LAST WEEK IN LONDON: Lightning Strikes and Live Mikes
- Posted on September 10, 2007 11:40 AM
- 1 comment
By Peter Coulston
A tube strike; what a way to start the week. Not the end of the world, but a great inconvenience if you are attending late running gigs. Fortunately, my first gig of the week began so early that, on arrival at 7:30, I’d missed the first ten minutes. Unfortunately, I’d missed the first ten minutes of Ox Eagle Lion Man, the opening act for Polyphonic Spree at the London Astoria on Charing Cross Road. If the Tubes ever start running again, the nearest one to this venue is Tottenham Court Road on the Northern and Central Lines. There are lots of buses and parking is available after 6:30. This is a typical Mean Fiddler rock venue; dark, basic and built for purpose. Both acts seemed at home here, not least the aforementioned Ox Eagle Lion Man, a four piece band performing (according to my space) melodramatic/popular song/progressive/show tune material which I certainly can’t argue with.
Singer Frederick Blood-Royale has a very effective vocal style and I hope to catch them again, possibly at Dingwalls on the 23 October. Check them out. What can be said about Polyphonic Spree? With anything up to 30 musicians on stage at any one time, one could be tempted to suggest that this is just an unnecessary extravagance to gain attention and publicity. You could, but you would be wrong. From the opening song to the last note of the very long encore, not a single musician or singer is wasted. This Dallas based wall of sound fronted by Tim De Laughter and Julie Doyle gave a good mix of old material and stuff from their new album “Fragile Army”, served to perfection to a dedicated audience. It is not a show, more an experience that stays in your head well after you leave the venue. As well as the new album title track, we heard great songs old and new, such as “Running Away”, which I love, a “Lithium” salute to grunge, and a final finale of “Sonic Bloom”. If you haven’t experienced them, do so. This is not a gimmick, this is excellent music and good entertainment.
On Tuesday, I ensured that I was on my best behaviour at the St Barnabas Chapel, where they were holding one of their regular music evenings to raise money for the House of St Barnabas-in-Soho, a charity that has provided shelter for the homeless for 150 years. This beautiful setting, which includes a garden, is a haven of peace in the heart of Soho, and I recommend you try to obtain an invite to one of the many events. On this occasion, I was there at the behest of Miranda Barber, a regular performer and avid supporter. My ability to behave was tested by the excellent, reasonably priced wine on offer; but I am assured that I did not disgrace myself. The show was very acoustic and opened with Zuzana Novak performing on a mbira, which is a very pleasant keyboard type instrument that complimented her equally pleasant voice. Antony Elvin performed some very entertaining material which reminded me of The Temperance Seven meets Django Reinhardt (Anthony is an excellent guitarist). He concurs with this assessment. Check his myspace where you will find another equally entertaining side of this man. Michael Chart, a gifted composer, gave us some excellent classical piano, before the evening was rounded off by Miranda Barber, a very talented singer/songwriter who will be known to all very soon. I have reviewed her many times, and she did not disappoint with favourites like “My Tomorrow”, “Too Damn Hard” and “Blues Day”. There was new material including the unaccompanied “Working Woman”. Throughout, she was ably assisted on backing vocals and percussion by Sian Lattimer, and I must say, they make a great combination. Do check out the charity and the musical events, as both are very worth supporting.
To round off the week, I made sure that I was in the crowd at the sell out Catherine Feeny gig at Dingwalls. Located at the lock in Camden Town, this is one my favourite venues, which can be visited by taking the Northern Line to Camden Town. There are also lots of buses but the parking is a bit iffy. The show opened with The Challenge Of Feral Green, a duo from Norwich in the form of Andrew Taylor and Sebastian Rogers. Very nice acoustic songs and harmonies from these lads and I particularly enjoyed “Smile For Me, Cathy”. Check them out on myspace. Jacob Golden did a very intense set of material from his album “Revenge Songs”, which included “Zero Integrity” and “Hold Your Hair Back”, which you can hear on myspace. Great voice and guitar, but you have to concentrate with this guy. Catherine Feeny comes to us from Philadelphia via California, and is now resident in Norfolk. Her brand of country influenced folk rock hits the spot with me, and she delighted the audience with a selection from her new album, “Hurricane Glass. “The Shape You’re In” opened, and she included “Mr Blue”, which was used on the OC television series, and features some very nice flugelhorn. She also included a fine version of Phil Collins’s “In The Air Tonight”. All her band are spot on, moving around various instruments from the obvious, to cello, recorder and mandolin. The Feral Green boys joined her on the last number, and the encore showed that they can rock when the occasion arises. An excellent night was had by all. There is talk of more tube strikes next week, so let us hope that common sense prevails; which is probably a little optimistic. Anyway, one way or another, I’ll be out there so please join me whenever and wherever you can.
Tags
Polyphonic Spree Mirander Barber Antony Elvin Michael Chart Catherine Feeny
Comments (1)
sassy
Fabulous weekly round up peter... i enjoy your installments every week! have to say i didn't go the extra mile like you did this week. the tube strikes got the better of me! Just means i'll have to make it out EVERY night this week. you've gotta love this city hey?
Posted on September 10, 2007 2:28 PM
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