Shame - Live at the Marble Factory, 27th November 2021
Finally able to tour the album they released at the beginning of the year (Drunk Tank Pink), over the course of November Shame have played in all major British cities, with the last stop in Bristol having a celebratory feel.
Taking place on a Saturday night undoubtedly helps, as does the news of new COVID restrictions coming into force as winter draws its cruel veil, giving it more of an end-of-world vibe than perhaps is entirely necessary.
Despite The Goa Express gamely trying (and only marginally failing) to gazump the headliners (the last track being pure Give Out But Don’t Give Up-era Primal Scream, complete with harmonica), Shame are in no mood to leave anything behind them.
First song ‘Alphabet’ rattles the walls of the venue like a hurricane in a football stadium, singer Charlie Steen querying, ‘Are you ready to feel good?’. If it wasn’t written as a set opener, it’s hard to think of anything better in their canon to fulfill the function.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2021/11/review-shame-bristol-marble-factory/
The Charlatans - Live at Bristol o2 Academy - 26th November 2021
Remember Tim Burgess?
He’s had a quiet few years so you’d be forgiven for presuming he’d gone into early retirement, living a hermit life in his new found digs over in sleepy Norfolk, ruminating about the days gone by.
We jest, of course. Last year was a busy one for Burgess (solo album, EP and the biggest project of all; Tim’s Twitter Listening Parties), but in 2021 he’s really been making up for lost time.
The Twitter Listening Party empire shows no signs of slowing down, last year’s solo material has already been toured, he’s involved in numerous books, he continues to curate his Tim Peaks Stage at Kendal Calling, and The Charlatans have released a career spanning box-set: A Head Full Of Ideas. The Busiest Man In Rock is even doing tram announcements on the Transport for Greater Manchester service this week (seriously).
Hearteningly, it seems that nothing distracts from the day job. Anyone with a cursory knowledge of British rock is aware of The Charlatans’ history (and tragedies), but this most durable of bands just keep going and, like all the other lifers, it’s clear from the looks on their faces that they do it because they love it.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2021/11/review-the-charlatans-bristol/
The KVB - Unity
Some acts operate best under the radar or in the shadows. Much to their own (probable) frustration, mainstream appreciation is out of their reach, but the freedom such a lack of pressure allows garners much more interesting results.
The KVB (in fact couple Nicholas Wood and Kat Day), officially described as an audio-visual project – broadly, Wood provides the music while Day creates the visuals – have lurked menacingly beneath the surface for over ten years and five albums, and have been afforded the space and time to develop their own soundscapes. Unity is the finest realisation of their creativity to date.
Unsurprisingly, it’s a very visual piece of work, laden with imagery that, even if the song titles weren’t giving the listener a steer, would be apposite. Opening track ‘Sunrise Over Concrete’ blinks and percolates into life, the synths building until they become all-consuming as the sun does when it announces its arrival. Pretty on the surface, the undertones of dread perfectly capture a picture of 21st century city industrial life.
Quasi-title track ‘Unite’ follows (opening line: ‘Reconstruction of a nation, unity their habitation’), throbbing and clacking in the vein of Kraftwerk, which is an obvious but inevitable comparison.
Courtney Barnett - Things Take Time, Take Time
If the pandemic was going to benefit any artist, or play to their strengths, then it was always going to be Courtney Barnett.
As her distinctive, languid vocal style is testament to, Barnett takes her time over things. After plying her trade in various projects in the early years of her career, mainly playing guitar or releasing material on her own label, the Australian belatedly released her debut album (its title – Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit – emphatically proving the point) to much acclaim in 2015.
Amidst further side-projects, her second album followed in 2018, but since then a series of issues have bedraggled her, including breaking up from her long-term partner Jen Cloher, the wildfires which tore across her home country in the early part of last year, and the pandemic.
Fortunately, there have been some positives to come out of this turbulent time – namely Things Take Time, Take Time, which finds Barnett taking positivity and solace from the smallest of things.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2021/11/review-courtney-barnett-things-take/
Interview - Dylan John Thomas
Dylan John Thomas is making up for lost time.
Within seconds of his conversation with Live4ever, with pleasantries out of the way, the young Scotsman’s enthusiasm and positivity radiates from the other end of the line as he recalls his hometown gig at St. Luke’s in Glasgow two days earlier:
‘It was absolutely bouncing. I can’t describe the buzz of looking out and seeing that many people bouncing. It’s my first Scottish headline tour as well, so it was the first time we embarked all round Scotland as the main act. It’s hard to describe and I’m getting a bit overwhelmed talking about it. People singing every word, it’s nuts.”
His short Scotland tour was the latest during a busy period of live gigs Thomas has played since restrictions ended. The lockdown in spring 2020 came at a particularly cruel time, as his debut single ‘Nobody Else’ in 2019 had laid the foundations for a promising career, aided in no small part by prestigious slots supporting Liam Gallagher and, firstly, his mentor Gerry Cinnamon.
“We toured around the UK and Europe, which is nuts!,” he tells Live4ever. “I was building up an audience of my own, and still doing a bit of busking during that. I put out some demos and live sessions and it just happened organically, in the sense of being gradual. We’d go to a venue and two people would listen, but those two people would join in on the journey.”
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2021/11/live4ever-interview-dylan-john-thomas/
Paul Weller - Live at the Bath Forum, 17th November 2021
As we’ve learnt over the last couple of years, it’s so easy to take things in life for granted.
Some things are just there, omnipresent throughout one’s life, barely noticed by some, like the company of a friend or a well-cooked meal. And Paul Weller.
During the lockdown he released his fifteenth and sixteenth solo albums, at least one of which is a worthy contender for his best solo effort. Such is the man’s prolificity that there were few eyebrows raised. It’s just what he does.
That’s as maybe, but with the cancellation of the On Sunset tour (last year) and the addition of the songs from Fat Pop Vol. 1, this lifelong touring musician was sure to feel the loss more than most, so this tour is largely about making up for lost time.
Weller’s response? A 35-song set spanning his solo career, sprinkled with some select cuts from his pre-1990 work. Or, in his own words: ‘We’ve got so many fucking songs to play you.’
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2021/11/live-paul-weller-bath-forum/
Geese - Projector
The avant-garde, prog-punk revolution continues apace.
The UK are spoilt for choice when it comes to acts who aren’t confined by traditional song structures; Black Country, New Road, black midi and, to a lesser extent, Squid are just a handful of young musicians who have risen to prominence over the last few years who fuse freeform jazz, post-punk, prog and art to create pieces of music that can better be described as movements rather than songs.
Whether or not they deserve the success very much depends on how one feels about the approach.
In the larger terrain that is the United States there haven’t been many bands that have made headway in the UK, but all that may be about to change.
Geese, a group of Brooklyn teenagers, have been snapped up by Partisan (home to IDLES and Fontaines D.C.), and this debut album was mixed by Speedy Underground stalwart Dan Carey. With such patronage behind them, big things are expected.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2021/11/album-review-geese-projector/
Paul Weller - Days Of Speed/Illumination
Cast your mind back, dear reader, to the British music scene of 20 years ago.
The Britpop bubble had well and truly burst, and maudlin music set to acoustic guitars was the order of the day. Travis and Coldplay were kings of the castle, with the likes of Starsailor and Turin Brakes clawing for their crowns, while The Strokes and The White Stripes had kicked open the door for a new generation of American groups to break hearts and blow minds.
While the Britpop generation were either hiding behind cartoons (Albarn), counting the cost of excess (the Gallagher brothers) or on their last legs (Pulp, Suede, et al), the so-called Godfather Of Britpop, who had seen it all before, was at yet another crossroads.
The 1990s had largely been kind to Paul Weller, with deference paid by the younger generation to the ‘elder statesman’ (in his 30s for most of the decade) alongside a trio of well-received albums.
Yet 2000’s Heliocentric came and went with little fanfare or praise (not a bad album – Paul Weller is incapable of that – but certainly not his best), and was the last of his deal with Island. Once again finding himself without a record contract, Weller took the opportunity to take stock of his career to-date.
And like most music obsessives, his way of taking stock was by touring; in the spring of 2001 Weller toured Europe armed only with his acoustic guitar, the results of which made up his second live album, Days Of Speed.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2021/11/review-paul-weller-vinyl-reissues/
Wïlderman - Never Ready
With such a strong musical heritage (son of Carleen Anderson and grandson of James Brown’s right-hand man, Bobby Byrd), it should come as no surprise that Wïlderman’s output oozes class. But ‘Never Ready’ doesn’t find Bobby Anderson (for it is he) relying on any favours.
It announces itself immediately with a marauding, fuzz-soaked riff which both intrigues and batters the ears. You’re not sure listening to the end is going to be good for you, but your mischievous side can’t help itself. From the second verse on, Wïlderman wails and emotionally implores the subject of the song. ‘You keep it righteous,’ he says, advice he himself follows before disappearing as abruptly as he arrived. Two minutes and ten seconds of mighty magnificence and one of the most compelling songs of the year.
Never Ready is released digitally on 19th November through Colorama Records
Kasabian - Live at the o2 Academy, Bristol - 31st October 2021
It’s been quite the time to be a Kasabian fan.
As well as releasing their first new music in four years last week (the rampaging ‘ALYGATYR’), former frontman Tom Meighan also released his first solo effort, a solemn ballad entitled ‘Would You Mind?’, the lyrical content of which is surely aimed at his old friends.
All the while a lengthy, month-long tour continues.
Channelling the same communal, hands-in-the-air spirit as their forebears Oasis, Kasabian have their detractors, but their electro-rock music has always been more interesting than their reputation dictates. The subtraction of Tom Meighan, asked to leave the band last year, means that this tour is certainly one of the more intriguing of the year.
Or it would have been, had the transition to Mark II not been so seamless; Serge Pizzorno has long been the sole mastermind behind their music, ever since the departure of Chris Karloff back in 2005 and, over the years, became more and more prominent both onstage and off.
Arguably, over the last decade they had co-frontmen, but no more. This is unquestionably The Serge Show now, best exemplified tonight by the rest of the band wearing all black to contrast his colourful jacket and white t-shirt.
Along with those years of gradual dominance, his first solo album (under the name The S.L.P.) and accompanying shows in 2019 have clearly given Pizzorno the confidence to step from stage left to front and centre, but he’s made the move appear effortless.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2021/11/live-review-kasabian-bristol/
Parquet Courts - Sympathy For Life
Over the course of their ten-year, six album career, Parquet Courts have largely been purveyors of New York garage/indie/punk/art/dance (delete as appropriate) rock, to varying levels of acclaim.
As other staples of those genres have found, the boundaries can only be pushed so far before a complete divergence away. In addition, their last album – 2018’s Wide Awake – saw them achieve a level of acclaim and respect which had been well-earned and therefore foolish to sacrifice.
But trotting out the same thing album after album is surely as boring for the artist as it is for the listener (unless you’re an Adele/Ed Sheeran/Coldplay fan of course), so on Sympathy For Life, Parquet Courts have opted to showcase their ‘dancier’ aspects. Co-frontman Austin Brown confirmed as much recently: ‘The clubs are open again. It’s time to get back to dancing.’
Kudos for developing their sound, and indeed there are many new sounds and vibes contained within Sympathy For Life, but the problem is that it isn’t very…danceable. It’s a curious album that doesn’t quite know on which side of the fence it sits, with the sequencing reflecting that. Often a more experimental track (i.e. one driven by electronica rather than guitars) is followed by something much more recognisable.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2021/10/review-parquet-courts-sympathy-life/
Hayden Thorpe - Moondust For My Diamond
Wild Beasts went about things the ‘right’ way, gradually building up a following with successively better (chart-performing, at least) albums and then, following in the footsteps of The Maccabees, announcing their disbandment at the peak of their career.
Both Tom Fleming and Hayden Thorpe have released solo compositions since, and between the pair of them have siphoned off elements of the band that work for them.
Yet neither could be accused of regurgitating their former band’s sound (relatively eclectic in itself) and indeed, on Thorpe’s second solo album he pushes his personal envelope even further.
While his debut Diviner was defined by austere fragility, Moondust For My Diamond finds Thorpe moving into more electronic directions, but rather than an immediate foray onto the dancefloor, it’s all about soothing balms and humanising the machine where possible.
‘It is interesting to note that perhaps with the Arab spring, the change in music and analogue modes of receiving information, it might be possible that the internet will bring in a new era in the ideas of spirituality, that is digital mysticism,’ Thorpe declared recently, which gives an insight into his headspace and works well as modus operandi for the album.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2021/10/review-hayden-thorpe-moondust/
Fontaines D.C. - Live at the o2 Academy, Bristol - 13th October 2021
While all live music was eagerly anticipated during those long winter months, some tours were more so than others.
Fontaines D.C. were riding the crest of a wave in early 2020 with a well-received first album and live shows going down a storm, and with a fine second album in their back pocket, the time was theirs. Undeterred by the pandemic, they released A Hero’s Death in mid-2020 and sat back while further accolades were thrown their way.
Rather than stifling their momentum, the long wait to see the songs performed live has surely worked in their favour. The tour has seemingly been a roaring success, and the atmosphere and excitement before they take to the stage is electric at a very busy Academy.
The band know it too, and they throw flowers into the audience to sate the baying crowd for a few brief seconds before opening with the second album’s title-track, a lockdown anthem itself. The hook ‘life ain’t always empty’, so defining and hopeful in the darkness of spring 2020, is finally laid to rest as it’s belted out by Grian Chatten and the crowd while his colleagues supply the doo-wop backing vocals.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2021/10/review-fontaines-dc-bristol/
The Lounge Society - Live at Crofters Rights, Bristol -12th October
‘Our lyrics are a call-to-arms for people who share our dismay at the dismal future being carved out for people like us.’
So said The Lounge Society recently, and if that statement alone doesn’t get you on board with them then you’re on the wrong website.
Part of the burgeoning Hebden Bridge music scene, The Lounge Society (winners Live4ever’s track of 2020) demonstrably have a wealth of potential which has, thus far, been constrained.
On record, their blend of angular-but-hefty, danceable-but-serious offerings has shown great promise, even if the frustration on the parts of both the band and the listener has been palpable.
Finally they are able to tour and unleash their frustration and rage to like-minded souls around the country. Unlike seemingly all other gigs right now (we’re as relieved as you to be here, but your happiness isn’t unique so say something new, please), the quartet don’t gush, they just get down to business.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2021/10/review-the-lounge-society-bristol/
The Lathums - Live at the Trinity Centre, Bristol - 10th October 2021
The latest to wear the crown of ‘saviours of guitar music’, The Lathums can make their case better than most.
Long touted for great things, when their debut album How Beautiful Life Can Be hit the top spot on the UK chart recently it was a surprise to all but those who were paying attention.
To be clear, they have an advantage in major label backing, who weren’t above pulling a few stunts; releasing one version of the album on the Friday, and then a deluxe version three days later undoubtedly helped, as did an appearance on BBC Breakfast.
However, no matter how calculated or strategic an album campaign is, it can’t control the reaction the art receives. Judging by the reaction in Bristol (hardly a hotbed of traditional ‘indie’ music) on a Sunday night, no less, it’s little wonder they are clearly having the time of their lives.
It’s a shrewd playlist over the PA in the half-hour before they take to the stage; The La’s, The Jam, The Smiths (obviously) and Arctic Monkeys all warm the crowd’s vocal cords nicely, and are all bands The Lathums are attempting to emulate.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2021/10/review-the-lathums-bristol-trinity/
Tiny Dyno - Still
True talent lies in making the new seem familiar.
While knowing it’s impossible, you’ll feel like you’ve heard ‘Still’ by Tiny Dyno before. It may be the gorgeous, angelic harmonies. It may be the simple but succinct melody line. It may be the evocative guitar solo, or it might be the overall air of swooning heartbreak. Either way, before you’ve had a chance to draw breath the song has embedded itself into your psyche, so much so that you’ll be singing along before the end of your first listen.
An immaculate slice of guitar pop that may seem effortless, so light that it is, but is the result of perfecting and honing from the talented duo. Hard and work and talent should always go hand in hand, and when it works as effectively as it does here, one’s life is enriched.
Still is released digitally everywhere on Friday 12th November 2021 through Colorama Records, the brainchild of Andy Crofts (The Moons, Paul Weller).
Maximo Park - Live at the Trinity Centre, Bristol - 7th October 2021
While not yet at the ‘elder states-people’ stage of the game, Maximo Park are surely by now in ‘veteran’ territory, with seven albums and fifteen years under their belt.
The latest album, Nature Always Wins, was regarded as one of their stronger efforts and as such a ‘return to form’ which, as anyone who has been paying attention to their career will know, is questionable – their consistency is their greatest asset.
On both record and live, they have evolved at their own pace. To those less informed, it can appear as the same old schtick, whereas it’s in fact been a calculated effort to add textures and broaden the sound, while at the same time not alienating their loyal fanbase. As with everything to do with Maximo Park, the approach to their evolution combines intelligence and heart effectively.
Amidst the sound of birdsong the band, bar singer Paul Smith, take to the stage and commence playing ‘All Of Me’ before the frontman swaggers onstage with mischief and madness in his eyes.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2021/10/review-maximo-park-bristol-trinity/
The Subways - Live at the O2 Academy, Bristol - 1st October
Young For Eternity, The Subways’ debut album, was a pulsating one of pop-rock anthems which, while not exactly taking the chart by storm back in 2005, certainly left an impression.
After winning the Glastonbury Unsigned competition in 2004, there was a certain degree of hype and consequent expectation placed on the trio to deliver the goods, which they were able to do with success, the singles featuring on Radio One and high-profile support slots with Foo Fighters.
Through changing winds – even in 2005 The Subways’ form of rock music was out of kilter with the art-pop of Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party etc – they maintained a loyal fanbase, as proved by the reception on this tour.
And lo, as bands are wont to do, this tour is to commemorate 15 (now 16, for reasons you are boringly familiar with) years of the debut album, it being played in full before a run of other tracks.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2021/10/review-the-subways-bristol/
Gustaf - Audio Drag For Ego Slobs
Despite the seemingly endless conveyor belt of bands crammed together under the title of post-punk, the world’s hottest of beds for new music (New York) has been noticeably resistant to the phrase (with a few exceptions, such as Bodega).
Regardless, the City That Never Sleeps has firmly and comprehensively joined the party now. Gustaf, comprised of Tine Hill (bass), Vram Kherlopian (guitar), Melissa Lucciola (drums), Tarra Thiessen (vocals, percussion) and Lydia Gammill (lead vocals) are, having built -p a head of steam in the live arena since their formation at SXSW in 2018, here to rattle bones and shake souls.
But the question lingers; in an already crowded field, can they differentiate themselves to stand apart? Based on the contents of this (finely-named, it has to be said) album, the answer is: not yet.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2021/10/review-gustaf-audio-drag/
The Magic Roundabout - Up
Third Man Records may have hit the headlines last week because of founder Jack White performing a short set in Soho, Beatles-style, to launch the opening of their UK store, but the label isn’t just about show; following on from archive releases from The Stooges, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and White’s first band, they’ve dusted down a long-lost gem, albeit indirectly.
The only offering from Mancunians Magic Roundabout was discovered by Pale Saints’ Ian Masters who, enthralled by the contents of the master, handed it over to Third Man to remaster, studio hiss and all.
For the uninitiated (which is likely to be all of us, considering the ‘lost’ factor), Magic Roundabout were a cult band who, in the late 1980s, supported Inspiral Carpets, My Bloody Valentine, Spacemen 3 and The Pastels among others. One Noel Gallagher was rumoured to have been the roadie for their last ever gig.
https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2021/09/review-magic-roundabout/