Starting with a slow build, singer James Wilkinson’s hushed vocals entice before the song kicks into it’s stride with Wilkinson’s delivery moving from gentle croon to intense preacher over to a seething mad man. The video tone follows that of the song; a dark, moody and intense affair.
Speaking of the track, guitarist Joe explains “Living in the time we do feels weird. People are constantly doing fucked up things to each other, empathy is treated as a weakness and meanness gains respect. Blue Bags is our response to this historical trend of man’s inhumanity to man, basically. We have a vote every 5 years but we have band practice more often and this is our outlet.”
The track was released on cassette as part of International Cassette Store Day on a run of 29 tapes (split with Forever Cult). There are a very small number of these still available at www.cluerecords.com
The term jazz has always meant many different things, and Marsden Jazz Festival, now in its 24th year, always brings together a strong and varied programme with something to suit every taste. Nu Popes, a 7 piece Huddersfield-based funk outfit, marked their 10th anniversary with a thoroughly enjoyable and impressive set of high energy classic tunes in a bill topping slot.
‘Shake Everything You Got’ was the opener, and shake everything the delighted crowd did, through an untiring medley of irresistible grooves delivered with panache and good humour and carried off with effortless musicianship. Frontman, Ross Taylor, pranced and hot-stepped while chanting a funk litany of memorable choruses such as ‘Thankyou Falettinme be Mice Elf Agin’ and ‘Use me’ against the bone crunching bass and drums of Clinton McFarlane and Matt Longbottom. The regular horn section of Amanda Spalding and Nick Batty plus guest Rod Mason never dropped a semiquaver, adding further interest by picking up shakers, tambourines and cowbells in between their zip-wire tight horn lines. The venerable presence of Rod Mason brought not only tenor sax and congas, but also a sighting of that fine creature often heard on old recordings but seldom seen in the wild, the baritone saxophone.
But is it jazz? Well, all the genealogy was there: the harmonic drive provided by Steven Beever’s slinky keyboard lines paid homage to the likes of Herbie Hancock and Horace Silver, guest guitarist Jez Platt (depping for Martin Chung) tipped a respectful hat to George Benson and Wes Montgomery, while the controlled fury the band stoked up reminded me of Tower of Power. Jazz began as popular entertainment, but has since diversified into art music, pop music and a myriad fusions. But from African folk roots to New Orleans, from the old big bands to Michael Jackson, one strand of jazz has always been about making people dance. Nu Popes showed us that there is no dance music quite as exciting as old school funk played by a band steeped in the musicianship that jazz created. This was a worthy finale to the Saturday programme at Marsden Jazz Festival and the audience’s feet failed them not for the whole 90 minutes. Let’s hope Nu Popes bless us with their divine grooves for another decade at least.
Arun Ghosh and the Indo Jazz Sextet at Marsden Mechanics
Arun Ghosh has followed a somewhat unusual path as a jazz musician, adopting the clarinet, south Asian folk music and large format composition as major elements of his work, typified by his recent South Asian Suite, played in toto at Marsden Jazz Festival. Presenting this significant work of reflection on global music, Ghosh strikes a homely and disarmingly boyish figure. Eccentrically, he included a singalong version of ‘You’ve Got a Friend’ in the middle of an otherwise intense set of original works. That aside, the ‘South Asian Suite’ itself hung together convincingly as a whole band workout and the Sextet managed, without showy solo passages, to convey excitement and virtuosity to an eager audience. Thankfully, Ghosh’s affable manner countered the ponderous seriousness that sometimes accompanies such ‘fusion’ gigs.
The Indo Jazz Sextet is a formidable Northern ensemble, its moods ranging from frenetic, throbbing rhythms to meandering lyricism. On the front line, Chris Williams’ keening sax counterpointed and echoed Ghosh’s rich, seductive tones on clarinet. The rhythm section was built on the fascinating chatter of Nilesh Ghulane’s tabla, the geometrical framework of Dave Walsh’s drums and a harmonic platform of Liran Donan’s bass, plus piano and electronic drone tracks. On ‘Gypsies of Rajasthan’ Ghosh romped around the stage like the Pied Piper of Bolton, on ‘After the Monsoon’ he wooed us with a pastiche of folksy dances and with Sufi ‘Stomp’, he conjured up the whirling trances of Qawwali, citing the celebrated singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan as an influence. Transporting us from the windswept Himalayas to the humid tropics of Srilanka, the Sextet performed a kind of collective improvisation, each of them attuned to the other within the balanced structures of Ghosh’s pieces. At times the mighty battering of the tabla and drums all but drowned out the acoustic piano, but on the tranquil Mountains of Nepal, John Ellis played a tinkling impressionistic introduction, from which the clarinet spun a plaintive melody before leading into a solemn and beautiful ensemble hymn worthy of its title.
These evocative, distinctive works of jazz are inspired, Ghosh frankly admits, by places he has mostly never visited, but clearly must have dreamed of while growing up as a musician in the north of England. Neither in brass bands, modern jazz nor in Asian music in general is the clarinet a common voice, and yet speaking in a kind of international romantic vernacular, the Sextet weaves together strands of jazz, klezmer, Balkan and Asian music into a compelling tapestry. It creates an atmosphere suggestive of some northern towns and cities, jazz with a northern accent, if you will. It represents neither the metropolitan centre nor some rustic outpost, but a contemporary musical tide awash with currents from recent history and faraway places. We should look forward to what the quirky Ghosh will bring us in future as his music develops, because the ‘South Asian Suite’ is certainly a memorable achievement at this early stage of his career.
White Rabbit nights are associated with a sense of wonder, intrigue and energy, and they are attracting massive interest from all over the UK and even further afield. According to Richard, however, they are: “professional amateurs. Amateurs! Totally blagging it. Winging it! It’s like when Forrest Gump is running and everyone’s joining him.”
Their first home was Hebden Bridge Trades Club and they recently started putting additional nights on at Todmorden’s Crazy8, upstairs in the Golden Lion.
L: So, how did it all come about?
RW: There was never a second wave of psych. Psych in the ‘60s only lasted two and a half years – a very short period of time. And then it was over. It’s always been there in bands since that time. Tinges of it started appearing in shoegaze stuff, but there was never a comeback until the last five years. Jim Hebbes (the other half of White Rabbit) and I were at Green Man Festival – we looked at each other and said, “It’s coming,” as we were sitting watching one psych act after another. We’d been waiting for that phase to arrive. We were packing our tents away at the end of the festival, and decided to start White Rabbit once we got back to Todmorden. And it took off overnight.
L: How does this new wave of psych differ from ‘60s psych?
RW: New psych is tinged with shoegaze and drone. ‘60s psych is poppy and has a ‘love’ theme. New psych is kraut rock, repetitive, droney. A lot of bands use an electronic dance beat. It’s more accessible, for example, my son is 17 and a half, he and all his mates are all over it like a rash. They dress in a very ‘60s style but they are listening to both ‘60s psych and the new stuff.
L: Tell us about The Light Show
RW: Liquid light shows are an integral part of the White Rabbit movement, as they were in the late ‘60s. I like the synergy and connection between bands, and the light show and music works synergistically too. I’ve always been interested in lighting, and I’ve found that they always go together. Light creates a warmer atmosphere. Bands respond to it and it seems to make their performance better, even if there is only a small crowd.
These are the most successful nights I’ve put on. This is not just a gig – we always try to have a theme for the night. Generally the night starts early with DJs, then we have bands with a light show and then finish with more DJs. It’s harking back to the parties I used to go to in Wales that were three to four days long.
L: Talking of these parties – tell us where it began for, you, Richard?
RW: It started in the 1980s when I used to live on a bus. People were struggling during Thatcher’s Britain and some started living on buses. We would take over a field with our buses. This was before mobile phones. Someone would stop to use a phone box to tell people the grid reference of the field, and 2000 people would turn up. This was the during the acid house scene. People started putting on parties and I used to go to these. Wango Riley would arrive from down South; the sides of his lorry would collapse to make stages. We’d have Hawkwind, RDF, Cultureshock, Poisoned Electrick Head playing and some of these would put on a light show. The lights got me further into the music and this stuck with me.
L: What’s the motivation behind White Rabbit?
RW: I’m a passionate, driven person. I do it because I enjoy seeing people come with a big smile on their faces, get to see bands, feel happy and excited, and then going away happy. I never know what my motivation is, but I know I am motivated.
Another drive is I enjoy helping people that are starting out. I like it when people help each other out. I like giving. I’ve never been a taker.
I’ve worked in the music industry, engineering in recording studios, but I’ve also worked in care-giving, empathetic roles as a qualified nurse, and for social services. These roles have given me the skills to deal with egos and get on with people who are known to be difficult to get along with….promoters, agents…
So we’re trying to use our skills to put a show together and put on bands we like, but also try to keep a connection or a theme for the night. We’re trying to do it in a positive way. It’s a very small community, and it’s fun; everyone knows each other.
Take the Bad Vibrations crew in London, they’re putting on the same bands as us. To get London bands to play up here is amazing – that they want to do it. Bands are blown away by the hospitality and the passion up here. Our motivation isn’t money or being in the spotlight.
L: So what’s next?
RW: Just like Forrest Gump stops running one day, that’ll happen with White Rabbit. We don’t know where it’s going. It’s best to let it run and one day it will stop and that’ll be it.
For now though, White Rabbit are going to go more electronic, a tip of the hat to the days of acid house scene, very psychedelic. The light show is also changing to a darker vibe.
L: Listening to Richard speaking I’m reminded of that famous lyric in Jefferson Airplane’s ‘White Rabbit’, the song that started this whole story:
“Remember what the dormouse said,
Feed your head, feed your head.”
So my advice would be – take yourself on an adventure to Wonderland with White Rabbit before it stops. There are several gigs coming up…
November 21st: DJ Andrew Weatherall + Blanck Mass (Fuck Buttons) and Gum Takes Tooth
Richard says that this is the biggest gig for him on a personal level. ”Weatherall is a pioneer and is still pushing the boundaries. It is rare to see him play a psych set although everything he does is tinged with psych, and he wrote the foreword to Rob Chapman’s book. He also produced the 2nd Fuck Buttons’ album which is great as they’re supporting him at this gig.”
March 19th 2016: The Hanging Stars, The Electric Brains and The See No Evils
Sunshine psych – is how Richard describes this gig. ” The Hanging Stars are a London band and The Electric Brains are a local band with a big following – should be a great night!”
Support on the UK section of the tour comes from Scottish singer, Alasdair Roberts, whose earnest folk stylings are not really my cup of tea I’m afraid. I feel for him performing in front of a crowd so eager to see the headline act but he plays really well and his acoustic set gets a good crowd reaction.
The anticipation of the fanatical crowd is palpable from the start and as she walks on stage Newsom receives a hero’s welcome. Seating herself at the harp she launches into ‘Bridges and Balloons’, the first track on her 2004 debut ‘The Milk-Eyed Mender’. Realising she has started in the wrong key, she subtly adjusts mid-verse but her nervous laughter mixes with that of the savvy audience and she decides to start again, coyly explaining “There has to be a first date on a tour and this is it!” Rather than an awkward and cringe worthy moment, it feels like a charming and honest introduction.
The set is heavily focused on songs from the new album ‘Divers’ released the previous week, with many of the songs receiving their live debut tonight. Current single ‘Sapokanikan’ is one of the night’s highlights, with its soaring vocals and complex sprawling lyrics touching on everything from American history to English poetry. Newsom does not write easy music. Her songs don’t often follow simple structures or feature catchy choruses. The songs twist and turn, changing rhythm and style sometimes midway. The verses thread through the music, like a story unfolding. This is music to take in and absorb rather than participate in. The seated venue and the quiet and respectful audience lost in rapt attention add to the feel of a recital rather than a gig. Although I doubt many recitals feature audience members in full fancy dress, but it’s to be expected tonight on Halloween or “the spookiest of nights” as Joanna calls it.
Of the many new songs played tonight several stand out: ‘Goose Eggs’ has a country tinge to it, with its mellow keyboards, drawling vocals and lazy drums. ‘Things I Say’ is a beautiful tender piano ballad, simple by Newsom standards, but no less effective than the grander stuff. ‘Leaving The City’ is dark and gothic, an almost medieval sounding harp-led piece which changes pace suddenly with a driving drum beat provided by brother Pete. It’s one of the best songs on the new album and the live version does not disappoint.
Newsom’s three-piece backing band are few in number but rich in talent. Ryan Francesconi, Pete Newsom and Mirabai Peart swap and cycle through instruments throughout the gig without breaking sweat. Peart also provides some occasional spot on vocal harmony. The dense orchestration of some album tracks are pared down for the live show but lose none of their impact thanks to the creativity and skill of this group.
Newsom is no musical slouch, going between harp and piano throughout and, like her band, often changing mid-song. Having never seen a harpist perform before, I find myself entranced by her playing which she somehow manages to make look easy despite creating a complex beautiful melody. Songs like ‘Cosmia’, ‘Anecdotes’ and ‘Divers’ are great demonstrations of her mastery of her instrument.
Another set highlight, ‘Soft as Chalk’, from the last album ‘Have One on Me’ is a vocal showcase, with the singer showing us a bluesier side. Her rolling piano drives the song along hitting a Dr John-style boogie rhythm before the end. Newsom’s voice is fantastic throughout the night, deftly pulling off swooping manoeuvres and hitting incredible high notes.
The set finishes with two encores: the heart-breakingly fragile ‘A Pin-Light Bent’ from ‘Divers’ and finally a stirring, punchy version of ‘Peach, Plum, Pear’, from ‘Milk Eyed Mender’ which has the crowd ecstatic from the first line. With that, she’s gone, and the crowd are on their feet again for the third time tonight. It’s certainly been a while since she’s played live, but a standing ovation from a sold-out crowd on her first gig back seems like evidence enough that there’s no rust to be found on Joanna Newsom.
Set List:
Bridges and Balloons
Anecdotes
Soft as Chalk
Divers
Emily
The Things I Say
Waltz of the 101st Lightborne
Have One on Me
Sapokanikan
Goose Eggs
Leaving the City
Cosmia
Time, As a Symptom
To mark the 20th anniversary of their classic debut album, David McAlmont and Bernard Butler have hit the road on a five-date UK tour, and we were lucky enough to catch them in Manchester.
I was 14 when ‘The Sound of McAlmont & Butler’ was released – a year or two into my guitar obsession, and largely unreceptive to music that didn’t hail from northernmost America, be it Jimi Hendrix or other famous Seattle-ites.
Few British bands made it past my ‘grungy’ teenage despondency, but seeing Suede on ‘Later… with Jools Holland’ – the bristling chemistry between Anderson and Butler at its peak – made an impression that stays with me to this day; even the longing for a cherry red Gibson 355!
It was with great anticipation then, that we arrived at The Ritz – the perfect Manchester venue for tonight’s show, all velvet-curtained backdrops and ballroom heritage.
The Magic Numbers
Support came from The Magic Numbers or, as frontman Romeo Stodart explained, just three of them; the band normally comprising two brother-sister pairs.
I’d been unaware of the Numbers’ since ‘Love Me Like You’ and ‘I See You, You See Me’ – songs I’d had a lot of time for when they came out – and it was clear that they’d lost none of their touch for well-crafted tunes and bittersweet vocals.
Tonight the London band had the same effect on me as so many Laurel Canyon ‘greats’ – music so unforced that it feels not so much ‘written’ as it ‘came into being’. Sometimes, perhaps, the tunes felt a little more like they had come from L.A. than Ealing but, hey, a touch of escapism wasn’t unwelcome on a blustery autumn evening in Manchester!
McAlmont and Butler joined the trio for set closer ‘Love’s A Game’, which cleverly segued into The Impressions’ classic ‘People Get Ready’, and I wasn’t alone in scrabbling for my camera to get a shot of the two acts together. What became clear after the short interval though, was that the Numbers would all play in the main act too!
The Magic Numbers and McAlmont and Butler
What enthralled me about Bernard Butler’s guitar style in Suede – spidery, fuzz-tone lines, with rhythm and lead all in one – is less to the fore with McAlmont, the overall sound being much more laid back and soul tinged. His mastery of the instrument was no less evident though, always tailoring the perfect foil to McAlmont’s sweet, soaring vocals. (It’s little wonder that Butler is now a renowned producer, famously working on Duffy’s debut album ‘Rockferry’ – another soul-inspired success.)
Besides the singles, I missed out on ‘The Sound of McAlmont & Butler’ the first time around, so forgive me if I can’t name individual songs, but what I will say, having listened to the plush new remaster is, that live, the album comes into its own.
Where the original collection of songs wasn’t conceived or recorded as a unified entity, delivered as it was tonight – with an extensive lineup that included keys, backing vocals, and a string section from the Manchester Camerata – it created an uplifting experience that looked as much fun to play as it was to watch.
David McAlmont oozes an infectious charm and confidence that, I imagine, only comes naturally to men with a three-octave vocal range, a two-piece turquoise suit and gleaming white Adidas trainers! He effortlessly shifted from Prince-esque flirtation to Curtis Mayfield-like delicacy, bringing the packed crowd to a hush during a soul-folk ballad with guitar and cello.
The ‘soul revue’ vibe climaxed with ‘Yes’ – like Edwyn Collins’ ‘A Girl Like You’, a ‘90s song so timeless that it might be from any decade since the ‘50s.
Romeo from The Magic Numbers had announced our imminent ‘life-affirmation’ earlier, and McAlmont & Butler delivered. With rumours that a third album is almost ‘in the can’, there’s hope we’ll see them again soon.
Blues has always provided an outlet for women who push the boundaries of gender and sexuality, says award-winning musician, Dani Wilde, who will be headlining at the The Sisters of Blues and Soul Festival, which comes to Todmorden in July 2016.
Recently announced winner of the Best Female Vocalist of the British Blues Awards 2015, Dani welcomes this opportunity to celebrate the talents and courageousness and of Blues Women – especially in a town like Tod where women’s freedom of self-expression is high on the agenda.
‘The talent that comes from blues women is just extraordinary,’ Dani explains ‘Think about some of the big names like Bonnie Raitt… In other genres especially pop it’s a shame the way women are presented – too much auto tune and so much emphasis on the importance of looking good. Naturally as Blues Women we take pride in how we look, but our medium is about passion, emotion and sharing that to make the audience feel involved. In blues it’s a live genre and you have to be able to hold your own.’
Blues, Dani says, is all about changing perceptions and about breaking down political and social barriers. ‘When you look at some of the biggest Blues women back in the 1920s, most of the big names were bisexual women who had relations with women as well as men. Who weren’t afraid to challenge the stereotypes of how a woman ”should be”. For Black women living in the South of America this was a very significant statement,’ she says. ‘They were role models.’
As a university lecturer at Britain and Ireland’s Modern Music Institute and as a columnist for Classic Rock’s Blues Magazine, Dani she is keen to promote understanding of the influence of women in her genre.
‘Take women like Bessie Smith, Big Mama Thornton, Lucille Bogan, and Ethel Waters – who sang ‘Stormy Monday’ – and was born at the end of 1800s – they were proud to be bisexual. Take Ma Rainey – she was known as the mother of the blues – she wasn’t openly ”out”, but sang about wearing a collar and a tie.’
Dani also points to women like Big Momma Thornton – who wrote ‘Ball and Chain’ that Janice Joplin had a big hit with – who was described as ‘a bear of a woman’ and wore men’s clothes on stage. ‘She had great influence… Joplin watched her perform and was really inspired her, and covered her song and it became a massive hit. It was great that her music had such crossover success, but a shame for Big Momma Thornton and the white people made a lot more money from her hits,’ Dani says.
Lucille Bogan was an early 20th century Blues singer who was quite notorious for the lyrics she sang on stage, about sex, alcohol and sexuality. ‘She’d do a clean version on vinyl but at 3am in the morning she’d sing a really outrageously filthy version in a honky tonk venue,’ Dani says. Lucille’s famous song ‘BD Woman’s Blues’ sees the world through the eyes of a ”bull dyke”, with lines such as “Comin’ a time, B.D. women, they ain’t gonna need no men”and” They can lay their jive just like a natural man.”
In her own experiences Dani has found that even in the contemporary world, Blues is something of a refuge for non- conformist people. She says: ‘I see it on tour in Moscow – which is not the kind of place you are going to feel safe coming out – but in Blues clubs people are free to express themselves. There’s something about these creative environments, they offer some kind of sanctuary.’
Although Dani can’t promise us any particularly shocking lyrics when she performs at The Sisters of Blues and Soul Festival, she is strongly committed to sharing the issues that matter to her.
Every year Dani travels to Embu – near Mount Kenya – which she first visited while involved in her university project about fundraising to bring music to the lives of slum-dwelling children. Now a decade on, Dani is still fundraising for children there, especially for girls, to get a music education. ‘Education only became compulsory for girls quite recently. Kenya is really coming on – it’s a shame about the terrorist attacks – because things are developing – you can see how much opportunity there is,’ she says.
Dani’s visits inspired her song ‘Abandoned Child’ – which she wrote about a little girl whose mother left her and her sister with their alcoholic father. ‘The family are part of a tribe which still promotes female genital mutilation. Any money the local charity gave the father was spent on drink,’ Dani says, describing how this little girl caught her attention in one of the slum schools, because she appeared so neglected. ‘She looked ill and so much in need of love and attention. Fortunately one of the charities I work with – called Moving Mountains – were able to help rescue her and her sisters, by getting the grandparents involved to give a lot more support, and make sure the girls got fed. The good thing about it is through my music I can tell other people about it, and how they can help other children in similar situations.’
It’s a surprise to realise that Dani has only just turned 30, because she comes across as such a mature soul. But she’s someone who has always had a strong sense of where she wants to go in life and how to get it.
Growing up in a soul and blues-loving family Dani was inspired by seeing some of the greats like BB King, Susan Tedeschi, Shemekia Copeland and Sue Foley (who she later toured with – something that Dani describes as ‘a dream come true – intimidating but wonderful!) and began singing and playing drums at the age of 10.
She went on to gain a First Class Degree in Vocals from the Brighton Institute of Modern Music.
‘During my degree, around the time I was 20, I was gigging a lot. I looked at all the venues where my heroes were playing, and I approached them and asked if I could do a support slot,’ Dani says. ‘Doing that I made a lot of contacts – one of them was Chris Holland, Jools Holland’s younger brother, who I met at a club. He was impressed by what I was doing. And so my first really big gig was at the Royal Albert Hall – opening for Jools Holland – which was really lovely. It made record labels and magazines take notice of me. I was so lucky to start at the top.’
However Dani has clearly created a great deal of her own ‘luck’ and has continued to work hard as her career develops. ‘People talk about James Brown being the hardest working man in showbiz and they say that BB King toured every night and had no home, but I think during The year of the Girls with Guitars Blues Caravan tour, I was one of the hardest working women in show business,’ Dani says with a self-effacing laugh. During this tour, which started in 2011 – she was collaborating with American artists Samantha Fish and Cassie Taylor. In the gaps between gigs, she was going out touring with her own band. ‘I must have done over 250 gigs,’ she says.
Dani is known as much for her guitar playing as her singing, but admits to being self taught and initially seeing it more as a songwriting tool. ‘When I was signed to Ruf Recrords, the record label launched my career as a lead guitar player, and they were strongly pushing me in that direction. So I had to really improve. I toured with Deborah Coleman – who had shared stages with BB King in her heyday, 30 years ago. Touring with Deborah I picked up so much. But I’m not sure how I got away with it to start with!’ Dani says – with a modesty that is as genuine as it is charming. ‘Now, thanks to the experience of performing with those other amazing women, when I’m on stage playing guitar I’m not thinking about the playing, just expressing myself and having a great time. I can focus on the emotion and communication with the audience.’
For her own ‘band’ Dani uses a number of session musicians who she enjoys working with. ‘I tend to have two drummers and three bassists – not all at the same time, obviously! I have a female bassist called Victoria Smith who is an amazing. She’s a world class bass player but she also plays a lot of punk music as well, so she’s an all-round session player. And at the moment I have the brilliant drummer, Jack Bazzani, and there’s a younger guy, Fergus Gerrand who plays drums for me – who has toured with Sting and Madonna. I’m very fortunate to work with some pretty pro players.’
Asked to describe her style, Dani says that predominantly she’s a Blues artist but she’s inspired by many different kinds of music. ‘I don’t really think about genre – I just play and see what comes out,’ she says. ‘I had a top 40 charting songs in the Blues charts – although I thought the song sounded more gospel. But sometimes I play and see what comes out of the box.’
Dani says that her last album, ‘Songs about You’, was definitely Bluesy – and also inspired by Bill Withers, Lyle Lovett and other Country influence, and some popular singer/songwriters like Carol King and Joni Mitchell. It’s certainly proved popular and is undoubtedly one of the reasons she won the Female Vocalist category at the 2015 British Blues Award.
‘It’s an album that is very much about the song writing,’ Dani explains. ‘In Blues you don’t tend to have a verse, but more a hook or a turnaround. In blues it’s all verses, the title for the song will tend to be the hook but usually there’s no big chorus. Blues is more simple in structure. But I like to complicate things, and bring in more popular song writing techniques in terms of structure.’
Dani is hugely welcoming of the opportunity to be on stage at the The Sisters of Blues and Soul Festival, next year. Too often women in Blues are highly influential but don’t get the credit they deserve, she explains, citing the example of Big Mama Thornton who significantly inspired Elvis Presley, and was the person for whom ‘Hound dog’ was first written – as well as influencing Janis Joplin – but is still unknown to so many people.
‘This Festival is a fantastic opportunity. It’s really important but very unusual to get blues women together on the bill and to make us the majority not the minority,’ Dani says.
Bringing you the music of hot balmy nights from 70’s, 80’s and 90’s AOR America. Awesome guitar sounds, smooth layered harmonies and soul crunching rhythms and melodies.
This sensational production takes the audience on a magical, nostalgia packed journey around America’s West Coast of Sound featuring massive hits like ‘Long Train Running’, ‘Listen To The Music’, ‘Reelin In The Years’ & ‘Hotel California’ through to ‘Who’s Crying Now’, ‘Don’t Stop’, & ‘Africa’.
Hit after hit from legendary artists such as The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan, Toto, The Doobie Brothers, Journey, America, Santana plus many more. Totally awesome musicians running free with the very best rock hits ever.
The latest production from the hit show making partnership of Michael King and Mark D Smith guarantees yet another great night out in the company of “A HIT LIST TO ROCK FOR”
‘Westrock’… The Sound… The Spirit…. The Freedom
Friday 20th May at 7:30pm
Tickets: £20
Wille & the Bandits
This superb blues rock three piece have received great critical acclaim, being voted i n the top ten must see at Glastonbury 2014 by BBC Radio 1 and reaching number 2 in the UK blues chart with their first single on downloads alone. Having toured with artists such as Deep Purple and The John Butler trio, the band leave an equally astounding impression on audiences of all ages with their energetic and soulful performances.
Friday 11th March at 8pm
Tickets: £10 – Standing event
Lau
BBC Radio 2 Folk Award Winners – Best Band 2008 / 2009 / 2010 / 2013
Brilliant musicians, thrilling performers, free-thinking visionaries and all-round good chaps as well… small wonder Lau are regarded as the epicentre of the new folk boom. And they’ve got shelves groaning with awards, a forest’s worth of ecstatic reviews and breathless plaudits from excited audiences in various outposts of the world ringing in their ears to prove it.
Pain, suffering, twisted distortion, JOY. Welcome to the fucking CHURCH, Mothef*ckers. Imagine John Lydon screaming, Hawkwind backing him up, and then mangle that up with bloody dollop of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. That.
Evil Blizzard, apparently of Preston if you read their FaceBook blurb. Preston? Really? Get to fuck – are ASTOUNDINGLY good hard rock goodness, reminiscent of old skool gems such as Fields of The Nephilim, with the discordant twang of the Sisters, and the driving swirling rhythms of Hawkwind and other darker, seedier segments of rock. These guys goin’ to mess you up good, and you may get dem’ to put you back togevver if you beg on your knees nicely.
‘Are You Evil’ twists your brain, and screws with your internals, the discordant twang of the horror chilling your soul. Balloon, reminiscent of Lydon’s screams in PIL breaks you apart with a sonic chainsaw, and laughs at your tattered remains. Get down on your knees, filth, for Bow Down and Pray with deep and dirty bass and unrepentant lyrics and fairground reprise – BOW DOWN, Mofo. WTF is THIS you cry as ‘Laughing Gas’ kicks in, with it’s Joker cackling – laughing AT you, NOT with you – and then you delight in the unpleasantly addictive warble, like sonic CRACK, that’s produced from the singers Perry Farrell like fabulous drawl, with blooded teeth. ‘Sacrifice’ drums bound into your face, while synth and vocals cut you UP in their relentless tirade on the senses, until the GUITAR cuts you in TWO. Huzzah! Punch you in the face lyrics and UMPH until your throat is raw and your hands bleed from clapping. Come on! The JEWEL of the album, in my humble opinion.
‘Spread The Fear’ is a change of tack, and a change of gear when we see EB go LeftField, reggae influenced, with a slow – yet sinister, dreamy – beat, surely designed to catch you off guard before the pain begins anew. Bastards. As we suspected, ‘Stupid People’ comes back with an elbow in the groin, a kick in the face, and a “who do you think we are – pussies?” driving guitar and wonderful bass line. Are you stupid people or what? Watching starts slow, very reminiscent of – once again – FoTN, building slowly with dusty guitars and a menacing gaze, all in the dark, until the pounding rhythms of the drums begin, of course. Then – and scratch the previous recommendation – the lyrics and pounding ‘I Am Watching You’ thunder into your SOUL in a truly epic, Lemmy inspired Hawkwind driving, distracting breathing unignorable attention seeking NEED. You MUST be part of this, THIS needs YOU. You can’t hold BACK now. JOIN it. Wow!
All in all, ladies and gentle folk, if you like ROCK – You like to have your insides twisted, your mind BLOWN, your face MELTED, then I cannot recommend this dark, abused and seriously messed up album enough. Certainly I will be down the front when they come around.
I invite you to join me. You know you’ll like it, and you know it will fuck you up.
Happy Christmas. 🙂
Tour dates
November
11th Trades Club, Hebden Bridge
27th Wagon & Horses, Birmingham
28th The Barfly, Camden w/ Bad Guys
Kaz plays the Crazy8 Golden Lion Todmorden on 6th August 2016. We spoke to its award-winning headliner, East Belfast’s Kaz Hawkins – one of Northern Ireland’s most lauded singers, and locally hailed as “A Vocal Force”.
Off stage, Kaz is just as formidable – an ebullient personality and a joy to interview. She is a true Belfast character, with warmth in her voice and many a yarn to spin.
When it comes to music, Kaz joined the party later than most but this has worked to her advantage. Besides performing in covers bands from the tender age of 16, for a decade Kaz’s own writing and performing took place ‘underground’ as the Northern Irish blues circuit wasn’t completely welcoming to women at that time. Finally she burst onto the scene in her late thirties and decided to ‘go solo’ in 2013, releasing her debut album ‘Get Ready’ last year.
When asked what enticed her into this world, Kaz explains that she was attracted to the empowerment of female singers such as Aretha Franklin. As a teenager she explored Etta James, and other female artists who didn’t shy away from the risqué. “Women like Lucille Bogan would have been shot dead for their lyrics in 1934 – it was pure filth”, Kaz enthuses. “These were women without fear. They told it like it was, no holds barred.”
Like the women that influenced her, Kaz too has been open and vocal about her mental health difficulties, previous addiction and troubled past, and while there are still some songs that are too dark for her to return to on stage, she has made an effort to push her past behind her.
Music is cathartic for Kaz: “I like colour, vibrancy and fun but I can also go into myself and write dark stuff. Writing is therapy for me. Life gives you trauma, and we all suffer this. I choose to cover up my pain in music so I don’t have to deal with it. I write to distract myself from it.”
Kaz’s album, ‘Get Ready’ takes a more celebratory turn compared to the darker sounds of her first two EPs. The album mixes a plethora of genres; rockabilly, honky tonk, jazz, soul, blues, rock and roll and even a touch of gospel. Of the album, Kaz says, “I’m enjoying the celebration of life now. The blues is in the sound of my voice, which gives me the freedom to bring in other genres and give the sound a more modern twist. ”
As well as lecturing and performing at Boston University in music appreciation, arts education and world culture classes, Kaz also mentors young women. “I really try to give back, especially to females”, she says. “My advice for young women coming into music would be to grow a thick skin and grow it fast! Research the old blues songs, listen to the originals, as far back as you can go. Listen to how they did it and the stories they told. These people sang to stay alive, and if you can’t represent that you shouldn’t be singing blues at all. You have to be authentic in representing and honouring the blues. You don’t necessarily have to have lived pain to be able to understand the genre.”
Having already accrued several awards in her short time in the public spotlight, this year Kaz was selected for a British blues award; a career highlight. “To be recognised as a Brit in this industry is just amazing. I have such dedicated and passionate fans who voted for me. It’s quite overwhelming”, she explains with a grin. “I know I’m not ever going to be mainstream, but I do know I’m up there with the best in the UK and I’ve fought tooth and nail to be accepted. Finally Northern Island have started accepting me and they’re so proud of me now”, she says.
Best of all, Kaz has new music on the horizon with a five-track EP due in mid-December, available exclusively via the Blues and Soul Show.
I can’t wait to check out this vibrant soul at the festival next summer. As Kaz says, “There is a need for this type of event. People are flying in especially to make this work. We’re going to be making history…”
Kaz and her Band O’Men are campaigning for funds towards a new tour bus. Read more information about the campaign here.
Let’s be clear, this is not a festival for getting trashed in a field for three days. This is an urban festival. This means that you stay clean (ish), get to drink cold beer and you don’t have to walk for miles in between bands! But there was still so much going on, and we only had a limited amount of time to see a selection of the 153 acts….
Watching Howie Reeve play his acoustic bass in the bowels of Cord, on the Saturday evening, it became quickly apparent that this is a festival for people who are serious about music, and who are on the hunt for experimental and exciting sounds. There was little talking during sets, every artist’s audience was glued to the performance in front of them, absorbing as much as they could before moving on to the next.
Howie’s affable and intriguing repartee with the crowd between songs was mirrored in his music. Lyrics were, at once clever and amusing; poignant and entertaining, and as unpredictable as the music that accompanied them.
To describe the songs as meandering would be unfair – these were clearly painstaking compositions that saw Howie make the most of an unusual instrument for a solo performer. A refreshingly different and thought-provoking show.
Howie Reeve
Next up was Mat Riviere from Glasgow, whose breath-taking kalimba chords struck right down to my bones. He somehow created an amphitheatre of sound all by himself that reverberated deep.
Mat made the most of Cord’s intimate atmosphere, with his set culminating in a musical swell, aptly reserved for the finale, over which he sang a-cappella with the kind of force that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on an At The Drive-In record.
Bastardgeist
Bastardgeist, aka Chicago’s Joel Midden was a joy. Touring partner to Mat Riviere, his music too was expressive, evocative and intense, and showed how much can be done with a Macbook, a thumb piano, an ethereal vocal style and a great deal of imagination.
Both artists lured you in with textures, dynamics and sounds that defied the fact they were coming out of a computer, and had a lo-fi honesty that really fit the setting.
Each set was thirty minutes’ long, which is enough to get a taster of different artists who you can explore further at a later time. What got me was the friendliness of the people attending the festival and of the people working at it. It felt like a celebration.
AKDK
I made a special effort to catch Brighton’s AK/DK, as I had been listening to ‘Synths + Drums + Noise + Space‘, the band’s immense new album. Live, they were supreme. Added vocal effects elevated the sounds of the album to even more dizzying heights. With the industrial surroundings of Texture, at points, I felt I was at an old-skool rave, only the music was being created from scratch. The packed, pulsating room obviously couldn’t get enough of this duo either. I suppose when you are familiar with a band’s music, this is when the thirty minute set rule is too short. We wanted more!!
AKDK
Huge credit must go to the organisers of this gem of a music fest. You could really see and feel the absolute care that has been taken by them to deliver this event. I never expected that I would enjoy it as much as I did. It was a glorious celebration of thought-provoking music, independent venues and music fans with eclectic tastes. It certainly deserved its name of a ‘Carefully Planned Festival’.
