Villagers at St George’s, Bristol

Posted on April 15, 2015 by haymoncollins

VillagersSometimes things are just perfect. The day of the official UK release of Darling Arithmetic, the sparkling third album from Conor O’Brien’s Villagers, coincided with the opening night of the UK tour at the splendid St George’s venue in Bristol on the most sultry of spring evenings.

An ideal venue for the newly stripped back, intimate and deeply personal material, O’Brien took to the stage in his usual unassuming way along with his drummer, double bassist, keys player and harpist. Together they launched into a set which mixed the, at once fresh and immediately familiar, new songs with material from the two previous albums. Opener (a personal favourite), Let the Tigers Free, showed straight away that the older material had been given an amazing refresh to sit with the new songs and the lo-fi, acoustic set up. The make-over made the old familiars seem new all over again, and if possible, even better than before.

O’Brien’s haunting and ethereal voice was in extraordinary good order, every word sharp as a tack, no matter how quietly delivered, the audience hushed and hanging on every pitch perfect note. The band was the epitome of quality musicianship, the whole sounding achingly gorgeous and unimaginably polished despite this being the opening UK night; truly remarkable.

DarlingThe new album (surely a contender for those pointless ‘album of the year’ polls) is a thing of rare beauty, intimacy and honesty. The by now well know subject matter of O’Brien’s sexuality throughout the album is well documented, but I would rather see the albums theme as being about the twists and turns, hurdles and complications of anyone’s loves. The craftsmanship of the songs and the, less than usually Delphic, lyrics make them easily transferable into many people’s experience.

Support for the night was from the hugely talented Luke Sital-Singh, alone on the stage with his guitar and impressive, distinctive voice with songs from his rather wonderful debut album, The Fire Inside. Go seek him out.

It was none the less, and properly so, O’Brien’s night, and nights like this are rare and precious – remarkable voice, songs, musicianship, an evening of mesmerising, breathtaking and exquisite music.

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Jejeune/Selene – Tamu Massif

Posted on April 1, 2015 by haymoncollins

tamu-852x550Oh me oh my, I am totally obsessed with this track, Jejeune/Selene, and indeed the three others I can find on Soundcloud by Tamu Massif, aka Dave Dixon. Mr Dixon appears to be from Weston-super-Mare and this slice of blissful heaven is apparently released (although I have no idea how you actually get it) on Bristol new label Chiverin. I know practically nothing about Mr Dixon/Tamu Massif (but I do know that  Tamu Massif is a submarine shield volcano in the Pacific), except that Tamu was once three but is now just one (geography problems it seems). However his voice reminds me of Andrew Bird and the guitar work of early Vini Reilly – job done, match made in heaven for me. Languid, hazy-summery (despite the howling gale outside), a vibe and a quality here which makes me feel decidedly a-OK (no mean feat right now, let me tell you). Oh for a bit more of this stuff, four little tracks is nowhere near enough Mr Dixon, but what joy they are, delicious, like honey on toast.

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Karthryn Stewart and Sean Lakeman at the Convent Club

Posted on March 29, 2015 by haymoncollins

LakemanReminded again of our great good fortune to have such a special venue as the Convent Club right on our doorstep, Mrs H-C and I rolled up on a drear Saturday eve to the now familiar intimacy that is the Chapel, to hear Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman. In support duties was local talent, Hattie Briggs, more of her later.

The folk ‘thing’ has always been a part of me it seems from the earliest days of Steeleye Span (mmm!) and progressively through other voices like Joni Mitchell with her Laurel canyon-folk sensibilities, to the more contemporary americana sounds of M. Ward and the pure Englishness of the Carthy/Waterman  and a hundred others besides.

I still struggle I must admit with certain elements, who shall remain nameless, but at its best there is a vein of something deep and resonant about the folk tradition. Much like the extraordinary place in which we sat; gothic, ritualistic, embedded in our culture, so too does this music have such a deep place, be it the bucolic Devonian childhood of Mr Lakeman or the more industrial Barnsley background of Ms Roberts. Of course the story-telling is a part of it, but also the music, the chords, the progressions all speak to that golden thread that weaves through our shared history.

This particular marital pairing join together a remarkable and powerful voice (as well as other instrumentalist skills) and one of the finest guitarists (and a great producer) you could hope to hear. The combination echoes both that fine tradition but also runs with a contemporary edge and keeps them well clear of Ye Olde English pastiche. The older, traditional songs are handled with care and respect but given a lift for the modern ear, and their own material reflects issues of the day but delivered with the skill and musicality only possible with such a deep understanding of the music and its history.

The acoustics and equipment in the Chapel are exemplary but you know full well that this pair would sound just as great in the primary schools where they perform for their twin girls friends. Kathryn’s voice is of the highest order with a power and ease you would be hard to match; Sean’s guitar has the attack, drive and finesse that would shame many a musician.

The set, quite properly, contained a great deal from their new album, Tomorrow Will Follow Today, and a fine suite of songs it is too; beautiful, affecting and sparkling songs, all available for the price of two drinks from the bar over on their website. Their tour dates continue for a few weeks and details can be found here – if you are in striking distance, rock along, you cannot be disappointed.

HattieHattie Briggs, local (to me!) Stroud singer-songwriter, is a recent BBC Radio 2 young Folk Awards nominee, and its not hard to see why. A voice as clear as crystal, her own songs with the strength and precision to stand alongside her rendition of Fields of Gold. Her set contained a good smattering of songs from her soon to be released debut, Red & Gold, available for pre-order from her web site and some streamable off her Soundcloud page. Unashamedly a fan of Eva Cassidy, I also caught glimpses of Carly Simon which can’t be a bad thing! On tour for most of the Roberts/Lakeman tour, Hattie is someone who should be seen and heard.

So an evening of fine music, in an equally fine setting, and with an intimacy that this sort of music blossoms in. Here is music that will last, not just because of the superb musicianship but also because it is rooted equally in the past and the present, reason enough to safeguard its future.

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Have Mercy – Lone Tree Quartet

Posted on March 22, 2015 by haymoncollins

coverIts always a bit of a thrill when a band gets in touch directly instead of some faux-matey PR note introducing the next big thing that never will be. Its a bigger thrill still when you listen in and the musical baby they have delivered is pretty dang good.

I clocked an email from Sam Smith in my inbox, and yes for the most fleeting of moments I thought it might be ‘that’ Sam Smith, he of the hyped up awards and all. But this Sam Smith was dropping by from the Pyrenees to intro his band, Lone Tree Quartet, tagged as being from Oxford, and much more to my taste and my demographic I suspect. Mr Smith was pointing at their, now newly released, album Have Mercy, available now for a few measly earth pounds from their Bandcamp site and sporting a natty photo of Mount St Helens, unless I am much mistaken.

A bit bluesy, a bit 70-‘s rock, a twist of something a bit more contemporary and edgy, a bit hard to categorise, if thats what you fancy doing. But however you badge them there are a few things you can’t deny. The songwriting is rock solid throughout, hooks a-plenty, melodies that you find yourself humming hours later; and the songs have a depth, a story; they are felt. The playing is uniformly excellent, with a polish and ease that only comes from chaps that know each other well. Even before you are told, you know they have played both together and apart for more than just a couple of months during the summer holidays in their parents garage; this is playing borne of experience, practice and chemistry.

Given the bands name they are, appropriately, four chaps: John Cunningham – vocals and guitar, Stephen Page – drums and percussion, Sam Smith – guitar and vox and Gary Warmington – bass. Its always a little invidious to highlight particular parts of a band, and especially when, like here, they all make a powerful contribution. But here goes! I assume its John C’s vocal that takes the lead most times here, and its a joy to hear a voice thats not a reedy, thin thing but warm and thick like a winter duvet, syrup on your morning porridge. The other stand out item here is the guitar work, I think mostly Mr Smith, with the sorts of breaks and riffs that are, stupidly, not so trendy now – what colour and sparkle they bring, nowhere more so than my two favourite tracks, Winter Coat, and Wild West.

With one or two gigs to launch the new album, I imagine they give a fine account of themselves live, probably (as with many-a band) even more muscular when on a stage. And thats another thing, you just know that what you hear on the CD/download or whatever, is pretty much exactly what you would get live; no extra tracks being played off the lappy to flesh the sound out, if this lot need such frippery and trickery I’d eat my hat.

A swift little email exchange added a little info about Mr Smith and the band. A Sheffield lad via Oxford and now the Pyrenees, Sam is a self-taught musician with a family that was into English trad music, he’s been through the folk, classic rock and classical guitar route, which must account for the quality of his playing, together with a with a welter of gigs and recording experience.

Lone Tree Quartet members have known each other and played together in various guises for a good number of years but came together in this form around the time Sam legged it to France. The geography and other day-to-day issues meant that this album has taken a while to pull together, but together it is and has just been self-released onto an unsuspecting world.

Amongst other random bits and pieces we mused about Gary’s funky line in T-shirts, that one of Sam’s fav dishes happens to be pan-fried Bream with harissa and rose (find it in Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem cookbook), likes many things Moroccan including their food, music and being the source of his first Oud… and in case you were wondering, he has a liking for philosophical chaps the Stoics (along with the Lad as it happens)

Well thats all fine and dandy but its actually all about the music, and the music here is fine, rich, intensely played and felt. The real and genuine article.

 

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Idlewild, Birmingham and London Roundhouse

Posted on March 14, 2015 by haymoncollins

IMG_2445Ever since that last show at the dubious Garage in London, I have had a steadily growing Idlewild shaped hole to deal with. Just to be perverse the hope of a new album and live dates carried with it equal quantities of joyful anticipation and worry. But hope is important and the worry that after six years it all might be a well intentioned mistake, and they should have stayed away, has been comprehensively swept away.

The album is a joy, a return to form that feels even better than before. Of course it is more mature and nuanced than the early stuff, but then it would be, why wouldn’t it? So we have something with a clear heritage, a golden thread from the Captain era right up to date, the mark of a band that knows who it is and doesn’t need simply to retread the past. Everything ever written about them references back to the lyrical, acoustic-led, poetry which has always underpinned their work; it’s not so shy to show its face now, but it is still delivered with a punch and an intensity that is their other enduring characteristic.

Although, like any of their other die-hard fans, I feel they speak directly to me, I know this is just another of my favourite delusions. But this ability to connect so personally and make another world in your mind is the stuff that forges a hard-to-break bond, be you an old or a new fan.

IMG_2430Creeping down the less than salubrious Digbeth to the Institute in Birmingham, IDS and I passed the hundred broken windows that still show that gentrification hasn’t arrived here quite yet. The sets we were treated to both in Brum and, a few days later, at the Roundhouse, after the Lad and I drove for three hours to get there, were the same. But truth to tell I could hear the same set night after night without tiring.

No mere recycling of past glories interlaced with a few pale imitation makeweight songs – the new and the old slot together as equals in the cannon that is the Idlewild catalogue. You know from the get go if a band is on it or not, and after the little hiatus they are most definitely on it. In fact they have never sounded, looked, or felt better; a drive, an enjoyment that slipped away before, a comfort in what they do, but moreover, a passion.

IMG_2440For sure the arrival of beloved favourites like Little Discourage, Captain or Roseability (the reactions to which must have warmed the cockles of their hearts, not least the unprompted, mass singing of “Gertrude Stein says ‘That’s enough'”) get a rapturous welcome; because for all of us somehow and for some reason, they connect to the remote part of our lives dedicated to shared experience, and common ground. But new songs like the magnificent Collect Yourself will soon join them and be similarly lauded.

The band were outstanding, Roddy sounding in the best possible voice, Rod Jones’ powerful guitar work and trademark leaping around, and fine mention must go too to Hannah Fishers sympathetic, energetic fiddling, Colin Newtons gunshot-sure drums, Andrew Mitchell’s wonderful bass and Lucci Rossi’s very welcome keys. A band re-energised and ready to take on the world.

IMG_2409Lest we forget, the hideously talented Sorren Maclean and band played a blinder as support on both nights, and he won’t have done himself any harm at all. The new album Winter Stay Autumn is very fine indeed and should be snapped up at the earliest opportunity, as should the new EP Way Back Home.

But the nights belonged to Idlewild, the woefully under-rated and under-recognised wonders that they are – how many new bands wouldn’t be here without their influence and inspiration?  “There’s a lot of you here tonight”, says Mr W at one point, “Where’ve you been?”. We’ve been right here listening to the warnings and promises of a return after six years. But it’s like they hadn’t been away; music to set your spirit free and let your heart take flight. So good to have you back.

Set List

IMG_2425Nothing I Can Do About It
You Held the World in Your Arms
Collect Yourself
Little Discourage
Make Another World
Every Little Means Trust
Roseability
Live in a Hiding Place
Quiet Crown
A Film for the Future
Captain
So Many Things To Decide
Love Steals Us From Loneliness
IMG_2426(Use It) If You Can Use It
American English
El Capitan
Utopia
Encore:
Too Long Awake
I Understand It
A Modern Way of Letting Go
In Remote Part / Scottish Fiction

(thanks to Gigwise for the set list)

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Stones – Tom Mitchell

Posted on February 27, 2015 by haymoncollins

StonesFunny thing music; fashions come and go (some don’t go quite as fast as they might), for a while we seem swamped by this fad or the other, and you look back and ponder, ‘Urgh what were we thinking?’ Latterly there has been more than a fair supply of pimped up folky types with a jaunty Panama hat here, a waistcoat with an artful lining there, all claiming to be the next big thing alongside the dread Mumfords of this world.

Trouble is too many of them lack that thing which you can’t get a stylist for, it doesn’t come along with the labels PR expert. Authenticity can’t be snapped up in some cool Islington shop, or an edgy boutique. And that is what sorts the wheat from the chaff.

So to Tom Mitchell. Without any attempt to denigrate his sartorial approach, no stylist or PR driven approach here, no sneaking doubt about whether he might have been a death rocker until recently but now spots a gap in the market. Nope, what you see is what you get here; a man dedicated to his guitar, to that time honoured school of song writing that tells a story, to tunes that dig in deep, to an innate quality of musicianship.

I have been listening to the tracks on Stones, the latest offering from Tom, for some time now: either in their original demo-esque versions or the more polished and filled out iterations on the new release. The addition of harmonies from the fine Sarah Proudfoot was never going to be a bad thing, and this and other nice touches like a bit of mandolin, add the extra texture and depth without swamping the core voice and guitar. I find myself frequently humming one of the melodies at unexpected times; walking the hound, doing my morning lengths at the pool, or as just now, sitting on the train heading west from Paddington. It’s not so easy to cause such ear-worm tendencies, further proof that what we have here is an old head and soul on young shoulders.

IMG_8667

Tom at The Convent Club, Woodchester

Throughout  the six tracks here you will of course spot the influences, the references, those musicians who have shaped Toms style and approach, but you get much more than a mere pastiche. Of course I have my favourites and amongst them is Fifty Trees clocking in at just a tad under six and a half minutes with a fab solo fade out. The extra time gives the song a chance to develop and builds into probably his finest song to date. Another favourite is Lock Down in Five whose video you can see embedded below.

Stones is officially released on March 2 and can be snapped up via Tom’s website for a mere four earth pounds, you will also find his other releases there as well so, knock yourself out. If you fancy catching him doing his thing live (and you should) his next jaunt is in Bristol on March 4 which will be the launch show when he supports Max Jury, and tickets can be got here.

So in Stones, Tom Mitchell’s third release proves he gets better each time, more mature, more finely crafted. Like I said, an authentic head on young shoulders, a fine piece of work indeed and you’d have to have a heart of stone (see what I did there?!) not to warm to its charms.

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Atomos at Sadlers Wells – A Winged Victory for the Sullen and Wayne MacGregor’s Random Dance Company

Posted on February 15, 2015 by haymoncollins

imageLooking around the gathering Valentines Day crowd in the cultured environ that is Sadlers Wells I wondered how many were here for which element? Extraordinary contemporary dance crew Random Dance led by Wayne MacGregor or the ever-amazing AWVFTS? My bet is in the majority, the former judging by the composition of the audience.

Having seen AWVFTS perform Atomos three times already (that early try-out in Reading then the Barbican and only last week in Bristol) I felt pretty much at home with the piece and the rather unnerving, emotional effect it has on me. Even the oddly inappropriate standing up surroundings of The Lantern (@ Colston Hall) couldn’t diminish the impact of this remarkable suite of music. So how would it be this time with the dance piece that it was written to accompany?

AWVFTS at Bristol

AWVFTS at Bristol

Not surprising, like a hand in glove. But that barely scratches the surface of just how overwhelming an event it was. No contemporary dance buff me – having walked out of the Sarah Bernhardt theatre in Paris during a jaw droppingly awful dance evening – I was a tad anxious but consoled myself that there would at least be the music.

In the event it was a ninety minute sensory overload sort of affair. The ten dancers were quite astonishing, with a strength, poise and a virtuosity that I find hard to put into words. Bodies flowing together, sinuous, effortless and like a language I don’t understand but whose beauty I still found absorbing. The music neither dominated nor was it mere accompaniment, the dance and music was properly two halves of the same exhilarating event.

Mmm, I am slipping into purple prose but, honestly, how often do you have a chance or the privilege to witness such remarkable things?

Leaving our seats when most everyone else had left after a triumphant set of curtain calls; I shouted down my appreciation to the members of AWVFTS already tidying away their stuff from the pit area. They looked a little surprised and a bit bashful – I wonder if they are able to appreciate quite what an immersive experience they had given birth to?

As we slipped away into the dark London evening we kind of knew that this had been rather special, not something too many others have been able to witness. Lucky, lucky us.

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Beauty in the Night – Seatraffic

Posted on January 20, 2015 by haymoncollins

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Just a sneaky little post this – stumbled across these Seatraffic chaps and rather enjoyed. Apparently their album Beauty in the Night is due to be released soon here in the UK despite the fact that its already available on Bandcamp and presumably out in the States

A chirpy duo of Mark Zannad (keys and vocals) and Brandon Harrison (drums) are out of San Francisco and tag themselves ‘dream pop low-fi synth’ which should pretty much get you there.

I imagine there is quite a bit of Beach House in their playlist but you can’t blame them for that. The vocals are smooth and sultry, the keys suitably glitzy and bouncy, the drums well, they do the drum thing quite nicely thank you, and so all in all a very enjoyable, dare I say sexy, little set.

Lead off track Man on the Coast is a pretty neat way to start and so thats why its tacked on below. A propos of nothing at all, I can’t help liking a band that posts the same picture of themselves riding bikes but in different weather settings on the same road – don’t know why, I just found that rather endearing…. probably just me then…

 

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Seven Billion Like You – All This Noise

Posted on January 17, 2015 by haymoncollins

All This NoiseI can’t lie, its always a bit of a thrill when a band gets in touch directly rather than through their PR, and even if sometimes the music might be a bit meh, or not really my cup of tea, such moments are always erased when you hit Play and, Lo, there’s summat a bit nice.

So, All This Noise, aka James and Alan Noise, is a little two-some resulting from, what I assume, was frustration of playing session on others so-so music. Not a bad place to start and I think that Alan Noise takes care of producer, engineer, programmer and bass player duties with James Noise delivering the guitar and vocals.

With a bit of 80’s era electro, 90’s indie and some contemporary bleeps and whistles their music so far seems to rather cunningly span the decades. It brings to mind a number of things, like a twang of early Depeche Mode here and a glimpse of The The there; however this is no mere pastiche or a smashing together of a few styles.

It is a rather beautifully produced concoction (well the two tracks so far available at any rate), with some fine guitar and excellent vocals to the fore, deftly underpinned by the electronica and bass work. The musical ability and experience shine through as does the maturity to know that sometimes you must let tracks have the time to build and not just to go straight for the jugular. Short and sharp can be fine but surely we have the time and inclination to let things grow and develop, its something I appreciate personally, and in my view its been nicely judged on these two tracks.

Seven Billion Like You seems set for release as a single at the end of January, I believe an accompanying video might be in production as well. The Return is also available on their Soundcloud page and I think is my favourite of the two tracks. Writing and recording for more stuff to form an album is also muted though no release date is, perhaps understandably, mentioned. Dear Heart Tom Robinson saw fit to lead off his December Mixtape with a cut down version of Seven Billion… so someone is listening up its good to note.

A couple of plays find these, immediately enticing, tracks dig under your skin and get their hooks in. I’ve been buzzing them for a day or so now and have come to love these genre-defying, epoch-leaping little rascals. Messrs James and Alan Noise are onto something here and I for one am looking forward to a few more tracks, don’t leave it too long chaps!

 

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Tied – Sun Drift

Posted on January 9, 2015 by haymoncollins

sun driftWhat a perfect thing to stumble across on this miserable Friday afternoon. Tied, this debut EP/mini album or whatever from the un-seasonably named Sun Drift came out at the back end of last year but its never too late to find a good thing.

The achingly young Zac Barfoot, for it is he, who is responsible for this little slice of deliciousness, has popped out five entirely gorgeous tracks with a polish and maturity that belies his tender years (annoying, isn’t it?). Written, played, recorded, mixed all on his own-some at home – gah , clever kids!

Amazingly accomplished; the lush and fine guitar work, the layered dreamy vocals and harmonies should all be product of warmer climes, rolling down the Pacific Highway or lazing in a high altitude meadow. But apparently the same can be the product of Silverdale in Lancashire, who would have thought it?

In his scant online information, Barfoot clearly lays out his influences and of course you find them here – but thats no crime, and especially when it results in such a totally delightful wee set as Tied.

This impeccable and elegant first outing is quite the thing, wrapping around me and shutting out the howling gale outside. Couldn’t wish for a better Friday accidental find.

 

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