LAST WEEK IN LONDON
- Posted on December 4, 2007 10:22 AM
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Close Contests and Clever Covers
by Peter Coulston
Hello and welcome to another week of good music in London. By pure coincidence I have been a regular at the Bedford in Balham this week, as that venue was hosting a new and vibrant band from Los Angeles on Monday and the 2007 Musicians Benevolent Fund (MBF) Songwriting Awards on Tuesday. On Monday night we were treated to many fine artists including Al Lewis, who was not mentioned on the website. Bedford's main man, Tony Moore compered and opened, and we were soon being mesmerised by Haley Glennie-Smith, a wonderful singer/songwriter with a crystal clear voice and perfectly constructed songs. The rocky, jazzy summer song, “Waiting On The Lawn” can be heard on her myspace along with other gentler material. Highly recommended.
Inertia are a four piece alternate rock group fronted by Martin Drabik on guitar and vocals supported by bass and drums and very nice keys from Chops. A bit like Steely Dan without Skunk Baxter, but the keys filled the gap nicely. “Brother” was funky and “The Road” was a good ballad, so check them out on myspace. Al Lewis was his usual classy self, opening with the jazzy rocker “Head In The Clouds” followed by the bluesy ballad “Chasing Shadows”. “Who Is Gonna Save You” was a bit gospel and the ballad, “All That I Came Here For”, was agreat way to end. He has a new single which will be out on itunes on 10 December, at which time I will review it. I, of course, have heard it, and recommend that you go to one of his gigs soon to obtain a free copy. If not, buy it; either way, make sure you get it.
A Fine Frenzy were a three piece on Monday, but their myspace lists other musicians. Based in LA, this band was fronted by Alison on keyboards and strong vocals, with brilliant assistance from the other keyboard player who incorporated bass, and the percussionist who also played guitar and vibes; simultaneously. Who says that men can’t multitask? The sound was laid back but very tight with the keyboard player exploring celtic, blues, classical and rock on a variety of boards like a later day Garth Hudson. All the songs were so well constructed, and the presentation awesome and impressive. They have toured with Rufus Wainwright and are predicted to be destined for great things. I certainly wouldn't argue with that.
The MBF Songwriting Awards are a prestigious annual event which has been a stepping stone for many a star; The Wombats won in 2005. The first prize is £5,000, with a further award at the discretion of the judges. The MBF is the music business's own charity, helping musicians etc who are in need due to injury or illness as well as promoting new talent. The judges on Tuesday were songwriters Guy Chambers (Robbie Williams, Bryan Adams), Cathy Dennis (Can't Get You Out Of My Head, Toxic), and Nick Kershaw (everyone!), Songlink founder David Stark, and Tony Moore. The show opened with Feuds from the University of Derby, a five piece rock band who played “Anything to Anyone” and “Never Summer” well, given that they had the unenviable task of opening. I found the vocalist, Dan Beddows, lacking in the power needed for this type of material, although he was better on “Never Summer” and would be fine with Snow Patrol type material. Andrew Coleman from Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts gave us a couple of quality ballads, well sung and accompanied by his own piano and some fellow musicians. “Shaken” and “Will You Keep Running?” were both commercial and I would not be at all surprised if this lad does well. Ziggy Sullivin goes to Kingston University, as do his mates who joined him and who called themselves Interlude. They looked great, with Ziggy being a mix of Paul Weller and Steve Marriott, and gave a great rocking performance on “Missing Angels” and “Mesmerised (by your smile)”. Keep it up, guys.
Rokhsan Heydari studies at the Academy of Contemporary Music, and gave us our first taste of acoustic for the evening. Despite being a fine singer and musician, she considers herself primarily as a songwriter, and with songs like the bluesy “Bubble Bath” and the gentler ballad, “Fallen From Grace” I’m not surprised. A very nice set which was spoiled for me as I was too close to one of the exits and could hear the band playing in the bar. Marc Oliver was, in my opinion, the act with his finger most firmly on the pulse of what is happening musically right now. He has worked with the Arctic Monkeys and the Wombats and has not wasted the experience.
Marc and his friends from Northumbria University were tight with excellent split harmonies, and “Bang On The Drum” and “One Track Mind” had repetitive hooks that will be remembered. I thought they should win, but was I right? Justin Saltmeris is from the Isle of Wight and was the only solo performer of the night. He studies at Bath Spa University, and his songs ranged from the blues of “I’ll Never Love Another Man” to the gentle “Close My Eyes and Think Of You”, both of which put his very soulful voice to good use.
So; who won the prize? Apparently, the voting was all over the place, which is not surprising given the quality on display. The final verdict was Justin Saltmeris to receive the £5,000 and a further £2,000 going to Ziggy Sullivin. Not my choice, but in any event, a hard one to call. They were all excellent, and it was a great night.
Thursday found me at Clapham North in a bar called Arch 635, which was playing host to Dan & Joe’s Open Mike. Unfortunately, no one else seemed to know about it and Dan & Joe carried most of the evening. This was not actually so bad as Dan has a great baritone voice and keyboard style while Joe is equally competent on vocals and guitar. Helped out by a good guitarist called Scott, and another soulful singer called Ted, we enjoyed a great evening of covers ranging from “Old Man River”, “Rocking In The Real World”, some Dylan and more Neil Young, Counting Crows and Stevie Wonder, and a finale of “Psycho Killer”. They do the same thing every other Thursday at a pub in Borough and you can find details in the Gigs/Events section of Gumtree. Well, that’s another week of good music over, with another to follow no doubt. Make sure you get out there and check it out.
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