LAST WEEK IN LONDON: Getting Wasted In The Heat
- Posted on July 25, 2008 11:33 AM
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LAST WEEK IN LONDON : Getting Wasted In the Heat
By Peter Coulston
Hello and welcome to what is shaping up to be a very hot week in the capital. It was certainly very stuffy and humid on Wednesday when I made a late start to the week with a visit to the Electroacoustic Club at the Slaughtered Lamb pub at Barbican. Most drinkers at this and nearby hostelries had adjourned to the street and the club itself was far from busy, due to the heat and the fact that it is summer vacation time. A musically varied show was on offer, beginning with a solo acoustic set from Ross Wilson of Blue Rose Code, a band that appears regularly at this venue. Mr Wilson is an accomplished performer who moves easily between guitar tunings and always gives a good mix of folk and jazz/blues material. The band’s new single. “Love” sounded good as did another of his well structured ballads “Like Wildfire”; and “This is not a Love Song” mixed it up with a jazz/blues feel. I am developing a taste for this guy’s work and you probably will too if you go to www.myspace.com/bluerosecode. The next act to grace the stage were a three piece from Boston, Massachusetts who were, well, different. When Prince Rama of Ayodhya started playing it sounded like a mix of native American Indian, Hare Khrishna chants and Tiny Tim (remember him, the guy with the ukulele), though, surprisingly, not that unpleasant to the ear. They used congas, autoharp and guitar along with some clever keys and electronics and there were some infectious hooks in there as well as strong, if unusual, vocals. This whole idea came from some stories that they got hooked on when they were kids so, there you go, blame the parents. I know that you are keen to find out more so go to www.myspace.com/princeramaofayodhya. The headliner was a three piece folk/acoustic group with a love of traditional English folk music. Erland & the Carnival has Erland and Samantha Marais, who I saw on her own at the Cobden Club about a year ago, on vocals, and features guitars, zither and keys in a mix of original and traditional material. They played excellent interpretations of the sea shanty, “Sally Free and Easy”, the love ballad “Love is a Killing Thing” and the Scottish “Parting Glass” along with Samantha’s “First Days of June”. A very enjoyable set which serves to remind us that, while creativity in music is its lifeblood, we should never be afraid to look back and appreciate where it has been in the past, and hopefully learn from it. By the time I left the club, the temperature and humidity had returned to an acceptable level for the journey home while the streets were still empty and obviously missing all the people that have joined the exodus to escape the concrete for a while.
Similarly on Thursday, the traffic was minimal on my way to Earl’s Court, the parking was scarily accessible and The Troubadour, that grand old coffee house that has for so long been graced with the rich and famous, was offering a choice a front row seats as the punters preferred to eat in the garden and enjoy what may be another short summer, rather than sample the music on offer. This lack of critical attendance and the laid back atmosphere inside and out may have accounted for the equally laid back performances of the singers, many of whom forgot their lines and, in one case, even omitted to introduce himself. The opening act was, in fact, Colin McCleod from Isle of Lewis in Scotland who normally fronts a band called The Boy Who Trapped the Sun, all of which I found out after he had finished his set. Though obviously a talented singer songwriter, he was very relaxed on this occasion to the point of forgetting the lyrics, not just on Willie Nelson’s “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” but on one of his own songs also. He has a good grasp of guitar styles and a fine voice when he used it and I particularly enjoyed “Dreaming Like a Fool” from his own material. To find out more you need to go to www.myspace.com/theboywhotrappedthesun. I have heard quite a few impressive rock chicks around lately, and Alex Hepburn is most certainly one of them. With her tight three piece band she covered blues, soul and raunchy rock with a voice that was so controlled throughout that she didn’t even break into a sweat. She finished with a couple of good ballads accompanied by a keyboard player and, unfortunately, got a bit lost on “Just a Smile”, which was a good song. Such was the mood on Thursday and it does not stop me from wanting to see her again, nor should it deter you from visiting www.myspace.com/hepburns. The spirit of Bob Marley was very much present on Thursday in the form of Liam Bailey, another good singer/songwriter, this time from Nottingham. While the spirit is there, Liam is no cover artist and he gets into all kinds of stuff including ballads and rock songs like “Make it So Easy”. Apart from forgetting a line, his cover of Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me, Babe” did it justice and he has a good, friendly stage presence. Give him a listen on www.myspace.com/liambaileyuk. Last, but by no means least, came VV Brown, a classy, talented and totally professional young lady who showed how to do intelligent pop with some soul thrown in. Singing beautifully at her keyboard, we heard the jazzy “Everybody” followed by the amazing Crocodile Rock influenced “Leave”. “Crazy Amazings” cleverly utilised the old fifties piano riff used on, among others, Nina Simone’s “My Baby Just Cares For Me”, only to be followed by “Slavery”, a great song if ever I heard one. She is signed to Island Universal, is doing lots of festivals including V, and will be performing at the Notting Hill Carnival. Go see her and visit www.myspace.com/vvbrown.
For those of us still here, it was Kentish Town for me on Friday night for a free gig at The Oxford pub on Kentish Town Road. Located near the Northern Line tube, this is typical of the big, old fashioned London pubs that are very plentiful in this area of the city. The club itself was upstairs and, like the pub, had a high ceiling, lots of tiffany lamps, old paintings and photos on the walls and comfy, uncoordinated sofas and chairs to sit on. The beer is average price with a good selection, the wine list is extensive and the food looks good. I went along to see Luke Ritchie, who used to front Sevenball and is one of the best vocalists on the scene right now. He is currently pursuing a solo path and gave us an excellent set of folk and rock material. “Lonely Second” was a folky ballad which countered some of the darker stuff, which included the old Sevenball standard, “Shanty”. His version of Springsteen’s “State Trooper” went down a treat and “Sunday Morning” is well worth a listen. Good songs from an exceptional vocal talent, all of which is on www.myspace.com/lukeritchiemusic. Now, if you want a band that is totally unpretentious, plays great rhythm driven rock and is totally entertaining, you need The Cracked. Right from the opening song, “Charley’s Fine”, a Tom Petty style rocker with lyrics that are open to interpretation, this band hit us with great hooks and good tunes. Lyrics were less important than infectious rhythms on songs like “Boom Shanka” and “Let’s Kill Ourselves” had a funky hook which moved to hard power pop; no hidden message there. Great live music; to find out where they will be next go to www.myspace.com/thecracked. The headliners, who I believe are actually residents at this venue, were Old Street Musical Union, a five piece harmony led band doing some nice country/ roots influenced indie. Once again, a very good band who were forced into no less than two encores by an audience that refused to go home despite the club being like an oven by closing time. With guitars and harmonicas all put to good use, we heard “Fat Allan”, a strong country rocker, the powerpop “The One’s Who’ve Gone Before” and “Goldrush”, which was a tasty bit of roots. The closing song, before the encores, was a bit like “Do You Wanna Dance”, and I think everyone did if there had been enough room. These guys are on www.myspace.com/clubosmu. After a slow start, the week certainly ended with a good night and a full club. Well, it was Friday and why would you go on holiday if you live in Kentish Town? Hopefully the good weather will continue to bless the festival season and give us some much needed joy in these trying times. Never mind, the music is not in recession, in fact, it is getting stronger every day and waiting for you to go out and support it. So, what are you waiting for? See you next week, stay safe and well and keep on gigging.
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