Mar 03
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Jazz is not my usual cup of tea. I’m more of a rock and metal fan, but having been introduced to Courtney Pine in the mid-90s, it would have been rude not to see him in the amazing setting of Birmingham Town Hall. |
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Feb 20
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It's been a few years since I heard Jim Moray live so I'm really looking forward to this evening. Jim Moray, of course, is the singer who burst on to the folk scene back in 2003 with his debut album, Sweet England winning the BBC2 Horizon award for most prestigious album of the year and winning him the accolade of best newcomer. |
Feb 11
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In a moment of inspiration, that solid chap Mr. Aural Flea saw fit to purchase two tickets to this gig on the offchance I'd be able to make it! Make it? I moved every commitment aside for this. Cluster, with their roots in the late 60s, defined the roots of everything from experimental ambient to dance, with a mighty dollop of krautrock thrown-in for good measure! |
Feb 09
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Playing Wolverhampton’s Slade rooms as part of their ‘Hot Mess across the Eu-Niverse’ tour to promote their third album, New York’s Cobra Starship have created a bit of a stir amongst the UK’s Gossip Girl generation. By the time the band finally took to the stage, the crowd had whipped themselves up into a frenzy, the girls chanting and singing and the boys play-fighting and running around at the back like kids at a family disco. |
Feb 07
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The first surprise of the evening was the size of the audience. Having seen a number of excellent folk artists singing to less than capacity crowds over the last few years, it was good to see that Judy Collins had sold out the ground floor of the Birmingham Town Hall and a substantial part of the balcony. The second surprise was the voice. Collins is now 70, and has been singing in public since the early 1950s. Her voice is virtually the same as it was in the 1960s -- a clear haunting soprano. |
Dec 02
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"Can someone close that door?" asks the solitary figure on stage as the booming beats of Good Shoes rumble from the other room at the Hare & Hounds. Upstairs the music is somewhat calmer as Pennsylvania-born Catherine Feeny gently picks at her guitar and her dreamlike vocals wash over the sparse-but-captivated audience. |
Dec 01
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It seems The Civic Hall is destined to be home to a number of veterans of rock this evening in one guise or another….and no I am not just talking about the legendary king of theatrics, Mr. Alice Cooper! It might come as a surprise to some to learn that support band Man Raze is made up of some fine musicians from rock history in the form of vocals/guitarist Phil Collen (Def Leppard), bass player Simon Laffy (Girl) and last but by no means least, drummer Paul Cook (Sex Pistols). |
Nov 01
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The Assembly in Leamington Spa seems like an odd venue to stage a death metal gig, what with its Art Deco ballroom appearance (which the website reliably informs me was designed by Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen during its renovation in 2006!). Having previously flicked through up and coming gigs, I can see no other killer death metal line-up like this evenings on the horizon and observing the security staff they certainly appear to be on edge! |
Oct 29
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If you can, try and cast your mind back to the late nineties. You’re in a nightclub on a Friday or a Saturday night, you’ve had too much to drink and you’ve lost your mates. You’re feeling a bit wretched and in dire need of a kebab and a taxi. Then one of those classic anthemic dance tracks fills your head and your ears – the dance floor heaves en mass; a sea of arms in the air flickering in the strobe light, and suddenly, for a brief musical second, you feel like everything is going to be OK. I’m not saying that Calvin Harris isn’t of his moment, but there was something about the atmosphere in the new O2 Academy that took me back in time. |
Oct 27
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Canterbury started the evening off. They are a 5 piece British band, with dual lead vocals being provided from the guitarist and keyboard player. The guys had a very similar sound to the headliners Billy Talent. |
Oct 08
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The Cult have joined the ever increasing list of bands who go on tour to perform one of their albums in its entirety; the chosen work being their 1985 album Love, prior to the release of the limited edition. |
Oct 08
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Johnny Marr is in The Cribs! - a bit of an obvious statement maybe, but true nonetheless. Let me explain: I had the misfortune to see Modest Mouse at the height of Johnny's much publicised involvement with that band. In spite of all the protestations to the contrary he was not a real member of the band.. |
