Pom Poko
Personal Trainer
The Itch
The Wardrobe, Leeds
Tuesday 23rd April, 7.30pm
More info to follow.
Tickets for this show are £15 in advance.
You can get tickets online from here.
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You can get tickets online from here.
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Roddy Woomble
Almost Nothing
The Fulford Arms, York
Thursday 25th April, 7.30pm
Roddy Woomble
Roddy Woomble is widely regarded as one of Scotland’s finest songwriters. Known for his enigmatic lyrics, warm baritone voice and consummate gift for a tune, Roddy has released five solo albums to date – ‘My Secret Is My Silence’ (2006), ‘Before The Ruin’ (2008, with Kris Drever and John McCusker), ‘The Impossible Song & Other Songs’ (2011), ‘Listen To Keep’ (2013), and ‘The Deluder’ (2017). Roddy’s first poetry collection ‘Instrumentals’ was released in 2016.
For the past two decades Roddy has also been the frontman of much loved Scottish alternative rock band Idlewild, releasing eight studio albums, and touring worldwide as a headline act, but also in support to R.E.M., Pearl Jam and U2 amongst others.
Watch / Watch / Listen
Roddy Woomble is widely regarded as one of Scotland’s finest songwriters. Known for his enigmatic lyrics, warm baritone voice and consummate gift for a tune, Roddy has released five solo albums to date – ‘My Secret Is My Silence’ (2006), ‘Before The Ruin’ (2008, with Kris Drever and John McCusker), ‘The Impossible Song & Other Songs’ (2011), ‘Listen To Keep’ (2013), and ‘The Deluder’ (2017). Roddy’s first poetry collection ‘Instrumentals’ was released in 2016.
For the past two decades Roddy has also been the frontman of much loved Scottish alternative rock band Idlewild, releasing eight studio albums, and touring worldwide as a headline act, but also in support to R.E.M., Pearl Jam and U2 amongst others.
Watch / Watch / Listen
During lockdown, Roddy wrote and recorded his Fifth solo ‘Lo! Soul’ to be released on May 21st.
Roddy explains: “I’m a collaborative songwriter, used to working in a room with one or more people, or a band, and I think my songs benefit from that human connection and response. With lockdown last year my initial reaction was not to work on songs. It offered a pause for us all, and like many others I found myself alone and reflecting. Concentrating on reading and writing. Considering maybe working on a book of poems instead. But eventually musicial ideas started forming, and six months later ‘Lo! Soul’ was finished – recorded entirely remotely between my home, and the homes of my collaborators Andrew Mitchell and Danny Grant. It’s the most unusual sounding record I’ve made, and made in the most unusual circumstances’
Almost Nothing
Almost nothing is a new band from Scottish musician and writer Roddy Woomble.
The debut album was written and recorded throughout 2021/22 in collaboration with four different producers – Scott Paterson (Protection), Andrew Wasylck, Le Junk, and Luciano Rossi.
Almost Nothing is an exercise in artistic freedom, the album shifts from electronica to moments of shimmering art pop - a genre fluid record - melodic, poetic, catchy and just confusing enough to escape full comprehension.
Roddy explains: “I’m a collaborative songwriter, used to working in a room with one or more people, or a band, and I think my songs benefit from that human connection and response. With lockdown last year my initial reaction was not to work on songs. It offered a pause for us all, and like many others I found myself alone and reflecting. Concentrating on reading and writing. Considering maybe working on a book of poems instead. But eventually musicial ideas started forming, and six months later ‘Lo! Soul’ was finished – recorded entirely remotely between my home, and the homes of my collaborators Andrew Mitchell and Danny Grant. It’s the most unusual sounding record I’ve made, and made in the most unusual circumstances’
Almost Nothing
Almost nothing is a new band from Scottish musician and writer Roddy Woomble.
The debut album was written and recorded throughout 2021/22 in collaboration with four different producers – Scott Paterson (Protection), Andrew Wasylck, Le Junk, and Luciano Rossi.
Almost Nothing is an exercise in artistic freedom, the album shifts from electronica to moments of shimmering art pop - a genre fluid record - melodic, poetic, catchy and just confusing enough to escape full comprehension.
Tickets for this show are £17 in advance.
You can get tickets online from here.
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You can get tickets online from here.
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Peter Case
Sid Griffin
Northern Guitars Cafe, Leeds
Sunday 28th April, 7.30pm
Peter Case
Peter Case is a three time Grammy nominated singer-songwriter from the USA who has a most impressive resume. He was the founder of the Nerves, the very first American indie band to put together a nationwide tour and one of the very first to release their own indie EP. He then was the founder and leader of the legendary Plimsouls, an incredibly influential L.A. rock and roll band which drew praise from everyone from Elvis Costello to Tom Petty to critics nationwide.
For the past thirty-some years Peter Case has been a solo troubadour in the great tradition of Dylan, Guthrie, and Pete Seeger. Early on he was produced by T-Bone Burnett and he’s played with and been championed by Roger McGuinn, Van Dyke Parks, Mike Campbell of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers and many more. His latest album is The Midnight Broadcast and it just might be his very best album.
Sid Griffin
Sid Griffin is best known by his leadership of the Long Ryders, the founding fathers of alt-country and Americana. He is also the proud artist behind four well-received solo albums, was the leader of the wonderful ‘alt-bluegrass’ UK band, The Coal Porters, he was the Resident Musicologist on BBC 6 Music’s Radcliffe & Maconie radio show for over a decade and Sid has written four books. Sid’s most recent book, Million Dollar Bash: Bob Dylan, The Band, and the Basement Tapes, has been reissued twice and Sid did the liner notes for that collection of legendary Dylan tracks.
For the past thirty-some years Peter Case has been a solo troubadour in the great tradition of Dylan, Guthrie, and Pete Seeger. Early on he was produced by T-Bone Burnett and he’s played with and been championed by Roger McGuinn, Van Dyke Parks, Mike Campbell of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers and many more. His latest album is The Midnight Broadcast and it just might be his very best album.
Sid Griffin
Sid Griffin is best known by his leadership of the Long Ryders, the founding fathers of alt-country and Americana. He is also the proud artist behind four well-received solo albums, was the leader of the wonderful ‘alt-bluegrass’ UK band, The Coal Porters, he was the Resident Musicologist on BBC 6 Music’s Radcliffe & Maconie radio show for over a decade and Sid has written four books. Sid’s most recent book, Million Dollar Bash: Bob Dylan, The Band, and the Basement Tapes, has been reissued twice and Sid did the liner notes for that collection of legendary Dylan tracks.
Tickets for this show are £18.50 in advance.
You can get tickets online from here.
You can get tickets online from here.
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Captain Starlet
Autocamper, Vehicle + Speedreaders
The Crescent, York
Sunday 5th May, 7pm
We’re very excited to host our very first headline show with York quartet Captain Starlet in The Crescent next month!
A fab supporting bill too,anyone into indie-pop, jangly giutars, garage-rock, Yo La Tengo, Flying Nun records, Soft Boys – this is for you.
Get down early. Doors at 7pm.
A fab supporting bill too,anyone into indie-pop, jangly giutars, garage-rock, Yo La Tengo, Flying Nun records, Soft Boys – this is for you.
Get down early. Doors at 7pm.
Have a listen and make yer own minds up ey!
Tickets for this show are £6 in advance.
You can get tickets online from here.
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You can get tickets online from here.
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Willie J Healey
Clara Mann
The Crescent, York
Friday 10th May, 7.30pm
Is Willie J Healey your favourite artists’ favourite artist? You better believe it. Alex Turner, Joe Talbot of IDLES, Jamie T and Orlando Weeks are among those who believe, most having come onboard following the Neil Young-meets-The Beatles-meets Elvis Costello charms of his 2020 album ‘Twin Heavy’. And while Willie has largely been the preserve of those in the know, that’s all about to change. When Florence Welch heard his upcoming album ‘Bunny’ via its producer, her friend Loren Humphrey, as well as through YALA! Records co-founder Felix White, she was sufficiently impressed to invite Willie and his band on this autumn’s Florence + The Machine arena tour.
If you’ve already discovered the album’s introductory track, ‘Tiger Woods’, you’ll have had a first taste of why Florence was so won over. It sees Willie dive headfirst into a style of music he has always loved, but that never previously found its way into his own songs. It’s a low-slung, sensual ‘70s-style jam which simultaneously calls to mind Sly and The Family Stone, Philly soul, ‘Midnite Vultures’-era Beck and a little OutKast.
Watch / Watch / Watch
Press:
'I’ve completely fallen in love with his music, it’s very bright, clever, excellent soul-y funk music with a keen sense of humour… my new favourite artist".'
Guy Garvey, BBC 6 Music
'The word is starting to spread about our boy WJH, not gonna lie, we really love to see that.'
Jack Saunders, BBC Radio 1
'I’ve always liked the way Willie has followed his own path away from the music scenes, he seems to have wandered through the past few years, oblivious to where the zeitgeist might be, and he’s done it again here.'
Steve Lamacq, BBC 6 Music
'[Bunny] perfectly captures the essence of those mellow summer afternoons.'
Clash ★★★★
'A record to stick on, and bliss out to. Willie’s never had more style.'
Dork ★★★★
'He’s hurtling toward Next Big Thing status.'
Mojo ★★★★
'The hype is justified on new album Bunny, a record that keeps the essence of his laid-back, slacker songwriting while inviting in new elements of R&B and pop and expanding his world.'
Rolling Stone UK
If you’ve already discovered the album’s introductory track, ‘Tiger Woods’, you’ll have had a first taste of why Florence was so won over. It sees Willie dive headfirst into a style of music he has always loved, but that never previously found its way into his own songs. It’s a low-slung, sensual ‘70s-style jam which simultaneously calls to mind Sly and The Family Stone, Philly soul, ‘Midnite Vultures’-era Beck and a little OutKast.
Watch / Watch / Watch
Press:
'I’ve completely fallen in love with his music, it’s very bright, clever, excellent soul-y funk music with a keen sense of humour… my new favourite artist".'
Guy Garvey, BBC 6 Music
'The word is starting to spread about our boy WJH, not gonna lie, we really love to see that.'
Jack Saunders, BBC Radio 1
'I’ve always liked the way Willie has followed his own path away from the music scenes, he seems to have wandered through the past few years, oblivious to where the zeitgeist might be, and he’s done it again here.'
Steve Lamacq, BBC 6 Music
'[Bunny] perfectly captures the essence of those mellow summer afternoons.'
Clash ★★★★
'A record to stick on, and bliss out to. Willie’s never had more style.'
Dork ★★★★
'He’s hurtling toward Next Big Thing status.'
Mojo ★★★★
'The hype is justified on new album Bunny, a record that keeps the essence of his laid-back, slacker songwriting while inviting in new elements of R&B and pop and expanding his world.'
Rolling Stone UK
Clara Mann
Clara Mann’s latest EP, Stay Open, is a collection of alt-folk ballads born from a feeling of being in perpetual transition. Clara writes songs about the restlessness of life in your early twenties and the immense power of optimism in dark times. She feels things very acutely and cries often- when she’s happy, sad, or simply moved (by things like: the evening light over the city, a dog on the street in a nice jacket, or choral music on the radio). She finds all of these things very poignant.
Her music usually begins in her drawings, or in short fragments of written text, in which she finds the first lines of songs. Inspired by the likes of Edith Piaf, Tom Waits, and Judee Sill, Clara likes to tell stories and paint pictures, without ever giving too much away. She loves to lean into the strange and the mysterious - but never compromises on tenderness.
After a busy year of shows including support tours with Daniel Rossen (Grizzly Bear) and Skullcrusher, Clara has spent the last few months working on her debut record, with which she hopes to throw herself into her music more than ever before.
Her music usually begins in her drawings, or in short fragments of written text, in which she finds the first lines of songs. Inspired by the likes of Edith Piaf, Tom Waits, and Judee Sill, Clara likes to tell stories and paint pictures, without ever giving too much away. She loves to lean into the strange and the mysterious - but never compromises on tenderness.
After a busy year of shows including support tours with Daniel Rossen (Grizzly Bear) and Skullcrusher, Clara has spent the last few months working on her debut record, with which she hopes to throw herself into her music more than ever before.
Tickets for this show are £15 in advance.
You can get tickets online from here.
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You can get tickets online from here.
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The Buffalo Skinners
Tommy Arch
Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds
Thursday 16th May, 7.30pm
Roots-rock & roll group The Buffalo Skinners, are on tour with their fourth album: Picking Up What You’re Putting Down. The band mixes earthy accordion and fiddle tones with bluesy Fender Rhodes keys and guitar, their signature vocal harmonies freshly augmented by new members Clare Quinn & Rebecca Philip. On Picking Up What You’re Putting Down The Buffalo Skinners find themselves fully submerged in a lively electric sound that they had only previously dipped their toes into, on tracks like Cease Your Dreaming’s ‘Monkey On Your Back.’
'Their music is painted vividly across a broad canvas, using a palette that draws easily from traditional folk and rock’n’roll.'
God Is In the TV
'They just got the crowd going and had a roaring reception. Astonishing.'
Janice Long, BBC Radio 2
'Buskers made good!'
Steve Lamacq, BBC 6Music
Praise for ‘Cease Your Dreaming’
'...a clear development on the band’s firmly established skiffle-folk sound by introducing a variety of influences. Hugely charming and entertaining.'
9/10 Exposed Magazine
'...a confident and well-rounded release that encompasses 50s rock n roll with catchy acoustic driven Americana. There is a lot of breadth in this record and the material is strong. For a record rooted in traditional rock n roll and country soul structures, The Buffalo Skinners have delivered an album that sounds fresh and inviting.'
8/10 Americana UK
'Packed with neat lyrical turns and melodies that recall Whitney's debut album.'
Clash Magazine
FFO: The Kinks, The Felice Brothers, Big Thief, The Brian Jonestown Massacre
The Buffalo Skinners new album ‘Picking Up What You’re Putting Down’ is available March 29th 2024
'Their music is painted vividly across a broad canvas, using a palette that draws easily from traditional folk and rock’n’roll.'
God Is In the TV
'They just got the crowd going and had a roaring reception. Astonishing.'
Janice Long, BBC Radio 2
'Buskers made good!'
Steve Lamacq, BBC 6Music
Praise for ‘Cease Your Dreaming’
'...a clear development on the band’s firmly established skiffle-folk sound by introducing a variety of influences. Hugely charming and entertaining.'
9/10 Exposed Magazine
'...a confident and well-rounded release that encompasses 50s rock n roll with catchy acoustic driven Americana. There is a lot of breadth in this record and the material is strong. For a record rooted in traditional rock n roll and country soul structures, The Buffalo Skinners have delivered an album that sounds fresh and inviting.'
8/10 Americana UK
'Packed with neat lyrical turns and melodies that recall Whitney's debut album.'
Clash Magazine
FFO: The Kinks, The Felice Brothers, Big Thief, The Brian Jonestown Massacre
The Buffalo Skinners new album ‘Picking Up What You’re Putting Down’ is available March 29th 2024
Tickets for this show are £12.50 in advance.
You can get tickets online from here.
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You can get tickets online from here.
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Pale Blue Eyes
The Crescent, York
Saturday 18th May, 7.30pm
Pale Blue Eyes are a young electro-modernist guitar group, formed in South Devon in the southwest of the UK. Their debut single came out in 2021 on the band’s own label, Broadcast Recordings.
PBE’s debut album, Souvenirs, was released in 2022 on the Full Time Hobby label. The album was mixed and mastered by Dean Honer (The Moonlandingz, Róisín Murphy, I Monster, Human League). The second PBE album, This House, was released in September 2023, again on Full Time Hobby and again mixed and mastered by Dean Honer.
Watch / Watch / Watch
PBE’s debut album, Souvenirs, was released in 2022 on the Full Time Hobby label. The album was mixed and mastered by Dean Honer (The Moonlandingz, Róisín Murphy, I Monster, Human League). The second PBE album, This House, was released in September 2023, again on Full Time Hobby and again mixed and mastered by Dean Honer.
Watch / Watch / Watch
Press:
'Pale Blue Eyes are one of the most exciting bands to emerge from the UK in recent years. Taking their cue from the likes of M83, Slowdive and The Velvet Underground, they’ve fast become one of the circuit’s must-see acts.'
Under the Radar
'Joyous... propulsive… exhilarating.'
Uncut Magazine
'Masterful… gorgeous… heartwarming optimism.'
Clash Magazine
'A daring record… impeccable dancefloor touch.'
The Quietus
'PBE are about immediacy and tunes… epic.'
Mojo Magazine
'Like all great debuts both a culmination of their beginnings as well as a pointer to the wide open road ahead.'
The Line Of Best Fit
'Pale Blue Eyes are one of the most exciting bands to emerge from the UK in recent years. Taking their cue from the likes of M83, Slowdive and The Velvet Underground, they’ve fast become one of the circuit’s must-see acts.'
Under the Radar
'Joyous... propulsive… exhilarating.'
Uncut Magazine
'Masterful… gorgeous… heartwarming optimism.'
Clash Magazine
'A daring record… impeccable dancefloor touch.'
The Quietus
'PBE are about immediacy and tunes… epic.'
Mojo Magazine
'Like all great debuts both a culmination of their beginnings as well as a pointer to the wide open road ahead.'
The Line Of Best Fit
Tickets for this show are £15 in advance.
You can get tickets online from here.
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You can get tickets online from here.
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Iona Lane
rise @ Bluebird, York
Sunday 19th May, 7.30pm
Driven by awe and wonder of the natural world Iona Lane delivers poetic songs, with subtle musical touches and contemplative melodies that link unheard stories with the world we find ourselves in today.
Iona’s debut album ‘Hallival’ charted at #36 in the Official Folk Album Charts and was named by Folk Radio UK as #27 in their ‘Top Albums of 2022’. The album received widespread press including in The Guardian, Walk Highlands, BBC Radio 2 and The Scotsman to name a few.
In 2023 Iona toured extensively in Scotland, England and Wales and joined Karine Polwart on a run of tour dates in England. Iona joined Karine on stage for a few songs, an awe inspiring opportunity for audiences to see these two artists sing together. As well as touring the UK Iona has toured internationally including in The Netherlands, Germany and Denmark.
Iona was awarded the Taran Guitars Young Players Bursary in 2020, in which she worked alongside renowned luthier Rory Dowling to create a custom guitar specially for her music.
Press:
'Iona’s lyrics and musical arrangements crackle with wide-eyed curiosity.'
Jude Rogers, The Guardian
'A real talent!'
Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio 2 Folk Show
'Iona feels like a kindred spirit with her gorgeous evocations of landscape and geeky scientific references.'
Karine Polwart
'An ethereal voice, poetic phrase and storytelling.'
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Iona’s debut album ‘Hallival’ charted at #36 in the Official Folk Album Charts and was named by Folk Radio UK as #27 in their ‘Top Albums of 2022’. The album received widespread press including in The Guardian, Walk Highlands, BBC Radio 2 and The Scotsman to name a few.
In 2023 Iona toured extensively in Scotland, England and Wales and joined Karine Polwart on a run of tour dates in England. Iona joined Karine on stage for a few songs, an awe inspiring opportunity for audiences to see these two artists sing together. As well as touring the UK Iona has toured internationally including in The Netherlands, Germany and Denmark.
Iona was awarded the Taran Guitars Young Players Bursary in 2020, in which she worked alongside renowned luthier Rory Dowling to create a custom guitar specially for her music.
Press:
'Iona’s lyrics and musical arrangements crackle with wide-eyed curiosity.'
Jude Rogers, The Guardian
'A real talent!'
Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio 2 Folk Show
'Iona feels like a kindred spirit with her gorgeous evocations of landscape and geeky scientific references.'
Karine Polwart
'An ethereal voice, poetic phrase and storytelling.'
BBC Countryfile Magazine
Tickets for this show are £12 in advance.
You can get tickets online from here.
You can get tickets online from here.
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Porridge Radio (solo)
Naima Bock
The Crescent, York
Tuesday 21st May, 7.30pm
Dana Margolin of Porridge Radio will be performing solo across the UK, on a joint tour with Naima Bock.
In these special, intimate solo shows, Margolin and Bock will showcase a selection of old and new material.
Margolin says: "The idea was to have some fun, play whatever we want to and enjoy the start of the summer. Naima is an incredible songwriter and after performing together in Austria last year, we decided it would be fun to play a short run of very intimate shows across parts of the UK we haven’t seen much of.”
In these special, intimate solo shows, Margolin and Bock will showcase a selection of old and new material.
Margolin says: "The idea was to have some fun, play whatever we want to and enjoy the start of the summer. Naima is an incredible songwriter and after performing together in Austria last year, we decided it would be fun to play a short run of very intimate shows across parts of the UK we haven’t seen much of.”
Tickets for this show are £13.50 in advance.
You can get tickets online from here.
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You can get tickets online from here.
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BIG|BRAVE
Aicher
Watch / Listen / Listen
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The Lending Room, Leeds
Saturday 25th May, 7.30pm
BIG|BRAVE’s music has been described as massive minimalism. Their fusillades of textural distortion and feedback emphasize their music’s frayed edges as much as its all-encompassing weight. The potency of the trio’s work is their singular artistry combining elements of traditional folk techniques and a modern deconstruction of guitar music. Gain, feedback, and amplitude are essential to A Chaos Of Flowers, an album that builds on their ferocious 2023 album nature morte. Lyrically, the songs explore the most vulnerable of human experiences, how marginalizations manifest internally and externally, the inner struggles of isolation, and co-existence in nature. A Chaos of Flowers draws on catharsis and beauty as well as the quagmire of disorientation and othering. The album is a monument of simultaneous serenity and disquiet, a subtle maelstrom of internal life.
Watch / Watch / Listen / Listen
Watch / Watch / Listen / Listen
For A Chaos Of Flowers guitarist/vocalist Robin Wattie drew heavily on the poems of artists whom Wattie found kinship in, their words resonant with experiences of those often sidelined by cultural norms. “I discovered that most poems from folk traditions or in the public domain seem to be by men – to which I could not quite relate. In my search, I rediscovered some of my favorite works and poets,” says Wattie. Wattie’s interpolation of poetry from artists around the world and across womanhood, intermingled with her own, examines the chaos and confusion alienation breeds in the psyche of those othered by society. “It is a feeling of relatability and even astonishment really,” Wattie notes, “with how these writers of different standings and eras and all being female-presenting, each expressing these seemingly similar intense moments of individual experiences, of intimacy and madness. We’re alone, and yet, not.”
Guitarist Mathieu Ball and drummer Tasy Hudson help Wattie shape poetry into pieces as dense and impenetrable as they are vulnerable. Volume and noise have been essential tools in BIG|BRAVE’s catalog. A Chaos Of Flowers keenly reconfigures how the band utilize each element of their sound, allowing the space for loud movements to feel achingly quiet and abundant with delicate gestures. Ball’s guitar soars in long arcs and blusters in thick layers around Wattie’s own resolute chords. Hudson delivers her most powerfully reserved performances on record, incorporating elegant brushwork and making deft use of cymbal-work to give the songs’ deliberate paces momentum. Wattie’s voice is tempered and unhurried throughout which guides the reverent tone of each piece. Guest guitarist Marisa Anderson lends earthen, blues-inflected atmospheres to the album, where guitarist Tashi Dorji and saxophonist Patrick Shiroishi amplify the squall. Working closely with frequent collaborator and producer/engineer Seth Manchester, the internal tumult of Wattie’s voice rings out in warbles, haunting echoes, and unearthly harmonies across bold immense walls of distortion.
BIG|BRAVE achieve their colossal sound through minimalist approaches, a deft understanding of dynamics and an inventive employment of percussion and distortion. The trio reconceptualize what it is to be heavy or minimal, challenging perceptions with their illumination of painfully overlooked perspectives. BIG|BRAVE’s sound on A Chaos of Flowers has blossomed, harnessing potent emotions with their unparalleled arrangements and intricate economies of space. It is an album as moving as it is awe-inspiring.
Guitarist Mathieu Ball and drummer Tasy Hudson help Wattie shape poetry into pieces as dense and impenetrable as they are vulnerable. Volume and noise have been essential tools in BIG|BRAVE’s catalog. A Chaos Of Flowers keenly reconfigures how the band utilize each element of their sound, allowing the space for loud movements to feel achingly quiet and abundant with delicate gestures. Ball’s guitar soars in long arcs and blusters in thick layers around Wattie’s own resolute chords. Hudson delivers her most powerfully reserved performances on record, incorporating elegant brushwork and making deft use of cymbal-work to give the songs’ deliberate paces momentum. Wattie’s voice is tempered and unhurried throughout which guides the reverent tone of each piece. Guest guitarist Marisa Anderson lends earthen, blues-inflected atmospheres to the album, where guitarist Tashi Dorji and saxophonist Patrick Shiroishi amplify the squall. Working closely with frequent collaborator and producer/engineer Seth Manchester, the internal tumult of Wattie’s voice rings out in warbles, haunting echoes, and unearthly harmonies across bold immense walls of distortion.
BIG|BRAVE achieve their colossal sound through minimalist approaches, a deft understanding of dynamics and an inventive employment of percussion and distortion. The trio reconceptualize what it is to be heavy or minimal, challenging perceptions with their illumination of painfully overlooked perspectives. BIG|BRAVE’s sound on A Chaos of Flowers has blossomed, harnessing potent emotions with their unparalleled arrangements and intricate economies of space. It is an album as moving as it is awe-inspiring.
Tickets for this show are £15 in advance.
You can get tickets online from here.
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You can get tickets online from here.
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Porridge Radio (solo)
Naima Bock
The Crescent, York
Tuesday 21st May, 7.30pm
The Monochrome Set
The Monochrome Set return to York to promote their new album of 'Marc Riley Sessions from 2011 to 2022.'. The band feature original Monochrome Set members Bid (guitar/vocals) and Andy Warren (bass) with Athen Ayren on keyboards and Stephen Gilchrist on drums.
The Monochrome Set formed in 1978, and were heavily influential in the post-punk scene that evolved after the initial scorched earth of punk. The band's early releases were on the legendary Rough Trade Label before signing with Virgin offshoot Din Disc. They also released several albums on the Cherry Red label, making a notable appearance on that labels' well known "Pillows and Prayers" compilation.
Though The Monochrome Set split in 1985 the next decade saw several reunions for both live gigs and further studio recordings. After a hiatus of over a decade the band reformed full time in 2010 and have since toured all over the UK, Europe, Japan and the USA, whilst also releasing seven new, critically acclaimed, studio albums. Now in their 46th year, they are beginning a new series of gigs promoting their latest album and playing songs old and new.
Watch / Watch / Watch
Percy
“Percy are proving to be tenacious musical survivors – typical Yorkshire Terriers – scruffy and soft looking from a distance but surprisingly quick with a bite and lots of unexpected noise close too! ” TOM ROBINSON BBC 6 MUSIC
Percy were established in York in 1996 and still have the founding members Colin Howard (Guitars and Lyrics) and Andy Wiles (Bass). There have been several different line ups but since 2017 it has included Paula Duck on Synths and Jason Wilson on Drums.
The Monochrome Set formed in 1978, and were heavily influential in the post-punk scene that evolved after the initial scorched earth of punk. The band's early releases were on the legendary Rough Trade Label before signing with Virgin offshoot Din Disc. They also released several albums on the Cherry Red label, making a notable appearance on that labels' well known "Pillows and Prayers" compilation.
Though The Monochrome Set split in 1985 the next decade saw several reunions for both live gigs and further studio recordings. After a hiatus of over a decade the band reformed full time in 2010 and have since toured all over the UK, Europe, Japan and the USA, whilst also releasing seven new, critically acclaimed, studio albums. Now in their 46th year, they are beginning a new series of gigs promoting their latest album and playing songs old and new.
Watch / Watch / Watch
Percy
“Percy are proving to be tenacious musical survivors – typical Yorkshire Terriers – scruffy and soft looking from a distance but surprisingly quick with a bite and lots of unexpected noise close too! ” TOM ROBINSON BBC 6 MUSIC
Percy were established in York in 1996 and still have the founding members Colin Howard (Guitars and Lyrics) and Andy Wiles (Bass). There have been several different line ups but since 2017 it has included Paula Duck on Synths and Jason Wilson on Drums.
Tickets for this show are £15 in advance.
You can get tickets online from here.
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You can get tickets online from here.
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The Hanging Stars
Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds
Wednesday 29th May, 7.30pm
On A Golden Shore arrives as The Hanging Stars reflect on a year of triumphs. With an Americana Music Association Bob Harris - sanctioned award and a Nashville sell-out in Third Man’s Blue Room with Jack White approvingly looking on, they’re a leading light in the UK Cosmic Americana cohort.
Their standing has allowed them to pay less attention to any preconceptions of what they are ‘supposed to be’. On A Golden Shore - their fifth album and their second for the pioneering Loose Music, following 2022’s Hollow Heart - finds them definitively themselves and presents a set of disparate songs whose fundamental linkage is the band that made them.
On A Golden Shore was recorded at Edwyn Collins’ Clashnarrow Studios with Sean Read producing. Singer/guitarist Richard Olson, drummer Paulie Cobra, multi-instrumentalist Patrick Ralla, plus freshman bassist Paul Milne – laid down the album’s backbone over eight days. Mostly recorded live, even the solos done as a piece. Much is first take because trying better, it never worked as well. Pedal-steel player Joe Harvey-Whyte created and added his parts at his London studio bringing ‘shimmery psychedelic goodness’.
Smartly sequenced On A Golden Shore proceeds in clusters of songs; commencing with the free and easy choogle of ‘Let Me Dream Of You’, encompassing the sunny glam of ‘Sweet Light’, the baggy Balearic waft of ‘Happiness Is A Bird’, the pan pipes and bongos of the exotic ‘Golden Shore’, through to the rolling banjo of ‘No Way Spell’ and the celestial cascades of ‘Heart In A Box’. Fashioned instinctively On A Golden Shore is ultimately an album of sensation as much as thought, filled with fleeting moments of blissful excess, and stumbling, rushing flutters of sound; its evanescent psychedelia, divine choruses, and shards of strings combine into an infectious, compelling Cosmic Heartbreak Boogie.
On A Golden Shore was recorded at Edwyn Collins’ Clashnarrow Studios with Sean Read producing. Singer/guitarist Richard Olson, drummer Paulie Cobra, multi-instrumentalist Patrick Ralla, plus freshman bassist Paul Milne – laid down the album’s backbone over eight days. Mostly recorded live, even the solos done as a piece. Much is first take because trying better, it never worked as well. Pedal-steel player Joe Harvey-Whyte created and added his parts at his London studio bringing ‘shimmery psychedelic goodness’.
Smartly sequenced On A Golden Shore proceeds in clusters of songs; commencing with the free and easy choogle of ‘Let Me Dream Of You’, encompassing the sunny glam of ‘Sweet Light’, the baggy Balearic waft of ‘Happiness Is A Bird’, the pan pipes and bongos of the exotic ‘Golden Shore’, through to the rolling banjo of ‘No Way Spell’ and the celestial cascades of ‘Heart In A Box’. Fashioned instinctively On A Golden Shore is ultimately an album of sensation as much as thought, filled with fleeting moments of blissful excess, and stumbling, rushing flutters of sound; its evanescent psychedelia, divine choruses, and shards of strings combine into an infectious, compelling Cosmic Heartbreak Boogie.
Tickets for this show are £14 in advance.
You can get tickets online from here.
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You can get tickets online from here.
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Tara Clerkin Trio
Wharf Chambers, Leeds
Wednesday 29th May, 7.30pm
Tara Clerkin Trio are Pat Benjamin, Sunny Joe Paradisos and Tara Clerkin, three musicians involved in a number of cult Bristol bands over the years before confidently settling down in triangle formation. They are inspired by and borrow from jazz, trip hop, electronica, psychedelia & minimalism, twirling the non-pretensious strands of these threads together into a trippy green winged-cloak, adorning Arthur Russell and dripping in blue jam.
Tickets for this show are £12.50 in advance.
You can get tickets online from here.
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You can get tickets online from here.
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Dana Gavanski
Wharf Chambers, Leeds
Thursday 30th May, 7.30pm
Born in Vancouver to a Serbian family, but relocating to Montreal to attend university, Dana originally planned to pursue a career in film. However, she shifted her attention back to music when her then ex-partner left her his guitar before moving to NYC. Having known only how to play ‘Diamonds and Rust’ by Joan Baez, Dana picked up a Travis Picking technique book and started re-learning how to play.
When in the Summer of 2016, she took a job with her father as a producer’s assistant on a horror film in the Laurentians, she made enough to focus solely on developing her music for a year. With that came her first EP, Spring Demos.
In 2019, Dana signed with Full Time Hobby and released two 7" singles ("One By One", "Catch") and announced her debut album "Yesterday Is Gone", a co-production between Sam Gleason, Tunng's Mike Lindsay and Dana herself. The critically acclaimed album was released in March 2020, followed by an EP of covers titled "Wind Songs", released in August of the same year.
Dana's second album "When It Comes" was released in April 2022, followed by headline tours around UK, Europe and north America, and is followed by third album LATE SLAP, due for release in April 2024.
Watch / Watch / Listen
LATE SLAP:
There’s a party in Dana Gavanski’s head and everyone’s invited - well, kind of. Late Slap, Gavanski’s third album, gives voice to the highs and lows of the mindscape in all its joys and terrors, injecting some much-needed playfulness into the process of writing about emotionally hard things. “The album holds together the seemingly disparate aspects of my character that I have sometimes tried to repress,” says Dana. “With this album I’m letting them into the room, celebrating them for all their strangeness - a strangeness which I think we all, on some level, share.”
Having (literally) lost her voice during the writing of her previous album, When It Comes, Late Slap finds Dana in magisterial mode, displaying a newfound confidence and energy—in both her writing and singing—borne, paradoxically, from embracing feelings of discomfort. “I realized,” says Dana, “that in order to become stronger I needed to get used to being uncomfortable.” It’s appropriate, then, that the album opens with ‘How to Feel Uncomfortable,’ a quick sonic punch of a song, which bemoans the growing distances between people in the digital landscapes where we spend so much time wandering aimlessly: “stand too close, face in your phone/ it’s scrambling your mind/ tired of your zombie glow/soaking up your eyes.”. The song attests to the difficulty of sitting with yourself, in boredom, insecurity and indecision—and the important emotional and spiritual rewards of doing so. Or, as Susan Sontag, a major influence on the album, puts it in "Regarding the Pain of Others: “It is passivity that dulls feeling. The states described as apathy, moral or emotional anaesthesia, are full of feelings; the feelings are rage and frustration…”
In the writing of Late Slap, Gavanski swapped out the familiar for the new, training herself to use Logic Pro rather than just her usual guitar-and-voice approach. If composing somewhat neo-Luddite anthems on a Macbook seems a little contradictory, well, that’s kind of the point: “21st century life is so full of contradictions and headfucks that it can be hard to do anything with conviction—you could cynic your way out of doing or believing anything.” Initially overwhelmed by its seemingly limitless possibilities, Dana began to create demos and collages of small sound worlds across various influences, at times orchestral pop, art rock and new wave, again embracing difference and variety. “Whenever I’m stuck in a certain way of working, it helps to try something new, to challenge myself in a different way. Like when you learn a new instrument: you’re excited by it and less concerned with perfection.”
Gavanski fleshed out the demos with her band before taking the album—and the band—to Mike Lindsay (Tunng, LUMP) at MESS, the producer’s studio in Margate. The five-piece, which includes Gavanski’s fellow co-producer James Howard (Rozi Plain, Alabaster dePlume), tracked the record over five days. “I knew Mike could help me find the range of sound I was looking for; he has an amazing attention to sonic detail and we’ve worked well together on previous records.” Lindsay acquired a Yamaha DX7 synth at Dana’s request just for the album, and they used it to conjure an atmosphere of digital warmth that recalls the Beverly Glenn-Copeland’s meditative masterpiece Keyboard Fantasies.
When in the Summer of 2016, she took a job with her father as a producer’s assistant on a horror film in the Laurentians, she made enough to focus solely on developing her music for a year. With that came her first EP, Spring Demos.
In 2019, Dana signed with Full Time Hobby and released two 7" singles ("One By One", "Catch") and announced her debut album "Yesterday Is Gone", a co-production between Sam Gleason, Tunng's Mike Lindsay and Dana herself. The critically acclaimed album was released in March 2020, followed by an EP of covers titled "Wind Songs", released in August of the same year.
Dana's second album "When It Comes" was released in April 2022, followed by headline tours around UK, Europe and north America, and is followed by third album LATE SLAP, due for release in April 2024.
Watch / Watch / Listen
LATE SLAP:
There’s a party in Dana Gavanski’s head and everyone’s invited - well, kind of. Late Slap, Gavanski’s third album, gives voice to the highs and lows of the mindscape in all its joys and terrors, injecting some much-needed playfulness into the process of writing about emotionally hard things. “The album holds together the seemingly disparate aspects of my character that I have sometimes tried to repress,” says Dana. “With this album I’m letting them into the room, celebrating them for all their strangeness - a strangeness which I think we all, on some level, share.”
Having (literally) lost her voice during the writing of her previous album, When It Comes, Late Slap finds Dana in magisterial mode, displaying a newfound confidence and energy—in both her writing and singing—borne, paradoxically, from embracing feelings of discomfort. “I realized,” says Dana, “that in order to become stronger I needed to get used to being uncomfortable.” It’s appropriate, then, that the album opens with ‘How to Feel Uncomfortable,’ a quick sonic punch of a song, which bemoans the growing distances between people in the digital landscapes where we spend so much time wandering aimlessly: “stand too close, face in your phone/ it’s scrambling your mind/ tired of your zombie glow/soaking up your eyes.”. The song attests to the difficulty of sitting with yourself, in boredom, insecurity and indecision—and the important emotional and spiritual rewards of doing so. Or, as Susan Sontag, a major influence on the album, puts it in "Regarding the Pain of Others: “It is passivity that dulls feeling. The states described as apathy, moral or emotional anaesthesia, are full of feelings; the feelings are rage and frustration…”
In the writing of Late Slap, Gavanski swapped out the familiar for the new, training herself to use Logic Pro rather than just her usual guitar-and-voice approach. If composing somewhat neo-Luddite anthems on a Macbook seems a little contradictory, well, that’s kind of the point: “21st century life is so full of contradictions and headfucks that it can be hard to do anything with conviction—you could cynic your way out of doing or believing anything.” Initially overwhelmed by its seemingly limitless possibilities, Dana began to create demos and collages of small sound worlds across various influences, at times orchestral pop, art rock and new wave, again embracing difference and variety. “Whenever I’m stuck in a certain way of working, it helps to try something new, to challenge myself in a different way. Like when you learn a new instrument: you’re excited by it and less concerned with perfection.”
Gavanski fleshed out the demos with her band before taking the album—and the band—to Mike Lindsay (Tunng, LUMP) at MESS, the producer’s studio in Margate. The five-piece, which includes Gavanski’s fellow co-producer James Howard (Rozi Plain, Alabaster dePlume), tracked the record over five days. “I knew Mike could help me find the range of sound I was looking for; he has an amazing attention to sonic detail and we’ve worked well together on previous records.” Lindsay acquired a Yamaha DX7 synth at Dana’s request just for the album, and they used it to conjure an atmosphere of digital warmth that recalls the Beverly Glenn-Copeland’s meditative masterpiece Keyboard Fantasies.
Tickets for this show are £12.50 in advance.
You can get tickets online from here.
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You can get tickets online from here.
__________________________________________________
Scott Lavene
Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds
Thursday 6th June, 7.30pm
A born storyteller, through his records and his writing Scott Lavene has long been populating a hallucinogenic world of his own creation with ne’er do wells, ragamuffins and eccentrics. With his exceptional third album Disneyland In Dagenham set for release this May via Nothing Fancy, Lavene heads out on the road again, having just done a circuit of the UK in support of The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn.
Press:
'Full of great poignant, funny and sad songs that display the man’s great writing talents. At times he’s David Bowie, Syd Barrett and Ian Dury at the same time.” ––Louder Than War "Mordant, spivvy, pop-punk TMI gabble about the urgency and futility of it all from lyrical Essex motormouth.'
MOJO Magazine
'Think Baxter Dury’s warped kid brother.'
The Times
'Sounds like an updated version of something that Stiff records would have released in the 70’s.'
Steve Lamacq
'Full of great poignant, funny and sad songs that display the man’s great writing talents. At times he’s David Bowie, Syd Barrett and Ian Dury at the same time.” ––Louder Than War "Mordant, spivvy, pop-punk TMI gabble about the urgency and futility of it all from lyrical Essex motormouth.'
MOJO Magazine
'Think Baxter Dury’s warped kid brother.'
The Times
'Sounds like an updated version of something that Stiff records would have released in the 70’s.'
Steve Lamacq
Tickets for this show are £10 in advance.
You can get tickets online from here.
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You can get tickets online from here.
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Group Listening
Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds
Sunday 9th June, 7.30pm
Musical collaborators for the past decade, Paul Jones and Stephen Black are together known as the woodwind-and-key-wielding, sculptural-papier-mâché-hat-wearing Group Listening.
Following renegade reinterpretation records Clarinet & Piano: Selected Works Vol. 1 (2018) and Vol. 2 (2022), which pulled apart, pondered, and re-shaped cult ambient classics by the likes of Robert Wyatt, Arthur Russell and Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Walks (2024) — a shining modernist monolith buried deep in the woods — is their first volume of completely original compositions.
Walks draws from the field recordings of Ernest Hood; the abstraction of Harold Budd; the saxophone of Sam Gendel; the “heightened naturalism” of a Martin Parr photograph; the clarity and site-specificity of Japanese ambient, environmental & new age music of the 80s and 90s, and, prominently, Robert Walser’s pseudo-biographical novella The Walk — an appreciation of the philosophical space gifted by walks to walkers.
An ode to the gently psychedelic potential of wandering around in some place, any place, every place: the places in one’s own mind, Walks invites you to listen and think; to slip through the fabric of time a little or a lot, depending on how long you’ve got. Over all, to paraphrase Walser, it invites you to glow and flower yourself in the glowing, flowering present.
Press:
'Exquisite neo-classical work'
Electronic Sound Review
'Supremely serene'
Uncut Magazine
'Hazy, bright and sleepy - a dreamtime soundscape.'
Elizabeth Alker, BBC R3
'Inspired…brimming with life'
Aquarium Drunkard
'These are the artists and artworks the world needs....they have produced something golden.'
Louder Than War
'Canonical ambient works sublimely re-arranged.'
**** MOJO
'It’s too easy to talk about how immersive ambient music is, but experiencing Group Listening live is an immersive experience….. the music is practically otherworldly.'
Metronome
Following renegade reinterpretation records Clarinet & Piano: Selected Works Vol. 1 (2018) and Vol. 2 (2022), which pulled apart, pondered, and re-shaped cult ambient classics by the likes of Robert Wyatt, Arthur Russell and Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Walks (2024) — a shining modernist monolith buried deep in the woods — is their first volume of completely original compositions.
Walks draws from the field recordings of Ernest Hood; the abstraction of Harold Budd; the saxophone of Sam Gendel; the “heightened naturalism” of a Martin Parr photograph; the clarity and site-specificity of Japanese ambient, environmental & new age music of the 80s and 90s, and, prominently, Robert Walser’s pseudo-biographical novella The Walk — an appreciation of the philosophical space gifted by walks to walkers.
An ode to the gently psychedelic potential of wandering around in some place, any place, every place: the places in one’s own mind, Walks invites you to listen and think; to slip through the fabric of time a little or a lot, depending on how long you’ve got. Over all, to paraphrase Walser, it invites you to glow and flower yourself in the glowing, flowering present.
Press:
'Exquisite neo-classical work'
Electronic Sound Review
'Supremely serene'
Uncut Magazine
'Hazy, bright and sleepy - a dreamtime soundscape.'
Elizabeth Alker, BBC R3
'Inspired…brimming with life'
Aquarium Drunkard
'These are the artists and artworks the world needs....they have produced something golden.'
Louder Than War
'Canonical ambient works sublimely re-arranged.'
**** MOJO
'It’s too easy to talk about how immersive ambient music is, but experiencing Group Listening live is an immersive experience….. the music is practically otherworldly.'
Metronome
Tickets for this show are £12.50 in advance.
You can get tickets online from here.
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You can get tickets online from here.
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Rain Parade
Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
Saturday 15th June, 7.30pm
TRain Parade are set to return with their first UK and European dates since disbanding in 1986 hitting nine countries with a final date at the Azkena Festival in Spain for their first ever Spanish show.
Founders Matt Piucci and Steven Roback have been writing songs together since 1981, along with co-founder David Roback, of Rain Parade. The Rain Parade debut album, Emergency Third Rail Power Trip (Enigma Records- US, Demon Records – UK) came out in 1983 and was internationally recognized as a masterpiece. Seven of the ten songs on that debut were sung by Matt and Steven, The bands second record, Explosions In The Glass Palace, recorded after David Roback left; garnered the same high praise as the debut with their reputation increasing ever since. Sid Griffin, leader of The Long Ryders has said: “We were in the Paisley Underground with Rain Parade back in the 1980s… Explosions In The Glass Palace is and will forever be the BEST recording from a Paisley Underground band, be it us, The Dream Syndicate, The Bangles, The Three O’Clock or whomever.”
Watch / Watch / Watch / Watch
Founders Matt Piucci and Steven Roback have been writing songs together since 1981, along with co-founder David Roback, of Rain Parade. The Rain Parade debut album, Emergency Third Rail Power Trip (Enigma Records- US, Demon Records – UK) came out in 1983 and was internationally recognized as a masterpiece. Seven of the ten songs on that debut were sung by Matt and Steven, The bands second record, Explosions In The Glass Palace, recorded after David Roback left; garnered the same high praise as the debut with their reputation increasing ever since. Sid Griffin, leader of The Long Ryders has said: “We were in the Paisley Underground with Rain Parade back in the 1980s… Explosions In The Glass Palace is and will forever be the BEST recording from a Paisley Underground band, be it us, The Dream Syndicate, The Bangles, The Three O’Clock or whomever.”
Watch / Watch / Watch / Watch
Both records directly influenced My Bloody Valentine, Ride, The Stone Roses, Teenage Fanclub, Charlatans and naturally Creation boss Alan McGee. The songs were covered by The Bluetones, Buffalo Tom, Bangles and a host of others. During the mid 80s the band toured the UK and Europe a few times recording a couple of BBC Whistle Test TV shows.
'Rain Parade was the one that changed me.like an explosion in my mind, I saw them perform ‘No Easy Way Down’ on TV, and it was like, ‘Here is something I can fully get behind.’ It’s just incredible, and I have to say would have been pretty influential on the early Ride sound for sure.'
Andy Bell, Ride
John Thoman (guitar) joined Piucci and Roback in 1984 and went on to record their third and fourth LPs with them, Crashing Dream (Island 1985) and then Beyond The Sunset (Island) in 1986 before the band finally broke up later that year.
Since then their legend has only grown which lead Piucci, Roback and Thoman to reunite in the US for some one-off California shows and eventually recording some songs for the 3x4 album (Yep Roc 2018) with their friends The Bangles, The Dream Syndicate and The Three O’Clock. And most recently this year’s new album, Last Rays Of A Dying Sun which manages to sound both like a lost classic and the groundbreaking work of unknown new artist, emerging from their secret lair with a record ready to change the world. As MOJO puts it, “there’s little rain on their new parade.”
Wrapping sweet nuggets of pop confection in swirling clouds of interstellar psychedelia, Last Rays Of A Dying Sun is a record at once eminently engaging and delightfully ornate. Everything old is new again, and it’s very easy to see the line that runs from the Summer of Love and the chiming tones of Jangle Pop to mid-eighties SoCal Paisley Underground of which Rain Parade was a pivotal component, through to the late-90’s Elephant 6 Collective, straight to neo-psych indie rock of today. Last Rays Of A Dying Sun features the original 80s members Piucci, Roback and Thoman alongside guitarist Derek See (the Gentle Cycle / Chocolate Watch Band / Dean & Britta), drummer Stephan Junca (The Hellenes, Billy Talbot, boatclub), and vocalists Debbi and Vicki Peterson (The Bangles). Last Rays Of A Dying Sun is out on Flatiron Recordings, on their imprint Label 51. Flatiron Recordings. 2024 will also see Flatiron Records kick off the Rain Parade back catalogue reissues with more info to follow.
'Rain Parade was the one that changed me.like an explosion in my mind, I saw them perform ‘No Easy Way Down’ on TV, and it was like, ‘Here is something I can fully get behind.’ It’s just incredible, and I have to say would have been pretty influential on the early Ride sound for sure.'
Andy Bell, Ride
John Thoman (guitar) joined Piucci and Roback in 1984 and went on to record their third and fourth LPs with them, Crashing Dream (Island 1985) and then Beyond The Sunset (Island) in 1986 before the band finally broke up later that year.
Since then their legend has only grown which lead Piucci, Roback and Thoman to reunite in the US for some one-off California shows and eventually recording some songs for the 3x4 album (Yep Roc 2018) with their friends The Bangles, The Dream Syndicate and The Three O’Clock. And most recently this year’s new album, Last Rays Of A Dying Sun which manages to sound both like a lost classic and the groundbreaking work of unknown new artist, emerging from their secret lair with a record ready to change the world. As MOJO puts it, “there’s little rain on their new parade.”
Wrapping sweet nuggets of pop confection in swirling clouds of interstellar psychedelia, Last Rays Of A Dying Sun is a record at once eminently engaging and delightfully ornate. Everything old is new again, and it’s very easy to see the line that runs from the Summer of Love and the chiming tones of Jangle Pop to mid-eighties SoCal Paisley Underground of which Rain Parade was a pivotal component, through to the late-90’s Elephant 6 Collective, straight to neo-psych indie rock of today. Last Rays Of A Dying Sun features the original 80s members Piucci, Roback and Thoman alongside guitarist Derek See (the Gentle Cycle / Chocolate Watch Band / Dean & Britta), drummer Stephan Junca (The Hellenes, Billy Talbot, boatclub), and vocalists Debbi and Vicki Peterson (The Bangles). Last Rays Of A Dying Sun is out on Flatiron Recordings, on their imprint Label 51. Flatiron Recordings. 2024 will also see Flatiron Records kick off the Rain Parade back catalogue reissues with more info to follow.
The Reds Pinks & Purples 
Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
Wednesday 20th June, 7.30pm
The Reds, Pinks & Purples is the post-indie project of Glenn Donaldson from San Francisco who releases songs like monthly postcards to a loyal following, amassing a huge catalogue of cathartic guitar pop – releasing 8 LPs over the last 5 years. The band debuts in the UK in June 2024 as a five-piece made-up of musicians from SF's thriving indie-pop underground.
Watch / Watch / Listen
Press:
'Perfect pop for perfectly sad people will never go out of style, and Summer at Land's End is more proof that Glenn Donaldson and the Reds, Pinks & Purples have the market pretty much cornered.'
Allmusic
'Donaldsonʼs lyrics tend towards the observational, and are often delivered with a wry turn of phrase that can be laugh out loud funny. The Town That Cursed Your Name juggles pathos and bathos throughout.'
The Wire
'Summer at Landʼs End, further establishes him and his home recording nom de plume as one of the best “bands” right now in this style. Which is to say shimmering, jangly, and well, kind of “summery” indie-pop if one associates the season with wistfulness and longing and not just cars, beaches, and barbeques.'
Under the Radar
'“Never climbed the charts, destroyed the stage,” he sighs, pitting these dream against scenes of clocking in on sick days and grinding to pay the bills. Itʼs the most pessimistic entry on the record, but it sets the stage for Donaldsonʼs cast of nameless underdogs to rail against the drudgery of the work week.'
Pitchfork 7.4
'The songs here are timeless reminders that pop can heal all wounds and bridge decades.'
Raven Sings the Blues
'A wonderful pop album that reads as both a studied tribute and a welcome update.'
Uncut Magazine
'...looping, loping guitar intervals sound like the Bats but preserved in amber, and its pensive trebly refrains floats like Roy Orbison over clean, lyrical foundations.'
Dusted Magazine
Watch / Watch / Listen
Press:
'Perfect pop for perfectly sad people will never go out of style, and Summer at Land's End is more proof that Glenn Donaldson and the Reds, Pinks & Purples have the market pretty much cornered.'
Allmusic
'Donaldsonʼs lyrics tend towards the observational, and are often delivered with a wry turn of phrase that can be laugh out loud funny. The Town That Cursed Your Name juggles pathos and bathos throughout.'
The Wire
'Summer at Landʼs End, further establishes him and his home recording nom de plume as one of the best “bands” right now in this style. Which is to say shimmering, jangly, and well, kind of “summery” indie-pop if one associates the season with wistfulness and longing and not just cars, beaches, and barbeques.'
Under the Radar
'“Never climbed the charts, destroyed the stage,” he sighs, pitting these dream against scenes of clocking in on sick days and grinding to pay the bills. Itʼs the most pessimistic entry on the record, but it sets the stage for Donaldsonʼs cast of nameless underdogs to rail against the drudgery of the work week.'
Pitchfork 7.4
'The songs here are timeless reminders that pop can heal all wounds and bridge decades.'
Raven Sings the Blues
'A wonderful pop album that reads as both a studied tribute and a welcome update.'
Uncut Magazine
'...looping, loping guitar intervals sound like the Bats but preserved in amber, and its pensive trebly refrains floats like Roy Orbison over clean, lyrical foundations.'
Dusted Magazine
Tickets for this show are £12 in advance.
You can get tickets online from here.
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You can get tickets online from here.
_________________________________________________
The Sadies
Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
Thursday 4th July, 7.30pm
The Sadies released their long awaited new album Colder Streams' in July 2022. It was their 11th album and produced by Arcade Fire’s Richard Reed Parry.
Recorded between 2019 and 2021 at Skybarn in Montreal, Canada, Colder Streams features 11 original compositions engineered and mixed by Pietro Amato except for "You Should Be Worried,” which was engineered and mixed by Michael Dubue and mastered by Peter J. Moore.
Recorded between 2019 and 2021 at Skybarn in Montreal, Canada, Colder Streams features 11 original compositions engineered and mixed by Pietro Amato except for "You Should Be Worried,” which was engineered and mixed by Michael Dubue and mastered by Peter J. Moore.
Watch / Watch
With guest appearances by Jon Spencer (“No One’s Listening”), Michael Dubue (“End Credits”), Richard Reed Parry (“Message for Belial,” “No One’s Listening” and “Ginger Moon”), and the parents Good, Margaret on backing vocals for “So Far for So Few” and “All the Good,” with Bruce on autoharp on the latter, the cover art is original artwork by The Sadies’ bassist Sean Dean.
The release of Colder Streams will mark the quartet's final studio recording with founding member Dallas Good, who unexpectedly passed away in February. In preparation for the release, in October of 2021, Dallas penned what he coined the band’s “anti-bio” and seemingly said all there is to say about the new album, first noting, “Colder Streams is, by far, the best record that has ever been made by anyone. Ever.” Read the entire bio here.
“The Sadies' world has been shaken,” said the band in a joint statement. “While we struggle with the loss of Dallas - our brother, friend, and bandmate - music has been our source of comfort and coping. We are honoured to announce the release of our new album, Colder Streams. We are so proud of Dallas and the work that went into this album and look forward to sharing it with you.”
“I was utterly thrilled the Sadies asked me to produce this record,” said Richard Reed Parry, “which mostly meant I just hung around listening to the greatest live band in the country playing their asses off, and then occasionally I’d get off the couch and sing backing vocals. That said, this is The Sadies’ finest album, the one I always hoped they’d make one day and I’m stoked to have been there helping them do it. What an incredible band. “
With a deep fondness and reverence for the best of CBGB—country, bluegrass, and blues—The Sadies are equally informed and influenced by everything from ‘60s garage and psychedelic rock to surf instrumentals and punk rock. Since they first arrived on the North American scene 28 years ago, the Toronto-based roots-rockers have developed, even perfected, a style of music uniquely their own.
In support of the album, the band–Travis Good, Sean Dean, and Mike Belitsky–will embark on a North American and European tour beginning June 17 at Atwood’s Tavern in Cambridge, MA. A complete list of dates is below.
Press:
'A flurry of emotion — joyful and pointed — and clattering noise blending into haunting sparseness, this is the record The Sadies have been working on capturing for their entire existence. Thankfully, and with bittersweet timing, they got it done when we most needed them to, making the best record that has ever been made by anyone. Ever.'
10/10 - Exclaim
'This is far and away the best the band has ever sounded on record. ... Then there’s the songs, which are perhaps the strongest collection both Dallas and Travis have assembled since their 2010 masterpiece Darker Circles. The majority of the material here finds the band playing in their muscular, gothic mod-garage mode, with the two brothers singing in perfect, spectral harmony.'
8.4/10 – Paste Magazine
'Its sure-footed '60 psych, garage and country is potently rendered.'
Mojo Magazine
'The Sadies’ nebulous country-rock moves through glistening psychedelia (“Message To Belial”), gorgeous string ballads (“All The Good”) and fierce garage fuzz (“Ginger Moon”)''
Uncut Magazine
With guest appearances by Jon Spencer (“No One’s Listening”), Michael Dubue (“End Credits”), Richard Reed Parry (“Message for Belial,” “No One’s Listening” and “Ginger Moon”), and the parents Good, Margaret on backing vocals for “So Far for So Few” and “All the Good,” with Bruce on autoharp on the latter, the cover art is original artwork by The Sadies’ bassist Sean Dean.
The release of Colder Streams will mark the quartet's final studio recording with founding member Dallas Good, who unexpectedly passed away in February. In preparation for the release, in October of 2021, Dallas penned what he coined the band’s “anti-bio” and seemingly said all there is to say about the new album, first noting, “Colder Streams is, by far, the best record that has ever been made by anyone. Ever.” Read the entire bio here.
“The Sadies' world has been shaken,” said the band in a joint statement. “While we struggle with the loss of Dallas - our brother, friend, and bandmate - music has been our source of comfort and coping. We are honoured to announce the release of our new album, Colder Streams. We are so proud of Dallas and the work that went into this album and look forward to sharing it with you.”
“I was utterly thrilled the Sadies asked me to produce this record,” said Richard Reed Parry, “which mostly meant I just hung around listening to the greatest live band in the country playing their asses off, and then occasionally I’d get off the couch and sing backing vocals. That said, this is The Sadies’ finest album, the one I always hoped they’d make one day and I’m stoked to have been there helping them do it. What an incredible band. “
With a deep fondness and reverence for the best of CBGB—country, bluegrass, and blues—The Sadies are equally informed and influenced by everything from ‘60s garage and psychedelic rock to surf instrumentals and punk rock. Since they first arrived on the North American scene 28 years ago, the Toronto-based roots-rockers have developed, even perfected, a style of music uniquely their own.
In support of the album, the band–Travis Good, Sean Dean, and Mike Belitsky–will embark on a North American and European tour beginning June 17 at Atwood’s Tavern in Cambridge, MA. A complete list of dates is below.
Press:
'A flurry of emotion — joyful and pointed — and clattering noise blending into haunting sparseness, this is the record The Sadies have been working on capturing for their entire existence. Thankfully, and with bittersweet timing, they got it done when we most needed them to, making the best record that has ever been made by anyone. Ever.'
10/10 - Exclaim
'This is far and away the best the band has ever sounded on record. ... Then there’s the songs, which are perhaps the strongest collection both Dallas and Travis have assembled since their 2010 masterpiece Darker Circles. The majority of the material here finds the band playing in their muscular, gothic mod-garage mode, with the two brothers singing in perfect, spectral harmony.'
8.4/10 – Paste Magazine
'Its sure-footed '60 psych, garage and country is potently rendered.'
Mojo Magazine
'The Sadies’ nebulous country-rock moves through glistening psychedelia (“Message To Belial”), gorgeous string ballads (“All The Good”) and fierce garage fuzz (“Ginger Moon”)''
Uncut Magazine
Tickets for this show are £18.50 in advance.
You can get tickets online from here.
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You can get tickets online from here.
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Kelley Stoltz
The Fulford Arms, York
Wednesday 10th July, 7.30pm
During
the 2010’s Kelley played live as a sideman with Rodriguez and Echo
& the Bunnymen, as the 2020’s dawned he was invited to support
Pavement on their big reunion tour. He’s also been heard playing drums
live with Robyn Hitchcock as well as adding sitar to Hitchcock's last
two albums. In 2022, Stoltz was championed with a live appearance on
Marc Riley’s BBC6 show. As producer, he has recorded the new album by
Brigid Dawson formerly of the Ohsees.
Between these outside musical projects, pushing past 50 years old and becoming a father for the first time, he has been steadily writing and recording new songs of his own. The result is “La Fleur”, his 18th album, a dazzling collection of 12 tracks chosen from the last two years of songwriting. It will be released in May by Agitated in Europe/UK and Dandy Boy Records in the USA.
Listen / Watch / Watch / Watch
Between these outside musical projects, pushing past 50 years old and becoming a father for the first time, he has been steadily writing and recording new songs of his own. The result is “La Fleur”, his 18th album, a dazzling collection of 12 tracks chosen from the last two years of songwriting. It will be released in May by Agitated in Europe/UK and Dandy Boy Records in the USA.
Listen / Watch / Watch / Watch
“La
Fleur” again finds Stoltz plays nearly all the instruments on the
album, though a new friendship with pop guru Jason Falkner has led to
Falkners appearance on 2 songs. There’s the requisite 60’s meets 80’s
pop rock confections that Stoltz favors with a new focus on out front
vocals and perhaps a bit shinier production. Pandemic era blues,
politics and fatherhood are lyrical touchstones throughout.
“Reni’s Car” is the jangle rock lead single based on an actual event of Kelley riding around Manchester in the Stone Roses drummers car. “About Time” marries Twin Peaks synths, to Fleetwood Mac and Avalon era Roxy Music in a cautionary tale to Stoltz's young daughter. “Human Events” puts revolutionary prose to a Moody Blues strum that floats off into Osees territory ... and do I hear a nod to Gershwin in there?
In my ears, Stoltz rarely does any wrong, and these comparisons are only just that little fruit to get you curious - he is still one of a kind. An under the radar hero to a few, and still after all these great songs, deserving of more. Climb on the bandwagon - as ever it’s quite pleasing here.
“Reni’s Car” is the jangle rock lead single based on an actual event of Kelley riding around Manchester in the Stone Roses drummers car. “About Time” marries Twin Peaks synths, to Fleetwood Mac and Avalon era Roxy Music in a cautionary tale to Stoltz's young daughter. “Human Events” puts revolutionary prose to a Moody Blues strum that floats off into Osees territory ... and do I hear a nod to Gershwin in there?
In my ears, Stoltz rarely does any wrong, and these comparisons are only just that little fruit to get you curious - he is still one of a kind. An under the radar hero to a few, and still after all these great songs, deserving of more. Climb on the bandwagon - as ever it’s quite pleasing here.
Tickets for this show are £12 in advance.
You can get tickets online from here.
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You can get tickets online from here.
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