King Creosote (Photo by Ella Mullins)

By Sammy Maine

It’s a sold out affair at The Fleece tonight, and it’s all down to King Creosote & Jon Hopkins – the Mercury nominated duo that have had the public in the palm of their hands thanks to their collaborative album ‘Diamond Mine.’ Only a few minutes since the doors opened and it’s already starting to fill up with as many muso’s as you can count. The first support act is Bristol’s very own Delifinger a.k.a. Matthew Lacey. Holding his guitar and accompanied by two guys that know their way around a synth or two, Delifinger impresses with his unique approach to an acoustic act. With the experimental attitude of Thom Yorke combined with a gentle nature and delicate melodies, Delifinger is definitely one to watch in the Bristol circuit.

The final support, Withered Hand, takes to the stage around 8:45 and the venue is packed to the brim. Nervously mumbling into the mic, Dan plugs his guitar in, erupting a huge, amplified crack into the audience. A technical hitch is never a good start, but after claiming that ‘this is what he does,’ Withered Hand eases the audience into a giggle and the venue is suddenly full of atmosphere. Opening with ‘Cornflake,’ an honest and hilarious take on young love, the audience hang on his every word. With each song he plays, you could hear a pin drop; signifying the sheer talent of Dan Willson’s significant song-writing. ‘No Cigarettes’ is a particular high-light, sensing influence from the likes of Elliott Smith before finishing off with ‘Religious Songs.’

King Creosote & Jon Hopkins calmly waltz on stage to the delighted yelps of the crowd. Off to another technically shaky start (seriously, who is this sound guy?) the duo start off with ‘John Taylor’s Month Away.’ Once again, the audience are as quiet as a mouse, fixated on the Scottish twang of Kenny Anderson and the ivory tinkling of Jon Hopkins. The set is full of beauty and intrigue, as Hopkins takes to his accordion and occasionally clicks on his Mac laptop. King Creosote holds the stage extremely well, showing off his lyrical integrity that needs no more than the simplicity that exudes from the pair. High lights of the set included the delicate ‘Bats in the Attic,’ as well as the electronically dabbled ‘Bubble.’

The set itself is mesmerising and justifies just why this duo has been getting all that media attention. Playing a generous hour and a half, the only concern is that the performance may have been better suited to a seated venue. Looking around, it seemed that many were so soothed they could’ve done with putting their feet up around the half way mark.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

By Max Boon

As the masses skidded across the ice to the Thekla in the freezing cold on Saturday night, the mood for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah was waning a bit. The Brooklyn five-piece have gradually shifted from the spotlight since their 2005 self-titled debut. That album was full of iconic guitar riffs and catchy beats, but their subsequent two albums haven’t quite matched it for strength or substance.

But it doesn’t take long for the lively indie rockers to win the crowd. Their live performances add a bit of style to their newer material and rejuvenate their old stuff so the gig felt fresh and was really entertaining from the start.
CYHSY have a big, up-tempo sound with lively drum beats, electric guitars, synthed-keys and the occasional harmonica and front-man Alec Ounsworth has an oddly beautiful voice that sounds like a bag of tuneful cats being swung around a room.

They kick off pretty early for a Saturday night gig, and by 8.15pm the boat is already rocking to the sound of ‘Satan Said Dance’. The band has an infectious good energy which seems to spread around the boat and put smiles on everyone’s faces.

They play a good mix of old and new songs, but the real highlights are the songs from the first album. In particular ‘Is this love?’, which gets everyone clapping and bouncing along, and ‘Child Stars’ which contains the classic line: ‘Child stars – with their sex, and their drugs, and their rock, their rock, their rock, and rock and roll hey!’

There are a few quieter acoustic moments during the set, which makes for a really nice balance of songs and the crowd at Thekla couldn’t agree more when Ounsworth describes the night as their best show on a boat. Everyone skates home in a far better mood then they may have arrived in.

Scarlet Rascal and the Trainwreck

The Louisiana has a long history of supporting local Bristol bands. Along with The Croft, it’s traditionally where most bands play their debut gigs and while that means you can hear some questionable sounds in there – occasionally you hit on a right beaut and this is one of those gigs. You could kind of tell this before the first note was sung as the place was rammed for a school night.

Bristol gig legend Big Jeff has been going on about Crybaby for weeks now, tipping his post-Babel songs as among the most beautiful ballads he’s ever heard and once more, he’s not wrong. Read more about Crybaby on Jeff’s blog here.  This is Crybaby’s first ever gig and they absolutely nailed it – the the point where they could well change the Bristol music scene indefinitely.

Crybaby are a painfully good looking group, with tall, bearded frontman Danny Coughlan flanked by a Kevin Bacon lookalike, Sean Bean’s twin brother (not literally) and a gorgeous female drummer. With vocals akin to Richard Hawley and the soave sophistication to boot, the suited and booted four-piece take us on a captivating journey through some deep and brooding songs of love and loss, including I Cherish The Heartache More Than The Love I Lost and Shame.

Next up is the brilliantly-named Scarlet Rascal and the Trainwreck. The Bristol indie group has been making waves in radio stations, both locally and further afield, and are a firm favourite of the BBC Introducing team. Another bunch of good looking band types, they take to the stage with more rock and roll swagger than most bands have at this early stage in their career.

In many ways, frontman Luke Brooks was born to do this – his Prince-esque persona dominating the stage throughout the whole set. But where many bands fall down in a style over substance way, these guys thankfully don’t. The sound isn’t as polished as it could be, but Luke’s Ryan Jarman-esque vocals (The Cribs) suit the music well.

Unsurprisingly, the highlight comes in the form of the wonderfully dark single The Haunting, which has recently been mixed and edited by Geoff Barrow. It has sniffs of Echo and the Bunnymen about it, combined with the goodness and potential of a whole wave of more recent bands, such as Interpol and The National.

Today is the last chance to sign up for free tickets to a one-off guerrilla gig by The Joy Formidable in Bristol.

Clarks Originals has launched a series of live music events across the country and its latest venture sees the Welsh band, The Joy Formidable, playing at a secret location in Bristol on Thursday March 1.

The group will be its own support act and will play a pre-plugged in acoustic, campfire style session while there will be post gig entertainment in the form of a set from DJ Dan of Propaganda fame, the UK’s biggest Indie club night.
Tickets are free but you need to enter your details on the Clarks Originals website in order to be in with a chance of winning one of the 150 tickets up for grabs. The deadline for entry is today (February 3) with winners notified by February 6. Entrants must be 18 or older.

Once ticket winners have been notified, they will be kept guessing on the venue of the pop-up gig until precisely 48 hours before the event, the secret location will be revealed via Twitter @clarksoriginals and on Facebook/Clarksoriginals as well as via email notifications to ticket winners. In true guerrilla style for those that miss out on the ballot there will also be a few extra tickets on the door for fans that are quick on their toes and Twitter.

Frontwoman Ritzy Bryan said: “We’re all for giving the audience a unique experience and that goes beyond the venue and the location. We’re interested to see where the Originals Live tour takes us, just no boats or churches…been there, done that!” She added: “There’ll be two parts to the set and we’ll be playing some never-before-heard tracks. It bodes to be a very special occasion, a TJF one-off and an intimate approach to our material.”

To enter the competition, see www.clarksoriginals.com

Boyz II Men

Boyz II Men
O2 Academy, January 29, 2012

By Kelly Jobanputra

Boyz II Men at the 02 Academy is one of the finest examples of hysteria you are ever likely to see and feel. It’s up there with the likes of Take That and any other group that has sent many a normally reserved woman into a hot lusted frenzy.

With support from three very different acts, the most engaging of them appearing to be the tap dancing male sensation ‘Floor Techicians’, the lads eventually hit the stage at 9.20pm.

With their trademark waistcoats (this time black alongside white shirts) and totally bling microphones and watches, they have the same youthful looks and bucket loads of charm that they had when they first formed 20 years ago.

Starting off with ‘Believe’, it hasn’t taken long before a sea of mobile phones have emerged in the air as everyone wants a piece of the action captured on their own technology.

By the time they get to their third track ‘On Bended Knee’ there are so many people from the audience singing along, it feels like the lads are accompanied by a massive, mostly female, surround sound chorus. It’s a good vibe all around and Boyz II Men are blatantly loving it.

Quite the chatty bunch are these lads from Philadelphia. They tell us it’s been a few years since they’ve performed in Bristol in this very same venue. They also inform us that this time around the place seems a lot fuller. With that they promise us they will be tapping their promoter on the head to be coming to the city more often. They will be held to that.

The songs that get the biggest reaction are predictably ‘I’ll Make Love to You’ (which is a time for the group to be giving out red roses to many a noticeably excited female gig goer) ‘End of the Road’ and ‘Motownphilly’. But their new tunes are getting just as much of an applause as the classics.

Even the fact that there have been a few technical issues during the show, resulting in a broken microphone, doesn’t dampen the high flying spirits. And it’s not all women that are singing along, there are loads of fellas present who secretly seem to want to be that extra member.

The chatter from the boyz is happening between every song and the topic that gets the most reaction is what you can do alongside listening to this R&B group. They point out that you can sing along to it, clean your house to it and without a doubt make love to it.

Which brings us onto the topic of babies. The lads say there are some Boyz II Men babies in the house, which makes them uncles…however, “we will not be giving you money though”.

Just watching them still master their notoriously energetic routines, despite the fact that an impressive amount of career time has passed, is enough to make anyone exhausted. They’ve still got it. They know it and we know it as they take their final bow.

Wild Flag at Bristol Thekla

With an early curfew on this gig, the boat is half empty for support act Peggy Sue, which is a shame, cos they’re really rather good. Having seen them before, this isn’t their best set but it gives a good flavour of their brand of brooding lo-fi indie. Playing a series of hits from their 2011 album Acrobats, including Cut My Teeth, Parking Meter Blues and All We’ll Keep, frontwomen (sic) Rosa and Katy unleash their individual vocals while the solo male member of the band, drummer Olly, provides the rhythmic backbone to the set.

Wild Flag are a rare find in today’s musical climate – an all girl band with plenty of substance and certainly not lacking in style, though if you saw any one of them in the street (save for former Sleater-Kinney pioneer Carrie Brownstein) you probably wouldn’t place them in a band.

Carrie shares the vocal spotlight with Mary Timony. And while the Shirley Manson-esque gnarl of the latter makes for a good show, it’s only when Carrie takes to the to the mic that you appreciate the full force of Wild Flag. Her fully-charged, riot grrrl expulsion of the punk-tinged indie encapsulates the energy in the room, from the pojo-ing lesbian couple to the tall, grey haired dad figure bopping about, the Wild Flag fandom is as diverse as the music itself. Maybe it’s cos some of the songs harness the raw appeal of The Ramones and the sexiness of The Runaways, while others draw on the nostalgic Britpop vibes of Elastica or give a definite nod to their current indie peers, such as Veronica Falls.

A special mention must go to drummer Janet Weiss, who despite looking like your friend’s mum, is a demon on those drums. In light of the shapes being thrown by the rest of the band, it’s little wonder that keyboardist Rebecca Cole attempts (and fails) to incorporate some slick moves into her limited role in the band.

‘Boom’ exudes that understated Patti Smith/Lou Reed cool, while maintaining its relevance for 2012. Their most well known song, ‘Romance’, receives the biggest response and so it should – a effortlessly smooth indie belter with a catchy chorus complete with double claps. The highlight of the evening, without a doubt, is the final offering, a cover of Bobby Freeman’s ‘Do You Wanna Dance’. Quite clearly, the answer is a resounding yes.

Francois and the Atlas Mountains

There aren’t many bands out there like Francois and the Atlas Mountains. A former resident of Bristol, French native Francois Marry and his motley crew of remarkably magnetising musicians pulls in quite a crowd at their instore gig at Rise Music in the Triangle.

The gig, a precursor to their sold out event at the Old Motorcycle Showrooms later that night, was an unplugged affair and showcased the less frantic side of the band without losing any clout. The tour coincides with the release of their first album on Domino, E Volo Love.

Their unmistakable French tinged indie pop is instantly likeable. And their songs are sexy. Really sexy. Probably, largely due to the fact that they are sung in those dulcet French tones – think Stereolab/Francois Hardy/Gainsbourg. They’ve come a long way since the early, low-key days on Fence Records and seem to have found their signature sound.

We’re treated to four or five charming songs, including the single Piscine and the beautifully understated Les Plus Beaux . Gone is the uber-twee Belle and Sebastian sound – to make way for a more mature, yet equally dreamy collection of indie ballads (in this acoustic setting anyway). Plugged in they’re something else. In a good way.

Possibly the best percussionist in the world, Amaury Ranger, sits on the window legde, casually holding the show together with a catchy beat. Truly mesmerising. Meanwhile, the rest of the band find their place – be it nursing other school-friendly percussion instruments, strumming some woozy guitar parts or crooning along with Francois. Parfait!

If only they still lived in Bristol – we could totally claim them!

Tairrie B from My Ruin (By Helen Brown)

By Helen Brown

Tairrie B is one of a rare kind and that’s for sure – the woman simply gets better with age. My Ruin’s Bristol gig was a significant case in point.

With an impressive support line up, including the very note worthy Godsized who’s hick rock stirred up as much fervour in the gathered masses as the headliners did – with ‘Walking Away’ standing out from the impressive, rousing set. Having supported Black Label Society just last year, Godsized’s standard set a very high bar for My Ruin to vault, but vault they did.

Proud husband and supreme axe-wielding Neanderthal frontman Mick Murphy enters the Tunnel to the roar of a hungry crowd, but all necks crane past the rock behemoth to catch a glimpse of the lady herself. Sure enough Tairrie B strides out, statuesque and clad head to toe in customary black.

She leaps straight in there, leaning into the crowd and clutching at those who dare to lean in – eye to eye, screaming into their faces. Engaging stuff. For a large portion of the gig, the front row is the best place to be as the Tunnel’s sound system fails her vocals and only the first few rows benefit from her emotive roars and growls.

True to form, Tairrie makes no apology for this and rallies her troops to move in: “This is punk rock man, come in closer”. It’s not hard to see why My Ruin have gathered a religiously devoted following – Murphy’s guitar is unforgivingly heavy and Tairrie B dominates and dotes on her crowd, giving every last ounce, defiant of every convention and incredible because of it.

The pace is so heavy and hard that the popular choice ‘Digging for Ghosts’ from Ghosts and Good Stories mixes easily with a rip roaring rendition of ,’Middle Finger’ with sweaty ease. Themes of sex, rejection and religion pound forth and the lead singer embodies the Madonna whore she so often refers to – harsh, bitter and loving sister all at once.

By the time ‘Stick It To Me’ from A Prayer Under the Pressure of Anguish rolls around, the audience are screaming back every passionate lyric. ‘Money Shot’ produces an atmosphere of genuine emotion and embodies the outsider spirit this band nurture so well. ‘Burn the Witch’ and ‘Beauty Fiend’ close the set and fans stumble elated out into the rain.

A new Bristol publishing house has released a graphic novel about the city’s underground dance music scene in the mid-90s.

Spannered, by Bert Random, tells the story of one of the most passionate and creative eras in Bristol’s recent history.
It contains twelve black and white illustrations from Bristol artists, including Rose Sanderson from Jamaica Street Studios and Silent Hobo (who did all the design work for last years BrisFest).

First printed last year, the book has been selling out through word of mouth, with customers across the UK and Europe, and as far afield as Chile and South Africa, and the publishers are currently embarking on a second print run.

A spokesman for Spannered said: “This book shines a light on a rich and previously undocumented part of Bristol’s musical and youth culture heritage. At its peak the south-west free party scene drew thousands of wide-eyed ravers to Bristol from across the country to experience the city’s tough dance music and punk politics first-hand.”

They added: “Feedback from readers and reviewers so far has been overwhelmingly positive, because it’s a funny, raw, little book that absolutely captures a certain time, place, and state of mind.”

More information at www.spanneredbooks.com

Phantom Limb

Bristol’s Phantom Limb are due to release their new album, ‘The Pines’, next month, on Naim Edge Records. The album, their second to date, was written on the road in France and recorded in California. Having performed a sold out show at London’s The Bowery in November (as well as a series of high profile support slots with Rumer), Phantom Limb are set to embark on a twelve-date tour of the UK – including a homecoming date at the Fleece on February 16.

Phantom Limb is an unusual musical prospect, drawing together a range of different sounds and experiences. By day, various members of the group have earned their crust as session musicians, vocalists and songwriters, skirting round the edges of the industry. A glance at their collective musical CV would list collaborations with everyone from Pee Wee Ellis and Percy Sledge to Tom Jones. Quartey, who has sung lead spots with Nitin Sawhney and Chase & Status, spent the summer of 2008 touring with Massive Attack, written for Will Young and performed backing vocals for Adele and Dizzee Rascal.

Having met by chance amidst these workmanlike sessions, Phantom Limb released their self-titled debut album in 2008. Yet it is with their second offering that you sense they’re truly stepping out to the front of the stage. Musically, the songs stand at the crossroads between Country and classic R&B, which – from Ray Charles’ country albums to The Staple Singers fronting The Band – still feels relatively unexplored. Yet as singer Yolanda succinctly puts it, “Country and gospel are the same, just with different race singers.”

Tickets to see Phantom Limb at Bristol Fleece on February 16 cost £10adv From www.bristolticketshop.co.uk