Last Live Listen

[terrybooth]

Halifax

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Fortunately, it was Beth Neilsen Chapman who turned up.

But first a digression. I'd never hear of her until I visited a records shop whilst on holiday in Canada in the late nineties. I in Toronto and was taken to see some of the nicer bits - Brampton. There was a record shop so I went in and asked. "What's good." I came out with the latest XTC vinyl and a couple of Beth Neilsen Chapman CDs. tbh they haven't occupied much of my time since, but I felt obliged to go and see her since she'd turned up in Halifax.

The stage was set with a keyboard, a full sized Grand (a Steinway - this impressed the musicians, at least), a drum kit, an upright base, an electric base, a strat and a couple of accoustic guitars.

The show started with Scott Mulvahill who sang and played upright base and piano (not at the same time!). He was joined my Mia Morris on drums. (You can look them both up on YouTube). He ended with a song a cappella not something that you hear that often. So far, so good.

After the intermission, on came Beth with Scott, Mia and another keyboard player who was only introduced after a couple of songs. I didn't get her name fully - she's Irish, a pharmacist and a part time singer-songer writer, keyboard player and part-time bassist). The set started with songs from Beth's current Album - Crazytown.

The set was marked by a constant swapping around of instruments (everybody sang and sang well) and personnel. For one song, Beth brought up a lass from Liverpool from the audience (again, the name is gone) who had written the song they were singing. She did talk a lot about all the singing, songwriting and performance workshops she did and that is where she met the Liverpool lass. She also talked a lot about her life, people she had worked with (loads) and songwriting. There was a good deal of swapping and passing around instruments. By the end of the evening, everyone - other than the guest singer - had played electric bass.

Beth did a request set solo and the band came back for the last few songs.

At the end, I felt like we'd been invited into an artist's studio where musicians wandering in and out and joined in with whatever was going on.

[NSNO2021]

Maverick Sabre, Only the Brave 10 year celebration gig at the Albert Hall, Manchester 6th Dec.

The more attentive of you will know from my previous comments that whilst it is a truly beautiful old building its sound is normally poor and occasionally a lot worse. Support last night was a young girl called Debbie and I guess she is a good singer with a very good voice but last night her voice was lost in an over the top mix, dominated by the drums.

TBH I was starting to regret buying the tickets after her set, then just after 9 Maverick hit the stage and once again the vocals were hard to decipher however before my gloom turned to doom the mix started to improve and by the 3 track it was ok and bit by bit it improved. He was on top form and the full house were up for a big night, the mix never reached the status of great but it was decent enough and certainly the best I have heard at the Albert Hall.

Towards the end of the set the feel good vibe had got to everyone and it became one big musical party. We all left happy to been a part of joyous celebration.

[slinger]

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I'm rather ashamed to admit that, before last night, all I knew of Arthur Brown was 'Fire' and 'The Great Spontaneous Apple Creation' from the late sixties and a bloke at work telling me that he'd seen him at Glasto in the early noughties.

Well all that changed last night at the Hebden Bridge Trades Club. The first clues about what I was in for was that there was a stage set with some golden statue/tree thingy on the right and back projection - normally all that's on stage is the musicians' gear, mikes and monitors. Then the band cane on, cloaked, hooded, hatted, the drummer with a winged mask. The music started. The back projection had strange shifting shapes. Then Arthur came on, face painted, caped and gloved with some elaborate headgear. Through the first part of the act, the music didn't stop but there were intermezzos where Arthur went off and came back with a new costume and headgear, including the one above. Other than 'Fire', all this was completely new to me, much of the lyrics sounding like they'd come from some mystics' vision or Samuel Coleridge on laudanum before being interrupted by the man from Porlock. The only pause was a space for a little breather and to introduce the band, then the second part of the gig, sans costume changes and with some 'standards'. At one point, the band struck up on 'The Immigrant Song' riff which Arthur took straight into a rendition of 'Lucille'. In the back projection, a figure at the base of a tree shape with what I presume were musical inspirations written: Howling Wolf, The Rolling Stones - all fairly obviously linked - but My Dad Playing Piano, Lonnie Donnegan and Harry Seacombe?? By the time we got to 'I put a spell on you', I was long gone sold. What a marvellous gig, up there with the best I've even been lucky enough to have been to.

Straight onto eBay and I should have Arthur Brown Legendary Gigs Vol1 on its way to me. This features Live in Hebden Bridge 2003. Trying to make up for lost time!

[TheMarlin]

I saw Ron Sexsmith live in Manchester last night.
A thoroughly lovely humble bloke with equally humble band mates, performing flawlessly for a very happy capacity crowd.

Cracking gig.

[CN211276]

From an arena gig on Friday to a grass roots venue last night, The Patriot Home of Rock at Crumlin in the SW Valleys which are a rock hot bed.

Saw Chris Holmes WASP. WASP were a leading light of. 80s Hair Metal and Chris Holmes was lead guitarist on the early albums. The band put on a good show and the set was not limited to WASP. The show concluded with Neil Young's Rockin in the free world with AC/DC's Highway to hell inserted in the middle of the song. Seemed to be a response to the sad outcome of the US presidential election.

[NSNO2021]

As always I am late - 19th October Maverick Sabre acoustic set at his new album launch at Liverpools Rough Trade. A very stripped back affair with a meet and greet session afterwards
We were within touching distance throughout and had a good chat with him. Such a humble peoples person.
Last night Lack of Afro at the wonderful Brudenell Social club. First time for me in the community room, sound quality was very good and the dedicated crowd were up for it. Soon the place was bouncing and the audience spanned all age groups. Lack of Afro responded to the crowd and they have that certain something that elevates the best which is being fluid yet simultaneously tight in the delivery.
If you hadn't guessed it we loved it
I will try to add some photos when I get home to my laptop

[CN211276]

Saw Suzi Quatro at the New Theatre Cardiff last night, a gig that was originally scheduled for St Davids Hall last year prior to the problem with the roof. Well worth waiting for. A two hour set with a break in the middle. She was more energetic than when I previously saw her 44 years ago, clad in the leather gear for the second half of the set.

She was a trail blazer, paving the way for women in hard rock. There was a good dialogue with the audience where she expressed her gratitude to Mickey Most. In 1971 he visited the US with Jeff Beck and Cozy Powell. They were impressed with her demo tape, took her to the UK and the rest is history. She performed the track which won over Mickey Most. Amongst the covers was Rockin in the free world, as with the artist from the US I saw a week earlier. A very good evening.

[NSNO2021]

BBC orchestra playing northern soul classics at the Liverpool philharmonic hosted by Stu Maconie. The music was excellent but I still struggle with seated events, I feel constrained. That said Liverpool is always a good night out with some amazing old authentic pubs.

From Liverpool it was off to the Camden Jazz Cafe on the Tuesday to see Leela James in the second of her two sold out UK gigs.
If you truly love the emotion of a live gig then this ticked all the boxes. I felt privileged to have been at it, it was a life affirming event