Tag Archives: review

Johnny Dowd, The Bank, Eye, Suffolk, 13 April 2015

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In the picturesque village of Eye, the former bank has been converted to a coffee house/performance venue, the ideal intimate space for the alternative country blues and spoken meanderings from the long life experiences of Johnny Dowd.

Opening the show was talented singer/songwriter Mark Lotterman from Rotterdam, playing gently on acoustic guitar and performing ballads mostly on the sad side. There was the more up-tempo black humour of ‘Indie’ then the final song the powerful and heartfelt ‘I Miss You’ hit a poignant note emotionally and sounded like it could have been from an early Tom Waits album.

I was not sure quite what to expect from Johnny Dowd, quotes like ‘coming on like a flu-ridden Texan undertaker singing broken folk laments for a dead dog he never cared much for anyway’ and similar are easy to find and perhaps over-emphasise the dark side of his lyrics. So when he took to the stage and the first two songs featured doom-laden deep guitar loops and images of death and the devil (‘The Devil Don’t Bother Me’) I thought we were in for an intense, challenging and possibly downbeat evening. But a few songs in and a few exchanges with the audience and I realised what a likeable, charming and musically interesting performer he is. Tales of small-town Americana, peculiar relatives, law breaking, horses, graves, all delivered with absurd lyrical twists (..’all of the ladies loved him, he was the town mortician…’).

A temperamental drum machine accompanied or fought against the guitar loops on some tracks, then he was joined on stage by a second guitarist for some noisy interplay. This included the title song from the new album ‘That’s Your Wife On The Back Of My Horse’ and my favourite track from it ‘Why?’, a tender showcase of voice and ascending chord sequence, a potential classic. We were also treated to some poems about Jerry Lee Lewis and forgotten actor Peter Lawford, a cover of R&B standard ‘Louie Louie’ and an encore of ‘Separate Beds’, another impressive song and probably the nearest to traditional ‘country’ music that was played.

Johnny Dowd did not start recording until 1997 (aged 50), with his many albums and live shows he has carved a unique niche for himself, the epitome of the ‘cult’ performer…

http://www.johnnydowd.com/

http://www.marklotterman.nl/

Courtney Barnett, Junction, Cambridge, 7 April 2015

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Courtney Barnett returned to Cambridge after a sellout show at The Portland last year, this show was originally scheduled for the cosy J2 venue but was moved due to demand resulting in a full house for the much larger J1. There was a huge atmosphere of anticipation and both support acts did her proud, starting with singer/songwriter Fraser A Gorman, all the way from Melbourne. A powerfully strummed acoustic guitar and occasional harmonica were the accompaniment to well-delivered tales of love and life, with a bit of self-deprecating humour between songs, including reference to any perceived similarities to Mr Dylan…

The venue was virtually full (Cambridge audiences get there early…) when Spring King took to the stage. A four piece from Manchester with a singing drummer, two guitars, bass and all four contributing anthemic vocals. Wow. From the first note it was fast, raw, with a loud post-punk simplicity belying some sharp musicianship, a bit like some speeded up mid-period Clash. The short set was a high-energy onslaught, ‘Can I?’ and ‘Better Man’ being standout tracks. Dancing started in the crowd, it was an irresistible sound.

Having seen Courtney Barnett at the much smaller venue I wondered if the intimacy of the lyrical observations and compactness of the band would translate to the echoing chamber of J1, but I need not have worried. There was even a billowing tent-type ceiling angled over the stage, making it smaller and lower and acting as a screen for projections of strange growing plant patterns and psychedelic colours.
Much deserved praise has been written about her way with words, her rambling narratives and wry observations. This was all in place, such as in the opening song ‘Elevator Operator’. Hearing live versions of nearly all of the new album ‘Sometimes I Sit…’, the music shines through too. Bones Sloane on bass plays preposterous low rolling notes on ‘An Illustration Of Loneliness’ creating an atmospheric song that you don’t want to end. A simple two chord structure on ‘Small Poppies’ is developed musically and as you lose yourself into the intoxication of it, fortunately this one never seems to end.

Courtney and the band can rock out, she can extract some adventurous noise from her guitar and drummer Dave Mudie adds the pyrotechnics when necessary. There are quieter times, ‘Depreston’ is mellow and resigned, ‘Debbie Downer’ is a straight down the line pop song. There was easy relaxed interplay from the band with each other and the audience, then gradually the set picked up pace, building towards a finale of ‘History Eraser’ and ‘Pedestrian At Best’ and a bit of crowd surfing from the guitarist from Spring King and others was good to see.
An encore of short burst of energy ‘Aqua Profunda’ and a cover of ‘I’ll Make You Happy’ by the Easybeats and they were gone.

As Courtney’s lyric says ‘Put me on a pedestal and I’ll only disappoint you…’
On this form, I don’t think there will be any disappointment.

http://courtneybarnett.com.au/
https://www.facebook.com/springkingmusic
http://www.marathonartists.com/artist/fraser-a-gorman/

Gang Of Four : What Happens Next, released March 2015

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In the heady days of late seventies post-punk and new wave, the Gang Of Four emerged from Leeds, an angry four-piece memorably named after a Chinese political faction. Their debut album ‘Entertainment!’ is still cited as a long-lasting classic from the era of ‘Marquee Moon’ by Television, ‘Fear of Music’ by Talking Heads, ‘Unknown Pleasures’ by Joy Division and many more. Their mix of social comment, political thought and the ultra-spiky guitar of Andy Gill was and still is a hypnotic cocktail.

The band have undergone line-up changes, including a proper reunion of the original members in 2004. More upheaval has now left Andy Gill as the only original member and the driving force behind the new ninth album ‘What Happens Next’. Opening track ‘Where The Nightingale Sings’ starts with a pounding bass thud, guitar figures punctuates in and out and builds well into some strange apocalyptic imagery of London. Alison Mosshart, singer in The Kills and collaborator with Jack White takes on lead vocals in the rocky ‘Broken Talk’ and ‘England’s In My Bones’.

‘Isle of Dogs’ pulls no punches, an insistent guitar backing and distorted lyrics about corporate shenanigans. Successful German actor and singer Herbert Grönemeyer is guest vocalist on a contemplative track ‘The Dying Rays’ (and ‘Staubkorn’, the same song sung in German(?)). ‘Obey The Ghost’ is a gentle introduction into a nightmare vision of media control set to strident bass pedals and layers of industrial metallic fuzz. ‘First World Citizen’ features soaring guitar and a brittle chorus, almost catchy. Robbie Furze is another guest singer on ‘Graven Image’ then there is some heavy riffing from collaborating guitarist Tomoyasu Hotei on ‘Dead Souls’.

So it is a challenging listen, not comfortable in many ways but certainly an antidote to the anodyne lyrical concerns and painless musical meanderings of some other bands. It sounds like the band still have an explosive live show too…

http://www.gangoffour.co.uk/

Ryley Walker : Primrose Green, released March 2015

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Ryley Walker, a guitarist and singer/songwriter from Chicago follows up his 2014 debut album ‘All Kinds Of You’ with a new collection of jazz/folk/rock songs, built on his percussive acoustic guitar picking and subtle accompanying instrumentation.

Some commentators have compared him with Nick Drake, I think that is because of a desire to find such a person rather than the reality. His free-form pieces have more in common with some of the more experimental work of John Martyn, but he is taking any influences in a new direction, adding a rockier edge too. This is most evident in the epic ‘Sweet Satisfaction’; it starts off like a track from Martyn’s classic album ‘Solid Air’ then the emotional lyric and acoustic vibe tangles up with a distorted electric guitar and drums building to an exhausting, relentless finale. Brilliant.

This is followed by the gentle string sounds of ‘The High Road’. A roving double bass introduces the instrumental passage of ‘Same Minds’ before the vocal soars and glides above it all. ‘Griffiths Bucks Blues’ is a zesty instrumental, ‘On The Banks of the Old Kishwaukee’ is a bluesy slice of Americana. In contrast, ‘Hide In The Roses’ could almost be from the soundtrack to sinister British horror-flick ‘The Wicker Man’. The opening track ‘Primrose Green’ has many of the good ingredients of the rest of the songs with a more mellow vocal performance.

So it is moving in a different direction from his first album, more loose and moody. I look forward to seeing him in concert..

http://ryleywalker.com/

Van Morrison: Duets, released March 2015

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Van Morrison’s new CD is subtitled ‘re-working the catalogue’ and he has certainly dug deep, mining a rich seam of 16 songs from his 34 studio albums. Some of the choices are familiar but there are many tracks here that are less well-known. A lavish menu for the dedicated fan and also an inviting opportunity for the large numbers who seldom delve more deeply than ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ or ‘Have I Told You Lately’.

The guests all acquit themselves well, especially when they add some instrumental extra to Van’s top-notch backing band, step forward Mark Knopfler and Taj Mahal (guitar), also Steve Winwood (Hammond organ heaven!). A highlight is the version of ‘Higher Than The World’ with the jazz vocal and guitar from George Benson adding a different texture. Mick Hucknall confidently takes on the pastoral meanderings of ‘Streets of Arklow’ and Joss Stone sweetly sails and soars through the challenging loose structure of ‘Wild Honey’.

Clare Teal’s beautifully-judged performance breaks our hearts with the longings of ‘Carrying A Torch’, a sumptuous version of one of my favourite Van songs where the voices and backing blend perfectly. Michael Bublé must have been pleased to be given the show stopping stomp of ‘Real Real Gone’ and there is the long-awaited symmetry of ‘Whatever Happened to P J Proby’, a duet with…P J Proby! Mavis Staples belts out ‘If I Ever Needed Someone’ and as a fitting tribute the opening track is ‘Some Piece Of Mind’ with the late Bobby Womack.

Van’s voice is as on form as ever (see my recent live review) and is always a contrast to the guest, sometimes sharing verses, harmonising, leading or following. He has shared vocals several times before, live and on record with John Lee Hooker, Tom Jones, BB King, Ray Charles and the underrated golden tones of fellow Irishman Brian Kennedy (listen to ‘Tupelo Honey’ from ‘A Night in San Francisco’, the 1994 live album), as well as many others.

So will this uplifting album be the basis of the guestlist/setlist for a future live show…..?

http://www.vanmorrison.com/

Dexys: then and now

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On Friday 20 March 2015, BBC4 are showing the film ‘Dexys: Nowhere is Home’, featuring what led up to their comeback album ‘One Day I’m Going To Soar’ and the triumphant accompanying live shows.

Formed in 1980 as ‘Dexys Midnight Runners’ by singer Kevin Rowland, the fortunes of the band have varied dramatically, starting with the critical acclaim for debut album ‘Searching For The Young Soul Rebels’ and number one single ‘Geno’. This was followed by a change of direction into the ‘celtic soul’ of 1983 album ‘Too-Rye-Aye’ with blockbusting hits ‘Jackie Wilson Said’ and of course UK and US number one ‘Come On Eileen’, destined to be included on 80s compilations for evermore. Line-up changes are well documented elsewhere, as is the status of the ‘neglected classic’ 1985 third album ‘Don’t Stand Me Down’ and the long barren years.

Then mostly it all went quiet until the rumours of a new album due for release in 2012…

… And what an album it was, the distillation of the best of all that had gone before, honed to perfection with an as-live sound (listen to those drums!) and a variety of musical styles to accompany Kevin Rowland’s impressionistic life story, his lyrics linking the songs into an inseparable whole. Themes of friendship, relationships and love, creativity, national identity, ageing, masculinity, insecurity, it was all there… delivered in Kevin’s unique vocal stylising, pulling in and engrossing the listener. Some band members from the past were back, with the addition of keyboards(hear the tide of Hammond organ on ‘Thinking Of You’) and writing from Mick Talbot, long-time collaborator with Paul Weller and most recently Wilko Johnson.

The live shows bravely started with the entire album: when I saw them at Cambridge Corn Exchange the audience were not yet familiar with the required demands of the new material on the listener, but were held rapt until the last note. The second half of the concert was more familiar, including a blistering version of ‘This Is What She’s Like’, the centrepiece of the (currently unavailable?!) third album.
Later in the tour I saw them again at Bury St Edmunds Apex, a more intimate venue and by this time the new song-cycle had really reached hearts and minds. Three of the pivotal songs are about the idealising/idolising of a woman, played brilliantly by Madeleine Hyland who suddenly appeared singing in the high seats at the back of the venue. She then joined the rest of the band on stage for the theatrical vocal duelling of getting together (‘I’m Always Going To Love You’) and an abrupt break-up (‘Incapable Of Love’), with Kevin at his tortured best.
It was the highlight of a great show and tour culminating in the nine night residency at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London, as featured in ‘Nowhere Is Home’.

Embrace and enjoy…

http://www.dexysonline.com/

Wilko Johnson, Junction, Cambridge, 6 March 2015

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This was the welcome return of Wilko Johnson to live performance with a sold-out charity benefit concert for Addenbrooke’s Hospital, after their pioneering surgery led to a cure for his cancer.
The musical atmosphere had been well set up by support band Eight Rounds Rapid, with their sharp, smart punk-fuelled R&B, reminding me what a potent instrumental combination guitar (played by Wilko’s son Simon), bass and drums can be, topped with sneering vocals from David Alexander.
Then an emotional ovation as Wilko and his band arrived on stage. Any doubts that his musical edge had been blunted were quickly dispelled. He has an electric stage presence, strutting and staring, at one with his guitar. His style of playing incorporates percussive chops with short lead lines and patterns built in, shown to good effect in ‘Sneaking Suspicion’ and of course the classic ‘Roxette’. The recent collaboration album (with Roger Daltry) was heavily featured including triumphant title track ‘Going Back Home’, with the timely opening line ‘I wanna live the way I like…’. Norman Watt-Roy was coaxing and wrenching jazzy lines from his bass and solid drumming was provided by Dylan Howe.
There was a discernible ripple of concern in the crowd when Wilko left the stage after 40 mins during ‘ Everybody’s Carrying A Gun’ but we need not have worried, he was soon back having allowed time for more bass acrobatics from Norman. A long encore of ‘Bye Bye Johnny’, heartfelt thanks to the hospital staff and he was gone (but he will be back for the Cambridge Folk Festival…)

http://www.wilkojohnson.com/
https://www.facebook.com/EightRoundsRapid

John Otway, Portland Arms, Cambridge, 5 March 2015

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John Otway is a true original, frequently touring and sometimes recording since his first ‘hit’ in 1977. Like John Cooper Clarke from the same era he is difficult to fully describe to the uninitiated, but he has kept the punk ethos alive, musically eccentric and with added humour and a cult performance that has an incredibly loyal following (as he joked ‘sometimes there are people in the audience who have seen me more than once…’).

Bizarre cover versions of pop classics(?) ‘You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet’, ‘Crazy Horses’, ‘Blockbuster’ mix in with his original songs ‘Really Free’, ‘Beware of The Flowers’ (7th in a national poll to find the greatest pop lyrics of all time!), ‘ Bunsen Burner’ along with a Bob Dylan parody, headbutting the microphone, failed acrobatics and one-sided banter with Deadly, his onstage roadie.’ ‘Body Talk’, as performed many years ago on ‘The Young Ones’ TV show, features percussive body sensors and the wailing sound of the theremin is pushed to its limits.

It is all hilarious, he is such a likeable, self deprecating performer that even though you have seen it all before you will be there the next time too. The humour dominates but sometimes the emotional sentiment of his songs cuts through, such as the relationship aftermaths described in ‘Middle Of Winter’ and ‘We Know What She’s Doing (She’s In Love)’. ‘Poetry And Jazz’ is a longer detailed narrative of a difficult growing up process and shows his songwriting talent.

Sometimes described as ‘Rock and Roll’s Greatest Failure’, I think his longevity proves otherwise…

http://www.johnotway.com/

Public Service Broadcasting: The Race For Space, released February 2015

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Public Service Broadcasting are an electronic and acoustic duo, ‘on a mission to entertain and educate’. By combining the original recordings of speeches and commentaries with different musical settings they create a variety of involving and atmospheric pieces. Careful crafting of the voices meld perfectly with the sentiments of the added music. It is not the normal expectation that a song will inform you of historical or cultural events, but here we get the full rundown of the competition in the 1960s and 70s between Russia and America to get people into space and on the Moon.

The prologue is John F. Kennedy’s stirring 1962 speech setting out plans for the future Moon landings over a background of ethereal voices, then the electronic pulsing of ‘Sputnik’ evokes the worldwide excitement of the first satellite. ‘Gagarin’ is a lively brass-funk workout, released as a single, then the optimistic mood is brought down with ‘Fire In The Cockpit’ reminding us of the fatal dangers always present in the early days of space. ‘The Other Side’ is brooding and tense electronica with commentaries from the Apollo 8 mission into lunar orbit. ‘Valentina’ commemorates the first woman in space with gentle strings and acoustic guitar and the heavenly floating vocals of Smoke Fairies, who will be accompanying PSB on their upcoming tour.
At last it is ‘Go!’, building genuine excitement in music and words as Apollo 11 finally lands on the Moon. ‘Tomorrow’ uses a looser structure to end the album on a speculative note, finally playing out with layers of keyboard, drifting off into space of course (a nod to the end of Holst’s Planets Suite?)

In concert they combine the sampled audio with live playing and visuals, I am looking forward to it…..

http://publicservicebroadcasting.net/

Blossoms, Portland Arms, Cambridge, 18 February 2015

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The Vryll Society are an accomplished five-piece band from Liverpool, their spacious sound occupying territory from The Cure to The Stone Roses with many points inbetween. Long songs allow the mood of each to develop, no instrument pushing forward too much, as if the sound is approaching from a long distance away to gradually immerse the listener. The lead singer has an enigmatic anti-presence on stage, but he is still a hypnotic focal point. They appear to be named after a mystical energy force, which perhaps they have secretly harnessed??

Blossoms, another quintet, named after a pub in their home town of Stockport, have an unstoppable energy force all of their own, a poppy/indie/retro combination starting from the first song, the confident ‘You Pulled A Gun On Me’. Swirling organ and strong three-part harmonies add to the attractive mix and amiable frontman Tom Ogden bonds well with the audience. The stage was bathed in eerie blue light for the more acoustic and mellow ‘My Favourite Room’, then ‘Scattered Rain’ was particularly impressive, a bit different and changing direction all the time. ‘Cut Me And I’ll Bleed’ and the closing single ‘Blow’ are catchy and straight into the memory receptors. After this extensive UK tour they are off to Japan soon, on tonight’s showing I’m sure there are great things in store…

http://www.blossomsband.co.uk