LAST WEEK IN LONDON: Folk and Old Folks
- Posted on April 28, 2008 1:38 PM
- 0 comments
By Peter Coulston
Hello and welcome to what promises to be another good week in the world of live music in London. Having recovered from the Camden Crawl, I am back on the scene and hitting the ground running on Monday at the Half Moon in Putney. This history packed venue plays host to an acoustic night for unsigned artists on Mondays and it is worth a visit once in a while. Professionally hosted by Redvers Bailey, who also takes good care of the sound, it is always an excellent start to the week.
Mr Bailey opened with a couple of new songs and another more familiar ditty, all of which sounded good. He is on www.myspace.com/redversbailey if you want to hear more; it’s worth a listen. Lizzyspit is an acoustic/folk singer/songwriter with some nice songs but a rather shrill voice that some people may not like. I enjoyed “World’s Apart”, but was not sure about the structure of the others. See what you think on www.myspace.com/lizzyspit. Mark Bishop hardened things up a bit with his acoustic rock set which featured a nice bluesy ending with “Pyramid”. Both voice and guitar were sound and can be heard on www.myspace.com/markbishopmusic.
It is often the case that a performer may require a few listens before you fully appreciate what they have to offer. This is the case with Lee Mitchell, who I reviewed a couple of weeks ago at Ginglick, where he opened for a very impressive array of talented female artists. I enjoyed his set on that occasion, but was obviously missing just how well structured his songs actually are. “Please Don’t Leave” and “Patience” both held the audience’s attention on Monday, despite being quite different from each other. Good voice and guitar rounded off a very enjoyable set. If you haven’t been there already, check www.myspace.com/whoisleemitchell.
Nurture The Flame have a great singer, a solid guitarist and fine songs, all in the acoustic/soul/roots genre. “Humming Bird’s Melody” was dark but upbeat and they performed an impressive version of “The Drugs Don’t Work”, which has to be the most depressing song I have ever heard. For listings and samples go to www.myspace.com/nurturetheflamemusic. The title of that last song certainly did not influence John Lee Carter, acoustic/folk singer songwriter who sounds a bit like Johnny Cash. “A Wise Man Once Said” was inspired by Bill Hicks and was a cynical dig at religion with some references to those substances that you and I read about in the papers. All good stuff, as was “Love is a Weapon of Peace”, which condemned the war in Iraq. No harm in getting a little controversial at times, especially when the songs are as good as these. He is apparently on www.myspace.com/johnleecarter, but I have been unable to find him. I wish you luck, he’s worth a listen.
El longo are another couple of guys with a couple of acoustic guitars and equally good voices and songs. “Back in The Day” was edgy, “Constantly Amazed” equally compelling and “Claire” rather more upbeat. A good set that can be experienced on www.myspace.com/ellongosings. The headliner this week was a last minute addition, and an artist that I have been trying to track down for some time. I was not disappointed, as Sam Beer’s bluesy acoustic folk went down a treat. Using different tunings throughout and playing a mean harmonica to boot, this was a terrific set. On “Jack and Louise” he used a picking style on his guitar that is usually applied to a banjo, but was very effective all the same. “If You’re Good To Me” hit the spot and the blues that he ended with said it all. I am glad that I finally caught up with him; you can too, on www.myspace.com/samuelbeer.
After a couple of nights off to recharge my batteries, I had the good fortune to find myself at the Carling Academy, Islington on Thursday to enjoy a band that I reviewed very favourably last November, as well as saying nice things about their latest single, “Come On, Come Out”. They are, of course, A Fine Frenzy, that laid back alternative/indie band from Los Angeles fronted by Seattle born Alison Sudol. Their set included the single and was a joy from beginning to end. The songs are mostly keyboard led, with the drummer filling in on guitars and glockenspiel when required, and include ballads and rockier numbers with a sort of hoedown at the end. The band enjoyed it all as much as we did, and elsewhere on this site there is an interview with Alison by Katie Spain which will give you a greater insight into what turns them on. If you want even more, go to www.myspace.com/afinefrenzy. The headliner for this show was London based acoustic/pop band, Ben’s Brother, who I knew very little about prior to this outing. They are a five piece with a good front man and lots of Americana/Tom Petty style songs which were good for the most part. “Beauty Queen”, “What If I Fall?” and “God By Any Other Name” came early on and were impressive, and “You Stole Something From Me” was so Dylan. They then embarked on some semi power ballads which, to me, sounded much of a muchness; however, the audience seemed to love them. Talking of the audience, I couldn’t help noticing that the average age was somewhat higher than I am normally used to at these sort of gigs.. My god, I’m here with a bunch of geriatrics! Oh well, I suppose I should be charitable, poor old souls, they don’t get out much. I saw one guy ordering a pint of beer with a pound coin in his hand. The last gig he went to must have been the Bay City Rollers. Anyway, the band moved on to some newer stuff to finish, like “Therapy” which was pretty good, and “Stuttering”, which comes out as a single on itunes this Monday. I guess if it doesn’t do well they could pass it on to Gareth Gates, who needs all the help he can get. The encore began with the front man, Jamie, doing an excellent “It All Falls Down” on the piano, followed by an equally good “Shine” with the whole band. A good night overall, and my last for the week as I will be devoting the rest of my time to the Indie Awards 2008, which is covered in depth on this very site with lots of interviews and my usual addled summary. Make sure that you check it out, it’s what live music is all about. Until next week, stay safe and well and gig ‘til you drop.
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