Venue:

The Halcyon Gallery, 144-146 New Bond Street, London

Date: 10/11/2018

This show will probably be old news to the more on-the-ball Bob-cats among us, but I confess I might never have heard about it if I hadn’t seen mentions on Penn’s (of Penn and Teller) Twitter feed. Consider this my alert for anyone else who would regret missing it if I hadn’t written about it on here. You’re welcome.

This exhibition at the Halcyon Gallery gathers several dozen hand-written Bob Dylan Lyrics, each of them accompanied by a pencil sketch by Bob, along with several of his acrylic on-the-road paintings and, this came as a surprise to me, some examples of his ironwork. The selection is broadly greatest hits, and I don’t think there are any lyrics here which will be unfamiliar to the casual admirer. The more trainspotterish fan will delight in reading every word and spotting subtle changes to lines, the rest of us can just enjoy the art and juxtapositions of word and image.

Regarding the art, there is no doubt Dylan can draw. Time and again I found myself enjoying the fold in a piece of clothing or the flow of a limb » Continue Reading.

Venue:

St. George’s, Bristol

Date: 08/11/2018

Last night I had a religious experience. It happened as I was sitting in the cosy surrounds of St. George’s in Bristol, my favourite venue, somewhere we’ve come to count on for transcendent evenings of great music. I sat six feet from Ryley Walker there when he played with Danny Thompson a year or two back, I saw the soles of Rick Wakeman’s sneakers, heard a squeak from a Steinway’s pedals as he regaled us with solo piano versions of Yes tracks and told us wondrous stories. I’ve danced in the aisles with what seemed like every Asian family in Bristol to the joyful sounds of Alaap, and wept quietly to countless orchestral moments of joy over the years. St. George’s continues to deliver the goods, and last night’s event was another absolute joy. Last night we went to see a singer and her band. She first came to my attention back in the dancing days of the nineties, when she added another layer of exotica to the international conglomerate of music that called itself Transglobal Underground. I bought her first couple of solo albums. She was still finding her way to an » Continue Reading.

Venue:

The Robin 2, Bilston

Date: 06/11/2018

I absolutely loved Midnight Mushrumps, me, rushing out to purchase it after hearing snippets on R4: first band to appear on all 4 BBC radio channels, they said, a bit of catnip pomposity for my indubitably then prog-pomp tastes. Bit of a Tubular Bells for mediaevalists would be a lazy way of putting it, or at least the side-long eponymous suite. (In truth I barely bothered with the other side.) So, when I got home for my lunch yesterday, and the yearly programme for this worldfamousinWolverhampton venue had dropped through the letterbox, and I spotted this band were playing there that same day. I was familiar they had reformed, and issued a new record, after a 41 year hiatus, surely a record in itself, so I duly felt it my duty to attend. The Robin I have visited a couple of times. It seems now to be a little down on its luck, though I read it has been taken over and money invested. I suspect the same might be true of the audience, perhaps minus the investment. Uncertain whether it was the carpet or the punters, but there was a distinct » Continue Reading.

Venue:

Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, ON

Date: 03/11/2018

A chilly evening in the Ottawa suburb of Kanata, which is also where I currently reside. My first time seeing any version of Fleetwood Mac, not just this rather controversial one.

Expectations were not extremely high, I was persuaded to go by a friend of mine who is no fan of the post mid seventies line-up. He is, however, the biggest fan there probably is of the sadly recently departed Danny Kirwan (a member from 1968-72 who later slid into a desperate world of alcoholism and homelessness). Just one of a number of grim tales regarding this band’s ex guitarists. Word on the street was that a Kirwan song would be played.

A decent turn out in the hockey stadium, we settled into our lofty seats in the 300 section and first up was The Chain. Instantly it seemed the harmonies were present and correct and the switch to the instrumental passage at the end ( “Grand Prix” theme music as I will always know it) was genuinely thrilling. Mike Campbell’s guitar work being superb.

A good start, next up stepped Christine McVie somewhat nervously, but beautifully took the lead on » Continue Reading.

Venue:

Glasgow O2 Academy

Date: 05/11/2018

To the Weedge, to see Portland’s top popsters. I was slightly apprehensive, as this was the longest I’ve driven since some spinal cord jiggery pokery earlier in the year, but The Decemberists seem reluctant to play in Embra, so it was that or nothing. Glad I made the trip through – accompanied by @ralph of this parish – because The Decemberists turned in a brilliant performance.

While their setlist had the usual Decemberists role call of tragedy, murders, drownings by river spirits, whale swallowing etc. it was an overwhelmingly jolly occasion. Colin Meloy makes for an effective ringmaster and the band give every impression of enjoying themselves and being glad to be there. Always helps, I find.

Meloy’s voice is, I concede, a sticking point for many. It sounds like a fragile thing yet is revealed in concert to be rather strong too. It sounds as it does not because of vocal frailty but because it is exactly how he wants it to sound. I like it.

The setlist featured latest album I’ll Be Your Girl fairly heavily, which suited me – and indeed the audience, who contributed a » Continue Reading.

Venue:

Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto

Date: 03/11/2018

The ticket said 8pm sharp and sure enough, at 7:58 the house lights went out and the theme music from Bonanza rang out, followed by the voice of Paul Jones “of the British Broadcasting Corporation” ushering Joe and his band onstage.

The band rip into “King Bee Shakedown”, the first of several songs from Joe’s new album “Redemption”. It’s the only song on which Joe plays a Strat, and his finger picking is something to behold live and (fairly) up close. The sound is possibly the best I’ve ever heard live; there are Joe and 7 others on stage and everyone / everything is crystal clear. There’s no pause before Anton Fig swings into the drum intro to “Evil Mama” – a total steal from the opening to Led Zep’s “Rock n Roll”.

Joe has assembled a tight, heavy hitting band. Alongside Fig (longtime drummer in David Letterman’s Tonight Show house band), ex SRV & Double Trouble member Reese Wynans plays keyboards whilst Michael Rhodes (who has played with everyone from Dolly Parton and Elton John through to Buddy Guy and Brian Wilson) provides the bottom end and a » Continue Reading.

Venue:

The London Library

Date: 14/10/2018

‘Fancy going to see Saint Etienne at the British Library ?’ Well that will be a bit different I thought and so it was. It was on one hand a very intimate gig – probably no more than 300 people. Yet it was held in the vast foyer – and I mean vast –the ceiling about 100 ft above us –great swathes of bare wall and open staircases and I’m thinking this will sound really shit! Anyway the male members of the party dutifully parked ourselves dead centre of the stage equi-distant between the speaker stacks (‘cos we know about these kind of things don’t we?) whilst the ladies went and sat on the side, behind the speaker columns and parallel with the stage – what novices, clearly no idea.

So on came the band and within 30 seconds my worst fears came true as Sarah Cracknell’s beautiful but fragile voice disappeared like smoke into the void. Three numbers in I gave up and wandered down the side to where our other halves were dancing around and seemingly having a great time. The reason being that they were right next to a smallish » Continue Reading.

Venue:

The Islington, London

Date: 09/10/2018

Many Afterworders will know The Islington well, home of the Word podcasts and hosting as it does many Massive-approved acts. I’m here to see my friends (and occasional clients) Jimmy Regal and the Royals – so, interest declared, take my review of them with as much salt as you fancy. Jimmy Regal play old-school blues without a bass player. Where most modern blues guitarists echo Stevie Ray Vaughan or 60s Clapton, guitarist Corin channels ‘Gatemouth’ Brown, T-Bone Walker and Hubert Sumlin – clean-toned and heavy on the rhythm. Singer Joff Watkins has the authoritative bark of a Howlin’ Wolf and, most impressively, has The Gift when it comes to playing harp. Jimmy Regal come onstage to about five people and leave a room full and happy.

I thought I’d stick around for the headliners, and this turns out to be a good choice. Until they replace Jimmy Regal onstage, I had never heard one note of Jeremy Porter and the Tucos. The first effect is visual – the rock’n’roll look that tells you synth solos and sequenced beats will not be forthcoming. The Tucos’ bassist is called Patty Two Shoes, which also bodes » Continue Reading.

Venue:

The Dublin Castle, Camden.

Date: 03/10/2018

In pursuit of Dave and Derek Philpott’s “Dear Mr. Popstar” we alight at Camden Town tube station, grab a pint and a burger at The World’s End opposite (handy tip, they don’t do any alcohol-free beers) and make our way through the glittering streets of North London to the legendary Dublin Castle, Madness-centric home of The Rock and Roll Book Club, a regular event, this evening hosting not only The Philpotts but also one Bruce Thomas, late of The Attractions, who is here to talk about his new tome, Rough Notes.

Dave is up first, and after a couple of cursory questions regarding the hows, whys and wherefores he is joined by some game guests who recount their answers in occasionally halting tones, principally because the light isn’t so good and a couple of them haven’t brought their reading glasses.

Of these, Will Birch out of The Kursaal Flyers is a dapper raconteur, and Rupert Hine (it’s a lengthy discography, but I maintain that “A Girl Called Johnny” is his finest moment) has clearly been asked to pronounce Taumatawhakatangihangakoayauo-TamateaturipukakapikimaungahoroNukypokaiwhenuakitanatahu at parties a lot. Owen Paul manages to knock a glass of wine » Continue Reading.

Venue:

Birmingham Town Hall

Date: 28/09/2018

Having recently penned some put-down of music deemed worthy, I thought I might be at risk of petard related auto-injury tonight, as I trained it in from Lichfield. Entering the venue I was struck by the sheer forest of facial foliage on display, lumbersexual heaven, making my mere whiskers look strictly amateur. On stage 2 pianolas were tinkling slowly away in unison, stripped of their panelling, displaying the moving parts to the pretty packed hall. Bang on 8 on strolled a zen like figure, dressed in white, hands held in prayer or greeting: “Hello, I am Olafur and I would like to play you some music”. Centre stage, in front of the pianolas, was his grand piano, other keyboards to the side and on top, a couple of mac notebooks nearby. Furthering his introduction, we were asked if we could sing, ahead of asking for a prolonged unison capture of a single note, duly recorded, which acted as a drone for his first piece. Starting with his trademark minimalist near repetition, slowly and unobtrusively his string quartet slunk on and joined in, cello and lead violin right and left of him, 2nd violin » Continue Reading.

Venue:

Egg Center for the Performing Arts, Albany NY

Date: 17/09/2018

Two days earlier I had thoroughly enjoyed a tribute to Gene Clark featuring his son Kai’s band and a host of guest musicians and singers. A special concert, featuring a superb guitarist who was able to somewhat mimic Roger McGuinn’s style on the 3 Byrds songs where that was necessary (Mr Tambourine Man, Feel a Whole Lot Better, Turn! turn! turn!) . I wondered how the Sweetheart of the Rodeo show would live up to that. The rather unwieldly title of this tour reflects, I think, the need to keep David Crosby happy and the aim was to mainly concentrate on the post Crosby era in The Byrds.

Opening with My Back Pages the first set consisted of mainly countryish songs that preceded Sweetheart. As the opening chords rang out, I turned to my concert going companion and said that it sounded just like the Byrds. McGuinn’s voice, never the most expressive of instruments, has weakened but it was recognisably him. Standout highlights of the first set for me were also Time Between and Mr Spaceman,

Following a couple of strong Marty Stuart songs, we got the whole » Continue Reading.

Venue:

Teatro de la Maestranza, Seville, Spain

Date: 22/09/2018

Mrs Wells are here in sweltering Seville as part of our Iberian/ Moroccan tour. Tomatino was recommended as a performance we should see as the Flamenco festival alternates between Seville and Madrid and we were lucky to be in town for it.

Flamenco, not usually my cup of tea- can be a bit over wrought but this was a stunning display of guitar and vocals. I can’t possibly do justice to the performance so I am going to paste a translation of a review from El Mundo. Quirks of translation notwithstanding the review is remarkable in its depth of knowledge and stylistically fascinating. Tomatito with fire and soul with shrimp REVIEWXX Seville Flamenco Biennial MANUEL MARTÍN MARTÍN Seville Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Send by email SEP 23 2018 09:49

A moment of the performance of the Almerian guitarist Tomatito at the Teatro de la Maestranza. OR. ROSEMARY

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The Almerian played with the depth of sound and rhythmic pleasure that the clubs demand

Duquende once again showed that he is the most qualified disciple of Camarón

‘I will live’ Concert: Premiere of ‘Viviré’, by Tomatito / Guitar: » Continue Reading.

Venue:

Bell Centre Arena, Montreal, QC

Date: 20/09/2018

Second stop on the “Freshen Up” tour and the second one in Quebec. An almost 3hr miraculous spectacular in Montreal. My first time since 2011, and I surprisingly counted 10 songs that I had never heard live before in 13 previous shows.

Beforehand I had some reservations about how his voice would hold up, but the opening barrage of songs soon made me forget any of the weak doubts that I had. I went with my 12 year old daughter and seeing the delight on her face and hearing her sing along with gusto made it probably my most rewarding concert going experience ever. 39 songs and she said she knew all but 3 of them!

OK, there were some weak moments vocally, but compensated equally by his committed emotional singing on many others, an outstanding band and the sheer amount of love in the room. No one else, I believe, can get such a reaction. Was especially wonderful that he had added a horn section (who just showed up in the middle of the arena) for the first time since 1979, made a huge difference. Sound quality was outstanding even » Continue Reading.

Venue:

The Tempodrom, Berlin

Date: 16/09/2018

Nick Mason & His Saucerful Of Secrets (as they’re actually called) currently play a European tour, and in Berlin they stopped at the Tempodrom, a venue that usually hosts the likes of Steven Wilson, Bob Dylan or Nick Cave. Not bad for a combo that’s only existed for a couple of months. It starts with ominous sounds – animal noises, weird bleeps, voices from outer space – and before you can think it’s The Orb gone mad there’s the familiar riff of “Interstellar Overdrive”. As played by Sonic Youth. It’s quite clear that this is not yer regular cover band or a cosy nostalgia evening: these five men play with a joy and energy as if they’ve just finished recording their first album. Everything in these songs is intact and recognizable (no reggae version of “Lucifer Sam” no sirree!), but there are different solos, arrangements are shuffled about, and the two lead singers often divide the vocal parts between them (much like The Move on their sixties singles). Yet every single tune has one or two pleasant surprises – like the tiny Sex Pistols quote in “The Nile Song” – and the biggest surprise » Continue Reading.

Venue:

Ropetackle Arts Centre, Shoreham-by-Sea

Date: 13/09/2018

Surely I can’t be the only AWista in love and awe of this band? Hot on the heels from the launch of their their 2nd album, “Air Fàir an Là”, this brief tour of Scotland and some lesser known spots in England was all the opportunity needed to suggest a long weekend on the south coast, they also being toppermost of Mrs Ps poppermost. And Shoreham must be one of the more unlikely venues I have been to, but I can report it a delight, a vibrant arts centre with a lively catalogue of music, plays and more. Good bar, too. Niteworks are an absolute delight, in existence some 10 years, with a paltry output of 2 CDs and an EP to their name, preferring to hone their talent, and, in the meantime, building up a huge fanbase in their native land. Not for nothing were they chosen to close the Edinburgh Hogmanay shindig festivities in 2017. Loosely, very loosely, they might be argued a marriage between a less twee Capercaillie and a less miserable Massive Attack, a trad folk influence with a heavy techno underbelly. The late Martyn Bennett surely part » Continue Reading.

Venue:

Digbeth Arena, Birmingham

Date: 07/09/2018

I originally only had the one night planned, the 2nd, Garbage, knowing little about Matt Johnson’s The The, beyond Hanky Panky, the Hank Williams covers project, probably somewhat unrepresentative. But @locust had given such a cracking review of her experience a month or 3 back, I felt duty bound to go. And am I glad I did! Smack on 9.15 and on they/he came, a dapper becapped man of indeterminate and a slew of young turks on supportive roles. Making immediate and ongoing use of back screened video, compelling amalgams of old videos, performance footage and apocalyptic visuals and scenescapes, the sound was crystal clear, vocals fully discernible within the expert mix of guitars and keys. And drums, a terrific bombast to counterpoint the end is nigh atmosphere of the lyrical themes. I didn’t know many of the songs, but I felt I did, so instant were they in their hooks and arrangements, and will be making sure I do know them better in days to come. Given the fact the majority of these songs are up to 30 years old, it seems astonishing how prescient the then themes were, » Continue Reading.

Venue:

100 Club, London

Date: 01/09/2018

Here’s a funny one. An old friend texts out of the blue and wanted to know if I fancy going to see Modern English. ‘They used to be called the English Beat’ he writes ‘And had a hit with a song called Melt With You’. I haven’t seen him for a while and could do with a night out, so I sign up.

One out of two ain’t bad. OK, it is pretty bad – Modern English were not The English Beat (or just The Beat) – a shame because it would have been nice to hear ‘Save it for Later’. This happens with people I know – one left a Cowboy Junkies gig disappointed they hadn’t played ‘Perfect’. Never mind: here I am, in the 100 Club, watching a band I know nothing about. So here’s a completely objective review – other than the name, Modern English ring no bells whatsoever.

What strikes me first is the disparity between four of the band and their guitarist. Singer, drummer, keys and bass are wearing the regulation Musician Of A Certain Age uniform of black suits and black T-shirts. They have short, or no » Continue Reading.

Venue:

The Green Note, Camden, London

Date: 28/08/2018

This gig redefined what a tight band is. The Honeycutters are without doubt musically a very tight unit, but the meaning was squared at The Green Note as they performed on a stage that tends to look crowded when there is an acoustic duo playing, never mind a five piece band. Just fitting a drum kit, pedal steel and a keyboard on to it was a logistical nightmare, squeezing the musicians to play them plus a bassist and Amanda on there was a minor miracle.

This was my first time seeing Amanda and her band live. I discovered her music last year just a couple of weeks after she had played here, I was somewhat downhearted to find out.

Given that my favourite album of 2017 was the eponymous Amanda Ann Platt & The Honeycutters and also given my disappointment with last year’s near miss of the opportunity to catch them live, this gig was long anticipated and my expectations were pretty high.

So overcrowded stage notwithstanding, this was a night that left me, my wife and the audience grinning form ear to ear come the final encore.

The first half » Continue Reading.

Venue:

Margaret Court Arena

Date: 13/08/2018

A few years ago Dylan put on such a lacklustre, desultory mumbling performance I resolved that as far Dylan live, me and him were done. But he has kept coming back and I’ve kept going. Those shows appear to have been a low point along with the cocaine fuelled, hoodie over the head and face and unrecognisable cacophonies of a period of the Never Ending Tour.

The last tour was off the back of Shadows In The Night, it was a very precise show, not a thing out of place, the staging, the outfits, the diction. This was Bob having adjusted to the constraints that age has brought to his singing and performance. Last time he was at an old theatre with plenty of character. This time he played a stadium in Melbourne though considerably smaller than tours of yore.

In the interests of science, I adopted 2 different approaches to the 2 concerts I attended.The first show was with Mrs. Wells, dinner beforehand a few grogs under the belt and seats on the ground floor but well to the back – don’t get me started on how you can be back » Continue Reading.