Public Service Broadcasting 23/10/2017

The support were called Palace and they didn't grab the attention apart from their penultimate song and the guitarist stage right was quite good. PSB came on as a much bigger show than the last times we saw them. Now they had a core band of four people plus a three strong horn section, a further three strong female vocalists/accordionist who came on for one track and eight video screens providing the visual context for the music and narration and further props such as pit wheels turning and miners' lamps descending. They started of course with a couple of tracks from 'Every Valley' before launching into 'Public Service Broadcasting' itself. In fact I was expecting a full recital of the album but the show was much more mixed than that with a lot of stuff from 'The Race for Space' which I particularly enjoyed. The screen visuals were brilliant - lots of sharp cutting, interference and interesting images. The best was saved for the encore when they brought on James Dean Bradfield to sing the song that he sings on the album. That just rounded off a brilliant set. They alluded to the break that the Manics gave them as a support act which is when we first saw them. They did the Everest track after that as a final flourish. They absolutely are different to most bands but they are very good at what they do. I expect there will be imitators.

Richard Thompson 14/10/2017

The support were Josienne Clark and Ben Walker, an excellent duo with her providing the folky and pure vocals and he providing the acoustic guitar. Right from the first few bars of guitar I was enjoying their set and when she started singing I knew the set was going to be too short for me. Definitely a hint of Sandy Denny in the vocals and a good line in chat as well. Richard Thompson does various types of gigs and this was one of his where he insouciently wanders on stage with an anonymous looking acoustic guitar and then delivers a set of classic songs and blistering guitar brilliance. The first two tracks were two from the back catalogue that have recently featured on his latest acoustic album, both outstanding songs, 'Gethsemane' and 'The Ghost of You Walks'. Shortly after he responded to an audience request and changed the planned set order to play a couple of Fairport songs, 'Meet on the Ledge' (which he said he wrote at 18 and that he has no idea what it means) and 'Who Knows Where the Time Goes?' It was pretty much highlights all the way through with the exquisite guitar playing - all subtlety, speed and surprising chords. He does it on a bog-standard acoustic with no guitar changes, guitar techs and not even much tuning - no-one else can do it like he does it. The set included 'Vincent Black Lightning 1952', 'Valerie', ' I want to see the Bright Lights Tonight', 'Down where the Drunkards Roll', 'Wall of Death' and for encores ,Beeswing', 'Devonside' and to finish 'From Galway to Graceland'. Now that's what I call a gig.

Black Angels 27/9/2017

This gig was part of the band touring their fifth album 'Death March'. Over the years the band have lost some of that initial raw excitement in their music and undergone a couple of personnel changes but they are still a great live act and I preferred their new stuff live over the CD versions. The supporting trio (A Place to Bury Strangers) was very noisy and had an industrial drummer and I was a bit 'meh'. Black Angels were a five piece and with the exception of the drummer (Stephanie Bailey) they swapped instruments a lot with all four front men playing guitar during the gig and for some songs all at the same time. The main vocalist was Alex Maas who has a great voice somewhat Jim Morrisonish and a lot of the nice guitar early on was played by Christian Bland. Later Jake Garcia dumped his bass guitar and played some good stuff on guitar as well. The moogs and drones were less prominent than in previous Black Angel gigs but they are still part of the sound and something I really enjoy. The projected graphics were great - all weird transformations which generally added to the psychedelic ambience. The gig took off for me about five tracks in when they played 'Medicine' off the new album. Other highlights from the new album were 'I'd Kill for her' and 'Life Song'. They finished with one of my favourites 'Young Men Dead' off of 'Passover' - great finish to a relaively short set at just under an hour and a half. A couple of firsts for me I think - the first time I had seen two bands with a female drummer and possibly also the first time I had seen a band with two lefty guitarists.

Martin and Eliza Carthy 10/9/2017

Preceded by a tour around Colston Hall in the afternoon, this gig was in The Lantern (which was the original Colston Hall) - increasingly preferred by me to the main hall even though seating is not numbered. They started promptly at 8pm and there was an easy and warm ambience from this father and daughter duo all through the two hours or so of music that followed. I love Eliza's fiddle playing which is authoritative and rhythmic but also packs emotional content. Martin's acoustic guitar playing was also excellent - it had a deliberation about it but subtleties were always evident. He uses a different tuning to most guitarists and I also enjoyed his constant tic-like tuning of the guitar between songs. The catalogue of songs was a trawl through musical and (largely) British history. Apart from a few songs which were done solo, they played together with one or the other taking vocal lead. A couple of the solo songs were exceptional - I was particularly taken with 'Nelly was a lady' by Eliza which is a Stephen Foster song. Other highlights for me were 'Awake, awake' a version of a song I know better as 'Silver Dagger''Bonny Moorhen' a song about the hard people who live in Weardale, 'Nancy from London' and a ballad about a boxing match in the mid 19C. An excellent gig in a great atmosphere - I'd better watch out or I'll become a folkie.

Le Vent du Nord 6/9/2017

We like the Borough Theatre in Abergavenny - it's small and friendly and not too far away so we chanced upon this gig on spec. A French-Canadian band based on traditional Quebec folk - another aspect of the Celtic genre really. They were excellent with a distinctive line-up strongly featuring the Hurdy-Gurdy, the first time I have heard one played live. Fiddle, accordian, bazouki, guitar, bass and keyboards made up the instruments played by the four band members with percusssion provided by foot stamping on miked up boards. They all sang - sometimes acapello as in their Iriqouis song after making the point that French Canadians were dismissive of the 150 year independence celebrations as it should have been about 500 years but then the natives might think even that a little previous....... Their music was trooted in the traditional but felt fresh and modern as well. Each was an accomplished musician, they clearly were very tight as a band after fifteen years on the road and their voices melded very well. Another good night at the Borough Theatre.

Steve Winwood - 4/7/2017

The set list hasn't changed greatly over the last few times I have seen Steve Winwood and the band is more or less the same. That is perhaps the disappointing aspect of what is always a great show because Steve is such a brilliant songwriter, singer, keyboards player and guitarist. There are always musical moments which make you glad you made the effort to come out and I think the top moment for me was the subtle guitar that Steve played on an excellent version of 'Can't Find My Way Home' but there was plenty more to enjoy. The support was Lilly Winwood and she has inherited the soulful musicality of Steve's vocals. Her songs were good, her singing excellent and I enjoyed as ever hearing a cover of 'Angel from Montgomery' Steve's band included Jose Netto on guitar, Paul Booth on various saxes, Richard Bailey on drums and Edson da Silva on percussion. Richard Bailey is a stand out drummer and the combo of him and Edson was superb throughout. Tracks that stick in my mind apart from CFMWH and the obligatory and brilliant 'Dear Mr Fantasy' were 'Had to Cry Today' and 'Fly' and 'Low Spark of High Heeled Boys' - always a joy. Lilly came on to do some backing vocals on 'Higher Love' and for the encore. Otherwise a fairly standard but nonetheless excellent gig.

NDR Radiophilharmonie /Bachchor Hannover - 10/6/2017

It's not often I go to classical gigs but a combo of Vaughn Williams and Bach works in the Marktkirche in Hannover whilst on holiday there was a no-brainer. The whole event was delightful - a choir of 91 'backing singers' for the Bach and five lead singers backed by a large orchestra in a big church with good acoustics. What's not to like. The Vaughn Williams piece 'Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis' swirled and eddied to great effect. The orchestra swapped around and then the Bach 'Magnificat D-Dur BWV 243' followed. The conductor Andrew Mainze was English as were some of the lead singers.

Jackson Browne - 27/6/2017

I do love a Jackson Browne gig and this one was exceptionally good. There are artists who stick rigidly to a set list and a performance plan (Alison Krauss comes to mind but a lot of artists are this way). Others such as Richard Thompson seem to enjoy some spontaneity and let audience interaction influence the set. Jackson Browne seems more inclined to the former way but last night he allowed himself to get distracted 'off the highway' and play a stack of audience requests. The band looked a bit confused at times but responded brilliantly and the positive feedback from the audience just worked to deliver some great songs and a seriously good atmosphere. I think he pretty much delivered a complete list of my favourite JB songs in the set and added to that the band were superb. The interplay between the two brilliant guitarists (Greg Leisz on Pedal Steel and Lap Steel guitars and Val Macullum on lead) was a highlight. They were good last time we saw JB in 2014 but they have got better and they would often just pick up from each other line by line. Val somehow managed staccato and fluid at the same time and Greg had soaring and precise simutaneously down pat. Also contributing was the amazing vocals of Alethea Mills who had just a couple of solo bits each of which was received rapturously by the audience. The first was a verse of 'Lives in the Balance' and the second was a short piece in 'Taking it easy'. She was in the style of Clare Torry who sings on ' The Great Gig in the Sky' from Pink Floyd. The band was completed by Jeff Young on Hammond Organ, Bob Glaub on Bass and Mauricio Lewak on Drums. JB also plays a mean guitar himself, mainly rhythm. The gig started late presumably because of the long queues at the security desks on entrance. He just delivered the full gig anyway as he finished an equivalent amount later than scheduled. He kicked off with 'Just Say Yeah' and 'The Long Way Round'and then moved to the piano to sing 'Before The Deluge' which is on my all-time favourites list. Not long after he took a shouted request and sang a mesmerising version of 'For a Dancer'. I would happily have gone home then but there was much more to come as he worked through a mixture of various requests and planned songs before getting back on track well into the second half. 'For Everyman' and 'Late for the Sky' were of course great but my personal favourite song (except maybe 'For a Dancer') is 'The Road and the Sky'. A brilliant moment. All the while the guitar licks were getting hotter and hotter, both guys on top form. Other highlights near the end were 'Barricades of Heaven', 'Running on Empty' and then an encore of 'Taking it Easy' and 'Our Lady of the Well'. The former featured an unbidden audience accompaniment which was quite impressive in its volume and accuracy. A great night out and JB can still hack it even as he approaches 70.

Eddie Reader 25/4/2017

The support was the excellent Adam Holmes who we had seen just two weeks before as a band member of the John McCusker band. This time it was just him on guitar and a keyboards player. It was a shame he was only on for half an hour. His songs sounded even better at second time of hearing. Eddie Reader came on with a five piece band supporting her, double bass, guitar x 2, accordion and keyboards. Notable were Boo Hewerdine on guitar and Alan Kelly on accordion . Boo was notable as a singer songwriter whose name I had first heard in March at the Edwina Hayes gig. The support act there were irritating but they majored on Boo Hewerdine songs and here was the man in person. Unfortunately he had only one featured song the superb 'The Man That I am' about forced child migration to Australia in the 50s. It was much better by him than at Chepstow! The other notable musician was Alan Kelly who was just very good. His skills were displayed particularly on a reel that he soloed on his fingers racing over the keyboard to great effect. I am not sure what I was expecting from Eddie Reader but the set was surprisingly diverse. There was some Celtic stuff but not much, there were a couple of Fairground Attraction songs which was to be expected, but there were also tributes to Ella Fitzgerald marking the 100th anniversary of her birth (which was that very day), a tribute to Amy Winehouse ('Losing Game') and she finished with 'Moon River'. Meanwhile the set also included more recent Eddie Reader songs such as 'Vagabond' and 'Pray the Devil Back to hell' (pretty much dedicated to Donald Trump!). there was even an off-the-cuff accapello Edith Piaf song. Her voice and singing were of course excellent but she also had a great stage presence - exuberant, funny, warm and confessional. You'd definitely want her as a party or dinner guest even if she couldn't sing. 2017 is working out as a year where I am seeing a lot of fairly low key artists who don't even sell out the halls they are in but are superb musicians continuing to tour their music and not resting on their reputations or back catalogues. I find I like that a lot more than the high-price big-venue scene that is the polar opposite. That is not to say that all the big names have stopped being creative or delivering fantastic gigs - Dave Gilmore and Neil Young certainly do both those things - but there is too much of it for my taste.

Alaw - 21/4/2017

Alaw is Welsh for melody and the three members of the band are stalwarts of the local Celtic music scene although this gig was ust the other side of the Wye in Brockweir. This particular trio is led by Oli Dickson-Wright on fiddle supported by Jamie Smith on accordion and Dylan Fowler on guitar. Mabon on the other hand who we saw a couple of years ago are led by Jamie supported by Oli. Dylan we saw a few weeks ago playing a Celtic guitar concert with a Scot and a Breton. The three of them in a small village hall are a delight. Masterly musicianship, lots of warm energy and ambience and the particular brand of Celtic music that is Welsh Celtic music is grand entertainment. There are jigs and reels aplenty but also slower more plaintiff pieces. Dylan's solo guitar tunes that started the second half were a joy - the first part of it was in a Breton style and named after Soig Siberil (the aforementioned Breton guitarist). Lord Canaervon's Jig (that actually wasn't a jig) was memorable too but in fact the whole gig was at a constantly high level. Alaw played stuff from their first album and newer stuff from their upcoming album. Just a great gig and all for £8 and 5 mile drive.

John McCusker - 11/4/2017

I have seen John McCusker play a number of times mostly with Transatlantic Sessions bands or Mark Knopfler bands. This was the first time with him as the star of the show. I was expecting it to be all Celtic music as featured on his latest album but was pleasantly surprised that he gave a lot of time and limelight to Adam Holmes who played electric guitar with the band but also showcased a number of his songs which had a Country feel to them - sort of Edinburgh meets Nashville. Also in the band was Andy Cutting on accordion, Innes White on acoustic guitar (who I saw recently in Karen Matheson's band) and Toby Shaer on second fiddle.(mostly). The gig had a great ambience with all the band seated in a semi-circle as equals and with some gentle joshing from John McCusker. I didn't know the titles of a lot of the songs but I did note 'Leaving Friday Harbour' as particularly evocative in that lilting Celtic style. The musicians were all excellent and dedicated to the overall sound. The accordion was understated but right on the money, the two fiddles beautifully meshed and the guitarists complimentary to each other and the band sound.

Roy Harper 26/4/1980

I have seen Roy Harper a lot over the decades starting in 1968 in Hyde Park as a stoned support act, through to a 2005 gig at Newark. I couldn't get to his tours over the last few years for one reason or another but maybe it is better to remember him as the fierce, angry younger man. Actually he probably is still fierce and angry even though he is in his late 70s by now. This gig at Surrey University in 1980 saw him pretty much as his peak belting out most of his new album (The Unknown Soldier) and as usual some gems from the back catalogue. Chief among those for me was 'Hallucinating Light' which always came across brilliantly live. Other Harper classics played on this gig were 'One of those days in England', 'Old Cricketer' and 'One Man Rock and Roll Band'. The rest of the gig was mostly the new album which includes some pretty good tracks as well. Of course there was the usual banter from Roy - there always is.

Dylan Fowler, Ian Melrose, Soig Siberil 22/3/2017

A really timely gig this one after a recent trip to Brittany and the madness that is Brexit. An acoustic guitar gig featuring three Celtic guitarists one from Wales, one from Scotland and one from Brittany. Each was worthy of seeing in their own right but together it was pretty mesmeric at times with fingers whizzing over fretboards and notes picked with perfect timing. Instinctively I liked the Breton's style and music best as each tune was led by one or the other with the others typically proving harmony and support. I particularly liked the appropriately titled 'Le Mascaret' (The Tidal Bore) which featured a lot of hammering on with the right hand. At the end they did a cover of 'Albatross' which reasonably I see is called 'Albatross/Seagull' on their CD. Beautifully executed this was decades of practice and experience condensed into an hour and a half of delightful guitar.

Edwina Hayes 11/3/2017

I discovered fairly late in the day that Edwina Hayes was playing locally at a Chepstow folk club. Having seen her a couple of times before I was delighted to catch her so close by. She seems to gig regularly without ever receiving the attention she deserves both for her voice and for the songs she writes. There was a support of local folky Johnny Marsden who had lots of supporters in the hall and who did a short set of five songs. Edwina went through a mixture of her own songs and lots of covers - including three Richard Thompson songs which is a big plus as far as I am concerned. For the record they were 'from Galway to Graceland', 'Down where the Drunkards Roll' and 'Waltzing's for Losers', a great trio of songs to pick. Of her own songs she did 'Leave a Light on for You, 'Season of Love', 'I won't Say Your Name' and a couple I hadn't heard, one written for her aunt and one written in the style of Kate Rusby which immediately followed a Kate Rusby cover. Edwina was very chatty and the evening had a nice ambience which was somewhat spoiled by the two muppets who ran the folk club. They loved being on stage and overran the interval by 20 minutes thereby curtailing the performance just before Edwina got to my request of something from 'Desire'. She had kindly agreed to do 'Sarah' but as it was one of the last requests it got cut off. The encore with Johnny Marsden was the delightful 'Speed of the Sound of Loneliness' followed by 'Mr Tambourine Man'. A good way to finish

Laura Marling 9/3/17

This is the third time I've seen Laura Marling despite never having listened to her recorded music. The first two times she was supporting Neil Young and whilst I was 'meh' the first time in 2009 I really enjoyed the 2016 set so I came to see her headline. The support was Ethan Johns, an outgoing singer-songwriter who played as part of a trio featuring Laura Marling's bassist and an excellent fiddle player Jo something. Ethan was an ex- Emmylou musician and a a prominent record producer. His songs were OK, the fiddle player added some real interest to the songs. Laura played with bassist, guitarist, drummer and two backing vocalists. I didn't really know any of the stuff but I gathered she played the new album a lot in the first half of the set. The chord progressions were interesting and unusual, the singing confident and subtle and her guitar playing very strong and good. I was immediately on board as the opening song had strong hints of Kate Bush in it but in general the songs were original and interesting. The latter part of the show included older stuff judging from the audience reaction. I liked her and I liked her songs - time to take the plunge and buy some CDs.

Albert Lee - 7/3/2017

Albert Lee is well into his 70s but looks and plays a lot younger. His trademark style, fast and precise pickin' is absolutely still there and he hides behind no second guitarists nor messes with changing guitars or tuning between tracks. He just stands up names the songwriter for his next song and then lets loose. The band for this show was a relatively new band in that it has been going a couple of years featuring J T Thomas on keyboards and Will McGregor on bass with a young stand-in drummer for the UK tour. J T Thomas had a great style - sometimes veering towards Chris Stainton and other times more Billy Preston. He complimented Albert's guitar superbly. Albert came on precisely at 7:30pm and was finished by 9:30 after a little over 90 minutes of solid fast-paced music. His singing was also strong and good and the gig really bounced along. He started with an old classic 'I'm Ready' and a couple of bars in threw in a little perfectly timed slide that for me set the tone for the set. The next track was a piece of Americana - 'Two Step Too' and then he upped the tempo with a Carl Perkins song 'Restless' and then the first of two Gram Parsons covers - 'Wheels'. A little later in the set he also covered 'Luxury Liner' and that was simply magnificent -mesmeric flowing guitar on a classic song cover. Other highlights for me were a Jimmy Webb song ' Highwayman' which Albert played on keyboards as he did for a few songs and 'Tear Stained Letter' (Richard Thompson). This last song was perfect for Albert's style, fast-paced and rhythmic which style, of course, Richard Thompson also does from time to time. He finished the main set of course with 'Country Boy' - always a joy to hear live. The encore was a slower paced, keyboard cover of a Glen Cambell song 'A Better Place. and then to finish we had 'Tear It Up' back to rock and roll to finish. This was the first time I had seen Albert Lee fronting his own band and the first time for several decades I had heard him live. I am still marvelling at how good it was - an uplifting experience.

Transatlantic Sessions 9/2/2017

Most years we get to this annual event and it never disappoints. The formula of an extraordinary 'house band' augmented by a changing set of vocalists/songwriters works so brilliantly because of the talent of the musicians involved. Each songwriter/vocalist gets to do three or four songs and this year they were John Lauderdale, John Paul White, Tift Merrit, Eddi Reader and Karen Casey and also Dirk Powell who was guesting in the house band and did a couple of lead turns. Add to that the tunes from the house band as a whole or led by one of the house band musicians and you have a musical treat lasting just over two and a half hours and with plenty of amazing highlights. In no particular order Karen Casey's second lead song played from the piano and dedicated to her mother, John Paul White's moving first song, John Lauderdale's song which was a tribute to a late country singer and also his song 'Headed for the Hills' co-written with the one and only Robert Hunter. And of course all the tunes led by the Scottish contingent - the obligatory beautiful air from Phil Cunningham ('Irish Beauty'), the tunes led by John McCusker and anything that features Aly Bain who is the most amazing fiddle player. His whole body is still, bar the extraordinary patterns of the right arm and left hand driving to a place that anchors and leads whatever is being played. I haven't even mentioned Tift Merrit who sang beautifully and forcefully in a style that included some blues, soul and pop alongside the country or the marvellous Eddi Reader who finished the second set with a couple of songs. I still haven't mentioned the inimitable Jerry Douglas who was not introduced as 'The Greatest Dobro Player in the World' but certainly is or Michael McCusker or bandleader John Doyle or drummer Jim McTaggart or bassist, Danny Thompson or Donal Shaw. Roll on next year's gig.