Peaceful Protest is a rather ace punk band from Poland. Their single “Come On” arrived into the world at the end of last year and I finally heard it today. There is a lot of pop-punk influence and some neat metal-ish riffs. This song makes you move and even if you tried not to sing along to the chorus you would fail! An almost perfect punky song with great pop stylings. How did I hear it? Well, they posted a link to their page on FaceBook with the smart and witty comment, “Punk band from Poland. If you like our page we promise not to emigrate to England looking for work.” Guys even if you don’t want to emigrate here at least come over and play some gigs!
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Sunday nights are usually fun at the Fulford Arms and the visit of Rob Heron and the Tea Pad Orchestra on 25th February maintained that magic. This was another excellent show put together by Joe Coates of Please Please You. There was only one support act and it was the ever-wonderful Dan Lucas a.k.a. the Barry White of Country (that title comes courtesy of Ginger Wildheart!). Tonight Mr Lucas was performing using his esteemed title Boss Caine, this time as the Boss Caine Trio. The mighty York troubadour was aided and abetted by Kieran on violin and Jon on harmonica. It was a wonderful set with songs that touch on every emotion on the emotional spectrum and feed your soul as well. There were plenty of highlights, but my particular highs were “Ghosts And Drunks”, “Slave To the Song” and one of my favourite Boss Caine tunes, “Lonesome Crow”. But above all of those is the sublime and heavenly “Truck Stop Jukebox”
Next, it was time for the headliners Rob Heron and the Tea Pad Orchestra. How the hell have I never seen this lot before? Rob and the boys are a party band for the times when you don’t even know that you need a party. This is proper honky tonk, country, bluegrass, blues, and very early rock ‘n’ roll styles. There are plenty of excellent originals from this band, but the choice of covers perfectly fits them and the current times. Notably “Bank Failures” a song from 1931 (the year that my Dad was born) and recorded at the time by the delightfully named Bob Ferguson and his Scalawaggers. Rob Heron and his band are obscenely talented. If any period drama from the late 1940s or early 1950s in the USA needed an authentic sounding band for their production they should look no further than Rob Heron and the Tea Pad Orchestra. I bloody love “Hangover Blues” and that is something that Mr Heron might have suffered the following day after the on-stage tequila consumption. My high spot of the night was “The Horse That You Rode In On”. If you get the chance, go and see this band, you will not be disappointed and you will leave the gig with a smile. The band is recording a new album soon with Jerry Casino in an analog studio in Berlin. You can help to make that happen by contributing to their crowd funder, click here to add some cash!
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Tanya Nolan is a new artist to me, but what a talent! Her new single, “Honey”, is a laid-back, suggestive, soft-funk masterpiece. It is sensual and sexual in a way that old school tracks like the Isley Brothers’ “Between The Sheets”, the Ohio Player’s “Honey” (same title, different song), and Millie Jackson’s slower tracks were. It suggestively uses food a little like Mtume’s “Juicy Fruit” did. Tanya’s vocals are full of sexual energy and that is even more apparent in the gorgeous and sultry video. Lyrically it is sometimes subtly suggestive and other times full-on with seductive prose. She mentions watermelon sugar high, and thanks to Harry Styles’ hit of that name, I think we all know that refers to the female orgasm, right? The line “I Want A Love That’s Sweeter Than Sugar! Let Me Be Your Candy Girl” is the one that reminds me most of Mtume. Tanya has made the Billboard charts in the US a few times now and “Honey” ought to do the same. If it doesn’t, then frankly there is no justice in this world.
She is from Texas and as a child she really loved music, particularly Prince, Michael Jackson, and many others. Tanya has been featured in various media outlets including SiriusXM, Pandora, Platinum Top 20 Countdown with BJ Stone, FOX Affiliates, NBC Affiliates, ABC News, iOneDigital, Madamenoire, and many more. Now she has been featured on With Just A Hint Of Mayhem too (move over Fox, ABC, NBC, and others)! Tanya resides in Galveston and is the brilliant mind behind a diverse portfolio of successful businesses in Galveston and Houston. She owns the largest childcare facility in the state of Texas, Aww Better Child Care. She also owns and oversees multiple rental properties and employs over 200 employees and contractors. She is also the owner of ArtsessionZ, one of the first female-owned record labels. Now with her music gaining well-deserved attention, I believe the world may definitely be her oyster!
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This was the third Basement Sessions event put on by Navigators Art and Performance and the first that I was able to get to. Thanks to flooding and all sorts of acts of god it has moved around a bit and original headliners PERCY were unable to play, but they were represented (more of that later). It was a mix of music, poetry, and comedy which meant the thrilling prospect of six different acts. Up first was young comedian Will Glitch. He seemed very nervous but at times in his short set, he was splendiferously funny. The first music of the night was from the duo the Jammingtons Experience. They are very much “anti-rock stars” and all the better because of that. I saw them as a folk version of John Cooper Clarke with some fabulously sharp lyrics and ironic delivery. “Lost It” reminded me of the Moldy Peaches but with a much more British slant. The highlight for me was “Psychic Fight”. I spoke with the bass player later in the evening and he said that no one had written about him before, I am honoured to break that duck! Next, it was the turn of Mexican-born and UK-based poet Danae. I loved the angry poem based on Ageus and the story of the slaying of the minotaur and relating that to relationships with her father. Her second poem, “Box Of Tea” was weird, wacky, wonderful, and witty.
The New Solar Drones were the next band on the intimate Basement Stage at City Screen. The first song was a bit like Godspeed You! Black Emperor backing a 1969 period David Bowie. “This Hollywood Love” sounded at times as if Brian Molko had been hit with a music epiphany while listening to Neil Diamond. Is there another band like the New Solar Drones? perhaps not! Andy Wiles from PERCY (I told you they would get another mention) did a great job guesting on bass for the night. The instrumentation on the final song was Abbey Road album Beatlesque. Sadly there were no actual drones, maybe because they are solar-powered and it was dark, or perhaps the ceiling was too low. But this was a fantastic set even without those small remote-controlled flying robot things! Will Glitch made his second appearance of the evening and seemed just as nervous but definitely funnier in a very alt.comedy kind of way.
Jazz often gets a bad name and can be the butt of many music-related jokes, but acts like the Neo Borgia Trio smash that myth into tiny pieces. This was jazz beamed in from another dimension. They opened with a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “The Immigrant Song”. Fucking hell that was good, such a huge sound with just drums, guitar, and saxophone. They are self-confessed jazz punk in style but in their cover of MF Doom’s “Raid” they told us they added hip hop into that mix and they did it perfectly. But this is not just about breaking down barriers around jazz. The three of them are also highly skilled in applying their talents to classic jazz. The cover of Duke Ellington’s “Caravan” was phenomenal and the drum solo gave it something extra special, turning it from a plain old caravan into a Winnebago from space! The Neo Borgia Trio are three musicians who are absolutely on fire. They closed their set with a monumentally magnificent cover of a Rage Against The Machine track. Poet Danae returned for her second appearance afterwards and “The Poem About The Tree” was incredibly powerful. I think that she said it was based on some of Dostoyevsky’s work.
The night closed with Fat Spatula, a band I had seen and loved before. They opened like punkier, feedback-fuelled Talking Heads and followed that with a sound akin to Vampire Weekend on Lemmy Kilminster levels of speed. “Jesus In My Bed” now that really is a fucking awesome song. Sometimes they sound like the 21st-century bastard sons of Jonathan Richman. Fat Spatula combines a really funky sound, perhaps aided by a five-string bass, with classic punk riffs and delivery. Their music is difficult to stay still too, but this was a seated gig so while dancing was difficult there was plenty of head bobbing, foot tapping, and chair movement going on. “Lot Lizard” is pure full-octane punk….. and some! Fat Spatula are beyond doubt one of the best live bands on the scene right now. Bring on Basement Sessions #4 please!
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Natasha Khan, best known as Bat For Lashes, is perhaps one of the most talented music artists and has just released a new single, “The Dream Of Delphi.” The song is the title track of her upcoming studio album (her sixth) which will be released at the end of May. It is brooding, ethereal, captivating, spellbinding, and beneath all that, it still has the bare-faced audacity to make you feel happy. The drone-like sound drives into your mind like an unwelcome, insidious guest, but when it buries itself deeper you realise that you probably always wanted its beauty in your head forever. Her voice simply soars in a heavenward trajectory. In the past, she has been compared to maverick music artists like Bjork and Kate Bush. For me, on this track, she reaches the same level as both of those icons.
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They might be one of York’s youngest bands, but the Corsairs’ music has a mystical maturity that enables them to draw on the great spirits of British rock. Their new release is the punchy, power-packed, persistent, poppy platter “that is called “Primetime Television.” It has shades of the Arctic Monkeys, a hint of the Kooks, and the ghost of Traffic. At the start, the bass and organ style keys combination is reminiscent of the late period of the jam. The hooks and chorus are the best yet, and the mid-song instrumental breakdown is a real psych-out that evokes Television (no pun intended!). This is exactly what a great pop-rock song should sound like. This band will go on to even better things, get into them now so that you can say you were there at the start of something special!
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Occasionally I love a bit of honky tonk, bluegrass country music, and Austin, Texas-based and Louisiana-born Ellis Bullard has delivered a great album of just that! Full of authentic country songs that tell stories of life. The obvious influences are probably Merle Haggard and Conway Twitty, but Bullard is most definitely his own man! His voice is warm and you feel like he is singing those songs directly to you. The album came out a few days ago and is called ‘Honky Tonk Ain’t Noise Pollution’ and his take on honky tonk is most definitely not pollution. Speaking about the album Ellis said “This album is everything to me. It’s over 10 years of winning and losing along the way. This record is blood sweat and tears. No bullshit. All the players on this record are like brothers to me and the energy we create on stage and in the studio is incredible. We’re thrilled that we were able to capture it all and put it on a record for you,” and “It’s country as cornbread but totally has some rock n roll in there. We’re calling it a “Honk n Roll” record. We’re in the clubs, dance halls, and theatres alike and folks are really digging our sound and what we bring to a stage. This record was so much fun to make, we know y’all are gonna enjoy it.” Damned right we will, this is a stunningly good album. There is not a bad track in the whole collection of ten great songs. Initially, my favourite is probably “What’s A Man To Do” which is where I felt the biggest Conway Twitty influence. I can imagine listening to “It Ain’t Easy Needing Green” and “Young, Wild And Free” while sipping a cold beer in the back garden this summer as the Barbecue heats up. Meanwhile, the title track has a fabulous Joe Walsh feel in the guitar work. As a kid, I could not listen to country music, because my Mum and Dad loved it, so to my ill-informed teenage self that meant it was not cool. But now, well I love me a good slice of country and this is a proper tasty slice. A lot of classic country tropes are here; money, booze, drugs, lost (or not yet gained) love, and prison to name just a few and that is what makes Bullard’s stories so captivating.
Bullard and his ensemble of seasoned Austin A-listers have graced prestigious stages, opening for Texas County and Americana luminaries including Paul Cauthen, Whiskey Myers, Mark Chessnut, Moe Bandy, and Gary P Nunn. Bullard has performed at ACL23 and is slated to play at both Jackalope Jamboree and SXSW this 2024. Bullard’s music has earned accolades and even captured the attention of the renowned Joe Rogan, who applauded Bullard’s electrifying performances at the legendary White Horse.
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Brazilian-Italian London-based singer Julia Elle has just released her debut single, “Automatic.” It is haunting, emotionally arresting, captivating, and dark in equal measure. Her voice is truly exquisite and the music, especially the slinky, sultry blues-tinged guitar is exceptional. The production is finely attuned and crystal clear thanks to George Gianluca Cunningham. Julia has said this about the song “Automatic is a song about desire and rejection. It emerged from a space where I sensed the pursuit of things not meant for me. It’s about the magnetic pull of wanting someone, even more, when you can feel them slipping away, chasing that unattainable connection where someone’s indifference only fuels the feelings and attraction.” It also appears that Julia directs her talents more widely than just music. She recently attended a performing arts school in the UK and went on to the London College of Fashion, where she graduated in the summer of 2023. She has a passion for photography, fashion, and vintage clothing picking, she often finds herself styling and overseeing creative direction for many of her friends’ projects as well as her own.
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British artist Nick Hudson, now based in Georgia, Eastern Europe has released a new single “Khevsureti” as a taster for his new album, ‘Kanda Teenage Honey’, which is scheduled for release on 15th March. It is cinematic in scope and ambition and features some gorgeous, emotional, and at times spine-tingling music and orchestration. Vocally Hudson evokes the most soulful performances of David Sylvian, David Bowie, Robert Wyatt, and maybe Boy George. If you are interested, Khevsureti is a region in Georgia. The single and the album was recorded largely in Georgia under the shadow of the Ukraine war, featuring some incredible Georgian musicians in a huge former Soviet movie studio, this album was recorded and engineered in Tbilisi and mixed by Toby Driver, and mastered to analogue tape by Paul Pascoe at Church Road Studios in Hove. The video to accompany “Khevsureti” was directed, filmed, and edited by Nick Hudson. This bloke is good at everything! It was filmed in various locations in Georgia: Korsha, the Abudelauri Lakes, Roshka, the Datvisjvari Pass, Shatili, and Tbilisi. It is a stunning piece of work, I love it. The music is magnificent even without the visuals, but alongside the film, the whole piece moves to a higher level completely. Hudson has been featured on these pages before, back in 2022, when I reviewed his song “Lights Svoboda“.
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Ell (a.k.a. Loretta Taika) is a singer/songwriter from the small nation of the Solomon Islands. She has a deep passion for music and finds her creative spirit by being at one with nature and takes pride in her rich cultural background. All of that is evident in her new single “Energy”, a delicious electronic reggae cut that oozes energy, fun, and dance vibes. Put this on and try to sit still while it is playing, I guarantee you won’t succeed, you will have to move! It is lively and well-produced, and Ell’s voice is stunning on this awesome earworm of a tune. The lyrics are a fusion of English and her native Renbel Dialect. She displays the angelic delicacy of Johnny Nash’s voice, particularly how he used it when he interpreted a Bob Marley tune. Check it out!
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