VENUE OF THE WEEK: The Troubadour
- Posted on January 28, 2007 9:10 PM
- 0 comments
VENUE OF THE WEEK
by Peter Coulston
The Troubadour, Earls Court-Thursday 25 January 2007
If you are a live music addict and want to see the next hot act to emerge from London's vibrant arena, the Troubadour must be visited. This establishment has been the springboard for many a megastar since it opened as a coffee house in the 1950's. Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell and Jimi Hendrix all played here in the 60's when they were all skint and so were we. Some of us still are, but that's another story. It is still a place to see and be seen in; why, only the other night I was there with Davy Graham, Wiz Jones and Ray Davies, but enough of this name dropping. If there is any justice, at least one and ideally all of the ladies that I listened to here last night will one day be as celebrated as the aforementioned.
The show opened with my friend, Miranda Barber, a superb singer-songwriter who I have reviewed a few times before. Her opening number, "My Tomorrows" shows off her remarkable vocal range while "Paprika Haze" is a little grittier and equally effective as a well crafted song. She then embarked on a very fine and melodic new piece which we jointly named "Don't Let The Rain Come Down" during the interval. I eagerly await acknowledgement of my writing credit and my royalty cheque. "Too Damned Hard" is a gutsy little gem and "Blues Day" takes the whole thing down as the title would suggest. By universal demand, Miranda encored with "Show You Mine", which is every bit as cheeky as the title suggests. A superb set from an artist that just has to be big in 2007. Check out her website and on myspace.
Julia Biel is compared to many artists and some critics struggle to define her sound. For me, Billie Holliday and Alison Goldfrapp are the two closest to where this talented lady is coming from. Her delicate jazz based material is a joy to hear and, at times, it appeared that she was having trouble holding the audiences attention. However, Troubadour audiences tend to talk through each song, applaud each song enthusiastically, and then demand an encore; which is what happened last night. Don't worry, Julia; they loved you. It's just the Troubadour. Before I move on, her awesome rhythm section deserves a mention. Both bass and drums shone on each song and showed how they can solo.
To close, we came back to basics with a fine set of good country rock material from Emily Maguire. Emily and her band are from Australia and are touring to promote her latest album. Well constructed songs, competently performed had the audience dancing and demanding yet another encore to finish the night. I particularly enjoyed "Fall on my Feet" from her first album, but then I always was a sucker for those sweet Emmylou Harris type ballads. Nice stuff, Emily. I will see you again I hope. As another great night drew to a close and I drove home through the mean streets of South London listening to the Jeff Show on Virgin, I wondered which of these talented ladies he may be playing on his show this time next year. That's down to us I guess.
Post a comment
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.seatwaveblogs.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/310
