Gig Diary July 2012  

O'Hooley and Tidow @ Harry's Bar, Wakefield

When I saw this gig advertised in the Wakey express I was a bit gobsmacked. I suppose dear reader that you can't imagine why. Two women you don't know from Adam (or should that be Eve?) playing in a bar that you've never heard of. Well Harry's Bar is a bit of an institution in Wakefield - serving real ale to what passes for Wakey's bohemian set. Its tiny as well. Belinda O'Hooley and Heidi Tidow meanwhile are a musical (and romantic) duo of some talent who normally play larger venues in more reputable towns and cities.

Unfortunately not everybody is as impressed as me. The two blokes standing at the bar who've come out for their normal Monday night pint are not pleased that they have to shout at each other over some live music. Meanwhile the audience are giving them the evil eye. They move on after a little while. 

I can see both sides of it. It must be annoying to have your normal routine disrupted in your regular haunt by a bunch of music lovers. On the other hand Harry's Bar have drafted Max Mcnally in to get some live music on to pull in a bigger crowd. The problem is that without this kind of action the regulars might find themselves having to drink somewhere else. Its a bit of tricky problem especially in a little bar which leaves non-music lovers no room for manouver.

Anyway onto the music. Ms O'Hooley was formerly piano player for the Unthanks. She left under a bit of a cloud but Max is still a staunch supporter despite his family connections to the Unthanks. It also turns out that O'Hooley and Tidow actually met in this very venue. Both turn out to be real ale drinkers which adds extra brownie points in my eyes.

The music itself is excellent. Mainly piano lead with the occasional foray into acapella. The songs are very affecting and mainly self written by the duo. They sing of life and love and family and other folks. Just the sort of stuff that everybody knows about. But the observations in the lyrics and the beautiful and imaginative piano arrangements really knock me out. A great way to spend a Monday night. 

Jonny Firth's Broken Bone Orchestra/Rosie Doonan/Hayley Gaftarnick/Ryan Spendlove @ Oporto, Leeds

Joseph Cowin made a good point tonight - which is a pretty rare thing in itself :-) If someone dropped a bomb on Oporto this evening; a good portion of the Leeds and Wakefield acoustic music scene would be wiped out. Everywhere you look on stage and off there are some of my favourite local musicians and the atmosphere is cracking.

Ryan Spendlove starts things off. You know the drill - he was great. He got Jonny Firth on stage at the end to play drums on a couple of songs including a great ramshackle version of 'Hotel Yorba'.

Next up was Hayley Gaftarnick. Although I've seen her around I have to shamefully admit this is the first time I've seen her perform. She has a fine pickup band (including Jonny, Sam Lawrence and Andy ex of the escapades) and a good line in double entendre. Then she starts singing. Wow! I guess the lazy comparison is with Amy Winehouse. She sings in a soulful style and the band (who have had all of one rehearsal) provide great support. That voice is pretty special and the songs are fully formed things of beauty. If I'm allowed to give one piece of developmental feedback (as its known at work) she needs to eat a few square meals as she's a bit scarily skinny.

I might have given the impression in a previous review that I've gone off Rosie Doonan a bit. Well scratch that. Tonight's set sees her back to the form that she's capable of. Yes, as I previously bemoaned, she's moving away from her former folk style into something more rocky. Tonight it works though. Things that sounded ploddy suddenly were dynamic and I think the simple reason is that the band have had more rehearsal time. Rosie of course is as charismatic and beautiful as ever which always helps. Hope I've written enough to get back in her good books.

Finally we have Jonny and his ever fluid Broken Bone Orchestra. Tonight's debutant is Sam Lawrence of the Wilful Missing featuring on excellent lead guitar. Starting with what Jonny describes as 'a motown' song they proceed to play a short but powerful and varied set.  Jonny has the personality and the requisite authority required to be a frontman. He's not got a bad voice either.

I don't have any song titles but highlights include a song about war co-written with Ryan Spendlove featuring Mick Doonan on Uiellean (spelling?) pipes; and the afore mentioned 'motown' style song. The songs have a raw edge to them but are brimful of melody.

As the set progresses the number of musicians on the stage dwindles. Eventually its finishes with a fiery duet performance with drummer Nici (who is a brilliant find). This set leaves me both eager to see the band again and hear the album that Jonny is very enthusiastic about. Of course as a reviewer I feel duty bound to also point out the negatives in the performance. This is mainly a sartorial issue. Basically somebody needs to surgically remove Mickey P Kerr (who is on Bass duty tonight) from his poncho! 

Otis Gibbs/Boss Caine @ Henry Boons, Wakefield

I think now is an appropriate point to regale you with the Yorkshire Windbag rule of thumb on beard lengths. I think it can be scientifically proven that anybody who's beard is longer (measured from the end of the chin to the end of the beard) than the height of his (or her) hair (measured from the scalp to the end of the hair on the top of their head) looks pretty scary. Otis Gibbs looks pretty scary. But despite this he seems like a lovely bloke and I know for a fact that he stayed the night at Gary Cotton's house and Gary has lived to tell the tale.

Boss Caine is a singer songwriter hailing from York with a down to earth attitude and the singing voice of a sixty year old person who has gargled gravel all their life. This is a good thing by the way.  He mixes up his style playing uptempo blues and down tempo country and finishes with a song about Gram Parsons - which when playing to a room of old gimmers  (copyright Gary Cotton) like us hits the bullseye.

Otis Gibbs is a solid performer and great raconteur. He regales us with stories of playing honky tonks as a toddler and going on anti-war marches. His songs are little vignettes of life. There's nothing earth shattering about his style but he is a great performer and I happily buy his new album at the end of the night and make small talk with him. By this time I've enjoyed myself so much that his beard no longer intimidates me.

Chris Helme/Dan Whitehouse/Ric Neale/Gina Pearce @ the Hop, Wakefield

In the wake of the much hyped Stone Roses reformation you can't help but wonder if Chris Helme (ex of the Seahorses) is riding that wave himself in a minor way. Certainly the poster advertising the gig makes more reference to the Seahorses than normal.

Anyway first up is Gina Pearce. She immediately gets up 46 year old Yorkshire Windbag's nose by moaning about turning twenty! Luckily she is talented player so we'll let her off. At the moment her set mainly consists of covers but she puts her own twist on these mainly playing ukelele. If I'm honest her voice does annoy me a bit even though its technically very good.

Ric Neale is next up and this is much more to my taste (mainly because he's less than two decade's younger than me). He plays a bunch of likeable songs on piano mainly from his band - the Housekeeping Society. They are from a concept album about the Seaside. Anyone who can't enjoy a Beach Boy's pastiche about a day trip to Scarborough should probably avoid this act though.

Ric Neale's day job is as a music lecturer at Wakefield college. Dan Whitehouse is one of his ex-students. Dan's set is very promising (I hope that doesn't sound too patronising). He's got a strong if rough voice and there are a couple of songs that really stand out (one was called 'Fragments' I think).

The audience is suprisingly (in a good way) large by the time Chris Helme climbs onto the stage. Its kind of weird to see him embrace his Seahorses past with much more enthusiasm than I've previously seen. I guess that this is one of his strengths as a performer. He always gives his audience what they want. I can't fault him for this although personally I'm more of a fan of his more recent stuff and I'm not really that familiar with his Seahorses output. Still his voice is as great as ever and you have to admire him as a person. He has a great rapport with the audience, not patronising but respectful with a playful sense of humor. 

At the end he sells everybody Cds. Taking the time to chat; sign things and pose for photos. He works hard and deserves to make a good living at what he does. 

JonnytheFirth/Michael Ainsley/The Passing Fancy @ the Kings Arms, Wakefield

This gig is titled 'Common Folk' and takes place in the beer garden of the lovely Kings Arms pub on Heath Common. As you can imagine this is a bit of a gamble given the weather we are having this Summer.

Still the portents are good and the Passing Fancy is in full flow when me and Mrs Windbag arrive. Paul, who is the mainstay of the band (and the only member present today), is his usual enthusiastic self. The songs are rough and ready full of earthy good humor. His good humor brings out the best in the audience as usual. He also includes a cover of 'Between the Wars' (a Billy Bragg song) by way of tribute to the 100th year since Woody Guthrie was born.

I'm a big fan of Michael Ainsley. He is the 'Evan Dando' of the Wakefield music scene. A lovable slacker with a great bunch of melodic songs. As usual he's accompanied by Harry Rhodes on second guitar. Afterwards Rob Dee sends him out with a big bunch of cds - most of which he sells.

Finally before we dash off (and before the heavens open) we catch a JonnytheFirth set. Its billed as an acoustic set but the only concession to this is that Jonny's telecaster has an 'f-hole'. He tells us afterwards that he wasn't comfortable with the performance. But from where I was stood it sounded like a great raw bunch of rock 'n' roll with attitude and tunes a plenty. 

Wilful Missing/Ruby Mackintosh/Lucy Perry @ Harry's Bar, Wakefield

One week after putting on O'Hooley and Tidow Max Mcnally is at it again. He's only got the Wilful Missing on in Harry's Bar.

The night starts off, eventually, when Lucy Perry gets up on stage. Lucy's uncle, Adrian Bates, has bent my ear about how good Lucy is on a couple of occasions. Tonight I finally get to hear for myself. She has a good strong voice that puts me in mind of Kathleen Edwards. After a couple of covers she starts doing her own stuff. There's a fair bit of punky energy and some humor in there.

Ruby Mackintosh is a bit of enigma. She can be a bit cutesy in her fancy fifties style dress doing covers of 'Heartbreak Hotel', Doris Day and the Andrews Sisters. But when she throws in her own songs you get an insight into her talent. Some great wordplay, strong tunes and a great voice.

I'm a big Wilful Missing fan and to see them in such an intimate venue is great. All the usual songs are played with gusto and aplomb. At the end they practically force everybody to buy a cd as well.

Mark Wynn/Jon Moss/Georgina Hilton @ Verve, Leeds

I can usually see the positive in most acts I see on the local scene but tonight I'm going to make an exception. Georgina Hilton really got on my nerves even before she got on the stage. I was sitting next to her while we watched a rather boring blues duo (who's name I unfortunately didn't catch) and listened to her getting scmhoozed by some bloke. She got talking about her act and before I'd even heard a note she'd compared herself to Etta James and Janis Joplin. So she obviously fancies herself a bit.

So up she gets with a guitar player accompanying her. Lets start with the positives - the guitarist was talented and there's no doubt she's technically a good singer in an Adele/Duffy wannabe Amy Winehouse style. But her songs are so dull I'd forgotten them by the time we got to the choruses. She insists on dancing as well. I've never seen a woman doing 'dad dancing' before. Then just to put the tin hat on it she did an horrendous reggae style cover of 'Nothing Compares 2 U' which probably would have had both Prince and Sinead O'Connor turning in their graves if they were dead.

Anyway next up was Jon Moss. Of course Georgina couldn't stand not been the centre of attention and started having a shouted conversation with Jon about some gothic band while he was trying to introduce a song. Looks like March of Dimes (Jon's band) may be winding down. But Jon still has his treasure trove of songs. If I'm been honest I prefer Jon solo in a live setting. Although March of Dimes were good on record - it was all a bit loud live for Jon's voice. You can hear the lyrics in this setting. Or rather you could if a group of people allegedly coming to see Jon hadn't picked this moment to start shouting at each other.

Last up is Mark Wynn. Unfortunately at the start of his set Georgina decides to make her exit. Of course she doesn't go quietly having to say goodbye at great length to all and sundry. And as soon as she's gone - Jon Moss's fans also leave in a similarly long drawn out fashion. Thankfully then the five or so of us remaining can give Mark our full attention. He looks to be back on the booze tonight. It doesn't affect his performance though. His short set features his new 'spoken word' style and I am increasingly impressed with the wordplay and humor.

The Neat/The Do's/JonnytheFirth/Thee See No Evils @ the Hop, Wakefield

There's no such thing as a free lunch apparently but there is such a thing as a free gig. Tonight is one such event with local support and headliners from the far flung territory of Hull.

When we arrive Thee See No Evils are already on. The first song I hear is ok and reminiscent of late seventies new wave/punk such as the Members. However subsequent songs are much more interesting. The music is very much late sixties American garage rock. Anybody who has ever heard the 'Nuggets' compilation will know what I'm on about. The guitarist is really good giving it lots of twang and jangle. The singer's voice struggles a bit with the wild style the music demands. Still they are good fun and Wakefield/Leeds based.

This is apparently Jonnythefirth's last ever solo performance. I'll believe that when I don't see it if you know what I mean. He's obviously a bit cheesed off tonight and this seems to make his performance. Jonny's always at his best when the music's got a raw edge to it. His slightly inarticulate gruff persona on stage differs from the charming bloke I know. From personal experience I know its quite hard to be your natural self in front of an audience.

The Do's are one of the newer bands in the Philiphobia Records stable. They are a duo and are one of the tightest live acts from Wakey at the moment. Although its guitar and drums only its not the bluesy White Stripes/Soledad Brothers/Black Keys style you would expect from such a line up. Instead its stuttery dynamic rock. Not many melodies but something a bit special. The singer sings like the guy out of Placebo but other than that they are really good.

I only catch half a set from The Neat because Mrs Windbag's not feeling great and doesn't like them. I quite enjoyed them myself. Apparently they have been compared to the Fall and I can hear it a bit. Their tightly wound funk also reminds me of Gang of Four. Not really catchy stuff but very listenable.

Throughout the night perhaps forty people have been at the gig but unfortunately not all at one time. Jonny the Firth probably fares the best because as well as his own crowd he has some of the audience for the previous and next band. I suppose the Summer holidays isn't the best time to put gigs on but its disappointing how few people are willing to take a chance and listen to new music for free. 

The Encounters @ the Corporation, Sheffield

Tonight is a big night - its the Encounters first headlining gig. 

I'd better admit this up front. The Encounters are fronted by my nephew so I'm obviously biased. I'm also privileged. Me and Mrs Windbag are allowed to come. My sister and brother in law (parents of said nephew) were actually discouraged from attending. In the end my nephew relented and so on the way to the gig we bumped into my brother in law and his brother.

This was a flying visit - we just popped into the venue to see my nephew's band - so I can't report on any supports. 

The Encounters have progressed a fair amount since I last saw them (a couple of months ago). They've now got a synth. This is mainly played by the lead guitarist although George, the singer, also has a go on one song. The majority of the set is now made up of orginal songs and even the covers are different to last time. 

The crowd although small is very enthusiastic with 8 or 9 people jumping about down the front with a further 8 or so of us standing a bit further back.

A cover of 'This charming man' is a bit ambitious but other than that every song sounds good.

The band end with George on the dancefloor and 8 or 9 fans on the stage. Apparently he was trying to get over to us to get us on stage but his mike lead wouldn't reach.