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Gig Reviews
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 LARMER
TREE FESTIVAL, TOLLARD ROYAL, NR SALISBURY – JULY 11 – 15
The dampest Larmer Tree I’ve ever been to, but also the most rewarding
musically. In fact, more performers than ever before and the standard was
extremely high. Setting the standard was the inimitable Jools Holland with his
Rhythm & Blues Orchestra including special guest Lulu, who went down a storm.
Anybody following that had to be good and they were. Courtney Pine and his band
the next night went down a storm before the rains came.
 But
the joys of the Larmer Tree are numerous – the setting, the music, the food, the
atmosphere and the general feeling of friendliness amongst the crowd. But the
main joy for me this year was seeing a lot more young people in the crowd and
some talented young singers and musicians on the various stages. And I’m pleased
to report that the so-called ‘local’ talent from Dorset and Hampshire stood up
well in comparison to well-known names like Billy Bragg and Nick Harper. Namely
bands like Betika, Glowglobes and Black Bart. Glowglobes in particular were, for
me, the discovery of the festival – I actually bought their CD. Glowglobes are
the duo John Holmes and Laura Griffin and they were both original and
captivating in the guise of Glowglobes.
 As
usual the music was eclectic – from the countrified sounds of Piney Gir to the
rocking style of The Muvs, to the Cajun music of The Pine Leaf Boys. More young
talent was displayed by The Rumble Strips with their big soulful sound, and
family band Kitty, Daisy and Lewis turned the clock back with some great old
style rock n’ roll. The Tom Fun Orchestra from Canada were highly enjoyable, but
got a strangely muted response from the crowd.
Another Canadian band Mauvais Sort got a better reception with their blend of
classical, jazz, Latino and folk.
 There
was also more street theatre than ever this year with Mike Hancock turning up
all over the place to involve the crowd in his routines, The Autograph Hunters
accosting everyone in sight and of course The (Mis) Guided Tours causing mayhem
as usual. And those people on stilts bedecked with peacock feathers were the
vane Cocky Peaple (sic).
So another great Larmer Tree Festival, the 17th I think, and I am already
looking forward to the 18th.
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CD Album Reviews
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CD Album Reviews added throughout the month. Watch
this space!
CD Single Reviews
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BY MARTIN SIRL
What’s A Girl To Do? by Bat For Lashes
A truly intriguing release from Brighton’s Natasha Khan, aka Bat For Lashes.
There are elements of Goldfrapp, Bollywood and The Shangri-las all jostling for
position here, with this bright young lady clearly influenced by everything from
sixties pop to modern day techno. But what really makes this work are Khan’s
vocals which are simultaneously chilling yet charming. Add a near faultless
production into the equation and there is plenty here to make one suspect that
the highly tipped Miss Khan might soon be doing for the music business what her
uncle did for squash.
Hold On by Razorlight
Few would dispute the fact that, over the last couple of years, Razorlight have
found a knack of creating something which is as near to perfect pop as anything
else around today. So we can only hope that Johnny and the boys don’t begin to
rest on their laurels because this release has an ominous air of water treading
about it. Boppy and likeable it may be, but in truth this also steers perilously
near to muzak territory. Without that certain something that made America so
good, Hold On is really just the musical equivalent of a paper towel; it
arrives, does its job, and then is quickly gone and forgotten.
Don’t Stop Now by Crowded House
There’s something about Crowded House that you just can’t help but like. MOR
mainstays they may be, but the songs are rarely anything other than crisp,
classy and flawless. This one does take a few plays to really click, but pretty
soon it’s as though they never went away. Lyrically clever and with a chorus to
die for this could have come from any Crowded House album as the men from down
under have never tampered too much with a winning formula. And the presence of
Johnny Marr on guitar and Steve Lillywhite on production duties merely add
additional assurances of success, if they were needed.
This Is An Advertisement by Jakobinarina
Weird anti-establishment ranting from teenage Icelandic punks. Lots of shouting,
orange box drumming and a wall of distorted buzz saw guitar makes for a general
cacophony of sound which is irreverent, shambolic and spanking good
entertainment. Jakobinarina won’t make records like this when they’re all grown
up so enjoy them now before they realise there’s more to life than making noise
and having fun.
Picture Of You by Mr Hudson
The former Oxford graduate returns with pleasant but unremarkable love song in
the style of Sting and Ben Folds. The piano is sweet and Hudson’s voice is once
again right on the mark, but ultimately the song is just too weak, sounding like
not much more than a B-side or album bonus track. Mr Hudson and the Library
performed six times at this year’s Glastonbury suggesting that staying power
isn’t a problem, but Hudson’s songs will need a lot more staying power than this
if his band are serious about gaining any real, lasting success.
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