BAD EDIT VENUE: MUSIC REVIEW

Posted on by
Written by Steve Carter

Sherry Counsellors, Jesse’s Divide, Daniel John Marsden and Helena Raby: Bad Edit Venue, Burslem Friday 10th May 2013

The Bad Edit Venue in Burslem has the look and feel of an art gallery. Which in all fairness it does double up as. Amid this artistic atmosphere and with the lights turned low, Bad Edit was transformed into an artistic hub with a difference.

 

First to emerge from the gentle lights of Bad Edit’s stage was Helena Raby and her brand of chilled out acoustic folk a la Laura Marling.

 

From her first word, the air appeared to be sucked out the room. All conversations stopped. All eyes transfixed and all ears securely focused on Helena.

 

Throughout every song the sheer quietness of the crowd and their contrasting rippling applause, made the crowd’s appreciation for Ms. Raby’s talents very clear. And these talents are considerable.

 

With the eerie vocal stretches and innocence of Laura Marling and the whisper and bounce more akin to Oregon artist Laura Gibson, Helena certainly has the voice to fill and control a room.

 

Added to this is the ability to write songs that perfectly suit her voice. As such her cover of Youth’s Daughter was certainly a low point. But this was only due to the strength of her own material such as opening song ‘Roots’. ‘Roots’ softly floats you through a mix of metaphorical nature and personal turmoil before carefully laying you back home again at the end.

 

This was but one example of a quality, if short set, for a performer if she continues to write and perform as she did here, will find the sky is the limit.

 

The same can defiantly be said for the act that followed her.

 

Although acoustic driven, and also featuring cameos from Helena Raby on glockenspiel, Daniel John Marsden and his band were different from both Helena Raby and anything else I’ve heard.

 

Whereas most acoustic artists veer towards folk, Daniel John Marsden goes towards the indie but  in a unique way, leaving all the indie clichés behind. What is left is a energetic but soft, indie rock songs.

 

His songs floated catchily from the opening song ‘Forest Fires’ to the ridiculously catchy melodica  tinged  ‘Lines Tied’ and even his on spin on sing-a-long song ‘Call Me Maybe’, which was almost unrecognisable from the Carley Rae Jepson verson.

 

Although I feel the sound missed a little edge (maybe using an electric guitar or another band), his sound followed on perfectly from the opening and he has truly unique sound and song craft that it was a sight to behold.

 

The chilled out atmosphere that had been generated by the first two act was to abruptly shattered by Jesse’s Divide taking the stage.

 

Jesse’s Divide provided a mix of late eighties hard rock and early nineties grunge powered through their set with a clear confidence and contrl of the stage contrasting the introverted performances they were following.

 

Minus the very questionable synth which was straight out of over exuberant YES! records of the 1970′s the synergy of their Amercian rock styles is well realised. It should be noted that despite the dodgy sounding synth the well balanced nature of the songs solos and break in songs such as ‘Love Gun’ meant it was only a minor issue.

 

All being said Jesse’s Divide do what they do very well and had a cold crowd coming off two chilled acoustic artists. This made their ability to get and keep the crowd interested in their all the more enjoyable and was a testament to their songs and their effort (especially their hard hitting drummer).

 

The headline act The Sherry Counsellors would in many cases just be a standard Indie rock band. In many respects they look like it and their music sounds like it. Yet there is something different and special about the Sherry Counsellors- their front man.

 

At time’s I felt he was doing a imitation of Kaiser Cheif’s lead singer Ricky Wilson, the tambourine, the voice, even the sideways pose. Had this been the case Sherry Counsellors would not have held my attention long, fortunately it was not.

 

Instead each song’s vocal style and delivery differed greatly. The Sherry Counsellors songs took you from John Lydon in PiL to Ricky Wilson in Kaiser Cheifs and everywhere in between. Add to this the energetic live performance The Sherry Counsellors are certainly a fun band to see live.

 

Whereas it is true there is nothing stunning stand out about their songs that would make me run out and want to buy their records or obsess over them, their live performance was both tight and thoroughly enjoyable.

SHOW & TELL / STAFFS UNI AMD SHOW

Posted on by

Here’s our top pick’s from our visit to Staffordshire Universities Show & Tell Art, Media and Design exhibition for 2013.

EMILY HACKETT
Surface Pattern

Emily Hackett

ANDREW HALL
Graphic design

Andrew Hall

ANNIE JEAN CROOKS
Graphic Design

Annie Jean Crooks

SARAH BASKEYFIELD
Graphic Design

HARRIETT BARKER
3D Design: Crafts

Harriett Barker

SIAN ELIZABETH FORD
Graphic Design & Illustration

DANNIELLA JAINE
Photography

Danniella Jaine

Max Williamson
Photographer

Max Williamson

The Grapes

Posted on by
Written by Steve Carter
Image courtesy of Assorted Records

Image courtesy of Assorted Records

Out from a cold and threatening May evening I arrived at The Grapes, Stafford’s premier venue for underground acts. As in many towns, this often means very little but not tonight.

Tonight I was treated to a compelling mix of music, at a gig run by the local record company Assorted Records of which headline act Jason Callear being of that label.

Dan Robinson bounced enthusiastically onto the stage to open the evenings music.

Robinson launched his set with an ode to fallen soldiers, which set the tone for a set full of angry and politically driven songs. This anger which is evident throughout his music certainly sets him apart from other politically enthused acoustic artists such as Billy Bragg or Frank Turner.

Yet, despite a strong and visceral start, Robinson seemed to lose interest and so did the crowd. As such all the verve and venom had run out by the sets end. This however, would not last.

The 95th took to the stage announcing that this was their first gig and that their drummer had dropped out due to a broken neck. Daniel John Marsden’s drummer, without knowing or playing the songs leap willingly into the breach.

My heart sank with dread. The thought of out of time songs and misplaced endings running rampant. I was wrong.

On a night of acoustic music the searing rock of The 95th was different. The band had pace, aggression and a very unique sound. A mix of jangling guitars and distorted guitars, lead by a piercing front man.

The constant foot tapping and head bobbing that rattled through the Grapes like an epidemic, showed the enjoyment of a small crowd,  unable to express themselves further in such an environment.

Only the slow numbers seemed to suffer from the last minute replacement of drummer. This was forgiveable in the circumstances and did not detract from an enigmatic and heart-stomping first outing and I look forward to seeing the improvement once they are up to full strength.

With his drummer in tow, Daniel John Marsden brought the tempo back down with a chilled set of acoustic numbers.

With the exception of the song Lines Tied off Daniel’s new Raincoat EP, which, with help from  friends on glockenspiel and bass,  produced an energetic high point to his performance.

Without the full accompaniment his performance, although not reaching the energy level of Lines Tied had a much more subdued to atmosphere to previous performances, with Daniel sitting down  during the whole of his set.

Nonetheless, he was still able to produce a wonderful array of soft, soothing acoustic songs pushed along by percussion. Daniel’s defensive posture and closeted charisma between songs added to the intimate feel in another spot on performance.

Despite this, I would have preferred to have had Daniel maintain his friend’s help as at previous gigs and continue the pace and energy building up. But this is truly nitpicking on a great performance.

After the upbeat set of The 95th and the smooth styling of Daniel John Marsden having well and truly stolen the show, the headliner Jason Callear was on to a loser.

It was clear the young crowd were here to see the support acts and streamed out through his set, making his choice of headline act over the equally established Daniel John Marsden all the stranger.

It should not however, be considered a knock on the quality of Jason Callear’s set itself. In fact, I’ve have never heard an act sound so incredibly polished that it was like listening to a record.

Many would be jealous at his skill with a voice pedal, which helped produce perfect harmonies at key points in songs.

Jason Callear in fact does so many things right it almost feels wrong to be critical, as he is so very good at what he is doing. It is just the fact that what he is doing is so very 1980′s that it lacks the originality which makes an artist uniquely interesting.

This was so much the case that even his strong vocal performance was so reminiscent of Bryan Adams a verse or two of Summer of ’69 would not of been out of place. No doubt it would have got what remained of the crowd re interested.

Had this been a room full of 30 and 40 somethings, Jason Callear would have been on fire and brought the house down. In that instance The 95th and Daniel John Marsden would have been largely forgotten.

Instead, those who made the trip to the Grapes were treated to two of the truly unique acts of the area, giving great performances. In Stafford, the young talent certainly stole the show off the old hands.

chorlton arts festival

Posted on by

CAF2013-Logo

Chorlton Arts Festival brings international bands to the Manchester suburbs again this May

Chorlton Arts Festival returns to south Manchester 17-26 May 2013 with its annual dose
of music, visual arts, comedy and performance taking place over 10 days in venues
across the whole of Chorlton.

The Festival, now in its 13th year, is a permanent fixture in the city’s events calendar, attracting record audience figures of over 20,000 people in 2012. The Festival’s Chorlton Weekender will take place over Bank Holiday weekend
(23–26 May) and feature internationally acclaimed musicians alongside local talent.
Weekender acts include Sunday-night headliners TOY, London’s hottest alt-rock band,
who, fresh from appearing in NME’s Award Show Series at London’s Scala, are now
preparing to support The Vaccines on their UK arena tour and have also secured a
much sought-after slot at Manchester’s Parklife Weekender in June. Support comes
from Manchester-based girl band PINS who are causing a stir with their punk-infused
industrial sounds, reflected in the speedy sales of their limited-edition single, produced
on gold cassettes. The same night, punk legend and former member of The Slits, Viv
Albertine takes to the stage at Dulcimer for a rare intimate show.
Performing on Saturday are off-the-wall American folk legends The Jeffrey Lewis &
Peter Stampfel Band. Songwriter and visual artist Jeffrey Lewis is renowned for his six
albums of twisted garage-indie-folk on Rough Trade, while Grammy winner Peter
Stampfel celebrates 50 years of in the music business, most famously with The Holy
Modal Rounders and The Fugs, and featuring on the Easy Rider soundtrack.
Other acts include Brighton-based Esben and the Witch headlining on Friday.

Having recently sold out Salford’s infamous The Bunker, they are currently on tour topping the
bill at venues such as London’s Scala and New York’s The Mercury Lounge. A local
musician making waves further afield, JP Cooper performs in the unique surroundings
of St Ninian’s Church on Saturday night with his full band, while The Candle Thieves
kick off the Weekender on the Thursday night with their Beach Boys-esque love songs.
Festival Director Ella Byford said: “We’re delighted to be able to bring so many topquality bands to Chorlton and allow people the rare chance to see them perform in
unique venues such as local churches, bars and cafes. We’re really looking forward to
announcing the full programme of visual arts, comedy and performance very soon.”
A limited number of Early Bird Weekender Wristbands is currently on sale at £28 and
individual tickets for each gig are also on sale via http://www.chorltonartsfestival.com.

For more information on Chorlton Arts Festival 2013, see http://www.chorltonartsfestival.com

EDIEOP

Posted on by

Edie OP combines colour, fun and imagination into heart-warming illustrations, her work is featured in prototype magazine, and here we find out a little more about who’s behind the drawings.

Edie OP

Hi Edie, what have you been upto today?

I’ve been drawing comics mostly and doing a lot of printing out. I’ve also slowly been updating my website again.

You recently had a stall at Comica, how did that go?

Comica was fantastic! It one of my favourite events to go to, it’s a great chance loads of different work and meet some amazing artists.

Why did you start illustrating?

Well I guess I never grew out of drawing, always loved it but I didn’t do art at school. It wasn’t until I turned 18 that I realized I want to do this for a career. I originally wanted to be a geologist.

Who do you illustrate for?

I like to try and reach as many people as I can with my work, but I tend to illustrate for people who like bright colourful work and who share my sense of humour.

How do you manage being freelance?

I try to keep a steady flow of work going so I don’t end up doing everything in one night although sometimes a good old fashioned all-nighter can’t be avoided! Then just lots of organization, I live by my Filofax.

How would you describe your style?

Colourful and fun but with a macabre twist, I love to paint with ink and watercolours.

Jonah

Your work featured in our Transformation issue – what does Transformation mean to you?

Transformation to me is the tiny changes we all make as people on a daily basis, and how we evolve and adapt to our lives. I guess transformation is a huge part of being an illustrator too, your work grows and changes with your experiences as a person and stylistically develops.

What’s your favourite thing to illustrate?

Ooh this is a tough one. I went through a phase of drawing buildings and one summer I spent about a month drawing whales. I tend to like to draw unfamiliar things, that way I can learn something new and surprise myself.

Edie OP

What do you have planned for 2013?

Graduating firstly, I have my last big hand in next week and I’ll be moving to Sheffield, which I’m quite excited about. I’ve starting looking at workshops and units to rent so I can set up a nice big studio. Hopefully I should be at some more fairs later in the year, I’m just waiting to hear back if they have room for me.

You can see more or Edie OP’s work in our Transformation issue.