Reviews

They opened with the Bacharach-David/Dionne Warwick hit, Anyone Who Had A Heart, and went on through a combination of excellent originals and offbeat covers from the likes of The Inkspots, Morrissey, and Alfred Brumley (who wrote the country gospel song I'll Fly Away in 1929, covered by Allison Krauss for O Brother. It was so good, B&B did it twice!).

This is a duo with a huge backlog of experience as two fifths of The Hot Puppies, one of the hardest working bands in the pop business. Beth is a terrific musician, and it showed as she played piano beautifully, strummed and fingerpicked acoustic guitar equally beautifully, and then whipped out a cello (well, as much as one can do that with a cello) to play it expertly - and beautifully. She also sang great harmonies and the occasional lead.

Beth is so good, one wonders if she really needs anyone else - of course you need another person for the harmonies - but Bec is is a real lead singer, with all the passion and melodrama that implies. She is also a very, very good singer and even played piano, guitar and violin herself.
Here is music being built from the ground up, reinvented, if you will, starting with the basics of songs and singing. Not exactly minimalism, just good sense backed up with the luxury of fine and serviceable musicianship and a very interesting repertoire.

Bec and Beth have just released a 4 song ep on Purr Records

sarabeth tucek is equally mesmerizing. backed by a full band of electric organ, sleazy guitar and laid back drums. new york suddenly doesnt feel so far away, almost as if we've been transported to a darkened brooklyn blues bar. her single 'hot tears' impressed many as itunes free single of the week download, but it sounds even cooler louder and dirtier tonight. a joy to sway to as the band show off just how tight hey can be while still maintaining that stonerish groove.
if she drifts slightly towards middle of the road territory with a couple of softer songs sarabeth steers us back easily with the rockier numbers up her sleeve. run out and buy her selftitled debut now and when you see her live you'll enjoy it even more. two
thumbs up!

An evening of Gallic sounds tonight as the Porter plays host to a variety of gangly young Frenchmen with beards. Locals and last-minute guests, Venus Bogardus, with their erudite literary skronk and songs dedicated to dead French Dadaists, fit the bill nicely. James whips through a variety of very beautiful Fender guitars all detuned just so and applies post-punk shards of Andy Gill spiked sheet metal while bassist Hannah gives good Texas drawl. A screwdriver is inserted into the guitar neck for some Sonic Youth harmonic riffage and it all sounds very fine.

Crevecoeur are really rather special. Their drummer squeezes in shakers, guitar and some glorious trumpet all within the opening number. Violin from a haughty femme fatale, stand-up bass, theremin and mini-glockenspiels weave sleepy mariachi rhythms and Morricone spaghetti western soundtracks. The guitarist provides a whistling solo. If Calexico smoked Gauloise, they would sound like this. The tempo rarely stirs above walking pace and the band conclude charmingly with a walkabout as everyone plays their tiny woodblocks. Lovely.
Marvin are a power trio somewhere between Deep Purple and Ten Benson. Only the drum kit is on the stage, everyone else has liberated the little dancefloor out front. In a startling display of continental informality, the drummer strips down to his underpants and then beats his drum kit to death. Very soon hi is sweating like a candle stub. Their sheer attack is staggering. They play a thunderous version of Led Zeppelin's ‘Immigrant Song' while their delectable Korg synth bassist applies heavily vocoded singing, like Daft Punk gone heavy metal. The audience watch rapt, stunned and admiring. As they blast past the curfew, the soundman attempts to end the show. No chance. The band grin shyly at each other and power on to a glorious finale. Magnifique.