TWO STAGE TAKEOVER AT THE BRUDENELL WITH EASY LIFE, INDOOR PETS, THE MURDER CAPITAL AND MORE. PLUS: POP-UP DM’S CONTAINER ON BRIGGATE WITH EXCLUSIVE PERFORMANCES
Continuing to push boundaries with a pioneering rebel spirit, Dr. Martens are proud to reveal that their iconic DM’s Boot Room will be rocking up to Live At Leeds on Saturday 4th May 2019. Famed for hosting genre-storming artists at their flagship Camden store such as IDLES, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Mykki Blanco, Alma and Shame, Dr. Martens will host an epic two stage takeover at The Brudenell Social Club alongside an interactive pop-up container on Briggate.
Crowned The Best Festival For Emerging Talent at this year’s UK Festival Awards, the 12th edition of Live At Leeds will see the festival put on yet another groundbreaking one-day new music spectacular, with the DM’s Boot Room Take Over leading the charge at the Brudenell Social Club. Boasting two stages within the Brudenell Social Club, the line-up will push boundaries yet again with the likes of jazz-grounded Leicester-natives Easy Life and the sultry-pop trio Mini Mansions topping both bills. Other artists appearing on the legendary DM’s Boot Room On Tour stages are the hotly-tipped Indoor Pets, Dublin punks The Murder Capital, rising alternative pop starlet Rachel Chinouriri and previous London DM’s Boot Room guests and indie supergroup, Gently Tender, among many more.
In addition to the expertly programmed music stages, Dr. Martens will also be bringing the Boot Room On Tour experience to the heart of Leeds City Centre during the day. Based at Briggate, both festival goers and Leeds locals are encouraged to stop off at the pop-up container where Dr. Martens will be hosting an album cover photoshoot, DM’s customisation station and super secret set…stay tuned for full details.
To keep up to date with the latest from the Dr. Martens and all the DM’s Boot Room activity this summer, do follow the socials channels below.
JESSICA LEE MORGAN will be headlining the main stage at Ilkley Carnival on Monday 6th May as part of the Bank Holiday celebrations and has announced that she will also be performing a Free Entry show at ILKLEY BLACK HAT on SUNDAY 5th MAY with support from Otley singer CARYS CROW. Doors at 7.00pm.
Born to Welsh singer MARY HOPKIN [Those Were the Days] and legendary American-Italian producer TONY VISCONTI [David Bowie, T Rex] Jessica Lee Morgan is a singer songwriter raised on a diet of folk and rock whose onstage persona is honest and playful with a voice and songs that come from the heart.
Given her parentage, a musical career inevitably beckoned but Jessica has also worked in fields such as health and social care and this is often reflected in her songwriting. She mostly performs live with acoustic guitar alongside bassist Christian, and with percussion strapped to her army boots. She has released three albums to date: her debut I AM NOT; the follow up AROUND THE BLOCK; and RE: BOOT, a reworking of the first album that explores older songs in newer, modern ways.
Jessica also plays saxophone, guitar and percussion with the David Bowie super group HOLY HOLY alongside her father Tony Visconti, WOODY WOODMANSEY [Spiders from Mars] and GLENN GREGORY [Heaven 17] who have regularly toured the USA, Canada, Japan and the UK.
As a solo artist, Jessica performs her own songs, a number of well-known classics including David Bowie covers and, of course, Those Were the Days amongst other Mary Hopkin songs. Mary herself has now given up singing and thoroughly endorses her daughter carrying on the legacy of her incredible career. To add further poignancy, Mary will be 69 two days before Jessica plays the Black Hat in Ilkley.
The band are playing at this years 2000trees Festival, Truck Festival, The Great Escape (two shows), Long Division, Bee And Rose Festival and supporting Jamie Lenman on his
‘Road To Lenmania 2’ dates (in July)
Manchester 3 piece False Advertising have today released their new single ‘You Won’t Feel Love’. Produced, engineered and mixed by Luke Pickering at The Church Studios, the single is a massive statement of intent from the band, who have now completed work on their brand new full length album – more details to follow soon.
From singer/guitarist Jen Hingley – “The song is about calling out people who are happy to tell you everything is alright when deep down you know everything is not really alright. You’d maybe be forgiven at first listen for thinking it was a happy and upbeat song, but lyrically it’s more about being honest with yourself, rather than papering over the cracks out of convenience.”
Live wise the band will be playing this years The Great Escape (2 shows), 2000trees Festival (as well as the two ‘Road To Lenmania’ shows with Jamie Lenman ahead of the festival), Truck Festival, Bee and Rose Festival in Leeds as well as a free headline London show at The Old Blue Last on June 3rd. The band have already played at SXSW in the USA, Zandari Festa in Korea, Kendal Calling, Camden Rocks Festival, Robert Smith’s Meltdown (at The RFH in 2018, at his personal request), support shows with Everything Everything and Idles.
All confirmed and announced upcoming FALSE ADVERTISING dates:
18th April 2019 – Soup Kitchen, Manchester
11th May 2019 – The Great Escape (1.15pm, Latest Music Bar)
11th May 2019 – The Great Escape (1.00am – Saturday night, The Hope and Ruin)
1st Jun 2019 – Long Division, Wakefield
3rd June 2019 – Old Blue Last, London (free headline show)
5th July 2019 – St Luke’s, Glasgow (supporting Jamie Lenman)
6th July 2019 – Bee and Rose Festival, Leeds
7th July 2019 – Islington Academy, London (Supporting Jamie Lenman)
11th July – 2000trees Festival
28th July – Truck Festival
Before I get into the review, there s one thing that I have to say. And this that this is a rather truncated review because sadly I had to duck out of Radio Partizan’s set about halfway in to get a train home. This was a great pity because I was really into what they do but it happens. Apologies to Radio Partizan for missing the second half of their set.
This was my first visit to The Primmy and what a welcoming place it is. Great atmosphere, great sound and a friendly crowd. It may only be a small venue but small venues are often so much better than bigger venues.
Kath and The Kicks
Kath and The Kicks are one of those bands that LSF have, for no reason that I can give, failed to review before, and boy did I regret that. This band are so fab. With classic guitar, bass, drum line-up they play a kinda raw alternative rock. A raw alternative rock that grinds like fuck at times. You also get great hints of punk – both the homegrown stuff and NYC punk – in there, as well as things that sort of drift into heavy rock. It’s a heady and compelling mix. So taken with what they do I failed to take my usual (overly) detailed notes in between taking photos.
Kath and The KicksKath and The KicksKath and The KicksKath and The KicksKath and The KicksKath and The Kicks
But this doesn’t tell the whole story. Firstly there are tunes in that raw rock. Secondly the band are really accomplished musically – Kath’s vocals rock and her guitar is so bloody good, Shaneen’s bass has a groove and her backing vocals are a highlight and Matt’s drums are just right, not too busy, just that right amount and not just your usual drums. And finally, and not least, there was great banter and rapport with the crowd.
And the performance was great, the band basically could have been in a much bigger venue, there was nothing held back at all. Kath throws a way good shape by the way.
Ultimately over-analysing Kath and The Kicks and trying to fit them into some sort of genre niche is pointless, for what they do is fantastic, they just rock big time. Go see them if you like a band that rocks, can play really well and has great songs. Go see them if you want to be entertained, bloody hell just go see them.
Radio Partizan
So now to Radio Partizan. I feel rather obliged to apologise again for not being able to stay and see their whole set, so my review is based on what I saw. I missed, if Kath and The Kicks’ announcement was true, some covers, but before those I must have missed some rather good stuff if the part of the set I was there for was anything to go on.
Radio Partizan are a type of band that I haven’t seen for, let’s say, absolutely ages. They play kinda old-school punk and post-punk-ish music but the songs have meaning and are played with conviction. And this ain’t no retro-fest for there is an edge of alternative rock that makes there music kinda ageless. And I’m a big fan of bands that play songs that are thought through and have a message, there is far too little of that around these days.
Basically this a band who just get on stage and play the hell out of their material. It’s compelling, it grabs your attention and doesn’t let go. And while you let the music get to you, what you notice is things that are just unexpected – like hints of reggae bassline. When I noticed this I was immediately thinking that they sound a bit like one of my favourite ever bands Here & Now. It’s just enough of hint to shift my liking of Radio Partizan up a notch. This is a lovely thing.
At one point they swap instruments and lead vocals and what we get is something of an X-Ray Spex thing going on, I liked that, I liked it a whole lot.
I want, I really want to see them play again and see their whole set. If you want to see a band that do what they do because they just love doing it, then go see Radio Partizan.
The band nearly took the roof off with an opening number of James Bond themes. Under conductor Dee Ashworth, the band continued with various groupings, including young and adult learners. Other numbers included “I don’t know how to love him”, “The animals went in two by two”, an accelerating “Kalinka” and a boogie-style version of “Ticket to Ride”. An entertaining and varied session from this livewire band.
I’ll get into the review soon I promise but first a story. There was a band – a band who I rather liked – called Dead Fairy, I reviewed their EP ‘Image’ – I loved that EP, I loved it with a passion. That band – after a line-up reshuffle – changed their name to Persian Rug Sale. Got that, good, so we’re on the same page.
‘Left Behind’ bears some resemblance sound-wise to Dead Fairy (as least as far as the ‘Image’ EP sounds), this is mainly down to their singer Jack who has what we might describe as a rather distinctive vocal style – he’s does this punkish almost rappy thing in places and then does this kinda punky snarl thing. Musically it’s much punkier, it has almost random tempo changes, It is rather – for those of us old enough to remember it – an almost punk pathetique thing. It’s a blast people.
And, before we go any further, you should be warned this song contains swearing. However it’s difficult, it’s virtually impossible to be offended because this is such a joy filled blast of out there ‘just doing what we want to do, and fuck you if you don’t like what we do’. And I have to say I love that. It also contains some lyrics that had me laughing out loud, it’s that sort of thing. I’m assuming that Jack writes the words, he just comes across, in person, as the sort of person who’d write lyrics like this. Listen closely because there is a story in the words.
‘Left Behind’ is great, it’s just the sort of thing you might want to throw yourself around to in a chaotic sort of way in your venue of choice. It’s just what it is, it’s just great musically and lyrically. It sounds like a band who just throw stuff together except it’s actually really musically accomplished. And you gotta love a band who describe themselves as Huddersfield Punk haven’t you.
I was hugely impressed by the last two singles from Everyday People – ‘New Beginnings’ and ‘Princess Blues’ – so news that they were releasing something new was greeted by happiness. Happiness that was tinged by an edge of apprehension. Apprehension that it wouldn’t be a good as their last single – ‘Princess Blues’, I needn’t have worried for ‘King Of Soul’ is a groove filled thing of joy.
So some background, the band say ‘’King of Soul’ describes the speculation around the death of Sam Cooke. Sadly he was taken from the world far too soon, just two weeks before his monumental song about the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’. A few of the lines in the song give direct reference to this poignant classic as we try our best to pay tribute to this inspirational man’.
Got that, good. So let’s get into this. The track opens with a walking bassline and guitar before it takes off into this funky groove filled thing that just insists you get off your butt and onto the floor. The addition of sax into their sound just adds to the groove. Add to that a particularly strong vocal from Maeve, boy can she sing, and it’s a killer.
And yes, Everyday People inject something of a retro sound into this track but it’s right, it fits the subject but it’s not a retro fest, they have their own bang up to date sound that fuses that into something new.
It’s boring I know but reviewers are kind of obliged to do this – the playing on this is fantastic. The bass in particular is great but I have also developed a particular thing about the keys on the track. For future Everyday People reviews let’s just take it as read that this band can play incredibly well shall we?
If you’re not hip to Everyday People, now is the time to get hip. What they do is way way cool. It’s a cool and groovy thing.
All their music is available on: iTunes , Youtube, Apple Music, Google Play, Tidal, Deezer, Napster, Amazon Music, Pandora, iHeartRadio, ClaroMusica, Saavn, Anghami, KKBox, Shazam.
To be honest I was unsure about reviewing this, not because I didn’t like it – in fact I love it – but because I know very little about hip-hop and rap. However the more I listened to the album the more I came to love it, the more I found myself being drawn in, the more the words of the tracks started to hit home. And I decided, yes I can review this. I’m reviewing it not as a hip-hop and rap album – which I’m fairly sure would need some knowledge I don’t have – but as music, music that is compulsive, compelling, emotional and organic.
It helps, at least it helped me, that the music is diverse, and reminds me of the hip-hop I really liked back in the day. This may or may not be something that is part of the hip-hop scene right now but it was that that started to draw me in, OK. A lot of the music is kinda jazz-funky or jazzy but Fold throw in some stuff that is completely out-there, that’s a beautiful thing.
Fold say the album is about empowerment, unity and equality, and deals with some urgent issues – such as knife crime – and the troubling times we live in, and that makes the individual tracks compelling lyrically. And actually I wish I’d had the words to read.
The album’s opening track ‘Can’t Resist A Platform’ uses what I assume is a historical voice – this is a feature of the album, there’s more about this in the The info section of this review – and perhaps sets out what this album is doing, what the motivation for the way the issues are tackled is. It’s setting you up for the rest of it.
The first track proper, and album title track, ‘We’re The Ones’ features London-based MC and spoken word activist Potent Whisper. The music is slow and jazzy, the horns on this thing are killer. It appears to be about, and I may be totally wrong, the power of the group, the idea that together people can change things.
‘Living On A Knife’s Edge’ – featuring UK poet and radio presenter Mr Gee – addresses the issue of knife crime but it does this from the point of view of an older person who carried a knife when they were younger who is talking to the youth of today involved in that. Musically this is fantastic but it’s the words that are up-front and centre. These words are incredibly compelling, they are thoughtful and offer a perceptive analysis – of the jealousy and peer pressure that drives some of it, of the different and harder and heavier drugs that drive some of it. It links this to the wider ‘must have what other people have’ nature of our society.
‘Stand Up’ – featuring Leeds poet Natalie Davies – urges us all to stand up and be counted, and to fight for change. She does this over something that is both jazzy and all kinda psychy. This track has backing vocals to die for people. ‘Something Gives’ uses another historical voice. The horns on this are amazing, I’m going to assume that the standout horn is the sound of sax player Emma Johnson but again I may be wrong.
‘Bad Thing’ – featuring Komla MC – is perhaps the first track that I perceived to be more of what I recognised as hip-hop but this isn’t in any way straight. Komla MC vocals are more of a toasting thing, there are horns a-plenty, it has these rather wonderful ragged massed vocals, and throws in some frankly unexpected sounds. ‘Stronger Than The Evils’ – featuring MotorMouF – is another of those ‘together we are strong’ tracks. The refrain ‘the power of the people is stronger than the evils’ bores it’s way into your head.
After these two tracks ‘The Storm’ hits us with sounds including a harp of all things, it uses a historical voice. It is a rather menacing thing. How you interpret this is up to you. Every time I listen it I change my mind – one time I listened I took it as a warning about climate change and then the next that given what is happening in our world right now that there will be revolution and uprising. ‘Teacher’ again uses an historical voice to convey a message that urges us to find our own identity, and to question.
‘Choose Love’ is a bizarre, most beautiful thing. Musically it uses something that sounds of all things like some sort of mutant Incredible String Band song at least at first, and then again at various points. It sounds like some sort of jam, the kind of jam I used to used to hear at free festivals, but with the smoothest glorious soul guitar. It is strange, emotional and wonderful.
The album closes with ‘All Waken Finally To Being Human’, actually, and I’m sure Fold didn’t have this in mind when they made it, it had me thinking of Gong musically. Gong in one of those slow jazzy jam type tracks.
The thing about this album is that for most of it it doesn’t sound like what I expect hip-hop albums to sound. This may be down to the fact that I’ve just not kept up or it’s just what Fold do; or even, as it likely, both. The music is startlingly good and incredibly diverse. The use of historical voices is clever and considered – quite how much research it took to find voices from the past that ring so true today I can only just begin to imagine. And the tracks that feature words written by guest artists are frankly brilliant.
In an attempt to find some way to sum this up in a way that is helpful, I had to ask my friends. The overwhelming respond was that it was wonderful, that wasn’t entirely useful as I’d already decided that but one said, and I think this useful, that it’s hip-hop for people who didn’t know that they’d realise that there was hip-hop out there they could love.
For people who didn’t know they could like something labelled as hip-hop, just immerse yourself in the music first, and the words after that, and really listen because they good. For people who are already hip-hop fans this is a no-brainer. It’s musically clever and compelling, the tracks are intelligent and thoughtful. It’s an album you can sit and listen to really really closely and it’s rewarding, incredibly rewarding.
This record is about empowerment, unity and equality. It is also an honest reflection of our troubled times. Fold have bound together a diverse group of voices and perspectives across time and space dealing with urgent subjects. These voices come in the form of MCs, poets, historical speakers and singers. Musically they’ve let all of their influences freely commingle, ranging from jazz-funk through Brazilian psyche, hip hop and downtempo.
As the name Fold hints at, the group operate as a collective drawing in musicians not only from their hometown of Leeds but from across the nation. The core line-up consists of four members: Sam (guitar), Kane (drums), Ben (bass) and Seth (benevolent dictator); yet the real story of this record is its nebula of contributors.
The title track is the first collaboration with London-based MC and spoken word activist Potent Whisper. Both Gideon Coe and Chris Hawkins have played it on BBC 6 Music. UK poet and radio presenter Mr Gee provides the words for ‘Living on a Knife’s Edge’, a painfully relevant piece on knife crime that has already featured on Radio X. With ‘Stand Up’ Fold introduce an up-and-coming Leeds poet called Natalie Davies reading her own work and singing backing vocals. Having never recorded in a studio before she was particularly moved when Huey Morgan premiered the track on 6 Music. Two more firsts are the collaborations with Komla MC – a Ghanaian expat here in the north of England – as well as up-and-coming MC / beatboxing champion MotorMouF from Nottingham.
Alongside the contemporary voices are a mixture of speech & singing samples from Malcolm X, Bessie Jones, Dorothy Dandridge, James Baldwin, Lorraine Hansberry, Alice Walker, Marge Piercy, bell hooks, Sweet Honey in the Rock and Margaret Walker. Sometimes the dead dance with the living on this record and it is haunting because what they are all saying is so closely aligned despite the intervening decades.
Fold had the good fortune of recruiting some of Leeds’ finest musicians including rising star Emma Johnson with her killer horn arrangements and superb saxmanship; the well-loved Kieran O’Malley on violin; cameos from accomplished keys player Jake Mehew and an appearance from expat scratch DJ Mista Ed.
Singapore based Indian born songwriter Yajur will be making his debut live UK appearance at Shuttle Shuffle Festival in Bradford on August 17th/18.
Starting his musical journey right from the age of 4 when he started singing and learning to play several instruments. Today, at 17 Yajur is a Singer-Songwriter with a self-released album and with another on the horizon.
Yajur’s first album, ‘Freckles’ was widely appreciated not just by his small yet loyal fan base, but also several media outlets several parts of the world. With no label support, as an independent artist, Yajur’s debut album was streamed in the US, Singapore, India, UK and several other countries. He released a single ‘Cold Brew Coffee’ on 5th April.
Yajur is highly influenced by the Hozier, Ed Sheeran, Queen and hopes to honour elements of their music in his. Yajur is currently working on his second album and hopes to release it successfully to a wider audience before finishing high school.
A host of artists have just been announced for this Summers Shuttle Shuffle Festival held across numerous venues in Bradford, West Yorkshire.
Nigel Clark, a singer-songwriter who is best known as the lead singer and bassist of DODGY, One Sided Horse which is the brain child of Mark Whiteside and is a musical collaboration between Mark and EMBRACE members Richard McNamara, Mickey Dale, Steve Firth and Mike Heaton, the Stunning flamenco jazz artist Eduardo Niebla, Jess Gardham who has supported KT Tunstall, The Magic Numbers, Paul Carrack, Martin Simpson, Wilko Johnson to name but a few!
The Shuttle Shuffle Festival is primarily a grassroots event that knits communities together through a mutual love of music, art and performance.
It’s an incredibly laid back gathering which is both family and disabled friendly.
This years festival will be held at multiple venues in Little Germany (Bradford), which during the 19th century was the centre of the international textile industry.
Artists confirmed for 2019 so far and just announced include:
– Verity White –
– The Senton Bombs –
– Nick Aslam –
– Ben Blue Waters –
– A Guy In A Band –
– Jess Gardham –
– One Sided Horse –
– Eduardo Niebla –
– Jesa –
– Nigel Clark (Dodgy) –
– Rory Hoy –
– Joe Solo –
It’s probably a good thing I didn’t see the band’s bio when I decided to review their single, this is because listening to the track I rather liked their what I thought of as swaggering rock tinged with a rather nice edge of psychy fuzz, what I didn’t at any point think was that what they do is anything indie like. But this is how the band describe themselves, at least in part. Indie as a genre description seems to have become something of a catch-all. And, as a reviewer who’s not that keen on indie, this can put me off somewhat (there are, just to confuse matters, some indie rock bands that I rather like but these are exceptions).
OK so rant over, and into the review.
Peak – at least as far as this single goes – make music that is, as I’ve already said, swaggering rock with an edge of psychy fuzz. It has something of a ‘Manchester’ sound, that’s the swagger, and it has something of a garage edge to it. Sounds good doesn’t it, it is good, in fact it’s more than good. The thing I really love about this single is that while it treads the fine line between controlled power and a total wig-out, it doesn’t cross that line, It’s the threat that it could cross that line I really like. And even listening to it on repeat that threat doesn’t disappear, that it could cross into DENSE territory. It does have, just so that you know, a smattering of wooshing swirling sounds, not too much, just enough to give it that psychy edge.
The advantage of not crossing that line is that this song has a tune, and as a result it’s incredibly earwormy. It’s also something that you could rather easily throw yourself around a dancefloor to.
The first thing that’s going to hit you about this track is the guitar, this is raw, it’s loud, it growls. The second thing is the vocals which, to be absolutely honest, have something of a ‘Manchester’ thing going on. This may sound like a criticism, it isn’t. They work really well.
The other good thing – at least for me – is that there’s enough going on in the track to mean that repeated listening is rewarded with a new and good thing, a new layer of sound. I like that.
‘Blind Eye’ is great people. Go listen, go listen now.
The info
PEAK are a five piece Rock ‘N’ Roll / Indie band hailing from Yorkshire (both West and South). Forming in late 2016 PEAK have been gigging when and where possible (From Leeds to Sheffield to London) building their sound and creating a solid performance with catchy in your face tunes. Influences being from a vary of bands and musicians. Some including OASIS, The Stone Roses, The Sex Pistols, The Beatles. The band are planning an EP release in the near future which will include ‘Blind Eye’
Stuart Drake – Singer / Songwriter
Mark Drake – Lead Guitar
Nick Owen – Backing Vocals / Rhythm Guitar
Carl Owen – Drums
Anthony Smith – Bass Guitar
The info