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The Highs and Lows of Being Normal..

I never cease to be mesmerised by Warren Ireland.

Given that I have the privilege of spending a few hours rehearsing with him each week that might sound surprising. Despite having been privy to some of his writing process with Darwin’s Rejects, how he can conceive of, and perform, such a myriad of musical layers as one person is – frankly – mind-blowing. Even to do it in a studio, then consider the fact he can do it live with the pressure of an onlooking crowd. It’s just wow.

Here’s me generally feeling very pleased with myself for being able to lay down some very simplistic bass on our tracks, haha!

Normally an 80-odd mile round trip to the Black Market Venue in Warsop would feel like a bit of a bind on a Sunday evening but we weren’t going to miss an opportunity to see him showcase the release of his latest album, The Highs and Lows of Being Normal. Regrettably weekend faffing around meant we missed the support acts, which was sad but also necessary as we’d had a busy Saturday already. The curtains were across the room and side stage being utilised for an intimate crowd eagerly anticipating the main act.

If you get hold of a CD from Warren of the album (which you should do), then you’re treated to a book-ends and intermingled skit tracks that aren’t present on the online streaming sites – plus you can’t get it beautifully signed and dedicated on Spotify or Apple Music. So buy a CD even if like me you’ve got no means of playing them probably beyond a computer somewhere, then stream it as well! I’m not going to describe these, you’ll have to get a copy and find them out for yourself!

Paddy Said opens, such a powerful track built around an irresistibly catchy little guitar riff – but layered with chords, beatbox and of course the vocals it comes to life. Lyrically it charts sage bedside advice presumably from Paddy about acceptance and how straightforward it really ought to be to make the world a nicer and friendlier place with a bit more tolerance. Layers of backing vocals backdrop a lovely intricate instrumental picked on guitar, before into another soaring round of choruses then an outro. A strong start.

Happy in my Skin carries on the bouncy start – a long initial opening verse which, if you take a moment to think about it, as well as remembering the myriad of instrumental layers, there’s a ridiculous amount of lyrical content to remember too. More use of reverb and backing vocals on choruses than we’ve typically seen before from Warren works really well, the lyrics are an introspective examination of how we’re all flawed and have perhaps regrettable elements of our past – but ultimately we can only work from now to be the best version of ourselves!

Something So Right starts with spooky backing vocals before the gentler instrumentation kicks in, we’re onto a more chilled out section you can get lost in the lovely little picked guitar bits over a ponderous rhythm – whilst the charming lyrics are a heartfelt tribute to the challenges of developing a relationship – but ultimately the refrain of ‘I don’t want to let you walk away’ shows the underlying desire to make things work. It’s a mostly lovely sentimental track.

Make It Out takes us down a different path – acoustic guitar tricks you with gentle melodies before a full on drum and bass assault of beatbox is unleashed. You might question if he can deliver that live – he can! The impassioned singing and guitar is actually not as pacey as the beats would suggest. Backing vocal melodies are brought in with some singalongable ‘la la’s’ – who knew drum and bass with a singalong bit could be a thing? The picked guitar solo in the bridge sounds almost Spanish guitary. There’s such a lot going on here, but despite what sounds like a description of disparate things that don’t belong together blend into a beautiful absorbing creation. Writing duties here credited also to Jordan Phatboy White.

Heroes pulls us back to acoustic driven chords before gentler percussion and picking is overlaid before semi-rapped-semi-sung lyrics kick in. The over-riding feel is lighthearted but underpinned with the troubled state of the world, and a need for some kind of hero to save the day. We get more lovely finger picking for the bridge, and of course the chorus of ‘Superman or Iron Man‘ gives a nice nod to the fairly frequent appearance of Warren’s Superman dressing gown on stage!

Home is a punchy lament to something I’m sure we can all relate to at times, that overwhelming desire to go home whether it be from a workplace or another place. It’s an anthem for the disaffected, which I’m sure most of us are at least some of the time – but I can imagine when you’re a full on creative the daily grind of a typical workplace must be absolutely intolerable. This is a multi-layered foot-stomper, a steady beat and chord pattern overlaid by more intricate instrumentation and lyrics. Highly relatable but by creating something you can have a dance to it’s made a positive out of frustration.

Woke Snowflake is gentle musically with some vitriol in the lyrics, which I like. Woke is a really interesting slur, my understanding of the term is somebody with empathy for others. That sounds like a virtue not an insult to me! Backing vocals start us off, then guitars and beats before the lyrics, there’s some clever wordplay in here which appeals to me – playing back the kind of vitriolic bile you see increasingly on platforms like Twitter under the auspices of Elon Musk, it’s a creative way of addressing something that is really quite damaging.

Scrolling By is ludicrously catchy – strums back way for beats, strums and picking before the lyrics kick in. It’s a pandemic that affects all of us in the Smart Phone era – I’m definitely guilty of it, questioning the need for the latest and greatest phone – and of course, how much time we spend staring glazed face at banal crap whilst real life passes you by. This is – even by Warren’s standards – an absolute word-fest, he gives himself a nice break before the final chorus kicks in, again another that gives you an irresistible urge to tap your foot at the very least whilst it’s playing.

Letter to Heaven is a change in mood and pace, beautiful acoustic guitar work gives a simple backdrop for really heartfelt vocals. Backing vocals on the chorus heighten the emotion, there’s almost a full cycle of grief here – loss, pain, fondness and gratitude for having known them. It’s so powerful in its relative simplicity, stripped back raw and brave and allowing the narrative to take centre-stage. It was mesmerising to hear this live at the weekend too, although perhaps not one he’ll include often in shorter festival sets. Truly beautiful.

Dear Me arrives just as you’re recovering your sensibilities and threatens to tip you over the emotional edge again. Again, acoustic guitar provides the platform, this time the vocals are more impassioned, a combination of singing and rapping, interspersed with some finger-picking instrumentals. It’s Warren having a harsh word with himself, a reflection of self-worth (or lack thereof at times), reflecting on achievements he’s reached and to remember he’s his own worst critic. The vocal delivery brings Scroobius Pip to mind for me, which is a high compliment as I absolutely adore his lyrical writing and delivery. As the song builds so do the power of the vocals. It’s lovely. I hope he listens to himself!

Man Among the Damned is a beautiful arrangement with Martin Borrett providing piano along with Warren’s guitar, again we have powerful and less pacey vocals. More self-reflection, the struggle for a sense of purposes or to have a plan – but there’s metaphorical light at the end of the tunnel as the narrative builds (or maybe light through the clouds?). Backing vocals lift the choruses and I suppose it’s a neat reminder that somebody as objectively full of talent as Warren could be wracked with insecurity, it’s a relief to hear some kind of progression.

We end with a reprise of Paddy Said, but slowed and with accompaniment both from Martin Borrett on piano and also Jared Harding with some rousing trumpet as the track ends. This is slowed down and contemplative, it’s such a perfect way to close out the album – almost as it began, at least in subject if not in tone – that catchy riff slowed down becomes a beautiful melody and you’re eased back either to the beginning or the end. It’s a clever way to close out it leaves you feeling relaxed but uplifted after quite the rollercoaster of pace and sentiment.

Highs and Lows you might say, but exceptional – not mere normal.

The Highs and Lows of Being Normal is available on all the usual streaming platforms, and I strongly urge you to get yourself to one of Warren‘s gigs or contact him for a CD too.

Freeborn Al / 19th November 2024 / Gigs, Music, Other Bands, Photos, Videos

The accidental shoplifter

Pete Drake is a bit of an enigma – somewhere between comedy and social observation, he’s a staple in solo acoustic guise, compere and open mic administrator at festival scenes. On Facebook he runs a popular spot the ball competition, and documents the painstaking do-it-yourself duties that are required to maintain the hard slog to becoming a pop star. Whether it’s presenting existing pop stars with badges, getting involved with Japanese radio stations, it feels like there’s no random stone left unturned!

I can quite vividly remember the first time I heard him, we’d just arrived at Roystonbury Festival and it was hammering it down with rain so we’d not yet ventured from our van, but being quite close to the stage we could hear Accidentally Found, which I still love for its clever wordplay and observations.

The Accidental Shoplifter is his first full-length album, which he recorded between January and April this year. The CDs themselves promise to have unique hand-drawn inner sleeves complete with lyric quotes, at least for the first 99 he sells – each drawing themed around a word contained in the album. There’s no pre-ordering or crowd-funding here – you’ll have to wait until it’s released tomorrow to get a hold of it. I’m not sure whether it will be available on digital platforms – which one of the songs might offer reasons for it not to be!

I’m sure it will be available on his Bandcamp page though!

For those of you accustomed to Pete’s live performances you might be in for a surprise – along with his customary guitar and vocals there’s layers of percussion and synth here courtesy of Mark Adamson to give some depth and character. His characteristic authentic-accented vocals putting more emphasis on clever and witty wordplay than soaring melodic ranges – and it’s all the better for it, it’s genuine and honest. He’s just dropped a teaser video which you can see below.

The subject matter of the twelve songs vary tremendously. As a fledgling song-writer I often wonder where people get their inspiration from to pen a new song, with Pete it seems like anything and everything that occurs to him in his daily life is fit material to turn into music – usually irreverent, often funny and sometimes poignant it’s a rare talent! We open with The Accidental Shoplifter, observing the supermarket trend of installing self-checkouts and the opportunity many shoppers took to ‘accidentally’ shoplift. (Supermarkets saw record sales in ‘carrots’ as people weighed whatever goods they had whilst selecting carrots on the screen).

The Wizard of Oz sees Kay Spink joining on vocals, underpinning this eighties sounding vibe is observations around relationships taking themes from the famous film. I Believe in Magic is a boogie-tastic disco-classic – an album version, with an extended dance remix promised for a release later in the year. Airborne is literally a flight of fantasy, albeit based on a true story of Tom Stoker who spent $290k on a lifetime pass for United Airlines – 33 years later he’s travelled more than 23 million miles and visited over 100 countries, defending his carbon footprint by pointing out the plane would fly with or without his presence – a refrain that echoes through the song.

I Wasn’t Asked is probably a familiar refrain for many grassroots artists – that balance between being asked to play or be involved and over-asking / applying to events is something in my Darwin’s Rejects guise I can relate to strongly. It feels like the song is tongue-in-cheek with an element of seriousness, it feels hard to earn opportunities. The Ballad of Wally West continues what is now becoming a snooker player series – specifically his world record break which was a record he held for many years – that honour now of course sitting with Ronnie O’Sullivan.

30 Sets of Strings is a kind of tribute sequel to Star Botherers, Pete’s writing style does remind me more than anyone of Bart. Their song 3 Sets of Strings talks about the decline of high street music shops because supplies are cheaper on eBay – in this ‘answer ballad’ Pete recounts his loyalty to a particular music shop who went on to have a closing down sale, so in a panic bought all their remaining stock in a closing down sale!

There’s Only Two Pete Drakes offers the explanation why you might not find this on Spotify or Apple Music – there’s already a recording artist called Pete Drake, or at least – as we discover – that’s the name he took on rather than was given. He’s an American country performer sadly no longer with us, an amusingly embittered song as ever underpinned with humour. Mr Barton Says recounts a 1980s interview with Edward Barton on The Tube – Pete doesn’t elaborate on the specifics of the interview but whatever it was he said changed his outlook. Edward himself has approved the song too!

I admit I did lose myself in a Edward Barton rabbit-hole which I shan’t delve into here – but his Wikipedia entry is fascinating.

Halloween Has Been is a seasonal number that nearly didn’t make the cut – there’s a bit of a hint as to it being an older song than others, as there’s a few Covid-19 references (some of which he edited out, but I clocked the ‘staying in your bubbles’ one!). She Sells She Smells is amusing – having listened a few times I must admit that the backstory I started to construct was possibly slightly more deviant than the truth – a random article Pete found documenting a lady who was selling farts in a jar for a considerable sum. Far from mocking, it’s almost celebratory for the entrepreneurial spirit!

Then we reach the end with Turned Down the Turner Prize, upbeat with drums and bass synth from the off, guitars kick in and then we’re treated to a future vision of Pete’s creative output which diversifies from music considerably and well, the title kind of gives away the ending but perhaps not the journey which I’ve leave for you to discover yourselves. It’s a fun way to finish though – with lots of layers of sound in here.

Thus concludes an obvious labour of love. It’s perversely polished-yet-raw, despite the fancy machinations of production there’s an authentic punk feel – I don’t mean lots of Ois and electric guitar, more in attitude and philosophy – knowing that there’s a true ethos of DIY underpinning on the whole production – from the songwriting, recording, artwork, promotion – it’s endearing as it is clever and engaging, and it will make you laugh too.

Freeborn Al / 27th May 2024 / Music, Photos, Videos

Of no particular consequence..

A couple of weeks ago the unflappably humble Henshaw (and I wouldn’t want that to change, to be fair) released Of No Particular Consequence into the wild, many of us having excitably pre-ordered it. Mine arrived complete with a lovely little handwritten card, which is a nice personal touch. His post-launch post included a comment as self-depreciating as “That’s all then, it’s old news, it will never chart, it will never sell a million copies..” – we’re almost in slap-upside the head territory, before he ends the sentence with “… it doesn’t matter, I’m fucking proud of it.”

And so you should be, buddy. I’m proud of you.

Henshaw’s music is beautifully melancholic at times, and that massively appeals to me – the latest band sound has evolved into something that wouldn’t sound out of place in the 90’s (and that definitely appeals to me!), to my ear at least there’s a mash-up of indie/Britpop type sounds with grunge elements and a bit of shoe-gazing introspection thrown in, and somehow remaining cohesive. It ticks a lot of my boxes – but that’s quite a reductive description for what is a really varied collection of thirteen songs.

*I just wanted an excuse to use the ‘I wasn’t wearing eyeliner!’ picture 🙂*

It’s an almost jarring start with The Adventurer, starting with train sounds, making you sit up and take notice before it settles into a steady beat and bass, I don’t know what the musical term for the bit where he runs down some notes both vocally and instrumentally is – but I like it! The mixing and mastering is polished, I’d expect nothing less from Tom Carter. Samples introduce a number of the songs, including Partially Martyred, a heavy verse kicking into a much lighter chorus. The sample preceding the song here featuring a Scottish gentleman reading some poetry and seeking affirmation from Paul. There’s some John Hare horn bits in here too!

Like Plastic in a Flame changes the pace down, and is probably my favourite track – not just because the title idly plays into my fantasies of what to do with Russ’ kazoos – it’s got a dancy beat and dreamy guitars, the solo provided by George Marriott of Pet Needs. It’s a melodic dirge but dirge in a good way, I listen to it and get lost in it – then we get to the a more impassioned bit, that elevates it into something epic. I proper love this song – I don’t even know what it is, prog-indie-dancy-dirgey goodness. That’s what it is. I think.

Like Plastic in a Flame – simply sublime (possibly with a slightly differing line-up)

Fake Masquerades continues the pace built up as the previous track built up to, lyrically clever compelling the listener to let go of the past and appreciate the present. Wise words, with countless layers of delicious instrumentation. Let the Sun Shine In performed by The Wilkinson Trio is definitely a change of pace and tone – and on reviewing the sleeve notes, it’s a charming recording from the 1950s featuring his Mum, Aunty and Grandad – sentimental bugger, it provides a lovely interlude though.

All the Other Times is ballad-like – Paul’s vocals are gentle, but backed up by an almost orchestral level of emotional instrumentation I think we’re straying into power-ballad territory, it’s really moving though – lyrics evoking a final attempt. This would be a lighters out sway-along if ever there was one and if we’d not all switched to vapes! With Love and a Handshake does the gentle-into-heavy trick again – drenched with Van Gogh references, who I’m well aware Paul absolutely adores so it’s lovely to pay tribute to that in song.

Just going off the title I was worried that The Ballad of Super Ted might be an ode to possibly one of the most irritating cartoon characters going – quite the opposite. I didn’t have the pleasure of knowing Ted but what we have here is a charming tribute to a lost friend, reflecting on happy memories it’s at once sad and celebratory. I feel a bit insensitive making the cartoon observations but it was a legitimate worry from a position of ignorance – what we actually have is lovely! And ne’er a mention of the hateful Spotty. Right. Sensible head back on.

*A triumphant album launch at Ey Up Mi Duck* *(photo credit: J. Russell, Lyric Lounge Review)*

This War is frankly anthemic – full of affirmation and support, comradeship and solidarity. I absolutely adore this song, it’s amazing live too when the crowd get involved in the ‘keep your shoulders high..’ part. Wonderfully empowering and uplifting. For Miriam is an abrupt change of pace and sentiment commemorating a three year old girl murdered by the Nazis. The tiny stone being stepped on referred to is a Stolperstein, a cube embedded in the ground bearing the name and life dates of victims of Nazi extermination or persecution. A literal translation would be stumbling block. It’s a harrowing song, but strangely beautiful for it.

Let Fireworks Light the Sky brings us back from the doldrums, building gently from guitar into a wall of sound crescendo after the first couple of acoustic verses. The choice to use the Friday night at Ey Up Mi Duck seems spectacularly apt as within a couple of hours of Henshaw’s set concluding nature saw fit to light up the sky with her own fireworks as Aurora Borealis amazed us across the campsite. No Longer Proud is a more overt than usual lament to the state of the nation, featuring beautiful fiddle melodies courtesy of Hannah McLeod of Leylines fame and then a rap from Samantics. It’s not just a moan though, there’s a crumb of hope offered too!

*Easter egg – dodgy backing singer alert!*

Which brings us to the final track, Save Me, Hate Me. It starts with organ tones and plaintive vocals – strings and light percussion join a third in, building intensity but not pace – finally a thumping beat kicking in just beyond half way, with more and more layers of intricacy building the song up to be the epic finale this album needs, dropping you back to stripped back vocals abruptly to finish. It’s quite the rollercoaster just in one track which is a fitting end of an album that has the same effect.

I can see why Paul is proud – this is clearly a labour of love, there’s undoubted subtle and personal meanings I’ve not necessarily picked up on in here, and from his own comments in the sleeve notes his bandmates and collaborators have clearly taken his creations and then augmented them with their own creativity and vision to render something truly epic. Packaged up beautifully with artwork by the wonderfully talented Sally Harrison it’s really a triumph. I would urge you most strongly to get hold of it, it deserves a much wider audience than Paul seems to think it will achieve!

Buy Of No Particular Consequence on Bandcamp now 🙂

Freeborn Al / 22nd May 2024 / Music, Other Bands, Photos, Videos

Kleptocracy

Well, since I found the password to the blog it seems rude not to mark the auspicious occasion of a new album from the band that kickstarted this whole venture, doesn’t it? I’ve had a few previous tracks for a while but thought it worth waiting ’til release before committing type to box.

It feels like this album’s been a long time coming, it arrived on streaming platforms yesterday and the postman brought me my pre-order this morning – idiot me bought two black LPs rather than a red and a black one. D’oh! My chimpish oversight gladdened slightly by the inclusion of THREE signed postcards.

In digital or CD format there’s a smorgasbord of sixteen tracks, stripped back to ten for the vinyl format. The latest generation of Ferocious Dog feels more at home with the rabble-rouser anthems than some of the more poetic elements thrown into the mix of previous albums. With the political landscape as it is, and political luminaries like Ben Bradley and Lee Anderson looming large in their area of the country it’s perhaps not a surprise there’s a more overt protest feel for this collection of songs.

Launching into Witch Hunt sets the tone quite nicely, fast folk punk issues an immediate call to the mosh put with a chugging beat and bass overlaid with intricate instrumentals and rasping vocals from Ken. We’ve already heard SUS Laws as it was released – it grabbed me straight away because of the stunning fiddle arrangement – which I realised I’d heard before, Jamie has repurposed the strings from Montagu’s Harrier from his past life with The Silk Road – it’s a beautiful composition and fits well into a full song rather than a pure instrumental.

Ferocious Dog – SUS Laws

Title track Kleptocracy has more than a whiff of Levellers about the instrumentation (which is certainly no bad thing!) before Ken’s distinctive vocals kick in to make it unmistakably Ferocious Dog albeit with some nice electric guitar licks giving it a rocky undertone. I wondered if Iron Mike Malloy might be the traditional cover FD usually throw in to their albums – I’m not sure it is though, it’s a tub-thumping tale of a real character – an Irishman living in New York with a fascinating back story, worth reading up on. There’s shades of Pogues about the sound here, which is deeply appropriate!

What kind of albums would this be without a song about rebellion, Merthyr Rising provides this – whistles and percussion with bouncing lyrics give an almost medieval feel before the song kicks in to a full on dervish. We do get some respite from the energy that maybe the influx of youth into the band of late has brought, A Place We Called Home is a charming duet ballad talking of love through the hardest of times, with a stunning contribution from Lizzey Ross providing the other half of the story. A real highlight for me, but then I always crave a bit of melancholy. This is lovely.

Ferocious Dog – A Place We Call Home

Blood Soaked Shores brings us back into protest mode – acoustic guitar and vocals start before the band joins in to another mosh pit stomper. Darker Side of Town sees Kyle take the vocals and judging by the electric guitar lead probably the songwriting too – as a huge fan of Pocket of Madness and his work with The Outlines, this is a very welcome addition! It brings a different dynamic to the album which I really like. Matty Groves is the traditional cover inclusion – probably best known from Fairport Convention‘s version – this is predictably on steroids and a few grammes of something probably more illicit!

Running with the Hounds is almost a reprise of Hell Hounds that of course fans of Ferocious Dog took their nickname – starting slow with guitar and light percussion, then lighter fiddle-driven instrumentation to give a little respite from the pace and heaviness – I really like this little break, we get a little build in intensity towards the end of course, but just in depth of tone rather than pace, then a faster instrumental reel built from the track melody at the end.

We have another slow starter in Moby Dick, string melodies almost evoking images of Tetris and gull calls kick into a lively telling of Herman Melville’s famous novel. Unusually for FD there’s some ‘la la la’ type singalongs here, and that’s most definitely no bad thing! Anger on the Streets kicks in with heavy guitar and instrumentation and properly angry vocals – it’s quick and to the point, and evocative I’m sure of how many feel with the state of politics both home and abroad at the moment.

Brixton’s Burning is back to a folkier sound – albeit still with the anger, but soaring instrumentals and pauses. You get two choices for The Protest Singer, a bluesy harmonica-infused Americana version that would be great for a ho-down, or a slower paced folksy version – they both work really well! I like the Voltaire quote in there – “it’s dangerous to be right, when your government is wrong” – indeed! (Don’t think that makes me well-read, my main knowledge of Voltaire comes from watching Sharpe, haha!

Which leaves us with Tell God and the Devil, starting with some banjo before kicking in with drum, bass and soaring fiddle at pace with vocals describing the trials and tribulations of working in the mines, something I’m in awe of that people used to do – it’s hard to imagine that kind of endurance when you’re an office-softened numpty like me!

As I write the band will have just rocked out the 100 Club in London and will be preparing to unleash an all day event at Rock City in Nottingham – it’s sure to be a high energy show. I do hope Ken’s got his ‘I can’t talk lots’ sign ready as it promises to be hard work on his voice!

Freeborn Al / 18th May 2024 / Band, Music, Photos, Videos

A night for revolution

So by now I’m sure you’ve seen the awesome video that accompanies Ferocious Dog’s new single, Pentrich Rising. I was lucky enough to be asked to pop along to be an extra a few weeks ago, and was of course sworn to silence ahead of the release. I was really looking forward to being a torch-wielding would-be revolutionary, emerging from the trees to provide back up to the band who of course played the part of the ringleaders, but on the night ended up taking the metaphorical King’s Shillings and becoming a member of the army. Bad times! Although it did render me more visible the final cut I suppose! It was great fun to be involved in a small way and witness just how much work and preparation goes into what is really quite a short video!

Suddenly last week the message thread where we’d been organising the video shoot piped up again, which was interesting. It was Ken inviting us to pop over to Derby Gaol on the single launch day for a short private gig to mark the release date of the video. Launch day of course was the anniversary of the rising all those years ago, and the location of course was the very location where the story ended for the ringleaders of that attempted revolution, on the end of a rope and then a beheading. How exciting was that? Obviously I immediately cleared my calendar for that evening and looked forward to it!

(more…)

Freeborn Al / 10th June 2021 / Band, Gigs, Hell Hounds, Music, Videos

Fireside lullabies..

I picked up a lovely email in the wake of posting a review of Paul Henshaw and the Scientific Simpletons excellent new album from a fellow called Josh Lobley. Someone I’ve yet to encounter on the musical rounds, but with such luminaries as the aforementioned Paul, Nick Parker, Davey Malone, John Leonard and Ben Sydes as friends in common on Facebook hopefully in live terms at least that’s an omission I’ll be able to put right in time.

He wanted me to review his new EP – Fireside Lullabies – which is set for launch on 25th January (with an accompanying event that day hosted at Albert’s Pour House in Shrewsbury). It still freaks me out a bit when people ask me to do that, I’m not a musical expert – I only really started this blog to help build the profile of a little known band called Ferocious Dog, after all – haha!

But I do still muse upon releases of artists I’m more familiar with occasionally, so it’s really humbling when someone reaches out – and it’s a responsibility I take quite seriously. With my limited dabbling in creating music I know how much hard work it is even to get to my ham-fisted skill level, so it’s quite the privilege to be asked my view on something someone has poured their hard work, creativity and passion into.

Five tracks quickly winged their way into my email and I’ve been immersing myself in them for a few days now – mercifully (selfish of me, I know!), I really love these heartfelt tunes. It’s brave to put your music out there regardless, doubly so when the lyrical content is really personal – or broader musings about the state of the world, which I think will probably resonate with most of us!

The EP is bookended by the soothing crackling sound of a fire, very in keeping with the title. Digital Age starts with gentle guitar and vocals lamenting our fixation with our digital lives – obsessions with Facebook likes, Twitter followers whilst neglecting real life. Definitely something I fall foul of (not that I really care how many likes or follows I get, but certainly I spend an inordinate amount of time using social media).

Official video from a previous EP release

Percussion kicks gently along with backing vocals to build up a few layers. Vocally Josh reminds me a bit of Doozer McDooze – not in a soundalike kinda way, I guess he must have a similar vocal register! There’s a whiff of Paul Henshaw in there too (I suspect they are geographically close in origin so maybe that’s just an accent thing!). As the song builds bass kicks in and some background singalongable ‘Whoa-oh ohs’ and what sounds like some kind of pipes as it builds up to a tumultuous climax, finally calming down back to a gentle finish.

15 Years On starts with some lovely melodious guitar picking, and reminiscing about the difficulty in dealing with parents getting divorced during childhood. Mercifully not something I can relate directly to – eventually percussion and accompiment arrive and the passion in the vocals picks up. It feels like an overdue opportunity to address something that perhaps you’re not equipped to as a pre/early teen.

Keep that in Sight follows – again we kick in with picked guitar and vocals, ruminating on our tendency to chase the dollar as we get entrenched in the rat race. As the rest of the instrumentation kicks in you’re treated to one hell of a catchy chorus – don’t feel the need to go so high, you may realise in your sombre eyes things lower down are alright – with an all too welcome reminder that it’s all too easy to get lost in that kind of ambition and drive for money, and forget the simple things in life like being kind.

Percussion builds with some grungy acoustic guitar for a change of mood with This Maze, the mood is darker although the vocal delivery offers a shred of optimism. Josh told me that the focus is around anxiety and how that feels, and there’s certainly that kind of dystopic feel to it. Self doubt and self pity is a prominent feature – although once the electric guitar kicks in with a jangly lilt it definitely offers more than a glimmer of hope, with a promise to help others who might find themselves in a similar place.

Finally acoustic guitar strumming and some gorgeous strings backing it up brings us to the gentle lull of Fireside Lullabies, which does feel like a nice positive ending point. Rife with messages of inclusivity and acceptance and – perhaps most crucially – the importance of spending time with people. There’s affirmation for aspiring artists in there too to keep plugging away. It’s a nice uplifting end to close what have been some challenging topics.

The track fades out to more comforting crackling fire sounds. Colour me relieved – I’ve genuinely enjoyed listening to these songs over the last few days, which has made writing a review all the more easy! So keep an eye out for release on 25th January next year (I’d recommend giving Josh’s page a like so that you’ll get a helpful reminder!), he has a couple of existing EPs out already too which you can check out.

Freeborn Al / 18th December 2019 / Music, Other Bands, Videos

Five Compass Lighthouse

I’ve been playing Paul Henshaw and the Scientific Simpleton‘s new album, Five Compass Lighthouse, for a few weeks now ever since the album launch night at Katy Fitzgerald’s.

It kicks off, much like the gig did, with spoken-word poetry Where I Was set to a soundscape – words that are later referenced in the lyrics of the songs that follow, and as the percussion kicks in launches straight into the punchy chords of Heads, Hearts and Voices.

This brought a couple of things to mind, both quite randomly, the ‘daaah daaah daaah daaah’ chord progression reminds me of Levellers’ Broken Circles (things reminding me of Levellers is usually a good thing, this is no exception!), but the lyrics oddly brought to mind the scene in Dirty Dancing where there holiday camp owner leads the singing of a song that features ‘join hands and hearts and voices’ – which probably betrays how many times I endured that particular film beloved of my first girlfriend more than anything!

It’s a great way to launch into a gig, and indeed, an album!

Throwing Lines is a bit gentler starting with acoustic guitar before the electric kicks in with decisive up-strums (I’m sure there’s a technical term for this). The tone for this one is much lighter and optimistic – evoking the idea that sometimes you just can’t control what’s going around you so might as well just go with the flow as best you can.

Waves is a bouncy cheery sounding song too, acoustic strums accompany the tongue-twisting vocals with some bouzouki accompaniment before the band kicks in. From reading Paul’s notes it’s actually about him selling his childhood home and moving away, this track gives the album its title too (which you can research yourself 🙂 ) – so it’s actually documenting a rather traumatic experience, but ultimately with a positive outcome. The song feels optimistic to me anyway!

The Last Day Before Bedlam has a much grungier feel which I like a lot – an empassioned chorus rife with self-criticism, it’s really energetic and really rather dark. But that gets betrayed a bit by how much fun it looks to play live (especially Matt, ha!). It kinda works on both levels really – it gets those feelings out there, and in a way that’s clearly fun to perform. This might be my favourite.

I’m Still Empty brings the intensity down with gentle acoustic guitar and more soulful lyrics. Quite philosophical lyrics, and eventually there’s layers of sound introduced from the rest of the band – and a great singalong opportunity with some ‘Whoa oh oh ohs’ which was enthusiastically taken up by the crowd at Katy’s.

The Road to Krumlov is actually really charming – a lament to the loneliness of touring, in this case in the Czech Republic. This song probably delivers the most heartbreaking lyric I’ve heard in ages: “… so I type in my postcode to the Sat Nav to kill a few moments, and I’m saddened to see that I’m more than a full day away.” You can just imagine some poor fella sat in a car park waiting until he can load his gear in missing a familiar face or two.

Glasgow starts with recorded background noises (from Glasgow, Paul’s blog informs me) before the song kicks in. It’s a cheery tribute to a trip to – wait for it – Glasgow! It’s made me want to visit now, as much like Paul my only visit here before has been fleeting – for a Ferocious Dog gig perhaps unsurprisingly – it was fun enough, but hotel, pub, gig, hotel, home is probably not the best way to showcase what a city might have to offer!

Twenty One Trains starts with moody acoustic guitar before the band joins in then the lyrics kick in. Apparently there are actually 21 trains featured in the recording too, Paul asks if ‘you get what I’m trying to say’ – I must admit I don’t, it’s not a happy song – the instrumentation reminds me almost of Joy Division which probably explains why it sounds unhappy if that’s what I associate it with. The lyrics are really personal and deal with insomnia, hopelessness and even potential suicidal thoughts. It’s really rather moving.

Wren is another dark moody track. Bird-related songs will always pique my interest and the throbbing bass and incidental guitar stabs only heighten the tension. It’s actually documenting something as routine as trying to save a wren that had been caught by a cat and failing to revive it. It sounds trivial – it’s the sort of thing that would absolutely haunt me for ages, so I find it satisfying that it’s inspired this epic grungy number running at almost six minutes.

Promised Lullaby is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a song Paul promised to write. It’s beautifully gentle, which a lullaby should be really. Gentle layers of accompaniment to the acoustic guitar and vocals are perfect without distracting – the tone is of reassurance and nurturing – its placement on the album after the trauma of the garden bird massacre is perfect.

fAR REACHING Rage is a rare foray into politics – actually, in kinda isn’t, it’s really a fairly self-evident appraisal of one particular figure who arguably isn’t actually a politician anyway, just a self-serving rabble rouser (okay, so maybe that is a definition of politician). The clue is in the capitalisation of the track – this is actually, subject aside, a really fun song, with another corker of a lyrical masterpiece in the chorus “The country is a better place with the absence of your face, I hope they blast you into space, why don’t you go away?” – all set to a chunky rock soundtrack.

Bible Chords issues a challenge of “so you think you understand this song” – in truth, no, sorry Paul! It feels like it’s quite a personal rant – a bit of a reckoning, a rise from a slumber of over-familiarity and realising there’s a need to chart a new course. I think we’ve all been in that place at one time or another – self-imposed isolation, and eventual realisation there’s an alternative to that. This features lots of recordings of people Paul asked to contribute some ‘Whoas’ – Facebook’s algorithms clearly denied me the opportunity to join in. Bastards!

Nothing O’Clock starts with sea noises, and who I suspect might be Frank the dog yapping happily around. Gentle acoustic guitar and vocals start to paint a picture of the scene by the seaside, lilting into philosophical musings – the guitar picked melodies are lovely. There’s almost Nick Parkeresque observational lyrics of people-watching. Just before half way percussion gently joins the party, then a little while later the picking gives way to strumming as the percussion gets heavier and finally with a cymbal crash the tumultuous arrival of the rest of the band for a frankly triumphant finale.

Except it’s not quite a finale – the track ends with more sea noises, with the return of the guitar picking and a final spoken word piece, weaving together lyrics from the songs we’ve just heard. It’s affirmative and positive – bookending what does feel like quite a journey, whilst maybe not entirely autobiographical or chronological – there’s a sense that this album has developed over a seismic period of Paul’s life and has in that sense provided a documentary of kinds of that journey. And mercifully it feels like a journey that’s heading in the right direction.

A fantastic and brave achievement – amazing songwriting, and awesome work from the other Simpletons in giving them the depth and intricacies they need – which translate brilliantly to a live setting too. It’s been out more than a month now so hopefully you have it already, if you don’t, then you should remedy that omission posthaste.

Freeborn Al / 8th December 2019 / Music, Other Bands, Photos, Videos

Is this the end of it all?

It feels like it sometimes doesn’t it? The 12th December is certainly a decisive moment for the sentiment – not just because of the general election, certainly the most divisive and in my time as an eligible voter it feels like the most important and scary – but because Lawrence County (formerly DH Lawrence and the Vaudeville Skiffle Show) are launching their new single.

Hauntingly melodic and foreboding in equal measure – it strikes the perfect tone for how many are feeling in as the countdown to the election looms nearer. The polls – whilst not always a reliable bellweather – predict a continuation of the policies that have led us to where we are.

The world is on a knife-edge of recoverability from human abuses, domestically we have ever increased disparity in wealth and, whether you favour EU membership or otherwise, a ruinous and calamitous divorce and years of negotiations from a weakened and desperate position that puts our very health service at risk is probably not what the majority of ‘the majority’ voted for back in 2016.

But anyway, I didn’t start this blog to talk about politics – there are plenty of others out there that do a much more thorough job, and I’m not self-important enough to think my musings are likely to make anyone think any differently to how they do already – this is about music, and here is some!

So come the evening of 12th December if you fancy something other than sitting in and worrying about the outcome of the ballot box counts, then you could pop yourself down to the single launch event at The Running Horse and sink a few consolatory pints.

Freeborn Al / 8th December 2019 / Gigs, Music, Other Bands, Politics, Videos

Hiding in plain sight..

I’ve written about my admiration for the lifestyle Doozer McDooze and Birdy Rose have wholeheartedly thrown themselves into in pursuit of their respective artforms. I keep tabs on them through their Patreon project, social media and of course at gigs and festivals where we coincide – I’m partly envious of the freedom, but perhaps mainly reaffirmed my ill-preparedness to give up creature comforts and convention quite to that extent!

They’ve been living full time from art and music now since 2013 – hitting the road in a camper van and literally living on the road. Four years later and their trusty van became not so trusty – so a crowdfunding campaign, t-shirts, artwork and music sales commenced. People like myself who both love what they do and also get a vicarious taste of life on the road through what they do chipped in to enable them to buy and convert their new home.

Doozer’s released a song which documents in video the build process, and in words the fragility of the life they’ve chosen to lead. Coinciding with the song release there’s also new #vanlife t-shirts and hoodies available. You’ll be able to find Hiding in Plain Sight, which was produced by Sam Duckworth, on your downloading or streaming site of preference right now – I for one find it really inspirational.

Part of me laments that I lack the nerve (or indeed, any tangible artistic talent to be able to) to throw off the shackles of convention, but of course, the inherent warning in the song also makes me appreciate those shackles to a degree too. So I’m grateful to properly authentic troubadours who are able to make it work, but to really make it work it needs engagement from the likes of us! Give it a listen and a watch – it’s a cracking song!

Freeborn Al / 27th July 2019 / Music, Other Bands, Photos, Videos

Concrete Rose single out now!

This represents a bit of a departure for my normal musical genre playlists – but really well-timed as it is, as I’ve just got home from basking in the sun (okay, there was a smidge of rain too) at the wonderful Something to Smile About festival in Hatfield near Doncaster. The reason I bring that up is if you imagine a beautiful field full of happy smiling people, maybe one or two days in, just the ticket for an early afternoon in the sun is a gentle bounce to some reggae.

I guess there could be a thriving reggae scene that I’m probably not generally involved in – most of the events and gigs I get drawn to tend to be folky punky acousticy things, maybe with a smattering of ska thrown in. Occasionally you’ll find a happy coincidence of Talisman or similar on a festival line up from a thoughtful organiser – so perhaps it’s not surprising that I got hold of this single to review because Concrete Rose’s drummer happens to be none other than Alex from Ferocious Dog!

So, Concrete Rose are Lewis on vocals and guitar, Ahmed on bass, Giuseppe on keyboards and vocals and Alex on drums – they’ve come together with this project to build music with positive vibes at its foundation – reggae at root, but introducing influences from hip-hop, R&B, dancehall, funk, soul and beyond.

And today their first single and b-side has gone live on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Music (as well as your favourite streaming services too). As I allude to above, the perfect soundtrack for a lazy summer afternoon – which is certainly what I’m having today in festival recovery mode with it playing in the background.

Title track Benjamin kicks in with a very short drum intro and cymbal crash then lovely staccato reggae strums along with keys sounding like steel drums pick out the melody of the track underpinned with bass and rhythm before the steel drum-like keys drop out to make space for lead vocals to take on the song, which has an accompanying lyric video (see below) – it’s a bouncy track you can imagine having a skank to on a festival field.

It’s followed up with Morning Sun – a deliciously leisurely slow-paced spread over six minutes – guitar starts, then the percussion and the rest of the band kick in with a ponderous dreamy intro with keyboard melodies playing over guitar, base and drums and finally the vocals overlay. I really like both tracks but this one’s my favourite – realising it or not you’ll be nodding along probably with a grin on your face.

The best thing though is the promise of more to come – Concrete Rose have started gigging in earnest, annoyingly I’ve not managed to catch them live yet, but I shall certainly be doing so as soon as I can – but also more recorded material in the pipeline too, it seems like the four of them have really gelled to find a creative sweet spot in their songwriting, so it’ll be great to hear what comes next. Keep an eye out for them!

Freeborn Al / 3rd June 2019 / Music, Other Bands, Photos, Videos