G-G-G-Gigs 2015

[RedRockRick]

Due to circumstances beyond my control, no gigs for me since mid-October, but now, following a successful sentencing review board hearing, here's a few I've made:

Lucy Kaplansky @ The Borderline

Still one of my favourite singer-songwriters, played two sets, no support, and the first time she's been over for about six years: well worth the wait.

The Barr Brothers @ The Railway, Winchester

If you caught them doing their rocking-out thing in the late show in the Tipi last year rather than the more laid back afternoon slot on the Woods stage, then this is what you got. Excellent, and getting better.

Frontier Ruckus & Austin Lucas @ The Railway, Winchester

Well, FR have morphed into a six-piece since they last were over two years, and to good effect. They do an unplugged kind of thing in the audience as an encore, worth the price of admission alone. As for Austin Lucas, much as I feel I should like him more, I've seen a bunch of his shows over the years and none has fully hit the spot in the way I feel really it should.

One I missed: back in the day when it was being run by the mighty Barry Everitt, and I was spending more time there than in my armchair at home, sold-out shows at the Borderline were never a problem to get into - a call before and there was always a ticket on the door. Alas, no more. I left it much too late for the great Tim Barry/Cory Branan doubleheader last Friday, not a sniff of a ticket, no way, no how. Hmmmm.

[killyourtv]

PINS and Black Tambourines @ Sebright Arms, E2

2 boisterous and inside-shaking sets to a very mixed crowd in hipster central. PINS have developed their sound on the 2nd LP they played in full, though lyrics still not a strong point.

Great sound in the Sebright, a tiny venue though.

[MattL80]

Barr Brothers were really good at the Railway, really enjoyed it. I saw them twice at EOTR but didn't know them at the time. I've since got to know their albums and loved the gig.

Also went to AL/FR. Enjoyed FR, but didn't get into AL - odd crowd I thought - annoying girls, don't know what that was about, not seen them there before.

Other gigs so far this year include;

Southern Tenant Folk Union - Reading South Street Arts Centre - night after Barr Brothers, and a little underwhelmed after the high of that, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Peter Bruntnell, Danny George Wilson, Neil Halsted - Discovery Centre, Winchester. Brilliant, so different, but work together so well. Better than the sum of their part.

The War On Drugs, Southampton Guildhall. Bloody good, considering my dislike of the venue. The sound was surprisingly reasonable, I even made out the odd word. Some of the songs (Red Eyes, Ocean Between The Waves etc.) were just incredible. Yes, they sound like Don Henley, but they'll be great this EOTR.

[RedRockRick]

Good Luck Mountain @ Kingsmead House Concerts, Wycombe & @ The Prince Albert, Brighton

Two excellent solo shows by the under-appreciated and unmissable Mike Ferrio (you've probably missed him since the last show of the tour is tonight) in support of Good Luck Mountain's excellent second album "Too". Mike's previous and much-missed band Tandy were another great band that slipped quietly by, and both shows were a mix of Tandy and GLM material. Estimable support from Jack Harris.

[paulwa]

NME Awards Tour, O2 Academy Bristol, 2nd March - The Wytches, Slaves, Fat White Family, Palma Violets

A lot of fun for an ageing indie rock fan. Quite a shock to see the amount of really young teens at this one, but great to see them getting stuck into some serious rucking and moshing... it took me back 20 years. It was all good natured thankfully and even Big Jeff was headbanging down the front! The show itself was a bit up and down.

The Wytches, who I think played at EOTR before, just sounded like angry teenagers making noise, with just one or two tunes shining through.

Slaves were absolutely brilliant. Great rapport with the crowd, good tunes, good noise, never took themselves too seriously, and appeared to be having fun with the whole thing. I'm looking forward to their album in June.

Fat White Family could have been good, but they had a very odd sound mix with lots of echo on vocals. Sounded mushy compared to the previous bands. Again, a handful of good songs, but sounded poor on the night.

Palma Violets were far and away the most professional act on the bill. Looked a 'proper' group, even reminding me of The Clash at times (really!). I'd never felt this when listening to the album, but playing live there was something about the guitar sound and backing vocals (very Mick Jones). An enjoyable set.

[killyourtv]

Hookworms @ Rescue Rooms, Nottingham

My fitbit (posh pedometer) recorded 3 miles of activity during their hour, not jumped up and down as much since Allo Darlin.

As great a wall of noise as at EOTR last year, with that bit of progression displayed on The Hum in evidence.

Decent venue, you wouldnt have noticed chatterers anyway,though irritating numbers coming and going with drinks. Sunday nights with early curfew at play.

[killyourtv]

Benjamin Clementine @ the Barbican

Good turnout for someone who left strong impression close-up on Garden Stage last year, but less so from back of Barbican. Lots to admire, particularly with added cello, but songs made less impact this time. Seemed to be in a minority view though.

[riverlodge]

Tom Copson @ Portland Arms

The guy can really, really sing. He does drop the odd clunky song but that can be forgiven. Worth catching, even if there isn't the side entertainment of his St Ives 'massive' enjoying themselves at the start of the Easter piss up.

Good night.

[riverlodge]

ps KYTV your review from a couple of years ago, Slow Show, look like they are just about to hit the (medium) big time. really took to them last year and went over to St Peters in Manc'land for a magical gig.

ta for the heads up.

[killyourtv]

Riverlodge - thanks for jogging my fading memory about Slow Show - didn't even know finally got an LP out, and more gigs soon.

NB unfortunately couldn't get to Tom Copson - Green Mind putting on some good stuff at the Portland now.

[RedRockRick]

John Murry @ House Concert, Winchester

A borrowed guitar, a bunch of new songs from the forthcoming new album, a handful of covers, a background sense of precariousness, but somehow it all just about hung together and worked - he remains as compelling as ever.

[riverlodge]

Courtney Barnett

supported by Spring King

@ the Junction Cambridge

I'm so cool (ha*) but so far behind the times that - between buying tickets for this and turning up - without me knowing a) she hit the top of the US billboard 100 and got moved from a 300 hall to a sold out 1200+ one next door.

the result- this was a really lively, fun, noisy and sweaty old gig. support band Spring King are worth looking at, they embody every good bit of anything that was happening in 1977/78 (3 guitars up and drums) and they are having a big old laugh while playing super tight rock n roll and knocking out about 8 three minute songs in a super bouncy set. 7/10. note: they also formed the better part of Courtney Barnett's mosh pit and were persistent crowd surfers.

CB was great. some don't like (but I do) the laconic vocal style but nobody could argue about her (and her mate on bass) guitar skills. they moved between top notch wall of sound - I mean really, really good angular stuff - to poppy indie with ease and CB herself was always self deprecatingly amusing. got a deservedly (and unusual for Cambridge) up for it crowd and really stormed it.. 9/10.

[killyourtv]

Wolf Alice @ Cambridge Junction

Agree with you Riverlodge about Cambridge crowds being up for it. The Alice (?) got the full hysteria treatment, which their show deserves even if the songs dont yet.

Not seen as many bodies dragged out of a crowd since Lone Justice at the Marquee.

Equally interesting were the unclassifiable Magic Gang,lacking polish but full of good song structures.

[killyourtv]

Marika Hackman and Sophie Jamieson @ Portland Arms, Cambridge

Marika continues to impress, and this acoustic set showed off the impressive LP well. There was a touch of the baroque which gave a different feel from the fuller sound on the record.

Also guitar and voice, and painfully shy, but Sophie transfixed us with her astonishing performance, reminding me of William Tyler at EotR. Gig of the year.

Villagers @ the Epstein, Liverpool

A warm performance that made me appreciate their lyrics and musicianship, though I struggle with seated venues and drifted a bit 45 mins in. Will stick to the LPs.

[killyourtv]

Sharon van Etten & Sam Amidon @ Leeds Brudenell

First time I've seen them, having enjoyed rather than been stunned by last 2 LPs. Sharon's set varied from competent to very moving, with a 10 minute spell culminating in "Break Me" drawing a tear from more than just me, as did "Serpents".

Sharon has a rare combination of confidence, humility and humour; getting a bottle of water for the old guy at the front was a lovely touch.

Despite Sam's many talents I didnt warm to the set apart from trad closer "He lifted me from the mire and clay".

[RedRockRick]

Lower Dens @ The Green Door Store, Brighton

An evening drawn heavily on the really rather good new album Escape From Evil - some of the songs apparently hadn't been played live before, and it maybe showed - though the standout inevitably, I thought, was Tea Lights from Twin Hand Movement. My only complaint was that Jana Hunter's vocals weren't up enough in the mix, but overall, pretty fine.

[gigs]

Anyone else attending Ezra Furman at the Joiners?

[RedRockRick]

Joiners should be good, but triumphant return to Boileroom for me.

[killyourtv]

Maria McKee at How the Light Gets In @ Hay

Rare Maria gig, seemingly purely for her own enjoyment as mainly movie work these days. Still my only real musical hero, and with the one new song a joy as much as the rest of a mixed acoustic set that sent shivers.

More interestingly, there was some great new music in very EOTR-lite settings here, a really worthwhile trip to Hay.

[RedRockRick]

Chuck Prophet & The Mission Express @ The Joiners, Southampton

Chuck is usually terrific, but this seemed to take a long time to take off, possibly due to the presence of a very minor but equally very intrusive selection of dickheads, who were sufficiently off their skulls for Chuck's normally excellent putdowns to go way over their heads: security eventually straightened them out, and after that it was finally business as usual. Other talking point, such as it was, was when openers The Dreaming Spires interrupted their unspeakably turgid version of Atlantic City to call out someone at the front for texting on his mobile: I'd naturally assumed he was commendably warning fellow Bruce fans to avoid at all costs.

 

Alvvays @ The Boileroom, Guildford

Good (more-than-just) throw-away pop that should sound really agreeable on a sunny Sunday afternoon at EOTR, possibly less so on a snow-bound night in Huddersfield. It was an evening beset more than once by technical problems, and the sound blend at the Boileroom tended not to hand out favours gratuitously.

Edited June 29, 2015 by RedRockRick

[RedRockRick]

Ezra Furman @ The Boileroom, Guildford

Irresistible from the opening moment: I'm too old to pogo, but I pogoed. I don't know for how long he played, but it was way tooooooo short.  

[Blannyboy]

Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters - Westonbirt Arboretum

 

The first time that I've been to one of these Forestry Commission concerts, well organised if a bit on the commercialised side but nonetheless a lovely setting in the Arboretum.

 

Sometimes you need a good old bit of rock and last night Robert Plant and the band certainly provided that with a mixture of old Led Zeppelin numbers, some of his newer Space Shifters material and with the inclusion of Juldeh Camara providing a touch of world music in places, and if the reception from at the end from the crowd was anything to go by they were well satisified with the evening's entertainment.

[RedRockRick]

Old 97s @ The Borderline, London

A pretty well packed out Sunday night for the 97s (remarkably still the original line-up, I think) for their first trip over from Texas in well-nigh twenty years. You couldn't fault them for drive, and a very lively night was indeed had by all, but if you were other than a die-hard fan, you might be tempted to think after 45 minutes that there didn't seem much difference between one song and the next: comparisons with fellow (much-missed) Texan heroes Slobberbone wouldn't be to their favour . 

[gigs]

Ezra Furman- Joiners, Soton.

 

As with Ricks review of Ezra, an excellent set, if a little short. The band looked tired/ wired and really rocked. The new stuff sounds excellent and it is a shame he isnt returning this year for another festival slot.

[Yokel Again]

Tickets for Ezra in Oct or Nov in Bristol - can't wait. New album is fan-bloody-tastic.