Saturday 2th June: We seem unable to manage to get all together for one gig at the moment. This weekend work and family commitments mean that Roj was at the Duchess on Friday (reviews usually appear sometime on Monday) while I was there on Saturday. The only constant was Andy. I'm fairly certain that I got the best night.
I was a bit late arriving at the Duchess and the first band, $lash Vega$, was already on stage. Indeed, I could hear them outside the venue. First impressions weren't good (the lead singer's covered in tattoos, has spiky hair and is that eye-liner he's wearing??? Yes, folks, I'm turning into my Mum...) but once I got a pint and started listening, I realised that you really shouldn't judge a band by what the lead singer's covered in. Hailing from Selby and Leeds and billed as Rock / Alternative / Metal, their output was a little too slash metal (the clue's in the name, I guess) for me to consider purchasing their album but, as a live act, they were a good opener. Ginna's vocals were strong but if I had to pick a stand-out musician it would be the guitarist in the hat (Robbie G or Oz, I don't know which) whose solos bordered on the incredible. This was the band's last gig with current drummer, Holmes, who is leaving after two and a half years and they are still without a replacement.
Next up were even more local lads - York based Morpheus Rising - and the band on tonight's bill that I knew most about. Their vocalist, Graeme Tennick, is a follower of this blog and one of my Facebook friends. We've even been to at least two gigs together. Well, I say "together" but I actually mean we've been at the same gigs. Aaaah, the wonders of social networking. Anyway, that begs the question of what I would write if I didn't like their set.
Thankfully, we'll never know. The guys produced a top-drawer performance that far-exceeded my expectations. Mind you, there's a bit of pedigree within the band - the bassist Andy Smith (yes, that Andy Smith, from Mostly Autumn) and we've seen Pete Harwood (guitars and guitar tech for Marillion) and Gibbo (drums) play with Freeway. Grae has been a member of several bands and I can't find any information about Daymo Sweeting (guitarist) - so it should be no surprise that this was a polished performance. Nor should it have been a surprise, given the band's influences, that I was immediately and powerfully reminded of listening to the likes of Saxon and Iron Maiden all those years back.
Grae has an incredibly raw voice which, the first few times I heard it (listening to their tracks on last.fm) didn't do a great deal for me. After I while, though, I realised that his voice fitted the style of music perfectly and live he seems to put his whole body behind it, producing an incredibly powerful sound. Again, though, it was the guitars that ruled the set. MR may be Pete's brainchild but, from where I was standing, it looked as though Daymo took the lion's share of the intricate solos (correct me if I'm wrong, guys), even if his playing was lost for most of one song. Anyway, whoever it was, they were superb. It has to be said that, for their biggest gig so far, the whole band played well. It was a very solid, very entertaining performance. Stand-out tracks were Fighting Man and Lord of the North. After their set, I bought a copy of their CD, introduced myself to my "friend" Graeme and had a quick chat with Pete. The band hope to get some proper recording done later in the year and that's another CD I'm going to have to look out for.
...and so to tonight's headline act, the newly reformed Scottish rockers Gun, with ex-Little Angels frontman Toby Jepson joining new drummer Gordon McNeil, original guitarist Giuliano Gizzi and nearly founder member Dante Gizzi on bass. I'm going to have to stop thinking that I know a fair amount about rock because it seems that everybody that I mentioned this gig to remembered Gun or, at least their cover version of Word Up and Wikipedia says about Little Angels "They were arguably one of the most successful and popular British bands of their time" (in the entry for Toby Jepson). I had never heard of Little Angels and couldn't remember Gun, although I do now remember Word Up.
Anyway, as with last year's Uriah Heap gig, this one was to take me completely by surprise. Full-on quality rock (which, I have to admit, sounded a little familiar) with great playing and superb vocals. It sometimes amazes me that a band with one guitar can produce such a good sound, but Joolz manages it. His brother is definitely not one of the inanimate school of bass players and new guy Gordon's drumming provided a good solid backing to the songs. As far as I can tell, all the tracks played were from the band's back catalogue, except one new one (Let Your Hair Down) which saw Jepson also take up a guitar. That was one of the best tracks of the set. With their vast experience, Gun are a band who know how to build a set to a close and this set definitely reached a crescendo with the second encore song, the aforementioned Word Up. I have to admit that both Andy and I noticed that the sound was a bit muddy during this set, but it was only when the band tried to quieten it down a bit.
Every so often, the Duchess excels itself. All three of tonight's bands, although performing slightly different versions rock/metal, complemented each other and combined to create a near-perfect gig. Best of the year so far.
Sunday 21 June 2009
Sunday 14 June 2009
I've Got A Girl Who's Really Mean / She Hit My Cat With A Magazine
Friday 12th June: My wife was hosting a "Jamie At Home" party tonight. If there's one thing potentially more scary than Jamie Oliver actually turning up at your home, it's the thought of that home being invaded by a group of wine-sipping women ogling over cookware. I had to leave the house, no matter what.
Tonight was also one of those rare nights when the group couldn't agree on a venue. With three plans circulating, one of us dropped out (saving his pass for another night), Andy and Roj headed off to Fibbers (for a review, click here - one's bound to turn up soon) and I took my chances at the Duchess.
Now, when I listen to music (live or recorded) I'm generally only looking for one thing. To be entertained. Deep and meaningful lyrics are OK, but generally pass me by. Technical excellence I can spot, but don't know enough about that side of music to be able to comment on it (and, being honest, even average-to-good music can be entertaining). Usually, as long as an act is at least mildly entertaining, I'm happy.
Davie Janeway did not make me happy. Playing to a practically non-existent audience, Davie is a man-and-guitar act. A guitar that he plays in possibly the most unsubtle manner I have ever come across. I'm afraid I couldn't make out any of the lyrics (or most of the introductions) but, as ever, that could be down to my aging ears as much as a poor performance or bad acoustics. The one introduction I did manage to understand - "This song is about the best blunt instrument to murder somebody with. It's called Tyre Iron" - kind of sets the scene for the sort of act Mr Janeway is. This was the musical equivalent of the Angry Young Man, just without the shouting. Not my cup of tea at all.
Thankfully, next to take to the stage was Aimie J Ryan, a singer/songwriter from York who we have seen once before, apparently before I started blogging as I can't find a past entry. That time was at Fibbers and, it not yet being time for the headline act, we were still in our usual position at the back. Since then Aimie has released an EP (Count To Ten) and is working on an album. Tonight's performance was much more assured than I remember the first one being and I found myself moving closer to the stage and away from the pillar I had been leaning against. Again, just performer and guitar (this time acoustic), but with much more subtlety and elegance in both the playing and the vocals. Starting with a couple of melancholy, possibly even despressing, numbers Don't Make Friends With Your Hangman and Razorblade (both from the EP) the set gradually got more upbeat. Aimie's voice is fantastic, reminding me at times of Tracy Chapman, and she plays the guitar really well. At this point, the first act was a fading memory and I was starting to have a good time. So was Aimie who was playing the Duchess for the first time (I thought she'd played there before but I think that gig was cancelled) and liked it because she wasn't sweating. Niiiice...
I was so impressed that I bought a copy of Aimie's EP which, I am happy to say, contains four very good songs. These are full-band (bass, drum and piano alongside guitar) versions with a number of guest musicians including Angela Gordon playing flute on two songs. I know it's not surprising coming from me, but I'll be looking out for the album.
Finally, another musical shot in the dark, a band I only knew from the write-up on the Duchess's whats on listing. Ezio, in this format are a duo - Ezio Lunedei (a Tom Conti lookalike) on acoustic guitar and vocals and Mark 'Booga' Fowell (a mountain lookalike) on acoustic and electric guitar. I don't like using direct quotes on this blog but Kenyan-born Booga really is "next to two metres high and nearly that wide". He's a giant of a man who really shouldn't be able to play guitar as well as he does.
Ezio writes heart-rending ballads and more light-hearted, bordering on pop, songs. There may have been a set list but members of the audience could text the band with requests, some of which were performed. Some audience members also tried requesting without text, which provoked some humorous responses from the stage - "Take Me Away" sang one wag. "I'd pay good money for that" came the response. In fact, tonight reminded me of the Nick Harper gig I attended at Easter. Both were laid back, funny and contained some of the best acoustic (folk) rock you are likely to come across.
Ezio and Booga are not a normal duet. The majority of the work is done by the former, with the latter adding guitar accompaniment to a growing degree as the act goes on and in a variety of styles including, but not limited to, blues, rock and something sounding a lot like Spanish to me. At times the music coming from the two guitars didn't even sound as though it was for the same song, but it always worked together, producing a sound unlike anything I can remember having heard before. While there were no actual covers, lyrics by Van Morrison (Tupelo Honey) and The Beach Boys (Fun Fun Fun) were heard during the set.
Ezio obviously have a hard-core following. Even in tonight's relatively small audience, I couldn't help feeling like the one person at a party who didn't know the other guests - not because the rest of the audience knew each other, but because most of them recognised the songs from pretty much the first chord. After about and hour, the band left the stage and I had to admit that this was a party I was glad I had been invited to. I was even more pleased when they returned for a three song encore. So pleased that yet another CD - Live at the Shepherds Bush Empire - made it into my burgeoning collection.
After the gig, I made my way to the Roman Bath to meet up with Andy and Roj and catch the end of DSQ's set. Another covers band but a very popular one - I was made to wait outside for a few minutes before entering a very crowded pub. The range of songs was slightly different to our normal fare and included Animal (Def Leppard), Brown-Eyed Girl (Van Morisson), Born to be Wild (Steppenwolf) and Jump (Van Halen) along with songs by the Bee Gees and Wild Cherry (a bit too much funk for Andy who was, nevertheless, dancing along...) Both the lead singer and keyboard player looked familiar and, after some hard thinking, the former was identified as the lead singer of Flight from A Night For Heroes a few weeks ago. I'm not certain, but I think that the latter played keyboards for Free Spirit on the same night.
Tonight was also one of those rare nights when the group couldn't agree on a venue. With three plans circulating, one of us dropped out (saving his pass for another night), Andy and Roj headed off to Fibbers (for a review, click here - one's bound to turn up soon) and I took my chances at the Duchess.
Now, when I listen to music (live or recorded) I'm generally only looking for one thing. To be entertained. Deep and meaningful lyrics are OK, but generally pass me by. Technical excellence I can spot, but don't know enough about that side of music to be able to comment on it (and, being honest, even average-to-good music can be entertaining). Usually, as long as an act is at least mildly entertaining, I'm happy.
Davie Janeway did not make me happy. Playing to a practically non-existent audience, Davie is a man-and-guitar act. A guitar that he plays in possibly the most unsubtle manner I have ever come across. I'm afraid I couldn't make out any of the lyrics (or most of the introductions) but, as ever, that could be down to my aging ears as much as a poor performance or bad acoustics. The one introduction I did manage to understand - "This song is about the best blunt instrument to murder somebody with. It's called Tyre Iron" - kind of sets the scene for the sort of act Mr Janeway is. This was the musical equivalent of the Angry Young Man, just without the shouting. Not my cup of tea at all.
Thankfully, next to take to the stage was Aimie J Ryan, a singer/songwriter from York who we have seen once before, apparently before I started blogging as I can't find a past entry. That time was at Fibbers and, it not yet being time for the headline act, we were still in our usual position at the back. Since then Aimie has released an EP (Count To Ten) and is working on an album. Tonight's performance was much more assured than I remember the first one being and I found myself moving closer to the stage and away from the pillar I had been leaning against. Again, just performer and guitar (this time acoustic), but with much more subtlety and elegance in both the playing and the vocals. Starting with a couple of melancholy, possibly even despressing, numbers Don't Make Friends With Your Hangman and Razorblade (both from the EP) the set gradually got more upbeat. Aimie's voice is fantastic, reminding me at times of Tracy Chapman, and she plays the guitar really well. At this point, the first act was a fading memory and I was starting to have a good time. So was Aimie who was playing the Duchess for the first time (I thought she'd played there before but I think that gig was cancelled) and liked it because she wasn't sweating. Niiiice...
I was so impressed that I bought a copy of Aimie's EP which, I am happy to say, contains four very good songs. These are full-band (bass, drum and piano alongside guitar) versions with a number of guest musicians including Angela Gordon playing flute on two songs. I know it's not surprising coming from me, but I'll be looking out for the album.
Finally, another musical shot in the dark, a band I only knew from the write-up on the Duchess's whats on listing. Ezio, in this format are a duo - Ezio Lunedei (a Tom Conti lookalike) on acoustic guitar and vocals and Mark 'Booga' Fowell (a mountain lookalike) on acoustic and electric guitar. I don't like using direct quotes on this blog but Kenyan-born Booga really is "next to two metres high and nearly that wide". He's a giant of a man who really shouldn't be able to play guitar as well as he does.
Ezio writes heart-rending ballads and more light-hearted, bordering on pop, songs. There may have been a set list but members of the audience could text the band with requests, some of which were performed. Some audience members also tried requesting without text, which provoked some humorous responses from the stage - "Take Me Away" sang one wag. "I'd pay good money for that" came the response. In fact, tonight reminded me of the Nick Harper gig I attended at Easter. Both were laid back, funny and contained some of the best acoustic (folk) rock you are likely to come across.
Ezio and Booga are not a normal duet. The majority of the work is done by the former, with the latter adding guitar accompaniment to a growing degree as the act goes on and in a variety of styles including, but not limited to, blues, rock and something sounding a lot like Spanish to me. At times the music coming from the two guitars didn't even sound as though it was for the same song, but it always worked together, producing a sound unlike anything I can remember having heard before. While there were no actual covers, lyrics by Van Morrison (Tupelo Honey) and The Beach Boys (Fun Fun Fun) were heard during the set.
Ezio obviously have a hard-core following. Even in tonight's relatively small audience, I couldn't help feeling like the one person at a party who didn't know the other guests - not because the rest of the audience knew each other, but because most of them recognised the songs from pretty much the first chord. After about and hour, the band left the stage and I had to admit that this was a party I was glad I had been invited to. I was even more pleased when they returned for a three song encore. So pleased that yet another CD - Live at the Shepherds Bush Empire - made it into my burgeoning collection.
After the gig, I made my way to the Roman Bath to meet up with Andy and Roj and catch the end of DSQ's set. Another covers band but a very popular one - I was made to wait outside for a few minutes before entering a very crowded pub. The range of songs was slightly different to our normal fare and included Animal (Def Leppard), Brown-Eyed Girl (Van Morisson), Born to be Wild (Steppenwolf) and Jump (Van Halen) along with songs by the Bee Gees and Wild Cherry (a bit too much funk for Andy who was, nevertheless, dancing along...) Both the lead singer and keyboard player looked familiar and, after some hard thinking, the former was identified as the lead singer of Flight from A Night For Heroes a few weeks ago. I'm not certain, but I think that the latter played keyboards for Free Spirit on the same night.
Friday 5 June 2009
Revisiting An Old Favourite
Friday 5th June: Unless I've actually been to a gig, so far this year I haven't been able to find the time (or, perhaps, had the inclination) to blog as much as I did last year. Although I've read plenty of books and probably bought more CDs than I should have, I've yet to rediscover my "muse" for reviewing and I doubt that many people would be interested in lists of what has moved off my to read list or made their way into my music collection.
Today, however, I bought the CD version of an album that I considered to be one of my favourites, despite not hearing it for probably the best part of two decades. If not more. Would it stand the test of time?
First, a bit of background. My interest in music can probably be said to have started mid-way through secondary school. At that time, as the 70's were being replaced by the 80's, the friends I knocked around with started getting into the newly resurgent heavy metal and rock. Albums by AC/DC, Motorhead, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Meat Loaf and many more were being snapped up and (my thoughts on piracy from a couple of postings back notwithstanding) being copied to tape and passed around. It took me a little while but, eventually, I decided that I liked some of this stuff (or, at least, that I was ready to hop on that particular bandwagon) and started some of the albums myself. I started off with Rush: Archives, a combined release of their first three albums and that was about as heavy as I got. I could never get the hang of the likes of AC/DC or Motorhead and, since then, haven't really got into slash metal or its ilk.
As an aside, it wasn't long after that my friends moved onto the likes of Supertramp, Fleetwood Mac and Jethro Tull and it was at that point that I decided I was going to like whatever I wanted to, rather than following any trends. And that, gentle reader, is why my CD collection contains a relatively wide range of music and why my last trip to HMV saw me walking out with albums by Deep Purple, Gabriella Cilmi, Fleet Foxes and the soundtracks to High School Musical 1 and 2.
(Oh, wait, those last two weren't for me but for my daughter. Honest...!)
Anyway, although I said that Rush were about as heavy as I got, the actual heaviest was probably Iron Maiden. To the best of my recollection, I never actually bought any of their albums but I did own a few singles and had taped copies of both Killers and The Number of the Beast. While the latter is good, I remember the former blew me away. I don't, however, remember why or, far that matter, what actually happened to the tape. For years I've thought that I should buy a copy, but never got round to it. Until today, when I saw it in ones of HMV's 2 for £10 offers.
It's said that your school years are the best time of your life. It's probably true. I have to admit, though, that there have been a few things from that time that I have revisited only to be disappointed. I loved E.E. "Doc" Smith's Lensman books when I read them (aged about 15) but couldn't even get through them when I tried to re-read them as an adult. Tom Baker's reign as Doctor Who was essential viewing when I was younger, then UK Gold repeated them and I was almost embarrassed to admit that I once liked them. I fairly recently watched Close Encounters of the Third Kind on DVD and was surprised how naff it looks now. I guess that's part of the joy of growing older and getting more cynical.
As another aside, there are two hours of TV that stand out for me as the most gripping episodes of anything I have ever watched - the second episode (I think) of Midnight Caller (a relatively obscure American show broadcast in the UK on a Saturday night) and an episode of the original Survivors in which a character with learning difficulties is put on trial. I almost daren't watch either of these again in case they, too, disappoint.
Anyway, as soon as I got home tonight, I put Killers in the CD player, pressed play and cranked up the volume, not without a little trepidation. I needn't have worried. Apart from remembering most of it as though I'd only heard it yesterday, I'm happy to say that it has stood the test of time really well.
Killers was Iron Maiden's second album and last to feature Paul Di'anno on vocals. I don't know whether it is ever described as a "classic" but it certainly deserves to be. Tracks such as Murders in the Rue Morgue, Wrathchild and Killers set the tone for the album, while the instrumental Ides of March is a superb opening track. Even the slower and more melodic (I hesitate to use the word "ballad") Prodigal Son doesn't feel out of place. In my opinion Di'anno's voice is better than that of his replacement Bruce Dickinson and definitely suited to the songs on this album. Instrumentally, the music is top class, with memorable guitar solos and drum beats.
The version I bought today is the remastered 1998 release, which contains an extra track. To be honest, I didn't notice - the extra track fits in perfectly with the original material.
In short, this is an album that should be in any self-respecting metal-fan's collection.
Today, however, I bought the CD version of an album that I considered to be one of my favourites, despite not hearing it for probably the best part of two decades. If not more. Would it stand the test of time?
First, a bit of background. My interest in music can probably be said to have started mid-way through secondary school. At that time, as the 70's were being replaced by the 80's, the friends I knocked around with started getting into the newly resurgent heavy metal and rock. Albums by AC/DC, Motorhead, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Meat Loaf and many more were being snapped up and (my thoughts on piracy from a couple of postings back notwithstanding) being copied to tape and passed around. It took me a little while but, eventually, I decided that I liked some of this stuff (or, at least, that I was ready to hop on that particular bandwagon) and started some of the albums myself. I started off with Rush: Archives, a combined release of their first three albums and that was about as heavy as I got. I could never get the hang of the likes of AC/DC or Motorhead and, since then, haven't really got into slash metal or its ilk.
As an aside, it wasn't long after that my friends moved onto the likes of Supertramp, Fleetwood Mac and Jethro Tull and it was at that point that I decided I was going to like whatever I wanted to, rather than following any trends. And that, gentle reader, is why my CD collection contains a relatively wide range of music and why my last trip to HMV saw me walking out with albums by Deep Purple, Gabriella Cilmi, Fleet Foxes and the soundtracks to High School Musical 1 and 2.
(Oh, wait, those last two weren't for me but for my daughter. Honest...!)
Anyway, although I said that Rush were about as heavy as I got, the actual heaviest was probably Iron Maiden. To the best of my recollection, I never actually bought any of their albums but I did own a few singles and had taped copies of both Killers and The Number of the Beast. While the latter is good, I remember the former blew me away. I don't, however, remember why or, far that matter, what actually happened to the tape. For years I've thought that I should buy a copy, but never got round to it. Until today, when I saw it in ones of HMV's 2 for £10 offers.
It's said that your school years are the best time of your life. It's probably true. I have to admit, though, that there have been a few things from that time that I have revisited only to be disappointed. I loved E.E. "Doc" Smith's Lensman books when I read them (aged about 15) but couldn't even get through them when I tried to re-read them as an adult. Tom Baker's reign as Doctor Who was essential viewing when I was younger, then UK Gold repeated them and I was almost embarrassed to admit that I once liked them. I fairly recently watched Close Encounters of the Third Kind on DVD and was surprised how naff it looks now. I guess that's part of the joy of growing older and getting more cynical.
As another aside, there are two hours of TV that stand out for me as the most gripping episodes of anything I have ever watched - the second episode (I think) of Midnight Caller (a relatively obscure American show broadcast in the UK on a Saturday night) and an episode of the original Survivors in which a character with learning difficulties is put on trial. I almost daren't watch either of these again in case they, too, disappoint.
Anyway, as soon as I got home tonight, I put Killers in the CD player, pressed play and cranked up the volume, not without a little trepidation. I needn't have worried. Apart from remembering most of it as though I'd only heard it yesterday, I'm happy to say that it has stood the test of time really well.
Killers was Iron Maiden's second album and last to feature Paul Di'anno on vocals. I don't know whether it is ever described as a "classic" but it certainly deserves to be. Tracks such as Murders in the Rue Morgue, Wrathchild and Killers set the tone for the album, while the instrumental Ides of March is a superb opening track. Even the slower and more melodic (I hesitate to use the word "ballad") Prodigal Son doesn't feel out of place. In my opinion Di'anno's voice is better than that of his replacement Bruce Dickinson and definitely suited to the songs on this album. Instrumentally, the music is top class, with memorable guitar solos and drum beats.
The version I bought today is the remastered 1998 release, which contains an extra track. To be honest, I didn't notice - the extra track fits in perfectly with the original material.
In short, this is an album that should be in any self-respecting metal-fan's collection.
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