Last Week In London
- Posted on November 5, 2007 10:54 AM
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LAST WEEK IN LONDON
Haunting & Daunting
By Peter Coulston
Hello and welcome to the definitive guide to live music in London during this witchy week. I have survived intact and the only spirits present were those consumed by the punters and artists. On Tuesday I ventured to that haven of good music, The Bedford in Balham, to see, among others, that fine band of brothers, Bailey. Paddy Milner, as fine a piano player as I have heard in many a year, opened the show with a tune from Violent Femmes. This was followed by “Standing On The Edge Of The World”, influenced by Dr John, Professor Longhair, and New Orleans piano generally. “Am I A Smoker” was a symphonic ballad, while “You Think You're So Funny” was pure boogie woogie. This guy has a great voice as well as an incredible rock/jazz piano style, all achieved without marrying his 13 year old cousin, allegedly shooting one of his subsequent wives, or threatening to kill Elvis Presley (check out your rock 'n roll history). He is on myspace and Bronze Records so check him out.
This is my second time for seeing and hearing Rendle will, a roots/lyrical/reggae band fronted by Will Rendle, which is starting to grow on me. The songs are very catchy and commercial and the band, consisting keys, bass, drums and backing vocals is tight and looks good. Will's vocals are sound and I enjoyed “Stranger”, “Train” and “Sometimes”, which is particularly commercial and is on their myspace. Great potential here. As usual, Bailey, did not disappoint with their soaring vocals, sound harmonies and tight overall presentation. They opened with”Carry The Weight”, a commercial ballad, and continued the theme with “Conform To You”, “Bulletproof” and “In My Shoes”. “Satellite” is darker, and things became a little rockier towards the end with “100 Times” and the jazz influenced “My Condition” to close. This band is so close to breaking and are receiving good radio support. Check out their myspace, where you can hear much of this material and buy the album. For those not familiar with the venue it can be reached on the Northern Line or Southern Trains to Balham, or by car as the parking is easy.
On Wednesday, I returned to the Electroacoustic Club near Clerkenwell Road as a guest of Fiona Bevan. This venue is open for live music most weeknights and offers very comfortable surroundings and great acts. The nearest tube is Barbican on the Hammersmith and City and Circle Lines, and parking is OK if you are early. The opening act was Charlene Soraia, a singer/songwriter with a great voice and a jazzy way of playing her electric guitar. “Oh Well, Orwell” and “Daffodils” were well crafted as was “Stars Shoot By” which is on her myspace. Very nice stuff, worthy of a return visit.
Chris MacArthur is a rocker from Leeds who used to front Johnny's In The Basement. Very versatile performer, as “Thirteen” was rock blues, “Broken Mirrors” a folky ballad, “Would If I Could” was jazzier, while “Not Saying A Thing” took us back to rock, plain and simple. Great stuff; he's on myspace and doing more gigs in London, so check him out. Fiona Bevan was at her charming best, performing her summery songs with her usual expertise. From the opening “ Roots” to the closing “Moths”, she had the audience captivated and rightly so. Check out her myspace and her album, which I reviewed some time ago. Nice one, Fiona. We were in for a treat with the closing act Jon Gomm, also from Leeds and decidedly awesome. His guitar style beggars belief and description as he simultaneously re tunes mid song and uses his guitar as percussion. You can hear the excellent “Temporary” and the bluesy“Afterglow” on myspace, and I strongly recommend that you do. He also gave us “Waterfall” sung partly in Urdu, “Surrender” using slide, the country ballad “Gloria” and “What's Left For You”, which reminded me of Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark period.Come to think of it, so did Charlene Soraia. Anyway, a great set and a great night. Check out all these artists, they are all a treat, and there are no tricks.
On the first Thursday of each month, the 12 Bar Club in Denmark Street plays host to a great show promoted by Zarathustras featuring new acoustic singers and bands from all over the UK. Zaid Joseph has been running this and other shows for over five years and has used it as a launching pad for many a rising star. This Thursday was no exception, with the show opening with Farena, an acoustic duo consisting of Mel on vocals and percussion and Chris on vocals nd guitar. The songs were good and the harmonies worked, but Mel's voice was a little too shrill for my taste. They are expanding the band, which may help. You can hear “The Lights” and “Better Off Alone” on myspace. Patrick Punkett started his acoustic set with something jazzy, before moving onto some bluesy folk such as “Dangerous Roads”, which is on his myspace. His version of “Ziggy Stardust” was good; overall a competent performance. I have seen Feldstar before at the 12 Bar, and was impressed then by their songs, harmonies, and rapport with the audience. Will Green played guitar, as did Ben Lloyd-Evans (he usually plays keys), and “Visions And Notions” and “The Garden” were exceptional. “Jenny's Cafe” was pretty good too, and you can find it on myspace. Great performance once again. Tiger Lilly is an acoustic rock duo with OK songs and good vocals. Danielle Moubarak has a great rock voice and works the audience well, but some of the songs were overcomplicated. The other half, Mark Crofts was replaced for the night on guitar by Dale, who looked very bored, and was, in fact, very boring. She deserves better. The Whybirds are a mix of Tom Petty, Lynnard kynnard and occasional Eagles. They are a four piece with four lead singers, two lead guitarists, great harmonies and terrific songs. They also do electric, so go to their myspace, there is a great EP to be had there, and details of future gigs. A very tight and competent band. The Small Devices are a rock blues trio in the classic Cream style. Great vocals from the bass player, and the guitar and drums were spot on as well. Check them out if this is your thing, it was certainly mine. For Urban rock at it's best, The Lola Jones are worth a listen.
Two good guitars, great rhythm and strong vocals make this band stand out in the crowd and earned them two encores. The songs are sound with excellent lyrics and “Little Secret” and “She's Not Impressed” will impress if you check them out on myspace. Brilliant. The evening closed with an excellent acoustic set from Malcolm Magaron, a veteran performer from St Lucia who performed songs from his homeland covering, God, sex, peace and war and pollution; though not necessarily in that order. Great voice and audience rapport at such a late hour. Another great Zarathustras, I look forward to the next one. In fact, I look forward to next week and more good music in this great city of ours.
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