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PLAYING OUT LOUD!
ARTICLES
Clinic. Preview by Peter Ashton.
 To
get the highly eccentric Liverpudlian band Clinic to play at The Railway Inn in
Winchester is a ridiculous coup for a small venue. This grammy-nominated band,
adored in America, has toured with Radiohead at the request of Thom Yorke and
normally plays in much larger venues. The reason they are playing in Winchester
on Wednesday August 18 is that their new album released this month, is entitled
"Winchester Cathedral", and they wanted to celebrate with a special launch show
in the city which inspired it.
Clinic hail from Liverpool, and they're a four-piece, but that's as close to The
Beatles as the band gets. With their album “Walking With Thee” the band
demonstrate a different kind of genius. Not completely abandoning The Beatles'
harmonies and stunning melodies that were everywhere when the band members were
growing up, Clinic takes pop into a new direction, incorporating punk, New Wave,
and plenty of dark, atmospheric grooves. But to Clinic, it's simply rock 'n'
roll.
In 2000 the band released its debut album, “Internal Wrangler” which revealed
such influences as Suicide, Velvet Underground and The Beatles. It earned the
band a tour with Radiohead, a John Peel session, and found them at the top of
nearly every critics' top ten list. The 2002 follow-up, “Walking With Thee”
expanded the band's sound, taking on a darker, more atmospheric style. To
support it, the band embarked on a US tour for the first time, playing to sold
out crowds at nearly every venue and soon embarked on a second US tour.
Clinic has made quite a name for itself on the festival scene too, playing
Reading and several European festivals. One of the things people have come to
enjoy at all their live appearances is the fact that Clinic dress up in surgical
gear - scrubs, gloves, and facemasks. Absolutely nothing to do with the music,
but different anyway.
The gig at The Railway is expected to sell out very quickly so ring 01962 867795
straight away.
Billie Joyce. Preview by Peter Ashton
 Get
on over to the Eastney RMA Tavern at 100 Cromwell Road, Southsea on Tuesday
August 10 if you like bluesy roots rock. Nashville-based singer-songwriter
Billie Joyce is appearing there with Shawn Jones whom I assume is her guitarist.
Originally from Kamsack, Saskatchewan in Canada, Billie has been
described as “something like a swampier Bonnie Raitt” so she should be worth a
listen.
Billie started performing when she was five years old. When she turned
seventeen, she left the family farm and went on the road, touring across Canada
and the States with her country rock band. But she later left the road for love
and settled in Thunder Bay, Ontario, where she worked as a prison guard in a
maximum security prison for men, and as a counsellor in a home for battered
women. But some dreams will not rest, and when she relocated once again to
Nashville Tennessee, the call of music took over.
Once in Music City USA, where songwriting is king, she began composing and
recording the music that had been bottled up inside for so long. Writing from a
woman's perspective, the songs came out strong, insightful and honest.
In the summer of 2002, Billie Joyce recorded and released her debut album “Love
Tone” on G.I.G. Records. She has since toured The Netherlands, England and
South Eastern USA in support of radio airplay for her album.
In October of 2003, Billie Joyce produced and performed in the first annual
Independents for Independence Benefit Concert in Nashville, Tennessee. This
featured a cast of independent artists performing for freedom from violence
against women. It was apparently an amazing show which raised money and
awareness for the YW Domestic Violence Center in Nashville TN. Billie is
currently writing for her next album and no doubt some of the new songs will be
on her set list at the RMA Tavern along with others from “Love
Tone.” Her style is described as passionate and sensual. For more details of the
Southsea gig ring 02392 826246 or see Billie’s website
www.billiejoyce.com .
Hohodza. Preview by Peter Ashton
 Hopefully
the sun will shine for the Hohodza Band from Zimbabwe when they
appear at Southsea Bandstand on the afternoon of Sunday August 15. Their
mission
is to entertain and to spread the art of traditional African music and dance
with their energetic act. The free concert starts at 1pm.
Hohodza, which incidentally is the name for “woodpecker” in the Shona
language, was
formed in 1992 by Professor Portia P Gwanzura, one of the band’s two lead
vocalists.
She and the other lead vocalist Simbarashe "Simba" Mudzingwa are
complemented by a top bunch of nine musicians and six glamorous dancing queens
who also handle backing vocals. Their sound is a mix of traditional and modern
African music fused with a solid electric rhythm section, punctuated by
rapid-fire guitar typical of Zimbabwe bands. Portia composes most of the songs
herself and some are done by band members.
Equipped with traditional instruments Hohodza released their first album
“Mudzimu Hautengwi” in 1995. Since then the band have released ten more albums
and taken their special brand of Agrican music to South Africa, Belgium,
England, Wales, and Holland. Their show is very much a spectacular music and
dance
experience as they play in colourful costumes, getting audiences on their
feet to dance to the irresistible beat.
Southsea Bandstand is a natural ampitheatre on a superb site down by the
sea behind the D-Day Museum and there’s plenty of parking nearby. Food and
drink is available on site.
Amy Wadge. Preview Peter Ashton
 Singer-songwriter
Amy Wadge, who appears at this month’s Southsea Folk & Roots Festival on Sunday
August 29 is an artist whose career is very much on the up. Having played
support on major tours with Eric Bibb and Jeff Beck over the last couple of
years, she has also just released a new album “Woj” which has
been getting excellent reviews.
Born in the village of Backwell, just outside Bristol, Amy was getting her first
Radio 1 airplay at the age of just 14. As half of the girl-group Two of A Mind
she recorded a cover version of “The Great Pretender” which reached number 75 in
the charts. Aged 16, Amy decided to go solo, performing as a singer/songwriter.
She went on to study at the Royal Welsh College of Music and
Drama, and settled permanently in Wales.
Her first single “Saddest Eyes” was released in 2001 and in 2002 she followed it
up with the mini album “The Famous Hour” which drew a huge response and let to
Amy playing at the BBC 6 launch party alongside Lenny Kravitz and Embrace. Last
Summer Amy played the Cambridge Folk Festival and the Mardi Gras in Cardiff to
30,000 people and was heralded by the French National Press as the 'Highlight'
of the Lorient Interceltique Festival in France. She has already been booked for
a number of major festivals in the UK as well as headlining the 'Welsh Night' at
Lorient last summer to some 40,000 people.
Only five foot tall, the blue-eyed Amy has been picking up plaudits in the press
with Q Magazine describing her as “a pint-sized poetess with a Valley-quaking
voice.” Amy is also a member of Equity and has worked as an actress and dancer
in productions including “Pump Boys & Dinettes.” An accomplished horse-rider she
also holds a Dramatic Combat Certificate, which I assume makes her a stuntgirl.
But she doesn’t get much time for anything but singing and writing these days.
All the songs on her latest album “Woj” (which is a phonetic reminder of how to
pronounce her name!) were written by Amy. You can read a review of this
excellent album in our Reviews section.
Amy will be playing on the same bill as Ezio in The Albert Tavern on South
Parade Pier on Sunday August 29. For ticket details ring Barking Spider Hotline
on: 023 9243 6267
Mark Lanegan. Preview by Peter Ashton
 Former
vocalist with The Screaming Trees, Mark Lanegan is touring with his band to
support his new album “Bubblegum” and calls in at The Wedgewood Rooms at
Southsea on Thursday August 26. The American singer-songwriter’s 5th solo album
is released this month.
Mark was formerly lead singer with the Seattle-based band Screaming Trees.
Now defunct, Screaming Trees fused '60s psychedelia and garage rock with '70s
hard rock and '80s punk. Over the course of their career, their sound eventually
evolved into a hard-edged, rootsy psychedelia style combining rock and folk.
equally. Throughout their career, the Trees were notorious for drinking and
fighting, which caused them to break up briefly at several points in their
career. Despite this the band managed to build a dedicated following.
Brothers Van Conner (bass) and Gary Lee Conner (guitar) formed Screaming Trees
with
Mark Lanegan (vocals) in the mid-'80s. The trio met at high school where their
interest in punk, garage rock, and independent music led to their formation.
Taking their name from a guitar distortion pedal, Screaming Trees recorded their
first album “Clairvoyance” in 1986. They recorded another five albums with
varying success before they eventually broke up.
Meanwhile, Mark had already recorded three solo albums while with The Trees, and
soon released another solo album “I’ll Take Care of You” a collection of covers
by artists that had inspired and influenced him over the years.
Mark’s new album demonstrates his continued growth as a songwriter with a set of
varied and introspective songs.
Musical assistance on “Bubblegum” comes from luminaries including Queen Of The
Stone Age bandmates Joshua Homme and Nick Oliveri and singer PJ Harvey who
provides vocals on two tracks.
For more details of the The Wedgewood Rooms gig on August 26 ring 02392 293301.
Pronghorn. Preview by Peter Ashton
 Are
Pronghorn Dorset’s favourite band? It certainly looks like everybody loves “The
Kings of Cowpunk” judging by the number of gigs they’re getting.
Having wound up another great Larmer Tree Festival last month with their usual
storming finale the frenetic Parkstone punk-folkers are appearing in a one-day
festival at The Scout Hut in the village of Sixpenny Handley in Dorset on
Saturday August 21.
The rest of their gigs all seem to be in their home county which is a bit rough
on their many fans, including me, in Hampshire. Here is the rest of their
schedule for August:
Sat 7th- The Oakdale, Poole
Fri 13th - The George, Poole
Sat 14th - Lulworth Festival (4pm)
Thu 19th - The Plough, Tiptoe
Fri 25th - Lord Nelson, Poole
Sun 29th - The Gander, Bournemouth
Mon 30th - Poole Park
The line-up for Endorse It In Dorset also includes Dead Plants, Highliners,
Myseer, Peeping Toms, The Equidistant Sound, The Hat, The Splott Brothers,Toupe,
Tragic Roundabout and The Trailer Trash Orchestra. Contact LAMMA of Pronghorn
for info on 07818402201 or see the website
www.lgofestivals.co.uk
or www.pronghorn.co.uk
.
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Clinic.
The Railway Inn Winchester.
Wednesday 18
Billie Joyce.
Eastney RMA Tavern Southsea. Tuesday 10
Hohodza.
Southsea Bandstand Southsea.
Sunday 15
Amy Wadge. Southsea Festival Southsea.
Sunday 29.
Mark Lanegan. Wedgewood Rooms. Southsea.
Thursday 26.
Pronghorn.
The Scout Hut Sixpenny Handley. Saturday 21. |
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