Punk For Pudsey
Live @ The Marrs Bar (Worcester)

 

It was the fourth time that Punk For Pudsey's been held at the Marrs Bar - credit for organising it to Alec whose son Phil plays in Backwash - highlighting the impressive lineup of mostly local outfits. Missed
opening act Skankbox as the extended event kicked off at 5 o'clock - but they'd thoughtfully left some CD's out. I will catch them again though with Whipjack and The Donns at the Gun Tavern in a couple of weeks time. Backlight from Evesham are a high-energy outfit with an impressive and varied sound - a bit of a cross between Plot Against Paris and Brandon Steep.

A total contrast to the psychedelic death metal peddled by AZWAI (which stands for As Zeroes We Are Infinite - I do like a mathematical theme!) Virtuoso guitar work, thundering bass and kick-out-the-jams drumming - headed by manic frontman Adam who likes to wander into the audience, up to the bar, into the corner and out into the corridor! Great fun from one of the best acts I've seen this year.

More sheer enjoyment from ska-poppers The Donns - who describe their sound as 'partycore'. For me though it's just great breezy ska/clatterpop from a bunch of guys who look and sound like they're
having fun - some risqué lyrics to add a bit of spice thrown in as well - fantastic!

Good to bump again into Bill Ottaway from the local branch of CAMRA - also Jacko from The Slapstix who's forming a new outfit with members of Backwash and Plot Against Paris called Fights and Fires ('cos everybody likes to watch them' - can I say that?)

I'd describe The Arteries from Swansea as a cross between the Pogues and Motorhead - varied powerpop with an overall feel of 'Love Song' by the Damned - like the hands-off bass style!

Special guests for the night were Ashes From Pompeii - on the same label as Backwash - but they're emo/metal/funksters from Germany - how did that come about then? Reminded me a bit of the Counterfeits in places but with a wicked and incredibly loud ear-bleeding set - ouch!

Sadly couldn't stay for the whole of metal/punksters Backwash's set - it had been a marathon session and I'm not getting any younger - alright the room was starting to spin a bit by then - ok? Worth it though as they raised £420 for Pudsey - same again next year guys?

Review and Pics By Andy O'Hare

 

 

Silver Tequila / Jimmy Nylon / The Irony
Live @ The Marrs bar (Worcester)

 

Down to the Marrs Bar in Worcester for another sampler of the local scene and to check out one of last year's favourites. Late replacements for Cobweb Dilemmas were the duo Jimmy Nylon - after last week's Electric Proms I'm opening up a bit to the occasional funky beat-box and hip-hop acts - especially if it's knocked out with a bit of GLC humour. Look - I'm not about to start wearing cut-offs and a beanie but I did enjoy the way Jimmy Nylon mixed it about on stage.

Got to admit that the only band I knew from Evesham until tonight were the Stakk Attakkers that were Wrathchild - recently reformed as Psychowrath. Nothing of course like last week's live session band The Irony who are a decent soft indie pop outfit with an undertouch of prog for added effect - the Pixies shirt was the giveaway. One number - 'Stop - Look - Run' had a catchy early Velvets riff (no not the ones from Malvern) - can we hear it again Andrew?

Great new backdrop for last year's Battle of the Bands winners Silver Tequila - who I think are Worcester's answer to Hereford's Tastyhead - it'd be great to see them on the same bill sometime. They've sharpened up a little bit with a more mature feel - but still keep numbers such as 'Pop Music Is My Enemy' and 'I Need You' as sure-fire pleasers - catchy hummable stuff from a bunch of likeable lads.

 

Review and Pics By Andy O'Hare

 

 

Pencil Toes / Brandon Steep / Crow (ex-Larynx)
Live @ The Courtyard (hereford)

 

A new promotion at The Courtyard in Hereford - promising a great venue with a great sound to justify the hefty £10 ticket price - albeit for three of the big-hitters on the Hereford scene. I guess though that a
fair number of the good-sized crowd got the Herefordshire Student discount.

First off were Pencil Toes - who have carved out their own electro-rock niche and always come across as genuinely enjoying being on stage. A mix of jangly numbers like 'Moving Walls' and the more spaced-out 'Camden Market' - new single is 'We'll Fight Them On The Beaches' - out on CD soon - I really can't wait!!

Great MC-ing from Anomalies beat-boxer Crow (formerly known as Larynx) - 'My name is Crow - Hello!'. Also bumped into ex-Scrap-Book-Heroes Dave and Chas who is now part of False Flag Operators - they're appearing with the reformed Tastyhead at the Herdsman on 28th December.

I was looking forward to seeing Brandon Steep on home turf after their cracking away win in Worcester a couple of weeks ago. A new single out 'Please Don't Turn Your Back' on top of the feelgoods 'Louisiana', 'Hiding In The Undergrowth' and 'HMF' - will somebody tell me what this stands for please? Just a shame that the sound quality for the Steep's set failed to live up to the billing and struggled to do justice to their harmonies-rich numbers as the mid-range evaporated away. Hmmmm.
As usual only caught the first few minutes of the amazing Anomalies before the frantic dash for the last train back to Worcester - can you not headline a set for once guys? Andrew was there though - over to you mate.
 

Review and Pics By Andy O'Hare

 

 

Da Vinci / Carol Lee Sampson
Live @ The Marrs Bar (Worcester)
 

Another touch of adventure the following night at the Marrs Bar in Worcester - a premier for Battle of the Bands winner Da Vinci's rock opera 'Razorblade World'. Classy supporting set from Malvern's Carol Lee Sampson with help from West Virginia's Tyler - caught a touch of KT Tunstall to this silky set - which certainly blew a few cobwebs away.Also spotted Expedestrian's guitarist Dave who says they've nearly finished their 'Unfinishable' album - out soon!
I saw a great theatrical-rock show last year with local Germano-industrial outfit The Brethren - so great expectation then for Da Vinci's set - kicked off in true rock opera style with the feel of the opening bit of 'Quadrophenia' and a touch of 5.15 - with an REM-ish mandolin. If you like prog rock then you'd have been pleased with the Marillion-esque numbers peppering the two hour long set - with an interval halfway. Can't see the point though of those idiots who spoilt the first half by airing their bronchial egos over the Under Milk Wood-type narrative between each number. Sure it was a little bit amateur dramatic but this was billed as a concept event and didn't deserve the simian guffaws - luckily absent in the second half - the highlight of which was the phenomenal Abigail on guest vocals for the final couple of numbers. In hindsight I'd say this was an excellent Frank Zappa-like show that would probably be better aired at somewhere like the Swan Theatre or the Huntingdon Hall. The lighting and back projection were pretty groovy and the sound up to the Marrs Bar's usual top-notch standard. What I didn't really take to though was the underlying theme of 'Razorblade World' which was basically about  self-harming, sectioning and sedation - not exactly feelgood topics - but I would quite happily see this show again - as I think would most of the good Friday night crowd there. I'm pretty sure too that indie reviewer Toxic Pete enjoyed the set as a whole - he tapped me on the shoulder half-way through a later number - 'this one's in 7/6 time!' - and until then I'd only ever heard one other song in 7-time - 'JockoHomo' by Devo of course!

 

Review and Pics By Andy O'Hare

 

 

Live Acoustic

Live @ St Michaels (Stourport)

We've mentioned Stourport a few times in the last couple of weeks but it seems that there's no regular music venue in the town. Credit then to Eva McIntyre for trying something by putting on a set of acoustic acts at St Michael's church hall - in hindsight though the words 'acoustic' and 'church' should have set my alarm bells ringing oh-so-loud - also the note on the website 'we won't be doing extreme music'. The atmosphere was like a bible class - with polite applause after the folksy numbers - each of which made James Taylor sound like thrash metal - followed by a deafening silence. As none of the acts were remotely local I won't keep you by going through them - my advice though is that if you live in Stourport and you're looking for good live music - go to Kidderminster!!

 

Review By Andy O'Hare

 

 

 

Marrs Bonfire / Aura / The Donns
Gun Tavern (Worcseter)

Sam Isaac mixes a blend of Badly Drawn Boy with the Magic Numbers to his Radiohead-feel set. Not really up my street so I bunked off his orchestral set on last week's extended Session and checked out a new promotion at the Gun Tavern in Worcester.

Too late for the opening act The Donns (who impressed me a couple of weeks ago) (They were their wonderful, tight, energetic, full on skanked up usual. You missed a great set.... chris - NJS) - I will try and catch you again soon guys - but just in time for local outfit Aura who are most definitely a cut above your usual metal-men. An excellent selection of riffs, a great frontman and some racy guitar harmonics work - plus a couple of choice covers 'Somebody To Love' (yes the Jefferson Airplane one) and the Small Faces 'Whatcha Gonna Do About It' - the brand of quality!!
Best set I've ever heard from Bromyard boogie-boys Mars Bonfire with some A1 paradiddles thrown in. If you want hair, flares and hard-core rock'n'roll they're the outfit for you - but don't (like the geezer in
front of me) try and take a phone call halfway through their set. What????

 

Review and pics by Andy O'Hare

 

 

Sam Issac / New Cassettes / Radio Luxembourg / Riff Raff / Riz MC
Marrs Bar (Worcester)

Great to go along to the Marrs Bar in Worcester for the local leg of the BBC Introducing tour of the best five sets called up to play this year's Glastonbury and the BBC Electric Proms- including of course our own Sam Isaac...

We kicked off with the New Cassettes from Northampton - beat-boppers with a couple of decent foot-tappers in their armoury - liked their number 'Recover Retreat' - must check what it's about - I noted a big thumbs-up for this outfit from Chris of the Not Just Sauce listings site Very much a retro feel to the Aberystwythians (yeah I expect that's probably not correct) that are Radio Luxembourg - with their Bontempi organ and a quirky Coral/Syd Barrett feel to the opening couple of numbers. 'We're going to lose you now' said frontman Meilyr - probably spot on as the rest of the set was in Welsh. I got my Mum to translate a couple of days later and numbers such as 'Merch sydd yn fy Mhoced' (Girl in My Pocket) and 'Diwrnod efo'r Anifeiliaid' suddenly make sense. Nofio!!

Hiphoppers Riff Raff played their first ever gig at Glastonbury after only a couple of Radio One airplays. Great numbers including 'Chaos Isn't What It Used To Be' and 'I Want A Mutiny' were the highlights from the agreeable East Anglians who feature a cello and plenty of acoustic guitar work - try and think of The Anomalies crossed with the Zutons and Babyshambles.

Highlight for me on the night though was the sensational rapper that is Riz-MC - this guy pulls no punches with his numbers about 9/11, Belmarsh, Al-Jazeera and the danger faced by Brazilians - yes it's a
very political output - but put out in a way that gets you smiling and thinking at the same time - check him out at myspace/rizmc for yourself.

Sam Issac has the ability  seemingly get everywhere. Pick up a music magazine and his name is on the listings page somewhere. His belnd of Magic Numbers/Billy Bragg is a delight and no wonder local radio are waving the flags for him.

 

Review and pics by Andy O'Hare

 

Joe Meek Tribute Night w/ Dandelion Killers
Newant

Now I said last week I'd check out the Joe Meek Tribute night in Newent - ok it's over the border but one of the original 'Telstar' Tornadoes was from Stourport (now that's a big one for the Music Map Andrew). The problem was that a gig for the forty-plussers was held at the local youth/community centre with the Waffen SS guarding the doors against all-comers. I kid you not but there was a photocopier in the middle of the dance floor (see photo!!!)!!!

 

A bit of confusion in the place about who Joe Meek was - 'didn't he die of liver failure?' The consummate Ross threesome Dandelion Killers kicked off the tribute to the old gunslinger himself with 'John Wayne' and another faultless set of classics including 'Bad Saturday' and 'Human Error'. And I think that's the only explanation for the other two London-based acts on the set - who ranged from the baffling to appalling in equal measures. Sorry Joe - better luck next year - you can stop spinning now.

review and pics by Andy O'Hare

 

Brandon Steep / Will Dance For Chocolate / Spencer McGarry / George Clarke
Marrs Bar Worcester)

Another scintillating Little Hellfire Club at the Marrs Bar in Worcester with another of the Hereford big-hitters making an appearance. First upthough he's been described as the handsomest chanteur in the county - I can't possibly comment on that - but ex-Hoax Band frontman George Clarke has a pleasing stage presence and a few decent melodic ditties to boot. New single 'She's Moving' is out this week.

Spencer McGarry from Cardiff are another one of And What Will Be Left Of Them?'s contacts on the road. Very much a Nine Below Zero/Doctor Feelgood feel to the boogie bluesmen with some great speed guitar work thrown in - in fact I haven't heard a guitar sound this good for ages. Songs variously included references to The Corrs and the Sunday supplements - the closing number's riff though was straight from The Door's 'Changeling' - freely admitted as such - hey no problems guys!
Travelling support from London and Birmingham (as well as Hereford of course) for the crafted melodies that Brandon Steep dish out in bucketloads. New single is 'I Am The Pawn' but the harmonic five-piece ticked the boxes for me with 'The Woodland Regiment' EP earlier in the year. 'Louisiana' and 'Hiding In The Undergrowth' are standout tracks and 'Quintessential' isn't far behind either.

Change of tempo for Will Dance For Chocolate's own blend of Girls Aloud and a big fat hairy goth. Think of Belinda Carlisle with lyrics by Jo Brand and we're getting there. 'Already Fallen Apart', 'Mona Lisa' and 'What Is Wrong With You' are rolled out by Emma and the Marrs Bar gang with a degree of scary dispassion - and I liked your Burns guitar as well Em!

review and pics by Andy O'Hare

 

 

Show of Hands

Huntingdon Hall (Worcester) 2nd November 2007

As one of England’s most well respected Roots and Folk acts I was greatly looking forward to hearing this duo in the impeccable acoustics of Huntingdon Hall. Singer/songwriter Steve Knightley and multi instrumentalist Phil Beer both grew up in Exeter and played on and off together for many years before establishing themselves as a full time act in 1991. Since then they have released nine studio albums and built up a large fan-base to the extent that they have sold out The Royal Albert Hall three times in their career.
The show illustrated what a consummate and powerful act they are, their easy going and warm banter making me feel at ease immediately. The songs that impressed me most were those that allowed Steve Knightley’s compelling and intense lyrics to draw the audience in. The most breathtaking example of this was ‘The Preacher’, a song that told the story of a lonely man of God brooding over a love rival. You could almost feel the searing jealousy of the preacher and the cold, desolate surroundings of the narrative. The impact was heightened by Steve’s percussive use of the Cuatro, a kind of small guitar from Latin America with four strings that produces a haunting drone due to its unusual re-entrant tuning.
Another wonderful song was ‘Poppy Day’ from Steve’s recent solo album Cruel River, an interesting juxtaposition of a jaunty tune with cutting lyrics dealing with Opium farming in Afghanistan.

Show of Hands covered a lot of ground during their two set show, from stomping rhythm and blues through folk ballads such as Blackwaterside to flat out jigs and reels in which Phil Beer’s fiery fiddle playing came to the fore. On the whole I would have preferred a few less diddly-dit-dee-dee type folk tunes (they bore me after a few minutes even with the best players) and more of the storytelling and political songs that have made Show of Hands known in the media as being a voice for the rural poor.

Both Phil and Steve switched from Guitar to Mandolin to god knows what else with nonchalant ease throughout the evening and shared vocal duties and harmonies to great effect. The show finished with Steve singing unamplified (no, I can’t remember the name of the effin’ song) whilst Phil wandered through the audience playing his fiddle – a lovely intimate end to the evening. I was left scratching my head wondering which of their many albums to buy.

Review by Paul J Rose  www.myspace.com/pauljrose

 

 

Psyflyer / Dudes of Neptune / Meteor Street
TJs, Worcester, 28th October 2007

The news of a Halloween themed circus of local psychedelic music was a good enough reason for me to forgo my traditional Halloween activity of hardcore trick-or-treating until next year. Leaving behind my petrol fuelled pumpkins and poo filled charity envelopes I headed down to a splendidly spooky TJs in Angel Place for some alternative kicks.

The traditional TJs sound quality meant that I couldn’t really hear any detail of the vocals. This left me momentarily agitated but then I remembered I wasn’t at an acoustic concert (my usual destination now I’ve reached thirty) so I allowed myself to just rock out to the eardrum pummelling groove and scribble down some abstract impressions of the evening.

The first band on were Psyflyer who had an intense bass led sound into which silky dressed vocalist/guitarist Jayse hurled a wide variety of guttural vocals and guitar madness; from ethereal solos to quaking granite walls of distortion. Their obvious fire was cooled by a few technical and tuning problems but otherwise it was a suitably dark and crushing start to the night.

Next up were the five piece Dudes of Neptune. They treated the highly costumed crowd to a spaced out set which contrasted nicely with Psyflyer’s rawer sound. I was most impressed by lead guitarist Andy Lee swapping from guitar to keyboard duties mid song in a manner reminiscent of The Edge from U2 during ‘New Years Day’ (I get the feeling I’m going to get punched for making that comparison). On the whole the Dudes songs came across as carefully crafted and packed with clever lyrical and musical flourishes. Unfortunately their set had a rather disjointed feel and for me they never really got cooking which was a shame as the potential was there.

Worcester’s Meteor Street topped the evening like a juicy Psilocybin mushroom on an already generous portion of space cake. Starting off with their popular homage to the Spanish surrealist the gang launched into ‘Dali’ with vigour; the bright and sveltely attired drummer Ed Steelefox providing a one man carnival of colour and energy that was a fine act in itself. My first song highlight was the infectious ‘Malicious Metallics’ with its cartoonesque keyboard refrain and fantastically yelped chorus – it was just a joy to hear. My second highlight was the reflective ‘Schiphol Paranoia’, a song inspired by an eventful busking trip to Amsterdam. The song really highlighted the band’s melodic side and vocalist/guitarist Craigus Barry’s song-writing skill and angular yet soulful voice. The themes of restlessness and doubt that often torture the creative mind were expressed beautifully in this song (or maybe I’m reading too much into it). Finishing with the powerful ‘Nebula’ Meteor Street left the stage and the Halloween circus was over, my only disappointment with Meteor Street’s set being that the sound system failed to make the wonderful fiddle playing of John-Joe Murray (a critical part of the bands quirky sound) better known to the audience.

Cheers to all the bands for entertaining me.

Review and Pics by Paul J Rose www.myspace.com/pauljrose

 

 

Pencil Toes / Py 'n' Mash
Tap House (Kiddermnster)

Well it's been all Worcester bands for the past few weeks so time to check out the Hereford scene again - lucky for me that the big hitters decided to crossed the border - so - when I heard Pencil Toes were playing the Tap House in Kidderminster this was not to be missed.
Support was from the intensely provocative Py'n'Mash from Brum (though Josh on the decks is from Stourport - wahey!) Can only describe this threesome as a cross between Bob Marley and Goldie Lookin' Chain - Paul and Ash (geddit?) tackle a range of the more broadminded social issues - though it's fair to say that most relate to what goes on Friday nights.

A superb sound for Elle and the boys as Hereford's own Pencil Toes entertained the packed Thursday night Tap House regulars - think of a cross between Siouxsie Sue and the Chemical Brothers and you're nearly there. 'Camden Market' and a confident new version of 'Moving Walls' hit the ground running - expect them to shake up the festivals next year bigtime.

Review and Pics By Andy O'Hare

 

Unkle Monty / Dandellion Killers
Tardebridge (Redditch)

 

A couple of days later I popped up to check out probably the best stage and sound system in Worcestershire at the Tardebigge in Redditch. What used to be Volume One are now Unkle Monty and it's hard not to think of James Dean Bradfield when the frontman pitches his curveball notes at you. There's plenty of variety though and a searing bassline from the Worcester boogie-boys - and if you're a Free or LedZep throwback (like me for example) then you'll be well pleased with the not-too-heavy heavy set.

Now it's been 3 months since I've seen Ross-on-Wye's finest Dandelion Killers play but I don't think I've ever seen a better set from the awesome indie threesome. A couple of feelgood newbies - 'Fire When Ready' and 'Golden Age' on top of the sparkling regulars like 'John Wayne' and 'Human Error'. I'll be checking them out again as they headline the legendary Joe Meek tribute gig in Newent tonight - and I'll tell you all about it next week!!

Review and Pics By Andy O'Hare

 

Knight, Othen & Smith / Paul J Rose

The Mug House (Claines, Worcester)

 

What better way is there to spend a Sunday afternoon? Bright warm sunshine, local beer garden, good beer, a bar-b-que and some great live music.

A certain Mr Jamie Knight organised this event to raise a bit of cash for St Richards Hospice, and bought a few friends along for the ride together with a large crowd who were gathered outside this wonderful little pub in Claines enjoying the sun.

First up was local singer songwriter Paul J Rose peddling his blend of acoustic folk and occasionally bluesy rock. He performed a couple of the tracks fro his debut album 'A Nice Cup Of Tea" such as 'Dawn In Cripple gate Park' 'Eye For a Bargain' and the wonderful 'Rubbish Song' along with a couple of songs I have not heard before including 'Snug At The Mug' a story about a failed relationship that he once had while drinking at this very pub. A short set from Paul, but one that was very well received from the ensembled masses.

 

Jamie Knight is a local singer songwriter with, some say, the best voice in Worcester, if not the UK. A terrific songwriter and a great performer, he is superbly accompanied by Ex Machine Breaker Simon Othen on guitar and mandolin and Paul Smith on double bass. Together they create a wonderful sound that confirm their position as Worcester’s finest musicians.

Kicking off their set with the magnificent ‘Lonely Life’, the trio kept the crowd entertained and enthralled with their fine talent, a selection of self penned songs such as the awesome ‘Girl In The Light’ and ‘Stay Right’ along with a selection of their interpretations of classic tracks such as Tracy Chapmans ‘Fast Car’, Bob Marley ‘Redemption Song’, Ray LaMontagne’s ‘Trouble’ and ‘Crazy’ by Gnarls Barkley. With the likes of Damien Rice, David Gray and all the other singer songwriters out there I am sure that there is room for Knight, Othen and Smith in this world. This band should be prepared to take their rightful place at the top of the heap. It can’t be long now before the musicianship, songwriting skill and presentation of KOS, and the amazing voice of Jamie Knight are noticed by the wider music industry. They deserve the success. They have worked for it and it is coming, I am sure.

This was a tremendous gig and it was great to see so many people come out and listen to some great local live music. It was just a shame that the gig had to end a little early due to the Evening Song service taking place at the neighbouring Church. Oh well. It is Sunday and if you have to play second fiddle to the Big Man then so be it.

 

www.myspace.com/pauljrose

www.myspace.com/kos

 

 Review by Chris Bennion