James Arden checks out the garage rockers latest album.
The Christian rock band from Brighton bring religion to the masses.
Recipe for modern R'n'B album: liberal helpings of guest rappers and an overdose of sexual euphemisms.
Joan Coffey kicked off the night with a fantastic set. After a haunting and unsettling opening song, “Damned”, Coffey immediately put the audience at ease with her warmth and wit. She showed off her versatility, switching between parody, ballad and jaunty folk rock seamlessly. A favourite of her set was “We Know You’re From Croydon”, a satirical response to white middle-class rappers who adopt fake personas and mocked her for singing in her Irish accent.
Coffey is more than just a comic writer however. Her powerful, pure voice was perfectly complemented by understated guitar, putting the focus where it should be on her stunning vocals. Coffey’s lyrics are bitter sweet and honest which makes her songs all the more resonant to the listener. “Don’t Tell Me” is a great example of this, documenting the sour end of a relationship.
Excitement rippled through the packed venue in the build up to Thea Gilmore's set. This is no surprise, with the acclaimed artist having garnered praise in the music press ever since her debut release at age 18. Her undeniable talent was underlined by the huge cross-section of ages present at the gig: from students to old hippies to twenty-something professionals. It was refreshing to have a gig with such a diverse audience and made for a warm atmosphere.
The set featured heavily material from her latest album, Liejacker, although it was a relief that earlier material also made the cut. Her performance kicked off with the beautiful and moving “Old Soul”, a duet on her album with Dave McCabe of The Zutons. Live, McCabe’s part is handled superbly by Gilmore’s chief collaborator, producer, and husband, Nigel Stonier. In fact, Stonier along with the violinist, Fluff, are a crucial factor behind the success of Gilmore’s performance. Their harmonies and contributions to songs such as “If You Miss Me At The Back of The Bus” were truly wonderful to listen to and complemented Gilmore’s stunning vocals.
In keeping with the sparse, basic approach adopted on Liejacker, the gig was acoustic and folk based, which gave the audience the opportunity to soak in, and admire an incredible performer.
Gilmore formed an easy rapport with gig-goers, being instantly likeable for her modesty and wry sense of humour. Gilmore interspersed songs with personal stories and insights that made a real connection with the audience. A particular highlight was “Are You Ready”, Thea Gilmore’s version of a protest song, where Gilmore got the crowd to sing the chorus. There was a real sense of camaraderie at this point, with many of the older members of the audience clearly thinking back to the days where the protest song had greater prominence.
Showcasing Gilmore’s ability to turn her hand to anything, a cover of Pink’s “Get the Party Started” was another hit of the night. A folk version of this song really shouldn’t have worked yet it was fantastic and far superior to the original! It is testament to her talent that Gilmore’s performance can make any song infinitely more interesting.
Thea Gilmore’s album, “Liejacker”, is on sale now and you can also find her on myspace.
I love Thea and enjoyed the gig but didn't think it was her best (Leeds in June was awesome).
I would disagree about Joan Coffey, I thought she was poor, naff songs and poor jokes - the Croydon song was tosh in my opinion. Though her last song made good use of what was a lovely voice.
In terms of Thea I was probably not as amazed simply because I am obsessed with Rules for Jokers, which as you implied, didn't feature too heavily. Still, awesome singer songwriter.
Not sure about Stonier though, think he over-produces her work, at Leeds she did a lot of stuff without him next to her and the stripped back sound was amazing. Plus he can't sing.
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