Tag Archives: Portland Arms

The Organ Grinder’s Monkey, Portland Arms, Cambridge, 18 June 2014

An experimental night at The Portland, free entry and biscuits. Squadron Scramble are a duo, playing keyboard and guitar and totally lost in their music, anonymous to the point of standing in the shadows and not speaking with the crowd. But they didn’t need to, the sound was powerful, adventurous guitar underpinned by sympathetic keyboard, backing tapes and an animated back projection. The overall theme of the instrumental played was flying, from the Second World War to echoes of ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’. It was hypnotic, pulsing, sometimes challenging and discordant but always interesting and the visuals fitted well.

Pete Um has been on the Cambridge music scene for a while but this was the first time I had seen him. Seated at a table like a character in a Samuel Beckett play he speaks or sings over tapes of varying low-key musical styles , most tracks lasting less than a minute. Reflections on relationships, political ideas, war and peace, Cambridge, all a bit random but you keep listening to see where he goes next..

The Organ Grinder’s Monkey is talented guitarist Ben Garnett, inextricably linked to his laptop (‘Bill’), together on a restless quest to alter the form and structure of song. Describing the sound as ‘lo-fi glitch-rock’, he plays guitar and sings, interacting with loops and effects, triggered by guitar, pedals and voice. Audience participation was taken to a new level when one of the crowd was given a controller for a personal real-time mix of one of the songs. In ‘See This Through’ at the end of the set, the staccato bursts of bass and percussion invaded the existing complex structure of melody and vocoder. The ideas are strong, as conventional songs they stand up anyway but the constant diversions and changes sustain the listeners’ interest. Have a listen on Soundcloud, including some intriguing remixes of other peoples songs…

http://www.togm.co.uk
http://peteum.bandcamp.com/
http://www.softbodiesrecords.co.uk/artists/squadron-scramble

Tom Williams and the Boat, Portland Arms, Cambridge, 29 May 2014

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Joe Bell and The Broadway Danny Rose, named after the minor masterpiece Woody Allen film from 1984, took to the stage with gently plucked and strummed acoustic guitar. His warm and affecting performance connected with the small audience. The songs are brimming with creative ideas, from the titles (‘Hang my Gallows High’, ‘Beating Hearts of Birds’), to the ambiguous emotions of the lyrics (the poignant ‘I Can’t Belong to You’), to the wide vocal range and tones he uses. If you listen to his soundcloud page or sample CD the varied instrumentation used creates mini movie soundscapes, (a bit difficult to play solo on stage!) showing the potential directions in which his sound could be developed.

Tom Williams and the Boat have three albums of folk-driven indie rock to their names, many festival appearances and a devoted following. Opening song ‘Little Bit in Me’ showcased interesting dark lyrics, complemented by acoustic guitar and electric piano blending with fuzzy guitar lines. A strong bass and some fiery drums added to the light and shade through the set. There was even a (too brief) bit of harmonica later too..

Tom Williams is a relaxed and accomplished frontman, his easy exchanges with the audience worked well. They are justly proud of their new album ‘Easy Fantastic’ and its rockier sound featured on the later songs this evening, when Tom replaced his acoustic with electric. The sound was varied, the sprawling epic ’25’ begins with brooding guitar and voice, building up to guitar fireworks and feedback fade ending. This was a bit of a change, but the sound of the closing song ‘Get Older’ brought us back to the pounding folk rock where we started. It was a good show, the small but appreciative audience will be there next time too I think…

https://www.facebook.com/tomwilliamsandtheboat
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Joe-Bell-and-The-Broadway-Danny-Rose/147966985248037

Teleman, Portland Arms, Cambridge, 18 May 2014

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Teleman and Gentlemen at the Portland Arms, the perfect way to end the warmest day of the year so far?

Opening the show, Gentlemen had a full, engrossing, retro sound. The six members of the band clearly love their music, from the rocking openers to when they are immersed in the depths of psychedelia and the instrumental explorations of Pink Floyd’s early albums on ‘Late Nacht’ and ‘Gentle Duke’, the songs that ended their short set.

Teleman were formed from the ashes of Pete and the Pirates, a guitar based indie pop outfit. I saw them perform at the Leicester Summer Sundae Festival in 2011 (I do occasionally venture further than Cambridge…) and they played a great festival show to an appreciative audience.

I had realised Teleman were a change in direction, into more keyboard based songs. They did not disappoint, poignant lyrics were delivered clearly by singer and guitarist Thomas Sanders, his plaintive tones cutting through the interesting mix of varied keyboard sounds from Jonny Sanders along with a firm foundation of drums and bass. They played many tracks from the new album, being released at the start of June.

‘…Thanks for appreciating our quiet songs Cambridge…’. We did. And the rockier moments, and especially the haunting atmosphere of harmonium and voice on the first single ‘Christina’ and the catchy familiarity of later tracks ’23 Floors Up’ and ‘Steam Train Girl’. I like the way that the songs speak for themselves, no need to overdose the volume or artificially build up the track to a big finish. There was waltz time, a vocoder robot voice, a swirling fairground organ controlled but threatening to overwhelm the song, the twists and turns kept on coming.

It was an excellent performance, perhaps the release of the album will lead to a deserved bigger audience….

http://telemanmusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/gentlementheband

Wolf Alice, Portland Arms, Cambridge, 14 May 2014

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There was a strong sense of anticipation evident at a sold out Portland Arms, Wolf Alice were in town.

First on were Gengahr, a four piece band from London. The opening ‘Dizzy Ghosts’ set the tone for the short set, each song featuring the almost falsetto lead vocal twisting around the swooping guitar effects. There are comparisons with Wild Beasts but that is no bad thing. The strongest song was ‘Fill My Gums With Blood’ (great title!) and an appreciative audience listened intently to a confident performance.

On the way in I had been given a packet of popping candy, a promotion for the next act Superfood, another four piece but this time more of an energetic sound, with sharp guitar lines punctuating the unpredictable changes and developments in each song. Someone near me said ‘they sound like Blur’, which at first I could not get out of my head but I think they have an impressive sound of their own. The set really took off half way through with ‘Bubbles’ all the way to the final song ‘Superfood’. They were an ideal act to prepare us for the headliners..

Then finally they were on, described as ‘fuzzy indie rock’, Wolf Alice are impressive on recordings, but live they are something very special. Excellent sound quality, a subtle echo effect on the microphone for the stunning lead vocals from Ellie Rowsell, powerful guitars and drums, driving bass lines and a collection of strong songs. From the start the fans were singing along and any newcomers in the audience were soon won over. An outbreak of crowd surfing kept the security staff busy from ‘You’re a Germ’ onward, adding to the heady atmosphere. The set included a brilliant ‘Blush’ blending into ‘Wicked Game’, a cover of the Chris Isaak song from 1989. ‘Bros’ finished the show, then back on for an encore of ‘Fluffy’. A triumphant show, come back soon, probably to a bigger venue next time…

http://www.facebook.com/wolfalicemusic
http://www.superfoodjunk.com/
http://www.facebook.com/gengahrband

Raglans, Portland Arms, Cambridge, 20 April 2014

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Shooting Suns were the opening act of another varied line-up at The Portland Arms, with their confidently played ‘alternative soft rock’. The first two songs showed the influence of Coldplay with featured piano and voice tone, then for the pair of songs ‘Just Friends/Parallel’ piano was changed to guitar, with a haunting ringing high-note sound, very effective. They are a stylish and interesting band, with good variety, the lyrics and musical changes drawing the audience in. I will look forward to the new E.P, ‘Overload’.

The Scissors are a talented local band who have recorded and played in a range of venues around Cambridge, their driving sound (‘rock’n’roll guitar powered psychpunkpop’ as they describe it) filled out by a bold Hammond organ rush, superbly pushed forward in the mix tonight. Mostly up-tempo songs, such as ‘Phone Calls from the Dead’ with a much repeated and effective guitar line, then the slower ‘Why Don’t You Cry’ featuring the eerie tones of the theremin, a rarely seen and heard musical instrument (think ‘Good Vibrations’ by the Beach Boys or the ‘Midsomer Murders’ theme tune). ‘Your House has Ghosts’ finished the set on a high.

Then the headliners, Raglans (from Dublin). I had listened to their debut album and they seem to already have it all in place, powerful catchy songs, full of hooks and swagger. This was brilliantly reproduced live, with pounding drums and bass added to the winning combination of guitars, electric and acoustic…..then the mandolin thrown in too, used to drive the beat and also to pierce through the full sound. Vocal harmonies were spot on and the band radiated likeability, confidently interacting with the audience as if they knew us all. Nearly every song sounded like a hit, ‘Before Tonight’ and ‘The Man From Glasgow’ were particular highlights. There was also a cover of ‘Paper Planes’ by M.I.A. for extra variety. No encore, we had been won over from the start.

https://www.facebook.com/Raglans
http://www.thescissors.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/shootingsuns

The Nightingales, Portland Arms, Cambridge, 16 April 2014

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The first of four acts at the Portland Arms, Motor Tapes (Cambridges’s answer to Radiohead?) followed up their recent second place winning set at the Junction Fiverfest band competition with another good performance. The first two songs established a contemplative wash of sound, before the rockier edge later. A surprise inclusion was a version of ‘Blue Monday’, treating the New Order original to more of a guitar and drum workout, going down well with the steadily growing audience. Congratulations to all who were responsible for the sound quality, excellent throughout the whole evening.

Kepler on next ( the name of a 17th Century Astronomer, this is Cambridge…), building up the atmosphere with their hard edged, tightly played songs, mostly their own compositions blending well with versions of ‘I’m Bored’ by Iggy Pop (we weren’t…) and ‘Lenny Valentino’ by The Auteurs. It was good to see a band that clearly enjoyed the music they were playing.

The arrival of Ted Chippington (the ‘anti-comedian’?) was much anticipated, like John Cooper Clarke (recently at The Junction) he has a loyal following, built up over many years and closely associated with alternative music. Over a quiet background of mournful late-night jazz he begins anecdotes and observations that go nowhere. Some comedic clichés are dissected and discarded with impeccable timing. Difficult to describe, you have to see him to realise how well the humour works, the audience were mesmerised.

Then straight into The Nightingales, favourites of John Peel (in the Top 3 of most number of Peel sessions, along with The Fall and Half Man Half Biscuit). They were a revelation. I had expected the detailed lyrical references and intense sound, a combination of Fall and Half Man, but as well as this the musical intricacy and power held the crowd rapt. Compelling frontman Robert Lloyd scowled, shouted, and even serenaded a cappella. He traded lines with drummer Fliss Kitson as she pounded a pulverising rhythm with little use for the cymbals as underneath the bass and guitar drove the sound faultlessly. The second half of the set was even more impressive, the songs linked together with no breaks – time, tempo and dynamics changing at a breathless pace. They left with no encore, the audience were bowled over, we had witnessed something very special.

http://www.thenightingales.org.uk
http://www.twitter.com/TEDCHIPPINGTON1
http://www.facebook.com/theoneandonlyKepler
https://www.facebook.com/MotorTapes?fref=ts