The Dublin Castle in Camden was one of Amy Winehouse’s regular haunts and signed photos of her adorn the bar you walk through to get to the venue out back.
As we walked in, I realised POB was already on stage.
There weren’t many people in the venue – no more than ten – but as POB told the crowd, he was trying out new material so the setting didn’t matter too much.
POB’s music can be described as electropop – a blend of boybands and electronica. He sang to backing tracks which didn’t particularly help hm but I enjoyed the set all the same.
It’s not my kind of music but I respect the fact he has the balls to sing what he wants.

Echoing the Sound took to the stage with an impressive display of rock funk. The musicians were perhaps too flashy – and I struggled with it. They were a little too flashy – and I didn’t feel they got the basics right. There’s no point in doing a slap bass fast rhythm section arrangement if you haven’t got your timing locked down in the first place. I wasn’t a huge fan of the singers voice – but I’m sure there are many people that would be. They played a fairly quick set and the Dark Rooms stepped up shortly afterwards.

The Dark Rooms played energetic punk indie-rock – the singer sang with gusto and entirely acted the lead singer part. He really got into it and most of the audience followed him down the rabbit-hole.
One crazed (drunk?) fan in particular seemed to be worshipping the band with some sort of rain dance. If she’d had a ribbon on a stick – she’d have been throwing shapes across the dancefloor that would challenge most mid 90s Christian dance troupes. The band played a set of Artic Monkeys style tracks. It was enjoyable – if a bit samey – but they definitely deserved the headline slot.

After a busy day at the office, I rushed from West to East in an attempt to – just this once – arrive on time at a gig venue.
I did – and Wist and I got to enjoy the comfy sofas and indie tunes before the support act had even started.
And, by the look of things, before Willy had even arrived.

How do I know this? As we went out for a smoke, he walked in – all dazed and confused – and hunting for his management.
His look has changed quite significantly since we saw him at the Union Chapel – the rugged Americana style has been swapped in faour of a slick, dark suit and greased back hair.
I couldn’t help but think it was a decision his management had made for him – swapping attire to fit in with the trendy shoreditch crowd. And he didn’t look all together comfortable in it.

The first act – Mirror Maze – didn’t shake any feathers. They were talented musicians but their material sounded like a poor man’s Radiohead covering Keane.

Willy took to the stage next with a warming “It’s been a long time y’all”.
He started the set acoustic, getting his biggest hits out of the way – playing as if he’s sick of them and wanted to get them over and done with.

Then the lights shone on the band behind him and he started on his new material.
We’d heard some of the new material in solo acoustic form at Union Chapel – and I couldn’t help but feel I preferred them that way. The band didn’t gel particularl well and left me with the feeling they were hired guns – session musicians looking forward to the paypacket – rather than really showcasing Willy’s talent.

All in all – the gig was a bit of a letdown – his newer stuff, in all honesty, would have sounded better without the band. His older, more well-known tracks would have taken off with the backing of a solid rhythm section.

Again – it felt like management advice. ‘Move on Willy, you can’t keep selling the same thing forever.’

Willy’s a really talented songwriter and a great performer, with a gnarly American drawl – similar to Johnny Cash.
I just hope he finds the cahones to look and play the way he wants – rather than letting his management dictate his style in favour of a more commercial product.

Wist and I have had a pretty heavy month and whilst I wish now I’d found the time to write this earlier – I simply haven’t been able to take a moment to do so until now.

After a testing day at work, it was with much relief that I set off to Nambucca to watch my good friend Andy play some of his songs.

The tickets said 7.30pm and we arrived nearly an hour late – fully expecting to have missed at least one of the five acts on the bill.
Walking in to the venue, it became quickly apparant that most people had decided not to venture out on a school night – there were very few people in the venue.
Nambucca is your not-so-typical pub. Within the front bar, it’s mistakeable for almost every other public house in London. But it has one thing on them – walk towards the guy’s toilets and you’ll stumble across a great sized, purpose built gig venue. Sadly – as tonight was an acoustic night, our evenings entertainment would take place in the front bar.

Andy took to the stage first.
To be honest – I’ve seen him play much stronger sets.
Maybe it was the atmosphere (or lack of) but his sound didn’t resonate with me tonight. It’s odd considering the rave review the same songs received the last time I saw him play.
He’s still an absolute talent – but maybe I wasn’t in the right frame for the gig that night.
I really hope the next time I see him play, he’ll put a bit more harmonica in the set too – he really is a class act when he’s strumming that guitar and puffing that harp.

Next up was Gabriel Moreno.
I spent the entire set looking for hidden cameras – fully expecting Gabriel to put down his guitar and rip off his rubber mask – revealing Dom Joly or Sacha Baron Cohen’s smiling faces.
But it wasn’t to be.
The guy was for real.
As were his lyrics.
‘You make me feel like a sparrow in a can’ being a personal favourite.

With no compere, I didn’t catch the name of the last act of the evening.
Two acts failed to show up – so it’s a guess as to the name of the third.
I can only assume it was the headliner – Chaz Thorogood.
If it’s not – sorry for not knowing your name – final singer songwriter.
Oh and sorry to the real Chaz Thorogood for misattributing this review to you.

Chaz took to the stage with little charisma or grace.
But when he started playing – all that changed.
He’s an extremely talented guitarist – with a strong (but a touch vanilla…) voice to beat.

His sound shouldn’t have worked – a solo singer songwriter singing Coldplay style melodies over early Radiohead type backing.
But it worked and I really enjoyed it.

On the other hand, the free shot the barman gifted Wist and I wasn’t so enjoyable.
I felt ill all the way home.

I’m not a die-hard Black Crowes fan.
In fact, I’m not a fan at all.

So finding myself surrounded by Black Crowes fanatics, I kept my head down and settled into the support act set – David O’Grady.
Who promptly gave  me a headache.
Cheesy lyrics coupled with predictable acoustic guitar – there wasn’t much to cling to.
He even played a couple of covers to try and get the audience to sing along, which mostly fell of deaf ears. My palms began to itch and I shuffled my feet to the bar – this whole gig’s going to be awful.
Wist tried to comfort me, but despite donning a smile, I was starting to look nervously towards the exit.
I could make my excuses, I could leave…

But I’m glad I didn’t.
Rich Robinson and band came out and played wall to wall blues rock – a sound reminiscent of Free or the Bluesbreakers, but with a shy, endearing front man.
The guitar work was fantastic and his voice held its own.
His band were equally good – the keyboardist had some really nice ideas and managed to get a beautiful hammond sound from his Nord keyboard. The bassist was tight and the drummer imaginative.
I’m not sure whether he played any Crowes songs (my Crowes incompetence made sure of that) but I’ve a feeling he didn’t. Whilst the crowd around me may have been disgruntled, I liked the fact he’s playing what he wants to play. Artists develop and he can’t be tied to life previous.
Great gig – thoroughly enjoyable.

A couple of months ago, Wist and I saw Scott Matthews at Bush Hall.
Sam Brookes, his support, was fantastic and I duly signed up to his mailing list – which helpfully informed me about this gig at the Jazz Cafe, Camden. The Jazz Cafe is quite a hard venue to get your head around – from the outside it looks wholly impressive, once inside you feel a bit disappointed. But when you leave, you know you have to go back.

Sam played main support to Jake Morley. His set was stronger than before – his vocals were richer and he really took advantage of his impressive range. His guitar work was pro and he seemed to hold himself more comfortably on this stage than Bush Hall’s.
The odd cheeky smile or joke showed everyone he didn’t take himself too seriously and he managed to own the stage and fill the room to a much greater extent than the 5 piece band on before him.
I didn’t start writing this blog to rip on any musicians, so I’d rather not talk too much about the opener, Liam Blake, as there wasn’t many positive things to say. He was pretty vanilla and hiding insincere lyrics and a whispered voice behind a full band sound did nothing to convince the audience. He welcomed the Cadbury Sisters to the stage for a couple of songs, but even their ‘Stave’ imitations did nothing to win over the audience and most people were contented holding their own conversations during his turn at the mike.

His set did of course do one good thing – when Sam Brookes started playing – everyone noticed.
The room fell silent and he played a sterling set. He really is one to watch for 2012.

Jake Morley took to the stage by himself for the first song of his set. A skilled lap-tapper and a great songwriter – his first number showcased his ability to drag his audience into his world without the need for a heavy hitting rhythm section or layered backing vocals.
He invited his bassist to the stage for the second track. By sheer coincidence, the man in question ‘JP’ is also one half of Nizlopi – a band I’ve lavished considerable praise on before. JP’s bowed double bass weaved beautifully with the second acoustic track and was a sure sign of what was to come.
One by one, Jake Morley invited his band to the stage and soon the stage was full of talented musos.
The tracks were well rehearsed and the energy between band members was felt by all in the audience – you could just tell this was a harmonious group off stage as well as on stage.
Personal favourites were ‘Many fish to fry’ and ‘Be with me once more’ – playful, sometimes silly lyrics cleverly masking much deeper emotional ground, coupled with catchy melodies and solid support from the talented band.
I agree with HMV on this one – Jake Morley could (and should) be the next big thing.

A friend’s friend’s band – the Great Last.
Regardless – I’ll be as objective as possible.

Turned up too late to see the first two bands.
You wouldn’t have noticed – the room was bare, except for around ten people hugging the bar at the back of the room.

The Great Last came on and requested everyone moved forward, which we dutifully did.
The band played a short set – they sounded like the dirty little lovechild of Arctic Monkeys and Kaiser Chiefs. They have all the minerals – arrogant singer, tight drummer, locked in bassist, confused-by-own-pedals guitarist and decent keyboardist. Decent enough for Friday 13th at Camden Barfly.

The Blood Sport headlined.
I liked them – their keyboardist/guitarist was very good, the bassist exceptional, drummer equally brilliant and a confident singer. They sounded quite eighties, but in a good way – and played for a decent enough amount of time. The quality of songs let them down – there wasn’t anything that stuck out as a hit – but there was enough of a bite there to see them going somewhere soon enough. They just need to keep writing. And work out how to end songs (fade outs just don’t work live!)

This gig review is never going to be objective – I must confess I used to play in a band with Andy Oliveri in years past.
Nevertheless, a review is still in order.

The venue – small, intimate, covered in fairylights, organic cider in bottles. A nice place to see some nice folk.

First up – Drew Worthley.
Mid-set chat was warm-hearted, light and he came across as a good guy.
If only he’d managed to drag that across into his music.
Whilst technically good, his performance felt wooden and his lyrics were cheesy than a budget Mills & Boon knock-off. The only way a solo singer-songwriter can rally the audience up is if share something of themselves. Unfortunately, with Drew it felt like he was projecting what he wanted to be, not who he was.
He needs to get back to his roots – and play from the heart – not from a Clintons Valentines card.

Second up – O.Chapman
Oliver Chapman was closer to the bullseye. A young, talented guitarist with a distinctive voice and strong lyrics. The songs were stark and bare, but it suited the intimate venue and made the audience really sit up and listen.
He brought a bassist on for a couple of tracks – again a very gifted player but unfortunately for me, it just didn’t sit in the mix. Electric bass should really only sit with drums.
If Oliver didn’t want a kit on stage (only the most expressive and talented of drummers could have played without ruining the vibe) then he should have gone without the bass.
And he should have signed up a cellist instead. It would suit his music, could have provided real lift to his tracks and would have added to the mix instead of breaking it.

Headline – Andy Oliveri
Andy came out and played a corker.
His voice has come on in spades since I last saw him, and his guitar work was second to none.
His mike technique was better than the previous performers, and you could visibly see the sound engineer relax as he realised he wouldn’t have to push the system so hard with this artist.
The songs were great – you can tell he’s writing a lot at the moment. Some felt a little more fleshed out than others – I must admit I’m a bigger fan of Marigolds and Balance on a rope to My Father’s Son.
But it didn’t matter – all were played with skill and emotion.
His harmonica playing also didn’t fail to deliver – beautiful.

It’s not often you stumble across as beautiful a venue as Wilton’s Music Hall.

Tucked away in the east end of London, behind a pub fascia is the oldest surviving music hall in the world.

Half derilict, it’s crumbling state seems to add, not detract, from the warm atmosphere you sense as you enter.

Unfortunately we were too late to see the first support act, but amused ourselves playing table tennis and drinking whisky in the mahogany bar.

Duke Special played with a string quartet – showcasing his new album ‘Under the Darkcloth.’

A masterpiece from start to finish – it has to be one of my favourite gigs of all time.
Duke Specials honesty and originality bleed through his music and the broken state of many of the subjects addressed in the songs are only exemplified by the surrounding venue.

I’d recommend both Duke Special and Wilton’s to absolutely anyone – the entire evening was fantastic.

A very kind friend offered me a free ticket to go see these teen-boppers and I jumped at the chance.
A free ticket to a gig – of course!

Little did I know we’d be surrounded by DIE-HARD Hanson fans…
The first act played – very cute chat to the audience between songs – but unfortunately the songs were fairly predictable…

Hanson came on to rapturous applause. Or at least I think they did.
I pretty much lost my hearing from the sheer volume of middle-aged women screaming until their lungs collapsed. The audience was comprised almost entirely of females. Myself, my friend and a couple of sombre and sober looking chaps (with screaming girlfriends in tow) provided the only masculinity present in the room.

The band were actually extremely tight – some tracks were near mechanical – but you’d expect it after 15 years of playing some of them.

Overall a pretty good gig – I wouldn’t have chosen to go myself but I’m glad I did.