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Various Artists : Cambridge Calling Vol 1, released March 2017

A new compilation of tracks representing the diversity of the Cambridge music scene, curated by Dave Hammond from his highly-regarded alternative radio show on Cambridge 105.

1. Trick Bird – Window Catchy opener from DIY popster, an up-beat tune carrying a lyric with dark undertones.
2. All We Earthlings – Berlin Plenty going on in this rock-prog epic with a story to tell over some powerful instrumentation.
3. Broadway Danny Rose – Find It/Hide It I really like this, Joe Bell effortlessly whisks you away into shadowy territory, a troublesome serenade sounding like it was recorded in the middle of the American desert…
4. I Strip For Couples – An Introduction Orchestral rap, killer guitar, crowd noise, fireworks? It is like a whole album condensed into one track.
5. Black Buttercups – 209 Sinister blues, hotel room 209 (and 208) sounds the place to be, before a buzz-saw guitar solo explodes into the mix.
6. The Seven Twenty – (Can’t Find No Love In This) City – Alt. Mix Evocative, thoughtful song, musically restless with violin roving in and out to great effect.
7. Garuda – Theta This one rocks, relentless drums and unusual guitar effects combine hypnotically.
8. Motor Tapes – Count To Ten Experimenters play electronic slabs over solid drums and bass pedals. Great vocals too, but I still can’t decipher the distant voices over the end fade…
9. Keltrix – Butter A martial drum approaching over the horizon heralds the arrival of a folk pomp-rock ode, the spirited vocal underlined by a violin sounding like medieval pipes. Complex and rewarding.
10. 3 Screaming Popes – Great Day A memorable name for the band and a laid-back, gently rocking track, taking its time and delivering a strong hookline.
11. Bouquet of Dead Crows – Drownout Heaviest track on the album, crackling from the speakers and capturing the high quality of their live performances.
12. Eil Marchini – Come and Go Introspective, intense and very melodic acoustic musings.
13. Datum Plane – Lighthouse Optimistic gospelly ballad with a timeless feel.
14. Pete Newman Clarinet Project – Cheap Black Plastic Cool jazz interlude from clarinet/sax virtuoso. Nice!
15. Lizard Brain – Bring The Curtain Down This is the longest track on the collection, atmospheric alt-rock with rolling percussion and warm vocal performance.
16. The Scissors – Haunted Mirror Prominent Hammond organ gives sixties vibe to a short groove from one of the city’s premier live bands.
17. Model Village – Don’t This is a folky-rock grower from one of my favourite bands. Do!
18. Umbrella Assassins – Chicken Crazy lyric of bird species over an addictive tabla/sitar type drone. Are all their songs like this? I hope so…
19. Gavin Chappell Bates – Follow The Light Live-looping troubadour gives the full band treatment to an impassioned anthem from his debut album.

Great stuff. There is such a rich seam of musical talent to be mined, there is enough for a Volume 2 already…

https://germanshepherdrecords.bandcamp.com/album/cambridge-calling-vol-1 (Proceeds going to the Arthur Rank Hospice)
https://germanshepherdrecords.com/

Indiepop Alldayer, Firebug, Leicester, 11 March 2017

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The upstairs rooms at the Firebug bar in Leicester were an ideal venue for an excellent line-up on a rainy Saturday. The 10p Mixes are a fun low-fi confection of observation and reminiscence, the strong voice of Danielle and guitar acrobatics of Will welcome you readily into their beguiling world.

Rainbow Reservoir from Oxford have a loud, rocky edge to their sound but leave plenty of room for some lyrical idiosyncrasies such as their final song ‘Brenda’, about the Queen(!). It was half an hour of top-quality power pop.

I am an admirer (see review) of Wolf Girl’s album ‘We Tried’ and it was good to hear some of it live at last, as well as many new tracks. Wolf Girl have a great rapport with the audience and their infectious summery sound such as on ‘Deep Sea Diver’ belies their ability to unravel the complications of everyday events and oddities in their words.

Peaness are a poptastic trio from Chester, and we were very pleased they had made the journey down! The catchy songs with their multiple hooks and harmonies were played with warmth and razor-sharp style. ‘Oh George’ (…you broke my heart…) was a standout song, with some neat drumming and great chorus but actually the whole set was unmissable.

After a break we were treated to a set from indiepop local heroes Po!, recognised by John Peel with a session in 1994 and embarking on a comeback. Singer/songwriter Ruth Miller has an enviable back catalogue to draw on, vignettes of small events from a unique perspective such as ‘I Took My Head On A Date’, ‘Bus Shelter’ and the jauntier gem ‘Sunday Never Comes Around’. The miniscule ticket price of £8 had been superb value so far, and still three acts to come…

This was the third time I had seen Chorusgirl and they don’t disappoint. The strong songs benefitted from a fairly beefy sound mix, especially on the incisive bass. Singer/songwriter/guitarist Silvi was on top form, leading the band to new heights musically, especially on ‘Shivers’ when some frantic pogoing threatened to deliver the audience into the bar below… They are about to record a second album, with some promising tracks previewed in this striking performance.

Cowtown avoid many musical clichés with frenetic drumming and guitar, synthesiser bass and an incredibly full sound, showcasing short songs and you never know where they are going next. Their nearly-controlled anarchy is fully evident on new album ‘Paranormal Romance’ and they featured many of its tracks (I think?!) including 36 seconds of ‘Captain Planet'(did they play this twice?) and the crazy logic of ‘Motivational Speaker’. Rewarding and exhausting and strangely addictive!

The final act was Indie royalty Pete Astor, a calming and commanding presence with a subtle backing band to make the most of his carefully considered lyrics and unhurried tunes. He is a class act indeed, his career spanning many years and revitalised by the 2016 album ‘Spilt Milk’.

It was the perfect end to a great mini-festival with excellent music, sound quality, company, venue, beer, organisation…I look forward to next year already!

http://peteastor.com/
http://cowtown.bandcamp.com/

NEWS

http://peanessband.bandcamp.com/
http://ruthpo.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.wearewolfgirl.co.uk/
http://www.rainbowreservoir.com/
http://the10pmixes.bandcamp.com/

Pinegrove, Portland Arms, Cambridge, 26 February 2017

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Lomelda (aka Hannah Read) is a singer/songwriter from Texas. Accompanied by just her guitar, the attentive audience at the Portland were treated to a set of heartfelt songs, sometimes with almost freeform vocals over gentle or occasionally booming and echoing guitar. ‘Columbia River’ was a standout track. She seemed surprised at the quietness and polite respect of the audience, but that’s Cambridge… it was a warm, relaxed performance, a good musical complement to the headliners.

Pinegrove are an amiable band of excellent musicians from the USA, fronted by the confessional voice of singer/songwriter Evan Hall. They have a line-up of drums, bass and three guitars, allowing for many subtle tricks and touches in the brilliant sound mix, one of the best I have heard at the Portland. They played many of the tracks from their well-reviewed album ‘Cardinal’ (and known and much-loved too judging by the response of many in the audience).

It all rolls along in an easy-going mix of Americana, folk-rock and some sharp grooves, with lyrics that draw you in every time. ‘Old Friends’ is their signature tune, each section stopping and starting and greeted with enthusiasm from the sold-out crowd. Evan established a good rapport with the audience, explaining context and the creative process and adding some insight into the carefully crafted lyrics with some good dry humour too.

I particularly enjoyed ‘Size Of The Moon’, ‘Waveform’ and the newer songs due for recording in June were shaping up well. It was a sumptuous and satisfying show, summed up by the unifying finale ‘New Friends’…..

“…so I resolve to make new friends…what’s the worst that could happen?”

http://www.pinegroveband.com/
http://lomelda.net/index.html

Sleaford Mods, B.H.S., single released January 2016

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As once-famous retail names disappear from the High Street they are rarely celebrated in popular song, although we do have ‘…Saturday’s girls work in Tescos and Woolworths..’ by The Jam, ‘Man At C&A’ by The Specials, ‘Freeman Hardy & Willis Acid’ by SquarePusher and Van Morrison sang ‘…the orange boxes are scattered against the Safeway Supermarket in the rain…’ as he gazed out on ‘St Dominics’s Preview’.

On a release from their forthcoming album ‘English Tapas’, The Sleaford Mods commemorate the demise of department store stalwart British Home Stores last year with a combination of low-fi electrobeat and a lyric of personal paranoia. Starting near the bins in an alleyway (sounds a bit like the back area near the Cambridge BHS?) our hero is weighed down with problems ‘…we’re going down like BHS, while the abled bodied vultures monitor and pick at us…’. Peppered with subtle references as to the causes ‘…Laying on a boat mate look at you (Look at you!)…’ we even get a namecheck for TV sitcom royalty ‘…we are the Baldricks son, and Blackadders….’

A fitting tribute to the end of an era, check out the video too…

http://www.sleafordmods.com/

Goldblume, Portland Arms, Cambridge, 6 January 2017

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This was the launch for the EP ‘Go Figure’ from Cambridge grungy trio Goldblume.

The show opened with alt-rockers Fall From Glory, spreading the noise from a possible new crucible of power rock in the Midlands town of Daventry. Driven by an extra punchy bass with drum pulse (how did they get that sound?) the five-piece features two guitarists and strong vocals from singer Megan Gibson.
It is proper rock, lovingly played and featuring many clever flourishes such as a quick burst of Thin Lizzy style twin harmony lead guitars, the reassuring punk repetition of ‘What Do You Take Me For?’ and the mellower ‘Home’, which builds up to a big finish. A great start to the evening!

Next up were Maud; they describe their music as alternative/dream pop/witch rock. Tonight they were without their bass player so the two guitars and drums created a sound all their own. With gentle echo on repeated guitar lines underneath the twin vocals, held back in the mix to add to the atmosphere and to give an impression of distance they performed enigmatic sonic grooves, with mysterious one-word titles such as ‘Moon’, ‘Woolf’ and ‘Saline’. The sound drifted in and out; it was all strangely addictive.

I had seen Goldblume playing a support slot for Tellison a while back but tonight they stepped up to headline and blew away this reviewer and the rest of the audience. The guitar, bass and drum musical interplay is razor-sharp and the vocals from Jethro Steel constantly surprise. It is mostly fast and furious edgy stuff but there are art-rock touches and even a bit of 70s style virtuoso prog when the bass and guitar duel.
‘Bleach’ is a signature track with many of these elements present and the slower ‘Wisconsin’ (…It’s colder, in Wisconsin, without your allure….) is a highlight, with a disquieting introduction, maniacal shouts and starts and stops all over the place. ‘Dr Wu’ (not the Steely Dan song of that name..) and immortalising ‘Eddie Bloody Izzard’; the titles and lyrics as well as the music seem to be one step ahead of the listener, which to me is a very good place to be. Towards the end of the set, the brilliant and varied drumming stepped up a gear into real fireworks; on this performance they must be one of the hottest live bands in Cambridge at the moment.

Unmissable, go and see them!

https://www.facebook.com/goldblumeband
https://www.facebook.com/ffgband
https://www.facebook.com/maud.cambridge/

Marika Hackman : Wonderland EP, released December 2016

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A seasonal offering from singer/guitarist Marika Hackman. After a short introduction it is ‘In The Bleak Mid-Winter’, one of the most haunting and atmospheric carols combining the words of Christina Rossetti with the memorable simplicity of the tune by Holst. The vocal gets some striking treatments but resolves into the pure voice in the end.

‘Driving Under Stars’ is my favourite track, motoring along nicely with some skittish guitar punctuation and multi-tracked and echoing voice. ‘O Come O Come Emmanuel’ is a favourite of the King’s College choir on Christmas Eve so it is as good a start to Christmas proper as any, this version sounding like the accompaniment to a long and hopeful pilgrimage.

The final two tracks are both a bit disquieting; ‘Paper Crown’ is a foreboding and emotional tale demanding repeated listens, then secular anthem ‘Winter Wonderland’ is given such an original, multi-layered and dark treatment I am left wondering what it is all about…

No clichéd ‘Merry Christmas’ here, but plenty to enjoy.

http://marikahackman.com/

Model Village, Blue Moon, Cambridge, 2 December 2016

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Paul Goodwin (“Cambridge’s premier pedlar of melodic melancholia“) started the show at the Blue Moon, threading carefully constructed words across an amiable acoustic guitar. It was a similar set to when I saw him earlier this year at the Corner House, again it was reassuring but never too comfortable, nicely punctuated by personal anecdote.

It was the first visit to Cambridge by Owl and Mouse, a five sometimes four-piece London band fronted by the vocal talent of Hannah Botting from Brisbane. ‘Keep Your Eyes Open Wide’ is a strong opener, with a stately but simple keyboard line driving the song and underlining the plaintive voice. With an instrumental line-up of many possibilities (including ukulele and violin) they featured tracks from their 2015 album ‘Departures’ and unrecorded material too. It seemed a very short set, leaving a very genial and mellow feeling in the intimate surroundings of this welcoming venue.

Model Village released their ‘Healing Centre’ album just over a year ago, and they play many of the best tracks such as ‘Junction 30’ and ‘Time To Share’, (but I missed ‘Stop The Clocks’, a gorgeous waltzing ballad). With confident musicianship, including lots of neat guitar and bass twists and the matchless vocal prowess of Lily Somerville they are an impressive act. I especially like some of the jazz chords and stylings almost hidden away in some of the songs, successfully blended with the indie-pop jangly sounds, these contrasts reflecting the lyrical content which can be unexpected.

Three excellent performers and all for the princely sum of £4 (and advertised on a poster with a guinea pig on a skateboard??)

https://modelvillage.bandcamp.com/
http://owlandmousemusic.com/
http://www.paulgoodwin.com/

Moonstrips, Blue Moon , Cambridge, 19 November 2016

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A free psychedelic rock spectacular to celebrate the release of the new album from Cambridge trio Moonstrips. Supporting band BansheeVa were noisy and relentlessly hypnotic, pulsing bass lines and power drumming with biting guitar and occasional vocals. Very appropriate to see the backdrop bubble projections and always good to hear a lengthy cover of ‘Interstellar Overdrive’, the definitive Pink Floyd consciousness-expanding opus. Heavy and spaced out.

Moonstrips had a sharp and addictive EP out earlier this year and they opened with two of the tracks; ‘How Do You Do?’ an insistent rocky riff with distant vocals dissolving into a noisy workout of echo and effects, a short-form song that crams a lot in. ‘543’ is a slice of pop reminiscent of 60s Who-ness with good hook phrases and a neat descending line driving through the whole piece. Heavier guitar eventually arrives on top for the finale.

I really enjoyed the newer tracks from the album ‘Glimpses’; the band are not afraid to allow time for the songs to develop, establishing mood and style with a variety of guitar effects at the fore. The twelve minute ‘Silver Screens’ closed the show; a psychedelic manifesto of epic proportion.

Mind-expanding stuff, live and loud in an intimate, packed venue, a perfect Saturday evening for Cambridge music fans?

https://moonstrips.bandcamp.com/

Billy Bragg And Joe Henry, Apex, Bury St Edmunds, 15 November 2016

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From Billy Bragg’s website….”In March 2016 Billy Bragg and Joe Henry, guitars in hand, boarded a Los Angeles-bound train at Chicago’s Union Station looking to reconnect with the culture of American railroad travel and the music it inspired. Winding along 2,728 miles of track over four days, the pair recorded classic railroad songs in waiting rooms and at trackside while the train paused to pick up passengers.”

Now touring the resulting LP, the show begins with the intrepid duo performing ‘Railroad Bill’, ‘The L&N Don’t Stop Here Anymore’, ‘Waiting For A Train’ and other timeless Americana, along with plenty of anecdote and musings in the week following the American election. Their voices blend well, with Billy Bragg’s deeper tones and musically Joe Henry adds some extra guitar flourishes which he then showcases more in his five song solo section.

After the interval it is Billy’s turn for a solo spot, ‘Between The Wars’, ‘Help Save The Youth Of America’ (of course!), ‘Power Of The Union’, classics all. (Unfortunately no ‘A13, Trunk Road To The Sea’ which may have fitted the travelogue mood?!)
As Billy and Joe were reunited for the rest of the railway album it is clear how much of a modern message is carried by the words of these old songs (helped by the excellent sound quality in the Apex). Towards the end of the show we also had a gorgeous cover of the classic ballad ‘Gentle On My Mind’ and following a trawl through the songs of Bob Dylan they had decided on a version of one of my favourites ‘Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You’.

Contemplative, poignant, downbeat but still optimistic and celebratory, the audience left having witnessed a unique evening of performance.

http://shinealight-joehenry.billybragg.co.uk/
http://joehenrylovesyoumadly.com/

Indiepop All-Dayer, Blue Moon, Cambridge, 12 November 2016

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Inspired by similar events around the UK, The Blue Moon pub and venue hosted the first all day festival of Indie pop for Cambridge. Unfortunately we missed the afternoon performances, just arriving to catch the end of the set by Suggested Friends, who were playing ‘jangly punkish’ songs about ‘regret and micro-aggressions’. They sounded good to me and ended their set with ‘I Don’t Wanna Be A Horcrux For Your Soul’, Harry Potter goes Indie for the first time (though Jarvis Cocker did play at the Hogwarts Ball..).

¡Ay Carmela! are a three-piece named after their singer (and a song sung in the Spanish Civil War) and make a splendid noise, with thundering drumming setting the pace on ‘Dog Tired’ and no let-up until they had played most of their recent LP ‘Working Weeks’.

I was very pleased to see Chorusgirl on their return to Cambridge, a year on from the release of their brilliant and highly recommended debut album. The sound was tight last time I saw them but now it is honed even more, the bass and drums feeding into the two guitars and of course the relaxed but so crucial vocals of song-writer Silvi Wersing. The songs are like intricately painted detailed pictures, the imagery in the lyrics shimmering above complex arrangements and sonic changes. Two new tracks were previewed, ahead of a new album in production. But while we wait, continue to enjoy the delights of ‘No Moon’, ‘Oh, To Be A Defector’ and the finale ‘This Town Kills’.

Top of the bill were Edinburgh quartet The Spook School, playing in Cambridge for the first time. I wasn’t able to stay for all of their set but listening to some of their tracks afterwards I’m sure they maintained the quality of the rest of the show. I look forward to All-Dayer 2017…

http://chorusgirl.co.uk/band/
https://thespookschool.com/