Category: Reviews

Live: Laura Marling @ St Pancras Old Church, 23rd Nov

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Laura Marling walked on stage unnoticed at St Pancras Old Church on Monday night. There was a hush of silence as the crowd spotted an unfamiliar figure reaching out for the guitar and walking towards centre stage. Something wasn’t quite right.

“I have some explaining to do,” she said, leaning into the mic and waving her hand over her head. “About the colour of my hair,” she added and we all let out an awkward laugh. Laura Marling and her distinguished white/blonde hair were gone and instead a sophisticated brunette stood in her place.

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Live: Andrew Davie of Cherbourg at Hoxton Bar and Grill

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Davie’s headline slot at Hoxton Bar and Grill on Monday was a transition between Cherbourg and his new solo career. The six Cherbourg tracks he performed were in their original arrangements, which perhaps suggests that he doesn’t plan to take them any further.

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Album: Wild Honey – Epic Handshakes and a Bear Hug

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Spanish charmadillos Wild Honey have produced a truly beautiful album: fantastical melodies and schoolroom instruments accompany gentle, nostalgic storytelling that somewhat resembles the best bits of Belle and Sebastian.

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Album: Wye Oak – The Knot

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Every so often an album comes out of nowhere and absolutely blows your mind in such a way that you wonder how you even survived without it. Instantly you get a connection with it and it rings so true that you wonder if this band was made entirely for you. And according to Wikipedia- as if to make them even more impressive- Andy Stack plays drums and the bass lines at the same time at gigs. Again, this is Wikipedia… but if true, wow.

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Live: Daniel Johnston, Laura Marling, The Wave Pictures @ Union Chapel, London

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We arrived at Union Chapel to catch the end of The Wave Pictures’ earlier-than-advertised slot. The Leicestershire band delivered an assured performance, and have certainly come along way since FFS last saw them at End of the Road 2008. When they close with the brilliant Strange Fruit For David, we see why The Wave Pictures are so well-loved by established alt-folkers like Jeffrey Lewis and Darren Hayman, with whom they’ve appeared on stage.

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Live: Willy Mason and Friends — St Giles in the Fields Church

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From the importance of the local folk community inhabited by both he and his parents, to his preference for playing concerts in fans’ living rooms rather than ‘proper’ venues, Willy Mason is a man who understands the power music has to bring people together and share something special between them. Stood in front of the altar of St Giles church – a disconcertingly peaceful spot in the heart of bustling, grimy Soho – he allowed the congregation into his world as he stood alongside numerous fellow musicians for an inclusive night of shared sounds.

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EP: Draw Me Stories — The Sky and the Mirror

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Already spurred by critical acclaim from their first album and their stonking live performances, the Cardiff trio have released The Sky and the Mirror, an impressive collection of four songs infused with rock, a dash of funk and lashings of folk.

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Album: Micah P. Hinson – All Dressed Up and Smelling of Strangers

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The urge to do a covers album for most artists must seem like a pretty strong one. You have the chance to play and record your favourite songs from decades of recorded material. You can broaden your musical horizons without drawing too many questions about your decisions from pesky journalists trying to dissect your inspiration, and you can satisfy your ravenous record label with a brand spanking new CD without the years of mental torment.

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Album: Kings of Convenience — Declaration of Dependence

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If, like me, you’re a massive fan of anything folky and Norwegian then you too will be pleased to hear that indie faves Kings of Convenience are back with a new album. Declaration of Dependence is the duos third album and there’s been a five year gap since their last material, ‘Riot on an Empty Street’. So was it worth the wait?

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