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PLAYING OUT LOUD!
REVIEWS
Gig Reviews -
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Reviews
Gig Reviews
(top)
KILL HENRY SUGAR, RAILWAY INN,
WINCHESTER, THURSDAY JANUARY 17.
 A great
evening with New York duo Kill Henry Sugar, otherwise known as Erik Della Penna
and Dean Sharenow. With Dean on drums and shaky things and Erik on guitar the
pair entranced a fair-sized audience with their witty and evocative songs,
mainly from their excellent album “Swing Back And Down.”
Opening with “In Albany” Erik and Dean’s vocal harmonies and sparse but
effective backing created a special atmosphere in homely venue, and the sound
balance was just right. A highlight of the evening was the ongoing banter
between Erik (who confessed that he and Dean had been to “showbiz school”) and
the audience. Erik was interested to learn how to identify Cornishmen (“They
have six fingers”) and was puzzled when he announced the name of one song, “Neighbors,”
which elicited titters from the crowd, who then enlightened him with an
impromptu rendition of the “Neighbours” TV theme tune.
  There
was a great variety of styles in their songs from the 30s crooning of
“Neighbors” to the country hoedown of “Mule Got Loose” and the Latin rhythms of
“Puerto Rican Day Parade.” Every song had a story to tell – “Tammany Hall” and
“About Mussolini” were pure folk history.
Hopefully Oliver and Richard will bring this remarkable duo back to the venue.
The support band Tali Trow, who also impressed, have already been booked for a
future gig.
CD Album Reviews
(top)
KILL HENRY SUGAR. SWING BACK AND DOWN.
 SURPRISE
TRUCK RECORDS
Anyone who hasn’t heard of Kill Henry Sugar (and I hadn’t until a couple of
weeks ago) pin back your ears. If you like real acoustic Americana in
minimalistic style, then you are going to love this album. I certainly did from
the opening “Where The Roads End” to the closing “Kill That Guy.”
Kill Henry Sugar is actually the dobro and drum duo Erik Della Penna and Dean
Sharenow, originally session musicians who have toured with the likes of Joan
Osborne and Natalie Merchant. As Kill Henry Sugar, they produce quirky, highly
original and melodic music. And, as the album was recorded in Erik’s Gran’s
Bronx basement, there is a really direct, live feel to the album. Special guests
Mick Rossi on harmonium, Mike Duclos on upright bass and Andrew Sterman on sax
help out on some of the tracks without spoiling the essentially stripped-back
style of Kill Henry Sugar. A great album, full of mood changes, interesting
lyrics and haunting melodies – in fact I don’t think I’ve heard a better album
in the whole of 2007! You can order it through
www.killhenrysugar.com
and you can also see the band at The Railway Inn, Winchester, Hampshire on
Thursday, January 17.
CD Single Reviews
(top)
BY MARTIN SIRL
Surveying the Young Professionals/If I
Don’t Run by The Elvis Suicide
Neat, well-ordered punk from a young Glasgow 4-piece with a huge nod in the
direction of Generation X. The Elvis Suicide may lack the charm of most of their
contemporaries but these guys at least know something about not outstaying a
welcome, with none of the four tracks here seriously threatening the 2-minute
barrier. Pleasantly enjoyable in its brevity, but ultimately little more.
Dark Skies by The Electric City
Gloomy, predictable rock from a band who recently opened for The Who at Roger
Daltrey’s personal request. One can only assume, therefore, that The Electric
City have better material up than this up their sleeves because this is dull in
the extreme. The most interesting thing here is trying to spot the influences,
for there are many: ranging from the pseudo-intellectual whining of Muse to the
mainstream thud of Guns N’ Roses. Avoid.
We Know Best by The Raid
Indie rock from a Hemel Hempstead 5-piece that starts brightly enough but then
goes nowhere fast. The production is crisp and the playing tight, but We Know
Best is one of those songs that keeps threatening to build to something
interesting but, in the end, never quite delivers. The accompanying Show Me is
actually the more interesting number, on which band sound a lot like The Stooges
and are much better for it. Five out of ten.
Monday Morning Blues by Common People
Wry but unfulfilling account of life in an estate agents office from East London
MC and pianist David and Damien, aka Common People. Imagine The Streets without
the rough edges, this is to garage what Eurovision entry Daz Sampson was to rap.
Enjoyable on one hearing, OK on the second, but as dull as a soggy digestive by
the third. Estate agents might empathise with the sentiments contained herein;
everyone else should steer clear.
Lords Of The String by The Power Lords
Delightfully silly Euro-dance from a decidedly dodgy-looking pair of Ukrainian
DJs. But if you can see past the underwear-obsessed lyrics and the girly chorus
this is actually top-notch techno that will no doubt be going down a storm in
the nightclubs of Ibiza this summer. There are a handful of different mixes here
so put down your Victoria’s Secrets catalogue, grab your best thong, head for
the floor and dance yourself dizzy to the crazy club sounds of Eastern Europe.
The Punisher Of IV30 by Cuddly Shark
This 3-track CD is an odd mix of do-it-yourself White Stripes-style rock,
experimental punk and rye Scottish humour from a Glasgow-based threesome. The
title number is a decent enough ode to the band's Elgin roots, but the other two
tracks, including the 52-second 'Jamie Foxx on Later With Jools Holland' in
which singer Colin Reid simply repeats the line "I heard you sing the worst song
I ever heard" are really just plain daft.
Arcs Across The City by Johnny Foreigner
Johnny Foreigner hail from the suburbs of Birmingham and are loud, manic and a
little bit wacky, but with a certain special charm. Depending on your outlook
this is punk rock for the new millennium or experimental music for those who
don't like to take things too seriously. Take the black comedy of The Pixies,
the 'have a go' spirit of Pere Ubu and the musical sensibilities of The Ramones.
Toss the whole lot into the air and see how it lands. Basically a hot steaming
pile of fun.
Soul by Shayan Italia
Every now and again a song comes along that stops you dead in your tracks. Soul
is a quite stunning release from a young Indian-born Zoroastrian
singer-songwriter with the voice of an angel and it's not too hard to see why it
recently became the first track by an unsigned artist to be played on Desert
Island Discs. Quite simply, talent like this has no right to exist in one so
young. Soul is haunting and beautiful yet breathtaking in its simplicity and I'd
be surprised if there is a better single released this year. Whoever paid £7,000
on eBay for a portion of Italia's life earnings has bagged themselves a bargain
indeed.
Chateau / The Cuckoo & The Stolen Heart
by The Brute Chorus
Refreshingly unusual sound from West London-based foursome. A kind of White
Stripes meets Zutons with a distinctly folky side to it. It’s ramshackle and
shambolic but with a certain low budget charm, and the melodies are catchy
enough to linger in the subconscious for quite some time. Stolen Heart is the
superior track of the two here: a bitter-sweet duet vaguely reminiscent of how
The Beautiful South sounded before they went and turned all melancholy.
Young, Free And Simple by Urbnri
When a hardened Scottish jailbird teams up with a bunch of Irish musicians to
document his tough teenage years in song you might expect the result might to be
something gritty and raw. Sadly this is neither. Although Urbnri have bags of
energy Young, Free And Simple simply reminds one of nothing more than The Skids
in their heyday. If Richard Jobson and his pals were your thing then you’ll
probably like this too. But those who found that particular brand
bagpipe-flavoured punk a little hard to swallow might want to give this a wide
berth too.
Singles For Singles by Karen Bishko
Set of three bitter-sweet tales from a Notting Hill thirty-something lady
currently supporting Take That. Lush strings and a full-on production add real
substance to Run Run Run, a bitter sweet ballad of unrequited love which is as
musically clever as Tori Amos and contains lyrics that bring to mind the cutting
humour of the late Kirsty MacColl. Unfertilised, which pretty much speaks for
itself, is more quirky but equally satisfying while Tinker Boy, a neat piece of
soft rock rounds off this impressive offering rather nicely.
Intro EP by Paul Hourican
Life has a way of surprising you and, like an Irish Richard Hawley,
Paul Hourican has a superb voice and a gift for a melody that just begs for
repeating listens. This EP is an odd mix of love songs, Celtic-tinged anthems
and irreverent drinking songs but Hourican is equally at home on all of them.
The guy is clearly a huge talent and if he isn’t attracting major attention by
the end of the year then I’ll eat me little leprechaun hat.
Beautiful Burnout by Underworld
In many ways it’s as though they were never away, but for me this lacks some of
the energy of Underworld’s seminal nineties work. Stylish and trance-inducing
this may be, but it takes the Mark Knight remixes to drag Beautiful Burnout
kicking and screaming into the current millennium. Fans are bound to find this
moving and wonderful. Others might view it more as the dying throes of a
once-mighty beast. Make your own minds up.
You Talk by Babyshambles
I always look forward to Babyshambles singles and this doesn’t disappoint. Not
quite in the same league as last year’s wonderful Delivery, and less polished
than the album version, but with the same lazy vocals and addictive chorus that
have made Babyshambles sound so distinctive. Good on first hearing and getting
better with every play, You Talk is pure pop at it’s simple and wonderful best.
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