Martin Stephenson.
Talking Heads, Southampton.

MARTIN is one of those talented entertainers who never quite get the success they deserve. Highly individual and idiosyncratic, a gifted singer and
songwriter with a mellifluous guitar style, he is impossible to pigeonhole. A
highly variable performer, he is totally hypnotic at his best, and that’s what a
select “Heads” crowd experienced on this occasion.
Two hours of inspired entertainment kicked off with the gentle “Mountain Spring” and proceeded through gentle ballads, ragtime instrumentals and the occasional metaphysical rant. Favourites from way back like the alcoholics’ lament “Little Red Bottle” and the evocative ballad “Rain” were interspersed with humorous anecdotes and remarks from this intriguing character. Cheekily dedicating a song about folk storytelling, “The Oral Tradition,” to the late Mary Millington, he was as quirky as usual. A quietly hilarious interlude came
when he attempted to smoke and play a waltz instrumental at the same time - “you’re either cool or you’re not, eh?” - as Martin observed. The man is a national treasure.

The Paperboys.
Talking Heads, Southampton.

THIS ever-evolving Canadian band produced some fine entertainment at “The Heads.”
Led by singer and guitarist Tom Landa the energetic 5-piece played a
typically eclectic set ranging from Celtic reels to laid-back country rock reminiscent of The Eagles, to Latin rhythms plus a dash of soul. Opening with “String of Horses” the band soon warmed up a lively crowd with music which was both listenable and danceable.
Their full sound owes much to superb flute player Geoff and accomplished violinist Shannon, but the driving force of the band is dynamic frontman Tom who held the audiences’ attention throughout the set. Many of the songs were from the band’s latest double album including the engaging title track “Dilapidated Beauty” and a rousing version of Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower.” Most of The Paperboys music is upbeat and the dance floor was crowded right up to the closing “She Said.” Ideal Saturday night music from a highly talented band. (Photograph copyright Claire Edwards)

The Passion.
Thornden Hall, Chandlers Ford.

NO wonder Jacquie Dankworth, Sara Colman and Liane Carroll call themselves The Passion - the emotion and pure feeling that the trio put into their songs was intense and uplifting. There was a strong feminist tract too on some of their songs, notably the plaintive “One Good Reason” written by Jacquie about an abusive relationship.
But it wasn’t all doom and gloom - the trio’s glorious voices and
Liane’s quirky piano style united in some upbeat songs too, notably on the honky-tonk style “Neverland” and a cover of The Isley Brother’s “Harvest For The World.” Though the individual members of The Passion all have their roots in jazz their music branches out into blues, gospel and mainstream ballads, but harmony is the key to this splendid group.
A highlight of the second half came when 54 members of the audience who had attended a vocal workshop earlier joined the ladies on stage to perform a joyous gospel song. Indeed, it was a concert which just got better and better as the evening went on, and I was sorry when it finished. Great entertainment.And what a nice bunch of ladies they are - they even posed for a picture during the interval! (Photograph copyright Claire Edwards)

Sinnerboy.
The Brook, Southampton.
16-4-04

Almost 10 years to the day since Rory Gallagher, one of the finest blues/rock guitarists sadly passed away, I found myself with some friends at The Brook to watch SINNERBOY, a tribute band to him. What can I say? What a show!
Opening with the blistering “Shinkicker” the band played a blinder.
And as Barry Barnes, lead singer and guitarist put it, he would rather that they weren’t there as a tribute and that Rory was still here, but this was the next best thing.
It takes a big man to fill Rory’s shoes and Barry was up to the challenge.
Ably backed by Dave Burns on bass and drummer Steve Richardson, they played a well-paced set for two and a half hours mixing acoustic blues like “Western Plains”with up tempo rock/blues like “Bought and Sold.” A fine rendition of “Walk On Hot Coals” took the enthusiastic crowd back to the Irish Tour ’74 LP.
“Wayward Child,” one of my favourites was superb, and when they played “Sinnerboy” from the days when Rory was with Taste, the crowd were asked to shout out song titles for the band to play, making for a really good atmosphere and a bit of friendly banter between the band and the audience. Closing the set with the rocking “Shadowplay” and finishing with “Bullfrog Blues” everyone went home very happy and asking when they would be back!
One favour from me, can they play ”Last of the Independents” for me?
Thanks for a great show. (Guest review by Ian Hill)

Fish
The Brook, Southampton.

The towering figure of Derek W Dick, better known as Fish, dominated the stage from the moment be bounded on brandishing what turned out to be a swordstick. His 5-piece band appeared a little nervous early on, not surprisingly as the intense Scotsman has a rather menacing quality. Most of the songs sung with passion to a sell-out crowd were from his new concept album “A Field of Crows,” a collection of songs varying from plaintive ballads to prog-rock. Fish was in fine voice throughout but I must confess to being mystified by some of the lyrics, and am not much wiser having scanned them on his website.
But the overall effect was dramatic, engrossing and very atmospheric.
Songs like “The Field,” “The Lost Plot” and “Scattering Crows” were well-worked and highly individual, and I did pick up on the “life is a jungle “ theme inhabiting “Moving Targets” and “Zoo Class” and the love lament of “Exit Wound” was highly accessible. A highly charismatic performer whose voice seems to have mellowed over the last few years gave The Brook crowd an evening to remember. (Photograph copyright Claire Edwards)

The Rutles
The Brook, Southampton.

ANYONE not familiar with the 1978 Beatles TV parody “The Rutles” would have been a bit puzzled by this gig, but The Brook was packed with people who obviously knew all about an Eric Idle-conceived show which has become a legend.
Ex-Bonzo Neil Innes, pictured left fronted a band which has grown to six
members from the original bunch of Dirk, Barry, Stig & Nasty. They produced a witty and affectionate pastiche of The Beatles’ music full of musical jokes, borrowed riffs and vocal mimicry recalling those far-off days of Beatlemania.
For “Ouch!” read “Help!”, “Hey Diddle Diddle” read “I Am The Walrus” and so on. This skilled bunch of musicians repeated the original exercise with humour and panache.
From the rocking “Number One” based on “Twist and Shout” to “A Girl Like You” echoing the harmonies of “If I Fell” it was spot-on. No room to mention all the musicians individually, but the keyboard player was an orchestra in himself. Fab!

Hazel O’Connor
The Brook, Southampton.

ALL neat in black stockings, black outfit & rasta beads in her hair, Hazel turned in a typically feisty performance here with her excellent 6-piece band The Subterraneans.
Starting off with the rhythmic “Give Me An Inch,” Hazel’s powerful, soulful vocals lit up well over a dozen songs including the early upbeat impressers “Runaway” and “Blackman” and the poignant “If Only.”
Hazel’s band were immaculate throughout with classy sax player Billy
receiving extended applause for his solos on Hazel’s classic 80s hit “Will You.”
The dramatic hit “8th Day” was another song an enthusiastic crowd had been waiting for, and they weren’t disappointed as Hazel belted it out full throttle.
A memorable gig came to a close with the haunting “Driftwood.”
Personality, power and pathos were all facets of a performance from Hazel that was entertaining, uplifting and totally engrossing. Full marks to The Subterraneans too for providing a full sound without drowning out Hazel’s unique voice. (Photograph copyright Claire Edwards)

BANGSTICK
SOUND
LEICESTER SQUARE
12/3/04

We arrived at Leicester Square at 9pm and went straight to 'Sound' to hear the showcase for this well known Southampton band. I didn't know what to expect and had been asked to go to the gig to show support with friends of the band. Bangstick maybe a household name for the frequenters of the Lizard Lounge and Orange Rooms in Southampton but if like me you live in Winchester, they are a new outfit.
The showcase area was clearly filled by the Southampton Posse and disappointingly, previous bands had failed to bring their supporters to boost the crowd. Nevertheless, the moment Bangstick came on stage, it didn't matter if you were diehard fans from Southampton, locals or industry scouts, their funky elctro-pop beats got everyone moving their feet and shaking their stuff. You couldn't help but feel uplifted and knew that the evening was finally worth the journey.
Bangstick consist of 5 members who are individually accomplished musicians - Guitars, Drums, Keyboards and additional Keyboards and samples. Put them together and they compliment each others styles - no room for egos here, everyone just gets on with the groove!
Laura is the lead singer and they say that good things come in small packages and never a truer word was spoken. Full of character and charisma with an outstanding voice, Laura is the icing on the cake.
Bangstick only got to showcase a few of their songs and their final tune 'Come and Get it' had the audience crying out for more. Bangstick had already won over their Southampton fans, but they've made new friends in London's clubs and bars and a record contract should be on its way.....move over Craig David, Southampton's finest is in town!
(Guest review by Lyn Croker)

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