50 Years of Music (Part 9)

Thin Lizzy – 20th December 1975 – Sports Centre, Bracknell

I first saw Thin Lizzy perform at Bracknell Sports Centre with my brother Ken on 20th December 1975 with support from Hit’n’Run, tickets were £1.00. For me this was the classic Thin Lizzy line up with Scott Gorham, Brian Robertson, Brian Downey, and Phil Lynott and the album they released that year which was Fighting, although I did enjoy their albums it when they performed live that they were at their best. There was something about Thin Lizzy that was different to other bands I had seen up to that point as they didn’t come across as Rock Stars but more like some mates which was reflected in not only the way they dressed, which was exactly the same as the audience but also the way communicated, I remember Phil Lynott being very happy as he told the audience that Manchester United won that day.

A year later we went back to the same venue to see them again on 23rd October 1976 with support from Country Rock Band Clover featuring Huey Louis who later went on to form his own band Huey Lewis and the News, tickets for this were £1.60. This Lizzy released their breakthrough album Jailbreak earlier that year and this Tour was in support of the follow up Johnny the Fox, although not as successful it is still one of my favourites as it was the first album of theirs that I brought. I do remember me and some friends did go to see them at Skindles in Maidenhead, but we weren’t allowed in as we were underage.

The following year me and a mate went to see them when they were headlining Reading Festival, this was my first Festival experience and we went just for the one day, tickets were £4.00. Other bands on the line up were Aerosmith, Graham Parker & the Rumour, John Miles who had a hit at the time with Music, Little River Band, Ultravox who were quiet low on the bill, No Dice, Krazy Kats and George Hatcher Band. I remember we had a 7 pint can of Watneys Party Seven between us we travelled there and back on the train and arrived home very wet and muddy, which was not unusual for Reading Festival.

I saw them again at Reading Festival om 28th August 1983, tickets were £8.00 for the day and the line up included Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul, Ten Years After, Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel, Climax Blues Band, The Enid, Sad Café, On the Juggler and Twelfth Night who were a Reading based Prog band.

I am sure I saw Thin Lizzy again at Hammersmith Odeon but can’t see any record of this in my gig diary although I do have a programme for their tour in 1979.

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50 Years of Music Blog (Part 8)

Alice Cooper + Heavy Metal Kids  – 11th September 1975 – Empire Pool, Wembley

Growing up as a family we did attend a few Pantomimes at the Theatre Royal and we did go to see the Hans Christian Anderson Music at London Palladium starring Tommy Steele as my Mum was a big fan and up to this point I had attended a few gigs as described in previous blogs and going to see Alice Cooper on his Welcome to my Nightmare Tour at Empire Pool, Wembley in 1975 with my brothers ken & Nigel felt like a mixture of Panto, Musical and Gig.  Tickets for this cost £3.00.

This was a huge stage show that included encountered giant spiders, dancing skeletons, faceless silver demons and a 9-foot 'cyclops, a snake, dancers, a Vincent Price voiceover to Black Widow and a fantastic live the band. The show started with a projection onto a large screen showing Alice Cooper walking through a Cemetery until he comes across his own Gravestone which is illuminated with lights, at which point he starts running towards the audience on screen which he then jumps through in real life.

Support band for the Tour was the Heavy Metal Kids who never quiet achieved the success they deserved and featured Gary Holton who was in the hit TV Series Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and passed away 1985. The band also featured Keith Boyce on drums and has performed at some of our GSMC events recently with the Cream of Hendrix.

I did get to see Alice Cooper again in 1982 at Hammersmith Odeon with support from Sapphire, tickets were £6.00. Although it was a much smaller stage compared to Empire Pool Wembley the show was equally impressive such is the showmanship.

I don’t think the impact that Alice Cooper has had on Rock Music over the decades has been truly recognised, probably due to the fact (at the time of writing) he is still performing and recording and it is normally after people pass away that performers true impact is acknowledged.

 

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50 Years of Music Blog (Part 7)

Nutz + Fabulous Poodles – 7th June 1975 – Slough Technical College

Keeping a Gig Diary of all the events I went to not only means that I can rediscover the bands I went to see but also that I have a record of all the venues I went to and it’s interesting to note that the vast majority of venues I attended from the mid 70’s until the mid 80’s were at Universities and Colleges. This circuit across the UK at that time was the best way to see new and emerging bands and put millions of pounds into the music industry through live shows and record sales.

This created a vibrant and exciting music scene especially for teenagers like myself and my friends as we were too young to go into Pubs and Clubs at that time and even though there are some Universities that host live music today it is a small percentage compared to back then, a part of the reason for this was a change in the Education Bill in 1994 preventing Students Unions from funding non essential activities which included subsidies on tickets making it affordable to attend events.

The first gig I went to where I wasn’t accompanied by my brother and his friends was at Slough technical College on 7th June 1975 where me and Phil a friend from school went to see Nutz with support from the Fabulous Poodles, admission was 70p and took place in the main building, before the Students Union Hall was built where we saw many bands in years to come.

Nutz were an excellent four piece (although added a keyboard player later that year) Rock Band from Liverpool, their first two albums featured scantily clad ladies on their album covers, which added to the interest from teenage boys at the time. Their third album Hard Nutz for me was the best and features an excellent Heavy Rock version of One More Cup of Coffee by Bob Dylan which still sounds great today. I got to see them again when they supported Budgie at Hammersmith Odeon in 1978 and at the Reading Festival later that year. In 1980 they changed their name to Rage.

The Fabulous Poodles were a pre New Wave band formed that year and known for quirky stage antics as well as songs with funny lyrics. My friend Phil reminded me when they came on stage they started with the end of a song and said good night. The band featured Bobby Valentino who went on to co-write Young at Heart with The Bluebells and has recorded with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Mike Oldfield, Mark Knopfler and Sinéad O'Connor to name a few.

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50 Years of Music Blog (Part 6)

Led Zeppelin – Earls Court, London - 24th May 1975

On 24th May 1975 I first saw Led Zeppelin at Earls Court, London with my brother and his friends. The band were originally booked for three consecutive nights but due to the high demand they extended the run to five shows with 80,000 tickets sold making it the biggest concert run at the time, we went on the fourth night and our tickets were £1.50 each.

The seats we got were up in the Gods and were really steep, due to an incident I had when I was very young at the top of a Tower I suffer from really bad vertigo and I wasn’t the only one in our group that felt the same, so after some discussions with the stewards we were moved to the balcony over looking the stage. Each of the five shows had a different DJ and it was Nicky Horne who introduced the night we went to.

What stands Led Zeppelin out as one of the greatest bands in music history is that each member of the band was an integral part of their sound, from the solid drumming of John Bonham, bass, keyboards and mandolin from John Paul Jones, the guitar histrionics of Jimmy Page and the distinctive vocals of Robert Plant. Everything they did as a band was big including the set list which was over three hours long, so no need of a support band. They could play for this long as they all had a role to play, the John Bonham marathon drum solo during Moby Dick meant the other band members could have a break and the acoustic set which Robert Plant described as the Leonard Cohen part of the show and when Jimmy Page played the guitar with a violin bow during Dazed and Confused with bright green laser beam going across the length of the venue was an iconic moment that still sits with me.

The album they were promoting at the time was Physical Graffiti and their set featured a number of tracks from that album including hearing Kashmir for the first time which still sounds as fresh today as it did then, they started and ended the evening with Rock’Roll and Stairway to Heaven from the fourth album. It is no under estimation that seeing Led Zeppelin perform live when they were all at the top of their game changed my life and had a profound affect.

I had to wait four years to see Led Zeppelin perform live again which was at Knebworth, Hertfordshire on 4th August alongside 200,000 people with Todd Rundgren’s Utopia, Southside Johnny, Marshall Tucker, Commander Cody, Chas & Dave and Fairport Convention, the shows overran and received complaints about the noise from over seven miles away, tickets were £7.50 each. In 1984 I got to see The Firm featuring Jimmy Page and Paul Rogers at Hammersmith Odeon, tickets were £5.50.

It was around that time that I got to meet Jimmy Page was in a Pub in Windsor when I was working at Windsor Arts Centre where he told me he had just recorded an album with Roy Harper called Whatever Happened to Jugula?. Based on this knowledge I contacted Roy’s agent and booked him to perform around the time of the album release, a lot of people put two and two together knowing that Jimmy Page lived in Windsor at the time and presumed he would be there also (which he wasn’t). The album charted in the top 50 and we sold out weeks in advance and had hundreds of people turn up on the night trying to get in.

I got to meet Jimmy Page several times after that as he was a regular visitor to Windsor Arts Centre, attending events, record fairs and bringing his children to shows and classes, he was always a joy to talk to and very humble.

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50 Years of Music Blog (Part 5)

Gong – Bracknell Sports Centre - 12th April 1975

If you were to be driving along the Bagshot Road into Bracknell Town Centre in the early evening on the 12th April 1975 there would have been a good chance that you would have driven past groups of long haired hippies wearing conical hats with plastic windmills on top making their way to the Sports Centre, this is a clear memory for me nearly 50 years later, such was the impact this had on the 15 year old me. The reason for this was that they were all converging to see their heroes Gong perform with support from Global Village Trucking Company, tickets for this cost £1.00.

The world of Gong is a world of Flying Teapots, Pothead Pixies and Space Whispers who are still going to this day and have a strong cult following. The group was formed in Paris in 1967 by Australian musician Daevid Allen and English vocalist Gilli Smyth and were best known at the time for their Radio Gnome Invisible trilogy of albums Flying Teapot, Angel’s Egg & You. I hadn’t heard much by them at the time and was really looking forward to seeing Gong perform live… turns out though that I didn’t.

I went along with my brother Ken and his friends, when we arrived at the venue on a warm Spring evening there was a long queue of people waiting outside to get in. I remember there were two people close by who started laying slices of processed meat in a large circle on the ground which drew a crowd of people to see what they were doing, it turns out that this was a ruse to draw people out so that their friends could queue jump.

Once we were inside the support band Global Village Trucking Village Company took to the stage, known as The Globs to their fans they were a collective who lived in a commune in Suffolk and were prevalent at Festivals and Gatherings in the 1970’s and featured in a BBC Documentary at the time. Co-founder of the band James Lascelles is second cousin to King Charles III.

When Gong finally took to the stage they gathered in a huddle as if they were deciding what to do and although at the time we didn’t know what they were doing, history tells us that founder of the band Daevid Allen quit the band the day before, what we got instead of a Gong performance was guitarist Steve Hillage performing his first solo album Fish Rising in its entirety which was released the day before  and featured fellow Gong Band members and ended up being more successful than previous Gong Albums entering the UK Chart at number 33. Although I did buy a copy of Gong’s second album Camembert Electrique at the concert for 50p which even in those days was a bargain, so at least I heard Gong afterwards.  

Over the years when I have discussed music with friends I have been asked if I had ever seen Gong perform live and I have always said yes “at Bracknell Sports Centre in 1975”, it turns out I was wrong, what we did see was the launch of what a lot people describe as a classic album from the mid1970’s.

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50 Years of Music Blog (Part 4)

50 Years of Music Blog (Part 4)

Black Oak Arkansas – 15th February 1975 – Bracknell Sports Centre

When people talk about rock bands from the 1970’s the same 10-15 artists are mentioned repeatedly so when I started writing this blog I was tempted to just mention the big names and the festivals, but there were hundreds of excellent bands performing at that time and as I have all the gigs I went to written down this it is a perfect opportunity to rediscover some of the bands that had been forgotten.

The great thing about keeping a Gig Diary from 50 years ago is when it comes to writing this blog it gives the memory a starting point and like grabbing the end of a thread it all starts coming back to you. What occurred to me is that back in the 70’s is that the whole process of going to see s band was very different to how it is now, in a time before the internet and online bookings, getting tickets for an event would normally start a week or so before hand.  

I am sure for everyone it was different, living in Windsor at the time for us the place to go to buy tickets would be our local record shop, Revolution Records which was about a 20 minute walk from where we lived. This would make the whole process a lot more enjoyable and social, Richard who owned the shop was the font of all local musical knowledge and would soon get to know what music you liked so we would inevitably leave the shop with tickets and some vinyl as well as suggestions of bands to check out, he was the human version of AI. A few weeks after seeing Hawkwind my brother Ken, his girlfriend and myself went back to Bracknell Sports Centre on the 15th February 1975 to see Black Oak Arkansas which was the first night of their UK Tour with support from Sassafras and Fast Eddie, tickets cost £1.00.

The 1970’s was a time of Southern Rock from America with the Allman Brothers who had hits with Jessica and Ramblin Man and Lynard Skynard, you could hardly go anywhere without hearing Freebird whereas today they are known equally for Sweet Home Alabama thanks to the film of the same name, but there were plenty of other great bands including Molly Hatchet, the Marshall Tucker Band, Atlanta Rhythm Section and Black Oak Arkansas.

Led by charismatic lead singer Jim "Dandy" Mangrum he came across as a mid 70’s Dave Lee Roth, with long blond hair, bare chest, white jacket, white jeans and platform boots, with a very distinctive voice and is the only singer of a rock band I have seen who also played the washboard. Black Oak Arkansas  were / are (they are still going) a five piece band with three guitarists who really knew how to rock with the two lead guitarists teasing the audience by threatening to smash the guitars together, which they eventually did at the end and threw the remaining parts into the audience. After the concert we saw a truck parked outside which was packed with Gibson guitars which would all be destroyed by the end of the tour, such was the Rock’n’Roll excess of the 70’s. Although Black Oak Arkansas were a fantastic live band I never felt their studio albums reflected this, which is why I think they never received the prominence of their counterparts.

Support band for the tour was Welsh rockers Sassafras who toured extensively across the UK and America and released several albums, following in the footsteps of fellow countrymen Man and Budgie. The other support band on the night was Fast Eddie who I can’t find any information on, but there is mention of a band called Fast Buck which featured Scott Gorham who joined Thin Lizzy a few months before this show and they did replace him to honour their live show commitments. I have a feeling that they are the same band as all of this rings a bell, but it was nearly fifty years again so I could be wrong.

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50 Years of Music Blog (Part 3)

50 Years of Music Blog (Part 3)

It was my older brother Ken who took me to my first gig, we were a large family and we use to share a room, so I would go through his record collection whilst he was out. He had been to number of gigs and before we went he suggested I keep a gig diary because he wished he had, as even then he couldn’t remember all the bands he had seen, especially the support acts. So I did this for about 9 years and still have it to this day, which is really helpful when writing this blog.

The first gig I went to was on 25th January 1975 with Hawkwind plus support from Swan Revival and Al Matthews at Bracknell Sports Centre, tickets cost £1.00 (yes a pound, I haven’t missed a zero). It still amazes me to this day, that my brother and his friends were happy for me to tag along. I was a geeky, skinny just turned 15 year old, where as my brother and his friends were the epitome of mid 1970’s cool, with their long hair, denim jackets and flared trousers, my Mum wanted to make sure I was smartly dressed with an ironed shirt, smart trousers and my Parker jacket which were all the rage at the time. I can only imagine I stood out like a sore thumb amongst all the Hippies.

Bracknell Sports Centre was THE local venue for touring bands with a capacity of several hundred and ironically only a mile or so from where I currently live 50 years later, although no longer putting on music events. Hawkwind were one of the most prolific live music bands in the 70’s performing at most festivals and venues. The album they were promoting at that time was Warrior On The Edge of Time which featured Lemmy and two songs that were to become synonymous with Motorhead, which is the song of the same name and Kings of Speed. My memory of the gig itself was the smell of Patchouli oil, hundreds of hippies, the light show by Liquid Len and the lensmen and I remember the cover of Warrior On The Edge of Time being projected on the big screen, and sax player Nik Turner walking past us as the band left the stage wearing a frog mask!

I still have the programme from that concert which includes a short story by author Michael Moorcock whose band The Deep Fix who were due to be the support band but were replaced by Swan Revival. I did an internet search but can’t find out anything by them, although my memory is that they were Glam Rock. The first act on was Al Matthews who recorded one album and is best known as an actor who played Gunnery sergeant Apone in the Alien films amongst others, sadly he passed away in 2018.

Although I didn’t get to see Michael Moorcock perform until a few years later I became a fan of his writing and have over 60 of his books. His most famous characters include the Science Fantasy novels featuring Elric of Melniboné and the Jerry Cornelius novels who was like a 60’s psychedelic James Bond if memory serves me right. He also wrote a trilogy of Fantasy novels where Hawkwind were the heroes fighting corporate businessmen who were known as the straights who fired music guns with songs by Elton John etc at the Hippies and Hawkwind fought back with band members performing live constantly whilst others flew around in their Silver Machines.

I did get to see Hawkwind a few times after that at the Fulcrum, Slough on 15th June 1977 with Motorhead (much more about them in a later blog) who were the support band, tickets were £2.00. The Hawklords at Uxbridge University on 24th November 1978 with Softies as support, tickets were £1.70. Then again as Hawkwind at the Top Rank, Reading on 27th October 1980 with Vardis as support, tickets were £2.75. At the Glastonbury Festival on 20th June 1981 where they headlined the Saturday night on the Pyramid Stage and the Hexagon Reading on 28th September with Ginger Baker on drums, which I always thought was a strange combination, Mama’s Boys were the support, tickets were £3.50

Over 50 years later and Hawkwind are still going strong with 38 albums released to date.

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50 Years of Music Blog (Part 2)

50 Years of Music Blog (Part 2)

 Fifty years ago this year the last Windsor Free Festival took place at Windsor Great Park. This annual festival would run for 9 days and attracted thousands of music goers from all over the country much to the annoyance of some local residents and businesses with No Hippies signs on doors of many of the shops and pubs in the town. The Festival attracted a lot of interest in the local and national media, primarily as it took place in the Queen’s back garden, which included a piece on page three of The Sun newspaper with a picture of topless female festival goers and the headline Royal Sex Olympics, presumably as the real Olympics were taking place at the same time.

I was fourteen years old at the time and my parents said I was too young to go but as the Festival was so close to where we lived, I would open the bedroom windows and listen to the early hours of the morning. Bizarrely on a Sunday afternoon of the week of the Festival my parents put me, my two younger brothers and my sister in the back of the car and drove us the mile or so down the road. It was like going to a Safari Park, my Mum made a packed lunch and thermos flask of tea and we parked on the edge of the Great Park along with other local residents who had the same idea, so we could watch the Hippies in their natural environment from the safety of our car with the strict instructions not to unwind the windows and under no circumstances open the doors. As we looked out through the large windscreen the only thing missing was a David Attenborough wildlife commentary.

A few days later the media coverage escalated from page 3 of the National newspapers to the front page when hundreds of Police Officers raided the Festival in the early hours of the morning to physically remove them from the site. The aggressive nature of this approach prompted the Home Secretary at the time to ask for a National enquiry. This followed a sit in by hundreds of Festival goers by Queen Victories statue outside the main entrance of Windsor Castle.

Many years later when I was working at Windsor Arts Centre I was involved in a Community Play called Don’t Stop the Music which looked at the relationship between music and the town. Not only was the Free Festival stopped due to public pressure but also the Windsor Jazz and Blues Festival which later went on to be Reading Festival, the second Ricky Tik Club which played host some of the biggest names of the 60’s including Stevie Wonder, The Rolling Stones, The who and many more and The Old Trout that played host to Oasis, Blur, Faith No More and the Pixies and several other events.

January 1975 saw me go to my first live music event which I will talk about next time.

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50 Years of Music Blog (Part 1)

50 Years of Music Blog (Part 1)

This year marks the 50th year since the start of my passion for music as 1974 was when I brought my first album and single. Growing up as part of a large family in Windsor, there were nine of us and up until this point I was really a football fan like my Dad who took me to watch Chelsea play at home every other week as it was the closest First Division team (before the Premiership) to us, but the wonderful thing I remember was when Chelsea weren’t playing at home he would take me to random matches so I could see some of the great Legends. So we went to watch Southampton play Manchester United so I could see George Best, Dennis Law, Bobby Charlton and co, Watford versus Stoke to see 1966 World Cup Winner Gorden Banks and a friendly with Fulham who were playing Santos which featured Pele and most of the Brazilian 1970 World Cup Winning team.

As my older brothers and sisters started getting jobs of their own, getting into relationships and moving out, I ended up sharing a room with my older brother Ken and it was then that I started to explore his record collection, I also remember getting a small transistor Radio for Christmas and like many teenagers at that time, I use to listen to Radio Luxembourg and then latterly the John Peel show in  bed until late at night when I was supposed to be asleep, which opened me up to whole world of music.

The first single I brought was ‘I Know It’s Only Rock & Roll’ by The Rolling Stones, although we did have some children’s novelty singles before then, my Dad listened to Military Band Music which really wasn’t my thing although in later years he became a big fan of Max Boyce but this was more for the comedy, my Mum was the musical one of my parents and she was a fan of Country singer Jim Reeves as well as Tom Jones and Al Jolson, who isn’t Politically Correct  now but back then it was all part of the norm, with programmes like the Black & White Mistral Show being prime time Saturday night viewing, which never sat right with me even at that age.

The very first vinyl album I brought was ‘Diamond Dogs’ by David Bowie, I am not entirely sure what motivated me to buy it but I think it might be that brother had ‘Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders of Mars’ (one of my all time favourite albums) and it had just been released. It occurred to me whilst writing this blog that back in the day before streaming sites if somebody else had an album we didn’t feel the need to get it ourselves, instead we would go around a friends house and listen to it and buy something different instead.

Growing up in such a large family with the hustle and bustle of people coming and going, can feel quite lonely and at times and I didn’t feel like I fitted in, what I felt when I listened to David Bowie was that there was someone out in the world who spoke to me then. I remember listening to ‘Kooks’ from ‘Hunky Dory’ and thinking these are my people.

As far as Bowie albums go ‘Diamond Dogs’ is largely ignored but I still love it to this day from the opening lines of ‘Future Legend’ I was hooked.

“And in the death
As the last few corpses lay rotting on the slimy thoroughfare
The shutters lifted in inches in Temperance Building
High on Poacher's Hill
And red, mutant eyes gaze down on Hunger City
No more big wheels

Fleas the size of rats sucked on rats the size of cats
And ten thousand peoploids split into small tribes
Coverting the highest of the sterile skyscrapers
Like packs of dogs assaulting the glass fronts of Love-Me Avenue
Ripping and rewrapping mink and shiny silver fox, now legwarmers
Family badge of sapphire and cracked emerald
Any day now
The Year of the Diamond Dogs

This ain't Rock'n'Roll
This is Genocide

The whole album conjured up a whole world in a way which only David Bowie could do accompanied by the gatefold sleeve image of Bowie being half man, half dog. The only hit to come from this album was ‘Rebel Rebel’ but there are so many good songs on it from the title track to ‘Sweet Thing’ with it’s pre Punk distorted guitar.

This opened the floodgates for my Bowie obsession at that time and I started collecting the back catalogue with ‘Aladdin Sane’ followed by ‘Hunky Dory’ which listening to it now I think is a masterpiece, ‘Man Who Sold the World’ and even the ‘World of David Bowie’ which I remember buying from Woolworths in Windsor for a pound, ‘Space Oddity’ was one of my brothers albums, so never I technically owed that, although I  went out and brought ‘Ziggy Stardust’ as soon as he left home.

A year later (1975) David Bowie released the title track to his new album ‘Young Americans’ and I have to say the fifteen year old me hated it, for me it was too slick and polished with an American soul feel. I remember the first time I heard it my family were driving back from a weekend on the coast and it came on the radio and my Mum turned it up as she knew I liked Bowie and after I heard it  I don’t think I said a word the whole journey back, so mixed were my emotions. Fifty years on I appreciate it a lot more along with a lot of his later albums and the genius of David Bowie is that he changed his identity more than any other artist in history and was so ahead of his time that it was too big a change for me at the time.

David Bowie is still one one of my all time heroes, I have joked with friends that after he passed away the World has never been the same and I know many people who feel the same.

January 1975 saw me go to my first live music event which I will talk about next time.

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Review – New Single ‘ Pebble Beach’ by Maud’s Dog

Maud’s Dog is a captivating acoustic songwriting duo featuring Mark Fisher and Jackie Pryce that weaves soulful melodies and heartfelt lyrics into a musical tapestry. Drawing inspiration from legendary artists like James Taylor and the ethereal Kate Bush, they infuse their compositions with a touch of jazz, a hint of blues, and the energy of rock.

Their debut single starts with gentle lapping of the sea with seagulls chirping in the background that leads into a gentle melodic guitar from mark before we are introduced into the rich soulful vocals of Jackie. Pebble Beach evokes a feeling of the loss of loved one and creates a feeling to melancholy that is comforted by the environment. Overall this is a great introduction to this duo and I look forward to future releases.

To listen go to :- https://songwhip.com/maudsdog/pebble-beach

Live review - Wilde Sundays 23rd May 2023

Wilde Sunday at South Hill Park 23/05/23

 The best way to spend an afternoon doesn’t get much better than being at a Wilde Sunday. As always, we were treated to three great acts, skilfully put together by Graham Steel.

 First on was duo STEM (STeve – guitar; EMma - vocals and guitar), playing a range of their own songs on topics such as sisterly love (Unsung Hero), and new single Concentrate. Emma’s beautiful voice delivered each song with crystal clear quality. STEM had also brought along their PR team in the form of Emma’s young daughter, who was ‘too cute to refuse’ when giving out business cards.

 Next was local favourite Michael Tuffery, who’s low dulcet tones were perfect for his mix of laid-back folk tunes. A variety of covers, as well as self-penned in response to being ‘pipped at the post’ at his local folk club’s themed nights. One memorable moment was hearing him sing ‘It’s In Your Laugh’ written for his wife. Any longer, and there wouldn’t have been a dry eye in the room.

 The closing act was Martin Wood with a blues and soft jazz set. Not one to be playing too many unhappy songs, Martin changed guitars to play us Van Morrison’s Moondance. Then it was a return to the blues and an impromptu performance of a song by Blind Willie Johnson on discovering a shared appreciation with an audience member. The set continued with songs from that ‘little known blues artist’ – himself! A genuine encore ensued, and that was a wrap for the afternoon.

 Everyone was so chilled out by the end and made no moves to go home. I’d say that’s a sign of a successful afternoon of music, and at less than £10 what’s not to enjoy. See you next on June 18th, same time (2.00 – 4.00pm), same place (South Hill Park, Bracknell), different bands.

Review By Juliet Hurwitt

Album Review - The Lost Trades 'Petrichor '

The dictionary definition of Petrichor the title of the new album from The Lost Trades is “a pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather” and for this Wiltshire based trio they have been basking in glowing praise since the release of their debut Award Winning album ‘The Bird, The Book & The Barrell’ which received rave reviews  and spent 8 months in the Official UK Folk Albums Chart.and now finally the follow up album is due for release accompanied by a UK Tour.

Consisting of Tamsin Quin, Phil Cooper and Jamie R Hawkins all three were and still are established solo performers before they joined together as The Lost Trades and as good as their debut album is Petrichor feels like time has enabled them to develop their own sound even more, but still enabling their individual talents to shine through. With four of the twelve songs previously released as singles in the run up to the launch there was a fear that we may have heard the best songs already, but that is certainly not the case, make no mistake, this is a corker of an album.

The opening track Old Man of the Sea is an emotional and personal obituary written in memoriam for a late family member, reminiscent of Crosby, Stills Nash & Young and it does that wonderful thing where all voices are in unison and then one strips away to the emphasise a lyric that packs a punch which CSN&Y did so well. There is a wonderful video to accompany Keep My Feet Dry which tell’s the story of breaking away from personal relationships that don’t do you any good and standing your own ground and I love the guitar break in this song.

Atlas is the first track on the album that hasn’t been released as a single and therefore a good indication of how good this album truly is and it’s a great pop song which tells of taking the weight of the world on your shoulders, but strangely leaves the listener full of hope. Long Since Gone is a beautiful song in remembrance of those people dear to us who are no longer here, which is followed by Daffodils which tells of the importance of good friends in troubled times, which includes the line “ You are my Devil's Avocado” which is one of my favourite lyrics and the harmonies on this show the trio at their best.

Throughout Petrichor we are treated to three people who are at the top of their game vocally, musically (the musicianship throughout is excellent and comes across as effortless) and as songwriters who sound wonderful together but at the same time as individuals as is the case with Hornbeam, Fireflies and Best Step Forward.  Little Black Bird is another great song with a fabulous bass line running throughout and more fabulous harmonies asking the question “do you remember what you dream” to the little bird.

The title track to the album ‘Petrichor’ wouldn’t go a miss being sung in any Folk Club or Folk Festival and is a song of hope in these strange times that we currently live in. This Dark Forest has an almost cinematic feel to it as it takes the listener on a journey and you feel all three of The Lost Trades are with you every step of the way. The final track on this fine album Valhalla is currently my favourite of all tracks on offer (but the more I listen to the album the more I feel this will change as they are all so very good), with just a slow evocative drum and acapella vocals this is a stirring song with a message to turn off the TV and put down your newspaper and to take in all that is around you in nature and I can’t help but feel this song performed live will become a firm favourite with audiences.

Petrichor is a fine album and like the meaning of the word it awakens the senses, the lyrics are thought provoking and you come away with a sense of hope, just how good this album is only time will tell but based on the number of times I have already had it on repeat it is likely to be in the running for album of the year.

 To order the album :- https://shop.thelosttrades.com/album/petrichor

The Lost Trades UK Tour Dates :- http://thelosttrades.com/tour-dates/

Review – Jim Chorley – A Dawn Yet To Rise EP

Review – Jim Chorley – A Dawn Yet To Rise EP

The music of Jim Chorley fits into that great British Folk singer songwriter tradition of artists such as John Rebourne, Ralph McTell and Nick Drake but still manages to return his own distinctive style. This four track EP is a gentle collection of songs full of hope and a perfect listen as you unwind after a busy day with your drink of choice, beautifully produced and highly recommended.

A Dawn Yet To Rise EP is available now on Bandcamp :- https://jimchorley.bandcamp.com/album/a-dawn-yet-to-rise

Review - Paul Alexander Low – Sunshine after the Rain

Review -  Paul Alexander Low – Sunshine after the Rain

Sunshine after the Rain is Paul Alexander Lowe's debut album. Paul has produced an album of original songs full of great melodies and stories with a rich, smooth vocal that draws you in and holds your attention. The album puts me in the mood for the open road, windows down and music turned up. A great debut, showcasing a new songwriting talent.

The album is available here :- https://paulalexanderlow.hearnow.com/sunshine-after-the-rain

Review by Tara & Jaen

Review - Ajay Srivastav -The New Album - Powerless

Review - Ajay Srivastav -Powerless

Powerless is the second album from Ajay Srivastav. An inspirational journey through the COVID 19 Pandemic, from fear, frustration and anger to faith, hope and peace. The first song “The Line” is a foot-tapping question.  Challenging lyrics ask where you stand and what you believe? The title track “Powerless” kicks off with some truly emotive Indian Violin from Kartik Raghunathan.  The lyrics are a motivational call-to-hope, with a rousing chorus. “ The Powerless one day will rise”. “Golden” is an uplifting, joyful, life-affirming trip, with a catchy Stealer's Wheel feel. “The Path” is a meditative song about coming home, with the inspired addition of a string quartet, who also stay for the thought-provoking “Count Your Blessings”, reminding us to live in the present and be thankful for all that we have. Powerless is a wonderful blend of Delta Blues, Indian Folk and Protest songs wrapped in the sublime sounds of Ajay's Dobro with the gorgeous undercurrent of Vinod's Tabla.

“A true Iron Fist in a Velvet Glove”

Reviewed by Jaen Amber & Tara Egan

Powerless by Ajay Srivastav is available from https://www.ajayhq.com/

Review – The Lost Trades - New Album - The Bird, The Book & The Barrel

Review –  The Lost Trades ‘The Bird, The Book & The Barrel’  

The Bird, The Book & The Barrel is the love child and debut album from the Lost Trades who are Lost Trades are Wiltshire based friends, Jamie (R Hawkins), with his dark, country edge, Phil (Cooper) with his urban folk wit and Tamsin (Quin) with her engaging warmth and whimsy. Individually accomplished musicians in their own right, this trio blends together to produce a melting pot of symmetry and true musical talent.

Opening with "One Voice", a song about the power and strength of unity and joined forces : it could be interpreted as a Lost Trades anthem."Road Of Solid Gold" is a positive song about being content with your own company. An extra layer of violin, provided by Peter Knight (Steeleye Span), brings a rich, wholesome, upbeat feel to the melody. Whilst "Hope Cove" evokes feelings of loss, sadness and faith, "Wait For My Boat" jumps in with a rousing, joyful, singalong chorus.

In all the album is full of evocative harmonies and thought-provoking lyrics, bound together in a wonderful traditional-meets-modern folk genre.

Reviewed by Jaen Amber and Tara Egan

The Bird, The Book & The Barrel by The Lost Trades is available from https://shop.thelosttrades.com/album/the-bird-the-book-the-barrel

Review - Steve Bonham and the Long Road - New Album 'American Wilderness Odyssey’

Review – Steve Bonham and the Long Road ‘American Wilderness Odyssey’

New Album Out Now

American Wilderness Odyssey is available from https://www.thelongroadband.net/awo.html

The American Wilderness Odyssey is an extraordinary project from Steve Bonham and the Long Road which features fifteen songs released over a fifteen month period through a series of EP’s culminating in the release of the album and a companion book. ​The songs from the project have all been written by Steve Bonham, Chris Lydon and Kev Moore, and Steve and Chris. Their starting point is not first the songs of others but the deep well of individual experience.  They were inspired by the people, the landscape, the stories and the spirit of the Southern States of the USA. Steve trekked through the brooding old testament forests and mountains of Appalachia in Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina. He took road trips from Ashville to Nashville and New Orleans and then, trekking and driving, circumnavigated New Mexico. Kev set off in a classic old sedan to visit the hometowns and heroes of his youth spending six weeks on the road through Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas Georgia, Alabama and Louisiana.

The album opens with the ‘Ballad of Duane and Billy Marie’ a gentle song with intricate piano playing interweaved with guitar and harmonies reminiscent of Crosby, Stills & Nash, like most of the songs on this album the inspiration for this comes from a chance encounter  or observation by Steve Bonham which is then expanded into a story. The more up tempo ‘Wrapped Up in You’ has a great rhythm and slick guitar playing and a catchy chorus and was a hit on independent radio globally and number 1 on UK Country Radio. ‘American Wilderness’ is an eight minute song which tells the strange story of Paula Angel, said to be the first woman to be hung in New Mexico. ‘Do You’ is a beautiful gentle song described by the band as a 'secular prayer' wishing someone an authentic and spiritual life despite all the madness that precedes. ‘Midnight Radio’ is cracking little song where all the component parts of The Long Road come to together with great lyrics, a gentle keyboard backing and excellent percussion.

The final track of the album ‘Western Requim’ is a fantastic end to this epic project conjuring images of the wide expanse of the American landscape with it’s almost cinematic soundscape with Hammond organ, piano, guitar & percussion. In a time when how we listen to music is changing almost on a daily basis The Long Road have come up with a creative and inventive solution by incorporating an album, book and videos making it accessible to everyone, big congratulations to all involved.

Graham Steel

Review - Mandy Woods - New Album 'Cabin Fever'

Review – Mandy Woods ‘Cabin Fever’

New Album Released Monday 22nd February 2021.

Bandcamp - https://mandywoodsmusic.bandcamp.com/album/cabin-fever

Glastonbury based singer and songwriter Mandy Woods releases her new album, aptly titled ‘Cabin Fever’ later this month, featuring fifteen songs recorded during Lockdown. A seasoned writer and performer in both Europe and America, Mandy Woods has spent most of her adult life giving in to wanderlust and crafting songs wherever she has happened to find herself on her unconventional journey, many of them telling stories - about the ups and downs of relationships, about her own and other people's struggles and quests, and about the myriad other twists of fate that have inspired her imagination.

The title track Cabin Fever opens the album telling the story of being confined inside with a loved one which is appropriate for a Lockdown which is followed by the gentle My Second Hand Heart with beautiful harmonica backing. This whole album has an Americana/ Folk feel to it with well crafted songs, wonderful musicianship and easy to listen to stories and you have to wonder why Mandy Woods isn’t more well known on the acoustic music scene. The up tempo One Trick Pony definitely takes on more of a Country Music sound and could easily be heard in any Bar or Honky Tonk in Nashville and even has a Yee Haa at the end to prove my point.

There are so many good songs on this album with Cactus Rose, Butterfly, Awesome Woman and Full Moon Over Vegas being particular highlights all telling what sound like personal real life experiences. Although all the songs feature vocals and guitar from Mandy there is some backing with the occasional steel guitar and in All That is Left to Cherish  beautiful violin accompaniment from Judith Hooper. Ain’t No G in Country is a great fun track with has more of a band feel than the other songs. The closing track Every Single Second is all about making the most of life whilst you can, which is a positive message as we all hopefully prepare to come out of Lockdown. This is a really enjoyable album that is perfect listening equally on a cold Winter’s night or on a Summer’s evening under the stars, highly recommended.

The album is available from Bandcamp 22nd February.

Graham Steel

Review - Hoopy Frood - New Album 'Affirmations'

Review - Hoopy Frood ‘Affirmations’

New Album Released Sunday 14th February 2021.

Bandcamp - https://hoopyfrood.bandcamp.com

At a time when how we listen to music seems to change on almost a weekly basis and the concept of LP’s and Singles (for all of us who remember them) seems obsolete ‘Affirmations’ by Berkshire based band Hoopy Frood comes as a breath of fresh air. This is without doubt an album in the finest and most glorious sense, clocking in at just over an hour this is not twelve songs packaged together in 3 -4-minute soundbites but a joyous celebration of music with each track running seamlessly into the other, what recording this way does is that it gives the music time to breath, the listener time to enjoy and the musicians involved time to express themselves fully. There are moments when it feels that the band are just jamming but you can also tell that a lot of thought has gone into this and the production and preplanning is superb.

Having established what Affirmations is, which is an Album, trying to describe what it sounds like is whole different kettle of fish, with deep dance grooves, African percussion, reggae rhythms, classic rock guitar solo’s exquisite soulful vocals, which put together makes it sound like it is incoherent and jumbled, it is not, as Hoopy Frood have their own distinct style which incorporates all these different sounds. From the opening track ‘Water’ which starts with an electronic soundscape overlaid with acoustic guitar fingerstyle and features a guitar solo reminiscent of Pink Floyd followed by the wonderful ‘Round Shaped Hole’, the chilled out ‘Atoms & Molecules’ the beautiful piano overlaid with Spanish guitar playing of ‘Harmonics’ the reggae groves and soul led vocals of Big Wide World and ‘Magic in Your Eyes’, listening to this album is like having a Festival in your Living Room.  The album does slow down with ‘The Woods’ which sounds like it was recorded outside, and you can hear bird song and almost feel a gentle Summer breeze with it’s beautiful acoustic guitar accompanied by a cello, before picking up it’s pace with ‘Whispers’ and they all finally let rip with the album finale ‘Lets Help one Another’. 

This is an excellent well produced album from musicians who clearly know what they are doing that has been ten years in waiting and a great antidote to this crazy mixed-up world with its uplifting music and positive lyrics if any ‘Affirmations’ were needed this is highly recommended.

You can pre order the album now from Bandcamp which is released on 14th February.

Review - Tony Cox - Live at GSMC Online Music Club

Review  - Tony Cox

GSMC Online Music Club – Monday 1st February 2021

 Tonight’s GSMC Online Music Club features guitarist Tony Cox who is a multiple award-winning singer/songwriter and acoustic guitarist, is one of the most highly acclaimed musicians in South Africa today with a loyal fanbase throughout the country, Tony has recently moved to the UK.

 Starting with a beautiful instrumental piece called ‘Floating’ which was written in a Church and has a deeply spiritual feel to it. ‘Winter Song’ was dedicated to Tony’s friend musician and composer, Malawian, Wambali Mkandawire who sadly passed away the day before this performance and you could feel the emotion in this piece with it’s exquisite African rhythms.

‘Salty Towers’ was written at a time when Tony was living in Scotland and was followed by the first songs of the evening ‘Invisible’ and ‘House of Parliament Blues’ which is about the political situation in South Africa. The title track of his forthcoming new album ‘The World Went Quiet’ and is based on the current Covid 19 pandemic. The evening finished with a great version of ‘Baby Elephant Walk’ by Henri Mancini.

 This was a fabulous set from a world class musician and composer who introduces it each piece with interesting stories and has a great sense of humour who is now starting the next chapter of his extraordinary career here in the UK and we should be delighted to have him here.

 You can find out more about Tony Cox by visiting his website  

https://www.tonycox.co.za/