It’s a cold, dark and wet November evening in Cambridge and Kenny Wayne Shepherd is in Town. Wow, the Louisiana guitarist is in our town and an almost sold out crowd haul themselves away from their cosy living rooms for a night of smokin’ hot electric blues.
To say that Lankum’s concert on their album release day was highly anticipated would be an understatement. The band had tweeted photos of them working on ‘The Livelong Day’ in the studio (Meadow Studio, Delgany, Co.Wicklow) earlier in the year. They posted a fascinating playlist on Spotify, compiled by their producer John ‘Spud’ Murphy, of tracks that inspired the making of the album . In interviews the band had been saying that they had finally made the album that they had been trying to make for a long time.
Sometimes I ask myself why we are drawn to certain types of music. Out of the many variants of African music for example, why am I drawn to desert blues whereas I find Afrobeat too jerky? And where does my fondness for throat singing come from?
A stellar gig from Sharon van Etten and her band in Cambridge last night. Returning to town after eight years and now the main Junction is the venue. The Corn Exchange next time I should think!
After two years on his home turf, Camden, Frank Turner opted to hold the third edition of his Lost Evenings festival in the U.S. This pleased his large American following, but many Europeans also travelled to Boston last weekend for four days of music and more.
“Hello, It's us again, back at the Foxlowe. I recognise some of your ....clothing” says Simon Nicol guitarist and vocalist of Fairport Convention setting the relaxed atmosphere for this evening on their Spring tour 2019. The Fairport Spring tour is a more relaxed acoustic stroll round the country, the band are seated on stage, Simon's guitars are acoustics and drummer Gerry Conway sans drum kit plays a variety of percussion and the cajon on which he is seated with his hands only.
Some background first. Important context needed. Built in the late 1950’s in response to Sheffield’s chronic social housing issues, which in turn resulted from the need for back-to-back tenement house clearance post WW2, Park Hill has dominated Sheffield’s skyline ever since. It’s a monolithic structure (afforded Grade II listed status in 1998) after the ‘Brutalism’ style French architect Le Corbusier, under the supervision of John Lewis Womersley (never knowingly under built?) containing 1,160 dwellings across 4 high rise blocks – it was the biggest social housing estate in Europe at that time. Got it. But what do Sheffielders think of it?
Having listened intently, and regularly to' Quiet Signs', Pratt’s latest, wonderful album, since release, I have been intrigued as to how she could convey the hushed intimacy in a live setting, especially on a Friday night at the Brudenell. I wasn’t to be disappointed, but more of that later.
In January 2018, the world was left with a Mark E Smith sized hole to fill with the sad passing of the iconic front man of The Fall. At the time of his passing, The Fall had been enjoying their most stable and longest serving line up, with members Dave Spurr, Kieron Melling and Pete Greenway having done over a decade with the mercurial frontman. So what to do next ? Recruit a new vocalist, record a debut album and get out onto the road...that’s what.
Usually the opening band's set sees the bars full, the merch stalls doing good business and a relatively unknown band playing to a half-full hall containing a half-interested audience. Tonight there's something different as the support band James have chosen for the UK shows on their 'Living In Extraordinary Times' tour is.....James.
Liberty Hall is a 400 seater theatre inside the Siptu trade union building on Dublin's Eden Quay. The Siptu building used to be the tallest building in the city and remains an iconic landmark. Every now and then the venue pops up in gig listings and on 23 February it played host to Lisa O'Neill and band, with support from John Francis.
A quick check on my CD shelves (yes that shows my age) reminds me that I bought The Joy Formidable debut E.P 'A Balloon Called Moaning' in a poster bag packaging 10 years ago from the band who were working their own merch stall that night. The 2019 merch stall is an impressive cornucopia of T-shirts, music, towels, badges, earplugs, stuffed toys and what appears to be a signed drum stool seat, alongside their most recent album 'Aaarth' released last September and which is the reason we are in Nottingham tonight.