Reviews
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Troubadour Hook / One Star Awake 14 July 2009  troubadour It is not an easy thing to hold the attention of an audience for forty minutes or more with nothing more elaborate in the way of instrumentation than one voice and a fiddle, but this duo (in spite of the fact they tell me they are looking for a piano player) accomplished this with ease and grace. I must admit that I am somewhat ambivalent about fiddles in folk music as all too often the notes are the right ones, more or less, while the tone leaves a lot to be desired. All doubts were swept away as soon as Anna began to bow, weaving a full, rich tapestry of sweet melodic lines with a dark timbre that perfectly complemented Sues relaxed story-telling. The songs were mostly traditional folk - She Moved through the Fair Lough Erne; Oh Love it is a Killing Thing and Low Down in the Broom. The latter, come to think of it, sounds rather suggestive. Indeed the song was sung low, very low - definitely from the broom. When Love Comes Late was a Sue Mara original, and although everyone enjoyed the authentic feel of the traditional arrangements I am sure we would all have wished for more time and a few more where that came from. One Star Awake are a relatively new band on the scene and this was their debut at Ye Olde Porter. They will be returning some time after the leaves begin to fall and I have no doubt that their audience will too, save that it will have increased in number. Troubadour Hook also played their first gig in Bath this week they are not only enchanting and captivating but hook is the right word - their subtly understated melodies get right into your head and stay there. This is a band that is truly doing something really different and original with music, to the extent that cross-genre simply isnt enough as they really arent too much like anything else. Their own promo states Syd Barrett meets the Andrews Sisters and perhaps thats wide enough to leave as much room as these talented musicians require. The band comprises Tony Almond, guitar, vocals Sally Marshall, vocals, French horn, trumpet, recorder, bodhran Maddy Longhurst, vocals, percussion, shruti, ukulele, guitar, melodica and recorder. They are a wonderful band and if you appreciate eclectic, cool yet unpretentious folk roots with all manner of expertly mixed influences from reggae to jazz and anything else you care to mention, and with beautifully poetic lyrics that leave you wanting more, then you should get to see them. They are playing at the Bristol Harbourside Festival at the Cascade Steps Stage (near the Watershed) at 12 noon on the 1st August, and will be returning to the Porter cellar Bar on the Tuesday 6th October. Arnold Layne Arnold Layne |
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Erinn Williams 02 June 2009  erinn williams The show opened with the at times somewhat dark Tom Lehrer influenced humour of Doug Simple, and the Wiltshire roots comic song folk-opera charm of the locally renowned Mike Scott. What with the swirling psychedelic lighting projection back of stage and the slightly nervous what are they going to do? audience anticipation, there were certainly some surreal moments during the set. I particularly enjoyed Dougs brooding synth-backed Stealing the Future, and the hilarious and angst-ridden Spam Song- which everyone can identify with. Although Mike Scott's humour leans somewhat towards the scatological - which I think was slightly alarming for some of the regulars at Tantrika gigs, by now used to relaxing amid swirling lights and drifting clouds of organic incense - there was no doubt that he won them over. Mike is also a very handy guitar picker. The duo concluded their impromptu double act to hearty, loud and well-deserved applause. There was a technical hitch at the start of the keenly anticipated set from Erinn Williams, which unfortunately dispersed somewhat the ambient and good-natured mood typical of these Tuesday nights at The Porter. So Williams did not begin until 10.30 pm and was only able to perform for a little over half an hour. Nonetheless, she swept us all away with her spine-tingling operatic vocal and sweetly flanging guitar work. The splendid, well-considered flute playing from Catherine Hurley was the perfect accompaniment to Williams strangely beautiful soundscapes. By the encore, I was stood at the bar with Ken Pustlenik, drummer with the celebrated and perhaps slightly underrated 70s progressive rock underground band, The Groundhogs ("Split", "Thank Christ for the Bomb"), and he summed it all up very adequately: "It's like being transported to a fairy garden!" Arnold Layne |
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Tantrika presents Cedar Rose and Appalachia, with 19 May 2009  cedar rose Although it was a rather cold and rainy Tuesday night - causing some of us to wonder if anyone would turn out to see a very new band on the scene from Bristol - there were no signs of apprehension among the dozen or so milling around, pints in hand, at the soundcheck. Laidback bordering on the downright casual seemed to be the order of the day, and the relaxed mood carried us right through to closing at midnight. There was nothing casual, however, in the approach to the performance or presentation of the musicians. Appalachia is a country blues duo with an authentic down-home bluegrass sound, consisting of Richard Burley and James Slater. The latter is better known in Bristol for his co-operative music ventures and grass roots activities. By the time the two were nestled onto a corner of the small stage - much of the space was taken up by the considerable array of instrumentation and equipment of the six-piece Cedar Rose - most of the seating in the "auditorium" section of the cellar bar was taken up. People had been steadily trickling in from early in the evening, while the soundcheck was still in progress. Clearly they were charmed by Appalachias smooth, confident delivery and accomplished musicianship - hardly anyone left their seats for the next 45 minutes. In the interval between bands, DJ Edmandus playlist is eclectic, broadly speaking, but expect to hear at least one from the Velvet Underground and maybe something from Roxy Musics first album. The Nick Drake track matched the mood perfectly. I was wondering how Cedar Rose (www.myspace.com/cedarrose) were going to fit themselves on the stage but they achieved this as effortlessly as they delivered peerless original songs. Think of flute, violin, funky bass (occasionally played percussively with a snap style), soaring, all-embracing Woodstock slide guitar, deep, soulful and very melodious vocals and sensitive yet cracking drums driving it all along. Without any exaggeration, the audience were quite simply wowed-out from beginning to end. A very fine evening of music.
Arnold Layne |