(no subject)
So remember how doublefourtime and I were having a crazy gig weekend? Well it happened and it was good! So here, reviews of Dar Williams, Frank Turner, and Angus & Julia Stone:
Dar Williams w/ Suzy Bradley, The Duchess, York, 03/12/10
Snow has brought chaos to Yorkshire this week and we frantically check the Duchess' website all day to make sure the gig is still on. Sam can't get the train to my house because it's cancelled, so she has to get on the bus to Wakefield and I pick her up there and we head north to York. We're staying overnight so instead of my usual abandonment of the car on a side street we find a 24 hour car park and then we head off to a pub to get some tea.
I happen to choose the pub whose heating has broken down but we then head off for alcohol and then we go and queue among the old people to get into the Duchess. It's a cosy underground bar where I saw Lucy Wainwright Roche in March. Tonight it's set out cabaret style and we sit down and start on very cheap double spirits and coke.
Suzy Bradley isn't bad, an English singer with a deep soulful voice, accompanied by an enthusiastic guitarist. I might check her out.
Dar takes to the stage around 9pm and plays for 90 minutes, but to be honest I could listen to her play all night. She is consistently good, and sweet, and funny, and she engages the crowd (numbering ~60) and seems genuinely interested in what we tell her. She apologises for the setlist being "the same as when I was over here last year" (it isn't - we saw her then it wasn't the same), but plays Iowa on request. Afterwards we speak to her and I add another left-handed musician to my list :D She says she's going to try to get over here ever year, which is for the fucking win!
Drunk, we find jacqui_hw and crash at her place. Yay!
Frank Turner w/ Ed Harcourt & DiveDive, The Plug, Sheffield, 04/12/10
On Saturday we eat lunch with Jacqui and then head off back home. Sheffield is basically an ice rink so Himself very kindly takes us to the Plug. We miss DiveDive but get in in time for about half of Ed's set, which is really lovely and includes recording himself and playing it back while playing new bits over the top. Frank and his band of clones take to the stage at about 9.10pm. They are all wearing white shirts and black jeans, and the guitarist is sporting an undone bow tie casually around his neck. Frank is as always bouncy and exuberant, sweating heavily by the end of the first song and yelling about how music can save lives and about how we're all in it together, etc etc. He plays a great set made up of some of my faaaavourite songs, plus some new ones. Unlike previous times, he doesn't play many songs acoustic and by himself, preferring to keep his four strong band behind him. They are really bloody good though.
They leave the stage at 10.30 and come back on for an encore in which Frank just sings, bringing out one of DiveDive to play secondary guitar and Ed to play mandolin. Frank bounces around the stage like Tigger on speed, kissing his keyboardist on the way and thanking us profusely for making it out in this weather. I love the man and live especially you see what all his best bits are.
Angus & Julia Stone, w/ some dudes IDK, The Wardrobe, Leeds, 05/12/10
Sunday is grey and miserable, so Himself decides we'll put up the Christmas tree. The ever patient Sam helps when required and reads her book quietly when not. We clean the living room, move the furniture round, and put up the Christmas tree. It's really nice. Yay Christmas.
Sam and I are a bit exhausted so we don't set off for Leeds until late, then we skate around the car park and by the time we get into the gig (another underground bar, I do go to some classy places) it's packed and we can't see the stage. We decide to just sit and listen - which is what I did last time I saw A&J - but to be honest you don't lose anything with these two as he never moves and she only does a tiny bit. They are heavy on the Julia songs but she explains that this is because Angus is slightly ill. They do play my favourite track of theirs - Private Lawns - so I'm happy about that. We leave slightly before the end so maybe they set the stage on fire or something, but I doubt it. They're a folk duo and they're very calm and sweet, but maybe slightly overly twee. I do like them, but....
Dar Williams w/ Suzy Bradley, The Duchess, York, 03/12/10
Snow has brought chaos to Yorkshire this week and we frantically check the Duchess' website all day to make sure the gig is still on. Sam can't get the train to my house because it's cancelled, so she has to get on the bus to Wakefield and I pick her up there and we head north to York. We're staying overnight so instead of my usual abandonment of the car on a side street we find a 24 hour car park and then we head off to a pub to get some tea.
I happen to choose the pub whose heating has broken down but we then head off for alcohol and then we go and queue among the old people to get into the Duchess. It's a cosy underground bar where I saw Lucy Wainwright Roche in March. Tonight it's set out cabaret style and we sit down and start on very cheap double spirits and coke.
Suzy Bradley isn't bad, an English singer with a deep soulful voice, accompanied by an enthusiastic guitarist. I might check her out.
Dar takes to the stage around 9pm and plays for 90 minutes, but to be honest I could listen to her play all night. She is consistently good, and sweet, and funny, and she engages the crowd (numbering ~60) and seems genuinely interested in what we tell her. She apologises for the setlist being "the same as when I was over here last year" (it isn't - we saw her then it wasn't the same), but plays Iowa on request. Afterwards we speak to her and I add another left-handed musician to my list :D She says she's going to try to get over here ever year, which is for the fucking win!
Drunk, we find jacqui_hw and crash at her place. Yay!
Frank Turner w/ Ed Harcourt & DiveDive, The Plug, Sheffield, 04/12/10
On Saturday we eat lunch with Jacqui and then head off back home. Sheffield is basically an ice rink so Himself very kindly takes us to the Plug. We miss DiveDive but get in in time for about half of Ed's set, which is really lovely and includes recording himself and playing it back while playing new bits over the top. Frank and his band of clones take to the stage at about 9.10pm. They are all wearing white shirts and black jeans, and the guitarist is sporting an undone bow tie casually around his neck. Frank is as always bouncy and exuberant, sweating heavily by the end of the first song and yelling about how music can save lives and about how we're all in it together, etc etc. He plays a great set made up of some of my faaaavourite songs, plus some new ones. Unlike previous times, he doesn't play many songs acoustic and by himself, preferring to keep his four strong band behind him. They are really bloody good though.
They leave the stage at 10.30 and come back on for an encore in which Frank just sings, bringing out one of DiveDive to play secondary guitar and Ed to play mandolin. Frank bounces around the stage like Tigger on speed, kissing his keyboardist on the way and thanking us profusely for making it out in this weather. I love the man and live especially you see what all his best bits are.
Angus & Julia Stone, w/ some dudes IDK, The Wardrobe, Leeds, 05/12/10
Sunday is grey and miserable, so Himself decides we'll put up the Christmas tree. The ever patient Sam helps when required and reads her book quietly when not. We clean the living room, move the furniture round, and put up the Christmas tree. It's really nice. Yay Christmas.
Sam and I are a bit exhausted so we don't set off for Leeds until late, then we skate around the car park and by the time we get into the gig (another underground bar, I do go to some classy places) it's packed and we can't see the stage. We decide to just sit and listen - which is what I did last time I saw A&J - but to be honest you don't lose anything with these two as he never moves and she only does a tiny bit. They are heavy on the Julia songs but she explains that this is because Angus is slightly ill. They do play my favourite track of theirs - Private Lawns - so I'm happy about that. We leave slightly before the end so maybe they set the stage on fire or something, but I doubt it. They're a folk duo and they're very calm and sweet, but maybe slightly overly twee. I do like them, but....