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PLAYING OUT LOUD!
REVIEWS
Gig Reviews -
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CARLEEN ANDERSON, THE BROOK,
SOUTHAMPTON - 21/01/04.
 Carleen
and her band provided a truly memorable night at The Brook. Carleen got straight
into the groove with True Spirit and Mama Said before sitting down at the
keyboards for Stories. Her remarkable vocal range and charismatic stage presence
had the audience hooked right away. As a former backing singer for James Brown
and a singer with The Young Disciples and Brand New Heavies, Carleen had
certainly served her apprenticeship, but until this gig I was only vaguely aware
of her talents. Now I am a confirmed fan after seeing one of the best female
vocalists around. The rest of the audience were obviously more familiar with
Carleen’s history than I was, greeting old favourites like Famous Patience and
Apparently Nothing with glee.
 As
for the five-piece band plus a female backing vocalist, they performed with a
totally funky synchronicity - the only surprise was that no-one started dancing
until about two thirds of the way through the gig. Saxophonist Ben Castle, son
of the late Roy Castle deserves a special mention. He studied Music at
Southampton University and played brilliantly all evening. But back to Carleen
whose soaring vocals were just amazing on the later Burning Bridges, Dance in
the Rain and When The Light Shines. The audience were entranced right up to the
closing Maybe I’m Amazed and The Future. Sheer class, and the template has been
set for quality entertainment at The Brook - they don’t come
any better than this. Photograph by Claire Edwards.
Snow Patrol, Southampton Guildhall,
15/12/04.
 What
a contrast to the last gig I reviewed at the Guildhall! That was a loud and
leathery evening with Lemmy and co of Motorhead, with the floor and walls
vibrating and my ears ringing for the next few days. Snow Patrol provided a
completely different experience with their laid-back melodic rock approach.
It was the first time that Snow Patrol had played at the venue, and they were
welcomed by a sell-out crowd.
Opening with Wow! amidst an overdose of dry ice, Snow Patrol gradually won over
the crowd who seemed unfamiliar with the first couple of songs. But cheers and
whistles greeted their third song Spitting Games which the crowd were more
familiar with, and from then on things took off. By the time the band performed
their current single, the lively How To Be Dead, the crowd had certainly warmed
up and started dancing.
Chocolate left a nice taste in the mouth, and the same could be said for Same.
Snow Patrol continued with the album tracks Olive Grove, Somewhere and Ways and
Means, finishing off with the song that really made it for them, Run.
Although Snow Patrol are not the most visual band on stage, the combination of
imaginative lighting effects, excellent sound quality mixed with the high
standard of their well-crafted songs, made for a memorable Southampton debut.
On the evidence of this gig and the recent Whitesnake and Motorhead gigs, I
would like to compliment the Guildhall for getting the sound just right.
Review
& photograph by Claire Edwards.
GIGS OF THE YEAR - 2004
The problem with going to a lot of gigs is that you end up
seeing the same acts a bit too regularly. So it’s the ones you’ve never seen
before or rarely see that stand out. One such during the summer was Shane
McGowan and The Popes who | saw at Eastleigh Festival. A fantastic gig which I
experienced right in the thick of the action down the front of the big top. I
knew where I was but did Shane? Was that water in his pint glass? - I think not.
But despite his look of confusion and his swaying stance, he belted out a full
set, introduced each song in his own semi-coherent way, and his band were
brilliant. A definite contender for Gig of the Year.
The same could be said for two gigs at The Brook towards the end of the year
when the Southampton venue opened bigger and better than ever. The Manfreds with
Paul Jones, Mike D’Abo and company were superb, and a few weeks later Roy Wood’s
Army marched in to crowd the stage for another brilliant night. If we were going
to pick a venue of the year it would have to be The Brook, just for the friendly
atmosphere and the sheer variety of the acts - where else could you see Walter
Trout, Dennis Locorriere, Midge Ure, Tony Hadley, Spaceritual.net, Juliet Turner
and so many more in the same year.
But back to the Gigs of the Year, in no particular chronological or any other
order by the way. The summer brought some great gigs - Hazel O’Connor and The
Subterraneans at Southsea Bandstand for one. Hazel was as forceful as ever and
the outdoor Sunday afternoon concert was made memorable by an impromptu display
of synchronised dancing by some foreign students. Another highlight was a Larmer
Tree Festival launch event in the village hall at Sixpenny Handley in Dorset
when the quirky Handsome Family turned in a terrific set. The festival season
included visits to the Larmer Tree, Christchurch Festival, Trowbridge Festival
and a new one, Purbeck Music Festival, which, though not very well attended, was
in an idyllic site and produced some sets to remember, notably then engaging
Pronghorn. Hope the festival is staged again this year.
Other highlights during the year included a very professional gig by Lulu at The
Anvil in Basingstoke, Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis at Portsmouth Guildhall
and gigs by Jackie Leven, Charlemagne and Peter Bruntnell at the Railway Inn in
Winchester who can always be relied upon to put on some quality stuff. So, roll
on 2005!
CD Reviews
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ALBUMS OF THE YEAR - 2004
My
top 10 - in no particular order!:
WILLARD GRANT CONSPIRACY - REGARD THE END.
TOM WAITS - REAL GONE
CHUMBAWUMBA - UN
ROD PICOTT - GIRL FROM ARKANSAS
NICK CAVE - ABATTOIR BLUES/THE LYRE OF ORPHEUS
GORDON HASKELL - THE LADY WANTS TO KNOW
LEONARD COHEN - DEAR HEATHER
JOHN OTWAY - OT-AIR
AEROSMITH - HONKIN’ ON BOBO
LUCINDA WILLIAMS - WORLD WITHOUT TEARS
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