, very Doves-like at times, but it all seemed a little too contrived and derivative for my tastes.
This evening belonged to The Reverend. The six-piece band played some of the best new music I've heard for a long while. I say new, but it seemed I was very much in the minority by not being able to sing along to most of the songs. Huge choruses and impassioned delivery all added up to a great night. Laura Manuel on keyboards, vocal and occasional percussion and was certainly a crowd favourite and they even brought on Steve Edwards to sing on one song. No need for preaching tonight, this was their mission statement to the converted.
Vivian Bonzo
The Rumble Strips / The Little Ones / Pull Tiger Tail / Blood Red Shoes
NME New Music Tour @ Plug, Sheffield
As the NME New Music Tour quietly rolls into town it appears to have stumbled on one of its best line ups in recent years. However the Plug is barely full tonight as the audience stand out as being very young, and as it also appears, not at all interested in the bands they paid to see.
As Blood Red Shoes appear, angst ridden and ready to scream, the crowd look the very opposite. As they thrash through song after song, each begins to sound similar to the last, with the audience showing little enthusiasm. Then, showing their true light, like two toddlers throwing a tantrum lead singer Laura smashes her guitar to the floor in vain. The crowd barely blinks.
Pull Tiger Tail in addition are unfortunately slow to start, also with the audience now primarily consisting of teenage girls, with three pretty young guys onstage, chances are the attention is not on their music. However this isn't a band who have managed to succeed through their looks. With quick wit and the most radio friendly hits of the night, they are in danger of becoming the breakaway group of the tour.
The Little Ones are the surprise highlight however. Providing some summertime melodies, the American band look genuinely happy to be here. When watching as they play through their sun soaked twee songs you can't help feeling uplifted by their music in a matter of minutes.
As The Rumble Strips enter however, there is a confusing atmosphere onstage. The blasting saxophones and trumpets provide enough rhythm to appear on a Mark Ronson album. However lead singer, Charlie spends most of his time staring at the audience like he's about to butcher your loved ones. Also despite the band ending in a shower of glitter, the act begins to wear thin with the signature Dexy's Midnight Runner's influence becoming more of an annoyance than a joy.
Ruth Offord
Seafood / Make Good Your Escape / Samsa
@ Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
Friday night at Brudenell and it seems wrong to be indoors with the beating sunshine making the nearest beer garden very appealing. However, the small but perfectly formed trio Samsa soon remind you why you’re here. It’s an impressive and well balanced (but short) set sounding like a homage to British Sea Power with a hint of sinister throatiness of Cooper Temple Clause. There are some steady, well-honed tunes here, which deserve more attention than third billing.
Make Good Your Escape are Brighton’s answer to At The Drive-In; providing some earnest echoing guitar riffs with a drummer who’s obviously opted for Duracell. It’s well executed throbbing bass lines and melancholic Delay-esque vocals which all provide a very listenable, but slightly too consistent set which I have to say, felt at least one song too long.
I’m amid a déjà vu when Seafood saunter onto the tiny platform, as the lead vocalist, most certainly was standing behind me in the Faversham bar queue just hours before. While I’m regretting my missed opportunity for some enthusiastic music banter, Seafood are underway with some textbook indie alt-rock tunes. It’s not often that Seafood headline a tour and they appear to have carved themselves a niche as the eternal support band with fervent, crowd rallying tunes. Their heart’s most definitely in the 90s with obvious influence from Idlewild and REM – more American indie than Brit pop – but despite the nostalgic feel, they comfortably give that covers band sound a wide berth and batter out the freshest sounding alt rock formula.
The final song ‘Splinter’ aptly ends in a crescendo of a guitar solo almost worthy of Muse’s Matt Bellamy. Severely overlooked, this is definitely one band to see live.
Vhairi Maxwell
Simple Kid
@ The Social, Nottingham
Listen, it's really simple. He wrote some songs. He released an album. That was Simple Kid. He liked it. He toured. He got stressed from the tour. Things fell apart. He quit. He got a job. In the nearest video shop. He watched Weird Science. And Werner Herzog. And the Muppet Movie. Again and again. And again. He didn't write any songs. This was The Great Hibernation. He decided he wanted to write songs again. He wrote some songs. He's now released them. This is Simple Kid 2. This we take to be a self-evident truth.
Tonight he brought his simple one-man show to Nottingham. Thankfully though, an evening spent with Simple Kid gig is anything but. I've seen him several times since his second album was released, and two shows are never the same. Tonight half the crowd at the Nottingham Social didn't seem to be in the mood. Impress us. A little nervous at time, but he did just that. By the end the crowd were converted and were cheering for more, and with good reason. Simple Kid's songs gently seduce the uninitiated whilst completely satisfying the converts. At every gig I've seen him perform I seem to hear someone on the way out saying ‘I must tell (insert best mate's name here) about him, he'd have loved this.’ He writes the catchiest of songs. You catch a whiff of the Beatles here, and the Flaming Lips there. Beck chats to Marc Bolan in the left corner, Dylan jams with Merle Haggard in the right. And it's all put together with the aid of his trusty Apple Mac. He records and modifies his songs in his bedroom using his computer, and he extends this on stage where he uses backing tracks and projected videos to the full. He performs a duet with a very young-looking Ozzy Osbourne and an ageless Kermit the frog, courtesy of Realplayer. The finale is a long overdue tribute to the great Shirley Crabtree (ask yer dad). Give him the opening slot on this year's Glastonbury main stage and the masses will thrill to his deceptively simple world.
Vivian Bonzo
Sky Larkin / Johnny Foreigner / Veer
@ The Roadhouse, Manchester
Though lacking in crowd members and transport mishaps (putting petrol in a diesel hire car) Sky Larkin, the pop trio from Leeds, provided a stirling performance at The Roadhouse on a Tuesday. Though cliché, it will be a massive misjustice in the world if this talented band aren't welcomed with open arms by other cities of musical gravity.
However, first on were a young cocky four piece from Cheshire called Veer. Radio-friendly rocksters jumped into their first track without a word, and it screamed early Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Throughout their seven-song set they provided a fresh voiced innocence to an old style. Their cover of 'Purple Haze' by Hendrix - a daring track to cover no less - deserved acknowledgements and their own tracks were well received.
Next up, Johnny Foreigner, a guitar pop trio from Birmingham with a certain style that can't be clearly pigeonholed. I feel they are extremely American angst and they love to scream a bit.
Two songs to download would be 'Sometimes in the Bullring' and 'Split 7"', both worth checking out.
Then came the highlight of the evening, Sky Larkin. Even by the end of the catchy and alluring intro to their first song, 'Molten', music lovers were giving their nod of approval. It's clear from the start how they've made their name in Leeds, Katie's vocal's are both raw and soft accompanied with choppy drums and great guitar riffs along with unprecedented tempo changes and the ever-important stage presence, they have it all! For their song 'Keepsakes', Katie took her position on the Korg, and slightly scared it would all be ruined I sighed with relief as it was superb and brooding, with a slight Yeah Yeah Yeah's essence.
They ended their gut-wrenchingly great set with the popular track 'One of Two', which again is catchy, but perhaps more heavy and dark, fantastic. The hope of an encore was dashed as I was left standing like a lemon staring at an empty stage, but never mind. Seriously, before they're massive, go and see them at venues where you can actually see them without squinting and then you can be the obnoxious one who says, 'oh, I saw them ages ago before they made it big.’
Nicole Kenny, pics by Hannah Dornford-May
Stephen Fretwell
@ Dancehouse Theatre, Manchester
For several years seemingly inescapable and playing every gig going, Mancunian songsmith Fretwell now seems poised for bigger things. A sell-out crowd at the Dancehouse, made up of painfully cool scenesters (i.e men who haven’t shaved for a week and girls who look like they’ve never worn the same thing twice) would appear to confirm this.
Opening this acoustic gig unaccompanied, Fretwell plays a selection of material from his back catalogue and current EP Four Letter Words and previews songs from his forthcoming album. And it’s all very good. Fretwell is a talented lyricist, one of the rare breed that can recast everyday turns of phrase as profound and poignant lyrics without ever lapsing into predictability or cliché. He’s also an engaging performer, although clearly not at ease with the all-seated theatre-type venue, he takes a couple of songs to warm up but is soon decrying the bar facilities with the audience and teasing them with brief snatches of their song requests.
But it is hard to imagine how he will progress beyond this level. If he is to enter the popular consciousness, Fretwell will have to compete with, for instance, the twisted lyricism of Damien Rice or the shameless populism of David Gray but I can’t see how he will hook unwitting listeners as the others have. Sadly, quality songwriting is just not enough to carry a career and without a cynical push of some sort, Stephen Fretwell’s well-crafted songs risk remaining a rich cache, appreciated only by initiates. And a musician of this calibre deserves far better than that.
Yousef
Stephen Fretwell / Alexis McLean
@ The Lamp, Hull
A gig at the lamp is usually a hot and sweaty affair, although being so close to the band makes it all worthwhile. However, tonight the lamp has been transformed into a candle lit, romantic little café bar, in which Hull welcomes the North’s finest and most enchanting singer songwriter, Stephen Fretwell. Support came from Alexis McLean, a Burnley born duo influenced by early Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline and 1960s British Pop who warmed an initially sceptical crowd with catchy country blues and a charming sweetness that saw them honestly saddened that this would be their third and final night supporting Fretwell.
Fretwell emerged with only his guitar for company and although initially looking a tad uncomfortable (blamed after the gig on the fact that he’s ‘stopped getting pissed before playing’), he plucked through the mainstays from ‘Magpie’ his debut album and new songs from his latest EP. Fretwell seemed to relax as an adoring crowd sighed with every melodic riff, soulful open chord and his note perfect yet huskily honest vocals. Charisma oozes from the laddish folkster as he thanked god that, being from Scunthorpe, ‘there wasn’t a load of people from school here to throw things at me.’
Crowd pleasers such as ‘Emily’, ‘Run’ and ‘Bad Bad You’ received the best reception although songs from the new album were also well received. Accompanied later by additional violin, mandolin and bass guitar, which added extra depth to his music, he returned to solo acoustic guitar for final song ‘New York’ – although worried about swearing in front of his family in the crowd. Maybe it was the candles, maybe the music or maybe it was just a perfect evening with Britain’s most exciting and heart-warming singer songwriters, but Fretwell left the stage having stolen the hearts of the entire room.
Mike Pye
Tegi Roberts / Neil McSweeney / Louis Romegoux / Pete Green
Brash @ The Grapes, Sheffield
Drawn to a gig promoted as ‘a stellar bill of local acoustic singer-songwriters’ Sandman procured two pints of cider, two large gins - ice in the cider - and ascended the glorious Grapes staircase to look for stars.
First up Louis Romegoux blended the haunting vocal stylings of Jeff Buckley, Martin Stephenson and Simon and Garfunkel with a song craft drawing on the troubadour tradition of Phil Ochs and Leonard Cohen. This boy can wail with the best of ‘em. With gigs lined up all through the year, Romegoux is one to watch.
Neil McSweeney was having quite a birthday – Jonathan Ross had played his new single Postcards that very morning on Radio 2 and it turns out Ross sideman, Andy Davies has invited McSweeney to play in Spain later in the year – surely only a matter of time afore the well traveled crooner turns up on Friday night prime time Telly. If you like hill walking, being sozzled on London Road and the voice of Roy Orbison, McSweeney is for you.
Tegi Roberts has been AWOL from Sheffield gigs for a while. Turns out the reason her strings have got a bit manky is that she’s busy on a PhD at Hull University on industrial regeneration and collective memory - so expect some Cod War Ballads this time next year. All that studying has of course inspired much songwriting. With topics ranging from hangovers to babies she just gets better, a real gem. Her assured stage presence and original guitar and vocal style show that an apprenticeship in the pubs of Walkley pays dividends.
Pete Green’s set of lo-fi space junk was cut from a more Offbeat cloth and peaked with a cover of Kim Wilde’s Kids in America. So was it a case of starry, starry night or fluffy little clouds? As Kim Wilde’s Dad, Oscar once said - we are all of us born in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. Keep watching the skies.
Tim Willis
The Ending Of / Air Cav / iDresden
Nothing in Manchester ever stays secret for long, and this was definitely the case with the launch of the Into The Black Collective’s synonymous record label. And, like all things that are supposed to be kept quiet, it proved to be well worth searching for the ramshackle recording studio that was to serve as the perfect venue for a gig-cum-debauched party.
The Ending Of... gave everyone a fantastic welcome into the night - not just because of their matching shirts and haircuts, but with beautifully melodic New Wave that seemed to draw influences from bands like Interpol to strangely enough, Gogol Bordello. Songs like ‘Le Cirque De Vie’ definitely suited the mood of the venue, ensuring that we were all dancing and grinning like idiots by the end of the set. If the band isn’t a hot tip by this time next year, then everyone needs their ears testing.
After a drunken wander round the building which resulted in finding a creepy papier mache man in a room and naming him Mustafa, we got back to the main room to find Air Cav had taken to the stage. Mustafa in tow, we fought our way to the front and while some songs seemed to suggest a Manchester version of the Arcade Fire, at other times you couldn’t help but wonder whether or not the violins were added in at the last minute in order to provide something that was a bit different. However, they didn’t disappoint me totally, so I suppose that was a good thing
I felt quite sorry for iDresden by the time they came on, mainly because everybody seemed to be too drunk to notice that yet another band had taken to the stage. However, everyone was definitely back in the room as songs such as ‘Clockwork Propaganda’ made us tear up the dancefloor with iForward, Russia!-like, prog-lead drum beats and guitar riffs that you couldn’t help but move your feet to. Their dark edge was made all the more apt due to the fact that it was the middle of the night in a dodgy part of town, and I certainly felt like I was at the centre of something that was quite special.
All too soon, the sun was coming up and it was time to go home, and I was left wondering whether or not Into The Black might end up being a world-changing movement in terms of music, as well as whether I was going to be able to get up the next day. But it was more than worth staying up all night to see a showcase of what was to come from an extremely promising organization.
Holly Arrowsmith
Thanksgiving / Francois / Noah and the Whale
@ Krobar, Manchester
In a balmy, extended hours of daylight atmosphere you could cut with a knife, boomy Portland Oregon grunger Adrian Orange formed the guise of Thanksgiving for an evening’s music caught in the balance between two worlds. Following promising London band Noah and the Whale’s sweet violin folk, ‘Rocks and Daggers’ and the like awash with handclaps and jollity, upstairs at Krobar in a night which swung on a trapeze between the sublime and the ridiculous, a certain gravity remained hung at the bottom of Orange’s voice to act as a foil between the high wire balancing act of the religious and children’s Saturday afternoon tea party with all the nostalgic wistful associations it entertains. Kicking off with all the lights still on, and seated on the floor out of view, Orange rose to conduct a saxophone, trumpet and clarinet wind choir evened out with Bristol singer and support act Frànçois’ toy organ, asserting his authority by robing the reluctant unbelievers of the band in blankets, the overall effect being somewhat pantomime horse crossed with camel humps. The untrained, spontaneous visionary and evangelically dancing preacher knelt side by side with the everyday and old time, resignedly folky huskiness worshipping with sober, shuffling drums and gloomy bass, epics like ‘In Your Sky of Thoughts What the Clouds Are’ about saving the world, understanding, love and belief. .
Singing from the book of ‘You Been Fucking Indoctrinating Me Blues’ Orange couldn’t help but retain something of the hyperactive and unindoctrinated throughout, however, his totally childlike and unaware face split side to side by a huge grin, and delighted at the thought of ice cream. As he decreed on ‘Bitches is Lord’, ‘skip church Sunday’, it’ll be more fun. ‘Stay with me’ - everyone’s invited to go and find an ice cream van instead.
Natalie Bradbury
The Thermals / Holy Orders / Windum Earl
@ The Adelphi, Hull
Blimey, it’s not often that you’re treated to such a line up and on an unassuming Tuesday to boot but tonight’s masterful trio showcases two of the finest local bands with one of the best American bands you’ve never heard of. That might sound a little condescending and judging by the mass of leaping bodies at the front singing all the words not entirely true but for me this was one of those word of mouth gems of a gig where you’re not quite sure what you’re going to get and then it completely blows you away.
Obviously I knew what Windum Earl had in store for me and although you know almost every note it’s still hypnotically draws you in and sends you somewhere else.
Then the Holy Orders, and once again you know what’s coming, or at least you think you do. And that is the beauty and the power behind them - you never know what’s coming. Showing signs of evolution the current line up feels cohesive and appears to have seen the band lean to a heavier (if that’s possible) sound. Reeling from aching tenderness to what I can only describe as heat stoppingly monumental. If they continue this evolution it would be truly criminal for them to remain Hull’s best kept secret.
Fresh from Portland, Oregon, the Thermals are a powerhouse of rocket fuelled lofi perfection. Storming through a mammoth set the Thermals play the kind of fabulous riffs that stay in your head long after the beer’s worn off and is so instantly affable that it leaps straight into your heart and for some reason puts you mind of Ash. Although the mega set may have caused a little worn out by the end but it was still spectacular.
Hanna Houghton
The Twang / The Dogs / Harrisons
Academy
The Twang return to Manchester for their first visit since the triumphant support slot for their heroes James at the sell out MEN Arena date in April, and fresh from playing at Preston for Radio One's Big Weekend .Tonight the time has come to see if the much talked about hell-raisers from the estate can still 'cut it'. Solid support was provided by Harrisons and The Dogs who warmed the crowd until the main act hit the stage but it was plain to see who the 850 ticket sell-out audience where here to see. The Twang hit the stage with the set opener 'The Neighbour', a song akin to The Streets, like Mike Skinner singing a Ray Davies track over a Kasabian rhythm section with a Happy Mondays-esque guitar riff to bind the whole thing tightly together.
This set continues unabated with upbeat songs from their forthcoming album, Love It When I Feel Like This built from flowing bass lines, tight drums and spectacular guitar riffs, some of which were amazingly quick and intricate and with the unusual set up of two front men, Martin Saunders and Phil Etheridge. The newly released single 'Wide Awake' is one highlight of the night, having the Academy bouncing with enthusiasm, arms thrust in the air along with a canopy of crowd surfers providing a welcome shelter from cascading beer. After the inevitable cries for more they return to belt out 'Your Beats' and display another more psychedelic side with the trippy 'Cloudy' before disappearing into the night leaving the crowd begging for more.
An excellent performance overall, with a flawless set.
Dean Talbot and Simon Lee
The Twilight Sad / David Thomas Broughton / Sam Amidon / I Concur
@ Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
Noise core? Slow core? I'm getting a bit bored with genres and trying to pigeonhole bands so I'm not sure how to describe I Concur except to say its definitely in the region of Steve Albini-esque guitar driven music and there’s nothing wrong with that. It ticks all the right boxes, it’s loud and throbbing with piercing guitars with slight reverb on them, but it's just dull. It’s a sound so familiar its almost comforting in its blandness.
So Sam Amidon is a complete change of pace. He plays Americana alt. rock that couldn't be more different from I Concur but it’s wonderful and most welcome. It conjures up images of backpacking around Wisconsin – and ('ve never been there. Probably the biggest compliment you can give Sam is that you could hear a pin drop in here as everyone has stopped talking to listen to him. All this and a Tears for Fears cover too! At the end of his set he is joined by David Thomas Broughton and then leaves DTB up there to do his set. I'll be fair to David and tell you that I had several people come up to me after this gig and tell me how much they loved him and his set, which is a bit strange because I felt the opposite. He is more quirky and eccentric than Sam Amidon and infinitely less accessible and to be honest to my ears soon becomes a bit of an ordeal to listen to. He loops his vocals and acoustic guitar back so it overlays what he is doing live and maybe I just don't "get" it but to me it just sounds experimental for the sake of it.
I hadn't heard of The Twilight Sad before this gig but I've clearly been missing out. While the Brudenell isn't rammed tonight the people who are here are pretty excited to see them. The band don't disappoint either they remind me a bit of British Sea Power but with more energetic guitars. They are dark, passionate and gripping to watch. Two of of the most stoic guitarists, a Jack Black look a like on drums and a 1950's microphone is a winning combination for their emotionally laden songs. Its still a rubbish name for a band and you won't see them on the cover of the NME anytime soon but you should do yourself a favour and seek them out as they deliver an incredibly powerful live experience.
Neal Addison
Willy Mason / Elvis Perkins in Dearland
@ The Cockpit, Leeds
The first thing I want to mention about Elvis Perkins is that his song 'While You Were Sleeping' is the most beautiful thing I've heard in a long time and you should it up on Myspace and listen to it now. I can't actually remember if he played that one but even if he didn't it was still a very imaginative and melodic set of folky pop, falling somewhere in between The Pogues and Arcade Fire. Highlights included a lovely trombone led number called 'Doomsday' and "a song that involves time travel" called 'Shampoo'.
At the age of twenty-two Willy Mason still has the aura of a teenager, looking slightly uncomfortable in his own skin and mumbling his vocals out with a pained expression on his face, possibly still wary of what his voice will do if he lets it of the leash. Mason has a full band on tour this time around – because the new material is dependent on it. But they also invigorate some of his less inspiring older numbers like 'All You Can Do'. They can't do much about the fact that a lot of the new tracks seem a little middle of the road, at least on first impressions. Sure the two singles are both solid, with singer/violinist Nina Violet filling in well for KT Tunstall on 'Strong', but apart from those there is little else of note. The crowd are enthusiastic and go wild for 'Where The Humans Eat' and 'Hard Hand To Hold', but there is a growing sense of anticipation for the moment when Willy ushers his band off stage and serenades us solo, finally breaking into an abridged version of what remains his one truly great song, 'Oxygen', at the very end.
Alistair Brown
Willy Mason
@ The Cockpit, Leeds
With this, and most of the other dates on the tour, selling out weeks ago, there was every chance that this gig would be seized upon by the reverential faithful as an opportunity to vent the hysteria that has whistled around Willy Mason ever since ‘Oxygen’ first lit up the right-on indignation of the countless souls lost in bed-sit land. Fortunately, Mason’s having non of it, and, echoing recent press reports that he’s tamed the tantalising siren that is fame and celebrity (at least in his own mind), and the whoops and “Yeah’s!” that punctuate the first few songs are left hanging in the air unclaimed. Y’see, Mason’s got some work to do.
Everything about this performance indicates that Mason has set his sights on a long journey aimed at perfecting his song writing craft, and as such it’s significant that many of the songs from new CD If The Ocean Gets Rough use metaphors and images drawn from blue collar toil and relentless and restless travel. And the down beat nature of the CD suggests Mason is intent that we’re going to do it his way, with few obvious concessions to levity. By acquiring a band he’s already started to remould his past anyway. Much of the down home country plucking that drove the debut CD Where the Humans Eat has already been ditched in favour of a beefier, more abrasive musical backing. So, ‘Where the Humans Eat’ has a slower, almost industrial grind about it, and ‘Fear No Pain’ is entirely stripped of its banjo’s and slide guitar to become a brooding and dark gospel of abandonment.
But while Mason is intent on getting on with the work at hand, that’s not to say the experience is cold and detached. On the contrary. It’s one of those gigs where everybody wants to be there because they’ve felt something special in the music and songs being offered. It manifests itself in the spontaneous audience contributions to ‘Save Myself’ and the way Mason finally gives in to the calling out and plays requests as several apparently genuine encores despite the fact that his shot voice barely makes it through ‘Oxygen’. He makes a point of telling us that The Cockpit was the venue he played his first headlining gig at, possibly because he knows full well bigger venues will be his staple this time next year and he’ll not play here again.
Johnny Ersatz-Culture
The Wombats / Black Cherry
@ The Social
Nottingham was lucky to be early on The Wombats’ tour before they had to cancel dates due to illness. I’m sure when they come back again it’ll be to a much larger venue, but this was great. This was one of their last gigs before heading off to Spain to support Kaiser Chiefs and they certainly looked up for it.
Black Cherry are another of the so-called Nu Rave acts – a scene I must admit I don’t like. I can’t understand why anyone would want to ruin a good guitar sound with synthesised feedback and noise, but it seems quite popular. Singer Megane Quashie has an amazing soul voice and a great stage presence and the guys all look like they can play but this wasn’t for me – it was all ok while they were playing but unimaginative and instantly forgettable.
The Wombats, on the other hand, are a different class and seem destined to be heading for bigger and better things. I first saw them supporting The Holloways and it seems as if they’ve already progressed from that tour.
For the uninitiated, the best way to describe them would be to imagine Arctic Monkeys meets The Fratellis and The Kooks with an engaging set of indie, pop punk tunes. This was a fantastic forty-five minutes of songs about real people and real life interspersed with facts about animals, a fixation about rabbits and a crowd shout out of ‘hell yeah’. They’re brilliant at putting together three minute songs that make you want to keep singing along to.
Simon Clark
Yo Yo Static / Richard Masters / The Barnacles
@ Upstairs at DQ, Sheffield
There was a buzz about the Upstairs bar as Yo Yo Static geared up to showcase their new 10” vinyl EP on Little Mesters records.
First on were the Barnacles, singing their unique formula of rock’n’roll sea shanties. If you’ve never seen this band, you may find it hard to appreciate what is so wonderful about them: they play a shambolic, unrehearsed set that is as loose as a dock-side whore after a bottle of rum. But what they lack in chops, they make up for in attitude. Band leader Stuart Faulkner / Popeye (ex Pink Grease) is infectiously enthusiastic. His crew (including other members of Pink Grease, plus Ralph Razor on triangle) pack the stage, swaying from side-to-side through sing-a-long choruses, soliciting audience participation. It’s impossible not to like them.
Richard Masters provides an acoustic interlude, one man and his guitar, strumming folk melodies with some clever and insightful lyrics.
Yo Yo Static arrive in a crescendo of noise. Billed as the ‘indie Osmonds’, due to close family ties between all four members, the band have a secret weapon in thirteen-year-old Patrick Carley, their diminutive powerhouse of a drummer. Up front, Patrick’s dad and uncles play bass and guitars with occasional stabs of keyboard. The music is familiar, yet hard to pin down: punk – post-punk – indie – mathrock… spiky – angular – melodic… however you choose to describe it, it’s good stuff. I have one small complaint, which is that Yo Yo Static seem a little introverted. There’s not a lot of interaction with the audience and the band sometimes seem in a world of their own up on stage. They could certainly learn a thing or two from the Barnacles in that respect. But all in all, a good set and a great night.
Dan Sumption