Sunday 5th December: While it's not quite the mini Mostly-fest of last year, today sees Iain Jennings taking advantage of the fact that Mostly Autumn played York last night (and, possibly, that some of the crossover fans are still in York) to organise an afternoon gig for Breathing Space. So Debbie (who, for some reason, was under the impression that this was to be Livvy's farewell gig) and I find ourselves at Fibbers for a rare afternoon out together.
Support today was provided my Marc Atkinson who I've seen once before, who performed on one of my favourite albums of the last couple of years and who has one of the best biographies I have ever read. Having being involved in a number of projects over the years, it seems odd to me that Marc has weaved around the sort of "stardom" experienced by the likes of Bryan Josh without actually making it as big. Having said that, both his biography and his attitude when performing both seem to show that he is happy with his lot and it may just be that he prefers to more grounded and, for want of a better word, local than Mostly Autumn.
The last time I saw Marc he was performing acoustic covers in The Terrace. This afternoon, he mined his own material to give us a thoroughly enjoyable (still acoustic) set. Sadly, due to what seems to have been an incorrectly advertised start time, we missed the first song, but the second came from Gabriel, one of Marc's previous bands, while the next came from his much anticipated Riversea project (the album of which, he informed us, is due to be released at Easter next year, with many guest appearances). Other newer songs were the reminiscing of When We Were Five and Through A Mirror Darkly, while Clockwork Man dated back to 2006. For his final song, Marc reverted to a cover and produced a very good version of Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb (perhaps a brave choice given the Worst Band Ever video which has been doing the rounds on the internet, but I'm happy to say that this afternoon's version was infinitely better than that one...) Despite some guitar problems - apparently you shouldn't re-string guitars on a cold day - which seemed to both frustrate and slightly embarrass Marc, this was a very varied and, as I say, enjoyable set. The vocals were very clear and the choice of songs complemented each other. The first time I've heard Marc's own material and it impressed me enough to buy both of his available albums.
The departure of Livvy Sparnenn from Breathing Space (and, indeed, Bryan Josh from the live shows) had necessitated the second line-up change of the weekend. Replacing Bryan is Adam Dawson (who regular readers will know that we have already checked out), while Heidi Widdop is now the lead vocalist. Again, I have seen Heidi before, opening for Mostly Autumn last year as part of The Secrets. It had already been said that Heidi's voice was completely different to Livvy's and that this was leading to a new sound for the band, but I hadn't realised how much of a change it would be.
The band opened with Run From Yourself, my favourite track from Beneath The Radar, but the track sounded more rocky than normal, something that was to be reiterated with the new material that was to be peppered throughout the set. Before that, though, we took a trip back to the original Breathing Space album for a version of No Promises which featured some wonderfully atmospheric guitar work from Adam. Heidi then took up an acoustic guitar for the new song Unnatural Disaster, before Adam stepped up to perform vocals on Silver Skies, one of his own songs which has been revamped as a full band version, and an excellent version it is. Next up was Searching For My Shadow, proving that all the previous albums were fair game for the new line-up (and surprising me as I thought this track might have left the band with Livvy). Again, it sounded as though the track had been reworked slightly to provide for Heidi's stronger voice. The title track from Beneath The Radar was followed by When I Hold On To You, from Coming Up For Air and then another new track (the title of which I didn't hear). Finally, we got the second rendition of the weekend of Questioning Eyes and hearing the two so closely together showed just how different Heidi and Livvy's voices are - both superb versions, but very different. After a brief respite, the band returned to the stage for an encore and, in my opinion, a very welcome return of The Gap Is Too Wide - lovely to hear it live again.
This wasn't a perfect set. Heidi was struggling slightly with her voice and the sound was a little dodgy. At first I thought that the latter was due to my standing right next to one of Fibbers' main speakers (which, I can confirm, can give you the impression that it is driving a spike through your eardrum) but somebody who was standing at the bar has also criticised the sound. It seemed fine for Marc's set but didn't seem to cope too well with the increased volume of Breathing Space. Despite that, it was a really good performance and, despite the band being off the radar, let alone below it, for a few months now (at least locally) with very little news or updates being released, it bodes well for the future. The new, rockier sound is brilliant, Heidi's voice will be even stronger once her chest is better and Adam's playing was good enough to give any of the previous guitarists a run for their money. Given the number of new tracks played, a fourth album can't be far away and I, for one, can't wait.
Showing posts with label Breathing Space. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Breathing Space. Show all posts
Sunday, 12 December 2010
Tuesday, 20 July 2010
Breathing In
Monday 19th July: Two weeks ago I hadn't heard of Adam Dawson, although over the past few years he has played with at least three bands (the first when he was just 14 years old) as well as a solo performer. However, it was recently announced that he would be joining Breathing Space as their new guitarist so, tonight, Andy and I are at the Roman Bath checking out a solo show by somebody who, while not on the verge of major stardom, is probably about to get recognised (and scrutinised) by a relatively large and passionate group of music fans.
Although a multi-instrumentalist, Adam's solo act (tonight, at least) is that of yet another in the ever growing crowd of man-with-guitar or, in this case, two guitars, acoustic with added effects. While I was expecting that, I can't say it filled me with joy and anticipation. There have been too many times when such a performer, usually a singer-songwriter, has failed to grab my attention or entertain me. It turns out that this wasn't going to be the case tonight.
Adam's set comprises of acoustic, cover versions of songs ranging from artists as diverse as Coldplay (Viva La Vida), Snow Patrol (Chasing Cars), Kings of Leon (Use Somebody), Pink Floyd (Wish You Were Here), Take That (Shine), Steve Harley (Come Up And See Me), Oasis (Wonderwall), Turin Brakes (Underdog), Chuck Berry (Johnny Be Good), Neil Diamond (I'm A Believer) and, errrm, Lady Gaga (Poker Face), mixed with a handful of his own songs, including Silver Skies, I'm Coming Home, new single Lazy Susan and my favourite on the night Behind The Light.
I'm happy to say that the original songs were good enough that they fit right in with the rest of the set. This was no bland performance - the songs were catchy and different enough to stand out not only from the covers but also from each other. These may have been stripped down, acoustic versions of the full songs but they were extremely good versions.
Being a Monday, the Bath was a lot emptier than we normally see it and, therefore, a lot quieter, which meant that it was easier to hear the vocals. For the most part these were incredibly clear, especially on the quieter numbers, but there were a couple of times when they became a little muddy (particularly during the Snow Patrol number). Although it was during the quieter numbers that Adam seemed to shine vocally (one of my favourites from his covers was a really nice version of The Plain White Ts' Hey There Delilah), his guitar playing was superb throughout, with the mixture of styles required for the different songs all being performed more than adequately. During the set there was a couple of really smooth segues - I'm A Believer into American Pie and Brown Eyed Girl into a Beatles song (the title now escapes me), the latter being done so smoothly that I didn't even notice until he started singing...
During a break in the set, I took the opportunity to chat to Adam and found him to be a genuine, affable bloke who exudes a slight air of controlled excitement at the prospect of joining Breathing Space. He told me that they had already worked on turning Silver Skies into a full band version and that there would, inevitably given the new line-up, be a slight change in direction.
While tonight may not have been the best indicator of how Adam is going to fit in or perform in the band, given the polarity of styles, it was a thoroughly entertaining evening during which my foot tapped and I sung along. A good selection of songs, performed well to an appreciative, if fluctuating audience - what more can you ask for?
Although a multi-instrumentalist, Adam's solo act (tonight, at least) is that of yet another in the ever growing crowd of man-with-guitar or, in this case, two guitars, acoustic with added effects. While I was expecting that, I can't say it filled me with joy and anticipation. There have been too many times when such a performer, usually a singer-songwriter, has failed to grab my attention or entertain me. It turns out that this wasn't going to be the case tonight.
Adam's set comprises of acoustic, cover versions of songs ranging from artists as diverse as Coldplay (Viva La Vida), Snow Patrol (Chasing Cars), Kings of Leon (Use Somebody), Pink Floyd (Wish You Were Here), Take That (Shine), Steve Harley (Come Up And See Me), Oasis (Wonderwall), Turin Brakes (Underdog), Chuck Berry (Johnny Be Good), Neil Diamond (I'm A Believer) and, errrm, Lady Gaga (Poker Face), mixed with a handful of his own songs, including Silver Skies, I'm Coming Home, new single Lazy Susan and my favourite on the night Behind The Light.
I'm happy to say that the original songs were good enough that they fit right in with the rest of the set. This was no bland performance - the songs were catchy and different enough to stand out not only from the covers but also from each other. These may have been stripped down, acoustic versions of the full songs but they were extremely good versions.
Being a Monday, the Bath was a lot emptier than we normally see it and, therefore, a lot quieter, which meant that it was easier to hear the vocals. For the most part these were incredibly clear, especially on the quieter numbers, but there were a couple of times when they became a little muddy (particularly during the Snow Patrol number). Although it was during the quieter numbers that Adam seemed to shine vocally (one of my favourites from his covers was a really nice version of The Plain White Ts' Hey There Delilah), his guitar playing was superb throughout, with the mixture of styles required for the different songs all being performed more than adequately. During the set there was a couple of really smooth segues - I'm A Believer into American Pie and Brown Eyed Girl into a Beatles song (the title now escapes me), the latter being done so smoothly that I didn't even notice until he started singing...
During a break in the set, I took the opportunity to chat to Adam and found him to be a genuine, affable bloke who exudes a slight air of controlled excitement at the prospect of joining Breathing Space. He told me that they had already worked on turning Silver Skies into a full band version and that there would, inevitably given the new line-up, be a slight change in direction.
While tonight may not have been the best indicator of how Adam is going to fit in or perform in the band, given the polarity of styles, it was a thoroughly entertaining evening during which my foot tapped and I sung along. A good selection of songs, performed well to an appreciative, if fluctuating audience - what more can you ask for?
Monday, 7 December 2009
Almost Time To Catch A Breath
Sunday 6th December: ...and as the weekend draws to a close, another three of us head of to the Duchess to attend the final gig of "Mostly-fest". This is one of those rare occasions when I can convince my wife to go to a gig with me as Breathing Space are a band she likes.
At least that's who we were expecting. No support act had been mentioned or otherwise advertised. So, it was a bit of a surprise to find that, very late in the day, Chris Johnson and Anne-Marie Helder had been booked as openers.
Those of you keeping up will recognise those name as two of the members of The Parade, who also opened here on Friday evening. Tonight, the duo performed songs from the band's album The Fabric, acoustically and for the first time (you couldn't tell...).
For this set Chris played guitar and Anne-Marie played, errrm, an egg and a banana. I knew she was talented but, but, a banana??? Yes, and there's untampered photographic proof opposite. Both of them sang and the acoustic versions of the songs were just as good as the full band versions we heard on Friday. It really is a cracking album (I managed to grab a few words with Chris to tell him so and got him to sign my copy) and it must have been hard to pick which tracks to play, but they certainly managed to pick some of my favourites, including Cut, The Dogs, The Diamond and the excellent Start Again.
This was a set of brilliant musicianship, tinged with more than a dab of humour (most of it involving the banana - you can guess). Chris and Anne-Marie obviously enjoy being on stage with each other as there was an over-riding sense of comfort and friendship in their performance. An unexpected and very pleasant start to the evening.
So, to the final act of the weekend. Breathing Space were performing the last date of their Below The Radar tour, promoting their third album of the same name. We've seen the band so many times (although this is only the second time that we have paid for a ticket - not that I'm complaining) that watching them perform is getting to be like slipping into a comfortable, if somewhat loud and increasingly hard-edged, dressing gown. As with my last posting, there is little to add to any past reviews, so I'm going to fill a bit of space up with some photos.
Blasting onto stage with a triumphant version of Forgive Or Surrender, the band performed many favourites from the first two albums, including Wasted All The Time, Coming Up For Air, Searching For My Shadow, the sublime Belief (which can now never be sung without bringing a tear to the eye) and a incredible version of You Still Linger, which ended the first set with a superb instrumental section. Mixed in with these were a number of songs from the new album (obviously). Some of these were already vaguely familiar - I hadn't bought the album until tonight but the band had played some of the songs the last time we saw them in the Roman Bath and the "light" version of the band had also performed some acoustically in the Punchbowl a few weeks back.
Songs from Below The Radar included Paul Teasdale's Clear, and the Sparnenn/Jennings penned The Night Takes You Home and Questioning Eyes. I'm sure there were more but, once again, my memory fails me.
However, every track, no matter what album it came from, sounded brilliant (possibly due to my proximity to the stage and speakers) and the larger stage area and sound system in the Duchess allowed the band a lot more freedom to express themselves than the Roman Bath.
Livvy's voice, while still losing the vocals behind the music at times, seems to get clearer every time we see her perform. The Jennings brothers are near-maestros on the keyboards, while Teasdale's bass-playing is excellent (if a little funky in one place). Cassells' drumming provided the perfect base for the songs (and it was nice to finally see a different drummer during the weekend) and Bryan Josh once again played guitar almost in the background, coming forwards for just a few solos when required rather than dominating the stage as he does with Mostly Autumn.
The gig ended on a somewhat bizarre note. Almost as the final note of encore song Questioning Eyes faded from the speakers and the band moved forward to take their bows, the lights went out and an alarm started sounding. (To be honest, if it was a fire alarm, it was a little ineffective - I could hardly hear it until somebody pointed it out to me and nobody seemed to make a move for the exits...). The end result was the band taking the applause and cheers in almost total darkness. I would love to know what happened when it was resolved but, alas, I left in a rush in a vain attempt to catch the last bus home. Debbie had left earlier to relieve our babysitter who was expecting us home at about the time the gig actually finished and I ended up paying a taxi-fare.
So, to summarise the weekend I would have to say it was totally and completely awesome. Despite the number of crossover artists in the four bands we saw, it was incredible how different the music from each was from the others. From the guitar-led prog rock of Mostly Autumn to the keyboard-led Breathing Space, with a mix of both in The Parade and a bit of a harder edge to Josh & Co, between us we managed to see some pretty impressive performances. But then, I would say that, wouldn't I?
It may have ended up costing me a small fortune in tickets, CDs, drinks and transport but would I do it again?
Of course I would. In a heartbeat.
At least that's who we were expecting. No support act had been mentioned or otherwise advertised. So, it was a bit of a surprise to find that, very late in the day, Chris Johnson and Anne-Marie Helder had been booked as openers.
Those of you keeping up will recognise those name as two of the members of The Parade, who also opened here on Friday evening. Tonight, the duo performed songs from the band's album The Fabric, acoustically and for the first time (you couldn't tell...).For this set Chris played guitar and Anne-Marie played, errrm, an egg and a banana. I knew she was talented but, but, a banana??? Yes, and there's untampered photographic proof opposite. Both of them sang and the acoustic versions of the songs were just as good as the full band versions we heard on Friday. It really is a cracking album (I managed to grab a few words with Chris to tell him so and got him to sign my copy) and it must have been hard to pick which tracks to play, but they certainly managed to pick some of my favourites, including Cut, The Dogs, The Diamond and the excellent Start Again.
This was a set of brilliant musicianship, tinged with more than a dab of humour (most of it involving the banana - you can guess). Chris and Anne-Marie obviously enjoy being on stage with each other as there was an over-riding sense of comfort and friendship in their performance. An unexpected and very pleasant start to the evening.
So, to the final act of the weekend. Breathing Space were performing the last date of their Below The Radar tour, promoting their third album of the same name. We've seen the band so many times (although this is only the second time that we have paid for a ticket - not that I'm complaining) that watching them perform is getting to be like slipping into a comfortable, if somewhat loud and increasingly hard-edged, dressing gown. As with my last posting, there is little to add to any past reviews, so I'm going to fill a bit of space up with some photos.
Blasting onto stage with a triumphant version of Forgive Or Surrender, the band performed many favourites from the first two albums, including Wasted All The Time, Coming Up For Air, Searching For My Shadow, the sublime Belief (which can now never be sung without bringing a tear to the eye) and a incredible version of You Still Linger, which ended the first set with a superb instrumental section. Mixed in with these were a number of songs from the new album (obviously). Some of these were already vaguely familiar - I hadn't bought the album until tonight but the band had played some of the songs the last time we saw them in the Roman Bath and the "light" version of the band had also performed some acoustically in the Punchbowl a few weeks back.
Songs from Below The Radar included Paul Teasdale's Clear, and the Sparnenn/Jennings penned The Night Takes You Home and Questioning Eyes. I'm sure there were more but, once again, my memory fails me.However, every track, no matter what album it came from, sounded brilliant (possibly due to my proximity to the stage and speakers) and the larger stage area and sound system in the Duchess allowed the band a lot more freedom to express themselves than the Roman Bath.
Livvy's voice, while still losing the vocals behind the music at times, seems to get clearer every time we see her perform. The Jennings brothers are near-maestros on the keyboards, while Teasdale's bass-playing is excellent (if a little funky in one place). Cassells' drumming provided the perfect base for the songs (and it was nice to finally see a different drummer during the weekend) and Bryan Josh once again played guitar almost in the background, coming forwards for just a few solos when required rather than dominating the stage as he does with Mostly Autumn.
The gig ended on a somewhat bizarre note. Almost as the final note of encore song Questioning Eyes faded from the speakers and the band moved forward to take their bows, the lights went out and an alarm started sounding. (To be honest, if it was a fire alarm, it was a little ineffective - I could hardly hear it until somebody pointed it out to me and nobody seemed to make a move for the exits...). The end result was the band taking the applause and cheers in almost total darkness. I would love to know what happened when it was resolved but, alas, I left in a rush in a vain attempt to catch the last bus home. Debbie had left earlier to relieve our babysitter who was expecting us home at about the time the gig actually finished and I ended up paying a taxi-fare.So, to summarise the weekend I would have to say it was totally and completely awesome. Despite the number of crossover artists in the four bands we saw, it was incredible how different the music from each was from the others. From the guitar-led prog rock of Mostly Autumn to the keyboard-led Breathing Space, with a mix of both in The Parade and a bit of a harder edge to Josh & Co, between us we managed to see some pretty impressive performances. But then, I would say that, wouldn't I?
It may have ended up costing me a small fortune in tickets, CDs, drinks and transport but would I do it again?
Of course I would. In a heartbeat.
Saturday, 15 August 2009
A Small Intake of Breath
Friday 14th August: Crikey! It's been over a month since my last post, which means that it has also been over a month since I went to a gig. I have to admit that, in my opinion, the live music scene in York is a little bit in the doldrums at the moment - even looking at the Duchess's What's On list for the rest of the year there are only a handful of bands that I am actually looking forward to seeing. Although, I was chatting to Bryan Josh during the break, asking him whether there were any plans to perform his solo stuff live in York and it turns out that the first weekend in December is going to be quite busy - Bryan Josh at the Duchess on the 4th, Mostly Autumn at the Grand Opera House on the 5th and Breathing Space at the Duchess on the 6th.
Tonight, however, it's a cut down attendee list (myself and Roy) out to see a cut down band (Breathing Space unplugged , a.k.a. Iain Jennings and Livvy Sparnenn) playing a mostly acoustic set at the somewhat intimate venue that is the Punchbowl. It was reasonably busy, meaning that the area reserved for live music was quite full with some very familiar faces in attendance, including family and friends of the performers. Unfortunately, from where I was standing Livvy was perfectly hidden by a speaker.
This was the first unplugged set the duo have performed and they as much as admitted that they probably hadn't rehearsed as much as they should have done, leading to the use of cheat sheets for some lyrics. Apart from that, however, it was a superb performance. Livvy's voice, not having to fight against the sound of the rest of the band (or, perhaps, the acoustics in the usual venue) was stunning and came across as stronger than normal. My only criticism is that it came across as just a little too strong on a couple of occasions during a cover version of Fields of Gold.
Iain's keyboards, in this case more piano-like than synthesiser, are always brilliant and tonight he showed that he can play both his own compositions using a different style and some more-than-competent cover versions. Tonight was also the first time that I realised that keyboards themselves can be used to keep time during a performance (obvious in hindsight but I'm musically incompetent, remember...) and there were more than a few times when I found myself playing along with Iain (on my leg) where I would normally be doing something similar to the drum line.
Overall, we were treated to nearly two hours of music which added a new dimension to the existing catalogue and provided an insight into the new album (sadly not available tonight, despite the hope of being able to pick up a copy being the main reason I decided to go out on my wedding anniversary...) It's probably not a surprise that the set leaned heavily towards Beneath The Radar, with six songs from it being performed. Perhaps more surprising was that we also heard six covers and only a total of five songs from the first two albums. It may still be too soon the band's career to suggest an album in the format of Bon Jovi's This Left Feels Right, but it may well be an option in the future. The full set list, with sources and a few notes, was:
Coming Up For Air (Coming Up For Air); Clear (Beneath The Radar - the only song from that album written by Paul Teasdale and also available on the cover CD of Classic Rock Presents Prog issue 3); Dusk (Beneath The Radar); No Promises (Breathing Space); You've Got A Friend (Carole King); Belief (Breathing Space); Lantern (Beneath The Radar - performed live for the first time tonight); Fields Of Gold (Sting); Here Comes The Rain Again (Annie Lennox); When I Hold Onto You (Coming Up For Air); Rain Song (Coming Up For Air - in my opinion, the best performance of the night and originally performed by Livvy and Chris Johnson when they supported Mostly Autumn); Autumn Leaves (Eva Cassidy); The Night Takes You Home (Beneath The Radar); Never Make Your Move Too Soon (Bonnie Raitt); Drowning (Beneath The Radar); I Can't Make You Love Me (Bonnie Raitt); Questioning Eyes (Beneath The Radar).
Tonight, however, it's a cut down attendee list (myself and Roy) out to see a cut down band (Breathing Space unplugged , a.k.a. Iain Jennings and Livvy Sparnenn) playing a mostly acoustic set at the somewhat intimate venue that is the Punchbowl. It was reasonably busy, meaning that the area reserved for live music was quite full with some very familiar faces in attendance, including family and friends of the performers. Unfortunately, from where I was standing Livvy was perfectly hidden by a speaker.
This was the first unplugged set the duo have performed and they as much as admitted that they probably hadn't rehearsed as much as they should have done, leading to the use of cheat sheets for some lyrics. Apart from that, however, it was a superb performance. Livvy's voice, not having to fight against the sound of the rest of the band (or, perhaps, the acoustics in the usual venue) was stunning and came across as stronger than normal. My only criticism is that it came across as just a little too strong on a couple of occasions during a cover version of Fields of Gold.
Iain's keyboards, in this case more piano-like than synthesiser, are always brilliant and tonight he showed that he can play both his own compositions using a different style and some more-than-competent cover versions. Tonight was also the first time that I realised that keyboards themselves can be used to keep time during a performance (obvious in hindsight but I'm musically incompetent, remember...) and there were more than a few times when I found myself playing along with Iain (on my leg) where I would normally be doing something similar to the drum line.
Overall, we were treated to nearly two hours of music which added a new dimension to the existing catalogue and provided an insight into the new album (sadly not available tonight, despite the hope of being able to pick up a copy being the main reason I decided to go out on my wedding anniversary...) It's probably not a surprise that the set leaned heavily towards Beneath The Radar, with six songs from it being performed. Perhaps more surprising was that we also heard six covers and only a total of five songs from the first two albums. It may still be too soon the band's career to suggest an album in the format of Bon Jovi's This Left Feels Right, but it may well be an option in the future. The full set list, with sources and a few notes, was:
Coming Up For Air (Coming Up For Air); Clear (Beneath The Radar - the only song from that album written by Paul Teasdale and also available on the cover CD of Classic Rock Presents Prog issue 3); Dusk (Beneath The Radar); No Promises (Breathing Space); You've Got A Friend (Carole King); Belief (Breathing Space); Lantern (Beneath The Radar - performed live for the first time tonight); Fields Of Gold (Sting); Here Comes The Rain Again (Annie Lennox); When I Hold Onto You (Coming Up For Air); Rain Song (Coming Up For Air - in my opinion, the best performance of the night and originally performed by Livvy and Chris Johnson when they supported Mostly Autumn); Autumn Leaves (Eva Cassidy); The Night Takes You Home (Beneath The Radar); Never Make Your Move Too Soon (Bonnie Raitt); Drowning (Beneath The Radar); I Can't Make You Love Me (Bonnie Raitt); Questioning Eyes (Beneath The Radar).
Sunday, 12 July 2009
Coming Up For Air
Saturday 11th July: It's been a bit of a strange week, really, with Tuesday being the strangest day.
(Regular readers, please bear with me here. I suspect this is going to be a meander. I think there's a point that I'm trying to get to and, you never know, I might even manage it. New or occasional readers, please don't let this post put you off - I'm not normally this bad...)
I left work on Tuesday feeling mentally exhausted. I had been looking at a particularly knotty problem for two straight days without getting anywhere (and still haven't solved it). There was also quite a lot of tension within the team, something that I was trying to stay out of but, when you work in such a small team, it's sometimes difficult to avoid things. On top of that I had volunteered for what turned out to be a bit of an emotional battering from a friend who was/is going through a bad time. Not that I minded, you understand - I had offered an ear and a virtual shoulder and was glad that I have been able to help in whatever small way. (I should also mention that if said friend is reading this and isn't happy being mentioned they should let me know - there's always the edit button...)
So, as I said, I left for home feeling drained. Then, roughly halfway home, a song came on the i-pod. Written by keyboard player Iain Jennings for Mostly Autumn's second album and in memory of his mother, The Gap Is Too Wide is my favourite piece of music. It's an achingly beautiful song about loss with a second half instrumental that somehow manages to convey sadness and joy in equal measures. Just a few minutes into the song I suddenly found myself in tears. Luckily there was nobody around.
Now, I'm not normally an emotional person. I rarely get stressed and I definitely don't normally wear my heart on my sleeve like this. Hmmm, I wonder if this is the start of a mid-life crisis...
Anyway, The Gap (as it is affectionately known), although being a Mostly Autumn song, has been the regular encore song for Breathing Space - Iain Jennings' new band - every time we have seen them. And tonight, a full contingent of us (including Debbie - Breathing Space are one of the few bands we both like) were at the Roman Bath to see them again. Would I find myself coming over all unnecessary and make a fool of myself? Say tuned...
When Debbie and I arrived, York centre was still full of that afternoon's race-goers and we had to queue to get into the Bath. With the sound check in full flow and audible outside, it wasn't long before a large group of people left the pub and we were allowed in, to find Roj already inside. A nifty move by Debbie soon found us couple of tables close to the stage area and, with the music forcing the racegoers out, we were set.
Breathing Space are in a bit of a flux at the moment, having lost guitarist Mark Rowen and Saxophonist John Hart earlier in the year, Liam Davidson (Mostly Autumn) had been standing in on guitars but he is currently unavailable so Bryan Josh (also Mostly Autumn) is on guitar duties at the moment. It has to be said that a guitarist of Bryan's standing could easily have overshadowed tonight's performance but didn't - his performance was subtle and almost understated and the man himself almost faded into the background during most of the set. That's not to take anything away from the music, however. When solos were called for, they were of the man's usual high standard.
In fact, the whole band was on top form (although I can't tell where Iain's keyboards end and brother Ben's start) and this was an excellent performance - by far the best Breathing Space gig we have seen at the Bath. Livvy looked incredibly relaxed and, although she never seems to get the best of the audio in this venue, her voice soared. It was also nice to see her smiling so much as she can sometimes, in my opinion, look a bit too serious on stage.
We were treated to a nearly two-hour set of songs mainly from the first two albums, but sprinkled with new songs from the soon to be released Below The Radar. These appeared to be a bit rockier than previous songs, perhaps not surprisingly given the band's revised emphasis on guitar and keyboards (the reason Hart left the band). Although difficult to tell from a first hearing, it sounds as though the new album could well be worth waiting for.
Some of my favourites were missing and I wonder whether we'll hear On The Blue Horizon (written by Rowen) again. However, it's hard to criticise when the likes of You Still Linger, Belief, Coming Up For Air and Searching For My Shadow are included in the set. All are brilliant songs, written and sung from the heart.
With the end of the gig fast approaching, it was time to steel myself. The band announced that they had finished and the usual cries for more ensued. After a very short time, with everybody back on stage, Livvy announced that they would do one more song. One from the new album. Shock! I can't remember the title but it was a superb way to end the gig - a fusion of vocals, keyboards and guitar (obviously with the backing of Barry Cassels on drums and Paul Teasdale on bass) that seemed to go on forever and yet still finished too quickly. One more reason to anticipate the new release.
...and then it was time to get removed from the Bath. We finally braved the rain to run and shelter in a shop doorway, just before an increasingly irate bouncer decided to throw us out. There followed the usual insults, a round of Tommy Cooper jokes, music discussions and remembrances as we watched the band pack their equipment into cars and drive away. Eventually, I caught sight of Iain Jennings and wandered over to ask whether The Gap had been put to bed as the band's encore. It turns out that they are simply resting it, wanting to end gigs on a bit more of a lively note. Given the significance of the song to the man himself, I hope he didn't mind me telling him the story of how it affected me this week, even if it did mean us both getting rained on.
Breathing Space next play York on the 6th of December, at The Duchess as part of a tour to promote the new album. I'll definitely be there.
(Regular readers, please bear with me here. I suspect this is going to be a meander. I think there's a point that I'm trying to get to and, you never know, I might even manage it. New or occasional readers, please don't let this post put you off - I'm not normally this bad...)
I left work on Tuesday feeling mentally exhausted. I had been looking at a particularly knotty problem for two straight days without getting anywhere (and still haven't solved it). There was also quite a lot of tension within the team, something that I was trying to stay out of but, when you work in such a small team, it's sometimes difficult to avoid things. On top of that I had volunteered for what turned out to be a bit of an emotional battering from a friend who was/is going through a bad time. Not that I minded, you understand - I had offered an ear and a virtual shoulder and was glad that I have been able to help in whatever small way. (I should also mention that if said friend is reading this and isn't happy being mentioned they should let me know - there's always the edit button...)
So, as I said, I left for home feeling drained. Then, roughly halfway home, a song came on the i-pod. Written by keyboard player Iain Jennings for Mostly Autumn's second album and in memory of his mother, The Gap Is Too Wide is my favourite piece of music. It's an achingly beautiful song about loss with a second half instrumental that somehow manages to convey sadness and joy in equal measures. Just a few minutes into the song I suddenly found myself in tears. Luckily there was nobody around.Now, I'm not normally an emotional person. I rarely get stressed and I definitely don't normally wear my heart on my sleeve like this. Hmmm, I wonder if this is the start of a mid-life crisis...
Anyway, The Gap (as it is affectionately known), although being a Mostly Autumn song, has been the regular encore song for Breathing Space - Iain Jennings' new band - every time we have seen them. And tonight, a full contingent of us (including Debbie - Breathing Space are one of the few bands we both like) were at the Roman Bath to see them again. Would I find myself coming over all unnecessary and make a fool of myself? Say tuned...
When Debbie and I arrived, York centre was still full of that afternoon's race-goers and we had to queue to get into the Bath. With the sound check in full flow and audible outside, it wasn't long before a large group of people left the pub and we were allowed in, to find Roj already inside. A nifty move by Debbie soon found us couple of tables close to the stage area and, with the music forcing the racegoers out, we were set.
Breathing Space are in a bit of a flux at the moment, having lost guitarist Mark Rowen and Saxophonist John Hart earlier in the year, Liam Davidson (Mostly Autumn) had been standing in on guitars but he is currently unavailable so Bryan Josh (also Mostly Autumn) is on guitar duties at the moment. It has to be said that a guitarist of Bryan's standing could easily have overshadowed tonight's performance but didn't - his performance was subtle and almost understated and the man himself almost faded into the background during most of the set. That's not to take anything away from the music, however. When solos were called for, they were of the man's usual high standard.In fact, the whole band was on top form (although I can't tell where Iain's keyboards end and brother Ben's start) and this was an excellent performance - by far the best Breathing Space gig we have seen at the Bath. Livvy looked incredibly relaxed and, although she never seems to get the best of the audio in this venue, her voice soared. It was also nice to see her smiling so much as she can sometimes, in my opinion, look a bit too serious on stage.
We were treated to a nearly two-hour set of songs mainly from the first two albums, but sprinkled with new songs from the soon to be released Below The Radar. These appeared to be a bit rockier than previous songs, perhaps not surprisingly given the band's revised emphasis on guitar and keyboards (the reason Hart left the band). Although difficult to tell from a first hearing, it sounds as though the new album could well be worth waiting for.
Some of my favourites were missing and I wonder whether we'll hear On The Blue Horizon (written by Rowen) again. However, it's hard to criticise when the likes of You Still Linger, Belief, Coming Up For Air and Searching For My Shadow are included in the set. All are brilliant songs, written and sung from the heart.
With the end of the gig fast approaching, it was time to steel myself. The band announced that they had finished and the usual cries for more ensued. After a very short time, with everybody back on stage, Livvy announced that they would do one more song. One from the new album. Shock! I can't remember the title but it was a superb way to end the gig - a fusion of vocals, keyboards and guitar (obviously with the backing of Barry Cassels on drums and Paul Teasdale on bass) that seemed to go on forever and yet still finished too quickly. One more reason to anticipate the new release.
...and then it was time to get removed from the Bath. We finally braved the rain to run and shelter in a shop doorway, just before an increasingly irate bouncer decided to throw us out. There followed the usual insults, a round of Tommy Cooper jokes, music discussions and remembrances as we watched the band pack their equipment into cars and drive away. Eventually, I caught sight of Iain Jennings and wandered over to ask whether The Gap had been put to bed as the band's encore. It turns out that they are simply resting it, wanting to end gigs on a bit more of a lively note. Given the significance of the song to the man himself, I hope he didn't mind me telling him the story of how it affected me this week, even if it did mean us both getting rained on.
Breathing Space next play York on the 6th of December, at The Duchess as part of a tour to promote the new album. I'll definitely be there.
Thursday, 7 May 2009
A Night For Heroes
Sunday 3rd May: I didn't know Howard Sparnenn. I never met him although I had seen him a number of times at gigs around York, both in the audience and as a drummer. The closest I ever got to speaking to him was when he and his wife were taking tickets and/or money for the launch gig for Breathing Space's album. I might have said "thank you" to him as I entered the room.
Despite that, when I heard the news that Howard had been diagnosed with a brain tumour I felt empty inside. A few month's later, when I heard that he had passed away, I was sad for both his family and for the loss of such an excellent drummer. What I didn't realise was how much Howard had been involved in the local music scene over the years.
Tonight, a year on almost to the day, we were at the Duchess for A Night For Heroes - a celebration of Howard's life with a concert including some of the bands that he had been involved in over the years. All proceeds were to be donated to the charity Andrea's Gift and, therefore, it was a chance to do something good, while having a good time and listening to some cracking music.
I'm not going to try to properly review every band - on occasions like this it almost doesn't matter whether a performance is good or bad (that's not to say that any of the bands tonight were bad), it's the event and the cause that matter. I would, however, like to put down a few comments, if only for my own posterity.
First up were Smart Move, a new band being out together by Howard when he fell ill. We had seen a good few of the line-up before, as part of the Mojos and their very short set included the same sort of songs that the latter band play. Of note was an excellent rendition of Dire Straits' Sultans of Swing with guitarist Andrew Bone taking lead vocals and producing some guitar playing that I think Mr Knopfler would approve of.
Freeway are the band that I had seen Howard drum for and they were up next, performing their usual mix of Thin Lizzy, Deep Purple, Whitesnake, et al. Given that we had only seen Freeway at the Roman Bath before now, it was apparent that they were relishing performing on a big stage. By which I mean both the number of people in the audience and the size of the stage itself, much bigger than the small area given over to bands in the Bath and, therefore, allowing for much more movement.
Third up were Free Spirit, a covers band specialising in music by Bad Company and Free (Howard's favourite band, apparently), although they also performed other stuff. Howard was a founder member. This appeared to be a much more professional outfit, with vocalist Garry Barrett wielding the microphone stand as if he were playing an arena (something was caused me to wince a couple of times as he came dangerously close to both the Duchess's low ceiling and the lights dangling from it...)
Moving away from covers and onto original material and Flight took to the stage. Howard drummed for them thirty years ago and they had reformed for tonight's celebration, with one member flying in from Spain. It seems that they hadn't played together for some time and vocalist Mick Adamson (suntanned, grinning and obviously enjoying himself) had to keep referring to printouts of the lyrics as he couldn't remember them all. Other sources have described them as blues/rock. To me they sounded like a mixture of rock guitars and almost Merseybeat lyrics - quite a bit different from the other bands so far, but still enjoyable.
Penultimately, Breathing Space took to the stage. Well, mostly Breathing Space, anyway. Other commitments by some of the regular band members meant that Mostly Autumn's Bryan Josh and Andy Smith and Thunder's "Harry" James joined Ian and Ben Jennings and Olivia Sparnenn (Howard's daughter) on stage. Anne-Marie Helder was also present to play flute on their final track, The Gap Is Too Wide - previously dedicated to the Jennings brothers' mother, who also died of cancer (showing just how much tragedy revolves around this musical "family"). This line-up resulted in a slightly heavier sound to the usual songs but they were still more than recognisable. If I had one criticism, it would be that Livvy's vocals were almost drowned out by the music.
And finally, described as "York's finest", Mostly Autumn crowded onto the stage for a shortened version of their current tour set. Despite a couple of technical issues (including a hastily taped-up microphone lead) and somewhat cramped stage, the Mostlies performed to their usual high standards and the set contained some of their most emotional songs, including Tearing At The Faerytale (dedicated to Howard on the Glass Shadows album and written after his illness was diagnosed) and Heroes Never Die (written in memory of Bryan Josh's own father). Once again, Bryan showed, during his links between songs, that he has the heart of a poet and, it has to be said, Heather looked absolutely stunning in powder-blue dress and glittery makeup.
As a finale we were treated to a film of one of Howard's excellent drum solos at the end of which the audience cheered their appreciation. Emotions were, by this time, running high and Howard's widow and his other daughter were to be seen comforting each other before greeting friends in the audience.
A really good gig, both for the music played and the appreciation shown. I can't find any note of how much money was raised but I'm sure that a goodly sum will be winging its way to the charity, especially as one member of the audience had pledged to match whatever was raised, thereby doubling the total. For me, however, five hours of standing had taken its toll and I woke up in the early hours of Monday morning in agony with cramp in my left calf. Still, it was worth it.
Howard's presence around the York music scene was hammered home to me on Tuesday when I was chatting to a work colleague who was telling me that his band had played their first gig since the birth of his child just a few nights earlier. I mentioned that I'd attended A Night For Heroes and that it was about Howard Sparnenn. "Howard? The guy with the moustache? Looks a bit like the Pringles bloke? He used to go to our gigs and I've chatted to him loads of times," was pretty much his reply as he walked away shaking his head sadly.
Despite that, when I heard the news that Howard had been diagnosed with a brain tumour I felt empty inside. A few month's later, when I heard that he had passed away, I was sad for both his family and for the loss of such an excellent drummer. What I didn't realise was how much Howard had been involved in the local music scene over the years.
Tonight, a year on almost to the day, we were at the Duchess for A Night For Heroes - a celebration of Howard's life with a concert including some of the bands that he had been involved in over the years. All proceeds were to be donated to the charity Andrea's Gift and, therefore, it was a chance to do something good, while having a good time and listening to some cracking music.
I'm not going to try to properly review every band - on occasions like this it almost doesn't matter whether a performance is good or bad (that's not to say that any of the bands tonight were bad), it's the event and the cause that matter. I would, however, like to put down a few comments, if only for my own posterity.
First up were Smart Move, a new band being out together by Howard when he fell ill. We had seen a good few of the line-up before, as part of the Mojos and their very short set included the same sort of songs that the latter band play. Of note was an excellent rendition of Dire Straits' Sultans of Swing with guitarist Andrew Bone taking lead vocals and producing some guitar playing that I think Mr Knopfler would approve of.
Freeway are the band that I had seen Howard drum for and they were up next, performing their usual mix of Thin Lizzy, Deep Purple, Whitesnake, et al. Given that we had only seen Freeway at the Roman Bath before now, it was apparent that they were relishing performing on a big stage. By which I mean both the number of people in the audience and the size of the stage itself, much bigger than the small area given over to bands in the Bath and, therefore, allowing for much more movement.
Third up were Free Spirit, a covers band specialising in music by Bad Company and Free (Howard's favourite band, apparently), although they also performed other stuff. Howard was a founder member. This appeared to be a much more professional outfit, with vocalist Garry Barrett wielding the microphone stand as if he were playing an arena (something was caused me to wince a couple of times as he came dangerously close to both the Duchess's low ceiling and the lights dangling from it...)
Moving away from covers and onto original material and Flight took to the stage. Howard drummed for them thirty years ago and they had reformed for tonight's celebration, with one member flying in from Spain. It seems that they hadn't played together for some time and vocalist Mick Adamson (suntanned, grinning and obviously enjoying himself) had to keep referring to printouts of the lyrics as he couldn't remember them all. Other sources have described them as blues/rock. To me they sounded like a mixture of rock guitars and almost Merseybeat lyrics - quite a bit different from the other bands so far, but still enjoyable.
Penultimately, Breathing Space took to the stage. Well, mostly Breathing Space, anyway. Other commitments by some of the regular band members meant that Mostly Autumn's Bryan Josh and Andy Smith and Thunder's "Harry" James joined Ian and Ben Jennings and Olivia Sparnenn (Howard's daughter) on stage. Anne-Marie Helder was also present to play flute on their final track, The Gap Is Too Wide - previously dedicated to the Jennings brothers' mother, who also died of cancer (showing just how much tragedy revolves around this musical "family"). This line-up resulted in a slightly heavier sound to the usual songs but they were still more than recognisable. If I had one criticism, it would be that Livvy's vocals were almost drowned out by the music.
And finally, described as "York's finest", Mostly Autumn crowded onto the stage for a shortened version of their current tour set. Despite a couple of technical issues (including a hastily taped-up microphone lead) and somewhat cramped stage, the Mostlies performed to their usual high standards and the set contained some of their most emotional songs, including Tearing At The Faerytale (dedicated to Howard on the Glass Shadows album and written after his illness was diagnosed) and Heroes Never Die (written in memory of Bryan Josh's own father). Once again, Bryan showed, during his links between songs, that he has the heart of a poet and, it has to be said, Heather looked absolutely stunning in powder-blue dress and glittery makeup.
As a finale we were treated to a film of one of Howard's excellent drum solos at the end of which the audience cheered their appreciation. Emotions were, by this time, running high and Howard's widow and his other daughter were to be seen comforting each other before greeting friends in the audience.
A really good gig, both for the music played and the appreciation shown. I can't find any note of how much money was raised but I'm sure that a goodly sum will be winging its way to the charity, especially as one member of the audience had pledged to match whatever was raised, thereby doubling the total. For me, however, five hours of standing had taken its toll and I woke up in the early hours of Monday morning in agony with cramp in my left calf. Still, it was worth it.
Howard's presence around the York music scene was hammered home to me on Tuesday when I was chatting to a work colleague who was telling me that his band had played their first gig since the birth of his child just a few nights earlier. I mentioned that I'd attended A Night For Heroes and that it was about Howard Sparnenn. "Howard? The guy with the moustache? Looks a bit like the Pringles bloke? He used to go to our gigs and I've chatted to him loads of times," was pretty much his reply as he walked away shaking his head sadly.
Tuesday, 25 November 2008
Saturday Is A Sort Of Preview Of Next Friday
Saturday 22nd November: It's not that often that my wife and I can both say that we like the same band. It's also not often that you get to see fantastic original music, played live, for free. So, when the opportunity to see a fantastic band, that both my wife and I like, play live, original music, it's time to take advantage and organise a rare night out together.
So, after a good curry, we head off to the Roman Bath to see Breathing Space. It's as full a turn-out for the weekend gang as you are likely to see, with six of us squeezing into a rapidly filling pub.This is our third time of seeing Breathing Space and, I think, their best performance to date. Not only were we treated to songs from the first (Breathing Space by Iain Jennings) and second album (Coming Up For Air by the now-steady line-up) but also at least one new song from the third album, which is currently being written. I'm sure that lead-vocalist Livvy told the story behind Butterflies but, it being the Bath, too many people were there just to try to be louder than the music and I missed what she said. It was a good song, though.
As were the rest of the songs played during a two-hour set. I can't remember whether bassist Paul Teasdale has contributed backing vocals before (and I can't remember which song he did for tonight) but he did so superbly. As which much keyboard-led prog rock, the songs seem to take on a life of their own when played live. It's always going to be hard to tell whether each song is played the same at each gig. The keyboard players, Iain and Ben Jennings are talented enough that they could be ad-libbing and you wouldn't know it. As usual, Livvy's vocals were excellent and the guitar playing, by both Teasdale and lead guitarist Mark Rowen, was superb. The whole thing was backed up by Barry Cassells on drums and added to by John Hart on sax and various electronica. As is traditional, the set ended with The Gap Is Too Wide, my personal favourite.
Next Friday, Livvy and Iain will be rejoining Mostly Autumn on stage at the Grand Opera House, as their tour restarts after being delayed to allow Heather Findlay to give birth. Which gives me a not-too-subtle link to...
Through These Eyes is the first solo album by Bryan Josh ("the heart and guitar of Mostly Autumn"). Apparently he has been working on this, the first of a series of albums, in secret and the first I heard about it was when an advertising email landed in my inbox earlier this week. Obviously, being the careful spender that I am, I ordered a copy straight away and, luckily, it arrived yesterday, giving me plenty of time to listen to it before taking it along to tonight's gig to get it signed by both Bryan and Livvy, who provides vocals on some of the tracks.
"Solo", in this case, means Bryan doing pretty much everything himself. He has written the whole album, performs almost all the vocals and plays almost all the instruments (except drums - Gavin Griffiths and Henry Bourne - and flute - Sarah Dean). He has also done most of the technical wizzy bits behind the scenes. Bryan is quick to settle fans' nerves by stating that this is not the end of Mostly Autumn, just a chance for him to explore other shades of music. However, on this album at least, it can be hard to separate the man from the band. Inevitably, much if not all of the songs have a resonance of the band's sound. That certainly doesn't detract from the quality of the release, though. Behind a welcoming front cover and brilliantly designed booklet, lies a top album.
I don't pretend to understand a lot of what Bryan has written about, although there is an undercurrent of loss and, perhaps, a yearning to allow friends, relatives and heroes to live again running through a lot of the songs. The CD opens with Merry She Goes, an eighty-five second instrumental track a little reminiscent of Dire Straits, which appears to be a tribute to a deceased pet. The title track (and my favourite on the album and again reminding me of Dire Straits but for another reason) appears to tell of a dream in which Bryan wanders around a gathering of his heroes (although quite why Hitler is there isn't answered) as they mingle with each other. At the end of the song the members of "tonight's band" are introduced - that's one band I would pay good money to see play. Not A Dream appears to be a message from Bryan to his father, telling him things that he couldn't tell him in life.
It's not all doom, gloom and memories, though. The Appian Way is this album's epic track if only in theme and not in length. It tells of a soldier forced to join the Roman army in their fight against the Gauls (although the Appian way actually led South from Rome so the Gauls could have been lost). As befits the song's story, the music reminds me of incessant marching which actually makes it sound boring. It is far from it. A "radio edit" of this song, with the one F-word blanked out, is included as the fourteenth track and, to me, is nothing but filler.
As I mentioned, many of the songs aren't too far removed from the sound of Mostly Autumn. Land of the Gods, Black Stone and Not A Dream could all sit comfortably on an MA release, with Bryan's trademark guitar playing, as well of the overall style of the songs, reminding me of the band's music.
This album contains some of the best use of Livvy's vocals I have heard. From the haunting voice on Slow Down, through the brilliant counterpoint to Bryan's voice on We Grow and through to the almost duet on Carry Me (which is also dedicated to her), her singing is superb and used well. Old Friends is sung entirely by Livvy - he only sing on the album not to feature any of Bryan's vocals.
Going Home, shows Bryan at his most poetic, with a gorgeous description of moonlight and the sun going down, while Only In The Loss is a short, spoken word track, almost a poem in its own right.
Which just leaves Into Your Arms. I think I would have ended the album with this track, rather than placing it in the middle. Its Queen-like guitar track and somehow familiar vocals (my wife suggests Oasis, I'm not sure and am still racking my brains) make it the most unlike Mostly Autumn track on the album and its soaring sound seems somehow out of place where it has been put on this release.
An excellent album.
Sunday, 24 February 2008
Saturday 23rd February: ...and the Friday Night Music Club found itself out, once again, on a Saturday evening. Perhaps from now on it should be referred to as the Weekend Music Club. Except that the two regulars were at Fibbers on Thursday. Is the Anytime We Want Music Club too cumbersome? Anyway, I digress...
With a guest appearance from my wife (along with appearances from the Holland and Strensall chapters) we all met up at the Roman Bath to see the excellent Breathing Space. Being quite a bit smaller than the Post Office Social Club, where Debbie and I had seen the band before, the Bath was quite packed. After a while though, we managed to get to the front and were treated to a superb show featuring songs from both the Breathing Space "Coming Up Air" and Iain Jennings "Breathing Space albums".
Lead singer Livvy (left) produced some soaring vocals and performed well, despite difficult current circumstances (if you aren't aware of them, it's not my place to tell you). There was an emotional introduction to "Belief" and a hint of tears at the end of the song.
Musically, the band seemed to be a bit more experimental than they were at the CD launch. Iain Jennings, especially, produced some new sounds from the keyboards. The whole ensemble was, at times, breath-taking producing a fusion of ambience, keyboard rock and mainstream pop, with just a hint of prog rock thrown in for good measure.
Breathing Space seem to have a hardcore of fans. I recognised a number of faces in the audience from the Post Office gig and at least one other had travelled from Lancaster to see them, spending the night in York before returning home (and to work) on Sunday. Other members of the audience were recognisable for other reasons - there were a few members of Mostly Autumn in evidence, including Brian Josh, who I chatted with and told him how much I liked his music, Heather Findlay and Andy Smith, who was working the light show. One of the guitarists from Freeway was also there, either doing sound or lights (I think).
After the gig, Debbie was treated to the club's end of night tradition - that of standing on a street corner attempting to be humorous before dispersing into the night. Aaaah, it's almost like being in the Mason's...
With a guest appearance from my wife (along with appearances from the Holland and Strensall chapters) we all met up at the Roman Bath to see the excellent Breathing Space. Being quite a bit smaller than the Post Office Social Club, where Debbie and I had seen the band before, the Bath was quite packed. After a while though, we managed to get to the front and were treated to a superb show featuring songs from both the Breathing Space "Coming Up Air" and Iain Jennings "Breathing Space albums".
Lead singer Livvy (left) produced some soaring vocals and performed well, despite difficult current circumstances (if you aren't aware of them, it's not my place to tell you). There was an emotional introduction to "Belief" and a hint of tears at the end of the song.
Musically, the band seemed to be a bit more experimental than they were at the CD launch. Iain Jennings, especially, produced some new sounds from the keyboards. The whole ensemble was, at times, breath-taking producing a fusion of ambience, keyboard rock and mainstream pop, with just a hint of prog rock thrown in for good measure.
Breathing Space seem to have a hardcore of fans. I recognised a number of faces in the audience from the Post Office gig and at least one other had travelled from Lancaster to see them, spending the night in York before returning home (and to work) on Sunday. Other members of the audience were recognisable for other reasons - there were a few members of Mostly Autumn in evidence, including Brian Josh, who I chatted with and told him how much I liked his music, Heather Findlay and Andy Smith, who was working the light show. One of the guitarists from Freeway was also there, either doing sound or lights (I think).
After the gig, Debbie was treated to the club's end of night tradition - that of standing on a street corner attempting to be humorous before dispersing into the night. Aaaah, it's almost like being in the Mason's...
Sunday, 23 December 2007
Epiphanic Rock
Friday 21st December: My last day at work before the New Year and, due to a lack of team Christmas night out, I decided to spend the (late) evening listening to a band with the core of the FNFS (Friday Night Fibbers Squad).
With nothing to whet the appetite actually appearing to Fibbers, we decided to meet at the Roman Bath to see rock covers band Freeway. I'd not seen these before, but had heard good reports. They were excellent, playing a mixture of Whitesnake, Guns 'n' Roses, Free, UFO, Bad Company and a rather good Deep Purple medley. They were joined in the second set by Livvy Sparnenn (Breathing Space, her dad is Freeway's drummer) and she sang a ZZ Top song, which I didn't recognise, and Led Zeppelin's Rock and Roll.
It was towards the end of the show that I had a bit of an epiphany. I was watching the old (well, past middle-aged) men dancing and hand-banging at the front, thinking how slightly ridiculous they looked, when I realised that it was about twenty-five years ago that I saw Whitesnake themselves performing Slide It In (my second ever concert) and that, age-wise, I'm not that far behind them.
Good job I'm still to self-conscious to dance like that, though...
With nothing to whet the appetite actually appearing to Fibbers, we decided to meet at the Roman Bath to see rock covers band Freeway. I'd not seen these before, but had heard good reports. They were excellent, playing a mixture of Whitesnake, Guns 'n' Roses, Free, UFO, Bad Company and a rather good Deep Purple medley. They were joined in the second set by Livvy Sparnenn (Breathing Space, her dad is Freeway's drummer) and she sang a ZZ Top song, which I didn't recognise, and Led Zeppelin's Rock and Roll.
It was towards the end of the show that I had a bit of an epiphany. I was watching the old (well, past middle-aged) men dancing and hand-banging at the front, thinking how slightly ridiculous they looked, when I realised that it was about twenty-five years ago that I saw Whitesnake themselves performing Slide It In (my second ever concert) and that, age-wise, I'm not that far behind them.
Good job I'm still to self-conscious to dance like that, though...
Saturday, 27 October 2007
Coming Up For Air
I'm not really getting the hang of posting frequently, am I?
Last weekend was a bit of a downer for sport, what with the Rugby final (which I watched half-heartedly) and the Grand Prix (which I have absolutely no interest in at all). Still, Leeds won on the back of another poor performance. Unfortunately, I was working so didn't get to hear the full match. What I did hear sounded pretty dire. At home to Millwall today, so will be trooping off there this afternoon.
The half-term break saw Debbie and Elizabeth spend a couple of nights with Debbie's parents, freeing my evenings up to catch up on a couple of recent film releases. The Dark is Rising is OK, but should have been so much better - I marked it 6/10 over on Yahoo. The Last Legion is a film which ties the last days of the Roman Empire into Arthurian Legend and tells the origin of Excalibur. I'm a sucker for Arthurian Legend, so probably enjoyed it more than I should. It was clumsy in places and very similar to King Arthur (the Clive Owen starrer from a few years back) in others. 7/10.
On Friday morning I went (with Debbie, Elizabeth, Elizabeth's friend Cathryn and her mum) to see Ratatouille - the latest Pixar offering. As usual it was up to their high standards, with laughs aplenty and the odd tear-in-the-eye moment. It's hard to see how animation can get any more detailed than this. 8/10.
Friday evening (with Elizabeth away again) Debbie and I went to the Post Office Social Club for the CD launch of Coming up for Air, by Breathing Space. It's a slightly more upmarket venue than Fibbers - we could drink hand-pulled beer in proper glasses and sit at tables while the band played. Unfortunately, we chose to sit near the bar - too close to those who had paid their £7 ticket money to try to talk over the band. Muppets! The band played two sets - songs from the first album during the first set, followed by the whole of the new CD. It all sounded very good, except for a couple of times when the sound went a bit dodgy. For most of the gig it was hard to hear what Olivia was singing - that might of been her lack of vocal power, bad mixing or simply that the brain wasn't filling in the missing lyrics because it hadn't heard them before. I picked up both CDs and a limited edition Amberstone one as well. I have high hopes for the Breathing Space pair, but Amberstone is an unknown quantity at the moment.
Finally, a confession... Breathing Space is the breakaway project by Iain Jennings, ex-keyboard player of Mostly Autumn (and Olivia is still their backing vocalist). I only came across Mostly Autumn a few weeks ago but, since then, The Gap Is Too Wide (from their second album) has become one of my favourite pieces of music. It is stunningly beautiful and full of emotion. It was written by Iain Jennings. Apparently, it is no surprise to people who have seen Breathing Space before that it is also their encore song, so I got to hear it live last night. Afterwards, I'm afraid I turned into a bit of a fanboy and gushed praise, for writing the song, at Mr. Jennings while getting him to sign the new CD. I blame the beer!
Last weekend was a bit of a downer for sport, what with the Rugby final (which I watched half-heartedly) and the Grand Prix (which I have absolutely no interest in at all). Still, Leeds won on the back of another poor performance. Unfortunately, I was working so didn't get to hear the full match. What I did hear sounded pretty dire. At home to Millwall today, so will be trooping off there this afternoon.
The half-term break saw Debbie and Elizabeth spend a couple of nights with Debbie's parents, freeing my evenings up to catch up on a couple of recent film releases. The Dark is Rising is OK, but should have been so much better - I marked it 6/10 over on Yahoo. The Last Legion is a film which ties the last days of the Roman Empire into Arthurian Legend and tells the origin of Excalibur. I'm a sucker for Arthurian Legend, so probably enjoyed it more than I should. It was clumsy in places and very similar to King Arthur (the Clive Owen starrer from a few years back) in others. 7/10.
On Friday morning I went (with Debbie, Elizabeth, Elizabeth's friend Cathryn and her mum) to see Ratatouille - the latest Pixar offering. As usual it was up to their high standards, with laughs aplenty and the odd tear-in-the-eye moment. It's hard to see how animation can get any more detailed than this. 8/10.
Friday evening (with Elizabeth away again) Debbie and I went to the Post Office Social Club for the CD launch of Coming up for Air, by Breathing Space. It's a slightly more upmarket venue than Fibbers - we could drink hand-pulled beer in proper glasses and sit at tables while the band played. Unfortunately, we chose to sit near the bar - too close to those who had paid their £7 ticket money to try to talk over the band. Muppets! The band played two sets - songs from the first album during the first set, followed by the whole of the new CD. It all sounded very good, except for a couple of times when the sound went a bit dodgy. For most of the gig it was hard to hear what Olivia was singing - that might of been her lack of vocal power, bad mixing or simply that the brain wasn't filling in the missing lyrics because it hadn't heard them before. I picked up both CDs and a limited edition Amberstone one as well. I have high hopes for the Breathing Space pair, but Amberstone is an unknown quantity at the moment.
Finally, a confession... Breathing Space is the breakaway project by Iain Jennings, ex-keyboard player of Mostly Autumn (and Olivia is still their backing vocalist). I only came across Mostly Autumn a few weeks ago but, since then, The Gap Is Too Wide (from their second album) has become one of my favourite pieces of music. It is stunningly beautiful and full of emotion. It was written by Iain Jennings. Apparently, it is no surprise to people who have seen Breathing Space before that it is also their encore song, so I got to hear it live last night. Afterwards, I'm afraid I turned into a bit of a fanboy and gushed praise, for writing the song, at Mr. Jennings while getting him to sign the new CD. I blame the beer!
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