Last Week In London - gig reviews
- Posted on October 2, 2007 9:45 AM
- 0 comments
LAST WEEK IN LONDON
Markets, Music and Madness
- Peter Coulston
The gig week began for me on Tuesday with a fairly acoustic set at the London Spitz near Old Spitalfields Market in the East End, promoted by Live Nation. I would normally give you directions for future reference and a description of the venue, but this time there is no point as the venue will be closed by the time you read this. Despite much protesting, London Spitz will be no more after last Friday, it being another casualty of the redevelopment of that area of London. It’s a shame, because it had a lot of character and will no doubt be missed by many. However, I enjoyed the gig, which opened with Natty and his very acceptable roots/ska sounds. Well supported by bass, guitar and percussion, he kept the audience happy, if not quiet, with such dittys as “Bad Man”. Nice if you like your roots. The audience was not much quieter for the headliner, Ruarri Joseph, who came to us all the way from Newquay in Cornwall. Maybe it was some kind of protest because the venue was due to close, but why take it out on Ruarri? He’s Cornish for goodness sake. Anyway, he rose above it with lots of very well crafted acoustic songs, many of the best dedicated to his five year old daughter. With a sound band of musicians behind him he covered his single, “Blankets”, the title track to his album “Tales Of Dirt And Grime” (twice) and even rocked with “Patience”. The set was a little short and the punters a little rude, but, overall, an enjoyable night. Check out our video interview with Ruarri or wrap your ears around the tunes on his MySpace.
Thursday took me back to The Fly on New Oxford Street compliments of Aloud.com and Gibson Guitars, who promoted an excellent show full of new and exciting acts from far and near. For those not familiar with the venue, The Fly is on the left side of New Oxford Street if you are going towards Holborn and coming from the nearest tube, Tottenham Court Road. The show opened with Pinstripe, a bunch of very young guys from Shepton Mallett (yes, I’ve heard of it but I don’t know where it is either) who work in the rock/alt/indie style. They had to put up with some sound problems, as the opening act often does, but they put on a good show. There will be an interview with the band alongside this article, so you can find out all about them there. They have a good overall sound and attractive presentation and the songs were well constructed. You can hear their single, “Did I Say” on MySpace and they are signed to South West Records.
Next up was Bluebird Kid Clark, a Manchester based indie band with a touch of country. The band is Dave Fidler on guitar, keys and vocals, Sion Fitton on bass, guitar and vocals, Rob Fidler on guitar and Tim Fisher on drums; and they do a good job. Again, they look and sound good and their songs are sound. Check out their album “Bottom Dollar” on MySpace.
The Toy Guns are a Ska/Punk/Indie band from Bethnal Green who are much loved by Suggs of Madness among others. They are Dan on vocals, Rose on Bass, Johnny on guitar and Franz on drums and I have copies of their single and EP which I will review separately. Lots of energy makes them a great live act and they are with Regal Records (EMI Parlophone).
The Electric City have opened for The Who and are a quite impressive London based indie band. Andy, James, Dan and John gave a professional account of themselves with songs such as “Mirrors” and “Electric City”, which are on their myspace. All their fans turned up and they weren’t disappointed. Hungover Stuntmen from Newcastle upon Tyne closed the show with a very tight and competent set. Indie again from James Hazlehurst on guitars and vocals, Craig Oxeberry on drums and vocals, Iain Anderson on bass and vocals and Stu Ridley on guitar and vocals. High energy songs that have served them well as openers for the Kooks and Paul Weller; I liked “She Knows” and “One Reason” but they were all good stuff. This was a good evening to showcase five fine, emerging bands from across the country, and I must say thanks to Aloud.com and Gibson Guitars for making it happen.
To close the week, I was happy to attend the launch of “Within The Tolerance Of Rock n’ Roll”, the new album by Lunatic Crash. I have followed this band for some time but have not caught them live for a while. They were originally very much a rock/blues outfit but have now widened their style and format to the extent that they could be at home at the Jazz Café and the 12 Bar. The event was at the Herbert Chapman at 274 Holloway Road, which is basically a pub with a stage area in one corner. Nice enough venue which can be reached by turning left when you exit Holloway Road tube on the Piccadilly Line. The band is Eran on vocals and guitar, Rowan on Bass and Mally on drums and they make one hell of a sound. Eran’s incredible vocal range and guitar skills are complimented by the other two band members who take their share of solos. They opened with some Muddy Waters followed by many of the album tracks which I shall review later. They did a fine cover of the Johnny Cash swansong “Hurt”, and encored with “Tutti Frutti” and “Foxy Lady”. They also included “Sexy Woman”, which takes Ethan’s vocals to dizzy heights but is not on the album. The album will be on itunes and in selected record stores and you can hear some of it on MySpace. This band is unique, so remember, you heard it here first. That was a great way to end a great musical week; I wonder what’s in store next week.
Tags
Gibson Guitars, Lunatic Crash, Review, Ruarri Josepg, The Spitz, The Toy Guns
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