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Home Start here for the best in live music LIVE GUIDE Complete area by area guide to live music in the South News The latest live music news Reviews Great musicians, great gigs & great reviews! Articles POLs exclusive interviews and gig previews Competitions The Best and the rest the South has to offer! Archive If you missed it, it's right here! Contact Links	POL Articles Shady Gordon Interview with Peter Ashton          “I’M THE male Norah Jones,” says Dorset’s finest export, singer-songwriter Gordon Haskell. “That’s what they reckon in Germany anyway. Norah and I did an hour each of our songs on a German TV programme, and the people there noted that we appealed to the same audience. That’s something that hasn’t been picked up by the music press in this country.”         Gordon is currently promoting the new album “Shadows On The Wall“ which has just been released. “I’m thrilled to bits with it,” enthuses Gordon. “We did most of it at Warehouse Studios in Oxford, and the production by young Steve Watkins has worked wonders to bring out the sound of every instrument.”         “Harry’s Bar” has sold over 320,000 copies to date, and the single “How Wonderful You Are” over 260,000, but the success of both is ongoing. “The single has hit the charts all over Europe’” confirmed Gordon. “It’s just hit the charts in France - every month another country falls for the single and the album - we’re expecting million plus sales in America.”         “Shadows On The Wall” picks up where “Harry’s Bar” left off, nine of his own songs, plus two covers. The emphasis on strong melodies and sincere lyrics is an ongoing feature of his new work. “I haven’t changed,” says Gordon, “everything I write means something. I’m not in this for the money - I’m more interested in the spiritual side of things and creating something which will make people happy; there’s not enough kindness in the world.”         Gordon is keen to praise the musicians who worked with him on the album including guitarist Robbie McIntosh, drummer Sam Kelly and Eric Bibb’s pianist Janne Peterssen. “Their immense talent and respect has helped me emormously,” says Gordon, “and their company is one of the great joys of being a musician.”         Gordon kicks off an 11-date tour with Robbie McIntosh in the middle of this month with the new single from the album, “Whole Wide World” released a few weeks later in time for a shot at that elusive No.1 spot just missed last year.         Meanwhile Gordon looks ahead with enthusiasm. “I’m one hundred per cent confident about the future,” says Gordon. “I just want to keep on writing songs and singing them.” Fans of the warm and affable troubador will also be glad to hear that Gordon intends to play many more live gigs next year.         The current tour reaches The Brook, Southampton on Friday November 29th (tel: 01329 231942), coincidentally the day on which “Whole Wide World” is released. (©Peter Ashton 2002) Click here for Gordon Haskells "Shadows on the wall" CD Review. Simpson's homer Preview by Peter Ashton         A GUITARIST described as “one of the finest finger pickers and slide players of all time” by no less than Guitar Player magazine plays a gig at Southampton’s Talking Heads venue onTuesday December 17. He’s Martin Simpson, a professional folk musician from the age of fifteen.         Born in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, Martin was exposed to a vast variety of music from an early age: Dad enjoyed light opera and Victorian parlour ballads, while his older brothers constantly played rock, jazz, R&B, and blues records. Martin learnt guitar when he was twelve and was soon playing in public, sitting in with performers like Maddy Prior, Martin Carthy and Christy Moore at the local folk club near his home.         Martin did not release his first album, “Golden Vanity” until 1976, the same year he joined Steeleye Span, opening for them in some of the biggest rock venues in England. It looked like Martin was going to enjoy huge mainstream success, but life is never straightforward in the music business.         He became embroiled in a contract dispute with his record company and it was five years before a new Simpson album “Special Agent “ appeared. Shortly afterwards he joined singer June Tabor in a professional partnership which lasted for a decade, recording three albums together. He also worked with Richard Thompson, Martin Carthy and the Albion Band, and recorded three more solo albums.         In 1985 he married the American singer songwriter and poet Jessica Radcliffe. They recorded the album “True Dare Or Promise” together and formed the band Flash Company with John B. Spencer. The band was short-lived and Martin and Jessica moved to America, initially living in New York and then, in the early ‘90s, relocating to Santa Cruz, California.         During the 90s Martin was involved in eight albums, including solo and collaborative work. His last album “The Bramble Briar” saw him return to his roots of English traditional folk. It earnt him Best Album of the Year and Instrumentalist of the Year in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards of 2002. Admission to the Talking Heads gig is £7 on the door. (©Peter Ashton 2002) Kippered Sid Preview by Peter Ashton         FOLK SINGER, storyteller, radio presenter, author; Sid Kipper is a man of many talents. Recent appearances have included concerts in Hong Kong and The Shetland Isles, but on Saturday December 14 he plays a slightly less exotic venue, Headley Village Hall, near Alton.         Legend has it that Sid started singing at school, but was sent home immediately! Undeterred, his vocal talents were finally discovered in 1984 when folk enthusiasts heard Sid and his dad Henry singing. Father and son toured extensively as The Kipper Family until 1992 when Sid went solo.         A typical Sid Kipper concert usually consists of a mixture of songs, stories and folk wisdom. Sid takes audience on a trip down the Trans-Norfolk Highway to the village where Rev 'Call Me Derek' Bream cycles from Dunsinnin to the village hall for the Over Eighties Aerobics and where PC Chubb relentlessly trails Cyril Cockle, who is quite innocent, and is therefore arrested for wasting police time.         Folk and arts festivals, theatres and arts centres, village halls and folk clubs all over England, Scotland and Wales are Sid’s main stomping grounds, but his talent in communicating with audiences has extended to radio. He has become a regular on BBC Radio 2’s “Folk On 2”, worked as a roving reporter for “Kaleidoscope” on Radio 4, and has hosted his own series on Radio 4.         Sid's first album - `Like a Rhinestone Ploughboy' - was selected by Jim Lloyd, presenter and producer of “Folk on 2”, as one of his albums of the year.         For more details on the Headley Village Hall concert ring 01020 426654. (©Peter Ashton 2002) Taking it's Tola Preview by Peter Ashton         JIGS, reels and waltzes and much more are promised when Irish folk musicians Tola Custy and Mirella Murray get together at Mr Kyps in Poole on Tuesday December 10. Tola’s sweet fiddle tones and Mirella’s subtle accordion will also be complemented by fellow musicians Ed Boyd on guitar and John Joe Kelly on bodhran.         Tola Custy from Toonagh, County Clare and Mirella Murray from Claddaghduff, Connemara have been playing together for almost a decade now. Their blend of foreign tunes, Tola’s own compositions and traditional Irish standards and their fine musicianship have made them a popular act. Mirella plays accordion with a bouncy, light style while Tola produces a pure, rich tone from his fiddle.         Tola and Mirella have made a CD together, “Three Sunsets”, on which fellow musicians Ed Boyd and John Joe Kelly also appear. Newly composed Bulgarian tunes sit alongside traditional reels, jigs and waltzes, Scandinavian airs plus brand new tunes.         Mr Kyps music venue is at 8a Parr Street, Ashley Cross, Lower Parkstone, Poole. For more information ring 01202 748945. (©Peter Ashton 2002) Fun last Nights! Preview by Peter Ashton         LAST Night’s Fun are three superb folk musicians, but there is much more to their act than music. The trio, who play at Fareham’s Ashcroft Arts Centre on Saturday December 14, are three distinct personalities led by the irrepressible Yorkshireman Chris Sherburn.         Chris plays concertina, Denny Bartley from Ireland plays guitar and Nick Scott from Devon plays Uilleann pipes. Chris Sherburn and Denny Bartley were well established as a duo combining soulful vocals, driving and syncopated guitar, and the finest concertina playing imaginable, before they invited Nic to join them to become Last Night’s Fun a year or two ago.         Nick Scott on Uilleann pipes has added a haunting, emotive feel to the mix. Nick’s the quiet one in the band, often goaded good-naturedly by the more extrovert Chris. Meanwhile the banter between Chris and the enigmatic Denny has almost become a comedy act in itself. But it’s the music that counts, and Last Night’s Fun have the ability to play slow, melancholy songs then bound off at breakneck speed for a rollicking reel.         It’s no coincidence that the band have been rebooked into every venue and festival they have ever played. The Ashcroft gig promises the usual mix of breathtaking virtuosity, humour and passion that prompted “FolkOn Tap” to declare “I defy anybody to be miserable around them!” Tickets are £8.50 through 01329 310600. (©Peter Ashton 2002) Outlaw Mike Preview by Peter Ashton         SINGER, songwriter, actor, male model: there’s no end to Mike Berry’s talents. But it’s in his role as a singer that he will be visiting Gosport later this month, playing in a Rock & Roll All-Dayer at Thorngate Halls on Saturday December 28.         Mike first sprang onto the music scene in 1961 when he was discovered by the legendary record producer Joe Meek. Mike’s first hit, “Tribute to Buddy Holly” gained the approval of the late singer’s fan club and defined Berry as the “British Buddy Holly”. It’s a title which still holds good today, as Paul McCartney always invites Mike to perform at his 'Buddy Holly Birthday Tribute', joining him on stage for the big finale! Mike actually filled Buddy’s shoes playing with The Crickets on several occasions. He also had several more 60s hits including his biggest “Don’t You Think It’s Time” which got to No. 6.         Mike’s career took a profitable detour during the mid-1970s when he joined a top modelling agency and featured in over fiftyTV commercials, advertising everything from perfume to butter ! This change in course led to yet another career when Mike was spotted and offered a part in the classic children’s TV series “Worzel Gummidge”. Then came more chart successes in Europe with three hit singles, plus another top ten hit in the UK with “Sunshine Of Your Smile”.         Mike’s comic talents were then put to good effect when he played Mr Humphrey’s assistant in the last three series of the sit-com “Are You Being Served?” More recently Mike been back on the road with his band The Outlaws, releasing two CDs 'Rock'n'Roll Daze' and “Keep Your Hands To Yourself”. He also played on the successful 'Not Fade Away' tour with guitar virtuoso Albert Lee & rock legend Dave Edmunds.         Doors open at 1pm for the all day rock fest at Thorngate Halls in Gosport on the 28th, with the first of six bands on stage at 2pm, continuing right through to midnight. Tickets are £15 via 02392 510012. (©Peter Ashton 2002) 21st Century Boys Preview by Peter Ashton         LOOK OUT for 21st Century Beatnik; they’re a band put together by Southampton singer and guitarist Neil Simpson. They have just start gigging in the area with recent dates at The Platform, The Joiners and other venues, and play The Thomas Tripp in Lymington on December 1.         “We are all experienced musicians in our twenties,” says Neil, “and our style could be described as heavy soul. All the guys have made their mark in other bands; I chose the name 21st Beatnik because I admire the writing of William Burroughs, Jack Kerouac and Charles Bukowski. We’ve got Jim Rogers on drums, Chris Hann on keyboards, Andy Early on guitar and Dylan Clarke on bass. I also play guitar and handle the vocals. We all have the same approach to music - to play with power and passion, with a working class ethic to work hard to get it right. It’s music from the soul, and whatever it takes we’re going to make it professionally.”         “We started rehearsing in June this year,”continued Neil,”doing songs that I had already written. We’ve already completed a demo album which is the basis for our stage act, and I’ve already got another ten songs ready to record. The next step is to go for a proper record deal and get the songs published. The real ambition is to go full time professional with the band. Over the next year I will probably continue to do solo and duo gigs over the country to get myself better known nationally, fitting in as many band gigs in the process.” (©Peter Ashton 2002) Looking for a different article? Click here for our NEW archive	DECEMBER Featured artists: Last Nights Fun @ Ashcroft Fareham Sat 14th. 21st Century Beatniks @ The Thomas Tripp Lymington Sun 1st. Tola and Mirella @ Mr Kyps Poole Tues 10th. Martyn Joseph @ The Brook Soton Sun 8th & Salisbury Arts Centre Thu 12th. Derrin & Dave @ Platform Tavern Soton 17th & 31st. Mike Silver @ Talking Heads Thurs 12th.

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