Howling at the moon

I sing in the shower. Personally I consider it to be one of my more endearing qualities. This is debatable, my house mate, who is not a morning person, thinks its fucking anti social, however another one of my friends has been known to stand by the door when I'm in the shower and join in with me wailing along to James (Laid...obvs) or Kate Bush (Running up that hill...obvs). Why am I telling you about my shower singing activities? Well. I like a song I can have a good wail along to. Generally I like music that isn't lyrically void, however for singing in the shower one needs to be able to howl. This is where The Vaccines entered my life. Post Break Up Sex is a song which gives one plenty of room for prancing about in the shower doing ones best Ian Curtis impression (does anyone else hear Joy Division in The Vaccines?) whilst having a good old how to something that is quite frankly lyrically nonsense. I was lucky enough to go and see the Vaccines in Leeds in November, and it was a splendid gig. I drank lots of Jack Daniels and had a good jump up and down in a hot sweaty mosh pit with one of my dearest friends.
Whilst watching the vaccines I was lucky enough to see another shower howling band...Howler describing themselves as a Surf/Trash (contradiction much?) band hailing from Minneapolis I think this band are destined for great things. Their songs are catchy, not lyrically deep, but equally not lyrically void either. If you like your music catchy and bouncy with potential to howl and a nod to Sheffield, Ian Curtis and the Beach Boys all rolled into one then may I suggest you go check them out.

They are also playing at Leeds Cockpit next month. May I recommend them. I'll be there...tickets HERE!

New Music: Lindi Ortega

Normally when I go to gigs I take notes. I'm just that kind of girl. Even before I was blogging I would write myself little notes about the songs the headline act had sung and, if deemed worthy, the name of the support act. My notes from last Tuesday's James Vincent McMorrow gig at Leeds City Varieties just say one thing next to the heading support act..."WOW." I bothered to capitalise and everything. It was that good.
Lindi Ortega bought to the beautiful surroundings of the City Varieties her own brand of country-pop-folk that could not only bring a room to a stand still, but it could also make the hair stand up on the back of my neck. Ortega appeared alone, with her signature little red boots and began to wow almost instantly. It's all too easy to compare artists, especially female singer-songwriters. They all seem to get lumped together names as disperate as Alanis Morisette, Emiliana Torrini, Dolly Parton, KT Tunstall and Laura Marling all get chucked around. And frankly its lazy journalism. Although comparisons could be drawn between Ortega and say Dolly Parton and KT Tunstall they are all fairly superficial. Yes, Lindi Ortega is a girl with a guitar, and her music has a country music lilt but her music is all her own. Singing from her own experience about love lost and shoes worn Lindi winds a tale like a country singer of far more advanced years. However as someone who sings opera at sheep when let out of the tour bus Ortega maintains a youthfulness that is so refreshing. She isn't jaded or angry like many of her contempoaries, she's upbeat, quirky, sexy and fun. And most definately worth checking out.

Lindi Ortega is playing at The Hope in Brighton, and The Lexington in London next week, unfortunately she hails from Canada and so spends most of her time on the other side of the pond. If you don't get a chance to sample her live go and check out her myspace and may I heartily recommend listening to Litte Red Boots and Little Lie!

Lindi Ortega - Little Lie from Last Gang Records on Vimeo.

Live Music: James Vincent McMorrow at Leeds City Varieties

In the last couple of years my life has changed almost beyond recognition. Three years ago, almost to the day I embarked on the most terrifying chapter of my life to date. I packed up my life in Leeds, with less than four weeks notice, and moved to Limerick. I was following my dream of an academic career and I did what had to be done. I was offered a position, so I booked a ferry, packed up and fucked off. A year ago, almost to the day, I returned home to Leeds. I was having a break down in Limerick, I was terribly lonely, and I needed to get away. That said, I've come a long way in the last few years and my experiences in Limerick weren't all bad. I met some wonderful friends, I started the PhD I am now in the process of finishing and I think I know myself much better. I'm much more comfortable in my own skin.
Limerick was not only an academic education, it proved to be something of a musical education. I've always enjoyed Irish singer-songwriters, but I've never been close enough to the source to get on the train early...if you know what I mean! However, when I was in Limerick I spent vast amounts of time trawling the listings at Dolan's Warehouse for gigs and band names and new music. One of the true diamond's of that trawling was James Vincent McMorrow.

I first saw James play upstairs in Dolan's about two years go. There can't have been more than about 30 people there and James was very much a one man band. His nerves were obvious, there was very little banter, but his music spoke for itself. A beautiful, haunting, rendition of songs he had written and recorded himself locked away in a house in the outskirts of Dublin.

On Tuesday evening I was lucky enough to see what a difference two years make. Leeds City Varieties played host to James along with a full band. The City Varieties, like James and I, have come a long way in the last four years. The venue closed not long after I first came to Leeds for a full refurbishment. Dilapidated, run down and generally failing the City Varieties received Lottery Funding and along with an awful lot of fund raising they have managed to return the building to its former glory. One of the oldest surviving examples of a Victorian Music Hall the renovations have been done with great sympathy with the addition of a very modern box office Leeds has gained (or re-gained as the case may actually be) a wonderful addition to its live venues. Being greeted by enthusiastic box office staff and shown to our (extremely comfortable) seats in the stalls by an usher in a dinner jacket with a white carnation just added to the experience. Add to this the inclusion of a bar and a wonderful acoustic to the room and I'm sold.
Any how, I digress. I will talk about James' superb support act Lindi Ortega at a later date (she deserves a post all of her own, and I need to do my research) so I'll get on with the main event: James Vincent McMorrow. McMorrow appeared on the stage with an accompanying band and was utterly engaging from the off. The band, comprising of a bassist, a guitarist/banjo player, a mandolin player/pianist, a keyboard player and a drummer/percussionist gave McMorrow a confidence he lacked earlier. Time, acclimatisation and some back up obviously suits McMorrow as he proceeded to wind his way through a 14 track set including two cover songs and a comprehensive selection from his début album Early in The Morning. In addition to songs though, there was craic and a lack of the almost oppressive nervousness that so obviously plagued McMorrow the last time I saw him. The songs sounded so much more up beat with a band that the meaning of the album almost changed. The songs became less melancholic and more celebratory. It was truly awesome to see! McMorrow captured the audience and stunned them into silence. He talked about how Bono gets everywhere in Irish music, and about how you never make eye contact with Prince (who apparently used to employ a guy to catch his guituar in the 80s!)and seemed so relaxed on the stage. It seems that time and practice has made McMorrow confident but not cocky and although the songs on the album feel like they chenged on this tour, the change was certainly not detrimental.
In short if James Vincent McMorrow can sell out a US tour he should sell out a UK tour four times over. His music is beautiful, he plays in beautiful venues and this really is a name to watch.

Set List:
1) Sparrow And The Wolf
2) And If My Heart Should Somehow Stop
3) This Old Dark Machine
4) Hear the Noise
5) Breaking Hearts
6) Down the Burning Ropes
7) We Are Ghosts
8) Higher Love - Steve Linewood cover recorded for Headstrong and all proceeds donated.
9) Early in the Morning
10) Follow You Down To The Red Oak Tree
11) From the Woods!!
12) We Don't Eat
13) If I had a Boat
ENCORE:
14) Wicked Game - Chris Isaack's Cover. Truely beautiful.

Festival Season

At last count I have been to eight or nine different festivals. I'm always on the search for the ultimate festival.
Obviously certain festivals remain classics, however I'm not normally organised enough to get myself tickets for a festival ten months in advance, pay £200 for said ticket and travel half way across the country. I'm just not that kind of girl. I like things a bit more off the cuff, nearby and most of all cheap. The 'boutique' festivals have been popping up throughout the country, and until this year have done little to hold a torch to the bigger festivals in my opinion. Lattitude became a turn off last year, it just suddenly felt a bit over large, a bit too commercial, and frankly it sold out too early in the year. My friend C and I went in search of an alternative, and having examined the line ups we decided on Hop Farm, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and Blondie...SOLD. We trekked down to Kent for what should have been an amazing festival, and instead spent three days in a field that was over full, the water ran out, and the beer was expensive. I should have expected it, Vince Power did after all make his name organising the corporate wonderlands that are Reading and Leeds but the event seemed to be more about selling tickets and less about the weekend. That and Kent is a bloody. long. way. away. Also, the main stage was AWESOME, but to be quite frank the smaller stages were nothing exciting. So this year the search began again. Which is what led us to YNOT?
I don't like abbreviations, or text speak, but for YNOT? I'll make an exception. It is a gem of a festival. Small, cheap and with a brilliant line-up. Tickets were £65, beer was £3.50, T-shirts were £12 and it was fantastic. Set in the picturesque Derbyshire countryside, in between Ashbourne and Matlock Bath about an hour and a half from Leeds. It was honestly one of the most lovely festival sites I've ever seen, rolling fields, sheep and cows, two small stages in top hat tents, one large outdoor stage, and loads of tee-pees and smaller tents, hiding an acoustic stage, ska tent, story telling tent and loads of other things.
Music wise I've got loads of reviews coming, I saw some amazing acts, and the various stages did not disappoint. The line up on the main stage was phenomenal including Feeder, Maximo Park, Admiral Fallow, Miles Kane, and the Rifles to name but a few. The Quarry tent and Allotment Stage were both fantastic. The Quarry was headlined by Beadryman and Dananananakroyd and the Allotment comprised of local bands with a series of unsigned acts. What the organisers had done really well was make sure the bands all fitted together on each stage. There was the added bonus of a BBC introducing stage and who can resist a late night white-girl bogle session to the taped delights of Aswad and Bob Marley in a reggae tent?! In short this was the best festival I've ever been to, and has re-kindled my faith in small local festivals. After the Hop Farm debacle I was sceptical, but YNOT? proved that it can be done, and three thousand people in a field is enough.
With the festival scene getting more and more cluttered it is these festivals that need to be looked after, and attended. The truely splendid Beacons festival had to cancel this year due to adverse wether conditions on site (it looks like a swimming pool) and as such they are holding vatious fund raiser gigs all over Leeds. Check out their facebook page for more information, I've got my eye on Willy Mason tonight at a Nation of Shopkeepers! And for next year, may I recommend YNOT? and Beacons for two truely awesome North of the M4 corridor boutique festivals.

Live Music: Anais Mitchell, Brudenell Social Club, Leeds 31st May 2011

"This feels like story time at the library" - the opening words of Anais Mitchell when stepping onto the stage at the Brudenell Social Club. And indeed she was right, there was an element of 'story time' about the evening. The audience, myself and my friends included, had begun to fill the lower floor of the Brudenell Social Club during the support acts, not standing, and staring meaningfully at our shoes, as is oft the case at a folk gig, but sitting on the floor. Sitting and staring intently, wondering if we ought to stand up, but secretly wishing we could remain sat, nursing our pints (there is Red Stripe on tap after all)and being told stories. Our wish was granted. Mitchell seemed more than happy with the sitting arrangement and began to tell us stories immediately.
Anais Mitchell, the American singer song writer and folky extraordinaire was preceded in the evening by two support acts. Sam Airey and Pengilly's. Pengilly's were in all honesty not my cup of tea. Although musically very worthy, there was just too much going on. The sound was off and there were far too many instruments and vocal lines produced by the six strong band, comprising of two guitarists, a drummer, cellist, at times two violin players and someone with a key board. On second listening to their myspace offerings I understand the music they were trying to create, but it just didn't translate into a small live space like The Brudenell Social Club. In direct contract to this however was the beautiful simplicity of the first support act Sam Airey. Airey, a Leeds based singer song writer had the early doors crowd paying full attention whilst he played songs from not only his debut E.P but also numerous other songs that were both lyrically beautiful and musically elegant. Airey confessed to having not written a set list but along with his cellist he meandered through a few beautiful songs. All in all Airey is certainly worth checking out, his E.P has been in my car for the last week on constant repeat, which is no mean feat.
When Anais Mitchell took to the stage she played an extensive set with extracts from her Hadestown album taking the fore. Mitchell's 'folk opera' tells the story of Orpheus and Eurydice and their journey to Hades yet it is set as Mitchell said in a "post apocalyptic waste land in the depths of a recession." The following rendition of "Flowers" was a request from the crowd that Mitchell played with pleasure.
Anais Mitchell, Flowers, Live The Brudenell Social Club 31st May 2011 by Zi_ish
In fact Mitchell frequently stopped to check that there were no particular songs people wished to hear, and did finish with the personal favorite, and request of my friends C and R, Old Fashioned Hat
In addition to her own songs Mitchell also played a couple of more traditional and older folk songs. Mitchell's rendition of Johnny Barbary, about the seduction of an Englishman's daughter was utterly beautiful and captivating. I'm sad I don't have a recording of it. Her voice whilst singing it made the room stand still, the bar went quiet, all eyes were on Mitchell. I'm loathed to use the word haunting to describe it, but I can come up with few better words; it definitely made the hair stand up on not only the back of my neck but also my forearms. Mitchell also played her version of Harry Robertson's beautiful Ballina Whalers.
Along with the inclusion of some new album tracks, which left us all with baited breath for the next instalment of the Anais Mitchell catalogue, it was a thoroughly beautiful evening. Mitchell had the crowd in raptures, like a group of primary school children listening to a fascinating story teller, except we had the addition of a bar and thankfully the omission of the usual mental hippies schools seemed to get in during the late 1980s to sing songs about animals and God.

Live Music: The Mountain Goats, Brudenell Social Club, Leeds 28th May 2011

The Mountain Goats have become one of the bands I have obsessed over this past year. I had heard some of Tallahassee but really knew very little else. I really was very late to the party. That is until my friend C began to share her obsession. C has unrivaled taste in music in my opinion and anyone C hails as her "favourite band" must warrant further attention. And with the back catalogue on loan and in my car, I became hooked. The first time I saw 'The Goats' was 8th of September 2010, at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds, and that was, frankly the final nail in the coffin. I was in love. True, mad adoration, the kind where you have to look up everything about the band, you have to have heard everything they have every played. I'm not ashamed to say I obsessed over John Darinelle (JD to those of us in the club) and spent vast swathes of time wondering how possible it would be to take him up on his offer of a tour round the micro breweries of West Texas.
As you would expect from such a gushing fan girl this is a good review of an amazing live band. JD commands the audience, and even when feeling quite ill as he was on Saturday he managed a 16 song set, with requests, banter and a few tracks in the middle of the set solo, without the rest of the Mountain Goats. The set itself covered most of the Mountain Goats back catalogugue from the 1997 Full Force Galesburg to their most recent offering All Eternals Deck. Perhaps the most special song they played was the following: Minnesota
The Mountain Goats, Minnesota, Live Brudenell Social Club 28th May 2011 by Zi_ish
In addition to this JD played Love, Love, Love and the room stood silent and still. It was wonderful.
The final song and encore consisted of a hearty, raucous rendition of No Children which has always been and will always be my favourite 'Goats' song and finally California Song:
The Mountain Goats, California Song, Live Brudenell Social Club 28th May 2011 by Zi_ish
The only thing the September gig lacked in my opinion was suitable support. Chad Valley in my opinion was just not right. Squeaky and sweaty and just not in keeping with the headline act. However Saturday nights gig put that mishap right. The support act The Submarines deserve a post all of their own. Which they shall have in due course. Needless to say they were fanctastic and really worth looking up!