tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70978456777838269822024-03-18T03:03:17.584+00:00EVEN THE STARSEven The Starshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893050145760800584noreply@blogger.comBlogger2929125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097845677783826982.post-39055734665452820392024-03-15T16:25:00.002+00:002024-03-16T14:20:31.792+00:00Happy Mondays / Inspiral Carpets / Stereo MCs - Glasgow Barrowland - 14th March 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNaiKBnoEU7osfKeemvEMxuFZXZ1uSY9KUxDOkhctzRZzNGORuylYXD0-R8KCe-0sHtnjaEKIqcoE-kWHLPcP44GAo593_VytcwSTnolHctLPgBXerXeOX99003pNCXi_DUXejPRi0zK30NU8saf3FhBLlUE6G6vNwTVSUxnw14q4CDMd48OpPqCY74Zw/s828/mondaysbarras2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="828" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNaiKBnoEU7osfKeemvEMxuFZXZ1uSY9KUxDOkhctzRZzNGORuylYXD0-R8KCe-0sHtnjaEKIqcoE-kWHLPcP44GAo593_VytcwSTnolHctLPgBXerXeOX99003pNCXi_DUXejPRi0zK30NU8saf3FhBLlUE6G6vNwTVSUxnw14q4CDMd48OpPqCY74Zw/w400-h266/mondaysbarras2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>When Happy Mondays and Inspiral Carpets announced their tour last year, tickets for the shows were in high demand with some venues selling out instantly, resulting in no fewer than three Glasgow shows. Tonight was the first of those sell out shows. Stuart Ralston ventured home for the evening.</p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>This is a proper old fashioned package tour like you used to see in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Three bands on a bill with a strict doors-at-7-and-curfew-at-11 policy means that we don’t have long to wait until Stereo MCs take to the stage. The London four piece have a healthily crowd in and front man Rob soon has them in the palm of his hand as they smash through a selection of their finest cuts including Step It Up and Connected. The bass and beats provided by their DJ Nick Hallam reverberate around the famous old ballroom and Cath Coffey provides some incredible backing vocals. </p><p>Stereo MCs go down a storm and the party has well and truly started. They are followed by Oldham’s finest, Inspiral Carpets.</p><p>It’s 36 years since Inspiral Carpets first played here, supporting the Wedding Present and this marks the first time that original singer Stephen Holt has returned to perform here since, although Clint and Graham played three memorable sold out headline shows in the early ‘90s as part of the Boon/Lambert/Gill/Walsh/Hingley era of the band. Tonight sees the first appearance of Oscar on bass and Kev on drums at the Barrowland and they both relish the occasion. As it’s a support slot, we are treated to a best of set and there’s no time for any b-sides or obscurities. It’s the first show of the year for the band and they are on tremendous form. They take to the stage to the sounds of World of Twist and a huge cheer from the crowd. </p><p>Joe gets the ten-song set underway. Delivered at super fast pace, dominated by Kev Clarke’s drumming and Clint Boon’s imposing, swirling Farfisa. “We’re back” Clint announces before launching into early single Butterfly. It’s another fast paced garage classic. A perfect post punk single, clocking in at two and half minutes and sees a great vocal interplay between Stephen and Clint. Find Out Why follows in the same vein as Butterfly and Kev’s drumming impresses once again. It’s four months since their last gig but you wouldn’t know it as the band are absolutely on fire. Two Worlds Collide slows the pace slightly. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq7WGnsaVGDkEgorwQ6tGpeUlGGWspO_uwEeCsGTlYGE0aXS1Lpuj7iCu_9lGWjLB8gBCRIFN7cTr5AJ8Wg8KkPn5z1icJrByARTexlHx8fG6T5NwD30T8Qz-QBnTJkHJ3Shyeouu3k8SEESPsO7BOInEYkznpeQJgnzDJh-lGyMTz_Ght0brUcyk4MWU/s752/inspiralsbarras1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="752" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq7WGnsaVGDkEgorwQ6tGpeUlGGWspO_uwEeCsGTlYGE0aXS1Lpuj7iCu_9lGWjLB8gBCRIFN7cTr5AJ8Wg8KkPn5z1icJrByARTexlHx8fG6T5NwD30T8Qz-QBnTJkHJ3Shyeouu3k8SEESPsO7BOInEYkznpeQJgnzDJh-lGyMTz_Ght0brUcyk4MWU/w400-h284/inspiralsbarras1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>The sound of Mark E Smith comes pouring out the PA as the band launch into an impassioned I Want You. It’s much harder live than on record. Move slows it down again and features a new, magnificent reworked outro. The crowd love it. She Comes In The Fall is one of the set highlights with some great guitar work from Graham and a wonderful drum solo from Kev. This Is How It Feels is a magnificent ensemble piece and benefits from the addition of Oscar on backing vocals. This Is How It Feels is every bit anthemic and rousing as it has ever been. Sackville changes the pace again. The hardest song in their repertoire with a real powerful Farfisa dominating and Oscar’s imposing bass. Traditional set closer Saturn 5 once again takes its place at the foot of the setlist and is the perfect upbeat euphoric end. </p><p>I first came to the Barrowland Ballroom as a 15 year old school kid to see Inspiral Carpets and now I’m just shy of my 50th birthday. Tonight was easily one of the best sets I’ve seen here. </p><p>The voice of Shaun William Ryder can be heard ambling off-stage as the musicians warm up and with the tour called ‘Been There, Done That’ there’s a sense that Happy Mondays might just be going through the motions on this tour but those thoughts are redundant over the next seventy minutes as Happy Mondays deliver an uplifting and inspiring set of classics from their back catalogue. The band open by running through half of their Pills N Thrills album - Kinky Afro, God’s Cop, Donovan, Dennis and Lois and Loose Fit - to the delight of most of the crowd (there are pockets of the crowd who are here to drink, talk and take photographs of themselves with the band in the background and they look like they really couldn’t give a sh*t about the music). </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYNYEu9af4MRc4cgS0oN6EKDUKGBHGBByEkO0M8Kt7s8T67_RVDlZ8foje7bXHbBDzzeieVgZcQQDXUN9fLs91TOkX62FIH1VD-uTFN406SWVaLRLxxYCEaHXTklW93ELUyxKPRML6ij5-yYPUU92ycU-cOZfqQxmnmEVQpWbb6npLu48aWVv5C6es3Y4/s828/mondaysbarras1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="828" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYNYEu9af4MRc4cgS0oN6EKDUKGBHGBByEkO0M8Kt7s8T67_RVDlZ8foje7bXHbBDzzeieVgZcQQDXUN9fLs91TOkX62FIH1VD-uTFN406SWVaLRLxxYCEaHXTklW93ELUyxKPRML6ij5-yYPUU92ycU-cOZfqQxmnmEVQpWbb6npLu48aWVv5C6es3Y4/w400-h274/mondaysbarras1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />It’s when’s the band depart from Pills N Thrills though that they are at their best. Mad Cyril and Tart Tart being prime examples. Mark Day and Gaz Whelan on guitar and drums respectively are excellent but almost overlooked musicians, accompanied by Dan Broad on keyboards and newest recruit Mikey Shine on bass who was brought onboard after the sad and untimely passing of Shaun’s brother, the late great Paul Ryder. Mikey’s style is very reminiscent of Paul’s and he fits right in to the band (he played in one of the earlier reincarnations of the reformed band a decade or so ago, so he knows the ropes). <p></p><p>Rave On is expanded and improvised and one of the many songs in the set to benefit from Rowetta’s powerful vocals. Rave On is followed by a spectacular Hallelujah sprinkled with more magic from Rowetta. </p><p>The closing trio - 24 Hour Party People, Step On and WFL - send the crowd home happy. Bez gets the crowd going on the “here we f’king go” chants during the later and it spoils it a bit for us. WFL is raw and loose and the perfect end to the night.</p><p>Happy Mondays are on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HappyMondaysOnline/">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Happy_Mondays">Twitter</a>.</p><div><p>Inspiral Carpets official website is <a href="http://www.inspiralcarpets.com/" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.inspiralcarpets.com']);" target="_blank">here</a>. They are also on <a href="https://twitter.com/inspiralsband/" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://twitter.com']);" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OfficialInspirals" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.facebook.com']);" target="_blank">Facebook</a>. </p></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________</div><p>Follow Even The Stars on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/eventhestarsuk" target="_blank">@eventhestarsuk</a> and like our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eventhestars" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page for all the latest updates</p></div>Stuart Ralstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06668110445153567042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097845677783826982.post-84034051747954890182024-03-08T12:31:00.004+00:002024-03-08T12:31:37.315+00:00TRACK OF THE DAY : IST IST - Lost My Shadow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc4-c5AtxCRXzHeF9eWxsE0_5vTQAvz3OGO6G-i04fR2G0_d34SIFdJM_T2TOyuNcK4XPSWRO_HLmwpHtk1NclmskLB6X3wR2Z6Rkb7RRwXMvuxgaDcqFKEshZH9jV8jnQ5T80bMcq0Xp9HbrXGxckIMmLmXJ0_wj2NgWcHysJHirz4pBcF9wkfb-p0R1X/s1200/a2502848353_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc4-c5AtxCRXzHeF9eWxsE0_5vTQAvz3OGO6G-i04fR2G0_d34SIFdJM_T2TOyuNcK4XPSWRO_HLmwpHtk1NclmskLB6X3wR2Z6Rkb7RRwXMvuxgaDcqFKEshZH9jV8jnQ5T80bMcq0Xp9HbrXGxckIMmLmXJ0_wj2NgWcHysJHirz4pBcF9wkfb-p0R1X/w400-h400/a2502848353_10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>IST IST return with a new single, Lost My Shadow, the first fruits of their
recent recording sessions for their as-yet-unannounced fourth album.
Featuring many of their trademark characteristics, but with a crisper
more direct sounding purpose to it, the song ushers in what promises to be
their most successful year to date.</p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DID8kT8ZZQY?si=fGF803nTTCKI1LAr" title="YouTube video player" width="420"></iframe><br /></p>
<p>Lost My Shadow was showcased at their supports with The Mission last year and
their sold-out Independent Venue week shows in January and February and has
already become a crowd favourite and promises to be a statement of intent live
show opener as they head off on their biggest tour to date taking in
Netherlands, where they've already sold over 1,000 tickets for their Nijmegen
show, Germany, Belgium and Scandinavia before returning to the UK in
April. </p>
<p>
IST IST's frontman Adam Houghton explains the meaning of the song - "Your
Shadow is the last thing you own after you've lost everything else. Someone
who has nothing left to lose has everything to gain and it makes them
fearless. Maybe the position we've found ourselves in, where we need to
fearless and take this band far and wide was on my mind. I can't wait for
people to hear the new track and the album. I know it's the best thing we've
done. We're levelling things up constantly, the songs are stronger and it
feels like we've worked with Joe (Cross) forever. The energy of the recording
session comes through in the music."
</p>
<p>
Bassist Andy Keating is even more vocal about the band and their success
following last year's album Protagonists cracking the Top 50 and their live
audiences growing rapidly - "Our track record speaks for itself. Our fans know
that. We've had chart success, we've headlined The Ritz and we're packing out
venues across Europe now. The new music is bolder than ever and we just want
more people to hear it and love it. We've been politely knocking on the door
for the best part of a decade but if no-one feels like answering it, we'll
just kick it down."
</p>
<p>
They play Paris L'International (March 12), Cologne Blue Shell (13), Berlin
Kantine Am Berghain (14), Copenhagen Loppen (16), Stockholm Bar Brooklyn (17),
Gothenburg Pustevik (18), Oslo John Dee (19), Hamburg Hebebuhne (21),
Groningen Vera (22), Brussels Ways Around Festival (23), Hilversum De Vorstin
(24), Nijmegen Doornroosje (26), Rotterdam Rotown (27), Paaspop (30),
Birmingham Hare And Hounds (April 4), Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach (5), London Moth
Club (6), Edinburgh Voodoo Rooms (11), York Fulford Arms (12), Leeds Key Club
(18), Liverpool Arts Club (19), Norwich Waterfront (20), Manchester New
Century (October 19) and Whitby Tomorrows Ghosts Festival (November 1).
</p>
<div><br /></div>
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<div>
<span>IST IST are on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ististmusic" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/ististmusic" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. Their albums</span> can be ordered via their <a href="https://www.ististmusic.com/collections/album" target="_blank">website</a>. Digital versions of their previous limited edition releases and a number
of live field recordings are available to download from their <a href="https://ististmusic.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a>.
</div>
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</div>
<div>
<span>Follow Even The Stars on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/eventhestarsuk" target="_blank">@eventhestarsuk</a> and like our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eventhestars" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page for all the latest updates</span>
</div>
</div>
<p><br /></p>
<p><br /></p>
Even The Starshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893050145760800584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097845677783826982.post-28182825558528762982024-03-06T08:00:00.001+00:002024-03-06T16:39:25.155+00:00Neon Waltz - Manchester Castle Hotel - 5th March 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv-ITUnmZQNVpTXAX06zc7mqRyNg1prXnXExZCy7PiuvHu-7tloIH_icrIG9B9bmbYIf3qUVgxdmZ3kYCDv01SNG2JkZq7AzDNWMBuCQJHMLcDVR7XQBErN6juOxBhoScBb36tNTMkzyAJXrkbYJZSMJw_BCY8XY1OYOXY2l9-Xj-nbyx7nGVRruax4EwZ/s2048/neon3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv-ITUnmZQNVpTXAX06zc7mqRyNg1prXnXExZCy7PiuvHu-7tloIH_icrIG9B9bmbYIf3qUVgxdmZ3kYCDv01SNG2JkZq7AzDNWMBuCQJHMLcDVR7XQBErN6juOxBhoScBb36tNTMkzyAJXrkbYJZSMJw_BCY8XY1OYOXY2l9-Xj-nbyx7nGVRruax4EwZ/w400-h300/neon3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>Neon Waltz's postponed tour in support of their second album Honey Now finally rolled into Manchester on Tuesday night into a swelteringly hot and sold out Castle Hotel. A fourteen song set pulled from Honey Now as well as old favourites from their debut Strange Hymns and points in between the two records.</div><div><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div><br /><span>It's one of music's unfathomable mysteries why Neon Waltz are not treading bigger stages than this small one in The Castle that barely fits the six of them, so much so that Jordan's arse knocks into the keyboards at one point and sends them awry. Perhaps it's their remote location in John O'Groats and their refusal to move to London to make their dream a reality, but which makes any touring an adventure - it's two and a half years since they last played Manchester for example - or their muted presence on social media, but it certainly isn't their music. </span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>For seventy minutes they remind us of their ability to create melodic songs about daily life tinged with a romanticised yet cautious optimism. The early singles that brought them their first wave of attention are piled towards the end of the set, finishing on a trio of Perfect Frame, Bring Me To Light and Dreamers that are fit for encores in bigger halls, but which give tonight's set a final lift and confirmation of Neon Waltz's status as one of the, if not the most, under-rated bands around. </span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMySiG9QrsIQvwj2grBUhKfMbpnRL97ykMYa2uT7KVQPWwes0gvoXCJNbA7ZkorytqHnDZ7q31ka6bMH6KJPDKCym5sLBUdG6ztVD20b8zvGK14Fk4MnQDevZjUzTCttqxCS810wHWe4X3QQURRS2US-SQgPxjzXogGzcc8ikKprFc_vtOlwQIEDoRqs2s/s2048/neon2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMySiG9QrsIQvwj2grBUhKfMbpnRL97ykMYa2uT7KVQPWwes0gvoXCJNbA7ZkorytqHnDZ7q31ka6bMH6KJPDKCym5sLBUdG6ztVD20b8zvGK14Fk4MnQDevZjUzTCttqxCS810wHWe4X3QQURRS2US-SQgPxjzXogGzcc8ikKprFc_vtOlwQIEDoRqs2s/w400-h300/neon2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Before that they take us through six of Honey Now's seven tracks, surprisingly omitting key single When All Is Said And Done, a record that has seen them evolve their sound into something more focused and targeted without losing that impeccable ear for an understated hook that gently takes your hand and holds it firm rather than bowling you over. They also cover Sinead O'Connor's Black Boys On Mopeds, making the song their own without disrespecting the original's beauty or message.</div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>Neon Waltz aren't about a big show of ego, yet in front man Jordan they have a leader with a quite charisma that's quite charming to behold. He jokes about drummer Darren having the hairiest chest in Manchester tonight and teases him to take his shirt off, which there's no chance will happen. They're a tight knit bunch through over a decade together as a band and this shines through in the way the songs simply flow beautifully together and there's a real understated joy that emanates from the stage and fills the room with warmth, as if we needed any more of it as the cold temperatures outside are replaced by the heat of the show. </span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>As Dreamers finishes the message of "you should do what you love while you can" echoes around The Castle's intimate music room it sends us out into the cold Manchester night with a warm feeling where it matters most. Neon Waltz are an absolute joy to watch, a band doing it for the love of the music who could have jacked it in years ago but continue with an unflinching conviction about what they're doing. </span></div><div><span> </span></div><div><span>Neon Waltz played Friends Who Lost Control, All I Need, Thoughts / Dreams / Regrets, Barewood Aisles, Strung Up, Black Boys On Mopeds, Stranger Things, A Million People, Heavy Heartless, Honey Now, As Good As Gone, Perfect Frame, Bring Me To Light and Dreamers.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><div>Neon Waltz's official website can be found <a href="http://www.neonwaltz.com/">here</a> and they are on <a href="https://twitter.com/neonwaltz" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/neonwaltz?fref=ts">Facebook</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>They play Glasgow King Tut's Wah Wah Hut (March 6), Edinburgh Mash House (7), London Camden Assembly (8), SXSW (14-16), Kyle Of Lochlash Skye Bridge Studios (April 19), Dunkeld Birnam Arts Centre (20), Inverness Upstairs (25) and Stornoway An Lanntair (26).</div><div><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________</div><br />Follow Even The Stars on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/eventhestarsuk" target="_blank">@eventhestarsuk</a> and like our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eventhestars" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page for all the latest updates</div></span></div>Even The Starshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893050145760800584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097845677783826982.post-7970910210256962122024-03-05T08:00:00.001+00:002024-03-05T14:01:31.339+00:00The Last Dinner Party / Rachel Chinouriri - Hebden Bridge Trades Club - 4th March 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ozu9OpaCxBxUNNWNAY3lS1KC_qm57iqd_cSC3zmb_KLhVDIf0lPvNxV4XCEqDjsfX7v_LMQAJ6QDBAYQm7hrQOPcNsIcv2QMt0QGrzjLXY7twWf7iAbGKL6PxrOwoP-LxhEsIpcRsx5QLxiki65VyEcqkCC2gIgfL2I8B3dmoH6zBYNHQW3pP9xg28QO/s2048/LDPtrades1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ozu9OpaCxBxUNNWNAY3lS1KC_qm57iqd_cSC3zmb_KLhVDIf0lPvNxV4XCEqDjsfX7v_LMQAJ6QDBAYQm7hrQOPcNsIcv2QMt0QGrzjLXY7twWf7iAbGKL6PxrOwoP-LxhEsIpcRsx5QLxiki65VyEcqkCC2gIgfL2I8B3dmoH6zBYNHQW3pP9xg28QO/w400-h300/LDPtrades1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>The Last Dinner Party are the name on everyone's lips right now, love or hate them. Fresh from topping the charts with their debut album Prelude To Ecstasy they played what promises to be their smallest full band show for a long time with a War Child gig at Hebden Bridge Trades Club on Monday night supported by Rachel Chinouriri.</div><div><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Rachel Chinouriri opens up the evening and the Zimbabwean-born singer and her band delight a packed Trades Club with a set of songs taken from her forthcoming debut album What A Devastating Turn Of Events. Brimming with personality and soul which run through the heart of each and every one of the songs in her thirty-five minute set, she's an absolute joy to watch. She sings, so she tells us, of her experiences on dating sites and the trials and tribulations of love, from falling for her best friend Marcus to being treated badly, promising never to do it again, and then doing just that with music as her means of trying to make sense of it all.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEh8Gu2MVP42v1Eo8WBUvaBoTqvc9VLkBvlBSqTa0yZJLQvUUss1YFdW1sOafVEJ4bAGCQOI6w2YYDn5daB6cGiaM_tUwcqVVfQBmXV6QNW9dlYDfRlq9PRudftmg6xTYfkxfSgZpgeovoUplU9oPoD-1Zq6zwSzCOmluogGddAHEFyEfSGStxqZf5z72c/s2048/racheltrades.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEh8Gu2MVP42v1Eo8WBUvaBoTqvc9VLkBvlBSqTa0yZJLQvUUss1YFdW1sOafVEJ4bAGCQOI6w2YYDn5daB6cGiaM_tUwcqVVfQBmXV6QNW9dlYDfRlq9PRudftmg6xTYfkxfSgZpgeovoUplU9oPoD-1Zq6zwSzCOmluogGddAHEFyEfSGStxqZf5z72c/w400-h300/racheltrades.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>Her voice is strong, powerful and accentuates the emotions. A woman to our left is in tears at one song such is the connection that she makes with her music. The album's title track and the wonderful Maybe I'm Lonely, which gets to the heart of why people put up with shit on dating sites, are the standouts, but the set never once drops in quality. She loses herself in the music, swaying, dancing, and letting her band consume her in the moments she's not singing. The crowd love her, whether it's those who know her like much of the front rows, or those like us for whom this is our first experience. She's a superstar and an inspiration in waiting.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Last Dinner Party are already superstars. A number one album, an orchestrated campaign to dampen their achievements and play down their growth from venues of this size in London to multiple sell-out Academy size venues across the country and a fanbase that spans all ages, their rise has been astronomical but absolutely deserved. Their absolute joy at being on stage and performing together is still undimmed, they revel tonight in being so close to their audience and feeling that connection in a way that they will have to come to terms with losing in the bigger spaces. When Abigail and Georgia head into the crowd during a raucous Lady Of Mercy it felt like they'd been transported back to their early days of Brixton Windmill.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3rsma3LiAw3VTvWOequfVWf1qikXE_3td0PKZLVfEk-GkBlDX-0Iytg0aAh_-VD7hdNJtp93bW2HR9CvmDBoDXlrdb4gk9MBqMvgP0-VAGIfDNzNYWyEbtuH1wq2YNnFW3qh5jMgZShc__cuuDVBR0rvosUA8OJMEQYtEzYJHVHaC_XTfTyAMDk1gGvb/s2048/LDPtrades2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3rsma3LiAw3VTvWOequfVWf1qikXE_3td0PKZLVfEk-GkBlDX-0Iytg0aAh_-VD7hdNJtp93bW2HR9CvmDBoDXlrdb4gk9MBqMvgP0-VAGIfDNzNYWyEbtuH1wq2YNnFW3qh5jMgZShc__cuuDVBR0rvosUA8OJMEQYtEzYJHVHaC_XTfTyAMDk1gGvb/w400-h300/LDPtrades2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>The set is as you'd expect with a number one album fresh in their pockets predominantly taken from Prelude To Ecstasy, concluding with a gloriously loose Nothing Matters that two hundred and fifty people sing back to them at a volume that almost drowns them out. There's a few surprises though. Lizzie was born in Hebden Bridge and expresses her love for the town and Yorkshire in general in an emotional interlude before performing a delightful cover of Catherine Howe's 60s song Up North, whilst Nothing Matters is preceded by a rare outing for Godzilla, an early track that didn't make the cut for the album, but which the fans down the front, who Abigail teases have seen them thousands of times already, know word for word. A new song Second Best also suggests that they're no flash-in-the-pan either.</div><div><br /></div><div>Technical difficulties with Emily's guitars allows Lizzie to make the joke that they're definitely playing live, as a retort to some of the criticism that's been thrown their way about being manufactured in some laboratory where record labels churn out the next big thing. They're tight live, but don't simply replicate the recorded songs verbatim. Emily is allowed much more freedom to let loose on guitar, one of the leaders of a new generation of women showing men how it's done, whilst Georgia's bass playing and stand-in drummer Casper's rhythm section is crucial at holding the songs together. Some of the best moments are when they harmonise together, Abigail's lead being lifted by an angelic choir of backing vocals. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipkq5ZiFEZ91qQ3ozxCxYUlL98bMfdGzuaRNceW1tbIlOip5xZI6V3UqCo3J4k49XMQhFAyIYzRaqtAFqS9bx_6LbI-9v6o0kVzGd6wNLg0MaZSj6nqGz43xcQo6YAT7nsnHvrAXQWRL0Z82-7_sRtIMdR2k95Z3_x_8CrBss0VZgslPT9s-nDs47-Q1WJ/s2048/LDPtrades3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipkq5ZiFEZ91qQ3ozxCxYUlL98bMfdGzuaRNceW1tbIlOip5xZI6V3UqCo3J4k49XMQhFAyIYzRaqtAFqS9bx_6LbI-9v6o0kVzGd6wNLg0MaZSj6nqGz43xcQo6YAT7nsnHvrAXQWRL0Z82-7_sRtIMdR2k95Z3_x_8CrBss0VZgslPT9s-nDs47-Q1WJ/w400-h300/LDPtrades3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>There's moments of theatre in the set, but the most telling are those where there feels like a genuine communion in the room, particularly between the band and the young (and older) women for whom The Last Dinner Party are a genuine inspiration. Music can act as the greatest means of escape from everything else going on in the world. They may have been misquoted in the press, but the world does need moments where you can shut the cost-of-living crisis out of your mind and lose yourself in a different and better place irrespective of whatever upbringing you may have had. A Last Dinner Party show is one of those places.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>The Last Dinner Party's website can be found <a href="https://www.thelastdinnerparty.co.uk/" target="_blank">here</a> and they are on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheLastDinnerParty" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/lastdinnerparty" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Rachel Chinouriri is on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/rachelchinouririmusic" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/rachelchinourir" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.</div><div><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Follow Even The Stars on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/eventhestarsuk" target="_blank">@eventhestarsuk</a> and like our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eventhestars" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page for all the latest updates</div></div>Even The Starshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893050145760800584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097845677783826982.post-56874787408365494232024-03-05T07:30:00.001+00:002024-03-05T14:08:13.189+00:00The Murder Capital - London Moth Club - 28th February 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge6vx9kVO4PQtNkVWvkkuue-uY8oTa9nv0piY32BkeRIsARpSNgNMVJpjNx61-EPjU2RzOzVAsQJuy_WITvzpP59NIS7BGjieo8qQHSbkMnrX-ub1Ylx_MaGQqDSzdaQjj48UZeZ4ofcBYUBA7GfXRY-wjJSUlUoe7xXr05GA-fGseMcpTC7x6z8hLTGIw/s2048/429597020_928986191774425_1440099126721765428_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge6vx9kVO4PQtNkVWvkkuue-uY8oTa9nv0piY32BkeRIsARpSNgNMVJpjNx61-EPjU2RzOzVAsQJuy_WITvzpP59NIS7BGjieo8qQHSbkMnrX-ub1Ylx_MaGQqDSzdaQjj48UZeZ4ofcBYUBA7GfXRY-wjJSUlUoe7xXr05GA-fGseMcpTC7x6z8hLTGIw/w400-h300/429597020_928986191774425_1440099126721765428_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Make no mistake about it, The Murder Capital’s journey to the very top is getting closer and world domination may just be around the corner if their latest offerings are fully taken onboard by the potential new fan base they may capture when supporting Pearl Jam in the not so distant future.</p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>Tonight’s Moth Club show in London offered them the opportunity to showcase and road test new material from their forthcoming third album and it’s safe to say the future seems very bright given the quality of the new songs and the thrilling audience reaction to them too.</p><p>For me The Murder Capital have always possessed that spontaneity and rawness to their performances so this one-off sold out in minutes gig was always going to be something special and the Irish rockers didn’t disappoint.</p><p>The air of anticipation in hearing the new songs was heightened further on arrival at the intimate venue with the setlist dotted about on a number of walls giving us a teaser of what was to come. It immediately sparked conversations between friends old and new. </p><p>Seven new tracks in a fourteen song set certainly raised a few eyebrows with many favourites being omitted from the set. This is The Murder Capital though and the evolution will still not be compromised. They are clearly comfortable in their own skin, fiercely ambitious, hungry, authentic and refusing to rest on their laurels.</p><p>The stage is barely big enough to accommodate this quintet anymore and as the lights dim they saunter on stage to a rapturous applause still looking like the coolest band on the fucking planet.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGfgDUyEMdLNw4HXOHHTTZ_R9fZb77aGO0UR0VvW6CesESrjq72Uz6jRorcGt3iPiWLhometBix_jbChvOeXQB325ZtzKqGi6qfQ1hlzWllOgnbL6s5uVm_rVh1yiTIFt0Q87CgXBvxOgdGLEbrUVjmocVlpiHLbeXLYbDWVO4GZrtbf6hVoerQeSbUZ4/s2048/426807344_2034301703608250_1584192982466712548_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGfgDUyEMdLNw4HXOHHTTZ_R9fZb77aGO0UR0VvW6CesESrjq72Uz6jRorcGt3iPiWLhometBix_jbChvOeXQB325ZtzKqGi6qfQ1hlzWllOgnbL6s5uVm_rVh1yiTIFt0Q87CgXBvxOgdGLEbrUVjmocVlpiHLbeXLYbDWVO4GZrtbf6hVoerQeSbUZ4/w300-h400/426807344_2034301703608250_1584192982466712548_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p>Death Of A Giant opens proceedings. A brave move starting with a new one but this band don’t do things conventionally. It’s a high octane number engulfed with trademark guitars and high tempo drums. James’ clenched delivery amidst rippling guitar chords elevates the song to another level. Simply sublime.</p><p>With no time to breathe and take it all in the band launch into the incendiary For Everything. It’s a brutal, stirring and thought provoking song that has lost none of its power to punch you in the guts and floor you. The band embrace the theatre that this song, like many others, calls for. The energy and spark between the adored and the adorers accentuates with the back and forth bellowing of “For everything, for nothing” until it reaches its climactic ending when both parties are left breathless and on our knees.</p><p>A Thousand Lives has lost none of its mercurial charm and it tugs at the heartstrings. James McGovern serenades us “Crystals forming on your cheeks my love, A thousand lives with you and I won’t be enough”. His thirst for romance is infectious. The swirling synths, intoxicating beats and effects laden guitars open up your mind to all sorts of possibilities. This is a trait only the truly special bands possess.</p><p>The groovy and anthemic Words Lost Meaning is huge sounding. This is big music for a band with the potential to be the biggest. This may well be the song that catapults them to the moon and back. Yet again James delivers words so beautiful and enchanting that you can only just marvel at the lyrical genius. Written from experience and already in the psyche of the listener the words hit home “Ohhhh I never need you to say I love you, the words lost meaning” he rasps. The song is an immediate ear worm and the adoring masses are already singing the words back. Magical.</p><p>The band seamlessly transition into The Stars Will Leave Their Stage and Crying. Both exceptional tunes from the magnificent Gigi’s Recovery album. The former sees James, arms aloft, reaching for the skies, the stars even, heightening the tension and drama of the song. It’s a song that ebbs and flows with intricacies and nuances and you can’t but help try to take it all in as your eyes wander from one band member to another in quick succession just to see what is actually going on.</p><p>The same can be said for the beautiful Crying. A song based on the love of a true friendship and being there for that person no matter what. An important message which the band are keen to promote.</p><p>Big D (Diarmuid Brennan) is one of the best drummers in the business. He never misses a beat and he’s a powerhouse. Cathal Roper and Damien Tuit are pure artists painting pictures with their wizardry on guitars and synths alike. Both are very expressive on stage and their ability to make sonic mayhem will blow your mind. Gabriel Paschal Blake’s menacing demeanour fits with the strength of his bass playing as the bass pulsates adrenaline and it runs through the veins of this band. Every rumble of that bass even in the balletic moments is felt just as much as the emotive vocal.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSDVfhzB-_NX39i0OIpIPdC9kTQ5qUezQOOHheC3i4n4HCN8jxBtQc5xWzZrDXb99mowDUDSsIGQWd4_dS6QRW5sQkQC5spy99H6X0KpFoMnng5X0Thzu80pFe1T6z-iojZWxmzW1BmpghdGSfISSGl2KGQmjdKBxQY5bUukJ_0SjKYj8XoZPruNFoVy52/s2048/429102764_1127920431734790_8285755685746976427_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSDVfhzB-_NX39i0OIpIPdC9kTQ5qUezQOOHheC3i4n4HCN8jxBtQc5xWzZrDXb99mowDUDSsIGQWd4_dS6QRW5sQkQC5spy99H6X0KpFoMnng5X0Thzu80pFe1T6z-iojZWxmzW1BmpghdGSfISSGl2KGQmjdKBxQY5bUukJ_0SjKYj8XoZPruNFoVy52/w300-h400/429102764_1127920431734790_8285755685746976427_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p>Safe Sound, another new track, is an experimental and brooding slow burner. Building up in momentum into a cacophony of noise you find yourself lost in the moment meandering down an unknown path before taking a sharp and unexpected turn. </p><p>The same can be said of Can’t Pretend To Know. Reflective and repetitive yet mesmerising it might be the new The Murder Capital but it’s still unmistakably them - captivating, alluring, progressive and exceptional. </p><p>Heart In The Hole, their first new material after Gigi’s Recovery is both energising and fresh. The band’s lust for life evident in four minutes of raucous mayhem down the front as the crowd bounce and collide in unison. It feels like a community spirit within the pit. Everyone looking after each other and maintaining the ethos of the band.</p><p>The urgency of Don’t Cling To Life takes it up another notch. The opening chords of the song a battle cry to rejoice, embrace, seize the moment and live it. While empathetic there’s a certain vivid emotional quality to James and the rest of the band as they take the song to even more emotional levels. Charismatic and passionate as ever it’s hard not to hang off every word the enigmatic frontman says.</p><p>There’s a Stooges/MC5 influence to The Fall. They kick out the jams with tenacious conviction. The dynamism of the song shining brightly through with James declaring “the fall is coming, it’s always coming”. It’s old fashioned rock and roll and it pummels you into submission.</p><p>Ethel is very much a song for the ages. A mass singalong ensues full of fervour and ecstasy and it’s clear for all to see that the band know that this is one of the songs of any generation. There were many who felt they’d deviated too much from the dark side of the masterpiece that was When I Have Fears but if they hadn’t then this anthem would never have come to light. A firm fan favourite I imagine this will remain in the set for years to come. “Hold on to her tight” and never let this song go lads.</p><p>A Distant Life sees a band in harmony, jamming and rocking out with aplomb. It sounds so intricate yet it’s delivered effortlessly such is the musicianship, craftsmanship and professionalism of a band destined to reach the higher echelons. They are without doubt Ireland’s most vital band right now and it’s easy to see why they’ve amassed a cult following.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKbz4RQu8oi1kR2QRSXHNwNdklxTn1L1Tl0E8vw6ktSaW3qdEY5BlJOfGXtdFPWzwt0z9puFlpf_3dc0LGZSj3DrELnFStMQI2CmGnRi-TAlr7yz7OWVLYRlEkCV5190rc8iRb_3teGLlrOLIrCv2NwmHOVjlyXXkbAW7UgUEjnfRampkLGUN0VuyWZdvo/s2048/430831480_2383091878551268_8138362372680712712_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKbz4RQu8oi1kR2QRSXHNwNdklxTn1L1Tl0E8vw6ktSaW3qdEY5BlJOfGXtdFPWzwt0z9puFlpf_3dc0LGZSj3DrELnFStMQI2CmGnRi-TAlr7yz7OWVLYRlEkCV5190rc8iRb_3teGLlrOLIrCv2NwmHOVjlyXXkbAW7UgUEjnfRampkLGUN0VuyWZdvo/w300-h400/430831480_2383091878551268_8138362372680712712_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p>Final song That Feeling brings the evening to a memorable close. James quips “we don’t do encores in this band….but one day they’ll probably make us”. Beginning with reverb and a heavy bass the increasing tempo sees the song transform from brooding melancholia to a seething explosion of emotion both sonically and lyrically. </p><p>The build up, the breakdown and everything in between goes up another rung with each and every verse. You can sense the excitement and intensity rising, like a volcano wanting to spew lava, the magnitude of this song cannot be underestimated. There’s fervour to the point of hysteria and there’s an underlying catharsis and a sense of genuine relief at the end not just for this song but those other new songs too. All seven songs are likely to make the cut for the eagerly awaited third album. </p><p>Rest assured The Murder Capital are primed and positioned. Without compromising the evolution they are organically heading in the direction of superstardom and I, for one, look forward to the next chapter on their deserved journey to the very top.</p><p>The Murder Capital's official site can be found <a href="https://themurdercapital.com/">here</a> and they are on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MurdrCapitalBand">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/MurderCapital_">Twitter</a>.</p><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Follow Even The Stars on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/eventhestarsuk" target="_blank">@eventhestarsuk</a> and like our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eventhestars" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page for all the latest updates</div>Jason Wynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03881763612483573871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097845677783826982.post-10751990840524605492024-03-01T14:47:00.003+00:002024-03-01T14:47:37.594+00:00John Bramwell And The Full Harmonic Convergence / Harriet Bradshaw - Manchester Stoller Hall - 29th February 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNBhtgb7R2eyslnm0S4xXJhmiLqbfZV6FVh6eF4Nds4ENA0K2tBvEPdP4XrgUdGG4Zct1GdoELonxSzMrOkdghHt8VknOeeLlVraARiuSJOrIbCfm4egQC60sHhrnkMrbXY3WzFUd6xxX7XAWVwuXX3Gnl-n10PiDFI95HN-dL_teNmneZ2Aoq2dV8cI-/s2048/418595581_363165043214567_5947525834354140904_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNBhtgb7R2eyslnm0S4xXJhmiLqbfZV6FVh6eF4Nds4ENA0K2tBvEPdP4XrgUdGG4Zct1GdoELonxSzMrOkdghHt8VknOeeLlVraARiuSJOrIbCfm4egQC60sHhrnkMrbXY3WzFUd6xxX7XAWVwuXX3Gnl-n10PiDFI95HN-dL_teNmneZ2Aoq2dV8cI-/w400-h300/418595581_363165043214567_5947525834354140904_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>John Bramwell And The Full Harmonic Convergence took to the resplendent stage of The Stoller Hall in Manchester on Thursday night to celebrate the release of John's second solo album The Light Fantastic. The five-piece performed the majority of the album alongside tracks from John's debut Leave Alone The Empty Spaces and a few selected nuggets from his I Am Kloot days to a respectful and engrossed audience. Support came from the Harmonic Convergence's own Harriet Bradshaw with tracks from her debut solo releases.</div><div><span><a name='more'></a></span><span><br /></span></div><div>John's introduction to Harriet before she takes the stage says everything that needs saying. He describes her as the most talented musician he knows and that's a fine compliment from a man who has graced stages with some of the country's most celebrated musicians over the years. Following Harriet's journey from playing cello on a few tracks at a show in Hebden Bridge through to last year's eponymous solo album and its follow-up EP has seen her blossom as a musician. The visible nerves of performing on her own have disappeared now and she confidently takes on one of Manchester's hidden gem music spaces and an appreciative crowd.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihHGrw-ahbL6yYNT4R1_51JhIOf42H9hTJeaUB2S6po2cYEw1NdRZ1OVYJVe4eYS6nuLuHnUPV-y8Ylzu1fQkq4l_kxorIBuvksMbq-JcyJl_RRlPyzzohni8EgsLjtIjfS1cS5mGhr5iEssRcAkqIc0qbT5k2ubupWarGqK07iHeVIOoXZc0I559R0rFM/s2048/418191703_1145561476471004_2425757922748053142_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihHGrw-ahbL6yYNT4R1_51JhIOf42H9hTJeaUB2S6po2cYEw1NdRZ1OVYJVe4eYS6nuLuHnUPV-y8Ylzu1fQkq4l_kxorIBuvksMbq-JcyJl_RRlPyzzohni8EgsLjtIjfS1cS5mGhr5iEssRcAkqIc0qbT5k2ubupWarGqK07iHeVIOoXZc0I559R0rFM/w400-h300/418191703_1145561476471004_2425757922748053142_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>She starts on guitar with her debut single Mermaids And Pondskaters and the debut album's Yourself And Nobody Else. Whether she's singing about her own experiences or painting vivid pictures from her love of poetry and literature, the lyrical attention to detail is fascinating and they're delivered with a voice that's soft, delicate and yet still evokes imagery of the stories it is telling. The impact is even starker when she sits at the piano for Stone Cold and two tracks from her recent EP Eyes At Two Sides Of My Head and Love Is A Basket. She returns to the guitar for Rotten Apples, a new song that shows she's continuing to create and recount stories. Those who braved the long bar queues rather than catching the support very much missed out.</div><div><br /></div><div>John's in ebuillent mood as he celebrates the belated release of The Light Fantastic, an album that's been half a decade in the making and which many of the die-hards know by heart before its release by dint of multiple Full Harmonic Convergence shows where these songs have usurped those from his I Am Kloot days. He plays with the audience behind him in the choir seats, laughing at references to his "nice arse" from one gentleman, whilst being as self-deprecating as ever, this time about his long flowing locks resembling a Muppets character before finally giving in and borrowing a hair band from a woman in the crowd. The chemistry between the five of them is evident and the tight bond of friendship as well as musical connection is very clear right from the start as Dave, Harriet and Andy harmonise with him in the gorgeous opener World Full Of Flowers right through to the collective bows as they finish the night with Proof.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi99UsLF2htrfEaLd_4FOssdia-IzUu_NG7G6e7-vcLZZ5WX5QKxa3YbmmQa8yw8UtvNu7KpbAL1a-D0l_6OX7Mq27IkpUmKZfX3rR1NWUVM5jl8AAYEw5irNH5jvpftCD-6lpp_jV_lDG2rtmcI1HUtPXegBdZksATShm2dc2MYhAjCgAV0qeaxfy3L3WS/s2048/418293649_897881389012800_6808677132239267497_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi99UsLF2htrfEaLd_4FOssdia-IzUu_NG7G6e7-vcLZZ5WX5QKxa3YbmmQa8yw8UtvNu7KpbAL1a-D0l_6OX7Mq27IkpUmKZfX3rR1NWUVM5jl8AAYEw5irNH5jvpftCD-6lpp_jV_lDG2rtmcI1HUtPXegBdZksATShm2dc2MYhAjCgAV0qeaxfy3L3WS/w400-h300/418293649_897881389012800_6808677132239267497_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>Pretty much the whole set is taken from The Light Fantastic and its predecessor Leave Alone The Empty Spaces with only a few Kloot songs - I Still Do, The Same Deep Water As Me, Bullets, 86 TVs, Northern Skies and Proof - making an appearance and those are songs that very much fit in with the musical ethos of The Full Harmonic Convergence. The rich melodies, delightful harmonies and heartfelt storytelling are a joy to behold and the immaculate sound in The Stoller Hall allows all the intricate beauty of them to be heard. Harriet's cello provides a counterpoint to John and Dave Fidler's guitars, Andy Fidler's cahon and Alan Lowles' keyboards, imbuing the songs with drama and tension that pierce through the reverent atmosphere in the room. The songs from Leave Alone The Empty Spaces, a sparser record on vinyl than its successor, are given the same treatment as those songs and the likes of Time's Arrow and From The Shore benefit from the broader more expansive sound that the five of them bring.</div><div><br /></div><div>At the core of it all those is John. His world-weary but obtusely positive outlook on life shines through in the songs, but also in his between-song chat, recycling all his favourite one-liners that make him and six hundred people laugh even though the majority can probably finish the sentence for him. That's the magic of John Harold Arnold Bramwell though, take away the stage and he's one of us, just with the gift of articulation through music, and words in the spoken-word Nobody Left But You, as confused as the rest of us about the state of the world and life's relentless grind. What he does is bring people together and make them feel that, for ninety minutes at least, everything might not be as bad as it looks.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Full Harmonic Convergence played World Full Of Flowers, The Element of Truth, From The Shore, I Still Do, The Light Fantastic, Sky Full Of Thunder And Lightning, It's Just You, I Am The Sky, Days Go By, Here It Comes, Leave No Traces, Bullets, Who Is Anybody Anyway, Nobody Left But You, Time's Arrow, 86 TVs, The Same Deep Water As Me, Sat Beneath The Lightning Tree, Northern Skies, Before The Lights Went Out, Meet Me At The Station and Proof.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>John Bramwell plays Full Harmonic Trio shows at Oldham Shure Studios (March 1), Altrincham Bowdon Rooms (2), Cardiff Acapella Studios (14), Ludlow Assembly Rooms (15), Falmouth The Cornish Bank (21), Totnes The Barrel House Ballroom (22), Carlisle Old Fire Station (27), Glasgow St Luke's (28), Twyford St Mary's Church (April 5), Corsham Pound Arts Centre (6), Tunbridge Wells Forum (11), Norwich Waterfront (12), Oxford United Reform Church (19), Aldershot West End Centre (20), Shrewsbury Cathedral (25), Birmingham St Paul's Church (27), Chester St Mary's Creative Space (28), Nottingham Metronome (May 9), Dublin The Grand Social (11), Burton On Trent The Ropewalk (17), Lancaster Grand (24), Cardigan Mwldan (31), Bath Rondo Theatre (June 1), Liverpool Philharmonic Music Room (7) and Newcastle Cluny (8).</div><div><p>John Bramwell's website can be found <a href="http://www.johnbramwell.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. He is also on <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnBramwell1" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/johnharoldarnoldbramwell" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.</p><p>The Light Fantastic can be ordered <a href="https://johnbramwell.tmstor.es/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>Harriet Bradshaw's website can be found <a href="https://www.harrietbradshaw.com/" target="_blank">here</a> and she is on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HarrietJMBradshaw" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/HJMBradshaw" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. The album is available on her <a href="https://harrietbradshaw.bandcamp.com/album/harriet-bradshaw" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a> on digital, CD and vinyl.</p><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________</div><p>Follow Even The Stars on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/eventhestarsuk" target="_blank">@eventhestarsuk</a> and like our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eventhestars" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page for all the latest updates</p></div></div>Even The Starshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893050145760800584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097845677783826982.post-51214246589599647002024-02-21T19:00:00.003+00:002024-02-21T19:00:25.761+00:00Meryl Streek / Scattered Ashes / Marginal Gains - Newcastle Zerox - 19th February 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGHO1FkGqNqS1TFnfH5BKt6krsIVukn1fHZ08bKibjYSfR7pytladMNHlU8-nFTXla1kf5QjBHd_yim1cp-MndVLYmGoeEQUaQoiy3VPFwI7tdd1BddQt1AO2V98fTAfBvBkY4umL7UOu6MnIHV6WG9U8f5rgqqne9Y2U6YEPIJa7tNjA4NtR1QzrwFbt/s4032/426807308_1446979062906890_1207183223594153635_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGHO1FkGqNqS1TFnfH5BKt6krsIVukn1fHZ08bKibjYSfR7pytladMNHlU8-nFTXla1kf5QjBHd_yim1cp-MndVLYmGoeEQUaQoiy3VPFwI7tdd1BddQt1AO2V98fTAfBvBkY4umL7UOu6MnIHV6WG9U8f5rgqqne9Y2U6YEPIJa7tNjA4NtR1QzrwFbt/w300-h400/426807308_1446979062906890_1207183223594153635_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p>Since moving further up North it’s been noticeable that many bands bypass Newcastle as part of their U.K. tours yet the amazing Wandering Oak managed to pull off somewhat of a coup with a trio of talented artists - Meryl Streek, Scattered Ashes and Marginal Gains - at Newcastle Zerox.</p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>The sold out audience were treated to a spectacular evening from three artists who all showcased their exceptional qualities to an appreciative crowd and all for the favourable price of ten pounds.</p><p>First up were local collective Marginal Gains. A North East band with a sprinkling of Dundee thrown in for good measure. Still relatively new to the scene the quartet proved to be a very popular opening act and they’re already very accomplished in what they do.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcyhPsvAZgNdO0ifyPzPKGm53l5ROUcOx8nTOZyUt6qfDjCcP0tt8IueDQt7qa5FDXPMg0ci82Yij0Iitd8S5YQL5fLTwSl4PFIFzTx4RVymZ0TaD3l0mWenuoIDzEhjGpJnVjSiMir0LSPgjRG_Iz4dDwysKMC1Ol_JKg_70t_AC1wuMd_yC1KjA15sUm/s4032/427076613_1152139275769157_6944544622118419086_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcyhPsvAZgNdO0ifyPzPKGm53l5ROUcOx8nTOZyUt6qfDjCcP0tt8IueDQt7qa5FDXPMg0ci82Yij0Iitd8S5YQL5fLTwSl4PFIFzTx4RVymZ0TaD3l0mWenuoIDzEhjGpJnVjSiMir0LSPgjRG_Iz4dDwysKMC1Ol_JKg_70t_AC1wuMd_yC1KjA15sUm/w400-h300/427076613_1152139275769157_6944544622118419086_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>With songs like See It Say It, Facts and Big Night they catch the eyes and ears of a healthy crowd who have turned up early to see a band who appear to be creating a bit of a stir locally. Their Pixies meet The Breeders meet VLURE cocktail of noise sets up the evening ahead. Funky, abrasive and infectious we haven’t heard the last of these lasses and lad. With every show there are small but significant improvements as they continue to evolve and hone their sound. Ones to watch.</p><p>Make no mistake about it Scattered Ashes are the real deal. Hailing from Dublin and Mayo the boys have relocated to London and Brighton as they embark on the next chapter of their brilliant existence. Deep, dark, passionate and intoxicating the band reel you in from the start and you’re hooked by their mesmeric and blistering set.</p><p>In an all killer no filler set the band play like their lives depend on it and with the quality of songs they already have in their locker this band are going to go far. In their arsenal they have songs bands can only dream of writing. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-tVGwcQW0mPqzprrvZ3q-l9Xj4PhfxcjtNxgNrD5-7KRawCqdJPKokRS9dHbmixWYcuzVEKx23oQzvChhvkzifFYPgI7avSKXhEKktPXKS3yfvDOZKmmU261NGjEeGDe5ME2Z-REeCEuAnHtbmHdThuELqddMH1CVYLhXSdt-Mtl84UL8RxkWjLDwBie/s4032/426811520_904187497866001_2067961419646845493_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-tVGwcQW0mPqzprrvZ3q-l9Xj4PhfxcjtNxgNrD5-7KRawCqdJPKokRS9dHbmixWYcuzVEKx23oQzvChhvkzifFYPgI7avSKXhEKktPXKS3yfvDOZKmmU261NGjEeGDe5ME2Z-REeCEuAnHtbmHdThuELqddMH1CVYLhXSdt-Mtl84UL8RxkWjLDwBie/w400-h300/426811520_904187497866001_2067961419646845493_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Opener They Can’t Divide Us, the excellent Battles and closing song Love Is Not An Option are highlights but in truth every single song is a stand out. Catchy hooks, intricate drumming, expansive soundscapes and authoritative vocals are prevalent throughout the set and with this concoction we have a crowd completely immersed in their stellar performance. It’s relentless, rousing and provocative.</p><p>Robert Dalton’s distinctive and brooding yet menacing vocals in unison with the wizardry of Ben Downes on lead guitar give the band that urgent and abrasive feel. The rhythmic heartbeat of the band comes from brothers Cillian Sheil on drums and Gerry Sheil on bass. They never miss a beat. The strength and harmony within comes from this bond the quartet have. Personable and unassuming these lads have got it all.</p><p>Meryl Streek is something of a phenomenon. With every tour, with every show, he continues to evolve and broaden not only his but the audiences horizons too. An old head on young shoulders he’s not afraid to speak the truth and deal with the injustices of this world. This act is not fake. This is real life and he speaks, sings and shouts from the heart and when you’re stood just yards away from the great man you feel it. You consume it. You believe it.</p><p>Old fans and new fans alike realise this will probably be the last time they see him in such intimate surroundings as momentum is growing fast in anticipation of his next album. For now one man and his torch retains the diy feel but you know once the stages get bigger and he’s accompanied by a backdrop of visuals and maybe a full band then the set, the performance, will become even more rousing and thrilling - if that’s even possible.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3EC9na6xi9fInkjai4dtNfpc3fQ_fPe6yUOxQpwiOm2YG8IIfrp35YXdls5EBGli7K04CJVle9bX5T7mTErOmB_FpaR5_OoLpAOr7oVkQSNTPNYcjjRj8d34LyOY3XT9IdtvzlfMd8jAySohR3omcwZ1KYx094iDY6pKai5uifBksSHAtq6YlxJwfffD/s4032/426886708_378758334855744_5898051278059008643_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3EC9na6xi9fInkjai4dtNfpc3fQ_fPe6yUOxQpwiOm2YG8IIfrp35YXdls5EBGli7K04CJVle9bX5T7mTErOmB_FpaR5_OoLpAOr7oVkQSNTPNYcjjRj8d34LyOY3XT9IdtvzlfMd8jAySohR3omcwZ1KYx094iDY6pKai5uifBksSHAtq6YlxJwfffD/w300-h400/426886708_378758334855744_5898051278059008643_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p>Meryl Streek literally bounces off the walls in this wonderful art space at Zerox as the crowd hang off every word he tells us. Like a man possessed covering every inch of the room zipping about like a deranged madman primal screaming his frustrations and angst he’s in your face then he’s in someone else’s. There’s no let up and there’s people on edge especially when those occasional ‘Rahhh!’ outbursts are delivered with such menace.</p><p>To hear Suicide in its rawest of forms live is something people need to experience at least once. It’s even more poignant when the room is so dark and all you can see is a flickering light waiting to burn out. Death To The Landlord is as brutal and vitriolic as it’s ever been. People shouting back every word in full agreement of what’s being said.</p><p>No one is safe from the disdain and frustration of the confrontational frontman and his actions. Why should they be? This is punk rock after all. The visceral nature is incendiary and thought provoking and it isn’t lost on this crowd as he joins them and is circled on the venue floor, surrounded by people who get it. They really get it.</p><p>It’s not all about spewing out the inner rage though as there’s compassion in abundance too. Mix that with electronic beats, punk rock guitars and samples aplenty and it’s the perfect cocktail of getting your innermost feelings across to a bunch of expectant punters.</p><p>Paddy is one of the standout tracks amongst a plethora of powerful, emotive songs. To witness the crowd singing back the mantra “and you’ll always be loved, and you’ll always be missed” is something spiritually and emotionally uplifting for both artist and crowd.</p><p>The likes of Matter Of Fact, Demon and Gambling Death are hard hitting, gut wrenching tales that leave you gasping for air. They’re relentless and unapologetic. There’s no hiding place. The truth might hurt but it needs to be heard.</p><p>If This Is Life concludes proceedings and it feels like a celebration at the end. A meeting of minds all in agreement that corrupt politicians really need to get their act together and we, the people, are in this together at least.</p><p>With the prospect of a new album forthcoming it’s probably not music to the ears of those that continue to trample all over the most vulnerable in society. Meryl Streek is not going away, he’s going to continue to challenge, to prod and probe and make certain people feel very uncomfortable while entertaining the adoring masses who gain comfort from one of the most important artists out there right now. Catch him while you can. Rahhhh!</p><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Follow Even The Stars on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/eventhestarsuk" target="_blank">@eventhestarsuk</a> and like our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eventhestars" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page for all the latest updates</div>Jason Wynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03881763612483573871noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097845677783826982.post-83256641076871229122024-02-21T07:30:00.004+00:002024-02-21T11:36:50.334+00:00John Bramwell - The Light Fantastic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQciGqFfLfkWtA2eDSqfzpqoz8wNwB7juskLJDYQ6hKwZ2nCm1vgXpySAikfd9Kk4UacERmIuduaniq114kduBh75wtO28D3idn2RLPwbY0cCfnbacvAvhmrjthmH_J5q9D0n75uesQkMf1Y_YMWkkKqLCFjd1hvR_Bkp8AJa8mJGZMgkJKZB1mTrTWe8/s500/s-l500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQciGqFfLfkWtA2eDSqfzpqoz8wNwB7juskLJDYQ6hKwZ2nCm1vgXpySAikfd9Kk4UacERmIuduaniq114kduBh75wtO28D3idn2RLPwbY0cCfnbacvAvhmrjthmH_J5q9D0n75uesQkMf1Y_YMWkkKqLCFjd1hvR_Bkp8AJa8mJGZMgkJKZB1mTrTWe8/w400-h400/s-l500.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>The Light Fantastic, John Bramwell's second solo album, has been a long time
coming. Recorded with his band, The Full Harmonic Convergence, the twelve-song
collection is a rich and vibrant addition to John's catalogue of work that is
in its fourth decade. Melodic and optimistic, but shot through the battered
and bruised lyrical romanticism that has been his calling card, it's a career
highpoint that sits alongside his most celebrated work.</div>
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Those familiar with John's work will already know many of these songs from the
sporadic Full Harmonic Convergence gigs he's put on over the past five years.
Accompanied by Dave Fidler, Harriet Bradshaw, Andy Fidler and Alan Lowles,
he's surrounded himself with musicians and friends with whom he has a genuine
connection similar to that in the early days of I Am Kloot where most casual
observers will know him from. These songs have been painstakingly pored over
in the studio, tweaked and turned to get them just right, but still possess a
freshness and an ability to tug at the heartstrings, evoke feelings of
melancholy and shared experiences and be eminently relatable.
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The production on the album is crisp and uncluttered, allowing the simple
beauty of the songwriting and playing to shine through. This is evident right
from the start, Leave No Traces' beauty is in its simplicity, soft drums and
guitar and a voice, layered subtly with backing vocals, that draws the images
in your mind of the words that it's imparting. The songs don't hang around
either - the twelve songs clock in at just thirty-six minutes yet they leave
their message behind.
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The lead single A World Full Of Flowers is one of John's finest pieces of work
in a seriously impressive catalogue. "I want to run where the sunset breaks,
make beauty for its own sake" is both wistful and evocative, a sense of
optimism pervading from the darkness of the world in which we live. It's a
theme that shines brightly throughout The Light Fantastic and musically John's
new collaborators paint a colourful picture to accompany it. The backing
vocals make a reappearance on It's Just Like You, the second single, the
harmonies taking centre stage while the guitars and cello skip and dance
whilst the album's title track has waltz-like qualities as it tells of seasick
sailors "putting their best foot forward whilst keeping hold of their
receipts."
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<div>
Here It Comes sees the album take a darker turn telling of corporation
penguins overdosed on dope and hallelujah angels swinging in on ropes and has
an urgency to it that's unsettling. It's countered by the album's centrepiece,
Sky Full Of Thunder And Lightning, a song about the dark clouds that follow
many of us around even on bright sunny happy days. Once again the song reveals
a richness and revelatory depth to John's vocals, whilst the cello creates
beautiful patterns behind it, making the words hit harder. I Am The Sky
is a stripped down rework of a previous single, here the piano and cellos
create a fragile otherwordly sense to accentuate John's ponderings on the very
essence of our existence in the world - "Where are we now? What do we know?
What do we do? Where do we go? What are these words? What do they mean?"
</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PUlpNl6cScM?si=O1v5PkOrWn1TTZyb" title="YouTube video player" width="420"></iframe></div>
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Days Go By lasts barely ninety seconds, an almost acapella song where the
vocal harmonies come to the fore swirling around John's sitting dead centre
declaring "You hesitate, you meditate, you turn your mind off and levitate" as
once again he searches for the answers to life's questions. The Element Of
Truth has a funky country vibe to it as it once again ponders why we're all
here - "I'm a single digit in a billion equations" whilst I Feel Me is sparse
yet claustrophobic.
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<div>
The Light Fantastic's final two songs are somewhat of a departure for John.
Nobody Left But You has a spoken word narrative, a stream of consciousness
addressing many of the other themes on the record over piano and acoustic
guitar. Illegalised muses over the way in which personal freedoms have been
restricted, starting at songs and then moving through listening to them to
saying that you've listened to them, capturing the slow creep of censorship.
The album finishes with the song title repeated over a lush tapestry of piano,
cello and guitars.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
The Light Fantastic is a true labour of love. John Bramwell could quite easily
tour the land playing I Am Kloot songs to perpetuity yet has chosen to release
new music, firstly the stripped down Leave Alone The Empty Spaces and now this
full band record. He sounds creatively inspired by his musical partners
throughout the twelve songs here, a sense of cautious questioning optimism
pervading throughout. One of the country's finest, and yet still
underappreciated songwriters, has created an album that stands up against
anything he's previously released under different guises.
</div>
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<div>
John Bramwell plays London St Pancras Old Church (February 21/22/23),
Bristol Folk House (25) and Manchester Stoller Hall (29) with the Full
Harmonic Convergence before Full Harmonic Trio shows at Oldham Shure Studios
(March 1), Altrincham Bowdon Rooms (2), Cardiff Acapella Studios (14),
Ludlow Assembly Rooms (15), Falmouth The Cornish Bank (21), Totnes The
Barrel House Ballroom (22), Carlisle Old Fire Station (27), Glasgow St
Luke's (28), Twyford St Mary's Church (April 5), Corsham Pound Arts Centre
(6), Tunbridge Wells Forum (11), Norwich Waterfront (12), Oxford United
Reform Church (19), Aldershot West End Centre (20), Shrewsbury Cathedral
(25), Birmingham St Paul's Church (27), Chester St Mary's Creative Space
(28), Nottingham Metronome (May 9), Dublin The Grand Social (11), Burton On
Trent The Ropewalk (17), Lancaster Grand (24), Cardigan Mwldan (31), Bath
Rondo Theatre (June 1), Liverpool Philharmonic Music Room (7) and Newcastle
Cluny (8).
</div>
<div>
<p>
John Bramwell's website can be found <a href="http://www.johnbramwell.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. He is also on <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnBramwell1" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/johnharoldarnoldbramwell" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.
</p>
<p>
The Light Fantastic can be preordered <a href="https://johnbramwell.tmstor.es/" target="_blank">here</a>.
</p>
<div style="text-align: center;">________________________________</div>
<p>
Follow Even The Stars on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/eventhestarsuk" target="_blank">@eventhestarsuk</a> and like our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eventhestars" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page for all the latest updates</p></div></div>
Even The Starshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893050145760800584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097845677783826982.post-60513202164075295312024-02-18T10:43:00.006+00:002024-02-18T11:04:36.109+00:00The 1975 - Manchester Arena - 17th February 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJTKA9L-4G7HMthPT2GghprveNnv8d5vXAXdywQnwuXd84pQibhXlGpu9efEj2ovIcZkjjGXKrGRDlpfTWxluJ3CrpztOZ4K-B5Ystn-C6xVwwGUwXbpf-KsH9yS2bGhlLdHlukU_KpU9HqGyZ_qJ8JINy9Vx_9WSzOGgVCGynBlxzoYURACuGTqiGCYCj/s4032/417882438_910253964151965_7242095160024846239_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJTKA9L-4G7HMthPT2GghprveNnv8d5vXAXdywQnwuXd84pQibhXlGpu9efEj2ovIcZkjjGXKrGRDlpfTWxluJ3CrpztOZ4K-B5Ystn-C6xVwwGUwXbpf-KsH9yS2bGhlLdHlukU_KpU9HqGyZ_qJ8JINy9Vx_9WSzOGgVCGynBlxzoYURACuGTqiGCYCj/w400-h300/417882438_910253964151965_7242095160024846239_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Very few bands divide opinion as much as The 1975 these days. Persuaded to go along by two friends who are devotees to their headline show at the Arena in Manchester eleven years after being completely unimpressed by a nascent version of the band, we went with an open mind...</p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>It's eleven years since my only other encounter with The 1975, other than Matty Healy commenting on my jumper last year when his appearance in the Northern Quarter briefly set Twitter alight and I had no idea who the guy was as I nodded back at him. Valentine's Day 2013 at The Borderline in London when the hype was starting to swirl around them. They were shit, really shit. Before anyone jumps to their defence, I was there, you probably weren't and I recorded the gig and listened back to it last week and came to the same conclusion. I'd have bet my house on them not getting close to the stratospheric status they've reached and I'd have been out on the streets with those who camp three days to see them each time with some mad numbering system.</p><p>We get the camping thing. Back in the 90s we used to queue for James from early morning, sometimes in the biting cold of December in exposed locations like the seafront in Brighton. First come, first served, that's how the barrier works. It doesn't ruin anyone else's gig experience by you doing so, whatever anyone who thinks they can rock up at doors and stand at the barrier might say, so whilst you're mad, live your best life and stay safe.</p><p>Somewhere between 2013 and now The 1975 got good, very good indeed for 80% of the show when they realise they make an infectious brand of guitar pop that connects with an audience of teens, twenties and early thirties. For two hours we're surrounded by people to whom this means everything to them and we get it and we get drawn in. </p><p>The first half of the show draws from their most recent album Being Funny In A Foreign Language, their strongest and most complete work to date. Appearing one by one turning on the lights that adorn the house scene that fills the stage, the roars as they appear and are introduced on the big screen are ear-shattering. Oh Caroline, Robbers and You are the highlights, but the record as a whole is strong enough to stand up to the expectations of a twenty-thousand crowd night after night in a way many attempts at classic album run-throughs fail for bands on the nostalgia circuit. The expanded eight piece line-up make a noise big enough to fill stadiums, which has to be their next aim after the rumoured hiatus, a million miles away from the piss weak 2013 version we witnessed. Polly Money's vocals flesh out the moments where Matty's need it and without her the impact would be far less.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2FuNqC_eK1mPDS2dksde501wbPnUvu7rUZT3o_24nfeY0TwVdEttizHXSPKPVlcsHS4ZvGFXLXRZsY-vNrGyPCLgm2ytu98LyB66Ipf_HgJyRkYAEgxGpJJsTZZPPZx9DsynK25or9gstgWUPtkX_stowmn9t0UKfo-FOGqBazM2pkFsWZokiC6nqIawl/s4032/418339498_905258538274731_8474699083871231615_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2FuNqC_eK1mPDS2dksde501wbPnUvu7rUZT3o_24nfeY0TwVdEttizHXSPKPVlcsHS4ZvGFXLXRZsY-vNrGyPCLgm2ytu98LyB66Ipf_HgJyRkYAEgxGpJJsTZZPPZx9DsynK25or9gstgWUPtkX_stowmn9t0UKfo-FOGqBazM2pkFsWZokiC6nqIawl/w400-h300/418339498_905258538274731_8474699083871231615_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Even better is the end section in particular from TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME through Chocolate, the Sound, Love If We Made It and Sex is particularly impressive, the big screens being put to use and the whole arena from top to bottom on their feet bouncing, cameras in the air and completely immersed in the music before they finish with Matty, Adam and Ross on the B-stage living out their rock and roll fantasies to People. It's at moments like this that the appeal of The 1975 is impossible to decry, despite the best efforts of those who mocked us being at this show on social media when we checked in. It was a far more enjoyable experience than Peter Kay's tired and tested routine here a couple of weeks and the crowd's ecstatic response to them tells its own story.</p><p>Matty acknowledges the importance of the band versus the individual at numerous points through the evening, telling us he'd be nothing without the rest of them, the core members of the band being life long friends and that bond is clear in their interactions throughout. Ironically given his statements the 20% of the show we're least impressed is when he takes centre stage, the staged theatrics that detract a little from a rock show and the self-indulgent Matty's Nightmare when he lies on the floor staring at TV screens playing news snippets including some about him before crawling through one of the screens and moving to the B-stage about the mixing desk to roll around with a naked model of a male body. To be fair it's an attempt to break up the show, to make it a spectacle rather than a traditional gig, but for us, it kills the momentum they'd built up.</p><p>He comments about people thinking he's a nepo baby, referencing his mum's appearance in Coronation Street, and sniping that it gave him a number one in America. You don't get that of course because of who your parents are, because people have to connect with the music and buy (into) it, but it opens doors that remain closed to other bands. He also urges men who might be afraid to look gay by jumping that they'll look gayer by not jumping. We don't jump and we don't care whether we look gay because there's nothing wrong with being gay Matthew. </p><p>When he sticks to being the frontman of an indie pop band playing the biggest stage in their hometown (of sorts) he has very few peers. His energy, the beaming smile across his face, his pointing at those in the front row for whom seventy-two hours of camping is all made worthwhile by a finger pointed in their direction or their joy-filled face appearing on the big screen. Whatever you may think of him, at that moment he's living out the dream that he and his mates had when they were writing songs not too far from here and dreaming of filling this place once not the multiple times they now could. We probably wouldn't go and see them again, but we'd be lying through our teeth if we said they were shit in 2024 like they were in 2013.</p><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________</div><p>Follow Even The Stars on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/eventhestarsuk" target="_blank">@eventhestarsuk</a> and like our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eventhestars" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page for all the latest updates</p>Even The Starshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893050145760800584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097845677783826982.post-42946827674039689392024-02-17T13:05:00.007+00:002024-02-17T13:05:57.761+00:00Smalltown Tigers / Chasing The Fall / The Homecoming - Stockport The Spinning Top - 16th February 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLlayMe9Itx-eamwtgWGGF0WM6vDG7pLKJUK904daqWsMQHGfK9BTRA_7ovjkFp3z_8WI5nZ7VS82-BKWP3mrcvyH18EdY_OuUN6IwLkHHqp6KEKJesLwc7ePsJSG6G9u32ZTwaIda8O65xDkICpT5KV7ypCfotX4QNKzbqJcdjXpW6281CJqAyUK5uER/s4032/418583854_356849333885160_2747170501027665521_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLlayMe9Itx-eamwtgWGGF0WM6vDG7pLKJUK904daqWsMQHGfK9BTRA_7ovjkFp3z_8WI5nZ7VS82-BKWP3mrcvyH18EdY_OuUN6IwLkHHqp6KEKJesLwc7ePsJSG6G9u32ZTwaIda8O65xDkICpT5KV7ypCfotX4QNKzbqJcdjXpW6281CJqAyUK5uER/w400-h300/418583854_356849333885160_2747170501027665521_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>Italian trio Smalltown Tigers headed to The Spinning Top in Stockport as part of their UK tour to promote the release of their album Crush On You that came out last week. Blasting through sixteen songs from the album and its predecessor Five Things in less than forty five minutes they demonstrated that they're ready to step up to much bigger stages should the right doors open for them.</div><div><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div><br /></div><div>It's our first visit to The Spinning Top and we're very impressed by the set-up. A pub on the hill on Wellington Road, it's far removed from the Stockport as the new Berlin chat, but actually has the raw independent spirit that really underpins the beating heart of the German capital. The sound set up is very impressive, albeit having to wait for a play to finish downstairs to allow the music to start, and the staff friendly and welcoming. It's a brilliant venue for bands to cut their teeth, both local and those from out of town like all three tonight are, and vital to the health of the pipeline of artists aiming for the bigger stages of the city down the road.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9tosuSo9p9NAFI06vWYGWKKTrwTVpV3UnHMojnmMZ8V_s74K8rIEq8HGsvQ9rt3ZUD7Nc_6O3swunOdIofGj0ZGe5hXhk8346y4HrkCc28K6UCf9EqXkIqwQgqY3wDDXVD_l_I-n-xR5_xncCDcAsarsvsly4uJLZzFt-hk5hvAjIcOvvx9wrR10jZD_/s4032/418036734_361996626802464_2121293842177570576_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl9tosuSo9p9NAFI06vWYGWKKTrwTVpV3UnHMojnmMZ8V_s74K8rIEq8HGsvQ9rt3ZUD7Nc_6O3swunOdIofGj0ZGe5hXhk8346y4HrkCc28K6UCf9EqXkIqwQgqY3wDDXVD_l_I-n-xR5_xncCDcAsarsvsly4uJLZzFt-hk5hvAjIcOvvx9wrR10jZD_/w400-h300/418036734_361996626802464_2121293842177570576_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div>The Homecoming open up the night and have a really impressive sound and songs with real energy and passion, built around a tight rhythm section and three vocalists combining lead by Michael. There’s an energy that comes from their roots as a Disney pop punk covers band - with their take on I Wanna Be Like You reinventing it as a trashy thrash that just works. It translates through to their original material too covering subjects like stem cell donation in DKMS and adding a little humour in a song from their new EP called BJ In My PJs which Michael insists is about Ben And Jerry’s whilst My D20 Just Rolls Eleven is the highlight, a song that’s propelled by its own considerable momentum from the off. </div><div><br /></div><div>Chasing The Fall follow and the Crewe band take no prisoners as evidenced by their second song about an ex-friend simply called Shithead. They might wear their pop punk influences proudly on their sleeves but with frontman Andy a commanding and enthusiastically personable presence up front and the genuine emotions in their songs like Lonely Nightmare and recent single A Million Times More, they stamp their own personalities loud over their whole set and the Stockport crowd warm to them from the start.</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFzYdhhseyrKZ0j62U2vjcqGkC5KgM-6e-TDezQJFMPXPr9u5pox6AVvLmhjkSFYUOLTPd2FSXFgCUuUflJpeR1a_fKxM6wjuEf-Eowc6dU4VJAuKuPj7BrxqGvGDLq81kHrOw3Q10M0TY6tuAJ2skO1GfO-SLLwEmuT5zRZ6skifkwm084DItiKfswWWU/s4032/419374252_1477182086472375_3606102234574107973_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFzYdhhseyrKZ0j62U2vjcqGkC5KgM-6e-TDezQJFMPXPr9u5pox6AVvLmhjkSFYUOLTPd2FSXFgCUuUflJpeR1a_fKxM6wjuEf-Eowc6dU4VJAuKuPj7BrxqGvGDLq81kHrOw3Q10M0TY6tuAJ2skO1GfO-SLLwEmuT5zRZ6skifkwm084DItiKfswWWU/w400-h300/419374252_1477182086472375_3606102234574107973_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Without any disrespect to those two bands, the level is stepped up the minute Smalltown Tigers take to the stage. The telepathic connection between Valli, Castel and Monty is evident from the first bars of Find My Self to the Ramones cover they merge into their final song Five Things. They're exceptionally tight as a trio, the vocal harmonies, a rarity in music of this ferocity, are exquisite and the raw power visceral and exciting. It's clear that their home is on the stage and it's where they can express themselves best. That energy transmits itself to the crowd, many of whom caught them when they supported The Damned at the Apollo last year, the rest curious onlookers or who'd stumbled across them online as we did when Five Things was released just as lockdown kicked in back in 2020. They've already endeared themselves by watching each of the bands before them and mingling with the crowd before their set, but their set seals the deal.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKVkfbznoNwkv9h4NX25zc3bsL_mm6frEdU7SWojrzODF8LkyIlP9V9LzbnMcTIdlm7Ed_xLIqo_NxhFN96lOgMrlWQA5KrPHZ5kfkfL1V5FXcMPvz74MiMRFOavWA3GjLG9hkATbmYFdD-gGRzf9EfS-nSNy1Kazlh08CI6U7NR-yENFDmVkdDE_SVFBm/s4032/417796056_337823269246000_154313804088335974_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKVkfbznoNwkv9h4NX25zc3bsL_mm6frEdU7SWojrzODF8LkyIlP9V9LzbnMcTIdlm7Ed_xLIqo_NxhFN96lOgMrlWQA5KrPHZ5kfkfL1V5FXcMPvz74MiMRFOavWA3GjLG9hkATbmYFdD-gGRzf9EfS-nSNy1Kazlh08CI6U7NR-yENFDmVkdDE_SVFBm/w400-h300/417796056_337823269246000_154313804088335974_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The sixteen song set takes in much of Crush On You, a record that retains everything that made Five Things such an impressive debut release, but demonstrates their progression to the point where they should be playing to thousands, particularly as the world is looking to equalise the disparities in gender mix on festival line-ups. The set never drops in its intensity, only stopping to call out the other bands that have played and to plug the record, even when they jump between albums liberally, to the point that it's hard to pick standout tracks. </div><div><br /></div><div>If you like rock music, it's impossible not to fall for their brand of it. They're breathless by the end of the set, yet with smiles beaming across their faces, as well as ours. They may hail from Rimini, but music is a universal language and Smalltown Tigers roar it fluently.</div><div><br /></div><div>Smalltown Tigers are on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/smalltowntigers" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/TigersSmall" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. Crush On You is available direct from <a href="https://areapiratarec.bandcamp.com/album/five-things?fbclid=IwAR1CpxgW3-rdqPvJ5uuehuxxx5A6nfb9oVoDJJ3Cc5V5hwtrZOf_PjpT1C8" target="_blank">Area Pirata Records</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Chasing The Fall are on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/chasingthefallband" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Homecoming are on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HomecomingUK" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>We had to leave before the final act Pleo to meet friends coming up from London for the weekend. </div><div><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________</div><p>Follow Even The Stars on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/eventhestarsuk" target="_blank">@eventhestarsuk</a> and like our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eventhestars" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page for all the latest updates</p></div>Even The Starshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893050145760800584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097845677783826982.post-15604963413247828502024-02-07T07:00:00.001+00:002024-02-07T09:59:13.162+00:00The Last Dinner Party - Manchester HMV - 6th February 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhusBmhSGfualHhOwV6KI1x9gB0-OZGqw3vUdyYIGlcbbv0SsunSB7Tsaql-nb3-DPAbfCHrL4HuSD2HWj9QUbyqNtRBHdLl-_Y-K5ei1HXXKAJP0XcjAuwn-PK5BD_uf6HIlpt2jRjFZlqA3ECEJkccM__HiU8GRsMuBcKQkBhdNGrl6Xr6nXs-aDMVEVZ/s2048/ldphmv2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhusBmhSGfualHhOwV6KI1x9gB0-OZGqw3vUdyYIGlcbbv0SsunSB7Tsaql-nb3-DPAbfCHrL4HuSD2HWj9QUbyqNtRBHdLl-_Y-K5ei1HXXKAJP0XcjAuwn-PK5BD_uf6HIlpt2jRjFZlqA3ECEJkccM__HiU8GRsMuBcKQkBhdNGrl6Xr6nXs-aDMVEVZ/w400-h300/ldphmv2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>The Last Dinner Party are the name on everyone's lips right now. As the five-piece sit atop the midweek charts with their debut album Prelude To Ecstasy, debate rumbles around them. Depleted in number as bassist Georgia is ill, four-fifths of The Last Dinner Party delighted an excited in-store crowd in Manchester Arndale's HMV store with a five-song stripped-back set.</div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div>Let's deal with the debate first. The notion of an industry plant is a ridiculous one dreamt up by fantasists who begrudge anyone success and who seem to have a particular issue when it's young women achieving that success. It's even more ludicrous when it's their fellow women stoking the fires. The concept of a major record label spending money on promoting, plugging, providing the best PR and tour support to the artists they've signed and invested in isn't a particularly complex one for anyone with half a brain cell and their hinges fully functioning to comprehend, but here we are in social media world 2024 where ridiculous comment spreads like wildfire.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Last Dinner Party are a great band, one that ten years ago would have been suppressed and not got out of the London circuit on which people conveniently forget they cut their teeth. This is something to celebrate. Proof of those early shows and the genuine excitement around them sits on YouTube for anyone to see. They've translated that so far to the point they've sold out thousand capacity venues round the country and in the US as well as a triumphant album launch at The Roundhouse in London.</div><div><br /></div><div>That buzz doesn't ordinarily translate to a sterile upstairs brightly-lit room in a record shop in the middle of Manchester's centre, but there's a sense of genuine excitement as a crowd of all ages and identities has gathered and snaked their way round the store before making their way up to the newly-installed performance area. Not even the absence of Georgia can dampen the spirits of the crowd keen to witness them close up in a way that's unlikely to happen again for the foreseeable future.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEhBDVbViD-TUS3yw8RYTb4-Lpj7galVhP0NrVLuk_zJiczzv1KXdV12fizIjfJdxE6-IW9Ci3vD7gbW9eBobpKJ1Dk86vHkkl8KsXoBcv9WxCMAcdmq42W0ff_YFkSkzg1NH04ZTznuE_UyC3L09ygB2tOVZcTDcbC9dJPP5UsOqa9GzSuMORkXGyxQdC/s2048/ldphmv1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEhBDVbViD-TUS3yw8RYTb4-Lpj7galVhP0NrVLuk_zJiczzv1KXdV12fizIjfJdxE6-IW9Ci3vD7gbW9eBobpKJ1Dk86vHkkl8KsXoBcv9WxCMAcdmq42W0ff_YFkSkzg1NH04ZTznuE_UyC3L09ygB2tOVZcTDcbC9dJPP5UsOqa9GzSuMORkXGyxQdC/w400-h300/ldphmv1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>The performance is stripped back and seated so the theatrics and visuals of their live show don't come into play here and therefore it is just about the music and The Last Dinner Party deliver in a way that would assauge the concerns of any sane doubter as to whether they are the real deal. They start with Beautiful Boy, with Emily on flute and later acoustic guitar, Aurora on keys, Lizzie on guitar and Abigail on vocals. The drama of the live show is replaced by a tender ethereal feel. Around the room people mouth the words, cameras are held up to capture a moment (and irritating block others views) but everyone is focused on the four women on stage. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's followed by On Your Side, one of the singles that preceded the album. Abigail jokes that we're going to be treated to all the weepy ones off the record because of the nature of the sets they're performing on this promotional tour. The layered vocal harmonies are one of the stand out features of this set and on this song in particular they're gorgeous and heart-melting.</div><div><br /></div><div>Abigail then tells us tongue-in-cheek that they're going to play the "country roads" version of Caesar On A TV Screen and that they had the idea for a country version of their album before Lana Del Rey and that it was going to be called La Soeur. The stripped down take on the song manages to reinvent it without losing the majesty of the original.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lizzie takes the lead on Sinner and to the joy of some of their most dedicated fans down the front she tells us that it's going to include the original intro that they played live in the early days but which didn't make the single or album versions. It makes for a very different take on the song but one which doesn't lessen its message of self-acceptance and understanding who you are and what makes you up and in many ways, in this brightly lit room, heightens it. They then take time to reflect on the craziness of their songs being played in record shops that they would have been customers in ten years earlier. Emily tells us that HMV Manchester was her local store and she spent days as a schoolgirl in the store.</div><div><br /></div><div>They finish with "the hit" as Abigail calls it. They stop and think how they're going to do it without Georgia and Aurora says "wing it". The crowd help them out by singing the bass line to Nothing Matters and then joining in but so as not to drown out the band. And then they're done, taking in the audience's applause before heading to sign copies of the album for a very patient queue.</div><div><br /></div><div>Their rise may have been seemingly meteoric in the last twelve months, but The Last Dinner Party cut their teeth in small venues in London before the hype around them that has created the furore and vitriol towards them online as they head to the top of charts and some of the biggest non-arena venues in the country. Today's set showed that they are a real deal not some made up fantasy of a record company executive in London as some would have you believe. They're unstoppable and the dissenters will soon be drowned out by the sheer volume and size of their following.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>The Last Dinner Party's website can be found <a href="https://www.thelastdinnerparty.co.uk/" target="_blank">here</a> and they are on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheLastDinnerParty" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/lastdinnerparty" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.</div><div><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Follow Even The Stars on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/eventhestarsuk" target="_blank">@eventhestarsuk</a> and like our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eventhestars" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page for all the latest updates</div></div>Even The Starshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893050145760800584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097845677783826982.post-81245944086607855382024-02-05T07:30:00.008+00:002024-02-05T15:06:16.986+00:00Ist Ist / Midnight Gallery - Huddersfield The Parish - 3rd February 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglJDJlON3G46UlDMY8wd9SRf5as-SbLwcyCuF8n-Xh0Vvb73WmGhJ8vTuogKWuxwmruzEOs8xi51tpPdJvc4Ct0VWkYiRCxqWKgir9hA_PvZk7ggC1A8tXKvXM-PFybSb2J4Mbs-9cd1bP4tnvQ7W1uDz29_95OAxgF7YhFlYaPJOURDwGsaiRdn7JOCAa/s1554/ististhudd1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1554" data-original-width="1170" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglJDJlON3G46UlDMY8wd9SRf5as-SbLwcyCuF8n-Xh0Vvb73WmGhJ8vTuogKWuxwmruzEOs8xi51tpPdJvc4Ct0VWkYiRCxqWKgir9hA_PvZk7ggC1A8tXKvXM-PFybSb2J4Mbs-9cd1bP4tnvQ7W1uDz29_95OAxgF7YhFlYaPJOURDwGsaiRdn7JOCAa/w301-h400/ististhudd1.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><p>Ist Ist completed a triumphant four-date mini-tour for Independent Venue Week at a sold-out Parish in Huddersfield on Saturday night. Performing tracks from across their three albums, their recent reissue of their debut EPs and showcasing a couple of brand new songs they delighted the growing band of Ist Ist faithful with a show that confirmed their seemingly unstoppable momentum as they enter what promises to be the biggest year for the band yet.</p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>At the end of Independent Venue Week it'd be remiss not to comment first on the extraordinary work that's been done at The Parish in Huddersfield that stands as proof that independent music venues can be a success. With two rooms in operation supported by a vibrant bar and food area the venue has brought live music to a town that would otherwise have required folk to travel to Manchester or Leeds on the increasingly unreliable Transpennine Express trains. The sound in the venue is impeccable, the gig sold out but not crammed into every single inch of the floor, the staff knowledgable and friendly and the whole gig experience a really pleasurable one.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jIYvUmyvhfwUpAVVpxK7FOQVgZSwZ4Tv-MlovyImHHQ6oy5peK120QNjhL-BeraxWZIbkylCoVJSKv5dhnNtDA-EkYVTnb-AwQ5XY1ynYZtU8EhiJ3Bsmze0uX5O3JcJPMpllhSD-8OiakiKD1fstlm_lvJ55CIWWbj8MjKAzQ30Ds8VY1lducU40BoG/s2048/midnighthudd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jIYvUmyvhfwUpAVVpxK7FOQVgZSwZ4Tv-MlovyImHHQ6oy5peK120QNjhL-BeraxWZIbkylCoVJSKv5dhnNtDA-EkYVTnb-AwQ5XY1ynYZtU8EhiJ3Bsmze0uX5O3JcJPMpllhSD-8OiakiKD1fstlm_lvJ55CIWWbj8MjKAzQ30Ds8VY1lducU40BoG/w400-h300/midnighthudd.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Midnight Gallery open up and the four-piece leave a really positive impression once more. The exceptional sound of The Parish allows the detail in their six song set to be heard, particularly the impressive guitar playing of Evan and bass of Louis and the rich intonation in Robin's voice that got a little lost either in the mix or nerves earlier in the week in Preston. Their songs feel like they've been crafted in great detail, the six of them taking over thirty minutes, focusing on the journey the music is taking them on rather than trying to fit into a formula for radio or streaming hence there's some dark but beautiful instrumental segments in them. Single Unknown is a great introduction point to them, but 7 and Obsessions suggest that they're a band who have a lot more to say.</p><p>Ist Ist very much are a band with a lot to say and most of it they do without words, letting the sheer power of their music do their bidding for them. Over the course of twenty songs and eighty five minutes they demonstrate why the only thing holding them back is actually getting heard or seen. Even with a list of songs not performed that others would give up limbs for, the quality and intensity of the set never drops. Relentless from the minute the throbbing intro to Wolves crashes into guitars to the last notes of Slowly We Escape where the band lose their collective shit in the last minute and a half of the outro they sound like a band made for stages and rooms much bigger than this. However as Andy states near the end they understand that venues like The Parish and the three they've played this week are absolutely vital for the health of the music industry and the development of the next arena and stadium headliners.</p><p>The set takes us on a winding trip through their back catalogue. Stamp You Out, the lead single from their most recent third album Protagonists, sits next to Exist, the lead single from their second EP Everything Is Different Now which has been repackaged with their debut into the Everything Is Spinning Now album that charted inside the top 50 for physical sales last week. The latter, like the older tracks from the EPs that have been revisited for this tour, feels like it's being played by a different band and in many respects Ist Ist are just that. The new songs - Lost My Shadow and The Kiss - are unmistakably Ist Ist, but also a progression, arriving already rounded and fully-formed and a tantalising insight into their fourth album that's expected to land in the second half of this year.</p><p>Supremely confident in their own abilities, backed up by sold-out shows in statement venues in the UK and Europe last year, having gone full-time as a band alongside setting up their own KVR Rehearsal Studios just outside Manchester, this show very much feels like an intimate undersell such has their star grown. Tonight's show sold out almost immediately when last time they played here in May 2022 it was just over half full. Whether it be Andy's bass, often used to lead the guitars, Joel's drumming that drives these songs along and his often over-looked backing vocals, Mat's switching between guitars and synths that widened their palette from the moment he joined or Adam's rich baritone vocals, Ist Ist are very much a band of brothers.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilWwLSQVT6LZEtxRkbdiLR7QSyVWAZZJXubK8IIWsNiGTbnGP9RTzx9iGh8CNvo3-QePWnRC8q0RvPFRwcvlcgF8DlSPa8ZJMKLU5YHJt0o10CaOtwA58PRgma-W8EYRTDVe-M5axNrBQ7_sZARHyGyawFtcbMpOE4eEeiCz53PcNkT4AII8AXoVs6-ctX/s2048/ististhudd2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilWwLSQVT6LZEtxRkbdiLR7QSyVWAZZJXubK8IIWsNiGTbnGP9RTzx9iGh8CNvo3-QePWnRC8q0RvPFRwcvlcgF8DlSPa8ZJMKLU5YHJt0o10CaOtwA58PRgma-W8EYRTDVe-M5axNrBQ7_sZARHyGyawFtcbMpOE4eEeiCz53PcNkT4AII8AXoVs6-ctX/w400-h300/ististhudd2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>They proceed to demonstrate why that is the case. Protagonists is heavily featured as you'd expect, the top 50 album laden with songs like the mid-set trio of Mary In The Black And White Room, Nothing More Nothing Less and All Downhill which saw the band open up the side of their music that has broadened their appeal. With Fools Paradise and encore opener Emily having the crowd singing back the backing vocals and the guitar line to them and front man Adam showing moments of animation it also feels like the connection between band and audience is deepening too.</p><p>The momentum builds throughout, they pace the set perfectly. Heads On Spikes' twisted waltz is the only brief moment of respite in the second half of the set that includes the tumultuous Something Has To Give and the battered bruised romanticism of Architecture's Black before the punishing Trapdoors closes the main set. The encore of Emily, You're Mine and Slowly We Escape simply seal the deal for them. </p><p>Having seen them so many times over the past few years since lockdown, we realise we've missed the incredible transformation they've gone through as the marginal gains each time they go out on the road have multiplied to the point where they're ready to take on the biggest stages. Excluded from the cut and paste middle section of festival line-ups of bands with good agents or links to the headliners who sell far less tickets and records despite the radio, press, supports and festivals they're consistently given despite their protestations to the contrary, Ist Ist have simply shrugged their shoulders, got their collective heads down and become one of the most formidable live acts in the country.</p><div>Ist Ist played Wolves, Stamp You Out, Exist, Lost My Shadow, The Kiss, Night's Arm, Fat Cats Drown In Milk, Preacher's Warning, I'm Not Here, Mary In The Black And White Room, Nothing More Nothing Less, All Downhill, Heads On Spikes, Fools Paradise, Something Has To Give, Black, Trapdoors, Emily, You're Mine and Slowly We Escape.</div><div><br />They play Paris L'International (March 12), Cologne Blue Shell (13), Berlin Kantine Am Berghain (14), Copenhagen Loppen (16), Stockholm Bar Brooklyn (17), Gothenburg Pustevik (18), Oslo John Dee (19), Hamburg Hebebuhne (21), Groningen Vera (22), Brussels Ways Around Festival (23), Hilversum De Vorstin (24), Nijmegen Doornroosje (26), Rotterdam Rotown (27), Birmingham Hare And Hounds (April 4), Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach (5), London Moth Club (6), Edinburgh Voodoo Rooms (11), York Fulford Arms (12), Leeds Key Club (18), Liverpool Arts Club (19), Norwich Waterfront (20), Manchester New Century (October 19) and Whitby Tomorrows Ghosts Festival (November 1).</div><div><br /></div><div><div><span>Ist Ist are on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ististmusic" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/ististmusic" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. Their albums including their new Live In Amsterdam release</span> can be ordered via their <a href="https://www.ististmusic.com/collections/album" target="_blank">website</a>. Digital versions of their previous limited edition releases and a number of live field recordings are available to download from their <a href="https://ististmusic.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Midnight Gallery are on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/midnightgallerymusicpage" target="_blank">Facebook</a>. They play Manchester 33 Oldham St (March 1).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span>________________________________</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><br /></span></div><div><span>Follow Even The Stars on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/eventhestarsuk" target="_blank">@eventhestarsuk</a> and like our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eventhestars" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page for all the latest updates</span></div></div>Even The Starshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893050145760800584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097845677783826982.post-66607077956337619152024-02-05T07:00:00.001+00:002024-02-05T10:28:35.887+00:00SKIES - Manchester Gullivers - 1st February 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzho7q7Zr1AlmSkoOFfg2s7exGG1h2IFAoumoxGrcoH5mre26bxkZmBUQ2Csmde85dMIj20ySJkboeRUth04OfhrEUbdcJSmdMQO6czUpwyWgiGoYltHcDZW3ecDbtBbRY8U6AVsN-YBblKp4qphudwfDjJkyFWmcWATK-Ddj5rzemhW96fu7T6_8vSxV3/s2048/skiesgullivers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzho7q7Zr1AlmSkoOFfg2s7exGG1h2IFAoumoxGrcoH5mre26bxkZmBUQ2Csmde85dMIj20ySJkboeRUth04OfhrEUbdcJSmdMQO6czUpwyWgiGoYltHcDZW3ecDbtBbRY8U6AVsN-YBblKp4qphudwfDjJkyFWmcWATK-Ddj5rzemhW96fu7T6_8vSxV3/w400-h300/skiesgullivers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>SKIES concluded their tour in support of their debut album Is It All In Our Heads? with a show at Gullivers in Manchester on Thursday night performing eight of the eleven tracks from the album as well as a surprise Florence And The Machine cover.</div><div><span><a name='more'></a></span><span><br /></span></div><div>It's been a long journey for SKIES, one of the country's hardest working bands, to their debut album, but with the release of Is It All In Our Heads? at the end of 2023 they realised one of their long-held dreams as a band. Manchester has been good to them in the past, dating back to when they supported the city's favourites The Slow Readers Club as they were about to break. Gullivers starts to fill up with familiar faces as it gets close to showtime.</div><div><br /></div><div>For a band with an impressive back catalogue of infectious singles and EPs, SKIES have taken the brave decision on this tour to exclude all the old favourites on this tour to focus on the debut album which has only been out in the world a couple of months. The new songs may not be as immediate as singles like Drone, Pills, Green and Hold On - but they represent SKIES' progression as artists.</div><div><br /></div><div>Live they still have the contagious energy that Alie on guitar and vocals and Jez on drums and vocals create and this conveys itself to a crowd who clearly hold them in great affection. The wonderfully titled If Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder You Better Stay Away A Little Longer is the stand out track from the album alongside the final track of the evening Whited Out Window, but the standard never really drops at all as the nine-track set is packed full of songs that build to soaring choruses that never fail to get the feet tapping. </div><div><br /></div><div>They stray from Is It All In Our Heads? just the once for a cover of Florence And The Machine's Free which they make their own in their own inimitable way. SKIES' music is all about the personalities of the two of them and that's what shines brightest in both the new material and that which they've currently left on the back burner. </div><div><br /></div><div><div>SKIES' official website can be found <a href="http://www.skies.band/" target="_blank">here</a> and they are on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/skiesbanduk/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/SKIESbanduk" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. </div><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Follow Even The Stars on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/eventhestarsuk" target="_blank">@eventhestarsuk</a> and like our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eventhestars" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page for all the latest updates</div></div>Even The Starshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893050145760800584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097845677783826982.post-45084600772097065112024-02-01T08:00:00.001+00:002024-02-01T15:47:13.494+00:00The Miserable Rich - Overcome<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's twelve years since The Miserable Rich's last album Miss You In The Days
and in an era where bands make comebacks theirs was one of the most unlikely.
It took tragedy, in the shape of the death of front man James de Malplaquet
and his wife Sarah's first child and the healing powers of friendship, pizza
and beer to get them back together in a room, initially to play a charity
fundraiser and then to play around with ideas for new music. Overcome is the
product of how those meetings played out, the sound of a band reconnecting
with each other, recalling everything special about the band in their first
incarnation but now laced with the wisdom of age and experience, new musical
discoveries and a sense of purpose that the record needed to be made.
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The album opens with The Ballad Of Young Finn and it's clear that whilst The
Miserable Rich have retained their chamber pop style that won them many
admirers in their first life, but have moved their sound forward with the
advances in technology and incorporating new influences creating a intriguing
and warm mixture that draws you in, de Malplaquet pleading "hold on to it,
until we get there."
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Second track Crows, one of the multiple singles from the album sees them
loosen the reigns a little, an airy, dreamy, even danceable song that mulls
over the destruction of the planet and civilisation. Everything Bright And New
continues in similar vein, the unfussy production that prevails on Overcome,
allowing the songs space to breathe and seduce the listener whilst retaining
the subtle intricate details of the instrumentation.
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FHS is a rework of a b-side to their great lost single Anything's Possible,
which, despite its ages, fits the album like a glove, with its acappella
introduction before the strings kick in and then the rest of the instruments
make their entry as the song moves along with layered almost echoed vocals.
The album's lead single Glue deals with the aftermath of the tragedy of child
loss, a heartfelt and deeply personal tale of having to stick together to
overcome the horrendous emotional impact. The instrumentation is often minimal
on this track allowing the words to take centre focus - "all the things you've
seen, never should be seen".
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If Only strips things down, two vocals, one sung, one spoken, telling two
different stories at the same time wrapped around haunting strings that really
give the song an unsettling feeling but which doesn't frighten you off. Penny
For has a majestic feel to it, a very slow build that accelerates as the
strings kick in half way through it and de Malplaquet showing off the richness
and depth to his voice as the band give it the space to breathe.
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Probably Will is the album's highlight and one of its most positive moments,
turning round tragedy with a much-needed injection of optimism - "we're going
to get through this and much more, yes you know we probably will" - set to
piano and strings that create a link to the history of The Miserable Rich yet
placing it in the context of today. It's followed by Quietly, clocking in at
just over two minutes but leaving a more lasting impression, focusing on the
stoaicly British condition of carrying on regardless and suppressing
uncomfortable feelings and emotions - it's an arm round the shoulder that
tells you that most people have been there and that you're not alone.
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Taken pulls together many of the musical strands that have gone before it, the
delicious piano and duelling and layered vocals creating the core of the song.
De Malplaquet's vocals and harmonies draw the listener in and make you feel
like you're at the centre before there's a child's voice talking over the
instrumental break before the song dances off into the distance under its own
free will.
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The vinyl version of the album concludes with We All Know, laden with an
imposing piano intro that sets the tone for a song of communion, de Malplaquet
repeating "we all know how..." before listing off a series of shared
experiences that many will be able to relate to before concluding in a warm
dreamy comfort blanket of instrumentation layered on the vocals that are
subsumed into it.</div><div><br /></div>
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An additional track is available on the download - Poem For Suzanne - a
beautifully personal dedication by de Malplaquet to his sister Suzanne who he
also lost during the period leading up to the band coming back together - "I
cannot imagine how my life would be if that star had never been around to
shine her light on me" - set to a piano whose mood perfectly matches the
song's emotional content.
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Overcome is a genuine triumph from a band that those who followed thought had
been lost to the place where bands that never quite got the recognition they
deserved reside. The album is a labour of love, created from a space of still
having something to say rather than trying to somehow make a breakthrough and
career in an industry where connections are often more important than quality.
The warmth and love between the band seeps from every note and word of the
album, in many ways it's a catharsis, a way of trying to come to terms with
some of the most horrible things humans have to endure, but in others it's a
celebration of still being here, of being surrounded by love and
friendship.
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The Miserable Rich's website can be found <a href="http://themiserablerich.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. They are also on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/themiserablerich" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/zemiserablerich" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.
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<a href="https://themiserablerich.bandcamp.com/album/overcome" target="_blank">Overcome</a> can be ordered from their Bandcamp.<br /><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">________________________________</div>
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Follow Even The Stars on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/eventhestarsuk" target="_blank">@eventhestarsuk</a> and like our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eventhestars" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page for all the latest updates</div></div></div>
Even The Starshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893050145760800584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097845677783826982.post-79885722351863158912024-02-01T07:30:00.001+00:002024-02-01T13:24:00.223+00:00Ist Ist / Midnight Gallery - Preston The Ferret - 31st January 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv-v1qDuutkc8P-ItV7quELoEIZTHFWbmqYOUlmUtW-BCzbphEFtYvKNEqkFyCesvzpJyTA9XLAGmrnU1voWhYgXDVy62rB_vR2IeWLyBuNFU-zw6YKaeZYbrBxAc4I9mOiUhQAIJLuoZDjHP4tsUT3BPn163Xc4WxmuRrd2FdWw30xyB4jjCobSgvgjzV/s2048/ististpreston1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv-v1qDuutkc8P-ItV7quELoEIZTHFWbmqYOUlmUtW-BCzbphEFtYvKNEqkFyCesvzpJyTA9XLAGmrnU1voWhYgXDVy62rB_vR2IeWLyBuNFU-zw6YKaeZYbrBxAc4I9mOiUhQAIJLuoZDjHP4tsUT3BPn163Xc4WxmuRrd2FdWw30xyB4jjCobSgvgjzV/w400-h300/ististpreston1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>Ist Ist opened 2024 that promises to be their biggest and busiest year to date with a sold-out show at Preston's The Ferret as part of this year's Independent Venue Week celebrations. Mixing songs from across their three albums with tracks taken from their first two EPs that have just been reissued in one package as Everything Is Spinning Now as well as two tracks fresh from their recording sessions from album four. Support came from new Manchester-based band Midnight Gallery.</div><div><span><a name='more'></a></span><span><br /></span></div><div>Independent Venue Week is about supporting the grassroots venues across the country, of which we lost over 120 in 2023 and with many more having their existence hanging from a thread, one rent increase, one act of God or poor couple of months trading away from disappearing. One week packing out spaces like The Ferret, which has seen its fair share of existential threats over the years, doesn't solve the problem but if it raises awareness of the importance of venues as a research and development pool for future arena headliners, where you can see acts up close and personal before they become stars, then it's a step in the right direction.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfcvHqTNSShFt0VRbm8VdLVF8veFSGyPpsODNuhyphenhyphenDgySUL2gdTgGVqnyNvKr3PAQvTgcjMtrJkb5w5W2MU-C8JxOEPmCqlgK0QQsYbwN-URQ0W83cFwnTihebWpRndmIW-M4vqrncnXz5212qn5qY05qArZj-BOdgm1T1VYq_AboWcwSgnH1iXD31IpsZ/s2048/midnightgallery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfcvHqTNSShFt0VRbm8VdLVF8veFSGyPpsODNuhyphenhyphenDgySUL2gdTgGVqnyNvKr3PAQvTgcjMtrJkb5w5W2MU-C8JxOEPmCqlgK0QQsYbwN-URQ0W83cFwnTihebWpRndmIW-M4vqrncnXz5212qn5qY05qArZj-BOdgm1T1VYq_AboWcwSgnH1iXD31IpsZ/w400-h300/midnightgallery.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>Midnight Gallery make a positive impression with their short five-song set that precedes Ist Ist. With the release of their debut single Unknown and an accompanying EP they demonstrate a rich awareness of songwriting craft that goes down very well with the Preston audience who've braved the shocking weather and train strikes and come in early to support the support. Opening track Obsessions and their final song Goodbye are the strongest two with there being an intuitive feel and flow to them that goes beyond four kids picking up instruments and making a racket. They're far from the finished article, but the Preston crowd warm to them from the start and they pass the acid test of having people queuing to buy their cds and t-shirts at the end of the night. A name to look out for.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ist Ist feel like a band on the brink. They've gone full time in 2024 and have a full year of shows mapped out across both the UK and Europe, where they're significantly outselling many of their more celebrated and connected contemporaries. Album four is close to completion to follow up 2023's Protagonists that was a whisker and one place away from cracking the full UK Top 40 album chart. They play two songs from that tonight - Lost My Shadow and a first-ever unveiling of The Kiss - that suggest everything is going to get much bigger for them in 2024.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tonight's show is the first of a four-date Independent Venue Week tour and coincides with the reissue of their first two EPs Spinning Rooms and Everything Is Different Now on a combined CD and vinyl package entitled Everything Is Spinning Now. It's testament to the position they've forged for themselves that an independent self-releasing band can undertake such a reissue of releases that command a three figure sum in their original formats. Tonight's set sees some of the tracks from those releases - I'm Not Here, Exist, Preacher's Warning and the revamped Emily that appeared on Protagonists - brought back into the set for the first time in many years. They show just how much Ist Ist have progressed in that time, the songs have bulked up and out and now feel capable, like the set around it, of filling rooms multiple times the size of the intimate space of The Ferret.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilv3Het94p9GzS7xjhlWCTWzXXrRtsRSGPioiZwXiP8WEBO8Yq8a0j2QZA-Xm5Hft36g71DFrnDIXC6frjnnlO4R5ti0MCOf2F_EdghHJN65zODYQwH9jZyuRUdZqKUpTSGbuf-gLkXaiVFaOTCN-kAWNwAPrf5ZP-lXy3owdSXin9WGSTEtWJBkkKewkh/s2048/ististpreston2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilv3Het94p9GzS7xjhlWCTWzXXrRtsRSGPioiZwXiP8WEBO8Yq8a0j2QZA-Xm5Hft36g71DFrnDIXC6frjnnlO4R5ti0MCOf2F_EdghHJN65zODYQwH9jZyuRUdZqKUpTSGbuf-gLkXaiVFaOTCN-kAWNwAPrf5ZP-lXy3owdSXin9WGSTEtWJBkkKewkh/w400-h300/ististpreston2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>The twenty song set takes us on a journey through their three albums as well, focusing heavily as you'd expect on last year's Protagonists and its stand out tracks Mary In The Black And White Room, Nothing More Nothing Less, All Downhill, Stamp You Out and Something Has To Give. The songs have a raw power to them that has evolved from the recorded versions to make Ist Ist one of the most uncompromising forceful live acts around at the moment. That beefing up of the sound flows through the songs from Architecture and in particular The Art Of Lying tracks. Songs like Black, Night's Arm and Fat Cats Drown In Milk see them mastering the art of building a song to a climatic conclusion.</div><div><br /></div><div>You sense that they're opening themselves up on stage too in preparation for the bigger rooms that will await them in 2024. There's smiles and laughter at points although Adam jokes that he has to get back into character and Andy says there's a reason they're all dressed in black. But sonically you can hear the development in their live sound, see the confidence that comes with them going full-time and the success that they've had despite virtually no support from the powers that be in the music industry. Their music does their bidding for them, picking up fans by word-of-mouth and then keeping them through the strength of their live show and recorded outputs. A recent press release described them as having a cultish canon of songs, but that cult feels like it's about to go public in a big way.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ist Ist played Wolves, Stamp You Out, Exist, Lost My Shadow, The Kiss, Night's Arm, Fat Cats Drown In Milk, Preacher's Warning, I'm Not Here, Mary In The Black And White Room, Nothing More Nothing Less, All Downhill, Heads On Spikes, Fools Paradise, Something Has To Give, Black, Under Your Skin, Emily, You're Mine and Slowly We Escape.</div><div><br />They play Milton Keynes Craufurd Arms (Feb 1), Sunderland Independent (2), Huddersfield Parish (3), Paris L'International (March 12), Cologne Blue Shell (13), Berlin Kantine Am Berghain (14), Copenhagen Loppen (16), Stockholm Bar Brooklyn (17), Gothenburg Pustevik (18), Oslo John Dee (19), Hamburg Hebebuhne (21), Groningen Vera (22), Brussels Ways Around Festival (23), Hilversum De Vorstin (24), Nijmegen Doornroosje (26), Rotterdam Rotown (27), Birmingham Hare And Hounds (April 4), Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach (5), London Moth Club (6), Edinburgh Voodoo Rooms (11), York Fulford Arms (12), Leeds Key Club (18), Liverpool Arts Club (19), Norwich Waterfront (20), Manchester New Century (October 19) and Whitby Tomorrows Ghosts Festival (November 1).</div><div><br /></div><div><div><span>Ist Ist are on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ististmusic" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/ististmusic" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. Their albums including their new Live In Amsterdam release</span> can be ordered via their <a href="https://www.ististmusic.com/collections/album" target="_blank">website</a>. Digital versions of their previous limited edition releases and a number of live field recordings are available to download from their <a href="https://ististmusic.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Midnight Gallery are on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/midnightgallerymusicpage" target="_blank">Facebook</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span>________________________________</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><br /></span></div><div><span>Follow Even The Stars on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/eventhestarsuk" target="_blank">@eventhestarsuk</a> and like our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eventhestars" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page for all the latest updates</span></div></div><div><br /></div>Even The Starshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893050145760800584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097845677783826982.post-62979704637077185042024-02-01T07:00:00.001+00:002024-02-01T13:09:43.676+00:00TRACK OF THE DAY : John Bramwell - A World Full Of Flowers<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbyK0Jd1AhzaHNn0zySjVhiJ23h-MKIjm4_kutACVuK8Whq4Vxp7OWvo8S5uWJaxzH1QtAVpO_C_df9K_ppODIoqQT6A_K46jjx6a2LvMIKZeQkZyyVhrqVbybH1_F1wDPgWguf-dgn2Nmqk9AfwvWpUFZwEFw0I-7oPBx9lmxylY7X58AEIIOdAanVYj/s2048/worldfullofflowers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbyK0Jd1AhzaHNn0zySjVhiJ23h-MKIjm4_kutACVuK8Whq4Vxp7OWvo8S5uWJaxzH1QtAVpO_C_df9K_ppODIoqQT6A_K46jjx6a2LvMIKZeQkZyyVhrqVbybH1_F1wDPgWguf-dgn2Nmqk9AfwvWpUFZwEFw0I-7oPBx9lmxylY7X58AEIIOdAanVYj/s320/worldfullofflowers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div>
<div>John Bramwell has released A World Full Of Flowers, the first track to be
taken from his very long-awaited second solo album The Light Fantastic. <span><a name='more'></a></span></div>
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<div>A World Full Of Flowers will be familiar to those who've witnessed John's full band shows over the past couple of years as his band The Full Harmonic Convergence have previewed most of the tracks from The Light Fantastic. One of the standout tracks, A World Full Of Flowers has a pervading sense of optimism running through it in contrast to the darker nature of his solo debut Leave Alone The Empty Spaces and his extensive catalogue with I Am Kloot - "I want to run when the sunset breaks, make beauty for its own sake, see a world full of flowers go sailing by." It's a perfect taster for the album that is released on February 23rd accompanied by a series of band and solo dates.</div><div><br /></div><div>John Bramwell plays London St Pancras Old Church (February 21/22/23), Bristol Folk House (25) and Manchester Stoller Hall (29) with the Full Harmonic Convergence before Full Harmonic Trio shows at Oldham Shure Studios (March 1), Altrincham Bowdon Rooms (2), Cardiff Acapella Studios (14), Ludlow Assembly Rooms (15), Falmouth The Cornish Bank (21), Totnes The Barrel House Ballroom (22), Carlisle Old Fire Station (27), Glasgow St Luke's (28), Twyford St Mary's Church (April 5), Corsham Pound Arts Centre (6), Tunbridge Wells Forum (11), Norwich Waterfront (12), Oxford United Reform Church (19), Aldershot West End Centre (20), Shrewsbury Cathedral (25), Birmingham St Paul's Church (27), Chester St Mary's Creative Space (28), Nottingham Metronome (May 9), Dublin The Grand Social (11), Burton On Trent The Ropewalk (17), Lancaster Grand (24), Cardigan Mwldan (31), Bath Rondo Theatre (June 1), Liverpool Philharmonic Music Room (7) and Newcastle Cluny (8).</div><div><p>John Bramwell's website can be found <a href="http://www.johnbramwell.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. He is also on <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnBramwell1" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/johnharoldarnoldbramwell" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.</p><p>The Light Fantastic can be preordered <a href="https://johnbramwell.tmstor.es/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________</div><p>Follow Even The Stars on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/eventhestarsuk" target="_blank">@eventhestarsuk</a> and like our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eventhestars" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page for all the latest updates</p></div>
<br />Even The Starshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893050145760800584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097845677783826982.post-51181173250160005202024-01-29T08:00:00.001+00:002024-01-29T10:16:18.334+00:00LIINES - Manchester New Century Hall - 26th January 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgySAbuvTIRzjg3WHZqS9kN-Vqdf9kF0dkYMzRj6W5bmJhIgaHhU-9qkVo4JI1fzSOXkKPFJEgBpAdJg1mpaXs0gITJln_CAFhjMjDP-MLufLu9MGM3OGn65O6tAL-rkECjnLO4qYrFmetD0Q4Hqc8w_zsaZ9aH66khWyLYP0W9irmEOXQF605dmj8woY9h/s2048/418339737_404977218760219_4646685625058177235_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgySAbuvTIRzjg3WHZqS9kN-Vqdf9kF0dkYMzRj6W5bmJhIgaHhU-9qkVo4JI1fzSOXkKPFJEgBpAdJg1mpaXs0gITJln_CAFhjMjDP-MLufLu9MGM3OGn65O6tAL-rkECjnLO4qYrFmetD0Q4Hqc8w_zsaZ9aH66khWyLYP0W9irmEOXQF605dmj8woY9h/w400-h300/418339737_404977218760219_4646685625058177235_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>LIINES made their long-awaited and much-anticipated comeback on Friday night with a support slot with Ladytron at New Century Hall. Performing old favourites from their debut album Stop / Start as well as a bunch of new songs, they delighted those who'd scrambled for tickets after the recent announcement as well as winning over new fans from the Ladytron fan base.</div><div><span><a name='more'></a></span><span><br /></span>It's two years since LIINES graced a stage and plenty might have been forgiven for thinking the band had come to a natural end, but like all independent bands these days the balancing act between music, and the seemingly full-time job that comes alongside being in a band when you're doing everything yourselves, and real life, the struggle is real. To make a statement return in front of an almost-full New Century Hall and to deliver a set that reminded us right from the opening bars of Shallow through to the closing ones of Wait why they're so loved by those in on their secret. There's no big statements, no bravado, no flashy solos and posturing, just good old traditional rock music delivered with their own personalities stamped across it.</div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>With Ding on bass, someone whose own musical history, makes him a perfect foil for Zoe and Leila. LIINES have had many bass players over the years, Steph at the start, Tamsin whose off making new more experimental music and video with her Vice Vera and more recently Anna, each bringing their own influence to the music. Ding brings a raw edge to these songs, which are driven along by Leila's phenomenally powerful drums giving Zoe's often breathless but always emotionally invested vocals the room to let rip. It's a potent combination that works across both the older songs like Blackout and Sorry as well as Never There, still one of the greatest songs to come out of Manchester this century in our humble opinion, as well as the new material.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>The new material very much possesses LIINES' DNA but develops it as they've evolved rather than ripped up their blueprint. Always The Same, These Days and Wait in particular have an air of familiarity about them, but have moved on from the raw gritty feel of the debut. There's plenty for those who've been on the journey with them so far, but also much to draw in those who are hearing them for the first time as evidenced by the growing roar from the crowd as the set progresses. Nerves banished, half an hour flies back and LIINES make a statement of intent for 2024 that they're going nowhere.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>LIINES played </span>Shallow, Go, Keep On Going, Always The Same, Never There, Never Wanted This, These Days, Blackout, Sorry and Wait.</div><div><p>LIINES' official website can be found <a href="http://www.weareliines.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. They are also on <a href="https://twitter.com/WEARELIINES" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/weareliines" target="_blank">Facebook</a></p><div><div style="text-align: center;">___________________________</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Follow Even The Stars on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/eventhestarsuk" target="_blank">@eventhestarsuk</a> and like our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eventhestars" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page for all the latest updates</div></div>Even The Starshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893050145760800584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097845677783826982.post-73132114034251288332024-01-20T14:09:00.005+00:002024-01-20T18:57:51.102+00:00The Lottery Winners / Reverend And The Makers / Dirty Blonde - Manchester Apollo - 19th January 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJk5Uji_RAMbvyaEkHPomNkfEPl8pDwxlJpzLu51Dn670JJF4tXAqaBKvuDrxFoLsfhdnvIpueeSVdkl-6ZfXAofaHC_yYdd9X5zyQQsjkect8VbFw2X-yl-fK1edw3tvZiDHWeenXUGmjCkoR_KRR1Nmekwbuo68Ew_ulKiKTQ_QAciDXULM9c2bvecz/s2048/lotteryapollo1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJk5Uji_RAMbvyaEkHPomNkfEPl8pDwxlJpzLu51Dn670JJF4tXAqaBKvuDrxFoLsfhdnvIpueeSVdkl-6ZfXAofaHC_yYdd9X5zyQQsjkect8VbFw2X-yl-fK1edw3tvZiDHWeenXUGmjCkoR_KRR1Nmekwbuo68Ew_ulKiKTQ_QAciDXULM9c2bvecz/w400-h300/lotteryapollo1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>The Lottery Winners' unstoppable rise through the Manchester music venues continued on Friday night as they headlined a sold-out Apollo in front of an adoring audience who filled the room with love for a band of underdogs who've battled and earned their way to this bucket list venue for any aspiring band to come from the Manchester area. Support came from a surprise set from three of Reverend And The Makers and local newcomers Dirty Blonde.</div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div>It's about a year since we last saw Dirty Blonde, spitting distance from here in Bread Shed as part of This Feeling's Big In 2023. It's an astonishing transformation they've undergone in that time, their performance and their sound has been ratcheted up many levels so that they don't look or sound out of place in this iconic space. Ailis has developed into a front woman capable of holding an audience's attention, using the monitors to tower over the front rows, banging drums at the side of the stage like a demon when the song demands it and, most strikingly, a vocal that's developed in power and range to fill these hallowed surroundings. The songs in their half hour set, driven along by Hayley's guitars and a tight rhythm section, have also grown with them - Don't Cry, Get You Alone and the set-closing Run When I Tell You with its extended outro - to the point that you wouldn't bet against them returning here one day in the headline slot. There's a paucity of female-led rock bands these days but Dirty Blonde would stand out in any sized crowd.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjefBaY1QEclIwNzKRD92tAtqpIrpu0lQ47PK8ve0-JNcGxbhhkAPnXo17t8A8osseZyJ75wDYO2F5H4EMKY5VoWcO4u7pHTeXKgCA6jF1GSQW4VZzw7uo12XLYP3UDgOK0-CjaWCGZ3ZIvedyC9ErNQMtrxSDUdD61mB-1Ak6HKn8fZFrP-hLr9oxFiRJe/s2048/dirtyblondeapollo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjefBaY1QEclIwNzKRD92tAtqpIrpu0lQ47PK8ve0-JNcGxbhhkAPnXo17t8A8osseZyJ75wDYO2F5H4EMKY5VoWcO4u7pHTeXKgCA6jF1GSQW4VZzw7uo12XLYP3UDgOK0-CjaWCGZ3ZIvedyC9ErNQMtrxSDUdD61mB-1Ak6HKn8fZFrP-hLr9oxFiRJe/w400-h300/dirtyblondeapollo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>There had been much speculation about the special guests given the number of famous collaborators that The Lottery Winners have had over the years. "I'm not Frank Turner, I'm not Shaun Ryder and not Boy George" Jon McClure tells us as he takes to the stage, initially alone, but there's no more fitting special guest. Jon is an untiring champion of new music and was around way before those more famous names advising the band in the days where this level of success was beyond their wildest dreams. Their songs too fit the mood, a celebration, lusty singalongs (which Jon asks for help with given he's riddled with a cold). He's joined by guitarist Ed Cosens and Laura McClure on sax and melodica and both provide backing vocals to some of their biggest hits - Open Your Window, Shine A Light, Heavyweight Champion Of The World, Bandits and Silence Is Talking - that finishes with three and a half thousand people singing the sax refrain. There's space too for two songs from this year's top ten album Heatwave In The Cold North - the title track and A Letter To My 21 Year Old Self. They leave the stage in the capable hands of Clint Boon who spins Manchester classics until it's time for the main act.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgBASOshnJPTTBZzW1IN09EXoHMI2OEU8wbeFu4zCElgArdyf0pNwUs7B1ebS1Cp5AoEGheaMuxW_jjn6aSkkAFhO_fXdNSj4kKyn3JgMDyav6H2SQwC7izLZX4Avws897NFkwq8cFwrfhIDDteLnnXf3u7y0FqdPA6xRb6C1gFsttTP8WAEp_DR5P7FJP/s2048/revapollo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgBASOshnJPTTBZzW1IN09EXoHMI2OEU8wbeFu4zCElgArdyf0pNwUs7B1ebS1Cp5AoEGheaMuxW_jjn6aSkkAFhO_fXdNSj4kKyn3JgMDyav6H2SQwC7izLZX4Avws897NFkwq8cFwrfhIDDteLnnXf3u7y0FqdPA6xRb6C1gFsttTP8WAEp_DR5P7FJP/w400-h300/revapollo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>The band enter the stage to Robbie Williams' Rock DJ, a bold and ecstatic statement of intent. The roar that greets them is one of the loudest we've ever heard here and it's repeated at the end of each and every song as the love reverberates around every single nook and cranny of this beautiful theatre. Thom raises his hands aloft, acknowledging his disciples and asking us who got thirty seconds in the bingo game of how long it would take him to cry. He may be marmite to some, his perpetual excitement and giddyness leading him to talk and talk and talk, but there's thousands here tonight, and across their increasingly larger sold-out venues in the UK and further afield, who adore him. He tells us of his first gig ever, as a twelve-year old kid on the balcony watching Sum 41, and his dream of playing this stage that he never thought would materialise and yet here they are, headlining, selling more tickets here than bands they've supported who couldn't handle their overwhelming popularity.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Lottery Winners aren't just Thom though, much to his mock disgust when the audience chant the names of his bandmates at points during the set. Rob Lally's guitar playing often goes unnoticed yet it's so critical to these songs and his vocals on Let Me Down (sung by Boy George on the album) are perfect. The rhythm section of Katie on bass and Joe on drums is tight and forms the bedrock of the songs allowing Thom to play the rockgod frontman of his dreams. Katie also takes lead vocals on 85 Trips and Burning House, proving that this is a band with not just one, but three vocalists capable of taking the lead. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDxqbtycFGG5PgZfic41HgA_xq9tH-myX1Xlp6L-4j0GXZYF86unYbGlgP8Kwib4ghw8rysIRNLLUFlA7qlP7lLxnN-6-cwgy-gl0blgynRA1NA0jSPCxDAY-UB-BYeLAlpizlNwtmGZw-OKblLFO9Pt0iyJTwcgnS21q-tDPCdnyMFNZm680P2jDJdZWE/s2048/lotteryapollo2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDxqbtycFGG5PgZfic41HgA_xq9tH-myX1Xlp6L-4j0GXZYF86unYbGlgP8Kwib4ghw8rysIRNLLUFlA7qlP7lLxnN-6-cwgy-gl0blgynRA1NA0jSPCxDAY-UB-BYeLAlpizlNwtmGZw-OKblLFO9Pt0iyJTwcgnS21q-tDPCdnyMFNZm680P2jDJdZWE/w400-h300/lotteryapollo2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Bands are nothing without songs though and it's in Thom's songwriting that the magic really happens. There's a list as long as your arm of songs not played tonight that demonstrate his prowess to craft music that connects at the basest levels of human emotions, but the set is so crammed full of them that there simply isn't space for them all. From Worry, their number one album Anxiety Replacement Therapy's opener, through tracks from all of their albums to date ending with the two-song encore of Burning House and Start Again, there isn't a moment when the set drops and the audience never stops singing and dancing. </div><div><br /></div><div>The likes of Meaning Of Life, 21 (with the last line changed to "this is how it feels to be number one" of course), Favourite Flavour, Letter To Myself and Much Better burrow their way into your head and refuse to leave. One look around the area we're in and there's primary school kids and pensioners joined as one, lost in the music and the connections and love that it creates. That love eminates from the stage as well - this is a humble band blown away by the love that's been directed towards them and they appreciate it and reflect it back. The Lottery Winners, outsiders and supposedly way too uncool to be rock stars, have happened upon the magic formula.</div><div><br /></div><div>At the end as they drink in the final applause and Sum 41 kicks in the background, Thom addresses us, self-deprecating as ever, and says "the fat prick is finally speechless." He's not fat and he's an inspiration - his work is done in any case. Somewhere in the venue there's a twelve-year old kid at their first gig who this will inspire on their journey as Sum 41 did Thom back in 2002. There are plenty of Manchester area bands who've grown to this level and fulfilled their wildest dreams by selling out this venue, but there's few that will have deserved it more.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Lottery Winners' website can be found <a href="https://www.thelotterywinners.co.uk/">here</a> and they are on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thelotterywinners/">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/LotteryWinners">Twitter</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Reverend and the Makers website can be found at <a href="http://www.reverendmakers.com/">reverendmakers.com</a>. They can also be found on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/ReverendAndTheMakers">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/reverend_makers">Twitter</a>.<br /><br /><div>Dirty Blonde are on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wearedirtyblonde" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/weredirtyblonde" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.</div><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Follow Even The Stars on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/eventhestarsuk" target="_blank">@eventhestarsuk</a> and like our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eventhestars" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page for all the latest updates</div></div>Even The Starshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893050145760800584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097845677783826982.post-34453546221038384712024-01-15T20:46:00.002+00:002024-01-15T22:39:50.576+00:00TRACK OF THE DAY : James - Is This Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSGpEJSVH1Cp6AstGCI834LSxNfhM6eUNaxojC3Mqyl4-4Nqa62oXc1NxzfG_P1zOtsewAkMIK-3b9M2-m0gCX7nb5IQXI501iBeZGiMTU1EvxTHIKOYagdScstS2JEHv6UMjvej8GCx6D78IznO8Ha3kIeA-R1kMzu_fT1Yj1pz5L5XuM19-SQjxA2JDz/s4000/J3318_James_IsThisLove_PS_300dpi_RGB.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="4000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSGpEJSVH1Cp6AstGCI834LSxNfhM6eUNaxojC3Mqyl4-4Nqa62oXc1NxzfG_P1zOtsewAkMIK-3b9M2-m0gCX7nb5IQXI501iBeZGiMTU1EvxTHIKOYagdScstS2JEHv6UMjvej8GCx6D78IznO8Ha3kIeA-R1kMzu_fT1Yj1pz5L5XuM19-SQjxA2JDz/s320/J3318_James_IsThisLove_PS_300dpi_RGB.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>James return with Is This Love, the opening track from their 18th studio album
Yummy that is set for release on April 12th. A string-laden track, it muses on all aspects of the universal search for love and peace of mind.</div><div><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NQPS2hOmvX8?si=d4D0KY_WudB5h3S_" title="YouTube video player" width="420"></iframe><br /></div>
<div><br /></div><div>Is This Love ponders the meaning of love - "is this love we just weaponised, can our love outrun these times, is this love you just sempahored, you advance now you withdraw, what is good for?" questioning why people chase something that often ends badly for the promise of something special at the end - "we will get past the hurt to the parade" - and the comfort blanket it provides - "sweet relief from the world in freefall." Beautiful lush instrumentation with multiple layers and gorgeous vocal harmonies make it feel like an instant James anthemic classic.</div><div><br /></div><div>More details about Yummy will be available in the coming weeks with the album going on pre-sale on January 25th.</div>
<div><p>James tour in June 2024 calling at Aberdeen P&J Arena (June 3), Newcastle Utilita Arena (5), Glasgow OVO Hydro (7), Leeds First Direct Arena (8), Cardiff Utilita Arena (11), Birmingham Utilita Arena (12), Manchester CO-OP Live (14) and London O2 Arena (15).</p><p>Tim, Saul, Jim and other members of the band also headline the Music Feeds event with an orchestra conducted by Joe Duddell at Manchester Apollo on February 27th. Tickets <a href="https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/music-feeds-live-a-concert-to-tickets/artist/5441543" target="_blank">here</a></p><p>James' official website can be found <a href="http://www.wearejames.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. They are on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jamesisnotaperson" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/wearejames" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. Some of the band - <a href="https://twitter.com/RealTimBooth" target="_blank">Tim</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/andydiagram" target="_blank">Andy</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/DBayntonPower" target="_blank">Dave</a> - are also on Twitter.</p><p>We also run the <a href="https://www.oneofthethree.com/">One Of The Three James archive</a>, the most detailed resource for information about the band, and the site also has a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/oneofthethree/">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/oneofthethree">Twitter</a> page.<br /><br />TimBoothLyricADay, whose posts often lead to Tim explaining his thought processes behind the lyrics, can be found on <a href="https://twitter.com/BoothLyric" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BoothLyric/" target="_blank">Facebook</a></p><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________</div><p>Follow Even The Stars on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/eventhestarsuk" target="_blank">@eventhestarsuk</a> and like our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eventhestars" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page for all the latest updates</p></div>
Even The Starshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893050145760800584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097845677783826982.post-45716334099287764812023-12-26T19:15:00.000+00:002023-12-26T19:15:05.202+00:00Déjà Vega / Velkro - Manchester Yes - 23rd December 2023<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibHjlHIraaP-rDNluLbPN7EtfXfPMjR31LJBPYq4sij1rGo_MJwQI0cP6ndWqMZaTYTrkOBVIJ_N1KO4sEySBUlOIbVfXdjAnLoPqUIqeqLZNE-tsZK6vXlnv7sY3KRzMWD1Mbh04fOshvaPbuy7dznjEn9Az01r2TdnymsD7B7V0aCQK6IchLc7QmIfC/s2048/dejayes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibHjlHIraaP-rDNluLbPN7EtfXfPMjR31LJBPYq4sij1rGo_MJwQI0cP6ndWqMZaTYTrkOBVIJ_N1KO4sEySBUlOIbVfXdjAnLoPqUIqeqLZNE-tsZK6vXlnv7sY3KRzMWD1Mbh04fOshvaPbuy7dznjEn9Az01r2TdnymsD7B7V0aCQK6IchLc7QmIfC/w400-h300/dejayes.jpg" width="400" /></a>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Déjà Vega saw out their most successful year to date with a show in the Pink
Room of Yes in Manchester on Saturday night, adding a festive twist to their
set.
</div>
<div>
<span><a name='more'></a></span>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>Hull's Velkro open up the evening and despite a muddy sound that often takes away
some of the impact of their wonderfully vibrant take on shoegaze with guitars
turned up. Formed out of the ashes of the highly rated Priestgate only a few
months ago they impress a rapidly filling up Pink Room with a half-hour set
that promises much more to come in 2024 as they establish themselves with
their new identity.
</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzaYWhyphenhyphen6Qo9WfRgAny6g8tw_EYX9Q7TeNpj0Ry_dfawOjqHShu2kYLP3v1e0ZaTiuc8Vm2KtDSdi8gNEwV_ywG6-mhzo9Ejd3_I37HvoN_mxsPeBUSGHfpz-wAwczcD1nTAY-vfA8RJmNAmS21Ptn90idc-Ovkju5mEz7m44Lf-CO4YR39ULq5IByvLoH6/s2048/velkro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzaYWhyphenhyphen6Qo9WfRgAny6g8tw_EYX9Q7TeNpj0Ry_dfawOjqHShu2kYLP3v1e0ZaTiuc8Vm2KtDSdi8gNEwV_ywG6-mhzo9Ejd3_I37HvoN_mxsPeBUSGHfpz-wAwczcD1nTAY-vfA8RJmNAmS21Ptn90idc-Ovkju5mEz7m44Lf-CO4YR39ULq5IByvLoH6/w400-h300/velkro.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>This is a much more intimate Déjà Vega show than you'd expect these days
given their ascent from support slots around town to being one of the most
exciting and visceral headliners around, both in Manchester and further
afield. With two albums under their belt, tonight has the feeling of an
end-of-term event where everyone lets their hair down and has fun. </div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Of course Déjà Vega are a serious proposition live. The combination of Jack's
furiously intense performance as their front man, one of the nicest guys in
music turned into a ferocious demon the minute he steps on stage lost in the
music he and his mates are creating and Mike and Tom's rhythm section that are
every bit as vital aurally but who seem almost oblivious to the manic
movements of their lifelong friend a few feet away from them. They've learned
their trade over the best part of a decade to now be able to seamlessly and
effortlessly gel together, creating a sound that threatens to overwhelm Yes's
set-up such is the sheer intensity of the trio.
</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCNGsDIWyhiyPDpEUf-jckxdUYMqROdYX3jssZsKHlyQxWmBVVDGq7tbljKDTFeOtaaTKIcjr9lFpyX1XmS1J8gUqkY7lnOdPXLlkIjKzJSTUPWhzt1bpgvjgZZ9ppXmxZ-4eE7_dFGlPiHH4K088gI-1RpR7tHIQRsOJnbdHbZqj-rkxRdMYO-Zb2wt6i/s2048/dejayes2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCNGsDIWyhiyPDpEUf-jckxdUYMqROdYX3jssZsKHlyQxWmBVVDGq7tbljKDTFeOtaaTKIcjr9lFpyX1XmS1J8gUqkY7lnOdPXLlkIjKzJSTUPWhzt1bpgvjgZZ9ppXmxZ-4eE7_dFGlPiHH4K088gI-1RpR7tHIQRsOJnbdHbZqj-rkxRdMYO-Zb2wt6i/w400-h300/dejayes2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>The set, as you'd expect leans heavily on their second album Personal Hell but
there's plenty for everyone in their hour and a half set. Early singles
Friends In High Places is dusted down for the occasion and the self-titled
debut album also gives us Chasing, Mr Powder and Eyes Of Steel, all crowd
favourites for both those in the growing mosh-pit down the front and those
standing back and drinking in the raw power of the band as the room heats up.
Slow And Steady, one of the stand-outs from Personal Hell, shows that Déjà
Vega are not just about volume and adrenaline-fueled headrushes - there's lots
of grooves running through these songs.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
They finish, as you'd expect, with a glorious soaring version of The Test, a
song that takes on new life and is always teeming with the band's adventurous
spirit as the three of them jam through fifteen minutes plus of
part-improvised music. Tonight's version is a unique one as it's got a short
blast of Merry Xmas Everybody that the whole room joins in with before The
Test's final section drains every last remaining drop of energy from the
moshpit and the band leave with roars of appreciation ringing in their ears.
2024 will mean new music and new adventures but this was Déjà Vega signing out
of 2023 in the only way they know how.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Velkro are on
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550687018410" target="_blank">Facebook</a>
and <a href="https://twitter.com/velkro_band" target="_blank">Twitter</a>
</div>
<div>
<p>
Déjà Vega are on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dejavega" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/dejavegaband" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.
</p>
<div style="text-align: center;">________________________________</div>
<p>
Follow Even The Stars on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/eventhestarsuk" target="_blank">@eventhestarsuk</a> and like our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eventhestars" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page for all the latest updates
</p>
</div>
Even The Starshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893050145760800584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097845677783826982.post-70902762266120423402023-12-24T11:00:00.001+00:002023-12-24T11:00:00.134+00:00EVEN THE STARS - TOP 20 ALBUMS OF 2023<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhshtJMxEVriOaK-Hl-Ts35odh5XQL7fh0GbFZ-hl3uHg-mwxTY_MMBtyoh3kGPCngPmHlO0KOhdLt62-f3Jr3X0hh90FFS_LEXy4Ng3Re8xXH3OgHc4TxixzfOeM9vKQFLaBCyLN5eXrqdD3WkU8Fy3xE0mBA4F-j2Dwt4RwRg7k7wtyOUsCVFL0cJRhOC/s400/eventhestarsnewlogo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhshtJMxEVriOaK-Hl-Ts35odh5XQL7fh0GbFZ-hl3uHg-mwxTY_MMBtyoh3kGPCngPmHlO0KOhdLt62-f3Jr3X0hh90FFS_LEXy4Ng3Re8xXH3OgHc4TxixzfOeM9vKQFLaBCyLN5eXrqdD3WkU8Fy3xE0mBA4F-j2Dwt4RwRg7k7wtyOUsCVFL0cJRhOC/s320/eventhestarsnewlogo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The following twenty albums have been our favourites of the year<span><a name='more'></a></span><p><b style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">20 : SKIES - IS IT ALL IN OUR HEADS?</b></p>
<p>
<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/4Zk6ygFHmID3720Y0Uprdr?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe>
<span style="color: red; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span>
</p>
<p><b style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">19 : WEDNESDAY - RAT SAW GOD</b></p>
<p>
<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/1oTR3aC0jYmwUlr9duBi05?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe><br />
</p>
<p><b style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">18 : ANNA ST LOUIS - IN THE AIR</b></p>
<p>
<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/7LZYx5g4krGcHV8ri0jRjz?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe><br />
</p>
<p><b style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">17 : CVC - GET REAL</b></p>
<p>
<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/2CP4v1zIXBxJab2lmoVHED?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe><br />
</p>
<p><b style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">16 : SARABETH TUCEK - JOAN OF ALL</b></p>
<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/6SdNp7fsinSSPPu3W1zcQy?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe>
<p><b style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">15 : DREAM WIFE - SOCIAL LUBRICATION</b></p>
<p>
<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/11uhVhCMNFH7qpzicSfNdW?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe>
</p>
<p><b style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">14 : KRISTIN HERSH - CLEAR POND ROAD</b></p>
<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/6zJSjhTjCS8FKOxS9M5D4s?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe>
<p><b style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">13 : CO-PILOT - ROTATE</b></p>
<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/artist/4St4lgpGm6PiFwti5BKzBH?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe>
<p><b style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">12 : CINDY - WHY NOT NOW</b></p>
<p>
<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/50I2RfNpEjbPQB8OCGf2V5?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe><br />
</p>
<p><b style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">11 : DIRTY LACES - BLINK FOR NOTHING</b></p>
<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/70O1tm7ZxLRzcrWZA5YLAd?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe>
<p><b style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">10 : THE LOTTERY WINNERS - ANXIETY REPLACEMENT THERAPY</b></p>
<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/7IX8SVSpjtuU4qNukaXcZu?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe>
<p><b style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">9 : KARA JACKSON - WHY DOES THE EARTH GIVE US PEOPLE TO LOVE?</b></p>
<p>
<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/2itoipNg0XOD1uwThhkVtO?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe><br />
</p>
<p><b style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">8 : SAY SHE SHE - SILVER</b></p>
<p>
<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/043vgwukOxX7bcL4VuMX10?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe><br />
</p>
<p><b style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">7 : EMM GRYNER - BUSINESS & PLEASURE</b></p>
<p>
<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/0ClkxoILWsHgeg1tuqpwZ0?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe><br />
</p>
<p><b style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">6 : THE BEACHES - BLAME MY EX</b></p>
<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/1a5idDFSq90ej8CzQC7YDc?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe>
<p><b style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">5 : JAMES - BE OPENED BY THE WONDERFUL</b></p><p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/76rC8vNmKG3DcdbmogZKq3?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe></p><p><b style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">4 : THE SLOW READERS CLUB - KNOWLEDGE FREEDOM POWER</b></p>
<p>
<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/5Hjrk5ZrtyQgt0MDzdT6nu?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe><br />
</p>
<p><b style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">3 : THE MURDER CAPITAL - GIGI'S RECOVERY</b></p>
<p>
<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/6ZbJKlwcSja0MbKg2dQQLJ?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe><br />
</p>
<p><b style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">2 : IST IST - PROTAGONISTS</b></p><p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/1dWtKqT6VUxjWVwz1A7Kkh?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe><br /></p><p><b style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">1 : LANTERNS ON THE LAKE - VERSIONS OF US</b></p>
<p>
<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/503ZqeV0U6l37PPcm42gpQ?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe><br />
</p>
<div style="text-align: center;">________________________________</div><p>Follow Even The Stars on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/eventhestarsuk" target="_blank">@eventhestarsuk</a> and like our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eventhestars" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page for all the latest updates</p>
Even The Starshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893050145760800584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097845677783826982.post-14282351363602504322023-12-11T09:04:00.002+00:002023-12-11T11:03:18.551+00:00Music Feeds Live - 27th February 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9pTfdCesFnS9XCwhKlqPhwewDGfhm0lM0J80uHwbEAsdEVpbLQ8vPWdF_NF7Kcs8Mp3rEIkjOHWXxB9uOmO4cHLahaqjbOO6guWgfVJbdlf5spc1rBp6GdxhFCgZ9n5SlIwtNYDmkUXlhyoVll0a06Oed7QbC79V2A02COJTluhXvMA-r3yqKfBmCzGX-/s1024/408946763_10169269817465713_1373737696250188934_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="566" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9pTfdCesFnS9XCwhKlqPhwewDGfhm0lM0J80uHwbEAsdEVpbLQ8vPWdF_NF7Kcs8Mp3rEIkjOHWXxB9uOmO4cHLahaqjbOO6guWgfVJbdlf5spc1rBp6GdxhFCgZ9n5SlIwtNYDmkUXlhyoVll0a06Oed7QbC79V2A02COJTluhXvMA-r3yqKfBmCzGX-/w354-h640/408946763_10169269817465713_1373737696250188934_n.jpg" width="354" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Music Feeds Live has been announced today to take place at Manchester Apollo
on 27th February 2024. Featuring the likes of James, The Slow Readers Club,
Lanterns On The Lake and Chicane accompanied by the Joe Duddell Orchestra, the
concert aims to raise money to fight food poverty. It will be hosted by Gary
Neville, Jamie Carragher and Chris Hawkins.<br />
<a name='more'></a>
<p></p>
<p>
The concert is a follow-on from the online Music Feeds festival which took
place virtually during lockdown in January 2021 which raised over a million
pounds and featured the likes of Liam Gallagher, Sam Smith, Run DMC, Blossoms
and Charlotte Church.
</p>
<p>
This time the concert will be held in real life with each artist being
accompanied by an orchestra arranged and conducted by Joe Duddell, who has
worked with James and The Slow Readers Club previously as well as Elbow's
legendary Bridgewater Hall shows for Manchester International Festival.
</p>
<p>The line up features to date Tim, Jim and Saul from James, The Slow Readers Club, Lanterns On The Lake (whose orchestral Live With Royal Northern Sinfonia album is one of our favourites of all time), Simon Armitage (LYR), Liam Frost, Getty, The Reads, Rosellas, The Farm, Chicane, First Breath After Coma, Assa And Batfunk, Ellen Beth Abdi and Tom A Smith with more to be announced.</p><p>Tickets will be on sale later this week. Presale Wednesday and general sale Friday</p><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________</div><p>Follow Even The Stars on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/eventhestarsuk" target="_blank">@eventhestarsuk</a> and like our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eventhestars" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page for all the latest updates</p>
Even The Starshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893050145760800584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097845677783826982.post-15856919718191904532023-12-11T06:38:00.004+00:002023-12-11T06:38:58.822+00:00The Johnny Marr Orchestra - Manchester Aviva Studios - 7th December 2023<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgchbHilV5-eYFnOVS3H_oDxxVLcWKsqVPYbmQMy90ggnl_cUox7-6rtSeZSAMe3EPGPs5Lt12-PFoBO2-2pq6vltl_sm5lgglQ1447UoTnrGlLC75zsGH1-dMIo66Mf_r1NWPH7oCAcnKPQ3udzwjU-BuzPNnKKYovno5gDcm4yXFYYfRkjL97cF3o8lm4/s4032/403618796_1525708698192385_4137985403334502055_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgchbHilV5-eYFnOVS3H_oDxxVLcWKsqVPYbmQMy90ggnl_cUox7-6rtSeZSAMe3EPGPs5Lt12-PFoBO2-2pq6vltl_sm5lgglQ1447UoTnrGlLC75zsGH1-dMIo66Mf_r1NWPH7oCAcnKPQ3udzwjU-BuzPNnKKYovno5gDcm4yXFYYfRkjL97cF3o8lm4/w400-h300/403618796_1525708698192385_4137985403334502055_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Johnny Marr has proved unstoppable this year - juggling multiple projects and leaving an indelible mark on the music scene. From joining The Pretenders at Glastonbury to releasing a photography book and a Greatest Hits album, his relentless creativity and dedication has made it a truly prolific and unforgettable 2023 for the legendary guitarist. To commemorate his tenth anniversary as a solo artist, Johnny has just performed two homecoming concerts at Manchester’s Factory International Aviva Studios, where him and his band were joined by a 30-piece orchestra. Led by conductor Fiona Brice, the orchestra was assembled by Johnny himself and composed of musicians from across the North.</p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>Performing with an orchestra gave Johnny the opportunity to reinterpret his catalogue in exciting ways and he surprised the crowd by opening with Armatopia – as energetic as ever, the live favourite saw its electronic elements fused with buoyant strings. Exhibiting a high level of energy, Johnny launched straight into Day In Day Out which soared more than ever with the melodic addition of the woodwind section. </p><p>After addressing the crowd, expressing how much of an honour it was to be the first rock artist to play at the new cultural space in the heart of Manchester, he brought the pace down a notch with New Town Velocity from his debut solo album. Providing the perfect backdrop to Johnny’s already cinematic compositions, the orchestra enhanced the emotional impact and added layers of complexity to his music – and this was more evident than ever during the poignant New Town Velocity, that tells the tale of his youth.</p><p>How Soon Is Now, the first Smiths offering of the evening, came next - marking the initial moment when the orchestra caught your attention as they replicated Johnny’s iconic tremolo sound. Progressing throughout the track, they ultimately adopted a tribal sound as Johnny thoroughly immersed himself in the beat. Get The Message by Electronic followed, offering one of the most unique interpretations of the evening as the captivatingly contagious track paid homage to another vital area in Johnny’s career. Stunning the crowd into silence, the lesser played Rubicon was next, with its sweeping strings sat exquisitely alongside ominous instrumentation. </p><p>The Smiths classic Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me followed, maintaining the brooding vibe as Johnny’s vocals have gone from strength to strength over the last ten years and this was particularly apparent on fan favourites, Hi Hello and Somewhere. Reworked in the style of the demo on Spirit Power, his recent solo career retrospective, the latter saw Johnny armed with an acoustic guitar as the orchestra gradually became part of the ensemble, culminating in a burst of joy.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1SQtLBHVog-BHXuC8DnXun5BnoGqpxQ01a3he-MMlIDsIBts6Xd8sotSAmR9jqP-dkD1YqYc2UZGY8zD4B8Ur5elxUh2NHpfj5c7TAsmvtsk3G2se0XTZeTIuV9QKcHAoo6BsoVUzQMV-H5kxMKpa3AtHUDSXgycjBxxML6N5OKsDckyRHRzpvpjLQUF/s4032/403626391_1096650324698935_5918891510213403722_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1SQtLBHVog-BHXuC8DnXun5BnoGqpxQ01a3he-MMlIDsIBts6Xd8sotSAmR9jqP-dkD1YqYc2UZGY8zD4B8Ur5elxUh2NHpfj5c7TAsmvtsk3G2se0XTZeTIuV9QKcHAoo6BsoVUzQMV-H5kxMKpa3AtHUDSXgycjBxxML6N5OKsDckyRHRzpvpjLQUF/w400-h300/403626391_1096650324698935_5918891510213403722_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Spiral Cities followed with its atmospheric and expansive sound enhanced by dynamic dance gestures that reflected not just how comfortable he is in his role as a frontman, but just how much fun he’s having. Skilled as ever when crafting a setlist, Johnny adeptly inserts contemplative tracks at just the right moment and Walk Into The Sea was as biblical as ever, with the harmonious sounds from the woodwork section introducing an additional dimension of allure to the Call The Comet track.</p><p>Johnny’s been working with the same band – Jack Mitchell, Iwan Gronow and James Doviak – since he launched his solo career in 2013 and they’re truly a force to be reckoned with. Following an impressive performance of eleven songs that also featured Nile Marr on guitar and harmonies, the band took a well-earned break, allowing Johnny to gracefully resume with his acoustic guitar, delivering a breath-taking rendition of Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want that skilfully highlighted the brass ensemble. The jaunty Easy Money provided a total contrast before the main set transported us back to the Hacienda with the Electronic classic Getting Away With It – a staple in Johnny’s live sets that never fails to elicit a broad smile from him.</p><p>Johnny and his powerhouse of a band returned to the stage with Panic and There Is A Light That Never Goes Out – two widely acclaimed tracks from his tenure with The Smiths. As he introduced the latter, the legendary musician expressed his gratitude to everybody onstage, before thanking those in the crowd for supporting him in such a historic moment. Delivering a sonic landscape that is both melancholic and uplifting, There Is a Light That Never Goes Out provided the perfect closing track to the show – with its perfection heightened by a photo of the late great Andy Rourke appearing on the screen at the end, which Johnny heart-warmingly saluted.</p><p>Factory International couldn’t have asked for a better inaugural live music performance at Aviva Studios and it was truly magical to hear tracks from all areas of Johnny’s career reworked with an orchestra. Never a one trick pony, Johnny has embraced a variety of musical endeavours and his collaboration with an orchestra only exemplifies his eagerness for and talent of pushing boundaries and exploring different musical avenues. If his 2023 is anything to go by, 2024 is going to be another huge year for Johnny – and we certainly look forward to being a part of it.</p><p>Johnny Marr's official website can be found <a href="http://www.johnny-marr.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. He is also on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/officialjohnnymarr" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Johnny_Marr" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________</div><p>Follow Even The Stars on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/eventhestarsuk" target="_blank">@eventhestarsuk</a> and like our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eventhestars" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page for all the latest updates</p>Laura Deanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06231544650259883056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097845677783826982.post-27540322237058747532023-12-09T08:57:00.002+00:002023-12-09T08:57:46.103+00:00The Slow Readers Club - Manchester New Century - 8th December 2023<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGxh2kqpxK6zf-PooNB6jkyokUhR6XtU5NOLKDHtJTkMFaMsAc1Nh_7NMVlq6-WN_GBHYpC3RKF18pTGI9YCFi8d5p-zMWoXL8Mq-jZoyXYFHkRXjmNdQhksrY1yjKn2rMegohuzx_u0iyqsmqCKM7WHdNpiAIctbcir_ItiBVGWDk3q_ooA_OVPOL9xmG/s4032/403604120_1379349509600816_4955887057312138246_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGxh2kqpxK6zf-PooNB6jkyokUhR6XtU5NOLKDHtJTkMFaMsAc1Nh_7NMVlq6-WN_GBHYpC3RKF18pTGI9YCFi8d5p-zMWoXL8Mq-jZoyXYFHkRXjmNdQhksrY1yjKn2rMegohuzx_u0iyqsmqCKM7WHdNpiAIctbcir_ItiBVGWDk3q_ooA_OVPOL9xmG/w400-h300/403604120_1379349509600816_4955887057312138246_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>The Slow Readers Club completed their Manchester mash-up with the biggest show of the three, a sold out show at the imposing New Century. A career spanning greatest hits set was accompanied by a brand new song in front of an adoring hometown crowd who sang, danced and lost themselves in music for an hour and a half.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>This isn't The Slow Readers Club's biggest hometown show. They've played across town at the Apollo, Albert Hall and The Ritz, but tonight feels like the most triumphant. A band that had been plugging away for many years, like so many Manchester bands producing magnificent music under the radar, who got the lucky break that few do by supporting James in 2016 which propelled them to a bigger audience, their ascent, via a top 20 and then a top 10 album, was stopped in its tracks by COVID. </p><p>They've rebuilt with possibly their best album to date, Knowledge Freedom Power, this year. But tonight's show was perfect, the sound, the performance, the lights, the venue, the setlist and the way it built and reminded everyone in the room just how powerful music can be. The "doom laden pop" that Aaron references two songs in might be what this is at face value, but when you delve beneath the surface this is a communal coming together to exorcise demons, to learn that the doubts and fears in your head aren't in your head alone and that for ninety minutes everything else can be forgotten and the world put to rights. Detractors might say that they're doing nothing new - they are, they, and the likes of Ist Ist who face similar accusations, are bringing the spirit of Manchester's heritage of the best guitar music in the world up-to-date far more than the £100 reliving the 1990s in a big arena ever will do. </p><p>The setlist covers all bases from their debut self-titled album represented tonight by a sole track Feet On Fire through Cavalcade, Build A Tower, The Joy Of The Return, 91 Days In Isolation through to Knowledge Freedom Power. They debut a new song - Dear Silence - that has all the anthemic qualities we've come to associate with them that has the crowd clapping along in the breakdown to a song they've never heard before.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdbEX-_EZ7D3RnFlBeWLKw-de5D8BHp0WrnP1z2X2w_dHJSSTFL_37poae1V4fczqEthxVB_QsaDG1hAowVQ1jg6g6xdxjC9q5Z6-w9pXxwhBxEiUTT1MhyphenhyphengSomklNNsMuzmsEpqmwrTcLBMTCD5gidNjZRjoERQDz0IFTzx-7udPl3aSi6zqFNDDlx1AF/s4032/393893226_229911803457564_4398837290441426275_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdbEX-_EZ7D3RnFlBeWLKw-de5D8BHp0WrnP1z2X2w_dHJSSTFL_37poae1V4fczqEthxVB_QsaDG1hAowVQ1jg6g6xdxjC9q5Z6-w9pXxwhBxEiUTT1MhyphenhyphengSomklNNsMuzmsEpqmwrTcLBMTCD5gidNjZRjoERQDz0IFTzx-7udPl3aSi6zqFNDDlx1AF/w400-h300/393893226_229911803457564_4398837290441426275_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>The tight-knit nature of the band is evident, having been through the struggles of playing to ten people in the Castle on a Monday night and similar sized crowds in most of the grassroots venues a stones throw away from here, breaking through the indifference of local radio and media to become their hometown darlings they claim to have supported from the start (not you Natalie and Michelle if you're reading) to fill out places like Night And Day as a reminder of the importance of those spaces. </p><p>The Slow Readers Club formed bonds in those places, developed their craft and became one of the most powerful and important modern bands of this era of the city's musical heritage. There's an intuitive bond between them, little glances, in-jokes and an immense sense of connection between themselves and their audience that is unbreakable. Aaron Starkie's voice has never sounded quite so powerful and emotionally raw, whether it be in the most anthemic moments like the should-have-been-a-single Afterlife, the perennial favourite and criminally ignored at the time Forever In Your Debt or their best-known duo of I Saw A Ghost and Lunatic that bring the evening to an end. But they're a band, a gang of friends, greater than the sum of their individual parts.</p><p>Looking round the room at friends and strangers, those watching them for the seventieth or the first time all lost in the same moment, each of them having their own personal connection with the music, each of them belting out the guitar riff from On The TV for a good five minutes as they take a well-earned pause for breath. Friends hug as the song that binds them together is played, grown men shed a tear at a song talks to the very pit of their emotions and makes them feel not alone whilst couples embrace to their song. This might not be cool, but you can't fake this, this is real.</p><p>I've heard The Slow Readers Club be dismissed as not being representative of the modern face of the city's music scene but frankly those people are simply wrong. They're doing numbers in Europe greater than those on 6 Music and Spotify playlists with the right PR, major labels and connections and that's an indisputable fact even without any machine or support behind them. There's a space for so much talent of all genres to blossom in what is, if you forgive my bias, the greatest musical city in the world. Yet this is the music Manchester is best known for around the world, the reason the Northern Quarter is feted and why Chanel were here this week putting our name on the lips of millions of people across the planet and people tend to forget this at times for well-intentioned reasons. The Slow Readers Club open up hearts for all here to observe, make real personal connections that matter, which is what the very best and most important music does. </p><p>The Slow Readers Club played All I Hear, The Wait, Start Again, Afterlife, Jericho, Everything I Own, Tell No Lies, You Opened Up My Heart, Plant The Seed, Lay Your Troubles On Me, All The Idols, Dear Silence, Feet On Fire, Distant Memory, Forever In Your Debt, Knowledge Freedom Power, On The TV, Modernise, I Saw A Ghost and Lunatic.</p><div>The Slow Readers Club's official website can be found <a href="https://www.theslowreadersclub.co.uk/">here</a>. They are also on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/theslowreadersclub/">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/slowreadersclub">Twitter</a>. They play Castleton Devil's Arse (June 29).</div><div><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Follow Even The Stars on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/eventhestarsuk" target="_blank">@eventhestarsuk</a> and like our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eventhestars" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page for all the latest updates</div></div>Even The Starshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893050145760800584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7097845677783826982.post-43819588563110508962023-12-07T07:30:00.000+00:002023-12-07T16:07:53.022+00:00Tom A Smith / Jack Valero / Tom Abisgold - Manchester Deaf Institute Lodge - 6th December 2023<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5KVR5EwgxQ3G6ivAy1afBVlSX_DHhKIQCJKRQ0LLc4qufCFWUPhxswiCzxaBE3UtDlr9Etqr7ik5hASOW8ZhXNU2lIQJpJWmWmfmHs0U3bZjF8w06r3K0aa5pYcVbt1z5xY3racZaXSb_L-wCQz2OMdmsjYZy0BxJKVhv8E9AvBt6mhbS3so7JwgvcFt/s2048/tomasmithdeaf1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5KVR5EwgxQ3G6ivAy1afBVlSX_DHhKIQCJKRQ0LLc4qufCFWUPhxswiCzxaBE3UtDlr9Etqr7ik5hASOW8ZhXNU2lIQJpJWmWmfmHs0U3bZjF8w06r3K0aa5pYcVbt1z5xY3racZaXSb_L-wCQz2OMdmsjYZy0BxJKVhv8E9AvBt6mhbS3so7JwgvcFt/w400-h300/tomasmithdeaf1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Sold out months in advance Tom A Smith brought his tour to The Lodge of Deaf Institute in Manchester on Wednesday. Wielding an impressive set of songs and a razor sharp live performance he marked himself out as very much an artist to watch develop and grow in 2024. Support came from Jack Valero and Tom Abisgold.<span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div>Tom Abisgold opens the evening and is a potential star in the making. An absurdly confident front man, unafraid to jump from rapping to singing, encouraging a filling up room to participate like they're at the biggest stadium show. With just a guitar, drums and a set of well-chosen samples he turns an intimate space into something that feels a lot bigger. His cover of Beyonce's Crazy In Love is inventive and different, but it's his own songs - in particular Died At 18 and Soggy Cigarette - that stand out. In fact the only time the energy and pace drops is when he plays a number solo just with guitar, but Worst Of You showcases an other side to him, more thoughtful and intense. It's a thoroughly enjoyable opening to a really talented line-up on show.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-kvTODC6tBb62GTIonhsjwY2Yj7ltdMiWRNJnqSTwh6sAyQVB6lDAXYi_uQYXDjsBAhcEcWtQVow-1q6pYHKr3z25IhQvCITRYL83UGASc6Gg-oXPQs0_TlaVjsWTwx2UAGE4CfZDNJXNlDf6DHizs9x8XmYeGljvIV4iuyJy4gQTLIoY7OyeVkCUDrXF/s2048/tomabisgold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-kvTODC6tBb62GTIonhsjwY2Yj7ltdMiWRNJnqSTwh6sAyQVB6lDAXYi_uQYXDjsBAhcEcWtQVow-1q6pYHKr3z25IhQvCITRYL83UGASc6Gg-oXPQs0_TlaVjsWTwx2UAGE4CfZDNJXNlDf6DHizs9x8XmYeGljvIV4iuyJy4gQTLIoY7OyeVkCUDrXF/w400-h300/tomabisgold.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>Jack Valero tells us Manchester is almost his second home confessing a love of drunken nights in Crazy Pedro's and it feels like there's quite a few in the room familiar with the former RPMs frontman as he delivers and impressive half-hour set accompanied by his excellent band and backing vocalist (who don't get introduced and whose names appear elusive on social media). The combination of male and female vocals are when these songs are at their best giving them a lift and standing them out from your standard indie fare. The politically charged Pull Back The Hammer and Temporary Helplessness, both taken from his most recent This Is A Nightmare EP, are the stand-out tracks of a set that's well structured and builds, drawing in the audience as it goes leaving a really positive impression.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBG-ACbCLyLaH4q1wrQ1VDBC40zFY7hyqpSnzjeQ8wpx4FDB7JxwA5-gSiNMkEPpmZ0C1z1nxZttiD0E6XIifkkPpgHUNFD_FoLvxY7I5XOmeeGeBDvJemNm7etcrc2oVY5sxOUiC58oDr9T7F1d1Rm5nx-QhRyOLBTG9gq-fHP-1_jhz8wV-51HuKbg8w/s2048/jackvalero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBG-ACbCLyLaH4q1wrQ1VDBC40zFY7hyqpSnzjeQ8wpx4FDB7JxwA5-gSiNMkEPpmZ0C1z1nxZttiD0E6XIifkkPpgHUNFD_FoLvxY7I5XOmeeGeBDvJemNm7etcrc2oVY5sxOUiC58oDr9T7F1d1Rm5nx-QhRyOLBTG9gq-fHP-1_jhz8wV-51HuKbg8w/w400-h300/jackvalero.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It feels like Tom A Smith has been around a lifetime already. He's a world on of course from the young kid doing covers recorded at home and this mammoth thirty-date tour is setting up for national domination in the coming years with a raft of sold-out signs hanging on venue doors including this one that was sold out months ago. Accompanied by Dylan on guitar and keys, Frazer on drums and Katie on bass, they've become a very tight-knit band without losing the fluidity and excitement in youth as they deliver a set full of tracks taken from Tom's three EPs as well as some of the demo collections they've stealth released over the past few months. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTyVrhMO6kLdxok7yZ8uuuRTQOwTV0E9Hj35HdKRFJWpI8vjU9iMskNcBMVc-sWkmocfLf-WAfYko67Zvif4UklTn37hHBXGzROSNyjL_985-KkHSpHuiGKUSWanqA9vdQGJK_qGGb5IXjBM64hPz2SIquT34QVj3Z-gDu9epX_8t06wLXA41Lbz9UIJCn/s2048/tomasmithdeaf2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTyVrhMO6kLdxok7yZ8uuuRTQOwTV0E9Hj35HdKRFJWpI8vjU9iMskNcBMVc-sWkmocfLf-WAfYko67Zvif4UklTn37hHBXGzROSNyjL_985-KkHSpHuiGKUSWanqA9vdQGJK_qGGb5IXjBM64hPz2SIquT34QVj3Z-gDu9epX_8t06wLXA41Lbz9UIJCn/w400-h300/tomasmithdeaf2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The setlist is therefore full of more than a debut album's worth of killer tunes - from Toronto, Could I Live With Being Fake, Little Bits, Weirdo, his most recent single Fading Away, Like You Do and set-closer Dragonfly - that you could lift out of the intimate surroundings of the lodge and put in big halls and open spaces as he proved during an impressive run of outdoor summer support slots. The wonderfully titled The Worst Is Still To Come shows that he can also do the solo stuff as the band take a well-deserved break, just as The Pale White kick off their set in the room above, but unperturbed Tom continues.</div><div><br /></div><div>He's developed massively as a showman over the years, encouraging and getting crowd participation, joking about the forthcoming Sunderland (his home town) versus Newcastle FA Cup tie without antagonising anyone in the crowd and drawing people in with his engaging personality and the undeniable quality of the songs that never dips over the course of the hour and a bit he's on stage. With a great camaraderie and chemistry between his band he's poised to capitalise on the fan base he's built up with relentless touring throughout 2023 with the songs already at his disposal and his seemingly insatiable desire to create more.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jack Valero's website can be found <a href="https://www.jackvalero.com/" target="_blank">here</a> and he is on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/JackValeroMusic" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/JackValeroMusic" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.</div><div><div><p>Tom A Smith's website can be found <a href="https://www.tomasmithmusic.com/" target="_blank">here</a> and he is on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TomASmithMusic" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/tomasmithmusic" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.</p><p>He plays Middlesbrough Empire (December 7) and Sunderland The Fire Station (8/9).</p><div style="text-align: center;">___________________________</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Follow Even The Stars on Twitter at </span><a href="https://twitter.com/eventhestarsuk" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">@eventhestarsuk</a><span style="text-align: left;"> and like our </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/eventhestars" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span style="text-align: left;"> page for all the latest updates</span></div></div></div><div><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>Even The Starshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04893050145760800584noreply@blogger.com0