I’m awfully happy about Happyness! Spotted them on Sneaky Pete’s website and loved their live videos. Saw their set on the wonderful KEXP (see below) and was hooked!
Their live set in the close confines of Sneaky Pete’s did not disappoint either. I really like their quirky but laid back songs with cool lyrics and strong melodies.
Since then their album ‘Weird Little Birthday’ has grown on me big time … End of year favourite? … Contender!
I’m huge fan and have seen Laura many times, and usually prefer her more inimate solo performances … so I had a little tredpidation this time knowing she had only ‘done a Dylan’ and ‘gorn electric’. Fear not Laura fans, it’s all good and she can still do no wrong in my misty eyes! It’s all about her wonderful songs and singing, what difference does a kind of guitar make?
The new album ‘Short Movie’ doesn’t hit the consistent heights of ‘Once I Was An Eagle’ for me, but the best songs still work really well live. The new band can also help her put a fresh slant on all the favourites … really interesting and powerful interpretations too. She has really taken the opportunity to change and shock some people (playing Strange on Jools Holland got a real WTF reaction!) Respect due and returned.
Big Davie had never seen her before and it was a pleasure seeing him experience just how special Laura is. And that Rickenbacker she played aroused my guitar lust and sounded just fantastic. Not quite the religious experience of seeing her last time at the Usher Hall, but pretty damn special!
Renaissance was one of the first bands I ever got really into as a teenager. I saw them on The Old Grey Whistle Test and was instantly hooked on the grand prog/classical approach, Annie Haslam’s perfect soaring voice and particularly the melodic bass playing of Jon Camp. I immediately became a bass player!
I eventually got to see them in Edinburgh in 1981 but they broke up soon after. 34 years later … I couldn’t miss the chance to catch up and their most Northern performance was St Helens … lovely place!
Annie is the only original member left but the band are really top notch especially band leader Rave Tesar on keys who has been with Annie for years. Once sound problems were conquered they delivered a great set of classics and 3 new songs. Sensitive arrangements, true to the originals, sounded fine and Annie’s voice is still as strong. Loved it!
Setlist –
Prologue
Carpet of the Sun
Ocean Gypsy
Running Hard
Grandine il Venti
Symphony of Light
Northern Lights
The Mystic and the Muse
Mother Russia
Ashes are Burning
Don’t know why I decided to go see Lotte … she just showed up on Sneaky Pete’s website and I was intrigued enough. Unfortunately not many other people were tempted on a Monday night.
Support Jazz Morley has a strong voice and interesting, melancholy songs. She knows this! I felt like saying ‘Cheer up hen!’, but obviously resisted.
Lotte is clearly a skilled crafter of songs. Her singing and playing style is good but not really my cup of tea. I did enjoy the night though and lots of that was to do with Lotte’s in between song stories and explanations. Really funny and informative on the life of a songwriter.
Good luck and best wishes … I’ll keep an eye out for their future music careers.
The War on Drugs are an American band from Philidelphia … but really a vehicle for founder member singer/lead guitarist/writer/leader Adam Granduciel. I didn’t know much about them but was intrigued at the hype and thought a few songs I had heard were interesting.
Well they are good at what they do and a packed Usher Hall was right into them … but their soft thoughtful rock is not really my cup of tea. I happily stuck out the 2 hours including 5 encores … but the style of the songs was a bit samey and Adam’s delivery of vocals and guitar solos doesn’t have enough variety for me. Maybe the songs work better recorded and the last album got amazing reviews. I’ll give that a listen and maybe I’ll come round!
I’d seen Jennie 7 times before … But only as a backing singer to Ane Brun and Peter Gabriel, not as headline act with her own band. I’m such a big fan I had to put that right, so it had to be London, the closest to Edinburgh on her European tour!
The show was part of the ‘Ja Ja Ja’ club night showcasing Nordic artists at The Lexington, a really cool small venue. ‘Mont Oliver’ from Denmark were first up and I was most impressed with their melodic electronica so I’ll watch out for them again. ‘Psyence Fiction’ from Norway next were a different kind of sound but good in other ways. Strong songs with some wry humour in the lyrics.
With all the setting up and down each band only had limited time which was a pity. I could have enjoyed much more of them all especially Jennie from Sweden who could only fit in 8 songs (as far as a I can remember) … ‘Snowstorm’, ‘The War’, ‘Phoenix’, ‘Entity’,’In This Life to Live’, ‘Wolf’, ‘Hole In You’ and ‘Why Did I Leave Home’. But a great 8 songs all the same!
Jennie’s singing is always perfect, she has a great way of holding an audience and her band are superb – Johannes Berglund on Bass Synth and enthusiasm makes a big difference to the songs, Micke Häggström is inventive and powerful on drums and Samuel Starck has all the keyboard fills to complement Jennie on her illuminated plexiglas Xylophone. Just Magic!
Klara and Johanna Söderberg have come a long way since the first time I saw them at tiny Sneaky Pete’s on their first UK tour to now selling out the Usher Hall and large venues around the world. That success is well deserved for their precocious talents and sheer hard work so I was so proud to see them be a big deal in my home town!
The fact that they paid a celebrity visit to Edinburgh’s first cat cafe ‘Maison de Moggy’ earlier in the day just made me smile all the more (see pics in slideshow above) as did their now customary drinking of Irn Bru on stage! Edinburgh certainly gave them a big welcome but the scale of the big theatre does not faze them at all and they put on a suitably big show to match. Their extended band including drums and pedal steel player makes a real difference and they handle that ‘beefed up’ sound with aplomb.
I’ve grown to really love their latest album ‘Stay Gold’ and songs from that rightly dominated the set including my favourites ‘Cedar Lane’, ‘Stay Gold’ and ‘ Waitress Song’. Covers also made a big impression, especially a brilliant take on ‘Love Interruption’ by Jack White. They always sing ‘Ghost Town’ at the front of the stage without microphones and to carry that off in such a big hall with a thousand backing singers was wonderful. Well I sang along with everything!
A great night with a celebration atmosphere. Well done girls. Lots more good stuff to come in future I’m sure!
Another fine show from TSDBTB. Special for us because Jan had just arrived back from Australia so we had good cause for celebration, the music making for a great party!
I saw Peter on this same ‘Back to Front’ tour back in October 2013 and enjoyed that so much I thought it worth the long drive to Aberdeen for a reprise! I’m glad I did since I had listened more to his music since and the set was more familiar and recognisable to me. The performance was also great and I was able to anticipate and appreciate it more.
The downside was a decidedly cool audience who took ages to warm up and contribute much to the atmosphere. Eventually they did though in time for the encores! Great to see Jennie Abrahamson and Linnea Olsson again. Jennie is now one of my favourite singer/songwriters, and though I’ve seen her supporting and backing 7 times, I’ve yet to see her in concert in her own show … need to sort that in 2015!
Will Peter tour again, this one having been so long running and extensive? If he does, I’ll be there!
