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Wednesday 30 May 2012

Shindig! Magazine are media partners for THE LIVERPOOL INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF PSYCHEDELIA

The Liverpool International Festival Of Psychedelia 2012 *INITIAL ANNOUNCEMENT*
Early bird announcement. Get ready to be psychedelicised!



FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT 

From the very best new drones from around the globe to the pioneering graphic face of psychedelia, The Liverpool International Festival Of Psychedelia is here to expand your mind and enrich your very being.

Exclusive first announcements include the iconic Richard Norris's mesmeric TIME & SPACE MACHINE and Iceland's purveyors of doom-psych DEAD SKELETONS who make an exclusive northern performance on their debut UK voyage.

Two further announcements on a bill that will chart the best emerging artists – who hold celestial expansion at the core of their soul – are Cumbrian space cadets THE LUCID DREAM (fresh from a UK tour with A Place To Bury Strangers) and THE SHOOK-UPS (on the back of their debut vinyl slab courtesy of Rotosonic Records).

To accompany the live music expect a full roster of demonic disc spinners, intergalactic visual spectaculars and an international poster exhibition of the very best psychedelic swooshes and swirls, courtesy of the amazing minds @ Screenadelica and artwork and noise courtesy of WILL SERGEANT (Echo & The Bunnymen) fresh from his recent showing at Substrate Fine Art Gallery in Los Angeles. Full details to be confirmed.

The festival will take place at Liverpool’s newest and flyest hotspot; Camp & Furnace – a converted former industrial furnace in the city’s buoyant Baltic Triangle.   

Expect many, many more kaleidoscopic delights, for the full festival that will run over two stages and three expansive industrial nooks.

 
The Liverpool International Festival Of Psychedelia are very pleased to announce media partnerships with online music oracle The Quietus and psych bible Shindig! 

Early bird tickets priced £12.50 are available for a very limited time from www.liverpoolpsychfest.com

Like The Liverpool International Festival Of Psychedelia 2012 *INITIAL ANNOUNCEMENT* on Facebook




 
Stay tuned for… further announcements with the full line-up, interview opportunities and exclusive MP3s and content for magazine websites and music and style blogs.




The Dead Skeletons




The Time & Space Machine


Copyright © 2012 No Other, All rights reserved.
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Weirldore all-dayer cancelled

From the desk of Ian Anderson, editor of fRoots Magazine
 
We are sad to report the cancellation of Weirdlore

Weirdlore was to have been a fabulous all-dayer of psych folk and beyond, taking place in Bristol on Sunday 10th June, with an imaginative bill of some of the most intriguing artists from the English folk underground. You can find full details of what might have been at weirdlore.com

Unfortunately the proverbial "circumstances beyond our control" - a common euphemism for the recession, the cuts, the Jubilee, the Olympics and all the other factors currently seriously blighting live music in the UK - meant that advance ticket sales nowhere near matched the apparent enthusiasm being shown for the event. As a result we have very regretfully taken the decision to cancel to avoid a large financial loss and a disappointing atmosphere. All ticket buyers have been notified and had their payments refunded.

The only silver lining is that the event had already inspired a compilation CD. Weirdlore: Notes From The Folk Underground - with 18 original and specially recorded tracks including many of the artists who had been due to perform on the day - will be released by the go-ahead Folk Police label on 11th June, distributed nationally by Proper Music. 

More info at folkpolicerecordings.com

The Beach Boys announce Euro dates

News that has we at Shindig! towers have been waiting patiently for - the dates of the reformed Beach Boys tour outside the US, including a big arena show in London.

Brain Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, and David Marks have a new album out next week, That's Why God Made The Radio, and they also hit the road this weekend, beginning in (where else but) California.

European/Far East Dates so far announced

July 21 — Ávila, Spain (Festival Músicos en la Naturaleza)
July 23 — Barcelona, Spain (Poble Espanyol)
July 26 — Rome, Italy (Ippodromo delle Capannelle)
July 27 — Milan, Italy (Civic Arena)
July 29 — Gothenburg, Sweden (Tradgaardsforeningen)
July 31 — Oslo, Norway (Spektrum)
Aug. 1 — Aarhus, Denmark (Musikhuset Aarhus, Amfiscenen)
Aug. 3 — Berlin, Germany (O2 World Arena)
Aug. 4 — Stuttgart, Germany (Hanns-Martin-Schleyerhalle)
Aug. 5 — Monchengladbach, Germany (Hockey Park)
Aug. 7 — Lokeren, Belgium (Lokerse Festival)
Aug. 16 — Tokyo, Japan (QVC Marine Field)
Aug. 17 — Osaka, Japan (Oskaka Prefectural Gymnasium)
Aug. 19 — Nagoya, Japan (Gaishi Hall)
Aug. 22 — Kallang, Singapore (Singapore Indoor Stadium)
Sept. 28 — London, England, UK (Wembley Stadium)

Tickets for Wembley Arena go on sale this Friday, June 1st.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Record Review – Mangoo


MANGOO
Neverland
Small Stone       

Mangoo from Turku, Finland are a recent signing to Small Stone and this is their second album of scuzzy stoner rock, containing a variety of arrangements and instrumentation that aren’t generally found in your usual low-slung fuzzy fare.

The band certainly have a knack with a riff and chorus, veering towards pop at some points with their memorable hook-laden songwriting. They employ an enjoyably squelchy synth throughout and have a sometimes experimental bent – utilised particularly nicely on banjo-blues number ‘Home’. Sadly this experimentation can also see them come a cropper – such as in the violin-laden ‘Deathmint’ which reeks of bad euro metal or the odd harmonies of ‘Diamond in the Rough’ which feel like they were parachuted in from a ’90s indie track.

There’s enough big choruses and cool riffage on tracks like ‘Neverland’ and ‘You, Robot’ to make this a worthwhile listen but it’s a slightly patchy album overall, with at least one slow moody number too many. The experimentation is intriguing though doesn’t produce consistently good results throughout.  Hopefully the band will keep moving in this vein however and be able to marry their excellent songwriting to truly interesting arrangements and create an album to cherish.

Austin Matthews

Tuesday 29 May 2012

Record Review - Rock 'n' Roll Monkey & The Robots

ROCK ’N' ROLL MONKEY & THE ROBOTS
Spooky Kooky Attic Static
Rock'n'Roll Monkey Records CD

The back-to-Detroit trio are now onto album number four, and thankfully being on this ride is still as joyful as ever. We still hear catchy, trashy rock'n'roll with varying shades of influence, the primary ones seemingly modern surf rock ('Static'), The Cramps ('Sadie Was A Bad Dog', 'Too Fast'), and the B-52s ('Oh Polka Dot').

Elsewhere I hear garage frat ('Thirsty Monkey'), 1950s guitars on the humorous 'I Should've Stayed In Detroit', and a touch of country pop ('Toxic House'). Despite the multiple sounds the album is still an extremely coherent listen - for example the vocals having a strong identity of their own. Big, dumb, fun - savour this outift! Take heart from their philosophy as outlined on the second track: "Love Someone/Put A Record On".

P.S. Help the band make album number five here!

Phil Istine

Event - Happening the clubnight, Sat June 2


HAPPENING
Saturday June 2nd

Note: new venue!

Live this time around:

DEAD COAST

Psych! Surf! Blues! 6-track mini album just released! 212
http://www.facebook.com/deadcoast

Then resident DJ Phil Istine and guest DJ Lady Michelle (Lordy Lord) will spin your world via ’60s/’70s dancefloor psychedelia, garage, beat, and general vintage rock’n’roll wondermints!

‘Happening’ has now established itself in London as the grooviest place to sample the delights of the Shindig! universe. The leading magazine for ’60s and ’70s music, in conjunction with Sweet but Deadly Promotions, have made a corner of Stoke Newington their own little subcultural haven, inviting the best band’s and DJs to stoke the sonic fires. Come meet, greet and party with like-minded souls ’til your head explodes with delight!

@ La Sera
176 Stoke Newington High Street, London N16 7JL
8pm-2.30am. Free before 9pm, then £5 entry, cheaper after midnight
Buses: many. Train: Stoke Newington (from Liverpool St)


FACEBOOK EVENT

Monday 28 May 2012

Record Review - The Creeping Ivies

THE CREEPING IVIES
Ghost Train EP

The Scottish garage rock duo are back with a follow up to their debut EP ‘Rock N Roll Party’, which offers more gritty psychotic stompers in the same vein between The White Stripes, The Cramps, and The Buff Medways were they fronted by a banshee.
Said banshee, Becca Bomb, sounds like she grew up loitering the streets of Detroit with Suzi Quatro circa The Pleasure Seekers living on a diet of Fifties B-Movies and fuzzed-out eighties garage punk nastiness; as she growls her way through opener ‘Ghost Train’, grinding her guitar as Duncan Destruction, the sharp-suited Frankenstein bashes away moronically on the skins.

Second track and highlight of the record is ‘Don’t Cry’, a mean stomper of maniacal lust, which crosses between early Yeah Yeah Yeah’s with more garage-blues muscle, with Miss Bomb screeching:“Don’t you die, die, die in my bed...!” her voice drifting between an American punk drawl and broad Scottish lilt. Final track ‘Chicken Voodoo Blues’ loses all grip on common sense and is a full on nonsensical assault on your ears with pounding drums, scuzzy riffs, and bratty vocals. Raw, wild, so climb aboard, please. Next stop voodoo-ville!

Yvonne McKeown

Record Review - The Moons



THE MOONS
Double Vision Love

The Northampton based five-piece return with a release from their upcoming second studio LP ‘Fables of History’, produced by Edwyn Collins. 'Double Vision Love' is a song of unrequited affection which borrows a driving garage-beat sensibility combined with British dreamy popsike stylings. Resonating between early Status Quo, Gary Walker & The Rain, whilst tipping its top hat to Sean Bonniwell’s genius, with a fuzz ridden tribute to garage staple ‘Trouble’ midway through – it’s garage-beat, but with less bite.

To coincide with the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations and the general air of “Rule, Britannia!”, The Moons b-side is a slice of quintessentially British sunshine-pop which conjures up images of rolling English countryside, street parties, and incidentally, twee model villages in Beckonscott. In traditional British fashion, 'English Summer' is a dreamy ode to the weather, or, as is often the case, summertime showers. Here they raid the vaults of the lost art of British songwriting, which is often idyllic and whimsical in style. Their seamless vocal harmonies drift through the quaint orchestrations of The Zombies, as Andy Crofts attempts to recreate the charm of ‘Village Green Preservation Society’ whilst avoiding the pitfalls of pastiche in the process.

Yvonne McKeown

Friday 25 May 2012

Live Review - Austin Psych Fest 5

AUSTIN PSYCH FEST 5
Emo's East, Austin, Texas, USA
April 27-29

Psychedelic rock is one thing, psychedelic music or “psych” is another thing.  Black Angels lead singer Alex Maas famously noted “four 80-year-old women in yellow bikinis playing the banjo” is psychedelic.  I don’t see the point, but given the success of The Black Angels, all the bands that play with them during their annual Psych Fest, no matter what they sound like, are suddenly psych. Psych is the new garage.  Anyone can claim the title and suddenly, it’s cool, especially at Psych Fest.  The mainstay for most fans of the “new” genre is almost entirely centered on shoegaze, and anything with drone and reverb, but Austin Reverb Appreciation society, the organizers of Psych Fest in conjunction with The Black Angels, have gotten more ambitious over the past two years.  What started as a gathering of The Black Angels and their friends in different bands has branched out into a full offering not just the expected drone and reverb, stoner jam rock, but fuzz, jangly, more traditonal “psychedelic rock” bands, some heavier, raunchier garage psych bands, and quite a few surprises.

The above mentioned diversity was the center of this year’s Psych Fest, a three day festival starting in the afternoon and ending around two am or later with two different stages going simultaneously.  Last year’s event venue was The Seaholm Power Plant, an abandoned Bauhaus style electrical plant in downtown Austin.  The combination of the music and the architecture was something to behold, so the bar was set pretty high for this year.  Seaholm is being converted to high end shops, so it wasn’t available, and Psych Fest has attendance in the thousands, so it’s not easy finding a venue with two large stages.  As the trend is going in Austin, things are moving East, so Psych Fest was held this year at the newly opened Emo’s East, which was previously a legendary venue off of Austin’s Sixth Street District, with a second stage through an outdoor corridor in the same strip mall at the also newly opened Beauty Bar Ballroom.





With The Black Angels as hosts, they started the first day this year, leaving the festival open for other acts to take the spotlight and build to a climax.  Among the highlights the first day were The Allah Las, a So-Cal retro psych band that sound entirely analog with touches of surf and LA folk rock. They were followed by Acid Baby Jesus, the swampy four piece from Athens, Greece that sound like The Stones meet King Khan on ouzo.  They performed multiple times all over town that weekend in various states of inebriation and disorder, which only seem to add to their performances, but their Psych Fest appearance was a little bit reserved, although great nonetheless.


The evening’s surprise came with Disappears, whose lineup includes Brian Case of The Ponys and Steve Shelley, formerly of Sonic Youth.  Their sound is best described as shoegaze with heavy helpings of noise pop innovation and krautrock.



Also playing the first day were The Night Beats, a psychotic, acid tinged rock band from Seattle that conjure up Pebbles Volume III and more 13th Floor Elevators than one can imagine, but with a captivating, peyotic performance.

The Black Angels closed the first day with their always intense performance.  They’ve always been something to behold and the performance always leaves one stunned for about a half hour later trying to take in what they just heard and saw, but the added treat this year was their new bass/alternating guitar player Rishi Dhir from Elephant Stone and previously from The High Dials.  His sound a stronger sense of harmony that made The Black Angels fuller and more rounded, if that’s possible, not to mention his sitar playing on The Black Angels’ staple performance song “Manipulation”.

Day Two had 24 bands playing in 12 hours over two stages.  This was best described as Psych Fest Veterans Day with returning acts from the past few years taking the stage, then followed by some newer, more diverse additions.  Among the early performing vets were Vacant Lots and local acid rockers Smoke and Feathers.  Things weren’t remarkable until jangly noise veterans (and Psych Fest II performers) The Asteroid #4 took the stage later in the afternoon and asked the crowd during soundcheck on one of the guitars if the reverb was wet enough, when an attendee yelled “soak us in it!”.  The Asteroid #4 always seemed like an incredible contradiction.  Their songs are melodic, noisy, heavy, yet possess truly psychedelic rock ambiance and Byrds-like harmony.  The combination is always striking. For all the Piper at The Gates of Dawn namedropping so overstated in the “psych” crowd, this band is the closest thing to it while retaining pop simplicity. Their 2011 release “Hail to The Clear Figurines” was one of the best albums released that year, and their earlier work is also comparable  in paisley underground era pop filtered through drone and reverb with nods to The Church and Rain Parade. Their performance was a highlight of the weekend.


A curious addition to the lineup was Denton’s Mindspiders, a garage punk leaning act with members of The Marked Men, Bad Sport, High Tension Wires, and a few more.  Given the ‘60s projection vibe of the festival, their inclusion was odd, but they’re exciting, high energy set was lauded by the crowd, not to mention that most couldn’t turn away from their performance.



In some otherworldly psych syncopation, they were followed by Psych Fest III vets Spindrift, who can only be described as The Ventures on acid playing spaghetti western with Ennio Morricone.  While slow and atmospheric of frontier towns and crawling scorpions at times, their up tempo songs are horse galloping Indian war cries. Even more impressive is their distinctiveness, with Kirkpatrick Thomas as an electric guitar slinging narrator, Henry Evans with his Double Dano howling and moving with the rhythm, and Sasha Vallely on organ, keyboard, and flute providing softer reprieves.  Although a concept, Spindrift symbolizes the evolution and completion of psychedelic rock with songs that are hard, loud, combining surf music with Gram Parsons style Americana, British shoegaze, dust in your mouth, big skies, saloons, warpaint, and even a little Hawaiian thrown in.  They are definitely a soundtrack.
   

With so many acts playing non-stop, there will always be hit and misses.  A side effect of the festival is that many different acts are indistinguishable from one another with drone and stoner rock jamming.  An example of this drone out was Entrance Band, who did a horrendous Deep Purple drenched version of Love’s “A House Is Not a Motel”.  Love and more importantly, Forever Changes is sacred, hallowed ground.  The music is beautiful, soft, harsh, haunting, and filled with multiple subtleties.  Their songs have been covered before with positive results from bands like The Marshmallow Overcoat and Love tribute band Forever Changes, but it succeeds in how it felt to the ears.  It was rhythmic and possessed a similar atmosphere of those contradictions. That harmonic conflict is essential to Love, and was missing in Entrance Band’s performance to the effect of more than disappointment.

Among the fans’ pics of the day was The Jesus and Mary Chain style fuzz of Iceland’s Singapore Sling.  The current lineup has some original members and a few from The Meek, another one of the weekend’s fuzz overdosed but always enjoyable performers.  One should take note that just about anything from Scandinavia is far above average.  Turbo Negro, The Sugarcubes, The Hives, The Hellacopters, Norwegian death metal, it’s all pretty memorable.  Singapore Sling is no exception and ended their too brief 45 minute set with “Life is Killing My Rock ‘N’ Roll”, a great anthem, if there ever was one.




 In a climactic close to the evening, the always surprising to say the least Black Lips took the main stage.  Their appearance was looked forward to with some apprehension.  They’re raw, raunchy, loud, their antics and sense of wild freedom on stage that encourages pure mayhem and moshing, plus they’re really a garage rock act with heavy psychedelic overtones that almost defines pure teenage kicks is always the most fun one could have at a show, but many wondered how it would go over with the mellow drone “psych” fans.  Although they promised to behave, they also had a few tricks up their sleeve.  They played their set in a constant barrage onstage of toilet paper, heavy fans with streamers, and a hefty supply of beer happily shared with the crowd.  What started as a small moshpit became an endless sea, minus those who stepped far back in uncertainty about whether or not this was really “psych.”  Nevertheless, the performance was electric and wowed everyone, with many people from other bands and a few friends joining them on stage, dancing, and possibly copying their antics, which one almost can’t help but doing when they see The Black Lips.  Their inclusion this year was definitely groundbreaking, not to mention they picked up a whole new group of devotees.



As most Sundays go, things start later.  Day Three was no exception, and it was a good thing, mostly to sleep off the party launched by The Black Lips the night before.  Kicking off the day was a late addition to the festival, Get Hip Recordings band The Ripe.  They’re a sugary sweet power pop band with a surprising punch.  Most of their material was brand new, stemming from their recent trip to Gijon, Spain to record with Jorgé Explosion at Circo Perotti.  Best known for his production for bands such as The Masonics, Hollywood Sinners, The Urges, Wau Y Los Arrrghs, The Staggers, and countless great garage revival acts, but also the fourth member of The Ripe, whose absence was felt despite The Ripe’s vibrance as a three-piece.



Other acts performing included Brooklyn Raga Association, a full sitar and tabla band with the compulsory belly dancer, the very young but well seasoned over the past year of touring Secret Colors, who present a perfect synthesis of VU and Rickenbacker jangle, the gothic leaned Wall of Death, and Psych Fest favorites Wooden Ships.  The evening performances became a festival to behold, starting with the great western blues  via African desert music from Niger’s Bombino.  With him and his band fully dressed in Nigerien (not Nigerian) desert garb and phenomenal telecaster work, the crowd felt honoured and lucky to see him.


With further surprises, San Francisco’s Thee Oh Sees came on stage and rocked out the crowd to double drummed, loud and raw psych tunes.  This was another band outside of the standard fare for most “psych” fans, but in true compliment to Austin Reverb Appreciation Society, this was another slice of the psychedelic pie that had to be heard in keeping with a theme that it’s not just drone and reverb.  The low-fi, DIY energy of Thee Oh Sees and their willingness to play almost anywhere for any size crowd fit them in with Psych Fest V well, not to mention that their performances always show how much they love playing for people.  The crowd responded enthusiastically.



The following act was an all out wild performance flying into tangents by legends (and locals) The Meat Puppets, who played new material as well as crowd-pleasers “Plateau” and “Lake of Fire”, as well as their grunge era hit “Backwater”.  They’re well known for psyhedelic overtones, but given their history as country tinged punk (not cowpunk), it was further proof that this year was about diverse psychedelic music and not the familiar narrow interpretation often associated with modern psych.



If there’s a father of modern psych, it’s Anton Newcombe and his now stable lineup in The Brian Jonestown Massacre.  His following is more than loyal, with many modern acts citing him as an influence, even at the point of overshadowing his own influences.  Despite critical acclaim and being strongly prolific, Anton’s rants and reputation are often better known than his music.  No matter how infamous his words and press, Anton is not only dedicated to his art, but genuinely approachable and dedicated to his fans, both old and new.  BJM’s arrival to the stage at Psych Fest V as the closing act was therefore, only fitting in a Punk Meets The Godfather way.  With no hurries, three Fender Twin Reverb amps, multiple eye-popping Vox and Hagstrom 12-strings, a mellotron, and the band’s proprietary drum kit was assembled, followed by multiple towels and beverages, for the late start of BJM.  Anton, cigarette in mouth, took to his stool, picked up his Vox 12-string, gave Emo’s the historic nostalgic nod, and reached out to the crowd, letting them know this was a real event and a culture filled with substance outside of the mainstream.  The rest of the evening drifted out in a muddy drone of reverb filled haze of light and sound.


 


Austin Psych Fest V and its organizers made a tremendous effort to outdo themselves this year by showing it as multi genre and encompassing.  Nevertheless, modern psychedelic and unfortunately, many of the followers who say they’re into psychedelic rock have a narrow interpretation: Drone and reverb. For a festival to truly be a “psychfest”, acts such as The Cynics, Los Peyotes, Wyld Olde Souls, Magic Christian, The Higher State, The Urges, and countless others who play a more vintage psychedelic rock or who even were the forebearers such as ? and The Mysterians and The Left Banke should be included.  Nevertheless, Psychfest V and its organizers were very, very ambitious this year in making it more diverse.  It is more than likely that they’ll outdo themselves again next year and surprise both their greatest fans and harshest critics, me included.


Michael Passman

Thursday 24 May 2012

Record Review – Apache Dropout

APACHE DROPOUT
Apache Dropout
Family Vineyard Records

Now get this. MOJO magazine say: "[the best] re-scoring of the garage-rock aesthetic in the 21st century." Christ!

Shindig! says: Blimey! When people like The Higher State and Jacco Gardner are happily making  music as amazing as the old stuff that inspires them with so much spark and brilliance that it sounds  new, the sloppy Apache Dropout and their  lo-fi monotonous racket are put to shame. Why re-score? The Dwarves' Horror Stories did that back in the ’80s and it worked, and if after snotty teen garage buy a few vols of the originators on BFTG.  Apache Dropout want to be clever and cool, but aren't. They aren't the Elevators, the VU, The Fugs, Jonathan Richman or anyone else who toyed with conventions.  They aren't garage!


Jon 'Mojo' Mills

Record Review - Nick Waterhouse

NICK WATERHOUSE
Time’s All Gone
Innovative Leisure CD/LP



25-years old, L.A. resident, present day is the reality. The dream of Nick Waterhouse, as far as his debut record suggests, is significantly older, in Nashville, circa 1962. A clear and concise R&B fanatic, Waterhouse has run with old-school ideals to create a humdinger of a rocking, authentic 32-minute performance. Yes yes, it does seem all the rage at the moment - Amy, Aloe Blacc, Sharon Jones, Mark Ronson etc. - but you cannot make this sort of record without having learnt your chops first and thrown your guts into it, so kudos to him for sticking to his sonic guns. The attention to detail - from the music, to the sharp modernist threads he sports, even the 50s jazz font colours of the artwork - borders on the best sort of OCD you could have. Hey, he even ensured it was mastered to mono on the same Gold Star Studios Lathe that Phil Spector & the Beach Boys once used!

The Slim Harpo/Excello sound is the strongest flavour running throughout the songs. Gorgeous honking sax is the centrepiece of opener ‘Say I Wanna Know’, with warm Hammond and a sweet female vocal...in fact Waterhouse is hardly there! Then it’s onto the dancefloor with the “midnight-hour R&B shake-fest” of ‘Some Place’, that’s fast becoming a mod club favourite (and will set you back about £100 on eBay!). You can understand why, it’s undeniably gritty and bursting with soul and 150 seconds of sheer brilliance. ‘Raina’ showcases his bruiser crooner side, with a lovely skirt-shaking flourish in the middle. All the songs are really well arranged, with plenty of heightened tension coming through on songs like ‘Indian Love Call’ and the popcorn swinger ‘Teardrop Will Follow You’.

His cover of Them’s ‘I Can Only Give You Everything’ left me cold - he’s thrown the baby out with the bathwater by discarding the gritty vocals and killer riff...and left a completely different song in it’s place. So he is human after after all. One other slight frustration I must mention is that there’s some fabulous singing here, but it’s partially obscured by the musicians and too much reverb. I’m sure it’s intentional, but as my mother said you should never hide your light under a bushel...especially one that burns this bright.

A star is born. PLAY LOUD, as a famous Liverpudlian once intoned.



Smart Phil