The Gig Ghost: 2011

Date: Friday 1st July 2011

Venue: Alexandra Palace

ATP Don't Look Back event. The Flaming Lips performing The Soft Bulletin, with support by Deerhoof (performing Milk Man) and Dinosaur Jr. (performing Bug).

Review to follow!

Pics and vids by @thelawes

Deerhoof

Race For The Prize...

Thursday 30 June 2011

Jonny

Date: Wednesday 29th June

Venue: Borderline, Charing Cross Rd.

All pics and vids by @thelawes

Ryan Bingham

Date: Friday 24th June 2011

Venue: O2 Academy, Islington

I'll admit I didn't know much about Ryan Bingham, apart from the fact his song "The Weary Kind" was used in the recent Jeff Bridges film about a washed-up country singer Crazy Heart (and won him an Oscar), so in his case I'm clearly a bit of a Johnny-come-lately. My main thought was, well it's a Friday night, and I haven't been to a proper Americana-style gig for ages, so what's not to like?

Liam Gerner taking a turn during Ryan's set

In short, nothing. It was a great night. The opener, Australian Liam Gerner, got proceedings off to a fine start with his fantastic guitar playing and strong blues voice, and the packed crowd was clearly there for a good time. Bingham's Dead Horses band (which included Gerner tonight) gave a fabulous, impressive display - loud, tight and totally relentless. As the set kicked off with "Dollar A Day" and was followed by "Depression" I found myself grinning at the prospect of more top class alt-country - bleak confessional songs backed up by a power house of a band. The set ranged across his three albums, Mescalito, Roundhouse Sun and last year's Junky Star. The end of the set saw Ryan play some solo acoustic tracks (including one in Spanish - Bingham is from New Mexico), with the band returning for the end of the encore. Their version of "Bread and Water" to finish up was especially blistering. Ryan's voice was a quite a revelation - it's the kind of voice you might at expect from an old singer accustomed to eating Marlboros and sleeping in bars for the last twenty years, but as you can see Ryan is pretty young and fresh faced (despite, I read later, a terrifying-sounding stint as a professional bull rider). They played for nearly two hours and I had a blast. In fact it made me want to get on the first plane back to America. Result.

Bright Eyes

Date: Thursday 23rd June 2011

Venue: Royal Albert Hall

With support from Jenny and Johnny and Gruff Rhys.

Jenny & Johnny

The lovely Gruff

Bright Eyes set

Tuesday 28 June 2011

Driver Drive Faster (guest review by @thelawes)

Date: Wednesday 22nd June

Venue: The Shacklewell Arms, Dalston E8

Review and photos by @thelawes

The South Manchester suburb of Chorlton is, oddly, as a long-time London dweller and southerner through and through, somewhere I’m reasonably familiar with. In various circles it is probably best known for being the home of The Stone Roses, or even the place where Chorlton and the Wheelies was made, but my experience of it is entirely due to a past obsession with the Unicorn Grocery (Google it, it’s ace!) and nothing to do with its growing reputation as a cultural hotspot.

One of the best things to have emerged from Chorlton in recent times is Driver Drive Faster, who grew out of the remains of another Manchester band, Polytechnic, who themselves made a decent album, ‘Down Til Dawn’, in 2007. Last Wednesday night, the band played a free show at the Shacklewell Arms in Dalston to launch their debut album, ‘Open House’, released digitally last year but now receiving a welcome physical release.

Arriving to find a completely empty venue was not a promising start but the discovery of the beer garden revealed a sizable group of people, including the band; clearly this was going to be a relaxed affair. By the time the thoroughly decent support act had finished (name, anyone?), the room had filled nicely, although for a band who have enjoyed a fair amount of airplay on BBC 6 Music evening radio (Marc Riley is a big fan) one can’t help thinking it should have been fuller.

The potentially inharmonious elements of jangling indie guitars, distinctively motorik rhythms, delicate piano-based melodies, a smattering of Americana, and a slightly fey, ethereal vocal style combine to good effect in Driver Drive Faster and the new record is packed with tunes: recent single ‘It’s All Over It’s Everywhere’, ‘They May Talk’, and ‘Gravel Dents’ are all lovely, whilst the sublime ‘Can’t Afford To rely On Fate’ is about as beautifully mournful a tune as you’ll hear anywhere this year. ‘Don’t Fall Apart’ has Teenage Fanclub written all over it (anyone who knows me will know that I think this is A Good Thing). Live, all this translates effectively into something very charming indeed. This is exactly the kind of show that I like – a brilliant band in the back room of a pub that leaves you wondering why they’re not already playing in a much less modest venue. Highly recommended.

Ryan Adams

Date: Monday 20th June 2011

Venue: Barbican

This gig was billed as 'Ryan Adams: an acoustic performance', words which struck fear into my heart. The last time I saw a Ryan Adams acoustic show was back in 2006 at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. We made the trip back up to P's hometown especially for the show, thinking it would be great to see him in this special venue even if it entailed a whole weekend on a National Express coach to get there and back. To say it wasn't worth it was an understatement. Adams was so drunk he could barely finish a single song, his self indulgent mid-half song ramblings only punctuated by lunges at his glass of red wine. Despite spending so long getting there, we left before the end. I think not long after this he renounced the drugs and booze, and we did see him subsequently for a great show at Brixton Academy with the Cardinals, but there remained the chance that it was only playing with a full band that kept the show on track.

Still, plenty of time (and a 2 year career break from the sometimes too-prolific Adams) has passed since then, though Twitter based rumours that he played the whole of Dark Side of the Moon earlier on the tour just shows people are prepared to believe anything. The feedback from the tour has generally been amazing though, so it seems that sobriety suits him.

Jesse Malin, a friend of Ryan's who was tipped as the next big singer-songwriter thing quite a few years back, provided the support. He began very promptly at 7.30 so we missed the start, but as I wasn't totally won over by his singer-on-the-road type tales I wasn't that disappointed. The songs were mainly off last year's Love It To Life and were perfectly serviceable, but with a fair bit of lyrical cheese thrown in ("Lowlife in a High Rise" being one example). Malin might be mates with Adams and Springsteen but he unfortunately falls quite a long way short in such company.

No photos of tonight's show were allowed, as per a request from Ryan himself, so I've nothing to illustrate this post. People were actually taking pictures with shameless abandon by the end, but as we were sitting fairly far back the lack of camera wasn't too upsetting. Anyway, the stage was sparse, with just a chair, piano, guitar and songbook, waiting for Ryan to choose what to play. Opener "To Be Young" immediately blew all my worries about tonight out of the window, and was followed by such a beautiful version of "Oh My Sweet Carolina" I thought my heart might actually stop. Another highlight for me was "Firecracker", and by this point the audience was totally in the palm of his hand. Adams did have a little bit of fun with this, chastising the crowd for clapping and cheering after the first bar of the next song ("It could be anything - you don't even know. Actually it's a new song" - cue breaking into faux-metal droning). Really it was "Winding Wheel", another great moment. Probably the high point for me was a heartbreakingly slow version of "New York New York" on the piano, with all the bombast stripped away to reveal a fragile and tender love song. Was that a tear in the corner of my eye?! Because material from Heartbreaker and Gold came near the beginning of the set, I personally preferred this half of the evening (and I would have been waiting in vain to hear anything off Jacksonville City Nights - am I the only person who thinks this is a brilliant record..?). However the selection of songs from Demolition and Love Is Hell meant the whole of tonight was focused on the earlier part of his career, as befits an acoustic performance, and all the songs were well received.

Ryan made a few comments about the strong tea in his mug and how the drug references of songs like "Two" were being sung firmly in the past tense. Good luck to him - tonight proves beyond all doubt that he doesn't need any of it, and it seemed clear to everyone just why it was worth waiting for him to turn himself around.

Just one note of criticism - £10 for a new 7 inch single?! Even I couldn't be persuaded to take a punt on that.

Set list:

1. To Be Young
2. Oh My Sweet Carolina
3. Damn, Sam
4. Everybody Knows
5. If I Am a Stranger
6. Firecracker
7. My Winding Wheel
8. Invisible Riverside
9. New York, New York (piano)
10. Ashes and Fire
11. Let it Ride
12. Desire
13. Rescue Blues (piano)
14. English Girls Approximately
15. Blue Hotel
16. AMY
-----
17. 16 Days
18. Two
19. This House is Not for Sale
20. Stop (piano)

Sunday 19 June 2011

Howe Gelb and a Band of Gypsies

Date: Wednesday 8th June 2011

Venue: Union Chapel

Tonight was the third time we'd seen Howe Gelb. The first time (at the Luminaire) he didn't really endear himself to me, as he appeared so ridiculously late and engaged in such ponderous banter we only heard a few songs before having to head off to avoid spending the night on the streets of Kilburn. He has been known to call his solo shows "a discussion with a collection of tunes attached", and I do remember a rather redundant comment about people needing to get trains home which suggested he rather enjoys this sort of audience-frustrating schtick. The second time was before Willard Grant Conspiracy at the Bloomsbury Theatre, where he played at an excellent set, the support slot presumably affording fewer opportunities for waywardness.

Amor de Dias

The support tonight was provided by Amor de Dias (Clientele frontman Alasdair MacLean and Lupe Nunez-Fernandez of indiepop duo Pipas), whose debut record Street of the Love of Days has just been released. MacLean mentioned they were 'half English, half Spanish, and just come in from San Diego' and so were feeling a bit confused. Their quiet, unassuming but accomplished set of Spanish-influenced folk certainly didn't suggest confusion, but perhaps struggled to fully capture the attention of the audience.

Howe in storytelling mode

The Union Chapel had advertised a rather specific 8.55 start for Howe and the Band of Gypsies, though when ten past nine came and went I started to fear the worst. However, soon after Howe took the stage alone and regaled us with the last time he'd played this venue, when he'd talked for an hour to a disgruntled crowd and then only played the Vic Chesnutt song "Expiration Day" ('I'm a machinist at the Springfield Armory...'). Sounds like we were let off lightly in Kilburn, but his self awareness and wry sense of humour carried the day here, and this moving rendition of the same song, accompanied only by guitar and double bass, got the evening off to a great start.

Then, the 'Band of Gypsies' (basically the group of Spanish guitarist and flamenco superstar Raimundo Amador, on fine form here tonight) came on. Gelb recorded his latest album Alegrias with them in Spain. It consists mainly of Giant Sand songs reworked in laid-back flamenco influenced folk forms well suited to Gelb's relaxed vocals and style of song writing. The first song they played was also the first off the album, "4 Door Maverick", a great rendition which perfectly illustrated how the rhythmic skill of these musicians really brings the songs alive. Impressive versions of "Blood Orange" (a song which apparently influenced Guy Garvey, who confessed to stealing the lyric) and "Cowboy Boots on Cobble Stone" followed. As Howe quipped, "This is not a bad way to get old". Whilst Raimundo treated us to a solo slice of flamenco guitar, Howe took his beer and went for a wander to the back of the stage and had a quick look under the pulpit. This quite amused me, as I've often wondered if musicians are tempted to check out the rather unusual stage set-up here, though I haven't seen anyone else do so.

Robyn Hitchcock

As befits a serial collaborator, a number of guests featured tonight. Producer John Parish played the drums, and a female singer (Sarah, didn't quite catch the last name) was invited from the audience onto the stage for an unrehearsed number which worked out well in the end. Robyn Hitchcock was also a welcome surprise, playing his song "Ole! Tarantula" from the 2006 album of the same name, made with the Venus 3. As an encore all the guests come back on for an enjoyable, if slightly shambolic, version of "Light My Fire".

The Band of Gypsies

Fire Records have recently re-released many of the old Giant Sand albums as 25th anniversary editions, and they looked might fine displayed on the merch stand tonight. As his inspired collaborations show, Howe is master at bringing out the vitality of his substantial back catalogue. His clear respect for the flamenco musicians (and presumably the language barrier) ensured that things were kept right on track tonight, which was all about the music. All in all, it was an enjoyable alt-country gypsy-flamenco master class, which, as that definition suggests, rather defies categorisation. It was all the better for that.

Saturday 18 June 2011

Phosphorescent

Date: Tuesday 7th June 2011

Venue: Heaven

Dan Michaelson

I was really looking forward to tonight in a very straightforward way - I knew it couldn't be anything other than brilliant. Seeing and hearing Phosphorescent for the first time at End of the Road 2010 had been one of my festival highlights, and although not perhaps an obscure discovery it was one which has brought plenty of listening pleasure over the past few months. The latest record, Here's To Taking It Easy is stuffed with great songs - an instant classic. And anyone who's released a Wille Nelson covers album (To Willie) has to be A Good Thing.

As I definitely wanted a good spec, we found ourselves right down at the front, which in Heaven means your shoulders are about level with the top of the stage. Support was provided by Dan Michaelson and the Coastguards, who I thought were pleasant enough, but possibly not the most gripping start to the evening.

Then Phosphorescent (really just a working title for singer-songwriter Matthew Houck) took to the stage and the evening really swung into action. Many of the songs played were from Here's to Taking It Easy, and high points inevitably included "Mermaid Parade","It's Hard to Be Humble (When You're from Alabama)" and ‘Nothing Was Stolen (Love Me Foolishly)’. The backing band rocked pretty hard and there was plenty of hair flying and headbanging, especially from the keyboardist! Then, after the main set with the band, Houck came back for an extended solo encore, using a new rig for the first time to play "Hej, Me I'm Light" with the aid of loop pedals, which more or less worked out.

He also sang absolutely beautiful versions of "Wolves" and "My Dove, My Lamb" from 2007's Pride. People had been calling out for some Wille Nelson songs, and Houck did oblige by bringing back the band (the 'Taking It Easy' band as he referred to them, presumably assembled specially for the record and subsequent tour) for a rousing rendition of "Reasons To Quit" which saw Houck displaying some rock star moves, pacing the front of the stage and reaching down to fans. Finishing with a swampy and intense version of "Los Angeles", Phosphorescent lived up to some pretty high expectations tonight. There was some inexplicable grousing from P, but I think I found Houck a new fan in L, and we all left happy. Heaven is so easy to get home from as well, so more gigs here please..!

Monday 6 June 2011

Anais Mitchell

Date: Saturday 4th June 2011

Venue: Bush Hall

Shepherd's Bush is not the easiest of locations to get to from home at the weekend, and is hardly the most enticing place at the best of times (in my opinion). It was quite tempting to stay in the garden at home, drinking and chatting and making the most of the early evening sun. So, was Anais Mitchell worth the schlep? Well, only partly.

Bush Hall is a lovely venue (all pics by @pmhigham)

Mitchell's Hadestown album (a folk opera described as "the story of Orpheus and Eurydice set in post-apocalyptic Depression-era America") was one of my favourite records of 2010, but I hadn't investigated the singer/songwriter from Vermont any further. On tonight's evidence, I'm afraid to say I'm not sure I'll bother. The gig started well, when Anais and guitarist (as well as arranger of Hadestown) Michael Chorney took to the bare stage and opened with the first song off the album, "Wedding Song", followed straight away by the last, "I Raise My Cup To Him". Announcing their intention to return to it later, they went on to play various others which were, I think, a mixture of older songs and new compositions. It was all pleasant enough, but fairly bland, and often the lyrics were so reminiscent of those in other songs (Dylan in particular) that on a couple of occasions I found my mind wandering off to try and find the source. Sam Airey, the opening act whose set we had just caught the end of, came back onstage towards the end of the evening for a cover of "The Times They Are A Changin'". Though I think he was trying to give some impetus to the performance, Mitchell kept it so ponderous and polite the result has to rank as one of the worst Dylan covers I have ever heard, and that's saying something. As Anais is clearly a Dylan fan, it made me wonder how she had managed to so comprehensively misrepresent the song and undermine the power of it.

Michael Chorney

There were some brilliant moments - a great version of "Wait For Me", requested enthusiastically by the crowd, and "Way Down Hadestown", a fantastic way to end the show before the encore. However, I left wondering if Mitchell would ever gain be able to create something as interesting and as effortless as that concept album.

Duet on "Way Down Hadestown"

Frank Fairfield and C.W. Stoneking

Date: Friday 3rd June 2011

Venue: Union Chapel

All pics by @pmhigham

I love the Union Chapel, but crikey, the pews are uncomfortable. As the show was sold out, we thought we'd better get there early. As per usual swathes of coats were being used to save seats whilst their owners buggered off to the bar (no alcoholic drinks allowed in the Chapel), but I'm not sure this is really fair so we suffered the seats instead. The cup of tea in a mug made a nice change from beer anyway...

He plays that fiddle FAST

It was a different crowd than at most of the gigs we go to, with a fair few retro and rockabilly outfits, prom dresses and tattoos. We saw both Frank Fairfield and C.W. Stoneking at End of the Road last year, and while clearly the crowd were here for the latter I was mainly looking forward to reacquainting myself with the former, more 1890s throwback than '50s throwback.

Mustachioed, tweed-jacketed and softly spoken, when Frank came onto the stage he mused whether or not he was supposed to move closer to the microphone, as though all modern technology was beyond him (despite only being in his twenties). Taking up his fiddle for the first song "Sally Ann", the audience was straight away entranced, with the performance followed by riotous applause and whoops almost of disbelief. In the nicest possible way, FF is a freak - how he plays the fiddle, banjo and guitar has to be seen to be believed, his voice, music and whole persona acting as a scarily realistic conduit for the lost sounds of old time America. As several of the songs involved sinning, boozing and the life of the outlaw, Frank joked that he didn't really have any songs which were appropriate to the ecclesiastical setting, though his little lesson on the history of the jig in America at least had some educational benefit. After his final song, a version of "Rye Whiskey" which segued into a Texas fiddle tune which had the audience stomping along in the pews, Frank wandered off stage carrying all three of his instruments to huge cheers and hollers, and I'd like to think, back to some dusty boxcar somewhere.

C.W. Stoneking is another artist who taps into the songs and stories of old America, specifically Southern blues, though his Australian upbringing and calypso influences give his music less of a purely authentic feel. He also does a fine line in myth making, wryly humorous semi-fictional jaunts to the African jungle via ventriloquism lessons in New Orleans, amongst other scenarios. A lot of the songs tonight were off his 2008 Jungle Blues record, with "Jungle Lullaby" and "Dodo Blues" particular highlights. I enjoyed his introduction to "Singing Lion Blues", which told the tall tale of how yodelling reached Africa via a Jimmie Rodgers loving missionary (though the yodelling from the woman behind me was rather less welcome). Blessed with an incredible singing voice and a beguiling stage persona, C.W. Stoneking is an entertainer in the best tradition. Musically, his brand of blues is not so much my bag as Frank's folk and fiddle but together they provided a brilliant show, bringing alive old sounds in an enthralling way.

Monday 30 May 2011

Belle and Sebastian

Date: Monday 30th May 2011

Venue: Roundhouse

All pics by @pmhigham

Heading up to Camden on a drizzly Monday evening after a very busy Bank Holiday weekend, I was feeling just a teeny bit jaded and hoping a pit stop at Chalk Farm Nando's would do the trick. I was also feeling a little underprepared to see Belle and Sebastian, as, despite playing Tigermilk, If You're Feeling Sinister and The Boy With the Arab Strap a ridiculous amount back in the 1990s (argh!) I haven't really engaged as much with their later stuff, and this was to be the first time I'd seen them live. The band hadn't played London for years and this was the second night of a three night run at the Roundhouse, all of which had sold out.

Support on this occasion was provided by the Woodentops, whose powerful and upbeat show seemed a little too loud for some B & S aficionados. You certainly couldn't fault the band's commitment, but for me they hadn't dated too well, had a rather confused mixed of styles, and also had quite a patronising sounding front man ("So these songs are new to some of you - how sweet"). I wouldn't go as far as Lilly, who made me laugh by tweeting that she was being 'tortured by the Woodentops', but I was resolutely unmoved by their set.

Medal ceremony

Belle and Sebastian took the stage to as riotous a reception as a B & S crowd can provide, and launched straight into the first song off the new album Write About Love, "I Didn't See It Coming". When Stuart Murdoch took centre stage the screams were sufficient to make me wonder if knickers would be flying up to the stage next, but I don't think that happened! Murdoch was a much more charismatic and active stage presence than I was expecting, and had a really great line in banter with the crowd. During "Lord Anthony" he even got someone in the crowd to apply mascara, and there was a nice moment when some randoms he'd invited to dance on stage during "The Boy With The Arab Strap" were awarded medals for their efforts.

A fair number of the songs tonight were from the new album and from Dear Catastrophe Waitress, with "I'm A Cuckoo" getting one of the best receptions. There were a fews oldies too, including "Dog on Wheels", and, my favourite moment, "Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying". I was a bit gutted to see on Setlist FM they'd played a few more oldies the previous night (including "Fox In The Snow") but I guess that's just one of those things. All in all, a very enjoyable performance and a great atmosphere.

http://www.setlist.fm/search?query=belle+and+sebastian+roundhouse

Saturday 28 May 2011

Colourmusic

Date: Friday 27 May 2011

Venue: Barfly, Camden

I didn't really know much about Colourmusic, apart from the fact they're from Oklahoma (well, three of them are, the fourth is from Yorkshire), and that they seem to be getting a bit of momentum behind them following the release of the My___is Pink album last month (their first LP after a couple of colour-themed EPs). Listening to the album a few times whetted my appetite for this gig, as it's a wall of sound - a raw record, something of a grower and one which seems made to be performed live. Apparently the band wanted to record what 'pink' sounds like. They have been compared to early Flaming Lips (not sure about this really - it seems to me the similarities are more geographical than musical) but prefer to call themselves purveyors of 'Oklahoma sex rock' which sounds far more interesting. I was expecting a loud and lively night, perfect to kick off the Bank Holiday weekend.

Driver Drive Faster (pic by @thelawes)

The gig was an XFM sponsored show, and the announcement that support would be provided by Manchester's Driver Drive Faster was very welcome, as they're a bit of a Marc Riley 6 Music favourite (and we have tickets to see them on June 22nd). I thought they were bursting with potential, an interesting mix of British and alternative American influences and a real knack for creating a pop tune without sounding cliched or hackneyed. Check out their 'It's All Over (It's Everywhere)' single.

Keeping to a very strict timetable, the compere announced the next band, ANR, who turned out to be a bit of a force of nature. A two-piece from Miami, with the always-welcome feature of a singing drummer, the crowd certainly appreciated their heavy psychedelic-tinged sound and piledriving tunes, which were a mixture of straightforwardly brilliant rock and melodic disco sounds provided by keyboards and laptop. The downside of this event with it's strictly regulated short slots was rapidly becoming apparent - I think this is the first gig I've been to when the audience were begging for an encore from a support band, and succeeded in twisting the reluctant arm of the compere to allow a short but rumbustious finale. Well worth looking up: http://anrmiami.com/

ANR (pic by @thelawes)

Colourmusic (all pics by @thelawes)

As the stage was being set up for Colourmusic the tiny room suddenly became very packed, and down at the front we almost had our heads under the microphone stands. The Barfly was quite a lot smaller than I was expecting, and was the perfect size and shape for this sort of night. An air of anticipation was all around. What can I say? Colourmusic rocked. Singer/guitarist Ryan Hendrix said the band were very happy to be in London, but that the show was dedicated to Oklahoma, in light of the recent destructive tornadoes over there. At the risk of being trite tonight's show was certainly a kind of anti-tornado tornado, a heavy, sweaty and totally exuberant performance which sounded fantastic. Playing all of the new record, the twisted pop of single 'Tog' perhaps got a marginally bigger cheer only for being better known, but the whole set was a highlight really and the crowd were going mad throughout.

It's been a while since I felt sheer disbelief when a set finished, something obviously felt by plenty of others in the crowd. We joined the euphoric swarm to congratulate the band, who were real sweeties, and then made a bee-line for the merch stand where I suddenly found myself buying a signed bandana...

The bassist said they'd had a great tour, but, that while nights like tonight were fantastic, they'd only played to around 3 people in Newcastle. Unbelievable. On the strength of this performance, I'm quite sure they won't have that problem again on the next tour. If you get the chance to see these guys - go - you won't regret it. Though maybe take your ear-plugs ;-)

Purchased: ANR limited edition 7" with painted sleeve, Colourmusic bandana (I know, I know)