Die a little more each day, need a vision or a tourniquet

Friday 9 September – and the first musical outing for me in a long time. The Summer festivals mopped up a lot of the good acts from the gig circuit this year, but the closing months look as though they are going to be busy as I took the opportunity to get tickets for no less than four dates over the next two months.

We met up at the Black Swan on Peasholme Green, all of us reluctant to pay the exorbitant prices charged in Fibbers these days. When we arrived at the venue the audience was very thin on the ground even as the support act kicked it. I assumed that the majority of punters were coming along later. All of which is not to say that the support were poor, because I for one really enjoyed them.

David R Black hail from Manchester and consist of; David R (guitar/vocals),  Sarit Black (bass/backing vocals), and Paul “Pai” Williams (drums).  David R himself looks a bit like Heath Ledger's The Joker, but without the makeup, so Heath Ledger with The Jokers hair I guess. I haven’t heard any of their material before. David's vocals started off sounding a bit like Brian Molko but seemed to get stronger as he went on. By the time he got to Signals, a brilliant track off their Heart And Stars album, he was sounding like Peter Gabriel. I caught the names of a couple of other tracks; Ezra (from Secret City) and No Code (also from Hearts And Stars). Sarit provided a very heavy line of bass riffs and backing vocals that were a tad too indistinct in the mix for me, I would have liked to have heard more of her voice. Meanwhile, Pai thumped out a rich mixture of rhythms, sometimes simple, sometimes complex, that drove the songs along.

As the introduction music started for Panic Room I took a brief glance around and was amazed to note that there were probably no more than 40 people in the room, a very poor turnout for a Friday evening. Panic Room, whom we’ve seen a couple of times before, are; Anne-Marie Helder (vocals, rhythm/acoustic guitars), Paul Davies (lead/rhythm/acoustic guitars, backing vocals), Jonathan Edwards (keyboards), Yatim Halimi (bass), and Gavin Griffiths (drums). I’m not completely au fait with PRs material but did recognise; I Am A Cat, Dark Star, Satellite, Sandstorms, and Bitches Crystal (a cover of the ELP song). There was a new track, I think it was called Promises, that will feature on their third, as yet unnamed album.

Anne-Marie vocals were on top form, justifying her winning “Best female vocalist of 2010” by readers of Classic Rock presents Prog. Paul noodled effortlessly, his guitar looking minute in his huge hands. The highlight for me though was Yatim and his superb bass playing. His style reminds me of Pino Palladino or Mick Karn, coaxing a fretless bass effect from a clearly fretted, six-string bass. Top music, but a shame that more people didn’t turn out to see them.

Fairport report - fair

Here's a quick review of 2011's Fairport Convention Cropredy festival from guest blogger andy_glos:

Fairport Convention Cropredy 2011 report - Festival was very good (as usual) apart from UB40 (grim MOR white reggae, in fact we left before the end - an exceedingly rare event). Seasick Steve was like he always is, but was greatly enhanced by having John Paul Jones play bass, mandolin and possibly keyboards (don't remember that bit) for entire 90 minute set.

Horslips and Home Service were excellent. As for Coral - greatly impressed with their delivery and musicianship. As for the scouse "thanks" in between songs - hmm. They appeared a bit out of sorts, on stage between songs, at being at a festival of folk-rockers of a certain age, drinking Wadworths real ale. But an excellent set. So good I ordered a CD off Amazon. Travelling Band (second on on Friday) - fantastic. If you can, catch them. I have seen them twice now. The MC/compere was raving about them on Saturday still.

Sadly Geoffrey Hughes (old Corrie and Heartbeat) the usual MC was quite ill and couldn't make it.

Dylan Project - very good - especially if you like Dylan which I don't. But Yvonne is happy as she found out Dylan and Mark Knopfler are playing together in at the MEN Arena, Manchester on 10 October and she managed to get a ticket when back from the festival. £67 though!

Katriona Gilmore and Jamie Roberts - pretty good, she is the child of the Pink Floyd guy - the one who isn't in jail.

Hayseed Dixie - punk, bluegrass, rock, hillbilly ... - a few covers - good show

Richard Digance - good as always.

Blockheads - fantastic show and musicians. Even the singer sounded like Ian Dury and dressed in a weird way. I think a lot of them might be originals.

Badly Drawn Boy - avoid - nice voice but he has got a lot of chips on his shoulder and a bit foul mouthed for a friendly festival. Nice voice and guitar but he has blown it for me. Badly Swearing Boy more like.

Fairport Convention themselves - excellent, and nice to include entire concept album John Babbacombe Lee in the middle of their 3 hour set. Please can Fairport play Sloth again one day?

Danger! High Voltage

Sunday 24 July – Saw two of our troupe in London for the second day of the High Voltage Festival 2011. The main aim of the day was to see Thunder but there were a number of other great acts on at the Main Stage as well.

The afternoon started early when Top Gear’s James May introduced a bonus act, Love Fungus. Now I’ve never heard of these guys before and apparently this was the first time that they performed together in twenty years. Mat ‘Mush’ McIvor (Vocals), Mark ‘The Bone’ Rabone (Lead Guitar), Dennis ‘D’ Day (Rhythm Guitar), Ben ‘Jim Morrison’ Upton (Bass Guitar) and Ian ‘Kel’ Kelly (Drums) put out five or six instantly forgettable tunes. I can only assume that they were some sort of pub punk band in their previous existence, it was just a bit of a waste of time for us though.

The afternoon proper kicked off with a band that I’ve seen a few times in York, Heaven’s Basement, but this was the first time I’d seen them since recent band changes. In February 2010 vocalist Richie Heavanz left and was temporarily replaced by Johnny Fallen. In February 2011 Aaron Buchanan took over on lead vocals, and rhythm guitarist Johnny Rocker left, reducing the band to a four piece. The line up for the High Voltage stage was therefore Buchanan, Sid Glover (lead guitar; backing vocals), Rob 'Bones' Ellershaw (bass guitar; backing vocals), and Chris Rivers (drums). Their set was absolutely storming, pulling the very best off their two EPs and more; Close Encounters, Can't Let Go, Misunderstood, Leeches, Reign on My Parade, and the awesome Executioner's Day. These guys need to get an album out, so that I can buy it! A superb opener (I’m not counting Love Fungus) to the festival.

Next up were Saint Jude who, being on their home turf, drew a decent crowd. Fronted by Lynne Jackaman, they delivered a rocky set including; Little Queen, Garden of Eden, Soul on Fire and Southern Belles. But, they failed to overshadow the dynamism of Heaven’s Basement who had set a high standard for the following acts.

The smell of nostalgia was in the air for the next act, Michael Schenker, who was promoting his Temple of Rock album due to be released later this year. He had a new band line-up, not MSG, which included Herman Rarebell (ex-Scorpions) on drums and Michael Voss(Ex-Casanova and Silver) on vocals. They opened, predictably, with Into The Arena followed by Armed And Ready, then a Scorpions track, Another Piece Of Meat. There was then a change of vocalist, Doogie White (Tank) for a new track; Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead, which bodes rather well for the album. Voss then announced “for the next 4 minutes, we are going to rock you like a hurricane” and on-stage came Michael’s brother, Rodulf Schenker to perform the next two songs; Rock You Like a Hurricane and Hangin On. Schenker closed the set with two UFO songs; Rock Bottom which featured UFOs own Pete Way, followed by Doctor Doctor with Jeff Scott Soto on vocals (Talisman, Yngwie Malmsteen and Journey) plus all the other guests. It was chaotically brilliant, and the fans certainly enjoyed themselves. I haven’t been a huge fan of MS but he impressed me with his brilliant guitar work and sheer over-the-top-ness.

And what a way to get you prepared for the next band. For so many of thousands of rock fans who headed to High Voltage on Sunday, this set was the reason for their trip. That was certainly true for us. All day I'd noticed a huge number of folk sporting Thunder t-shirts, I myself was resplendent in a Harry James as the devil in almost mint condition. Then AC/DC's Thunderstruck started playing, and they all gravitated towards the main stage. I stayed where I was, ensconced in the grandstand, a prime viewing platform. As the band took to the stage they got a monstrous reception and right from the opening notes of Back Street Symphony the entire crowd sang along with every word. The crowd went crazy, at first because it is a cracking tune and everyone was delighted they were playing, but more so because of the sound issues. It cut out several times and on the third occasion the cries of dismay were so bad that Luke Morley threw his cowboy hat to the floor. Thankfully the soundman woke up or there might have been a riot. Even when Bowes’ vocals were sorted, Luke Morley’s guitar was painful low in the mix.

But Thunder successfully overcame such technical obstacles to carry their set on pure joy and enthusiasm alone. There’s something to be said for putting on a show with a smile on your face and never have five guys appeared to enjoy themselves so much. We were treated to; Back Street Symphony, River Of Pain, Higher Ground, Gimme Some Lovin', The Devil Made Me Do It, Love Walked In (I admit it, I cried during this one), I Love You More Than Rock 'N' Roll, and Dirty Love. Their final song turned into an extended crowd sing-along with the audience split into sections trying to out-sing each other. Pantomime? Probably. Brilliant? Definitely. The best day out a rock fan can have. Bowes’ voice is still incredible and Morley’s guitar playing must put him at the top of any list British rock guitarists. God how I miss these guys.

Hey, the festival wasn’t over yet though, my favourite blues guitarist, Joe Bonamassa, was in the next band, Black County Communion, along with Glenn Hughes, Derek Sherinian, and Jason Bonham. This is one band where the individual performances really do meld into a sum greater than its parts. The sound problems were never far away mind, and there were times when Derek’s keyboard simply couldn’t be heard, but overall this was rock raised on a plinth for the world to behold. With just two superb albums and a handful of live shows under their belts, most of the audience must have struggled to recognise most of the set, but BCC play with such class and professionalism that you can’t help but be reeled in by the performances. BCC played an abbreviated version of their current headline set; Black Country, One Last Soul, Crossfire, Save Me, Song of Yesterday, The Outsider, Man In the Middle, Joe Bonamassa’s own The Ballad of John Henry, and a cover of Deep Purple’s Burn. I also understand that Joe Bonamassa put in a guest appearance for Jethro Tull’s encore of Locomotive Breath.

With the sun now setting it was time to break out the flasks of tea and coffee as we settled down to the headline act, two hours of Dream Theater. With the advent of darkness, the stage lighting became a focus for the fans further down the park. Luckily, we were able to appreciate the lighting and the performances of the figures on the stage as we were so close. It was a truly incredible show. They kicked off with Dream Is Collapsing by Hans Zimmer, from the soundtrack of the film Inception. Then we had; Under a Glass Moon, These Walls, Forsaken, and Endless Sacrifice. Four great tracks from four different albums. We were then treated to a drum solo from Mike Mangini before the band came back on stage for Ytse Jam from their first album (Ytse Jam is Majesty spelt backwards, Majesty was the original name of the band). In fact we got tracks from each of their albums as this was followed by Peruvian Skies and The Great Debate. Next, a new track for me, the single On the Backs of Angels taken from their forthcoming album, A Dramatic Turn of Events. Then Caught In A Web, followed by two tracks from Metropolis Pt. 2 (it’s difficult to just get one track from this album as they tend to merge into each other); Through My Words segueing into Fatal Tragedy. Finally, we got The Count of Tuscany from their latest album. Of course, the arena erupted and the crowd bayed for more, and the band came quickly back for their encore: Learning To Live. What an absolutely top couple of hour’s entertainment. High Voltage Festival 2012, here I come!

You don't get up to much. And nothing comes of it. And nothing ever gets you down.

Friday 24 June – now we almost never watch a band on consecutive occasions, but there’s a first time for everything as we find ourselves headed to The Golden Lion in York to watch Dream Of Apollo. I think I’ve only been in this place once before and it certainly didn’t strike me as the best place for listening to live music, but what do I know? There was a square-ish area towards the back where a band could play, a bar down one side and the rest of the floor space was taken up with pews, tables and stools. There was no natural area in which we could stand to listen to the band so we started off as far away as it was possible to get but directly in front, hoping to get the best from the speakers.

It was a miserable night, middle of an English summer, with a chill wind blowing through open window, and later pouring down with rain. The set kicked off with Vicki doing a solo spot of three songs; Mine, For My Lover (Tracy Chapman), and Boats And Birds (Gregory And The Hawk). Don’t be fooled by my encyclopaedic knowledge of the set-list, I snapped it on my ‘phone at the end of the gig. By this time we were frozen and had moved up into the central body of the pub. It has to be said that the acoustics weren’t great and the majority of the punters were desperately talking louder to make their conversations heard of the noise of the band, or watching the tennis on one of the screens dotted around the place.

The full band started their set with Anatole, a song very much in the style of The Decemberists with powerful, story-telling lyrics. I remembered this one from the first time we saw the band and thoroughly enjoyed it. Whilst they do throw in the odd cover, most of the material they play is original and absolutely excellent. The set continued with Sanctuary, Someday, In A Manner of Speaking (Depeche Mode), Leander, Home (when Andy Murray won his match and a huge cheer went up), Jolene (Dolly Parton), and the epic Free with which they closed the first half.

During the interval band-friend Marteen took to the stage and gave us another three songs in which I detected Radiohead’s High And Dry.

For the second half we had managed to move a little closer still and had an unimpeded view of the stage. The sound quality was also much better closer to the band, who played; Regrets Of The Devil, Children, Hold Me, Too Lost, Folsom Prison Blues (Johnny Cash), and my personal favourite, Sandman.

I was half expecting an encore, well one does these days, but the rest of the audience didn’t seem bothered so it never happened. The venue did the band no favours. They are good, stonkingly good. Vicki’s voice is great and the rest of the band are enthusiastic and technically excellent. Best of all, they really seem to enjoy themselves. They undertake a mini-tour in July, full details on MyFace, ending up at Fibbers on 10 July which sadly I will miss as that’s the day after I get married. They pop up again in August at the Galtres Festival at Crayke, but I’m sure we’ll catch them again before then. Very highly recommended.

I bet I'd move just a little further down the line

I've been pretty rubbish at keeping this blog up-to-date, basically because I'm in the throes of selling my house and there are too many other things that need doing. Once that's out of the way I can concentrate on my forthcoming nuptials so please bear with me and I'm sorry if updates are a bit patchy. On the plus side, The Druid is doing a fine job of blogging on behalf of our little group.

Friday 27 May - and we found ourselves in an old haunt, The Old White Swan, to watch Marc Atkinson. We last saw Marc ages ago in The Terrace when we had youngest daughter and her now-husband with us. On that occasion he was letting the audience shout out the titles of their favourite songs and, if he knew them, he played them. Now he has a pre-printed and laminated list of songs that cover a huge number of genres and tastes, so there's something for everyone.

What Marc doesn't do is play and sing in the style of the original artist, instead he puts his own spin on the songs and makes each one his own. He plays the guitar very competently and his voice is big enough to rise above the general hubbub of a busy pub. The audience appreciation for Marc was such that he played well past his allotted time and it was half midnight before we spilt onto the street and headed home. The Druid has a full set list of what Marc played. Highly recommended.

Friday 3 June - We were struggling to find anything of interest but Andy was wanting to go somewhere so we took a bit of a punt with a band we'd never heard of at a venue not formerly noted for putting on live music, Dream Of Apollo at the Yorkshire Hussar.

From memory, the Yorkshire Hussar was only notable to me as an infrequent lunchtime haunt that sold a variety of different meals served in giant Yorkshire puddings. The front bar is cramped at best, there is a snug with room for up to four people, and I could only imagine that a band would have to fit into the back bar.
When we arrived we saw that about half the back bar was taken up by the band's kit. We started the evening leaning on the bar but quickly moved over to the fireplace so that we weren't impeding any drinkers. The lead vocalist, Vicki Mack, started the ball rolling by singing five song, just her and an acoustic guitar. Four were covers, the fifth, appropriately called Mine, was her own. She looks like Sheridan Smith and sings a bit like Stevie Nicks, great vocals.

The rest of the band then took to the stage… area; Winston Sanders on guitar, Rhys Bevan on bass and Jamie Bradley on drums. The tone of the music changed dramatically with the band putting out full-blown rock, and even a bit of prog-rock on a track with more signature changes than I could count. I especially liked their Sandman which I had heard briefly on MyFace and which, after encouragement from the audience, they played as part of their encore. There were a couple of covers thrown in but most of the material was original and extremely good. I rarely like tracks on a first listen but was spellbound by their entire catalogue. For a full set list head over to the The Druid's grove. I would definitely like to hear the band again soon and can't wait for them to put out an album.

Phosphor-coated smile

Monday 16 May - I know it might seem like a cop-out but The Druid has done such a good job of detailing the gig at Fibbers with Hope&Social, Pelico, and Nick Tudor, that it's not worth me bothering. So nip over to his blog and instead.

I wake up to the dawn I’m a stranger in my bed / With one eye on the circle sun I raise my weary head

Friday 29 April – I’m constantly amazed by the fact that, despite my large CD collection and wide taste in music, there are still many excellent artists that I still haven’t stumbled across yet. A case in point arose tonight when three of us (later joined by another two) braved the warm spring air to venture into The Duchess to see Sandi Thom.

Support came from a former guitarist and co-writer from Thom’s band, Marcus Bonfanti. My heart sank somewhat at the sight of one-man-and his-guitar but Marcus immediately blew my socks off with a blistering set of Blues with ferocious guitar work and a huge voice. I’m guessing that the majority of his set was drawn from his album What Good Am I To You as he played the title track and at least two others that I caught the names of; Give Me Your Cash and Sweet Louise. Excellent stuff and highly recommended.

Sandi then took to the stage along with her band; a keyboard player, bass and lead guitarists and a drummer. Sandi has a great voice and is complemented by a set of high-energy musicians. The set consisted of tracks taken from her three albums, but concentrating on her latest release, Merchants and Thieves, plus a few covers thrown in for good measure.

Of the original material I certainly caught Shape I’m In, Runaway Train, Belly Of The Blues and title track Merchants and Thieves. Obviously we got I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flower in My Hair), but nothing like the original. Marcus came onstage to assist on guitar for This Ol’ World. Of the covers we were treated to House Of The Rising Sun and Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain. In fact the whole sound of the band was very much in the style of early Fleetwood Mac, and that’s no bad thing. Very highly recommended.