LAST WEEK IN LONDON: Summer In The City
- Posted on May 12, 2008 1:36 PM
- 1 comment
Summer In The City
by Peter Coulston
Hello and welcome to London live as we have come to know it. It’s still alive and well and contemplating the fine weather that is surely on its way. With such bounding optimism, I started my week at The Troubadour in Earl’s Court, that fine old establishment in West London that has been home to the great and the good over the years, and even I pop in occasionally. I was attracted to this gig by the fact that Eliza Wren Payne, that excellent singer songwriter from Utah was scheduled to play. After parking on Old Brompton Road with no problem whatsoever, a feat in itself in Earl’s Court, I arrived at the gig to find that she had been replaced by a band that I had never heard of. Optimism prevailed, however, my friends, and rightly so, as this proved to be an extremely enjoyable gig. It was promoted by Curious Generation, which is always a good omen, and I was far from disappointed. It all got started with the indie/acoustic sounds of Ainslie Henderson, a fine performer from Edinburgh with a sparkly guitar. His songs and performance were way above average and I particularly enjoyed “Growing Flowers”. Poppy on violin was a welcome addition and I would certainly repeat the experience. www.myspace.com/ainsliehenderson is where he is at, and you should go there too.
Daniela Bove is from Buckinghamshire and pronounces her name “Bow-vay”. Despite a recent bout of laryngitis, she did a fine set of electronica/pop material with her competent band, which included cello and guitars. “Outside” and “Shine On” were good and “Fever” was a nice bit of dark rock. She’s on www.myspace.com/danielabove if you fancy a listen. The replacement band that I referred to earlier was Van Tramp, a good looking rock/indie outfit with more than a casual nod in the direction of The Faces. The vocalist is absolutely spot on in the Rod Stewart/Van Morrison mode, and one of the best front men that I have seen in a long while. The lead guitar is not Ronnie Woods, but who is? Ronnie isn’t most of the time and Keef doesn’t even notice. He is pretty good, the songs are well put together and the stage presence is totally professional. These guys should do well, and you would do well to visit www.myspace.com/vantramp, there’s singles and all sorts there to sample. They were a hard act to follow, but a bunch of 18 year olds from Kingston managed it. Fish! are four young lads who are still doing their “A” levels, but write great songs and can sound like Crosby, Stills and Nash, America or REM whenever they like. Brilliant vocals and harmonies from this Indie/rock outfit and good songs like “White Flag” worked for me. It will for you as well if you go to www.myspace.com/fishuk.
I had a number of reasons for visiting Ginglik at Shepherds Bush Green on Wednesday, not least because Wednesday is when The Big Secret is hosted there by the always charming Amity. This acoustic showcase is one of the friendliest and most welcoming venues around and good music is guaranteed along with an attentive audience. Amity is very strict; be warned. Miranda Barber was playing this week, which, in itself would tempt me towards the west of London or pretty well anywhere else; however, also on the bill was Vince Freeman. This gentleman recently won two categories in the INDY Awards, so I reckoned that it was about time I gave him a listen. Glad I did too, as he certainly is very good in the acoustic/folk/rock area. A great voice, good songs and a confident stage presence should serve him well, and I particularly enjoyed “My Sweet Friend” and the rocker that he ended with. He’s on www.myspace.com/vincefreeman. Gary Nock is from Birmingham and is another example of acoustic/indie/pop well performed. “Never Know Love” was a good song and “Closing Time” rocked right along. For more information, go to www.myspace.com/garynock. Anyone who follows my column cannot have failed to read my reviews of Miranda Barber over the past year. She is certainly a class act, as she proved again on Wednesday. Aided by her talented friend and musical colleague, Sian Latimer, she charmed us with “Sweetheart’s Embrace” and that naughty song on the ukulele that you just have to hear. She did a new song in the gospel/rock/country style which was just great and finished with the very catchy “Numb Numb Song”. She has an album coming out on 25 June which is being launched right here at Ginglik, and I will be here as well. If that puts you off, go to www.myspace.com/mirandabarber. Phil King is a Bristol based singer/songwriter doing acoustic/soul very well indeed. Some of his songs have a Jacques Brel/Michel LeGrand feel to them and I liked “The War I Cannot Win” a lot. “Flowers”, on the other hand, was dark and bluesy while “Gimme Some” rocked, country style. He plays a lot of gigs in Bristol so, if, like me, you don’t get to Bristol very often, go instead to www.myspace.com/philmking. Just to keep us on our toes, there was a last minute, unadvertised band to finish, namely Kieran and the Night Owls. Fronted by a pretty good girl singer and with some impressive guitar and keys, this band did a competent and diverse set which included “Miss Black”, which was a bit Counting Crows, and “You & Me” with Nina Simone influences. They have a myspace which I cannot find, but I suspect that I am misspelling their name. If they are on near you, go see them. While I’m still on Wednesday, did any of you suffer from the Circle Line breaking down on the first hot day of the year; give me a break, guys.
Thursday saw me heading off to Camden after receiving a last minute invitation from Fiona Bevan, who was performing at Liberties. Located at 100 High Street and opposite the Oh Bar, this is a busy spot with a small upstairs room to accommodate the live music. The room and furnishings are pretty basic, with some funny old pictures on the walls and sweets all over the tables. Great atmosphere though, and a very good host to boot, who manages to keep the audience quiet since the club has no sound system. Yes folks, back to the days of totally acoustic instruments and no mikes. Did I ever tell you about when I sang at the Nag’s Head in Battersea? Never mind, it’ll wait. Back to business, and the opening act who was Merel Hutten from Amsterdam who performed some brilliantly composed songs on the keyboard. She has been compared to Randy Newman (she looks nothing like him, let me add), but is also influenced by Carole King and Joni Mitchell. Her voice is natural and perfectly controlled, her songs are well constructed and she plays a mean kazoo for good measure. Brilliant stuff in the jazz/pop style, which is on www.myspace.commerelhutten.
Next up was Ben Sommers, better known as one third (or half, depending on who is available) of the wonderful Mozzy Green, who I last saw at the Electroacoustic in January. This band is innovative and bold and everything that new music should be, and Ben’s solo gig was nothing less. “Sally Ann” blew us away while his song about 2012 (nothing to do with the Olympics) left us breathless. Find out what it’s all about for yourselves on www.myspace.com/mozzygreen. Much as I like poetry, I tend to avoid evenings that are devoted to it, as this column is all about indie music. So, it’s always good when someone like Sophia Blackwell comes along to remind us just how important the lyrics are. If the idea of listening to poetry sounds boring, forget it. Sophia writes and performs incredible verse that is relevant, vital, passionate and great fun. “Hair” was a great opener and the ode to adolescence and first love was one that we could all relate to in one way or another. “The Wilderness Years” could only be called a masterpiece of poetic beauty which went way beyond its subject matter. Do not miss an opportunity to experience this lady’s work, if not in person, at www.myspace.com/sophiablackwell. I have not seen or heard Fiona Bevan for a while, so it was certainly a pleasure to enjoy her warm, summery songs again. “Roots” and “The Balance” sounded great and her new song made me think of St Tropez. “Revel and The Devil” has Mexican fire while the closer, “Moths”, took us back to those hazy summer nights that we have been waiting patiently for. She has a great EP, which I reviewed some time ago, and it is available on www.myspace.com/fionabevan. I did a very brief review of Kal Lavelle back in February when she performed “Disaster” at a gig that I was covering. I was very impressed with the musical power of this London based girl from Ireland on that occasion, and was even more moved by her full set. She did that song again, along with another intense love song which held the full attention of the audience with its emotion. She also showed her lighter side with the rockier “Hope” and upbeat “Sing”. An impressive performer, who is to be found on www.myspace.com/kallavellemusic. So, it must be summer, ‘cos some people are wearing shorts and other people who don’t even smoke are drinking their beer outside. Next it will be festivals, but more about that next week. Enjoy the weather, stay safe and well and see you soon.
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IKTOMS
Thanks for the review Peter! Come back anytime :)
Posted on May 15, 2008 12:48 PM
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