THE GALLERY: Luke Concannon & Jimmy Davis @ Hare & Hounds, Thurs 13th Mar

Follow Ed King @EdKing2210

Ed’s note… Lucy Heath suggested we cover Luke Canconnon & Jimmy Davis at the Hare & Hounds, citing the former front facing 50% of Nizlopi as ‘deserving more recognition than just that bulldozer song’. Knowing little else about the man, I thought Lucy may well be right; off I went to dig out a wider portfolio.

Luke Concannon had certainly been busy. As I started to delve I found much more than a child friendly ‘one hit wonder’; a man with messages, motives and the tools to get out there. Excellent.

But almost as quickly as his activities grabbed my interest, his profile turned me off; from the garrulous exclamation marks on his home page, to the declaration (without sufficient context) ‘in 2009 I hitchhiked from England to Palestine to live intentionally, wildly, and boldly.’ I, smell, ego. Luke Concannon @ Hare & Hounds, Thurs 13th Mar / By Lucy Heath

But misanthropy runs through me (although I see that as their fault, not mine) and I could be as judgmental about my own rhetoric. Sometimes.

Yet as I started to imagine myself interviewing Luke Concannon it just wouldn’t fit. By the time I watched the short film introduction (by Daniel Broadly & Alex Thornton – click here) and heard ‘revolutionary’, ‘spiritual’ and ‘activism’ uttered in the same breath, I was out. Editorially I feared it would end in an argument.

But Lucy was adamant to cover the gig, and Jimmy Davis was incredibly approachable and gracious. Plus, putting my ego aside, it deserved to be covered.

What I didn’t expect (and what was not properly promoted) was such an array of support acts – making the night a rare cornucopia of performers; one I’m thankful we were, eventually, there to report.

The following are a few of my favourite pics from Lucy Heath’s excellent coverage.

N.B. My apologies Mr Concannon, if you’re ever back in Birmingham we’d love to talk to you. And I’ll try and mature in the meantime. 

Ed King is editor of Birmingham Review. Follow him @EdKing2210

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THE GALLERY: Luke Concannon & Jimmy Davis @ Hare & Hounds, Thurs 13th Mar – Ed’s pics…

For the full Flickr of pics, click here

Luke Concannon @ Hare & Hounds, Thurs 13th Mar / By Lucy Heath
Luke Concannon playing and singing amongst the crowd; Lucy got a few shots of this part of his set. A bold move from a solid front man/solo performer. Got to give the boy his dues here.

I especially love the light in the smoke with the elevated stage as a backdrop, plus the actions of three people to the left of the pic – a modern audience.

For more on Luke Concannon, visit http://www.lukeconcannon.com/

 

Jimmy Davis @ Hare & Hounds, Thurs 13th Mar / By Lucy Heath

 

Co-host Jimmy Davis, the man just looks good in a spotlight. A good light-to-dark feel.

Something grabs me about live gig shots that are so ‘up close’, but it’s the pained expression and extended hand that hook me in here.

For more on Jimmy Davis, visit http://www.jimmydavisdavis.com/

 

Raydeeance - supporting Luke Concannon & Jimmy Davis @ Hare & Hounds, Thurs 13th Mar / By Lucy Heath

 

Another ‘up close’ shot, this time of Raydeeance – minus the musicians and backing singers that were with him on stage.

This is almost frighteningly close, the man is so involved – what is you want us to know??

For more on Raydeeance, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_gLErQKO2U

 

Afronaut - supporting Luke Concannon & Jimmy Davis @ Hare & Hounds, Thurs 13th Mar / By Lucy Heath

 

The red backdrop to blue exposure, the kit on the far right, the monitors along the bottom front, the mike stand framing an unobstructed artist. If whatever it was on the top of the amp wasn’t masking the venue’s ‘D’ & ‘S’…

Just a great pic of an artist playing acoustic; makes me want to know everything about them.

For more on Afronaut, visit https://soundcloud.com/afro0/tracks

 

Musical Misfits - supporting Luke Concannon & Jimmy Davis @ Hare & Hounds, Thurs 13th Mar / By Lucy Heath

 

Not easy to take shots of two men standing behind mics, keys and a desk…

The rainbow lighting on the far left (top) and blue/red reflection on the flight case (bottom), to the red & black chequered shirt on the right, frame this well for me.

For more on Musical Misfits, visit https://www.facebook.com/MusicalMisfits

 
 

 Spoz - supporting Luke Concannon & Jimmy Davis @ Hare & Hounds, Thurs 13th Mar / By Lucy Heath

Likewise, poetry performances must be another swing/hit/miss endevour for photographers.

But Lucy captures a facial expression here that nails it for me – is it scorn, is it a question? Neck tendons poised on something important. Plus, again, the smoke and light. And in this case the  t-shirt.

For more on Spoz, visit http://www.spoz.net/

 

 Seasick Fist - supporting Luke Concannon & Jimmy Davis @ Hare & Hounds, Thurs 13th Mar / By Lucy Heath

One of my favourite shots of the evening. The contrast and confliction of red/blue, with the tattooed and pierced man soaking them up in the foreground…

Wonderful. Horrible. Makes me feel both threatened and as if someone’s defiantly in control. I can’t turn away.

For more on Seasick Fist (aka Jaden D. Larker), visit http://www.jadenlarker.co.uk/

 

 Red Staar - supporting Luke Concannon & Jimmy Davis @ Hare & Hounds, Thurs 13th Mar / By Lucy Heath

 
 There are a couple of Red Staar shots I could have chosen (check out the full Flicker of pics) but I settled on the only portrait picture. It’s the hand, telling us to both stop and that we’re OK to listen; that balance of informed intelligence and avuncular compassion.

Superbly composed. But check out the rest of Lucy’s Red Staar shots too – a cracking variety from this performance.

For more on Red Staar, visit http://www.redstaar.co.uk/ or https://soundcloud.com/redstaar

BPREVIEW: House of God @ The Tunnel Club, Fri 16th May – Perc (live), Jerome Hill, Jake Conlon (live) + residents & guests

HOG May 16th poster, lrBirmingham PreviewFriday May 16th sees House of God return to The Tunnel Club (nee Subway City) for another all night bash.

Headlining the main room will be Perc Trax founder Perc, performing a live set, alongside Jerome Hill (Don’t Recordings) and Jake Conlon (Resonance) – the latter also performing live. HOG residents Paul Damage, Sir Real and Harvey Lane complete the main room Techno line uphog- baby head full, sm, lr

Room 2 will be breaks ‘n’ bass from Beta Test’s Automaton, alongside Reaction (Circles), Pace, DJ-X & Jules Henry.

Room 3 rounds off the HOG all-nighter with spit, polish, Wonky Disco and Classic House from DJ Stacked, Nicky B, Deadbeat & Ronco K-Tel.

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Perc is a UK Techno DJ & producer, who founded Perc Trax in 2004 as an imprint to release his own material.

A decade later and Perc Trax has a substantial catalogue of releases from artists including Sawf, Forward Strategy Group, Truss, Derek Plaslaiko & Jeff Derringer.Perc / http://perctrax.bandcamp.com

Then in 2011 Perc release his own debut album, Wicker & Steel, via Perc Trax; a 9 track fusion of genres old & new from here & there, with the occasional gun shot or steam engine.

Widely well received, Wicker & Steel gave a new level of credence to Perc as a producer, with The Guardian referring to it as one of this year’s few essential releases’ and Xpress-2 adding “I don’t like this, it sounds like Gabba”. Well, if you can reach just one person…

To listen to more from Perc and other Perc Trax artists, visit http://perctrax.bandcamp.com

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Jerome Hill / http://www.swervingthecommunity.comAmbassador of vinyl, Jerome Hill has been championing Techno from our nation’s capital since the early 90’s.

Cutting his teeth at the Wag Club on Wardour St, it was through a long term residency with the JIBA sound system that Hill found his musical feet – before a worldwide gig schedule and two record labels (Fat Hop – Hip Hop / Don’t – Techno) would keep him just a touch busy.

Known for his scratching as much as anything else acetate related, Jerome Hill is ‘a self confessed sufferer of multiple music personality disorder’ – being the only DJ booked for both Raindance the rave and Raindance the film festival in the same year (a choice nugget from the man’s biography). Hill also hosts the weekly ‘The Roots of Rave’ show on Origin FM, as well as contributing to BBC Radio London.

For more on Jerome Hill, visit http://www.swervingthecommunity.com

House of God hosts an all night event (10pm – 6am) at The Tunnel Club (Livery St) on May 16th. For more info & links to tickets, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/764601906884812/

For more from The Tunnel Club, visit https://www.facebook.com/SubwayCityBirmingham

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Ed’s note…

Butterfly screen break - lr - smThe fact House of God is still running makes me feel better. Even safer.

It tells me there’s room for more than the mundane, not everyone’s an idiot, and that dance music parties don’t need to be adorned with branded sequins and guarded by snotty door whores. It shows me there’s still some things right with the world.

Having said that I haven’t been to one in ages. Years in fact. But like the bottle of Christmas Brandy, just knowing it’s there is sometimes enough.hog_sm

But you should go, and I should again. So let’s dust down the Cyberdog tee (..?) don some comfortable clogs and fulfill the scarily pertinent prophecy of many a mid 90’s club kid.

“You know how my Gran goes to Tea Dances, when we’re old…”

Oh, and one last thing. With the greatest respect. KNEEL SINNERS.

Ed King is editor of Birmingham Review. Follow him @EdKing2210 

FEATURE: Folk of Boomtown

Butterfly screen break - lr - smEd’s note… The call went out, ‘we’re looking for musicians to do festival reportage…’ and after a thousand requests for Glastonbury tickets, we found Katherine Priddy – curious about Boomtown. We were curious too.

Birmingham Review had covered Katherine Priddy at both a Folk for Free gig and supporting Scott Matthews, and I liked the idea of sending a Folk artist to a predominately bass heavy event. So I saved a double page spread for Katherine’s Folk of Boomtown report, in our Winter Edition; to run about 800 words along with candid snaps from the disposable cameras.

Not a chance. After a serious darling slaughter I managed to edit it down to around the 1400 mark, squeezing the pics into the header.  But the full report, at well over 2,000 words, is absolutely worth some attention. Enjoy.

For the full Flickr of pics, click here

 

 

Folk of Boomtown (full disclosure)
Words & pics by Katherine Priddy

Promoted as both ‘the UK’s maddest city’ and ‘family friendly’, Boomtown is as promotionally incongruous as it is popular; selling out this year’s increased capacity with comparable ease. But is it all Ketamine kids or Fabric families? It’s dark, edgy, bass based line ups don’t appear to be an appropriate playground for actual children.

But well attended it certainly is, with the festival’s flair for theatrics enticing thousands more ‘residents’ each and every year – many mirroring the ‘show’ with their own anarchy and costumes. Birmingham Review armed Katherine Priddy with some disposable cameras, a diary and enough disco glitter to face the madness of Matterley Bowl.

Read her full four day account below:

Shaved head Boom Town - LEAD IMAGE (portrait) - lrTHURSDAY

9:30am
A small car has driven past, stuffed with bags and teenagers – one leaning out the window wearing a rainbow afro and a very large, very false moustache.  There can be no doubt as to his destination.

11:30am
After 2hrs the gates have opened. There is a mad dash; one steward asks some boys to move. They refuse. He backs away apologising.

1:30pm
I’ve just overheard one steward’s walkie talkie: “There’s an unconscious woman…what do we do?” It’s less than reassuring.

15:43pm
I have just spent an hour watching a group of teens wrestle with their tent and incompetence. The campsite is filling up, with people, excitable cheers, the odd air horn and the unmistakable sound of nitrous oxide being released into balloons. There are loads of people hugging, and all round I hear “remember last year when…”

4:17pm
The teenagers are still constructing their tent. I wonder whether I should intervene.

4:42pm
The tent is up. Should I tell them that the fly sheet is back to front?

6:00pm
A few stages are beginning to play music, although tonight is a mere teaser and will be finishing early. I walk down a very steep hill and find myself in the Hidden Woods… at least… I think it’s a wood…  The area is decked out to look like a beach, complete with sandy floor, beach style bars and lanterns. People are already getting down and funky to Dub and I feel the urge to dance for the first time that day. All around me is the sound of nitrous oxide balloons and a strong smell of weed.

6:15pm
The entire cast of Mario Kart just walked past me.

8:15pm
Old Town, the Gypsy & Pirate District –had a little skank to Ushti Baba and notice a man with the ‘Boomtown’ shaved into the back of his head. He turns to me with vacant eyes and shouts “BEST DAY OF MY LIFE”. It’s only Thursday.

11:25pm
On the way back to my tent I’m pulled into a room disguised as a giant cat, then dressed up as a pimp – complete with fur coat, money in cleavage and a large fake gun. It was…strange, but brilliant.

 

FRIDAYButchers of Boom (landscape) - lr

7:58am
I can hear a universal groan around the campsite. I emerge from my tent like a hungry beast from its lair, to seek out some bacon.

10:37am
There are signs everywhere telling people to avoid Ketamine, as a young girl has already died. But rejuvenated by my successful bacon hunt, I stumble sleepily into the Hidden Woods and meet a young lad in a tracksuit and cap, tinkling happily to himself on a piano set up in the corner. I find a nice tree trunk to sit on and wait for the Tribe of Frog Psytrance.

11:45am
Change of plan. After bumping into Zach (a young dreaded guy I met at Nozstock), I’m being dragged away to watch Julian Marley at the The Lion’s Den.  The stage is enormous, and looks like an Aztec temple.

12:32pm
I want to introduce ‘Karta’, who is ridiculously stoned and just jumped the fence. I ask him what made him so keen to enter Boomtown, he smirks and says he just came to sell laughing gas canisters. Can’t knock his honesty I suppose.

Karta sees my notebook and asks if he can write something in it.  The results were the words ‘wallys’, ‘hippy’, ‘green’, ‘wu’ and ‘brown’. I suppose only Karta will ever know their significance, and as I leave lights up another and leans back sleepily against a fence. He’s probably still there.

Hand writing, thumb (portrait) - lr1:30pm
Just had a run in with the ‘Herbaceous Barbers’ in Old Town – attaching wheatgrass to people’s heads, creating wonderful (and edible) grass hair dos. They show the hydroponics, all very inventive – although apparently “a shitemare to get down from Glasgow”.

6:38pm
Shit, is that really the time? I have fallen foul to the time-stopping Psytrance of Tribe of Frog.

7:15 PM 
Whilst enjoying a German sausage (insert crude euphemism here) I’m interrupted by a man working on a dance off team, who explains Boomtown’s crowd are “feisty but honest”.

7:20pm
There’s a man dressed as a vagina with a mask that makes him look like he’s emerging from a vagina with plastic vaginas stuck on his giant vagina costume. And he’s wrestling someone dressed as an OAP and someone pretending to be pregnant. I don’t know what to say.People fishing #1 (portrait) - lr

8:30pm
I’m watching an excellent pirate band called Seas of Mirth. Then the ‘district Councillor’, Cap’n Francisco, appears in tights and a crab suit – the bright stage lighting silhouetting his gentleman’s purse in all its glory. He leaps from the stage to attack the crowd with his crab claws, before being wrestled to the ground by a band member. Unexpected, but highly enjoyable.

8:58pm
I’m now watching people go human fishing, dangling rods off a roof with sweets attached. Wonderful.

 

Porn Brokers - Cash for Gash (landscape) - lrSATURDAY

10:00am
Just woken up. In another tent. Before you jump to unseemly conclusions, I should explain what happened last night.

After leaving Old Town Theatre things got pretty weird pretty quickly. Before I knew it, I found myself back in Tribe of Frog, bestowed with orange paint by a fat Frenchman.

Then I met Aaron. Then I met Aaron’s friends. We headed to Mayfair Avenue, the district dedicated to Electro Swing, and found the Mayfair Hotel. After signing our names in the guest book we spotted a big golden bed full of strangers, where we could snuggle in and watch the music.

Leaving Mayfair, we headed to Arcadia – a giant, fire spouting, mechanical spider with a DJ playing inside the body while its legs move and ravers beneath have their eyebrows taken off by the flame throwers. The music wasn’t my cup of tea, and the pill heads who kept bumping into me were frustrating, but I stayed in their campsite to avoid the enormous, leg breaking trek back up the hill to Old Town.

Having just woken up, I’m on a search for life-giving bacon amongst a doleful crowd of dejected looking party zombies. The tenacity of hippies.

1:30pm
Just had a spontaneous game of knife throwing with some staff on a Camping stall, aiming tent pegs and scissors at a crudely drawn cardboard target.

1:35pm
I’ve found some shade in the Hidden Woods, and just met a VERY DRUNK ‘Sam and Joe’s Anything Goes Carpenting Company’. They rate the festival 8/10, and told me they’ve been here for ‘months’. Somehow I doubt it.

2:00pm
Police Rave Unit sighted; playing techno from their pimped up police van, they drive around setting up spontaneous raves throughout the festival. A genius idea.Police Rave Unit (landscape) - lr

5:30pm
I’ve just witnessed a man dressed as Pavarotti, miming along to opera music from speakers concealed in his fat suit to rapturous applause. I write this by a group of synchronised swimmers, currently doing their routine on the grass.

7:30mp
Down at Arcadia for a dance; the spider’s not as big in daylight. DJ Die is fantastic. The people I’m with start a limbo competition.

7:54pm
The music’s descended into seriously filthy bass. When fire spurts out of the spider it’s a little frightening, particularly being so close. There’s a sense of solidarity amongst the Boomtown inhabitants, but the undercurrent of sinister is ever present.

10:30pm
Watching the High Focus Showcase at Poco Loco – absolutely rammed with eyes rolling around in their sockets. The sweaty and somewhat angsty atmosphere is unbearable. We can’t stay here any longer.

11:00pm
I’m back in bed at the Park Hotel in Mayfair Avenue, talking to a woman confessing her concerns about the hard drug use. She leaves and gets replaced by a young woman transfixed by my boobs. After returning her to her slightly crestfallen boyfriend, we leave before becoming accidently involved in an orgy.

00:00
Another demonstration of the slightly darker side of Boomtown; we return from Mayfair to find a small riot going on, one man being restrained by three policemen whilst his friends kick up a hysterical fuss. I’m nearly run down by a riot van. Boomtown feels volatile, exciting and edgy. I wouldn’t want to walk around on my own.

1:02am
After forcing our bodies to scale the hill up to The Lion’s Den, find lots of fire pits have been lit in the woods.  There’s no music playing, but people are snuggled up happily – talking or staring vacuously into the flames. My head’s nodding. The animal is tamed. I need sleep.

 

Sky#1 (portrait) - lrSUNDAY

No specified time
I am, possibly, dying.  The combination of indulgence, dancing and treks up the Boomtown hill have rendered me a broken woman. Therefore I have made the executive decision to collapse, and to conserve what little vitality I have left for the last day of Boomtown.  My body hates me.

5:00pm
I make it out of my tent and lie on the grass, blinking blearily in the afternoon sun, watching Bad Manners and dying quietly. A Boomtown martyr.  Around me people throw extravagant shapes. One man flaps his bingo-wings in pride as ‘Lip Up Fatty’ is introduced with the call “Who’s a fatty? We love the fatties.” I am not in the mood to love anything, but eventually manage a skank.

6:00pm
After a quick detour to Tribe of Frog (I couldn’t resist) I’m at the Town Centre main stage – tipped off that a Swedish band Hoffmaestro & Chraaare are worth the watch. It’s the best live set I’ve seen in years, with absolutely fantastic showmanship (I may be slightly swayed by the hot lead singer pouring water erotically over himself and rolling his hips).  An inspired set, I must catch them when they come to London later this year.

9:00pm
At the bar in Barrio Loco, in the Latino district, we notice a small, partially concealed corridor. Exploring further we find ourselves in a secret tequila bar; two men play music on a trumpet and battered piano, whilst women in flamenco style dresses drift suggestively around the small room.

One of the ladies approaches, me batting her eyelashes and asking how much money I have and how she knows how to please a woman. Possibly an actresses adding to the atmosphere, but when she gets her nipples out and starts demonstrating (with graphic tongue and hand movements) the best way to please a woman, I feel she’s going above and beyond the call of duty.

Another lady approaches my friend, telling them about “a secret game” in another room with “space at the table” for us. Before having time to think, we’re shoved through a tiny door and into an even tinier room – where three men sit dressed as Mexican gangsters, swigging tequila and playing cards. We sit down and start to play a card game with no rules, with the dealer talking Spanish, doing tequila shots and offering us lines of salt. I am not sure what’s going on, but I like it.

10:54pm
Maybe it’s because it’s the last night, but Boomtown is excelling in insanity. At one point I find myself in a cage surrounded by naked ladies decked out in Mexican Day of the Dead face paint. At another, I’m in a fully functioning gypsy caravan driven by a gentleman in a top hat and tails.Last Aid (landscape) - lr

A normal, battered old caravan, parked up against one of the walls, turns out to be a secret entrance into yet another secret venue.  And after up running up the Bank of Mayfair steps, and spinning in circles round the Funkington Manor Gardens, we end up at the Last Aid; where, instead of receiving plastic surgery and amputations (as threatened), we’re immersed in an intense atmosphere of writhing bodies and dirty bass.

00:00
I’m so incredibly ready to party ‘till morning, but alas, it is over; we’re faced with barriers, stewards and a distinct lack of music.

One steward informs us (with a bitterly smug smile on her face, I can’t help noticing) that the licence ends at midnight. The party is over. It is done. In a state of shock and misery we head up to The Lion’s Den, only to find the fire pits that were there the night before have been doused. Instead we sit on the ground with a lovely couple from Devon, who came with their three adult sons.

Hipster Death Squad (portrait) - lrThe stereotypical hippie mama tells me that she’s loved the festival but thought there was a “sinister undertone” and she found the atmosphere “weird” at times. Sinister and weird, words I’ve been using too.

00:52am
Back in the tent I hear three men in the tent shouting into the silent campsite. They escalate from “anyone got any ganja?” to “anyone got any crack?”, then “anyone got any heroin?” – before ending with “anyone got a needle?”.

After a lack of response from the campsite at large, the final “Never mind, I’ll just shove it up my urethra” is called over stifled giggles. Goodnight Boomtown.

 

MONDAYCrashed car (landscape) - lr

Home time
The ‘maddest city’ has sucked us in and burped us out. Its helpless inhabitants; stripped of our dignity, our composure and for many, our marbles.  The pills and powders are finally wearing off, the fog has lifted, and people are staggering out of the gates – blinking at the outside world as though they have just woken up after a four day long dream. Boomtown (or perhaps now Boomcity) is anarchic, edgy and sometimes volatile, but wonderfully mad.

All round me now I hear “same time next year…” and I may well be returning, to see what strange encounters and ideas next year’s crowd bring. After all there are more of them now, which helps – Boomtown’s not a place I’d want to walk around on my own.

At the time of writing, all 5,000 Tier 1 tickets for Boomtown 2014 had already sold out. For more festival info, visit www.boomtownfair.co.uk

ALBUM: Kill the Beast – by Johnny Kowalski & the Sexy Weirdos

Kill the Beast, Johnny Kowalski & the Sexy Weirdos / http://www.sexyweirdos.co.uk

Words by Ed King / Pics from http://www.sexyweirdos.co.uk

Nestled somewhere between the Anarchist’s Cookbook and a prospectus for Bristol University, is the new wave of Gyspy Folk. Fervent, raw and unashamedly live, this modern homage to the Klezmer cacophony has enjoyed triumphant endorsement – with a busy crowd and as many monikers coming out in support. Oy gevalt, Grandma would be surprised.

Johnny Kowalski & the Sexy Weirdos / http://www.sexyweirdos.co.ukBut as with most things in the limelight there are those that say and those that do. And it takes more than a beard and bare chest to live what you sing about. So as I sit down to review Kill the Beast, the second album from Johnny Kowalski & the Sexy Weirdo’s, my focus for the next 35mins is authenticity; the critical voice in my mind chattering like a cinema full of teenagers.

Immediately as ‘Nailbiter’ opens the 10 track return I am in a drunken room holding a chair at head height; a tight ensemble of string and wind, penned by violinist John-Joe Murray. Mazel tov.

Then bang on halfway, after a suitable build up and break, Kowalski’s guff vocals roll in; nothing instrumental is lost, neither beat nor nuance, but a borderline ferocity now marches us forward. Short, sharp, and possibly more intelligent than audible, by the second verse I’m (metaphorically) biting my nails. But I guess that’s the point.Johnny Kowalski, Johnny Kowalski & the Sexy Weirdos / http://www.sexyweirdos.co.uk

‘When the Time Comes’  follows, with Kowalski‘s off kilter vocals plot pointing a shoulder drop Ska rhythm; something he is clearly enjoying. Sexy Weirdos’ drummer, Matthew Osborne, grabs hold of the shift with a steady backbone (and occasional stick/rim clacking) allowing Murray’s string led playtime to pursue each verse. I’m beginning to wish I wasn’t listening to this on my own.

Matthew Osborne, Johnny Kowalski & the Sexy Weirdos / http://www.sexyweirdos.co.ukAs ‘Tequila Song’ steps up with a gregarious invitation to “bring this old town to its knees”, I am further compelled to find a friend to jump on; before a cha-cha-cha and choo-choo segue into the darker ‘Question the Answers’ and Kowalski’s more political pen. With just over a minute of this anti-manifesto to go, “what they do, what they say, doesn’t make sense anyway”, a small rocktastic riff jumps in front of another wave of strings – crashing into the final chorus.

‘Same Mistakes’  boxes out another Ska/Soul melody, with Simon Noons’s awesome trumpet solo adding to Ellie Chambers’s already adorning trombone at about 1min 42secs. Brass is playing big role in bringing this larger album to life.

John Joe Murray, Johnny Kowalski & the Sexy Weirdos / http://www.sexyweirdos.co.ukA rendition of the 18th century ‘Raggle Taggle Gypsy’ calls out to any particularly astute groupies next, before the instrumental ‘What Shall We Do With a Blonde’  lands us neatly on the last original leg of the album – the former ‘traditional’ rolling past me without thunder.

Kowalski’s vocals tease out another view of the front man’s world through ‘That’s the 1’, before the story of what not to fear takes us “past the tower blocks and fences and the things that make ‘em scared”  in the album’s penultimate track, ‘The Good Shark’.

The final, title and longest (albeit by 1sec) track opens with a steady beat and plucked riff, one that twists your arm and attention. An electric guitar filters over a tempered tempo, before the album’s prominent violin once again introduces the ensemble which have bolstered the ten tracks throughout.

The pace gradually picks up for a couple of minutes, before dropping back to allow the breathy growl and confident vocal scat of Call Me Unique to pepper the otherwise instrumental – before Murray’s violin leads an almost menacing denouement; like a Bond theme stuck in the Avalon Field on groundhog day.

Johnny Kowalski & the Sexy Weirdos / http://www.sexyweirdos.co.uk Then it’s over… 31mins 28secs of tremendous fun. I could have lived without ‘Raggle Taggle Gypsy’.

But 9 out of 10 is a solid score, and I’m once again reminded of the men behind this album and the life they’ve made in song. It’s easy to be seduced, especially by creatures in the wild, but Johnny Kowalski & the Sexy Weirdos are as believable as they come.

So whilst it’s doubtful they’ll ever appear on an NME cover or Lilly Allen single (or apparently Moseley Folk Festival bill… have I missed something?) it’s safe to say they have the chutzpah to back up ‘Carnival Punk’ – with their second studio album packed with tight musicianship and pertinent words.

And if your message is musical, social, or even just a little political, these things are kind of important.

Kill the Beast by Johnny Kowalski & the Sexy Weirdos is out on general release from May 7th. For more information, alongside digital downloads, visit http://www.sexyweirdos.co.uk 

REVIEW: Rae Morris @ Institute, Tues 29th Apr

Rae Morris @ The Institute, April 29th 2014 / www.raemorris.co.uk / By Lucy Heath

Words by Jay Airey / Pics by Lucy Heath

Entry to The Institute was easy; name on the door, two press tickets and a pleasant ‘have a good evening’ from security as we make our way upstairs to The Temple room. Life isn’t always so simple.

Cannon Street @ The Institute, April 29th 2014 / By Lucy HeathI immediately spot Cannon Street sitting at a table, and excitedly learn they are here as support. I worked with the pair at the Moseley Folk Festival in 2011, as a steward, and my ‘+1’ had seen them perform at the 2013 event. Both on stage and off they are brilliant, but their vocal harmonies and connection whilst performing is and are beautiful.

From a rather muted applause after their opener, at the end of a five song set the terrific twosome reached enthusing acclaim. Matt Sheehan follows as Rae Morris’s main support; classic man-with-guitar, singing strong with a good range and playing with aplomb.Matt Sheehan @ The Institute, April 29th 2014 / By Lucy Heath

The Temple is the smaller of The Institute’s rooms and can create a pleasant and intimate environment; the low stage, coupled with Rae Morris‘s decision to sit on a low stool (presenting herself at audience head-height) helps to maintain this ambiance tonight.

Rae Morris’s first song produces an attractive echo between her lead voice and the voice of the drummer – almost as if her line is being sung back a few moments later.  It’s an impressive technique and one that makes her opening track a ‘stand-out’ moment for me. Diminutive and a little shy, Morris’s voice carries her as a powerful and stronger force than she might first appear.

Rae Morris @ The Institute, April 29th 2014 / www.raemorris.co.uk / By Lucy HeathRae Morris’s band – a drummer, keyboard player (synthesizer heavily in play and an excellent accompaniment) and guitarist (playing guitar, bass & double bass) sing well together; some excellent harmonies, with the guitarist providing superb support to the lower tones of the keyboards.

Smiles are exchanged between the two, bringing a harmony that emits a sense of the band, in its entirety, having fun. Morris too throws an indirect gaze and regular smiles back out at the crowd, helping The Institute‘s smaller room warm to what’s happening on stage.

‘Way Back When’, the track that first brought Rae Morris onto Birmingham Review’s radar, brings an edgy and emotional feel early in the set – also an excellent showcase of Morris’s talent for whistling.Rae Morris @ The Institute, April 29th 2014 / www.raemorris.co.uk / By Lucy Heath

Throughout her set Rae Morris’s voice provides a varied range, often betraying the soft and breathy characteristics her speaking voice carries. When engaging the audience, between tracks, Morris is softly spoken – before the strength and emotion of her vocals delivers sophistication arguably beyond her years. There is also an occasional inflection which evokes a fleeting similarity (to me) to Edie Brickell.

Rae Morris @ The Institute, April 29th 2014 / www.raemorris.co.uk / By Lucy HeathBut what is missing for me is the interaction between Rae Morris and her band, who are instrumental (excuse the pun) to her performance. Rae Morris is an accomplished pianist with a sophisticated singing voice, but when performing alone can miss a certain distinction between songs.

Each individual band member is worthy of a mention tonight, and I especially feel drummer’s contribution is unmissable – who does get singled out for applause as Morris leaves the stage.

But perhaps life on the road, with a band in tow (Rae Morris is no stranger to live solo performances), requires some getting to know you time. After all tonight is only gig two on the first of Rae Morris’s headline tour. And as I say, life isn’t always so simple.

For more on Rae Morris, visit http://www.raemorris.co.uk

For further listings from The Institute, visit http://mamacolive.com/theinstitute/listings