Who To See in Brighton in November 2014

As the autumn leaves adorn the trees (and pavements) we welcome in the closing months of the 2014 - Where has the time gone really? With the Brighton Comedy Festival passed, November is the perfect chance to get back into live music and wean yourself off evenings at home in front of the TV or reading the latest Buzzfeed about absolutely nothing. This November has an exceptional variety of artists from jazz to folk and everything in between so why not take a look at my hot picks for for the month in Brighton and see what you like the look of. Keep music live and alive.

Wednesday 5th November

Melting Vinyl Presents: Ben Watt Trio - Komedia - 8:30pm - £15/£17

Ben Watt, it's safe to say, has more than a few strings to his bow. As a performer, songwriter, singer, DJ and author, he certainly has plenty to keep himself busy and I'm sure that he rarely has idle thumbs! Former half of alt-pop duo Everything But The Girl, Ben has embarked on several other projects since their final performance in 2000 including a successful DJing career, setting up his own independent label, an online radio show, writing and publishing a couple of books and as of March 2013 continuing his solo career as a singer-songwriter. This month he will be performing some of his recent material with his trio. Support from Meadowlark. 

http://benwatt.com/

@ben_watt

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Thursday 6th November

The Sonic Agency Present: John Power - Sticky Mike's Frog Bar - 7pm - £10

Formerly of The La's and Cast, John Power is a Liverpudlian singer-songwriter who has been performing music since the 80's. Probably most famous for the song "Guiding Star" with Cast, his solo material has a grainy detail to it, with experienced hands of a seasoned guitarist and undeniably relaxed stage presence, he is just as comfortable flying solo as playing with a full band. For fans of Ocean Colour Scene and other Britpop/folk acts. With support from Alex Lipinski and local solo artist Lewis McKale

http://www.sonicagency.co.uk/

@TheSonic_Agency

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Saturday 8th November

The Thirst - Green Door Store - 7pm - £5

I first saw this band supporting Will and The People back in September 2013 and they were actually the first band that I ever did a video interview with, discussing Jamie Oliver, viral videos and of course their music. The guys were really friendly, hard-working and perform their catchy upbeat funky music with style and swagger. For fans of Bloc Party and funk bands. Check out their great cover of Get Lucky below!

http://www.thethirst.co.uk/
@TheThirst

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Wednesday 12th November

Gregory Porter - Brighton Dome - 7:30pm - £27.50 - £37

Having seen Gregory perform at Cheltenham Jazz Festival and Love Supreme Festival two years running, I can safely say that he is not somebody that you will ever get tired of seeing live. His band of piano, double bass, drums and sax are super tight, supporting Mr Porter's huge and beautiful voice which can fill concert halls and stadiums with ease. His songs are catchy, rhythmic, heartfelt and melodic, earning him great critical acclaim including the Best Vocal Jazz Album Grammy for his second album Liquid Spirit. Having spoken to him on several occasions, I know that Gregory loves performing in the UK and always puts on a fantastic show so dig deep for this one and come along to check out a contemporary jazz legend in the making. You won't be sorry!

http://www.gregoryporter.com/

@I_GregoryPorter

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Tuesday 18th November

iluvlive - Komedia - 8:00pm - £2

iluvlive is a live music event which launched in London in 2004. Supporting homegrown talent through regular nights in London, Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, Nottingham and Manchester, it has previously featured big-hitters such as Jessie J, Ed Sheeran, Tinie Tempah, PLan B and Emile Sandi. Following the launch night in October, iluvlive is returning to Komedia for the second installment, showcasing local artists featuring Staniford, Kyra, Lu'Ami, Ceezlin and more artists to be announced. With 15 minute sets and a penchant for hip-hop/dance music, it's a chance to see a wide range of up-and-coming artists for just a couple of pounds, or free when you sign up for the guestlist on http://www.iluvlive.co.uk/.

http://www.iluvlive.co.uk/

@iluvlive

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Wednesday 19th November

Paul Thomas Saunders - Green Door Store - 7pm - £9

Reviews of "Devastatingly Brilliant", "Sensational" and "A revelation" from the national presses captured my attention with Paul Thomas Saunders, and rightly so. With rich synth textures Snow Patrol drums and Fleet Foxes style vocals, his music is quite poppy, friendly and very easy to listen to. With interesting track titles including 'A Lunar Veteran's Guide To Re-Entry' and 'In High Heels Burn It Down' his album Beautiful Desolation is certainly an interesting addition to any CD collection. Check out the video 'Appointment In Samarra' below.

http://www.paulthomassaunders.com/

@PaulTSaunders

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Thursday 20th November

Marika Hackman - Green Door Store - 8pm - £9.20

Another find of mine from Latitude Festival this year, Marika Hackman is closing her November tour of the UK with a performance at Brighton's Green Door Store. I was instantly captivated by her song "Bath Is Black" and from then on I was hooked. She combines a lyrical rhythm and narrative style often associated with the likes of Arctic Monkeys, telling things how they are, underpinned by a wash of bouncy synths, guitars and drums. Lots of acute little melodies to keep you humming along for weeks after. Don't miss out!

http://marikahackman.com/

@MarikaHackman

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Monday 24th November

Melting Vinyl Presents: Asgeir - Komedia - 8pm - £12.50/£14.50

Writing and performing catchy Icelandic folk-pop songs with a beautiful atmospheric edge to them has brought Asgeir a strong international fanbase. I saw his set at Latitude this year and the audience were captivated by his soft falsetto vocals and simple yet moving lyrics: 

"Higher, higher
Far away
And the glare of this world
Is small and humbled"

For a man with a clearly limited knowledge of English language - there was not a lot of talking in between his tracks - Asgeir is a straight down to business kinda guy with the music to back it up.

http://asgeirmusic.com/

@AsgeirMusic

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Tuesday 25th November

Ruarri Joseph Trio - Komedia - 7:30pm - £11.50

Edinbugh-born Ruarri Joseph found his roots in songwriting after moving to New Zealand at the age of 11 in a remote farming community called Dannevirke. After moving to London (age 16) and then Cornwall (age 17) Ruarri had the first of his three children aged just 19. After prioritising his family, he decided to venture on with his music as a solo artist, with his first EP 'All Substance and No Style' catching the attention of Atlantic records who oversaw the release of his debut album 'Tales of Grime and Grit' in 2007. Since then, Ruarri started his own label, Pip Productions which he released his following albums on, including most recently Big Brother in 2012/2013. His folk songs are personal, warm and sincere. For fans of classic folk artists like Dylan and Cohen, as well as next generation folk artists like Jack Johnson and Ben Howard.

http://ruarrijoseph.co.uk/

@ruarrijoseph

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Wednesday 26th November

Melting Vinyl Presents: Perfume Genius - The Haunt  - 7pm - £10/£12

Fresh from the release of his third album, Too Bright, Seattle-based solo artist Mike Hadreas aka Perfume Genius, is touring America in October before heading over the Atlantic for his European and UK tour, Performing in Brighton on 26th November. With a reputation for piano ballads, Perfume Genius builds on this in his critically acclaimed new album which is no longer "a little timid" and more staring you straight in the eye and giving you a good talking to. As he recently told Port Magazine 
“[For this album] I have this very specific man-dressed-as-a-woman-dressed-as-a-man kind of thing, like an Inception drag. I want things to look iconic and have a classy feel, but still feel like me”. 
Check out the video below for his track 'Grid'.

http://perfumegenius.net/

@perfumegenius

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Sunday 30th November

Ian Shaw - The Brunswick - 8pm - £12/£10 advance

Twice winner of "Best Jazz Vocalist" at the BBC Jazz Awards, presenter of the Ronnie Scott's radio show on Jazz.fm and performer on a number of highly acclaimed albums, Ian Shaw's name has become a household name when talking about male jazz vocalists. Having performed on a number of TV shows from Jools Holland to Top of the Pops and collaborated with everybody from Quincy Jones to Cleo Laine and Joe Beck, Ian has had a prolific and successful career in the jazz arena. His latest show, A Bit of a Mouthful, fresh from his run at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, combines comedy, original songs and great musicianship for a night of class and entertainment.

http://www.ianshaw.biz/

@ianshawjazz

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For more updates of local music reviews, articles and interviews, follow my blog or follow me on twitter @tomsayeruk. If you have any gigs that you would like me to review, drop me a line on tom@tomsayer.co.uk.

ALBUM REVIEW: Cut The Funk - 'Weekend Coda'

Last month Kent-based funk quintet Cut The Funk played an intimate gig at Brighton Komedia, as part of their south coast UK tour in support of the release of their debut album 'Weekend Coda'.  Unfortunately the gig was quite sparsely attended, which didn't seem to make much sense as other dates in larger venues of the tour had sold out. Clearly Brighton is still recovering a little bit on Monday nights and isn't willing to take a punt on some funk. Their loss I can safely say.

The set was filled with original tracks from the group, not all too common amongst funk bands who are often limited to Stevie Wonder and Tamla Motown tracks (not that there is anything wrong with that, but it is always nice to hear something fresh!). They played a couple of cover tracks, in the vein of Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis: the more serious side of jazz without going too far off the rails. The group performed extremely tightly as a unit, even if they didn't look like the most coherent group on stage with their dress and demeanor. The music was intricate and virtuosic, without going too far, which I think is a very fine line on the jazz side of things. 

Here is my track by track breakdown of his debut album, 'Weekend Coda', which is available to buy now on itunes for just £7.99.

1. Blue Milk - Opening with a dreamlike Ron Burgundy style scalic passage on the jazz flute, the track drops in just before the 1 minute mark into a classic funk groove as the saxophone takes over the lead for this instrumental head arrangement. Would sound great in Casablanca on a Thursday night!

2. Afroturf - Starting with a particularly rhythmic percussion part which carries on throughout the chirrups of the saxophone and flute, the track is underpinned by bass and guitar riffs which are barely audible, until the brass drops out about 3 minutes 30 into the track and they each get a little space to improvise, albeit quite quietly.

3. (Ain't No Thing But A) Chicken Wing - Starting with a guitar riff this time, the pitch-bending opening, which is joined by an ambient synth and sparse drums, is simple yet effective. The sax in the verse has a slight Baker Street cheesy feeling to it, possibly playing it a little safe melodically and not venturing too far into the jazzy sphere of things. Whilst I know there is a difference in styles between jazz and funk, I think the track lacks a certain panache and gets a little tired towards the end. Check out a live video of the track below, from December 2011. 

4. The Promise - Very upbeat with some cool synth sounds, funky guitar riffs and precise brass parts, this track has everything that I wanted the previous track to deliver and then some. A really catchy number and definitely my favourite from the album so far. Have a look at the video below and see if you agree! 

5. Art Dart - Spaced and mellow, almost like a Lionel Richie ballad to start, the guitar lines and opening sax parts are smooth, classy and well balanced by the razor sharp percussion. The structure and textures in the last couple of tracks are far more developed than the opening few and come across as far more polished to my ears, avoiding the slight feeling of repetition from some of the earlier riffs.

6. Cut The Funk - As the band's signature track, from the name anyway, you would be right to expect big things from this number. To start with, it is the first track to include vocals so far, with a chorus of voices chanting "cut the funk" as the track unwinds. Whilst I was hopeful that the song was going to deliver some more vocals, this doesn't extend any further than some backing vocal oohs and the "cut the funk" which keeps appearing, slightly feeling comedic to me, offering little to develop the track and seeming a curious time to break the vocal silence thus far. Otherwise the track has some great drumming and cool little fills, just a few too few words for my liking!

7. The Velvet Gutter - With the brass not coming in til about 45 seconds into the track, it gives the other instruments a chance to do their thing in the foreground, with a nice keyboard chord progression and some interesting guitar, bass and drum parts going on. The balance is just right in this track for me, alternating between the parts taking the dominance in the mix, whereas at other times the sax seems a little too prominent. The guitar solos towards the final third of the track add a nice change to the texture and sound great.  

8. Funk Credit Card - Opening with a solo breathy jazz flute solo before the beat drops, this instrument has a really pleasing texture to it, contrasting with the typical funk sound in the other sections. The bass solo in the middle stands out in the good way and the general feel of the track is an exciting one. Check out a live video of the track below.  

9. Five Knuckles - A lounge style piano intro with some lovely chords leading into a boogie-woogie track over a shuffle beat, this track stands out from the other by a mile in terms of style. The gallop of the percussion transforms the direction of the album and offers a welcome mix up to the order of play in my books.  

10. Blazer - Returning to the feel of the starting tracks, 'blazer' is quite a traditional sounding funk track. The chorus sounds a little too like some of the other tracks for my liking and the effect on the saxophone kind of irritated me, but perhaps that was just me. Have a listen below and see what you think.

11. Herbie's Grinder - Thanks to the cool fills and interesting harmonies this track is a strong end to an album that for me had its ups and downs. The nice electric guitar solos are the highlight of this track for me, providing a little more of a rocky edge to it. The textures here are nice and the space for the instruments each to share the fill space make up for a slight over-dominance of the sax throughout the album. Hopefully the band's future releases will sound a bit more democratic and balanced. 

This isn't really the sort of album that you listen to in your bedroom; it's much better when you're going for a stroll, jog, bike ride or drive. The movement compliments the music and helps to transform the environment around you into a funky place to be. The best setting of course is in a jazz club where you can see the band play and have a dance along, so if they come to a town near you for such an event, I'd say that they're well worth taking a chance on.

http://cutthefunk.com/

 @CUTTHEFUNK

What's On in Brighton & Hove: Friday 1st August - Thursday 7th August

Brighton & Hove's Definitive What's On Guide

 

Friday 1st August

Jane Austen's 'Persuasion'
@OperaChicago
For one night only, Chamber Opera Chicago will be performing Barbara Landis' adaptation of the classic Jane Austen novel, fully staged with music of the era, Regency costumes and world-champion Irish dancers.
7:30pm, £12/10 
T.O.M - 11a Upper Market Street, BN3 1AS

Femrock
@FemRockBrighton
A showcase of Brighton's best female fronted performers raising money for the local charity Allsorts Youth Project. featuring Beatnik Horrors, BRAATS, Fish Hook and AMITY.
7pm, £4/3 before 8pm
Green Door Store - Unit 2,3&4 Trafalgar Arches,BN1 4FQ

Saturday 2nd August

Pride Festival
@PrideBrighton
Wave your rainbow flags high in the air as Brighton Pride takes over the city for the day, with the Parade starting on Madeira Drive at 11am and a full day's music festival starting 12pm at Preston Park.
All day
Throughout Brighton

Teen Creeps All-dayer
@Teen_Creeps
Give It A Rest-ival. A day of live music, bbq, drinks and djs to finish. Perfect for a lazy Saturday.
3pm, £5 
Green Door Store - Unit 2,3&4 Trafalgar Arches, BN1 4FQ

Fresh Like Dexie
@FreshLikeDexie
Lout's weekly Brighton Rocks presents a varied line up this week, headlined by neo-funk outfit Fresh Like Dexie, who were on top form at Love Supreme festival last month.
7pm, £4 
Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar - 9-12 Middle Street, BN1 1AL

Sunday 3rd August

Sussex Jazz Orchestra
@SussexJazzOrch
Sussex Jazz Orchestra (SJO) is a 20 piece big band based in Brighton formed in 1986. The band is a mix
of seasoned professionals and student performers play a wide repertoire of original compositions and contemporary jazz.
7:30pm, £4/2
Brunswick - 1 Holland Road, BN3 1JF

Krater Comedy Club
@KomediaBrighton
Why not round off your weekend with an evening of comedy from Brighton's finest comedy club, with special reduced prices for August and a fantastic line-up as always.
8pm, £9/£6 conc/£3 NUS &16-25s
Komedia - 44-47 Gardner Street, BN1 1UN

Monday 4th August

The Delta Bell
@theDeltaBell
The lone whiskey-soaked soul of Kate Gerrard’s voice carries timeless songs of love, loss and redemption over a landscape of guitars, piano, pedal steel, harmonium and strings. Songs sweep from tender, intimate arrangements to warm orchestration and gospel harmonies.
8pm, £3 online/£4 adv and £5 otd
Latest Music Bar - 14-17 Manchester St, BN2 1TF

 

 

Tuesday 5th August

Erland & The Carnival
@ErlandCarnival
Melting Vinyl Presents a night of interesting music that could only be made when a famous multi-instrumentalist (Simon Tong) who formerly played with The Verve and Gorillaz met folk singer-songwriter Gawain Erland Cooper and drummer/engineer David Nock. With support from Benedict Rubinstein.
7:30pm, £6 advance/ £8 on the door
Prince Albert - 48 Trafalgar Street, BN1 4ED


Mickey's Girl + Support

@overheadwires
Mickey's Girl take their self-driven inspiration from bands such as Faith No More, Therapy?, The Wildhearts, The Manic Street Preachers and a bunch of other gritty indie bands. The end result being an eclectic, diverse and exciting new sound.
7:30pm, £3 adv/£5 otd 
The Hope - 11 Queens Road, BN1 3WA

Wednesday 6th August

House of Hats & WATP
@houseofhats
A fantastic double-bill featuring the upbeat genre-chameleons Will and the People and local folk outfit House of Hats, just back from their first US tour with their smooth vocal harmonies and tender songs that are sure to capture your heart.
7:30pm, £10 online (Selling fast!)
Komedia - 44-47 Gardner Street, BN1 1UN

Thursday 7th August

Simon Evans: Leashed
@TheSimonEvans
Like most men of his age and delusion, Simon Evans dreams of striking out into The Wild and slipping the surly bonds of suburbia. He remembers, inaccurately, a youth spent drifting like a Home Counties Kerouac through the great European arterial transport thoroughfares, sharing his "Never-less-than-hilarious view of the world"(The Guardian).
8pm, £10 (profits to charity)
T.O.M - 11a Upper Market Street, BN3 1AS

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Brighton Band Feature in London Photography Exhibit  About Rudeboy Culture

Brighton has long been thought of as being a cultural city, nurturing a wide variety of styles and subcultures, but now the proof has been caught on camera for all to see as two local musicians represent the south coast in what GQ calls "London's most stylish new exhibition".

A portrait of Ned Archibong and Nicholson Davids from Brighton-based hip-hop/soul group Normanton Street features as part of a new exhibition by photographer and film maker Dean Chalkley and Creative Director Harris Elliot at Somerset House in London.

'Return Of the Rudeboy' showcases a sartorial subculture through a series of portraits, installations and set pieces. Comprised of over 60 sharply dressed individuals from across the UK, all of whom embody the essence of what it is to be a Rudeboy in the 21st century, the exhibition documents the life, style and attitude of this growing urban group. The exhibition runs until 25th August. Free admission.

http://www.returnoftherudeboy.com @RudeboysReturn
http://www.normantonstreet.com @NormantonStreet

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Reviews

Catherine Ireton's Edinburgh Fringe Preview

My review of her 'Leaving Home Party' show

Jacko Hooper 'For You' EP Review

A local singer-songwriter's stunning debut EP release.

For more reviews, interviews and music features, check out whattomwrites.blogspot.com or follow me on twitter @tomsayeruk for updates. 

Things to do in Brighton & Hove - Friday 27th June - Thursday 3rd July

Brighton What's On Guide - 13th - 19th June 2014

Check out my What's On Guide in the Brighton and Hove Independent today on page 19, digital copy below.

The Noise Next Door Review - Brighton Komedia - 12th June 2014

With Komedia's Krater Comedy Club dominating the weekend's quota for comedy with consistently high standard stand-up, it must be a real challenge for any other comedy act to meet the audience's expectations. The flip side of this is that Brighton's comedy attending audiences know how to laugh and how to have a good time. This is particularly important in improvised comedy which relies heavily on audience participation such as The Noise Next Door.

The show was by no means your average compilation of stand-up acts, with a quintet of performers, joined by two special guests, on stage and all participating for the majority of the night. Imagine 'Mock The Week' but all the contestants working together to create a coherent two hour show rather than throwing in one-liners to get "points" for their team. By working together, The Noise Next Door are a truly formidable force of creative comedy at the peak of excellence.

The show was divided into three different types of sketch: musical numbers based entirely on audience generated material, physical situational comedy (again generated from audience material) and guest comedians performing stand-up slots before getting involved with the other sketches. These elements were mixed together well like ingredients of a cocktail, shaken up and served over ice with fruit on top to garnish.

The night opened with a hilarious improvised song about a new 70mph speed limit being enforced in Brighton by Mario, by penalty of spanking if caught not complying. With clever rhymes, funny voices and crazy actions it was a great start to the night, swiftly followed by a manic search for a solution to the problem of Tom being stuck to a football by tiramisu.

The first of the two guests was Canadian potty mouth Paul Myrehaug, whose anecdotes about being thrown in a drunk tank for unintentionally assaulting a police officer with a meatball sub and unicorn fantasies were a little out there, but generally received reasonably well. I thought his use of all five microphones to move across the stage was a nice touch however his contributions to the improv later on showed that he was not as practiced as the others in that area of comedy.

After a very skilled piece of physical comedy and mime where Tom (another Tom) and Matt were portraying all the props required in a search for a magic lamp, located in a home for dementia sufferers located on Machu Picchu, the second guest stand-up was Romesh Ranganathan. He talked about Indian culture, veganism and parenting in a side-splitting set, which was followed by a brutal interpretation of what Father's Day would be like with his family, with the guys from TNND playing him, his wife and his two children, a cross-dressing 4-year-old and a feral 2-year-old, with Romesh sat on the side of the stage, squeaking a dog toy if they were accurate and tooting a horn if not. This was followed by the unexpected welcoming to the stage of his actual family, the children seeming happy and his wife taking it all in good spirits.

After an interval the show continued with much of the same, with the second half starting off by acting out several headlines that were written down by the audience during the break. The highlight of this for me was the three-way comedy carousel that was linking together three different sketches together via the topic of STD's; A Loose Women show, a reggae song and a film that was Pretty Woman meets Thriller. The juxtaposition of these sketches worked very well and as with the rest of the show, was very well received.

The finale of the show was a boy band song based on the life on an audience member who was brought to sit up on stage to hear her beautiful ballad. The vodka-loving, marmalade-hating Marketing student who had aspirations to go to Thailand was mildly grilled, with criticisms of her "mickey-mouse degree", the length of her denim shorts and an arsenal or semi-crude sexual puns (not unlike any other boy band song though!). After the initial look of "Get me out of here!!!" she seemed to enjoy it towards the end, before quietly shuffling back to her seat, probably with a thing or two to say to her friends who nominated her to go up.

By far the most impressive part of the show is the speed of which they manage to generate new and genuinely funny material, adapt to unexpected situations verbally and physically and perform in several different accents (some of which were better than others but for me the only thing funnier than somebody putting on a good accent is somebody trying and not quite getting it, so in my eyes that worked to their favour!).

The show is a regular at Komedia, however they will be going up to perform daily at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival so will not be back until after the summer. For fans of comedy, stand-up or sitcoms, the show will be sure to tickle your funnybone from start to finish and the best part is that with improvised comedy, every night is a different performance! Check them out when you can! For more information or to buy a DVD, visit their website below.

http://www.thenoisenextdoor.co.uk/
@NoiseNextDoor

9Bach Album Review - Tincian - 10th June 2014

I saw 9Bach playing at +Komedia Brighton last week, I was blown away by their performance - see my review here. Here is my track by track rundown of their album Tincian which was released on 12th May 2014. As the titles are in all Welsh, as all of the tracks are (excluding Asteri Mou which is in Greek), I have written the translations in parentheses afterwards. The album is fantastically folky and wonderfully Welsh and is well worth a listen! Below is an album sampler where you can hear snippets of each track.

1. Lliwau (Colours)

Sparse and chilled out with a gentle drum groove, psychadelic 70's guitar lines and an exposed vocal, Lliwau is actually a song comparing colours to the beauty of childbirth. The chorus translates to "Pretty you are like colours" just in case you wondered what you were singing along to, as it has a very catchy melody.

2. Llwynog (Fox)

Lisa Jên (lead singer of 9Bach) spoke passionately when introducing this song, declaring it a song for the underdog fox who managed to escape from the farmer, his shotgun and his dog. It can't help but bring to mind Wes Anderson's 2009 film "Fantastic Mr. Fox" with George Clooney voicing the eponymous fox. So imagine this is a song about George Clooney being hunted in the Welsh countryside if you like. 

3. Pebyll

Pebyll is a ruin located in Llanddewi, a small village in mid-Wales. The song was written after Lisa discovered it whilst walking her dog. Laced with silky elvish-sounding vocals, this track is smoother than James Bond at a cocktail party.

4. Plentyn (Child)

Starting off with breathy three-part vocal harmony, this song tells an unsettling fictional story based on a real life event of a child that is stolen away from its mother at a very young age. The additional percussive rhythms and slide guitar create a rich texture for this tragic story.

5. Wedi Torri (It's broken)

From one dark song to the next, Wedi Torri is about witnessing somebody that you love in a broken state, and the effect that it has on you as you try to desperately piece them together, often at the cost of yourself.

6. Pa Le (Which place?)

Spacious with eerie backing vocals, this traditional song is about the search for a loved one years after they were last seen. Complete with a harp breakdown section which is very pretty.

7. Ffarwél (Farewell)

An unsurprisingly somber track based on a poem from a book of locally gathered songs in Bethesda. The poem is about a quarry reflecting on the times that he used to enjoy with his friends, many of whom had since passed. The chorus of male voices adds an epic filmy sound as well as additional emotional depth to the track. 

8. Llwybrau (Pathways)

A haunting piano opens the track, with a serene, piercing and catchy vocal melody garnishing it sweetly, building up slowly as the rest of the instruments come in and worldless vocal harmonies take over. 

9. Babi'r Eirlys (Snowdrop Baby)

Full of vocal harmonies, this beautiful track is completely a capella, with reverb-laden voices layering up a rich and sleek texture. 
  
10. Asteri Mou (My Star)

Sung in Greek, Lisa's third language Asteri Mou has guitar slides, a delicate melody and a nice piano hook which is imitated by the harp. Whilst building towards the end, it is a quite subdued end to the album, winding down rather than going out with a bang, but with this type of music, that is what you want.

www.9bach.com
www.facebook.com/9bachmusic
www.twitter.com/9bach

Twelfth Day - The Devil Makes Three - Album Review

After seeing their captivating performance supporting 9Bach at Brighton Komedia - see my review - I was given an exclusive copy of their album, out for release tomorrow - Monday 9th June. Read my track by track guide to The Devil Makes Three below.

 1. Noise Show - Opening with two gentle breathy vocals in harmony, before the harp and plucked violin repeating figures accompany the verse. As the track progresses, the dynamic fiddle part plays in contrary rhythm to the harp creating a contrapuntal mesh which the voices force their way through, depicting the title of the track well.

2. Magic Circle With an angular melody and slightly mystical lyrics, this track has a clear flavour of Björk to it, particularly with the pagan connotations. Once again the trio of voices, violin and harp create an interesting texture however at times the instruments outgun the vocals.

3. Me and My Friend A delicate harp and smooth sweeping violin tell an upbeat Hobbitesque tale of friendship in the first instrumental track of the album, with influences of minimalism and traditional folk.

4. Young Sir By far the most Scottish of the tracks so far, Young Sir tells the story of “a lass who was bonny but poor” who crossed the border to England in search of work, and meets a young gentleman with whom she becomes enamoured. An uplifting ballad with a catchy chorus couplet.

5. A City You Can See Out Of Written about Edinburgh, where the ladies now reside, this melodically endowed song has a lovely harmony throughout and personifies the city in a sincerely heartfelt way.

6. Swimming Safe The second instrumental on the album, this track cleverly shares the melody between the instruments in a sleepy daze.

7. Shapeshifter The galloping harp leads a lyrical pursuit of light, time and magic.

8. The Devil Makes Three A new musical setting to the traditional folk song, sang in the film ‘O Brother Where Art Thou’ by three sirens. This version lacks the sinister undertones of the song but adds a sense of urgency with the dramatic speed up in the middle, leading into a folky fiddle-led middle section.

9. The Beach Serene, folksy and with shades playfulness, this instrumental track would work wonders in a film if the right Director’s hands, in particular the muted harp part in the middle which could underpin a montage or chase scene with ease.

10. Dusking Winding down with a gentle track, the voices in this song blend well acting as another instrument in this tapestry of sound.

https://twelfthday.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/twelfthday
https://www.twitter.com/twelfthday

I will be uploading my review of 9Bach's album Tincian tomorrow.

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