Single Of The Week ~ Skinny Lister ~ Trouble On Oxford Street

This weeks 'Single Of The Week' comes from the band called Skinny Lister. These guys are an English folk infused punk/rock 6 piece band from London that are all about making a scene. They play wherever their hearts desire and they perform it in emphatic fashion. With the likes of double bass and accordion added into the mix of their sound, you're bound to love these guys. 

Having newly signed to Xtra Mile Recordings, (home to the likes of Frank Turner, To Kill A King and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah) their new single 'Trouble On Oxford Street' is a very bubbly, happy and good ol' fashioned all round dance folk record. With the vocalists unique blend of English come Londoner accent, it makes for a really interesting track. The song gets right into it from the off with the whole band singing part of the chorus. The verses are telling the tale of a guy who's been in a fight on Oxford Street where he's 'lost a little blood and a couple of teeth'. 

The words to the song could be quite dark, but because of the melody and energy of the track, it makes the whole thing seem like a lot of fun. A little bit like if you went out with your mates one night, things got a little bit out of hand and then the next day you all found it funny. 

The video (which I will leave a the bottom of this review) is again, lots of energy, fun-filled and involves London as a whole. The band play on the streets of what I presume is Oxford Street, playing their song on a bus and at a live venue. With double bass twirling, accordion throwing and lots of dancing between the six of them, its no wonder these guys are making a name for themselves. 

Skinny Lister have announced a massive Spring tour too which starts at the end of April and carries on into May. If their live shows are anything like the video, then you're all in for a treat and I may have to go buy myself a ticket too! 

Here's the tour dates:

22/04 Birmingham   The Rainbow 
23/04 Glasgow       Nice N Sleazy
24/04 Edinburgh     Voodoo Rooms
25/04 Newcastle     Cluny 2
28/04 Manchester   The Deaf Institute 
29/04 Leeds           Brudenell Social Club
30/04 Sheffield       The Leadmill
01/05 Nottingham   Bodega
02/05 Cambridge    J2 @ Cambridge Junction 
05/05 Bristol          The Exchange
06/05 Cardiff          Clwb Ifor Bach
07/05 London         O2 Islington Academy
08/05 Norwich        Waterfront Studio
09/05 Leicester       O2 Academy 2


So head on down to one of these dates next year for what is guaranteed a great night. Their new album lands next April 20th 2015 called 'Down On Deptford Broadway' which I personally cannot wait for! So go on... check out this very energetic and thrilling folk/punk band and have a good ol' dance in your house (or work if you're brave enough).

With thanks also to Partisan PR for introducing me to the band. Thanks for reading and until next time. 

Lewis 

'Trouble On Oxford Street'

Website: http://skinnylister.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/skinnylister

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skinnylister

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/skinnylister

Live Review ~ Joanne Shaw Taylor ~ Shepherds Bush Empire 19/11/2014

The evening started out in anticipation from Whitesnake guitarist Bernie Marnsden. He graced his presence on stage and was performing acoustically to start the evening off. He was welcomed by the crowd with a huge round of applause. Has a great stage presence that had the whole venue intently listening. 

Halfway through his set Bernie brings out a lovely looking velvet red double necked guitar. He said 'I've owned this for 40 years' and the tone that came from that guitar couldn't be re-created, it was a mesmerising sound. One stand-out song for me was his rendition of 'Dragonfly' by Fleetwood Mac. A beautiful rendition of which was one of Bernie's favourites to play. 

In-between songs he was cracking jokes and telling stories from his adventures on the road. He dedicated a few songs to certain people like Bobby Bland and Gary Moore. Before the song 'Dragonfly' he amused us with his attempt to bring Peter Green into the studio to record this song with Bernie for his latest album. As he played his final note of the set, the audience erupted in applause and before he left the stage he said "thanks for listening". 

Photo by MHP Studios

After a short interval, Joanne Shaw Taylor came onto the stage with her band and blasted into 'Mud Honey', the latest single off her new album 'The Dirty Truth'. The three opening songs were fast-paced and packed full of solo's from Taylor. Though at times were hard to pick out every note, you could see from her expressions she meant each one. 

The song "Jealousy" brought the high energy down to a slow number. This was the song that everyone could really start to hear the emotion Taylor puts into each song as the band were playing at the very minimum and let Taylor sing out the lyrics. In the solo she managed to muster up the highest notes on her guitar possible which was very impressive and a show in itself. 

With the gig in full swing, Taylor is bringing out top level blues for each song. At one point she introduces one of her band members on keys and the lighting focuses on him. Preparing myself for an epic keys solo it was cut short to carry on the song which was a slight oversight for the evening. She even added some comedy about her song "Wrecking Ball" and a comparison to Miley Cyrus that had the hall erupt with laughter. 

Coming into the latter end of the gig, Bernie Marnsden was re-introduced back onto the stage that was accompanied by another huge round of applause from the audience. They played two songs together that were "Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues" and "Let It Burn". In the second song Taylor and Marnsden battled it out with a call and response both constantly smiling as they pick out their best work to demonstrate to each other. It was great to see both having such a good time. 

The whole performance seemed to have notched up a gear after Bernie left the stage once again. The whole band seemed to be pumped with energy and really getting into each song. Strong and grungy guitar melodies were the essence of the final few numbers from Taylor's set. 

Photo by John Bull

Joanne's solo in "Going Home" was the best of the evening. Each note engraved into her fingers to be blasted out to the audience. It was a real spectacle of true emotion played into just one solo. Out of all the solo's she performed on the night, this was one the stand-out even if the others were just as spectacular.

After her final song she left the stage and was asked back for more by the audience with continuous clapping and foot stomping. She came back to end the show with "The Dirty Truth". After she finished her encore everyone was applauding her as the house lights came on to end the show. The gig was a success for all and the audience left with smiles on their faces. 

In conclusion, Joanne Shaw Taylor put on a show and pulled out all the stops in her performance. Each song had its own identity and was executed with style, grace and power. I would recommend going to her live to anyone who enjoys seeing some impressive guitar solo's and hard-hitting blues. After the show Joanne seemed happy with herself and said how much she enjoyed this evenings event. I'm sure I will be back to see one of her gigs next year.

Album Review ~ Bear's Den ~ Islands

Hello!

Welcome to this weeks main review. This week I have a folk/alternative band to review that go by the name of Bear's Den who are from London, UK. The three piece released their debut album 'Islands' on 20th October and I'm here to tell you what the album is like. 

Their band name  "Bear's Den" has been a band I'd keep constantly hearing about. Whether it be BBC Radio 6, Radio 2 or just from other people recommending them. So I finally got round to jumping on Spotify and checking them out and was incredibly surprised at the quality of this three piece and nothing like what I was expecting. 

Bear's Den bring to the table an album of chilled out folk music accompanied with guitars and a banjo. Andrew Davie (vocals) brings out his calmly toned vocals to make the music sound delight to hear. This is not a band trying to make noise and get heard, they're making music by saying "You...come over here, sit with us and listen". I can't help when I listen to the record that I'm sitting round a camp fire and really taking in everything they're playing and saying about. Just me?

The album starts off with a cracking opener that is "Agape". Bringing together each main instrument, packing a punch from the drums followed by the distinctive vocals and some mellow backing vocals from Kev Jones and Joey Haynes. The backing vocals are very impressive and give the overall sound of the album promise for the other 9 songs much to look forward to. 

In the track "The Love We Stole", you can really get a feel for the Bear's Den sound. A sound that is very different to anything that is out there at the moment. When its hard for me to describe the genre and style of music, you know its good.

One of the more popular tracks on the album that is ""Above The Clouds Of Pompeii" starts off with a guitar rhythm that free-flowing and catchy. Everything just seems to fit for this song to be the best on the album. The bass drum at the end of the song can be quite heavy on the ears compared to the rest of the song, but this is only a minor set back.

The lyrics make the songs very home-grown, if I was to describe everything on the record in one word it would be home-grown. They all enjoy making the same music, nothing is over-done, nothing is pushed. Its all come from some inspirational songwriting and experience on the road. Quite a lot of the album involves adding things little by little. Possibly starting off with just a guitar and vocals, then adding bass, then a small drum beat. Its also adding in piano's and trumpets at the end to really give it a fulfilling end. 

"Think Of England" does the whole adding in instruments gradually very well. Its only until the end of the song you realise how much has been added since the beginning of the song when it ends with guitar and vocals. At the beginning of the song you know something is brewing with the beating bass drum accompanied with clapper and shaker. 


Songs like "Magdalene" on the record are as if they're just made for Bear's Den. A chilled out worry-free song was if it was meant to be written for them. Its so difficult to make something sound so relaxed and easy, this song does it very well. The vocals are the reason this song is so laid back, if it was a singer who signs very powerfully then it wouldn't work. 

In the song "When You Break", I think its a little unnecessary for them to say the line "I want to f*** away all my fear". I think the style that they're playing in has no need or use for swear words. Its meant to be free-flowing and heart warming, but throw in some swear words and it changes the mood of the album to angry and raging. 

Finishing off the album are some beautiful songs that include some of the most hauntingly graceful guitar tones as well as feeling like the album is coming to an end. The use of horns in "Elysium" bring everything together in the track to become one of the loudest, but is one of the best on the record. The last track "Bad Blood" also has this feeling of togetherness to bring an end to the album.

In conclusion, Bear's Den have really outdone themselves to produce an album of folk that I feel everyone should give a try. You'll more than likely find that you'll enjoy at least three of the songs on this album. There isn't a song on the album that is 'below par' from the others, each one has been carved into the 'Bear's Den' wooden hut to be shared with the world. I look forward to seeing what is in store for the band when they go on their first headline tour in 2015. 

Here are the dates: 

Fri 6 Feb	Birmingham	Temple	UK
Sun 8 Feb	Dublin	Workman’s Club	IE
Mon 09 Feb	Belfast	Voodoo	UK
Wed 11 Feb	Glasgow	Oran Mor	UK
Thu 12 Feb	Newcastle	Cluny	UK
Fri 13 Feb	Manchester	Gorilla	UK
Sun 15 Feb	Cardiff	Clwb Ifor Bach	UK
Mon 16 Feb	Oxford	Academy 2	UK
Wed 18 Feb	Brighton	Concorde 2	UK
Fri 20 Feb	Paris	Point Ephémère	FR
Sat 21 Feb	Brussels	Witloof Bar *NEW	BE
Mon 23 Feb	Amsterdam	Melkweg Old Hall	NL
Tue 24 Feb	Hamburg	Knust	DE
Wed 25 Feb	Cologne	Buergerhaus Stollwerck	DE
Fri 27 Feb	Munich	Strom	DE
Sat 28 Feb	Zurich	Mascotte	CH
Tue 3 Mar	London	O2 Shepherds Bush Empire	UK

Thanks for reading and until next time.

Lewis

Website: www.bearsdenmusic.co.uk/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bearsdenmusic

Twitter: twitter.com/bearsdenmusic

fiN "Life Is Wasted On The Living"

Welcome to my first blog!! :)

Introduction:
I will review an album which is dear to my heart by an unsigned band that I cannot stress enough about called fiN. These 4 lads from London are certainly talent to look out for. Luke (vocals), Jonny (guitar), Kerry (bass) and Simon (drums) are all incredibly talented and it shows in their studio and live productions.They are a DIY band with their own label 'Artisan Records', they have done everything for this album from producing, marketing, sales. I give this guys a massive credit for the amount of work they put into this band.
So fiN, this indie/rock band have created a debut album that is definitely one to look out for.

Review:
Their album 'Life Is Wasted On the Living' is a collection of all the singles into one album with 5 new tracks and 2 acoustic versions of their best known songs. One of the newer songs called "The Truth Lies in Honesty" is one of their best, its catchy, simple, yet one that you could hum along to for hours. As soon as those drums come in, its an instant head bopper. Its also a song I believe could easily be in the top 40 if these guys were more well known. 

Another new track 'Where Are You Now' is a beautiful track that puts all the mayhem and rock to the side and gets everyone to sit down and listen to how talented these guys really are. Its the same with '5am', although this track has a darker meaning to it than the other songs. Luke's rough edge to his voice gives the song a real unpolished grit to it which makes it so powerful!

The one criticism I have about the album is that all the singles they've released previously are in this album. Personally I bought all the singles on vinyl and I was a little disappointed that there weren't as many new songs as I would've hoped for. None the less the new songs are brilliant.

Top Three Tracks:

3. "The Artisan", first off, its a fully instrumental track. No lyrics, just pure unadulterated brilliance. The song slowly builds up during the course of it adding parts in one by one. Starting off with the side sticking from Simon on the drums, to piano, bass, guitar, backing vocals, percussion, you name it! They even did an acoustic version for the album which I was very happy about and its just as good as the original. One of the best instrumental tracks I've heard from a 4 piece band.

2. "Life Is Wasted On the Living", one of the best openings to a song. Enough said. 8 seconds of build up and BOOM there's your song. Having it cranked up sounds like an explosion coming in. Its exactly what everyone wants is to be hit with. The lyrics are very clever and true to many life stories. "Life is wasted on the living, life is wasted on the fools that walk away", I'm sure everyone reading this has a story from those lyrics. After the first listen I thought 'let me listen to that again', it therefore earns my 2nd spot.

1. "Twenty Three" The top dog song at number 1. I was introduced to fiN with this song and boy was I sold from the moment it started. Its a good ol' indie/rock song with everything you want to have a good head bang, dance, whatever floats your boat! Cracking guitar licks again with the band trying to say "Hey! You! We're fiN, come rock out with us". That's exactly what it does with an ending that leaves you squinting your eyes with the torture of the guitar tone. Wanting more. Epic.

Conclusion:
I have been gifted to see these guys live a few times and they have to be one of the best live acts I've seen because you can tell they put 110% into every gig they do. I had a blast at a gig last year in Camden to support their new album, they performed the album live from top to bottom and it couldn't of been a better show.

I have put some photos on this blog from the gig in Camden as a perspective of the emotion and performance they put into there gigs! Including one with Luke standing on the PA system which was a cracking shot.

Please go check out their album 'Life Is Wasted On the Living' on Spotify, Itunes and Youtube. Let me know what you thought of them. Until next time, thank you for reading and I hoped you enjoyed it!

Lewis :)

Website:
http://lifeiswastedontheliving.com/ 
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/fiNuk
Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBNbi8lzANN651dfzMUQMbQ?sub_confirmation=1
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/finUK

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated since this is my first blog and I want to try make this the best it can be. Thanks!