Duke Special is Peter Wilson. So what’s so special about him, aside from his dreadlocks and bus-stop “hobo-chic”?
Well, Sweet Sweet Kisses is brimming with numerous orchestral instruments which wouldn’t go amiss in a musical. Add to this a powerful voice, sincerely charismatic, but slightly overwhelming in the company of the understated harps, flutes and piano.
They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover and that’s certainly the case with this song. The seven second introduction doesn’t do it much justice but once you’ve got stuck in it’s a different story.
When Annie Clark dons the moniker of St. Vincent, extraordinary things happen. In her 2007 debut, Marry Me, Clark exhibited a witty verve for lyric-writing and an adventurous spirit in her musical arrangements which has come to spectacular fruition in her new release.
End of the Road has a very special place in the hearts and minds of the FFS collective, as it was at this splendid festival last year that we began spreading the love that is our website. EOTR 2008 was just lovely – small, brilliantly curated and covered in fairy lights and ribbons.
The Wave Pictures have two performances scheduled this week. On Thursday, 7th May they launch their new album, If You Leave it Alone, at the Lexington Arms, London. The boys will also appear a day later (Friday 8th May) for a free 6:30 performance at Pure Groove London.
This Sunday the Phrased and Confused tour hits London, with a gig at the Cross Kings which might well hit all your cultural buttons simultaneously. If you can handle that much pleasure, that is. Folk darlings Woodpigeon are on the bill for the tour, which they say is “focused on lyric-writing and the collision between words and music”.