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PLAYING OUT LOUD!
ARTICLES
Alfie. Interview by Peter Ashton.
 Manchester
quintet Alfie play The Joiners in Southampton on Friday September 9 to promote
their excellent new album “Crying At Teatime.” I spoke to lead singer Lee Gorton
about a band who were lumbered with the tag “the next Oasis” when they first
appeared on the music scene about five years ago.
“I’ve still got a soft spot for Oasis,” said Lee, “ but they certainly spawned a
lot of ugly monsters. Alfie were formed partly as a reaction to the frustration
of all the shit bands around Manchester who were influenced by them when they
made it big. I was a bit of a late starter myself - I didn’t pick up a guitar
until I was in my twenties. Our early stuff was maybe a case of charm over
content, but we’ve grown up in public since then and it’s been an interesting
journey. All of us had been gigging with other bands, but with Alfie it’s been a
case of finding our own niche. The record company has given us a lot of say in
creating our own sound, and I think with “Crying At Teatim e,” we’ve finally
found it.”
“We’re all in our late twenties and early thirties and all five of us write the
songs. We work instinctively and correct each other’s mistakes. You learn so
much with everything you do and I’m very pleased with the new album. The record
company chose the single “Your Own Religion” from it, but I would have been
happy for any of the tracks to be released as singles. It’s not really typical
of the album - every song is differet - but I think that songs like “Look At You
Now” and “Kitsune” point the way that we are going. Our style is very diverse
and we arrange all the strings and harmonies ourselves - two of our members are
classically trained. There’s a great English tradition running through our
music, sort of Northern roots. We’re all curious lads just
trying to express ourselves in our own way.”
Certainly the weight of expectation has not affected Alfie - the comparative
lack of commercial success does not seem to bother Lee, and the band have been
fortunate to have a record company, EMI, with the patience to let them develop
at their own pace. Talking to Lee, it’s obvious that the band just love music
and are not in it for the money. They love playing live, too. As Lee says: “It’s
important to connect with the audience - it’s not just about us, it’s about them
too. There’s a good deal of swapping instruments around during our act as
several of the band are multi-instrumentalists, so I talk to the audience during
the changeovers - well, somebody’s got to do it! But I really want the audience
to enjoy themselves and have a good time, and go away happy they’ve seen a good
show.”
Reviews of Alfie’s single and album and hopefully The Joiners gig will appear in
our Reviews section in due course, but I can tell you now that Alfie are a band
not to be missed. Get down to The Joiners on September 9!
Laura Vane. Interview by Peter
Ashton.
 Southampton-based
singer Laura Vane gets a chance to introduce her new band
in a quality venue on September 4. She has the support slot on the Carleen
Anderson gig at The Brook in Southampton and has culled the cream of young
Brighton musicians to provide the backing to her sensational soulful voice.
Laura started singing in1998 when she joined up with pianist Stephen McCleary to
sing soul and jazz covers in pubs and bars in and around Southampton.
The duo proved popular, and in 1999 Laura was approached by four guys and
joined their band Cubika.
Laura takes up the story: “I helped to write and record an album with Cubika in
2000, though unfortunately we only played a couple of gigs the entire time we
were together.
Around the same time I was writing and arranging backing vocal parts for Neil
Simpson's album. Neil was one of the best singer/songwriters in Southampton at
the time, and we had regular gigs and I enjoyed performing backing vocals for
Neil - they had a very soul-rootsy feel. In the same year my brother Toby asked
me to record a song with his friend Nathan . This song was to become one out of
four on an EP that would end up on Mark Hill's desk down in his Ocean Village
studios.”
“That year Toby, Nathan and I formed the band bANGSTICK,” continued Laura,
“and soon after we received a call from Mark which led to signing a record deal
with Universal Island/Soundproof records in July 2001. We were offered a
publishing contract by Mark’s company Stop Drop and Roll and over the next
three years we wrote and recorded two albums, neither of which made it to
release, sadly. Mark Hill's record label Soundproof folded, and in March 2004 we
received a written termination from Universal Island, freeing us up from the
contract.”
Since 1998, Laura has been a member of another band, Amorilo, a popular funk and
covers band which played their last gig a few weeks ago. She also did random
personal appearances with Djs around Southampton, which Laura says taught her a
lot about improvisation. But for the past eighteen months, Laura has made
writing her priority. “I have worked with some excellent musicians,” says Laura,
“such as Mj Cole, Jamiroquai's Nick Fyffe, Omar (whom I had an amazing gig with
in Southampton Guildhall last July), Lewis Taylor, D'Influence's Ned Bigham,
Robbie Rivera, Jonathan Shorten, (one of Joss Stones’ producers) Natalie
Williams, Dan Mar-Molinero and Mark Hill.”
“This year I have enjoyed a number of house releases, mainly co-written wi th
local producers and I anticipate my next single 'Watertight' with M J Cole to be
released soon. There is set to be a few more house releases over the next few
months too, all going out as 'featuring. Laura Vane' and I should have a follow
up single to my recent release “One Eye Shut” with Robbie Rivera by mid summer.
But the biggest and most exciting project to date is my solo album. I have spent
the past year writing with Brighton-based singer/songwriter/producer Lee Baker,
who has recently had great success with ex-lead singer from the band James' solo
album, which he helped to write, record and tour
across the world. The album we have written has deep roots in northern soul and
funk, and I am absolutely complete and revitalised in this direction. This album
has given me the opportunity to reflect more accurately what I have in my
record collection at home, rather than exercising my ability to write, for l
other genres, like dance and pop bands as I have done in the past. Our aim is to
find a major label for the album in the next six months; in the meantime we
will be getting it out there live, as a 5-8 piece band.”
And that kicks off at The Brook on Sunday September 4 - ring 02380 555366 for
ticket details about the gig which is headlined by ex-Brand New Heavies singer
Carleen Anderson.
John Parish + special guests Black Nielson. Preview by
Peter Ashton.
 It’s
been a while since singer John Parish played The Railway Inn in Winchester -way
back in December 1989, in fact. Then he appeared with his band Automatic Dlamini,
which included Polly Harvey. Much water has passed under the bridge since then,
and now John is touring to support his latest album “Once Upon A Little Time”
and stops off at The Railway on Thursday September 22.
Following the demise of Automatic Dlamini, John opted to play
side-kick/collaborator with a number of acts includng Eels, Giant Sand, and most famously, PJ Harvey.
In January 2004, John travelled to Rome to produce an album “Tutto L'amore
Che Mi Manca” for Nada, the Italian Marianne Faithfull. Growing more attached to
the Italian music scene with each new introduction, Parish built a relationship
with bass player, Giorgia Poli and engineer Marco Tagliola. Jean-Marc
Butty who lives in Paris and played with Parish in “To Bring You My Love”-era PJ
Harvey was chosen to play drums. The result was the album “Once Upon A Little
Time” which was recorded by Marco Tagliola over four sessions in the second half
of last year. The first two sessions took place at Marco's Perpetuum Mobile
studio in Nave, Italy. The third and final were at Toybox in Bristol and Sun
Studios in Copenhagen.
Some friends including Adrian Utley (Portishead), Jeremy Hogg (PJ Harvey) and
Hugo Race (Bad Seeds, Sepiatone) dropped in to add their own personal touch to
the record, but “Once Upon A Little Time” is primarily a band record.
The core group of John Parish, Marta Collica, Giorgia Poli and Jean-Marc Butty
developed a musical vocabulary and conversational tone that only a band can
have. Most of the tracks were cut live in the studio and you can hear the
empathy that has developed between the four musicians as they waiver between
intense emotional fragility on songs like “Choice” and recklessness on “Even
Redder Than That Too.”
It is extremely rare for Parish to tour, and it's his Winchester connections
which have allowed the promoters SXSC to book him for the Railway. A potentially
rather special evening is made even more attractive by the addition of
Black Nielson who are playing the support slot. A definite “don’t miss” gig.
www.blacknielson.com
Loonaloop. Preview by Peter Ashton
 Fresh
from successful appearances at Glastonbury and the Isle of Wight
Festival, Australian dance band Loonaloop play Southampton’s Talking Heads venue
on Thursday September 22.
Loonaloop are currently touring the UK to promote their second album ”Images of Flying” which has just been released. Best described as a “world beat/dance
act”, Loonaloop’s music covers many styles and genres including; Drum and Bass, Trance, House Groves, World Beats. The band is renowned for their intoxicating, high energy live performance, with three dynamic girls in the front line, who
play violin/synth, vocals/synth and didgeridoo, alongside a rock solid male
rhythm section on electronic drums and bass, driving the groove and fueling the
dance floor.
Loonaloop’s distinctive sound is uniquely innovative whilst remaining broadly
accessible. Combining organic instruments (tabla/didge) and the use of
technology, via programming, loops, and samples, Loonaloop produce progressive
melodic and percussive dance tracks. The core of Loonaloop was born out of the
U.K Trance act Tribal Drift who played an inspirational role in the European
dance scene in the late 90’s, releasing three albums and touring extensively.
Loonaloop formed in 2003, and after completing their debut album “Cleared 4 Take
Off” toured for two consecutive summers in Europe as well as performing numerous
shows in Australia. For more details about the band who record on Didgeridoo
Records see www.loonaloop.net
. The band will take the stage at Talking Heads in Southampton on Thursday
September 22 sometime after 9pm - ring 02380 678446 for further details.
Shooglenifty.
Preview by Peter Ashton
 The
last big music festival in the South takes place at Appledram near Chichester
from Thursday September 22 to Sunday the 25th. Well, we should say Beer Festival
with music, ‘cos that’s what it is. Organiser Julian Moores has put together a
tantalising and diverse set of acts covering blues, roots, jazz and world music
including sets by the Bobby Wellins Quartet, Connie Lush & Blueshouter, Delta
Moon and Sirius B. One act that will be familiar to festival-goers in the South is Scottish folk outfit Shooglenifty who have played Gosport Festival, the
Larmer Tree Festival and many more events in recent years.
Formed in Edinburgh, Shooglenifty began life with a residency at the La Belle Angele pub in the city and quickly drew a strong fanbase for their energised,
contemporary roots material. The band members' previous experiences had included
stints with Capercaillie, The House Band, Mouth Music, Miro and Edinburgh "psychobilly"
act, Swamptrash. By 1995 Shooglenifty were playing at the Hogmanay celebrations
in
Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh in front of an audience of 250,000, before
supporting Capercaillie at Glasgow's Celtic Connections Festival.
They have also toured widely internationally, including performances in Poland,
Spain and Kuala Lumpur. Other UK festival appearances included sets at the
Bracknell, Sidmouth and WOMAD Festivals. These were universally well- received,
despite the fact that the band's influences are much wider than the average
Celtic revivalists, including mentions for Captain Beefheart, The Fall and
modern ambient/techno artists. This has all led to some amusing
self-descriptions of their sound - including "hypnofolkadelia" and "acid croft".
Their debut album, “Venus In Tweeds” won BBC Radio Scotland's Best Folk Album Of
The Year category. The album “A Whisky Kiss” managed to put the band on the map
as far as mainstream critics were concerned and broadened their following beyond
folk music circles.
In their time Shooglenifty have also been joined onstage by Prime Minister Tony
Blairwho was seen in a photo in papers around the world holding up ”A Whisky
Kiss' and delightedly proclaiming, "Buy this CD!" They have also performed in
front of HRH The Prince of Wales, who was seen clapping along to their
infectious beat alongside the late Robin Cook and Nelson Mandela.
The current Shooglenifty line-up is: Malcolm Crosbie: acoustic & electric
guitars, Angus R. Grant: fiddle, Garry Finlayson: 5 string banjo, fretless
banjo, samples, banjax, slide guitar Quee MacArthur: bass guitar, double bass, programming, pandeiro James MacIntosh: drums, percussion, programming & samples
Luke Plumb: programming, mandolin, bouzoukie, tenor banjo Shooglenifty appear on
at 10.15pm on Saturday September 24. For full details of the festival programme
see our Festival Focus section. For full booking details see the website:
www.bluesonthefarm.com
.
Jeff Scott Soto.
Preview by Peter Ashton
 Anyone
who has seen the dynamic Jeff Scott Soto guesting with The SAS Band,
will be interested to hear that he is appearing with his band at Mr Kyps in
Poole on Thursday September 22.
Jeff specialises in doing Queen covers when appearing with The SAS Band, but in his long career the muscular singer with the equally beefy voice has covered everything from heavy metal and funk to R&B, soul and pop. Jeff is actually a
bit older than he looks - he was born on November 4, 1965, in Brooklyn, New
York. Relocating to the San Fernando Valley in California at the age of eight,
his formative years were spent listening to bands like Queen, Journey and Motown
artists like the Jackson 5. Following graduation from high school in 1983, Jeff
and his older brother Joey formed a series of dead-end metal bands.
Following a year of inactivity,Jeff Scott Soto answered an open call for
audition tapes by former Alcatrazz guitarist Yngwie J. Malmsteen in late 1984.
This led to him performing on “Yngwie J Malmsteen’s Rising Force” album released
that year. He toured with the band to promote the album, but was out of
the band the next year when he was unexpectedly replaced, but later rejoined
the band.
After leaving Yngwie’s band for the second time Jeff hooked up with Japanese guitarist Kuni Takeuchi with whom he recorded the 1988 album “Lookin’ for Action.’” The band toured that year, appearing at festivals like Japan
Aid. There followed spells with the bands Talisman and The Eyes, with whom he
recorded two very diverse albums. On the album “Eternal Prisoner” in 1992 Jeff
collaborated with the German Axel Rudi Pell who modelled himself after Deep
Purple’s Ritchie Blackmore. Another album with Pell, “The Ballads” in 1993,
featured Jeff’s version of the worldwide pop hit “Forever Young”. 1993 also
saw the release of four other albums to feature Jeff’s vocal work: Talisman’s
sophomore release “Genesis,” The Eyes demo album “Windows of the Soul,” the
soundtrack to the cartoon film “Biker Mice From Mars” and “Eternal Faith”
by Takara. Jeff wrote, recorded and produced producing Takara’s debut album,
despite continuing to be a member of three different bands. He went on to
write and record two more albums with Takara, 1995’s “Taste of Heaven” and
1998’s “Blind in Paradise.”
Meanwhile Talisman released “Five Out Of Five Live” in 1994 and in the same year
Jeff recorded ”Humanimal” with Talisman and “Between the Walls” with Axel Rudi
Pell. Then came the solo album “Love Parade” in 1995 and the
album “Life” with Talisman before the band temporarily split up. Jeff also
recorded two albums with the band Human Clay, a third studio album with Axel
Rudi Pell, “Black Moon Pyramid,” and paid tribute to his beloved Queen on the
album “Dragon Attack.” Two Talisman best-of compilations also appeared in the
90s, “Besterious’ and ‘Best of Talisman.” Jeff was also a member of the
ultimate disco party band Boogie Knights during the 90s while remaining a member
of Talisman.
In the late 90s Jeff laid down lead vocals for the fictional band Steel Dragon
for the film “Rock Star” and was also invited to perform with his hero, Queen’s
Brian May at the annual Queen convention in the UK. Jeff made his professional
debut in the UK at the Gods 2002 festival and later that year Jeff again shared
the stage with Brian May, as well as Queen’s Roger Taylor, at an October party
celebrating Queen’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. To cap off the year
Jeff’s second solo album “Prism” was released. Next came another album with
Talisman, “Cats and Dogs” in 2003 and an encore performance at the 2003 UK Queen
Convention.
In 2004 Jeff teamed up with Journey guitarist Neal Schon to form a partnership
under the banner Soul SirkUS who toured all over the world and released the
debut album “World Play.” Soul SirkUS hit the road again in the Spring of
2005, embarking on an ambitious tour of North America, Europe and Scandinavia.
Around the same time, Talisman's long awaited double-DVD “World's Best Kept
Secret” and sister CD “Five Men Live” were released. On the solo front Jeff had
recorded a single/EP “Believe in Me” and his third album for Frontiers Records,
“Lost in Translation” which he is promoting on his current world tour.
Which finally leads us back to Mr Kyps in Poole on September 22!
Dragonforce.
Preview by Peter Ashton
 Sonic
fury is promised when London-based rockers Dragonforce play the Wedgewood Rooms
at Portsmouth on Monday September 26. The band followed up their “Valley of the
Damned” album with “Sonic Firestorm” which they are promoting on their current
tour.
Dragonforce are a band powered by the twin guitar assaults of Herman Li, born in Hong Kong, Englishman Sam Totman, singer ZP Theart from South African, Vadim
Pruzhanov, a Ukrainian, on keyboards, plus two more Brits in bassist Adrian Lambert and drummer David Mackintosh. The sound of the group is a rare combination of various metal, hard rock styles and video games music, but their
greatest strength is their songwriting ability.
The release of their debut album “Valley Of The Damned” in 2003 saw the group tour Europe, South East Asia and the Far East. Their latest album “Sonic Firestorm” was issued in the spring of 2004; buoyed by massive critical acclaim throughout the rock press, its release saw the band launch into a sustained
period of activity that included a seven weeks European tour with WASP, and a
first full UK headlining tour that saw most venues sold out.
Dragonforce has just completed a summer schedule that included several of mainland Europe's largest rock festivals, as well as a batch of stadium shows
as special guests of Iron Maiden. Nominated for the Best UK Band category but
losing out to Lost Prophets, DRAGONFORCE six stringer Herman Li went one better
in winning the inaugural Best Shredder and Ash Young Guitarist' award at the
Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards 2005.
DragonForce will record their third album later this year for release in early
2006. The band lineup is:
Herman Li - Guitars & backing vocals
Sam Totman - Guitars
ZP Theart - Lead vocals
Vadim Pruzhanov - Keyboards & backing vocals
Adrian Lambert - Bass & backing vocals
David Mackintosh - Drums & backing vocals
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EXCLUSIVE POL INTERVIEW!
Alfie
The Joiners, Southampton
Friday September 9
EXCLUSIVE POL INTERVIEW!
Laura Vane
The Brook, Southampton
Sunday September 4
John Parish
The Railway Inn, Winchester
Thurs September 22
Loonaloop
Talking Heads, Southampton
Thurs September 22
Shooglenifty
Blues On The Farm Festival
Sat September 24
Jeff Scott Soto
Mr Kyps, Poole
Thurs September 22
Dragonforce Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
Mon September 26
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