The press strapline for Abz Winter's new single "Sike", which is released on 24^th May is that it will "have the listeners unsure of what to expect next".

There is no way that I'd argue with that, but what I would contend (and have consistently done so for the last five years) is that this is at the heart of Abz's musical DNA.

She is one of those few local pop writers who can pitch her work at several different levels simultaneously. That she retains the same gleeful & exuberant persona from her earliest career days is to her credit and should be a major factor is progressing her to wider audience contexts: her (many) serious songs are infused with tongue in cheek elements and the title of this release speaks for itself. (The cover art is pretty freaky too). However, as a whole (long) sequence of reviews in the magazine has demonstrated, her capacity to move on musically from song to song has also been there from day one.

I'm not sure that she receives sufficient credit for this aspect of her craft, so I'll keep on banging on about it if you pardon me for so doing.

For there are new changes aplenty with "Sike". I'm delighted that Abz is now with professional management (VNS Management since you ask) as this will help her unlock her tremendous potential.

Having moved on from essentially solo work last year, she has now found more new collaborators in Glasgow (Hamish Reilly & producer Bruce Rintoul) and again this has left its imprint upon her sound.

The first thing that struck me was just how complex "Sike" is. Abz's music usually has a lot of detail in there which I suspect is not spotted due to the panache of the performance, but given the unusual structure here, is making a bold statement that she is as original on the musical side as she is the lyrical.

The most striking part of this is "an ode to 2000's cheerleading" which is she is particularly pleased with. I assume this bit is a personal predilection as I can't otherwise account for why it's in there, but hats off to her for including it as it adds both quirky character and another catchy hook.

Another helpful hint from her manager's press release is the open acknowledgement of how the abrupt switches which provide the unusual structure which I mentioned are "luring you into a false sense of genre". Smart & sophisticated songwriting in fact.

Aimed at "..the SINGLESSSS out there.." (Abz's own profusion of S's) the song celebrates the virtues of autonomy in the face of inadequate options ("I have high standards and out of the people I meet: nobody fits the brief! - I always try to give them the benefit of the doubt but they just end up annoying me…I refuse to settle for second best life is just too short, I would much rather be single & happy".)

It's a "a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle" song for 2024's world and the only emotionally true way of expressing that sense of realisation and empowerment is through an exuberant delivery: which as you know is Abz's trademark.

Emphasised by the fresh punk-orientated guitar sound that she transitioned to last year (a fit so perfect for her music), the track clearly has a lot of thought go into the details (I'm sure teaming up with new collaborators helps this) yet the characteristic Abz Winter vibe is left intact so it still glistens with a sense of spontaneity.

Though we probably measure her success on a song-by-song basis, behind the scenes the accumulated progress is mounting up. Abz's songs have now had airplay on over 120 stations around the world and featured on numerous playlists including Spotify Fresh Finds and she ended 2023 as an AMEX Gold Unsigned Winner. 

The fact that she has more dimensions than most of those of her age group to whom she might be compared (without a doubt at a local level but clearly way beyond by now) is paying off step by step. Her magnificent voice has always been used with discretion & nuance and by now the evidence of her writing skills is proven by plenty of evidence. She's also long shrugged off any initial chains of genre.

I am not one of those reviewers who copy/pastes Press Releases into their articles: I certainly appreciate them & use the factual information but feel I do need to take a step backwards for objectivity's sake. However in this case, Abz's PR suggests that "…the final product is anthemic, exciting, youthful, fun, crisp and infectious.." and I yet again cannot dissent from that.

I don't think that Duke Keats is likely to adopt "Expect the Unexpected" as his mission statement, but it would certainly fit snugly.

Firstly, having blindsided all concerned (my included) who were anticipating his new release "Data Machinery" by guerilla-dropping "English Countryside" and "Loan Sharks" last week. Secondly now that the former is almost with us (it arrives tomorrow), as we have all now come to foresee, the song bears little resemblance not only to the latter two but to most else on the road he's trodden before.

Naturally such a cinephile has plenty of diverse inspiration on which to draw which inevitably will affect the resultant music but even so, however broad & inclusive his vision might be, he still requires the chops to implement it: and everything you hear is purely Duke (please do expect those Prince comparisons to keep pouring in) aided by the production skills of long-time collaborator Mason Le Long.

This will in due course join "Heavy Heartbreak" on his eventual ‘Bornstar' EP (he describes the tracklist for this as being "eclectic" which I predict will be something of a laconic understatement by the time I outline the whole EP to you) but I assume the two interlopers into the sequence will remain outside the set.

As we have come to expect, the silver screen played a role in initially inspiring the song as he juxtaposes the perceived glamourous facades (and movie glamour is of course a long-term source of curiosity for him) with the "mundane realities of our lives": which leads him to ponder upon "the repetitive and robotic nature of societal routines".

That linkage of lack of real agency in our lives as technology increasingly shapes what we do and how we do it, accounts neatly for the track's title. However, this is Duke Keats about whom we are talking and there are layers yet to explore. You'd have an interesting song on the above subject, shaping in turn a sound orientated towards the mechanistic to conjure up senses of alienation in the twenty-first century. But then Duke cites the influence of "the vocal arranging techniques of Mary Ford and the pioneering days of multi-track recording" and suddenly we're aware of mid 1950s references (she developed the basic techniques with her husband Les Paul (yes that one) in their garage studio) and suddenly Duke's concerns with "the struggle between creativity and conformity in a structured society" gains a longitudinal context: it's been going on a long while and he predicts that this isn't about to change any time soon.

To that end (presumably), Duke opts for portraying a sense of optimism by palpably displaying that if the question is "is technology a tool for a musician or is it the other way round?" then for him the answer is that he is no slave to the machine. He does this by (with his usual dazzling virtuosity in terms of arrangements and capacity to pull the most complex off) using the obvious electro-robobeat backing as an almost humorously misleading start and then proceeds to parade a range of analogue and organic influences such as Chic or Michael Jackson. In theory this is a tough trick to pull off but he seems to do so effortlessly time after time, melding styles and incorporating his love of previous music into where he sees it going.

The previous single, as per my review, derived from Duke's dream. "Data Machinery" to some extent might be considered a sort of nightmare, but that's a conventional expression in this case: it comes from very real concerns mulled over in his conscious mind. The central dichotomy is not the tension between reality and illusion of our internal processes but between reality of experienced existence and fantasies thrust upon us by external agencies: including the media of fictional content and that of alleged non-fictional "news".

There is a definite sense of acceptance of some form of dystopia, but he feels that it is within our power to fight our way out: if necessary, by blowing up the machine: "we're two sticks of dynamite" as he puts it.

In truth, Duke Keats is setting the music scene on its ears: certainly, he's shifted the baseline of what it might mean to be a music maker in Coventry and Warwickshire and the rest of the country and beyond can only follow in time. Therefore the idea of his contributing to tearing down other accepted shibboleths makes absolute sense.

The paradox (and he is a dealer in paradoxes) is that by ripping the playbook up to create new paradigms, he uses his deep understanding of music & film of the past to analyse where the value lies and reanimate elements long forgotten by the mainstream in order to reincarnate them: opening eyes & ears to what is truthful, always was & will continue to be so: however buried it might have got under the detritus of the ephemeral and commercially homogenous.

It seems ages since I last wrote a Silver Wye review: in fact it was over two years ago when their "Hitman" single came out.

Founder Wes Finch has many outlets for his deep well of creativity and interests so it's hardly surprising that any given project might be placed on hold for a little while: his work with Stratford's Street Arts project will have taken up much of his time lately, not least via the significant expansion of the activities of the ad hoc band WLDFLWRS which the professional musicians who facilitate the songwriting sessions put together: the fundraising visitation of "The Last Waltz" being too good to limit to a single performance: a national tour has now been drawn up.

But in the moments between the demands of WLDFLWRS, The Mechanicals Band and sundry others, here comes the ‘Second Wave' EP from The Silver Wye.

I've been lucky enough to hear the recorded tracks prior to Mason Le Long mastering them for release, but such is their inate excellence that his input will only take them higher.

The four tracks are "Turnaround", "Gospel Oak", "Heal You" and "Holy Cow (What if Today)" and in terms of who plays on it, credit goes to fellow WLDFLWR Jack Blackman for guitar on "Heal You", Wes and Matt Lakey for guitars on the other three tracks, John Parker for bass and Ben Haines for percussion and synths. Ben mixed and production was courtesy of Wes and Ben with input from John & Matt.

If you factor in the participants on the previous Silver Wye releases (and most of the singles were collected together on 2020's ‘First Wave' EP/mini-album) then you'll get a sense of what the entity is: an outlet for certain more experimental compositions of Wes' (originally more electronic than traditional folk) and so musicians have appeared as appropriate: excepting some live releases, the element of continuity has been Wes himself, while Leo Steeds, Luke Dibbs, Isaac McInnes and Bradley Blackwell have featured on earlier recordings.

For quite a while, due to the commitments of those who appeared on studio cuts, live renditions tended to be as part of solo Wes gigs, thus appearing in different guise to their released versions. These days as his recording collaborators have converged with those he plays gigs with, so the divergence will have narrowed.

That said, he's been working some of these songs up for a while to perfect them in his own mind: regular attendees of his gigs should know "Gospel Oak" well by now and both that and "Turnaround" have already appeared on live releases: "Gospel Oak" even came out in demo form on the 2020 ‘Variations' EP.

In line with the two EPs and roughly equivalent evolution in personnel, this "Phase Two" of the project has distinct differences to first tracks. The latter seem crafted with disregard as to whether they'd be played live in the precise form made in the studio: and I don't think they ever have been. These latter-day ones do seem to anticipate concert reproduction.

The experimental aspects remain, but are perhaps less extreme in what comes out of your speaker: we are talking more about odd, esoteric arrangements & processed instruments/vocals rather than full on electronica and musique concrete.

The wispy otherworldliness is a constant though. Silver Wye releases have often coincided with celestial or astronomical events (I suppose they all might, were I more informed on such matters), and these continue to appear in & shape both songs and moods of songs. Frequently Wes appears as an observer from far above rather than in midst of the emotional action as he is with his "main" canon of work. I say "frequently" because there are glaring exceptions to this tendency: some Silver Wye songs are deeply personal. However, this opportunity for dispassion gives him scope for more disturbing subject matter such as "The Getting Place" or "Hitman" songworlds in which their creator appears not at all: which really isn't the case for the vast majority of his songs.

I can't therefore suggest that project indicates a temporary desire to lay aside creative subjectivity for objectivity (that really isn't the case some of the time), but I do think that it is one of the defining factors.

With a musician of this level, leaving space within songs is part of his skills. Nevertheless, and despite the calibre of the people playing on the songs, the Silver Wye sound seems to take this idea further. If Occam's Razor applies to music, Wes & co seem to wield it fairly ruthlessly.

In lesser hands, these aspects of the band, ruthlessness, iciness, otherworldliness etc add up to a package of alienation. With musicians this skilled & with their empathy for humanity, this never happens. How they do this, I'm not sure. If I understood it fully, then I could do what they can, which I certainly cannot, so I can only admire what in some ways is a highwire experiment.

These are very humane songs: in fact, the spirituality which has been evident throughout is perhaps a bit more prominent this time out. It's easy to speculate on the history of "Gospel Oak" but hard to come to a firm conclusion. That it's dear to Wes' heart is clear: that would certainly account for a factor of aiming to perfect it. T might simply have been awaiting the right team to be able to assemble in order for it to be recorded. At any rate, to my ears, during its evolution, it has become more haunting, and I think slower in delivery. My personal suggestion is to consider my thoughts on the WLDFLWRS gig: many of the best performances on the day were of songs by The Band (performed by WLDFLWRS in Stratford United Reformed Church) which SOUND spiritual but which have never been decisively pinned down as overtly religious: they had a certain transcendental effect which I & others noted and which may have convinced them that they'd made something special: worth taking to other audiences. Part of that magic may have rubbed off on "Gospel Oak" and shaped its final form. It is (I think) capable of being interpreted in both religious & secular ways, but it certainly exudes that spiritual aura which "The Weight" does.

If so, "Heal You" (reinforced by Jack's presence) might fall into an equivalent category. Musically it's closest to Wes' main body of the tracks here and the spiritual sort of language & expression coupled with Jack's exquisite lightest-of-touch blues moments, connects with some of what Van Morrison has long done: and Van of course appeared at the original Last Waltz…

"Holy Cow (What if Today)" is far too skeletal to compare with The Band or Van Morrison (and one thing it does is to demonstrate the diversity of what The Silver Wye come up with even within the project parameters). It's the closest in sound to Phase One I suppose with strange electronic noises (generated by guitar by the sounds) yet I wonder how close it came to be being delivered a cappella? For the early sections, the voice is so dominant that the occasional instrumental sound seems added simply to defer to convention of having them on songs. A little later we get a break from the singing to provide a fairly minimalist and very laid back instrumental section (I couldn't call it a solo) and these add colours to the whole, but all in all this is a prime example of that razor being used judiciously.

"Turnaround" is yet another kind of thing altogether: in fact it was the track which I had the hardest job processing to anything like my adequate satisfaction.  The immediate response was surprise at the sound. If this is Wes attempting to explore new territory & confound his fans' expectations, then he's succeeded. To me it summoned up memories of the sort of pop experiments of the early 1980s when new technologies meant that new sounds could be offered to the palettes of musicians. Quite a few sections might have been the sort of thing which the likes of Tears for Fears or Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark might have contemplated. Even the bass playing is a revelation: I've heard John perform with so many diverse artists but never like this: again my thought drifted to the era when the distinctive playing of Pino Palladino was ubiquitous. I mean it doesn't even sound like a double bass he's playing. Hats off to The Silver Wye for boldness in going somewhere we didn't expect & without recourse to the avant garde: this is a fine pop song, just one we couldn't have foreseen.

The fine, soaring guitar (and to be honest, Wes rarely goes in for classic solos of this type) ensures that this is not some exercise in retro (the bands I cited above never took this route).

Although "Turnaround" shares the same characteristics of other Silver Wye songs: sublimity, light, optimism etc and like them seeks to find common ground between the higher planes & the foolishness of mortal behaviour, this one is so chock full of accessibility of philosophy and offering of achievable advice, coupled with its lushness of setting, that it sounds like a potentially successful single: whether in 1983 or 2024. Odder things have happened, and it just goes to prove that exploring your own creativity does not necessarily mean descending into obscurity nor exclusivity. Maybe Wes is thinking on similar lines as he & Johnny Holden have made a video for this song which they will unveil when the EP is launched.

Despite the considerable enthusiasm (mine right up there on the list) for the cumulative build-up of tracks on her ‘Doomsday Was Yesterday' EP, this is still a glinting speck on the horizon for Ace Ambrose fans.

I guess most of them will be all to aware of the chronic health issues she has been battling with & rein in any impatience to hear the follow-up to "A Town Called Love".

Signs of getting back into the fray have slowly & discreetly been appearing: rebuilding her Oddity band, managing to make YNES' recent gigs etc and now we have something more tangible.

No: not the latest instalment of the EP (which we continue devoutly to await), but a standalone track, a howl of righteous outrage which alone tells you that her body might have been fragile and consequently her mental strength too, but her spirit not at all.

Frankly this is as about as explicit as a song title can get: do you really require me to explain the theme of "Televised Genocide (Gospel of Gaza)"?

That all proceeds go to aiding the Palestinian people in this prolonged hour of need can scarcely be a surprise either.

Made with Swashbuckler & Yovsaf, the song in some ways is unique in her oeuvre gone is any trace of romance even in the harshest circumstances. Gone too is singing: this is a declamation: a clear and stringent polemic. Ace has no desire for her meaning to get lost within even the mildest & artistic of ambiguities. So music in the conventional sense makes way for a musique concrete accompaniment to her words.

To a large extent, (and I'm sure this will be a major theme of the EP), in her usual work Ace acknowledges the real pain in the world but tends to offer a fantasy avatar of herself to step in & save the day: a mythic gunslinger bringing love, a figure transcending time & space. There is a little tip of her hat to this Eternal Champion self in an accompanying photo (number two in the ones on this review) which features her in her customary mask: but this is modelled on that of real guerilla fighters. Superheroes are not going to materialise to save Gaza or turn the IDF away from genocide in Rafah or Jabalia: only we can contribute by expressing opposition & it is this she is calling for in a detailed and informed demand for salvation for those still alive. 

This may not, on the surface, sound like the Ace Ambrose we've been accustomed to: but is that really true? The form is a surprise: which is part of her artistic identity. It's passionate: ditto. It's totally value based: again that's always applied. 

Much as I've been looking forwards to her ‘Doomsday Was Yesterday'  (admittedly within the context of her recent limitations), this song is essential today and so takes priority: the rest can wait (hopefully not for too long though).

Will it have the effects her efforts have aspired towards? Well those who could stop it have seemed deaf to every single reasoned and compassionate argument so I can't see it falling on their ears in a receptive fashion. However mass public opinion can force the hands of the powerful & if this track wins even a few more hearts and minds, Ace and her friends will not have made it in vain. It would be nice too if those in Gaza could hear it & realise that not everyone in the UK, USA etc was complicit in their ordeal and instead totally opposed it. To know that you do not stand alone offers a tiny glimpse of hope.

It's always uplifting: morally, emotionally & physically to witness a Liam Vincent and The Odd Foxes' gig (I was sufficiently rendered inarticulate by the power of their music to have to come up with the term "upcheering" when I spoke with them afterwards: probably not a real word but it conveyed something at the time I hope) and last night at the Albany Theatre for the regular monthly CVFolk concert (supported by Julie Neale & Jamie Scott) was not an exception.

 Setwise, I caught them between albums: debut "Fabric of a Flawed Society" was released a year ago (I continue to thank them for launching it on the afternoon of a lot of monarchist malarkey and hence giving me a very positive distraction) and a lot of new material has recently been written (much at a writing retreat) for planned sharing over the next year or more.

This was my first live show of theirs to feature James Richmond on guitar (not to be confused, as I was, by his predecessor Jamie Thompson who played on the superb, standalone "We Are The Monsters" single back last Hallowe'en) so what with an evolved lineup & setlist, this was an evening of vulpine development.

Their DNA has not changed at all though: they see society as being as flawed as it was a year ago & can identify plenty of monsters within it.

They sink their teeth into these issues with glee & gusto and in accordance with how I described them on first hearing, they affect our hearts & minds but also our feet to the extent that they get transported by their own songs: band members are in constant onstage motion and at times reach dervish level in the manner of the likes of The Pogues or Gogol Bordello.

The height of this is a furious version of the single "Watching You" where the "folk" element gets taken up into the punk ethos so angry are they.

Tracks like this are primeval in tapping into the deep roots of the human condition: true folk music based upon the most enduring of passions & experiences, but all contextualised to our times. It's gigs like this which again and again remind me that the "folk" I like is the meaningful & renewed, deployed as a weapon against contemporary societal flaws & monsters & not some sacred canon to which blinkered purists deny new admissions.

If defiance is a huge aspect of Odd Fox philosophy then so is affirmation: these people wish to make society better again & their performances are as celebratory as they are radical.

That said, they succeed because they are superb musicians & can pull off deft & subtle playing at high tempo and on the move: they positively delight at playing off each other too. I doubt if they approve of stereotyping so it's not fair of me to categorise all their songs as being polemical: the very affecting "Time to Go Home" certainly fits into a completely different category. This one explores the parent/child love and as others palpably concern that love which exists within communities, the relative absence of conventional romantic love songs is of little relevance: even if Liam did speak to me wondering if he'd end up writing one: does it matter? The Odd Foxes are very good at this thing of theirs & it gives them an individuality which is paying off as their reputation continues to grow & spread.

They finished with a song examining the 4,000 weeks of the "average" lifespan and rang the changes as James switched to acoustic guitar, drummer Diz to bodhran and Liam to shruti box leaving Rebecca (whose solo set at The Tin we reviewed only last week) & Matt alone on the instruments they'd played all gig: violin and bass. This one kind of summed up the reflective side of what they have to say: less fury and more mindful contemplation on our world and place within it.

Liam Vincent and The Odd Foxes are a stunning phenomenon in closed spaces such as the Albany Theatre. It's hard to think of a group better suited to festival performances so if you organise one or know someone who does, best get them booked sooner rather than later. Their reputation is growing and spreading and will reach that tipping point (and I was delighted that their fellow "Hot Music Live Presents" featured musicians Izzie Derry and Dolly Mavies only this week were announced for Glastonbury 2024) when they break out of the exclusively local scene.

Next month at CVFolk's event, HMLP featured artist Katherine Abbott will be playing, (freshly returned from her US tour) which is something I'm already looking forwards to.

Look out too for Liam Vincent and The Odd Foxes on the CVFolk Stage (in the Upper Precinct) at Coventry Motofest on Saturday 1st June at 1605

Until then, "Tally Ho!" to the Odd Foxes.

Following his collaboration with Brudez ("Here and Now": you can find it too on ‘Hot Music Live Presents Volume Twelve'), Beat Rebel Records supremo Justin Bygrave has today offered us his follow-up, "Perfect Imperfection": this time his partner in rhyme is Princess D Krazy.

It's a very different sort of track and if he's aiming to demonstrate his own breadth of vision and musical taste, then the contrast with its predecessor does the trick very nicely.

Much as I dislike genre categorisation and try not in indulge in it, I suppose that the contemporary definition of "R&B" (which is a long way from the one I grew up with) is probably broad enough to cover both. Which is actually of little help as they are so different. The earlier track is perfectly well describable as rap and this one fits "soul" nicely. Very nicely in fact.

Musically, he's slowed things right down and left his royal vocalist space to make her singing the prime focus. For her part, she's repaid his trust with an equally restrained and tasteful performance thankfully devoid of the sort of excessive vocal showboating gymnastics that one suffers all too often in songs of this type.

I must admit that I know nothing of her beyond this song, but he's chosen his collaborator with his customary enlightened instincts: the philosophy appears to be "keep it simple" on both arrangement and delivery and the simplicity enhances the sense of honesty.

Again, I'm not aware of how it was written or by whom, but it's a subtle and graceful tune which, intentional or not, has the summer groove to fit the current weather.

As I say, as a calling card for his own range & that of the label, you couldn't wish for better. Play the two back-to-back and you'd not easily detect any commonality of musicians. Despite his renown as a bassist, he's dialled that right back in the service of the song: and that sacrifice itself is greatly to his credit.

In several ways, the Sink or Swim promotion at The Tin on Saturday (John Douglas supported by Rebecca Mileham & The Sunbathers) which I reported on, epitomises what Joe Colombi has brought to the local live scene.

Quite apart from the staggering number of promotions (there seems barely a day without a gig he's put on and on his "nights off" he seems mainly to check out bands at other promoters' events) & his rigid adherence both to quality of artists & professionalism of the shows (none of those strings of artist complaints which seem to accompany mention of some promoters & promoting venues), Joe has clear ambitions to both bring big names (I thrill to the likes of Wreckless Eric, Attila the Stockbroker and Dave Formula to name but a few) to the area yet at the very same time create opportunities for exciting local talent: especially those he sees not getting a fair chance from others. Several of the artists we've been enthusing about over the past couple of years have been given key & repeated exposure only by Sink or Swim.

So on Saturday we saw a cult figure pack out the Tin, delighting his local fans while giving slots to two acts who don't play too often, have an unjustly low public profile yet won many new admirers because Joe knew that John's audience would recognise their distinct merits.

 In the twenty or so months since I last caught up with Joe for an article in September 2022, I'd be hard pressed to even estimate the number of events he's conceived, built & delivered. I'd love to list them all, but that would create an article of too great a length to hold your attention: the opposite of his promotions.

It was very unfair of me to ask him to pick any out for me, but he was kind enough & polite enough to ignore my gaucherie and to respond enthusiastically: though starting with the disclaimer that "all of them were really good" before extolling the gig we were actually at (in anticipation) plus ones by Deb Googe, Izzie Derry, his annual Punkmas gigs,  Brazilian band Glue Trip and "a guy from Japan who just played a snare drum for twenty minutes" (that would be Ryosuke Kiyasku and Joe advises that he'll be returning on August 9th). So we now need to add international touring acts to the Sink or Swim profile.

Coming up, when asked for potential highlights, he cited gigs by Dave Formula from Magazine (on May 29^th) Penny Arcade (from Veronica Falls) on June 21st, Tara Clerkin Trio from Bristol (May 30^th), The Hanging Stars (November 9^th) plus ones he's not even allowed to announce yet.

 I think from the above, Joe's philosophy emerges quite clearly, but nonetheless I asked him what he might encapsulate it as & he came up with the refreshingly honest "no-one buys tickets and I sink, or we swim and have a great night"

Which leads me onto my punchline: Joe has transformed the local original gig scene more than anyone I've ever seen and what all those who value the music we hold dear in this magazine must cherish. However, unless we actively patronise Sink or Swim events, then seeing great artists from outside the area will diminish and chances for the more interesting local acts to build live audiences will go to: probably along with the artists concerned. Equally, given his vital partnerships with venues such as The Tin or Just Dropped In, his thriving is linked organically to theirs.

I refer you therefore to: https://www.wegottickets.com/SinkorSwimPromotions/

The sad news is that there was less music than usual at this year's Earlsdon Festival.

The good news is that this was largely because host venue the Criterion Theatre are currently in the middle of their Springboard Festival (and so their team are currently very stretched) and so you can catch more great music there until 11^th May: including artists such as The Mechanicals Band, Lauren South, Stylusboy & Wes Finch whom we have covered in this magazine. Tickets are available via this link:

https://www.criteriontheatre.co.uk/production/537

In the event, personal commitments meant that I only caught one of the sets in full (my apologies to those whom I missed), but since this has given me the chance to write our first review of an Alys Rain gig, it worked out fine.

Alys (aka Izzy Hadlum) had her ‘In Tension' EP (which was played today) reviewed here in December 2022 and her song "Driving in the Rain" from that release features on ‘Hot Music Live Presents Volume Eleven'.

I'd like to think that you've both read the review and played the EP & so, like me, you probably wondered how such ethereal, introspective music (much of it instrumental) would go down at an outside with its accompanying extraneous noises & where the bulk of the audience had not previously heard her songs.

Using just her acoustic guitar (with subtly adjusted effects), voice and foot tambourine, Alys more than managed it: she drew a rapidly built crowd who responded most positively. Although I sometimes despair of mainstream tastes & capacities to assimilate fresh, original nuanced music, it's good to have my prejudices in this area challenged & salute Alys' capacity to hold the attention of a fairly randomly coalesced crowd of all ages with such delicate music and without resorting to cheap crowd-pleasing tactics. Credit too to the Criterion sound crew: I witnessed the care which went into the sound checking and sculpting of the right sound for her.

Ironically, in addition to this fragile creativity, Izzy is also drummer with the very noisy Creaking Twitch (I am looking forwards to writing about them) so quite plausibly could be considered the local music with the broadest spectrum of volume in their musical performances: which pretty much encapsulates diversity and breadth of vision.

The latest top class Sink or Swim promotion (look out for a lengthier appreciation of what Joe Colombi does in the magazine shortly) was John Douglas (of Trashcan Sinatras fame) at the Tin last night supported by ‘Hot Music Live Presents' featured artists The Sunbathers and Rebecca Mileham: an intriguing combination all of whom complemented each other perfectly & certainly went down with the full house of indie music fans.

Any gig which features a song as great yet obscure as Dolly Mixture's "How Come You're Such a  Hit with the Boys Jane?" (which didn't even come out during the lifespan of their career) on the music played before the bands came on was always destined to be a bit special (another piece of evidence of Joe's great taste).

"Hot Music Live" grants me something of a platform to extol the virtues of artists whose fame hasn't caught up with their  talent (there's not an awful lot of mileage in proselytising about ones you know well already) and like Clemency recently, The Sunbathers are somewhat hidden gems: that I seem to see them (in the too infrequent times I do see them) supporting former members of well known indie bands (The Chefs, Talullah Gosh, the Trashcan Sinatras) suggests that Julie & Paul's reputation extends into the realms of the great & the good.

This was a particularly interesting set though: different from any I'd previously heard from them. They've been writing a lot recently (there is the promise of another album to go with the single one they've released in their seventeen years) and the signature wistful songs about love, the seaside & summer have been joined by darker material (one about gaslighting leading to domestic abuse) and different emotions, such as how to support friends in profound emotional need. These offer new shades of delicacy & nuance into the Sunbathers' lyrical world (the wistfulness always embraced a much wider range of beach situated feelings beyond undiluted hedonism) and elevates their music still further.

I can't wait to hear the new tracks on record (though I gather they are not especially imminent) and once again I urge you to check them out.

Although I've run into Rebecca at both the Clemency gig & that of Lauren South and friends recently and although I've seen her perform live with Liam Vincent and the Odd  Foxes and we also featured her solo track "Rising Tide" on ‘Hot Music Live Presents Volume Eleven', this was my first chance to catch a solo live performance.

Much of that may be due to her Odd Foxes commitments (they're working on their next album and are in great live demand) so I'm glad that this opportunity was afforded me.

Drawing on both her solo EPs, ‘Underground' and ‘Rising Tide', the one exception was a new track (possibly to be called "Holloway" or "Holloways" or "Hollow Way") which caught my attention & those with whom I spoke afterwards: can't wait for her to record this very special song.

Generally, these songs are ones she feels are not suitable for the Odd Foxes and consequently they are not necessarily very similar in style to the band's exuberant folk punk rock. That said, I did detect a possibly unconscious shift through her set: the earlier songs were delivered in a vocal style closer to the "folk" one she uses on band ones, and this evolved during the course of her performance into something much closer to rock. Equally I'd only ever seen her play fiddle before, so it's good to report that she's just as good on keyboards and again her playing moved from quite classical stylings to that rock one.

Her songs, like the LVOF ones, are often political in some respects but tend more to the overtly personal: so much so that during her most illuminating explanations of where they came from, I winced slightly at remembering my own interpretations in the reviews & the gap between them & what Rebecca was telling us.

I'm not sure quite what I expected from headliner John Douglas, not being familiar with his solo body of work I'm afraid (I got the impression that I was in an opposite position to most of the audience who knew his songs extremely well without having my experience of those of the supporting artists). Obviously replicating the sound of his old band was both a big ask for someone with just an acoustic guitar and anyway why should he? This is a distinct career.

I wonder how much he reads Yeats? What struck me was the poetic lyricism of his reflections on life, characters he'd encountered & experiences with the natural world. If he's not into Yeats at least he's working along similar lines. The songs of experience and reflection were precisely what a good writer ought to evolve into having started with jangle pop delights (how different the music world might have been had the Trashcan Sinatras achieved the commercial success of say Coldplay).

He did everything with that one guitar & the result was really lush: not something you'd expect was possible with so few ingredients. His playing sat in that interesting intersection where folk & jazz meet: though thrillingly he managed to conjure the magical jangle up for excursions into his past such as "I'm Immortal".

Otherwise his set favoured his 2023 eponymous album with songs such as "Weightlifting", "Orange Crayons", "Maid O' The Loch", "The Sleeping Policeman", "I'm Not The Fella" and the Syd Barrett tribute "Oranges & Apples" all featured to general delight.

Like I said, an evening of immaculate quality & songs about grown-up feelings performed with nuance, skill & love. Three superb acts & another fine piece of Joe Colombi alchemy.

The new Dean MacDonald single "Polarised" comes out as a "Bank Holiday release" (which is a bit unusual in itself) and as always is a classy piece of work: from the writing to the performance to Matt Waddell's production at 14 Records.

I noted yesterday how Keith Fabrique's songwriting is under-appreciated and in many ways I think Dean's is too. Both create in that very crafted classic style, drawing on the history of the music they love & know so well & can offer object lessons to aspiring writers in how to develop their talents.

One such obviously is to show no fear in using fresh vocabulary & thus swerving cliches from the title onwards. This, as previous reviews have stated, is in fact a Dean hallmark. He rather likes deeper ideas (check out virtually his entire body of work) and respects his audience enough not to talk down to them.

That extends to the lyrics in depth with no recourse to forced rhyming nor stultifying repetition.

While Keith's many other activities possibly distract mass audiences from his writing, in Dean's case the equivalent factor is probably that having spent more than two decades shaping The Session into such a well loved & effective live unit, people concentrate on the passion of what they do on stage at the expense of minute examination of the lyrics. Which is their loss I suppose. Dean writes stuff to sound good but also make one think.

That said, his much more recent solo career aims along similar yet distinct lines. This has given him the opportunity not only to dive as deep as he wants to into philosophical matters but crucially to get a lot more personal (after all, he is not the only singer in The Session and there is a limit as to how far you can go in expressing internal feelings when someone else will be the conduit for your words).

At the same time, and this may be even more noticeable to listeners, stepping out of the group context for a bit enables him to experiment with different arrangements which might involve instruments members do not play or stripped back so that if attempted by them, some would not have anything to do live.

On this particular occasion, the standout moment is the inclusion of a "mando guitar" (part mandolin) crafted by renowned Coventry luthier Rob Armstrong. I've certainly never reviewed a track using one before & it's been a long time since I last name checked Rob, so thanks Dean for giving me the chances.

As with all the best writing, Dean starts with the specific (in this case his brother in New York City) and broadens its scope out to offer everyone a chance to identify with feelings of reflection, memory, casual encounters evoking recollections of old friends etc. That these meetings might include false recognitions just adds to the profundity of what Dean is writing about.

What is however central to the song is definitely NOT what the title says (clever): Dean identifies links, despite distances of time & intervening oceans and values commonality and shared experiences over forces driving people apart or polarising them.

Unsurprisingly, the arrangement tends to the evocation & remembrance of things passed in a timeless sort of style: lighter of touch than Session ones perhaps. I liked how, despite deploying such an unusual instrument, Dean & Matt have not foregrounded it as a gimmick: in fact it took my a few plays to be confident that I could even identify it in the mix. Its part seems to be to help emphasise that sense of the past and personal reflection: but pretty subtly. You go away (I hope) remembering the words rather than thinking "what was that funny sound?".

I'd like to think that Dean's already very well received solo career is directing attention to his writing (the productions all seem aimed in that way) and while I'm sure people will enjoy "Polarised" for its sound, hopefully most will pause for thought and realise that he's not just got something interesting to say, but that he'd like to communicate it to you.

I hope that on the relatively rare occasions (but each one is a blow to my self esteem) when I miss a release date & have to write a slightly belated review, that I hold my hands up. I'm not going to on this occasion though even though the album which I'm going to tell you about, ‘Roll Back the Night' by the GunShock Big Band was recorded in 2010.

It's not abysmal lack of awareness on my part (to be honest I think if I'd missed by that distance I'd probably have just skulked quietly in a corner) but the occasion of a re-issue which brings it to these pages today in the form of its first appearance in remastered form on CD.

A fascinating project which comes from the mind of Keith Fabrique, the album brings together two entire bands, The Glassguns (Phil Farrelly, Mark Fletcher, Sam Farrelly-Banks and Gary Brittain) with Lipshock (Johnny Kingham, Chris Worsley, Shaun Woods, Mikk Cooper and Anthony Marshall) to record some of his own demos from across his career: the idea being not only to share the material but to give relatively new bands some useful studio time with Jon Webb engineering at The Moonbase and Keith producing.

The tracks are "Friend" (whose Parts One & Two bookend the tracklisting), "Run, Run, Run", "Whispers", "Victim of the Charm", "The Ballad of Blackice", "Scratch My Face", "She's Only Looking", "Friends from Venice", "Paradise Circus" and "Snakedance".

In saying "demos", it's worth pointing out that yes, I've already reviewed Keith's own version of "The Ballad of Black Ice",  (as he called it on that occasion) on his 2018 album ‘Talk on the Radio' and you've probably heard it live too: so the stories of some of these songs are more complex than just being gems retrieved from the archives for this project. Apart from those he demoed in a solo guise, others date from his earlier work with bands such as Paradise Circus (I think you can guess at least one of those), Minus One Cuban and Crash By Design.

You'll know his HillzFM radio show I'm sure & if you've listened to it (if not, why not?) then you'll know in addition to his championing of new (local) talent, Keith has not just an encyclopaedic knowledge of music but a love of it too (especially the rock genres). Personally, I can trace a direct arc from that to these songs via a sense of "classic" songwriting which enables them all, regardless of age, to still stand up (there's no embarrassing juvenilia here) and merit being included in the exercise.

That's not to suggest that his knowledge manifests itself as derivative songs: it merely gives him the ideas of structure & form which help other musicians to get grips on the material. It's also worth taking note that since "Black Ice" is a robust enough composition to be successful in this format and Keith's own, it must be the case that the Big Band are able to put their own character on songs originally played by the bands cited above in at least slightly different formats.

Not that I'd wish you to take away the idea that every track features all nine musicians in a Showaddywaddy style two bass/two drums type lineup. Keith shuffled the deck shrewdly and while no cut features one band exclusively, each is played by a sensible combination.

They even got together at the Welshpool Music Festival to reproduce it all live.

Whatever their relative lack of (studio) experience might have been back in 2010, the musicianship on the record is a fine testimony to the qualities Keith perceived in inviting them to adapt his creations (and what trust that must require when an artist hands their songs over to others): we also need to factor in their confidence in playing wit members of bands other than that which they were used to.

So: fine songs & fine players. What could go wrong? Well, I suppose quite a bit in theory, but whatever bumps were on this particular highway are now lost and eclipsed by the success of the outcomes.

That said, I think this review has certain possible beneficial roles. The album is by an ad hoc combination which never played locally nor probably ever will & was made up of two now defunct bands (though you can hear Chris from Lipshock as a member of The Rollocks on ‘Hot Music Live Presents Volume Ten').

Even Keith probably has a higher profile as a broadcaster and producer (he has his own Tinkle Studio) than as a composer: or even as a performer since his gigs do tend to be rather low key. That's all a damn shame and so in combination the re-issue & this article can do a little in terms of putting that right.

It must be quite rare to have an album dedicated to the music of a composer other than the mega famous and as far as I can think, the excellence of all the writing talent of those we showcase in both the magazine & the ‘Hot Music Live Presents' compilations is evidenced by their own performances of their songs. ‘Roll Back the Night' is therefore a unique artefact in relation to our area and the proof of Keith's skills independent of his own interpretations.

I find it much easier to comment on original & well written material and inevitably I have to pass on some which I struggle to see much merit in: those artists could learn much from the songs on here.

I've praised "Black Ice"/"Blackice" elsewhere so won't take your time repeating myself, but in hindsight, any personal preferences I might have for it probably derive from knowing it better than other ones on here which I'm now gaining greater acquaintance with.

The sophisticated, loping grace with which the Big Band endow the sultry "Scratch My Face" (a co-write between Keith & his brother Steve) helps elevate that one up there too: a sort of Leonard Cohen vibe is in there which I like a lot.

I'd score easy points if I could detect ones written earlier and then try to suggest an arc of development but in truth the quality is consistent throughout (presumably Keith started the selection beyond those he wrote during his musical apprenticeship).

I don't know if "Paradise Circus" is contemporary with the ska boom nor indeed whether it originally had that clipped off-beat when written, but regardless, the result, while using the formal elements, isn't much of a slave to them: anymore than "Snakedance" is a Thin Lizzy counterfeit. They merely, at most, give little hints as to what might have appeared on his turntable.

The "Friend" tracks which I mentioned earlier are stately acoustic ones which are far enough removed from the heavy rock of "Snakedance" to demonstrate Keith's range and that of the musicians too: they can all put their feet down hard but also lay back & let space & air in.

"Run, Run, Run" shares a title with both The Who and the Velvet Underground both of whom exerted much (usually unacknowledged) influence on punk/"New Wave" and Keith's song, presented aggressively here, shares the taut jabs of both The Who and punk with the urban exploration of the VU: another one which has grown on me.

"Friends From Venice" is a rather strange hybrid (at least in this incarnation): starting somewhere in the region of baroque English rock, it then dives enthusiastically into Bon Jovi territory: after repeated intrigued listenings, I couldn't swear as to whether we're talking Venice in Italy or LA. It probably doesn't matter.

In very heavy contrast, "Victim of the Charm" goes for that strange area where British rock (and I'm not sure any other nationality would go in this direction: except possibly Sparks or Devo) piled on the archness: and I'm not even really talking specifically Bowie or Roxy Music (well I am a bit) but I heard bits of The Associates & Sensational Alex Harvey Band In there too.

"Whispers" introduces brass and a funk guitar with a vocal of near desperation. It's really nothing like Chic at all and I can't imagine Keith listening much to Spandau Ballet or Level 42 so I'm tentatively wondering is he was inspired by the Average White Band? Seems more his sort of thing.

 "She's Only Looking" also has clipped funky playing but melds them with a more laid-back groove to be cut from precisely the same cloth as "Whispers" (hats off to all concerned though for being able to funk as well as rock).

The Mechanicals Band brought out a record of sufficient internal variety that ‘Miscellany' seemed the best name: given the significant range of musical styles on display here, Keith might have used it too. When you go down that route, albums can lack structural integrity and confuse listeners. Here, you get a great snapshot of what music he likes & is capable of writing well & it's held together by the quality of the performances: not least because they are extremely collegiate: there is no individual grandstanding here.

Keith Fabrique aficionados will buy this album, as will those who admire the musicians on it. If you are not yet among those groups, give it a listen on streaming: I think you'll be surprised & wonder like me why his name is not writ larger in local lore.

It can be a discombobulating role reviewing. There I was, just preparing myself in all respects for the 17^th May and his scheduled release of "Data Machinery" when with no warning whatsoever, Duke Keats drops the double header "English Countryside" and "Loan Sharks" (don't worry, the planned single will also still be out as intended & he's just hinted to me of another possible interim drop).

I suppose that we shouldn't be remotely surprised: I certainly ought not given what I've written about this uber-artist whose reputation is so solidly built on creative non-compromise. Guerilla releases are the least we should expect. However he has suggested (how seriously I'm not sure given how many people can have heard these) that "public demand" played a part.

In fact the free spirit of spontaneity seems to be behind this. John Lennon was a great advocate of writing a song & getting it out within the shortest possible turn around ("Instant Karma!" took ten days from conception to the streets and "The Ballad of John and Yoko" barely longer) and Duke has emulated him. As he told me, he's "..being a bit more carefree.." with his releases.

These are dream inspirations and though the reverie itself concerned "..English countryside, a dark forest and a boy and horse who are trying to find their way out..", as you might anticipate, furnish an artist as skilled as this one with surreal and disturbing images, factor in his penchant for the cinematic and what you get is merely the starting point.

"English Countryside" itself certainly begins with his dream but quickly takes the path marked "sinister" as "..a smoky figure coming close/Stranger danger.." is juxtaposed alarmingly with the contrasting symbol of an "English Rose". We then enter Ted Hughes territory as "..the weather claws my throat…." or the world, as Tennyson memorably put it, of "nature red in tooth and claw". Scary stuff but very poetically expressed. As one would expect. 

And that's just the lyrics. The music fits them well: spooky, wispy vocals over a minimalist backing where the insistent snare drumming (I admit that it reminded me of the "ghost drummer boy" stories) dominates over the icy synths (great arranging: had it been the other way round, it would have been far too close to many another spooky synth track).

The second half of the diptych, "Loan Sharks" goes into more personal territory (although given the fluidity of his writing, that's my assumption only) with the subject being an emotional parasite of some description.

Louder than its companion, it's still a fairly skeletal arrangement with another detached vocal seemingly  beamed in from the next county. Alienation again seems a key theme and boy does Duke seem weary on this cut. Tired of someone's antics and possibly stated "more in sorrow than anger".

If "English Countryside" was him writing a sonic screenplay to set outdoors, then "Loan Sharks" moves the action inside and quite possibly swaps the widescreen scope for something not just more intimate but compressed and suffocating.

I've only heard these songs myself this afternoon and could be well wide of any mark I might have discerned: so over to you. Even if I'd played them a dozen times each, such are the intricacies of Duke Keats' music that a range of listeners could easily draw a corresponding wide range of responses, all of them plausible. He's that sort of writer.

I am still looking forwards to "Data Machinery" in just over a fortnight's time but I'm also keeping myself ready for the possible "second part" to today's duo that he has hinted at: presumably in the meantime.