Zappa plays Zappa 18/11/12

I did wonder about taking in a Zappa Plays Zappa gig. Was it a nostalgia fest? Was it a tribute band? In either case I would probably avoid. In the end I decided it was a concert of Frank's compositions (which are dense and worthy of replaying) by a band that would be respectful and understanding of the music. And so I found myself front and centre in the Town Hall Birmingham a few feet from Dweezil Zappa playing a replica of his father's Gibson. He played it better than I expected and the whole band were good musicians and enthusiastically into Frank Zappa's canon of works. The set list was inevitably slightly surreal including 'Penguin in Bondage' and 'Im harder than your husband' (Frank's take on country music) as well as 'Strictly Genteel' - a classical work, not to mention 'Teenage Prostitute' or 'Zomby Woof'. 'Zomby Woof' was just about the highlight for me. It was the second track into the encore and Dweezil brought a classical clarinettist on stage for an extended improvisation and musical duel with his guitar. There was also a sax solo early on from sax, keyboards and flute player Scheila Gonzalez that was excellent and she gave it her all on every track sometimes playing both sax and keyboards at the same time. I also enjoyed hearing 'Peaches en Regalia' as 'Hot Rats' was my introduction to Zappa and still my favourite album. 'Ride My Face to Chicago' was also memorable and the standard of musicianship throughout the band and the gig was always high. It's very hard to classify Frank Zappa's music. It's not really rock and it's not exactly jazz. It's certainly surreal and disturbingly disjointed (in a nice way). This has encouraged me to get out the Zappa vynyl again.

Howden Jones 10/11/12

A village hall gig with a couple of travelling singer songwriters is pretty much always worth the small ticket fee. I particularly liked Paul Jones' guitar playing and his songs that focused in on aspects of English life ( a bit Richard Thompsonish in his perspective). Kate Howden had a pleasant voice and together they delivered a friendly and professional gig.

Aly Bain, Ale Moller, Bruce Molsky 2/11/12

This is a captivating trio of musicians who I last saw almost exactly two years ago at the same intimate venue. It just works brilliantly - three engaging and scholarly musicians melding their related musical traditions together. If I was going to carp then perhaps I would say that Bruce Molsky featured a little too much this time round. I preferred the music without his vocals and I prefer the ancient celtic/viking oeuvre that Aly and Ale bring to the party. But there was enough of their songs to keep me happy and Bruce contribute beautifully on his fiddle to their tunes. Ale provided the rhythm on his 10-string mandola (when not playing ancient shepherds' pipes)and Aly provided the heart of the music with his inimitable and unwavering fiddle playing. Highlights for me included a couple of tunes played together one called 'Yalta' something and the other 'Freddy's' something, anything in the 'troll' tuning and some tunes in 21/8 time (whatever that is). It is deep music played very movingly. I'll be back next time they tour.

Seckou Keita 17/10/12

For the second time in under a month I was off to see a Kora player - this time the more well known Seckou Keita. the band featured two vocalists apart from Seckou himself, a bassist, a drummer, someone who alternated between drums and a vibes-like instrument (a balafon) and a guitarist. He featured a lot of tracks from their latest album, 'Miro'. The title track was the last song before the interval and that was the highlight for me. The vocalists were trading vocals with Seckou, the rhythm was hypnotic and the band was in the west african zone. Other than that it was excellent stuff but I think I longed for a purer less orchestrated sound. The kora and some percussion just about does it for me and the full band plus the sight of older white men dancing to the songs detracted from that vibe a little.

Tim Richards 13/10/2012

This was a special gig in three parts - one was Tim's current trio, one a piano duet and one a bigger band with a couple of featured brass players from Tim's previous bands. The musicians were on great form and the full-house audience enthusiastic. Tim's piano playing was confident, nuanced and lively throughout. I enjoy his gigs more and more. Highlights for me were 'Bolivia' from the threesome, 'Funk' from the piano duets and the final two tracks from the big band, 'Ticket to Tomorrow' and 'Shapeshifting'. The two young musicians in the band were very impressive, Peter Ibbetson on drum was subtle and assured and the vibes player Ralph Wyld after a cautious start contributed well, not overawed in a band full of old lags. Ed Jones and Dick Pearce on sax and trumpet respectively were as expected excellent soloists and all in all it was great occasion.

Doudou Cissoko 21/9/2012

A kora player in a village hall not too far from us is a must and so we found ourselves at Wymeswold Village Hall to see Doudou Cissoko from Senegal. The band comprised in addition a percussionist, a guitarist from Norway and a dulcimer/violin player. Doudou also sings and with Alicia Davies (the drummer) on backup vocals, this was an unusual line up that worked very well. I find the Kora a compelling hypnotic instrument to listen to. It is often compared to a harp (just because it has so many strings I think) but it is much more dynamic and rhythmic. I particularly liked the combination of violin (Kate Arnold) and Kora when played together and the vocal rhythms were also beautifully done between Doudou and Alicia. It maybe the first time I have heard a dulcimer in action and that was pretty sweet too. An excellent performance in front of pitifully few people.

Bruce Springsteen 27/5/1981

This gig vies for top spot of all gigs I have ever been to. I have been to gigs that peaked at higher levels but for its sheer sustained brilliance and energy(for around three hours) this has a special place in my gigography. It is fair to say that Springsteen was at his creative best around this time and that the band had a whole stack of great musicians but I was not ready for the rock'n'roll blast that started with the first chord of the opening track 'Born to Run' which then segued into 'Prove it all night' and then finally into 'Out on the Street' without pause. That was some opening. 'The River' had been released the previous year and Springsteen took us through much of this impecable double album as well as playing songs from his previous albums. The River is not just about great rock songs but also has a number of outstanding ballads. 'The River', 'The Price You Pay' Independence Day, 'Point Blank, 'Stolen Car and 'Wreck on the Highway' were all included in the gig and that is part of what made it a great night. Springsteen who could sing up a storm on both types of track kept the emotional rollercoaster going at a high pitch and even looked like he was enjoying every minute. The band was fantastic musically and also up for the rock'n'roll theatre that Springsteen put out. When your three guitarists are Springsteen, Nils Lofgren and Steve Van Zandt then you already have a great band. Adding in Roy Bittan on keyboards and the superb Clarence Clemons on sax just about seals the deal. There were innumerable outstanding songs and I am going to resist naming favourites in the interests of brevity as I would probably end up pretty much listing all the tracks. I take away a memory of Springsteen, long after I had expected the gig to finish,shouting at the audience that if anyone had a weak heart they'd better leave now. I don't think anyone did.

Lou Reed 9/8/2012

I was definitely up for this gig after listening to a lot of Velvet Underground in the early 70s. The nice surprise was how much I liked his recent recordings which resounded with that rasping relentless rhythm that characterised Velvet Underground songs. I should have stuck with Lou Reed so I have some catching up to do. There was no support but I really enjoyed the disonant feedbacky swirl of sound that substituted for a support act. Lou Reed kicked off with 'Brandenburg Gate' from 'Lulu' and I was immediately into the dense sound of Lou and the band. The band included (for the third time in four gigs) a perfectly aligned sax player. This one blasted away as if he had been part of the Velvets, raucous and rhythmic. The whole band was on board as well and the resulting sound was for me pretty exciting. Next up was a couple of Velvets songs, 'Heroin' and 'Waiting' for my man'. It was all a bit intense and deep for the audience who seem to come to the Assembly for a chat with their friends. Most of the rest of the fairly short set (about 90 mins including the encore) was composed of songs from Lulu mixed in with some solo tracks such as 'Walk on the Wild Side'. I particularly liked the last track before the encore, 'Junior Dad' from Lulu which started quietly and built up into a wall of noise from Lou and Aram Bajakian on guitar and Sarth Calhoun on sax. The encore was the best Velvet's song of the night, played with feeling - 'I'm beginning to see the Light'. It's a great track to go off into the night. I'm still humming it nearly a week later.

Nanci Griffith 23/7/2012

This was rescheduled from earlier than year when the Bristol gig was postponed because of illness. I assumed at the time that Nanci had caught a cold or something but actually she didn't look good at all when she struggled onto the stage. It looks as if she is not at all well so I was pretty impressed that she came back to England to fulfil her commitments. The support was Pete and Maura Kennedy who were also the main part of Nanci's band so it was a pretty low key tour as opposed to a Blue Moon Orchestra type gig that we have usually seen. They played an interesting countryish set where they saved the best songs to the last three - a Dave Carter song called 'When I go' followed by an up-tempo railroad song about 'The Midnight Ghost' and then a big finish with the Monkees' 'Daydream Believer'. Nanci looked frail but her voice was in fine fettle. As soon as the first chords of 'Speed of Lonliness' kicked in I knew it was going to be a good set. She followed that with 'I want a simple life' and 'The Flyer' and basically as ever she trawled through her catalogue picking the songs she felt like singing . As ever she also chatted between tracks in her inimitable informal style, unafraid to stand up as a lefty liberal and proud of it. The tracks that impressed me most were, firstly of course, 'Across the Great Divide' which always affects me very directly. It is laden with pathos and resilience and Nanci sings it perfectly. Pete Kennedy also excelled with a guitar break, understated and powerful. I also liked a song I am not sure I have heard before although it is an old one of Nanci's 'Troubled Fields'. 'Tequila after Midnight' was suitably raucous and 'Listen to the Radio' suitably evocative of rural Texas. She also finished with a surprise choice - a cover of 'No Expectations'. She billed it as a Stone's tribute but I think there was a message there that this may be her last tour of the UK. That's a shame. She is a major part of the alt country scene with a superb singing voice. I am going to miss seeing her.

Andy Fairweather-Low 20/7/2012

I must have seen AFL a lot of times when you add in all the Clapton gigs and a Roger Waters gig and supporting Robert Cray but this was the first I had seen him as the headline act. As it was on his home turf in South Wales with friends and family in the audience it was a very relaxed and informal gig and that suits him very well. Inevitably he brought out the old Amen Corner hits but that was done without much real passion towards the end and the highlights of the gig were when he was playing the music he loved - country blues in particular but also some twang and a stones tribute version of 'Route 66' at the end. His guitar playing on a couple of Jimmy Reed songs ('Bright Lights, Big City' and 'Baby, what You want Me to Do') and on a Lightening Hopkins track was outstanding; effortless and atmospheric. He surprised me by including a little twang section which started off with 'Apache' then did another Shadows hit 'FBI' and then brilliantly a great version of 'Peter Gunn'. Having waited twenty plus years (since the 80s Duanne Eddy tour)to hear Peter Gunn live I then get to hear it in successive gigs - how weird is that? There were various other countryish tracks of note - a heartfelt version of 'When Things Go Wrong' comes to mind - and then that great finish. AFL admitted he had learnt the Keith Richards solo by heart as a teenager and then he reproduced it. Great stuff. As ever Nick Pentelow provided that rocking sax sound to accompany AFL and the rhythm section did their duty expertly. I am now wondering whether I can catch the band later on in the tour that is just starting.

Duanne Eddy 28/5/2012

It's always dangerous to see a hero, especially when he is 74 years old. I needn't have worried. Duanne is still a great guitar player and playing in front of a classy band and most importantly with a sax player with lots of rock and roll in him, the gig delivered. The only previous time I saw Duanne was about 20 years ago and even then that was a come-back for a guitar player that made his name in the fifties and early sixties. However a recent recording in the UK 'Road Trip' had given hime some profile and I guess that was what lead to the recent tours. He played a number of tracks from the recent album and all the famous songs from the archive. Second track in was 'Movin' and Groovin'' and to hear that seminal recording, that kickstarted the Beachboys, played live, was powerful. A number of classic Eddy songs followed interspersed with an occasional track from the new album. The classics included 'Yep', 'The Lonely One', 'Shazam' -all played with full-on Eddy guitar, full-on rocking sax and great back up from the band. He then brought on two girl singers to deliver 'Play me like you play that guitar' and of course 'Guitar Man'. Being the first piece of vinyl that I fully purchased myself , from choice to taking the money in the shop, makes it powerful stuff to hear live. He then played '3:30 Blues' a track which for me always demonstrated that Eddy is a fine musician beyond the 'Twang' shorthand. Towards the end Richard Hawley (whose band this was bar Paul Porrey on sax) joined in and having a third guitar to add to Eddy and the excellent Shez Sheridan upped the tempo again. A rip roaring 'Primeval' from the new album was followed by a vocal track that was a tribute to Lee Hazelwood 'Still is the Night'. 'Rebel Rouser' and 'Peter Gunn' finished the set, iconic stuff but played for real. A couple of tracks of encore , finishing with 'Hard Times' and Duanne ambled off stage. This was an unexpected gem of a gig.

Elvis Costello 15/5/2012

It has been a couple of years since I last saw Elvis and that was a solo gig. This time he was fronting a four piece which actually was only one person different to the first time I saw him in 1980. It goes without saying they were a tight band. The tour featured some audience participation as people were selected to go on stage and revolve a big wheel that selected a song or song theme by chance. In fact, given that Elvis started with four songs, nudged the wheel several times and finished with an encore of old favourites, the random element was not quite as strong as he was making it out to be. As ever with Elvis we got a quality gig. Two hours fifty minutes of pretty much non-stop music (apart from the wheel-spinning business that is). The absolute stand-out song for me was 'I want you' - great song, brilliant vocals, outstanding guitar playing - but it was all good. In the main set I particularly enjoyed 'Bedlam' and 'Rockinghorse Road' and 'Jimmy standing in the rain' but the long encore was full of Costello classics which were also great. 'Shipbuilding' is an immense song and it was sandwiched by 'Oliver's Army' and 'Watching the Detectives'. 'I don't want to go to Chelsea' and 'What's so funny 'bout peace love and understanding?' closed the gig. It's always worth making the effort for a Costello gig.

Trembling Bells/Bonnie Prince Billy 3/5/2012

I had seen Trembling Bells supporting Bonnie Prince Billy before but now they are collaborating with him as vocalist along with normal vocal lead, Lavinia Blackwell. Trinity Centre in Bristol was a new venue for me but I shan't be going back. Apart from a typical problem of such venues of audience chatter there was also the ridiculous process of searching customers before they enter. This is a folk gig.......... The support was not really as advertised, Muldoon's Picnic, but two members of same augmented by members of the Trembling Bells. The set was acapello harmony singing of songs from around the world and through the ages. I didn't really take to this set save for a Bulgarian children's song that had a bit of energy about it. For the first hour or so the main set was mainly new stuff and the sound was dense and compelling with Lavinia pretty much full time on the keyboards and some great drumming from Alex Neilsen. I love Bonnie Prince Billy's vocals even though his voice is not that spectacular and it goes without saying that Lavinia's singing is brilliant. The two combined beautifully. After a stirring version of 'I made a date(with an open vein)' the music seemed to become less dense and there were some tracks more of a vocal + backing style. 'New Years Eve's The Lonliest Night of the Year' was memorable and I particularly enjoyed the Merle Haggard cover and 'Love is a Velvet Noose'. All in all an excellent gig with a lot of new material which I enjoyed despite the venue.

Aly Bain & Phil Cunningham 19/3/12 & 4/4/12

The more I see Aly Bain the more impressed I am with his fiddle playing. It is both subtle and confident and it is a continual surprise that so little apparent effort translates into such a beautiful sound. Having caught him anchoring the Transatlantic Sessions band in a full Symphony Hall in February I was able to catch him plus his long-time musical partner, Phil Cunningham in the intimate Lichfield Guildhall in front of a couple of hundred people in March and then again at the Djanogly in Nottingham. Phil is also a master musician playing slow and melodic airs on the accordion like no-one else. He also shows off his dexterity and speed occasionally but is at his best with haunting Scottish tunes.

Most memorable for me were a couple of Swedish tunes from Ursa with a strange phrasing, a couple of Texan songs one of which included a herd of horses represented on fiddle, "Violet Queeen of Lerwick", "The Pearl" and really anytime they played a slow air. "By Dundas Loch" was a particularly fine example of a slow tune. The second gig also featured a lovely tune either called or about sitting in the stern of a boat on the way to Lewis.

As usual the bonhomie was in abundance as Phil told anecdotes and Aly chipped in with dry observations but essentially this is about the tunes and they are crafted and played with decades of confidence and finesse and bucketloads of skill.

Joan Baez 13/3/2012

Most singers the wrong side of 70, particularly if they were renowned for having a powerful and pure voice would surround themselves with backing vocalists and a big band to disguise the ageing of their vocal chords. Not Joan Baez; perhaps unsurpisingly given her dissident nature she takes an opposite course and the gig is all about her voice and the power and emotion it brings to songs about defiance and protest as well as to those about more personal subjects.
The band consists of Dirk Powell, multi-instrumentalist - it would be quicker to say what he doesn't play - and an understated percussionist who quiety accompanies some of the songs. A number of the songs are simply Joan however, mostly accompanying herself on guitar.
The choice of songs is impeccable but then she has more than 50 years of back catalogue to choose from. It is slightly invidious to pick out highlights from such a classy set but for me they included; "The Scarlet Tide" a masterpiece of a song from Elvis Costello which she delivers far better than him as she captures perfectly the pathos of the song, "You Might as Well try and catch the Wind", "The Ballad of Joe Hill" sung with defiance and feeling, "Suzanne" a beautiful version of the Leonard Cohen classic and the final two songs before the encore. These were a spanish song I had not heard before "Gracias a la Vida" and then an amazing version of "Diamonds and Rust".

I have seen Joan Baez a few times in the last decade and I was wondering how much longer she can hack it. Her voice may not be what it was ten years ago but she can hack it big style.

Moishes Bagel 19/2/2012

This was my fourth time for Moishes Bagel (although one of the gigs had been a cut down 2 person version called Box and Fiddle)and it is always fun, full of energy and just a great fusion of sounds from around the world delivered by excellent musicians. There's definitely a lot of balkan influences, exemplified by Greg's expressive fiddle playing and the accordions of Phil and Pete. Guy the percussionist had a very particular set of small drums and snares and fitted in superbly to the overall sound. Phil who writes a lot of the stuff spends a lot of his time at the piano and has a gentle melodic style that seems to glue the bands sound together and they have played together for a while so they are seamlessly together the whole gig. Highlight for me was a beautiful african influenced piece led by Phil on piano called 'Timgad' (A town in Algeria)but anytime Greg was joyously playing balkan stuff on the fiddle was also pretty damn good.

Transatlantic Sessions 8/2/2012

After a barren couple of months gigs-wise it was brilliant to sit in the centre of the front row at Symphony Hall at a Transatlantic Sessions show. We missed the 2011 version unfortunately so it was a couple of years since we had seen this particular annual tour and it is pure joy to be at. I am not normally a fan of mixed gigs but the musicians for these gigs are so good and so into the concept of mixing the British Isles and North American streams of gaelic-influenced music that it works like a dream. At the heart of the event are Aly Bain and Jerry Douglas, both consumate masters of their respective instruments and they direct the show. Aly Bain anchors the music with a fiddle sound that is completely rooted and strong. Jerry picks away on his dobro adding flourish and infill throughout the show. If that wasn't enough the band is comprised of top musicians; Michael McGoldrick, Donald Shaw, Phil Cunningham, Danny Thompson, Russ Barenberg, Bruce Molsky, Tim O'Brien, John Doyle, James Mackintosh, and so the band sound is superb. And then the vocalists and singer/songwriters come on one by one to perform one or two songs. New to me this time were Ruth Moody a singer/songwriter from Manitoba with a sweet voice, Declan O'Rourke from Ireland who was sparky and original(one of his songs was called 'Lightning Bird Wind River Man')and perhaps best of all, Raul Malo, a cuban american with a voice of pure gold and a belting full throttle delivery to match. Of the old favourites Eddi Reader and the immaculate Karen Matheson also took their turn and perhaps the highlight of the night was delivered early on by Karen singing a lament for a closed South Carolina mill called 'Aragon Mill'. If I have a criticism of the gig it is that Karen only got to solo on two tracks but Aragon Mill was worth the ticket cost alone. Another highlight was the solo by Jerry Douglas where his fingers eventually become a blur dancing across the dobro strings as he melds from one almost recognisable tune to another. The one track featuring Michael McGoldrick on pipes (I'm Asleep) was also stand-out as were the tunes led by Aly Bain. But whatever wasn't particularly stand-out was excellent in any case and it was another cracking Transatlantic Sessions gig. The encore captured the spirit of the evening, Raul Malo belting out 'Hey Good Lookin'' whilst the girls and Declan abandoned backing singing duties to do an impromptu scottish dance at the back of the stage.