BBC 6 Music | With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

NewDad – Fulford Arms, York – Wednesday 31st January 2024 February 4, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 7:56 pm
Tags: BBC 6 Music, BBC Introducing, Fulford Arms, Huw Stephens, Independent Venue Week, Jericho Keys, Kindelan, Laura Kindelan, NewDad

This was one of thousands of gigs across the country supporting Independent Venue Week (IVW). While it is important to show support and solidarity for your local independent venues please do it all year round and not just during IVW. This is the only way that the grassroots of UK music will survive. Support your scene! So this is an important week for live music and that was evidenced by the presence of 6 Music’s Huw Stephens and BBC Radio York’s Jericho Keys alongside many of the great and good from the York music scene. Headliners were NewDad who released their debut album on 24th January. But more of them later as there was a rather special support act, the sublimely talented Kindelan who hails from this fine city. This would be the fifth time that I have seen Laura Kindelan play live which puts her just behind Gene, David Bowie, Avalanche Party, and Frank Turner in the list of acts that I have seen the most times! I have seen her play solo, with minimal accompaniment, and with a full band. Tonight she was ably supported by an incredibly talented rhythm section and a backing singer with a heavenly tone. Four of tonight’s six songs were from her most recent EP, ‘You Can Reach Me If You Try’. The new songs definitely have a modern R&B and jazz vibe, but when played live Laura takes them in a direction that only she can. Her songs are stunningly good in recorded form, but live they become almost alive themselves. I have previously compared Kindelan to Jeff Buckley and that still stands, she will, I believe, mature into the kind of artist that Buckley would have become had he lived. “Hazel Frustration” was incredible, “Can’t Sleep” was immaculate as was a new song “Know You”. Kindelan gets better every time I see her, will that ever stop? I suspect not!

Kindelan at the Fully Arms January 2024 (Picture by Charlie Daykin)

Headliners NewDad are touring on the back of their new album ‘Madra’ which follows two classy EPs and some fabulous singles. The band was formed in Galway. Ireland in 2018 when Julie Dawson, Áindle O’Beirn, and Fiachra Parslow were in secondary school. Apparently, it was a way of avoiding solo performances for their Leaving Certificate practical music exam. Fourth member Sean O’Dowd joined the band a little later. The NME has compared them to The Cure and Beabadoobee. I can see those comparisons but I can also hear references to the likes of the Sundays and possibly the Cranberries. On their heavier-sounding songs, I sense a bit of Sleeper and Elastica. The new album is good, but live the songs are even better. However, I felt the sound mix was a bit off for much of the set with the vocals appearing way too low in the mix. This improved though, particularly for “White Ribbons” where the mix was spot on, the song was gorgeous and the performance exquisite. NewDad appeared in the Mayhem charts for January, so I am definitely a fan. I will certainly be seeing them again.

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“And then he said sent off your right back for taking the base from under his left-winger” Blog Advent Calendar Day 8 December 8, 2014

Filed under: Christmas,Trivia — justwilliam1959 @ 1:10 am
Tags: Achtung Bono, Advent Calendar, All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit, Back In The DHSS, Back In The USSR, BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio, Beatles, Bono, Brookside, Byker Grove, C.A.M.R.A Man, Channel 4, Christmas, CSI Ambleside, David Lloyd, Dickie Davies, Dickie Davies Eyes, Evening Of Swing (Has Been Cancelled), Football Focus, Fred Titmus, Fuckin' 'Ell It's Fred Titmus, Half Man Half Biscuit, Hollyoaks, John Lennon, John Peel, Joy Division, Joy Division Oven Gloves, Lionel Rich Tea, Lionel Richie, Lord Hereford's Knob, Mr Cave's A Window Cleaner Now, National Shite Day, Neil Crossley, Nigel Blackwell, Outbreak Of Vitas Gerulaitis, Paintballs Coming Home, Paul Wright, Reading Festival, Rich Tea biscuit, Seal Clubbing, Simon Blackwell, Tending The Wrong Grave For 23 Years, The Coroner's Footnote, The Referees Alphabet, The Trumpton Riots, The Tube, The Wirral, Time Flies, Took Problem Chimp To Ideal Home Show, Totnes Bickering Fair, Tranmere, Tranmere Rovers, Trumpton, Vitas Gerulaitis

Today is December 8th and that is exactly 34 years since John Lennon was savagely murdered. So today’s advent blog post in the ABC of British bands series will feature a quirky band that I believe Mr Lennon would have approved of. It’s day 8 and therefore the letter ‘H’ so today I bring you the legendary Half Man Half Biscuit.

The band was formed in Birkenhead, Merseyside in 1984 by friends Neil Crossley and Nigel Blackwell. They were soon joined by Simon Blackwell (Nigel’s brother), Paul Wright and David Lloyd. The band is still performing and recording although Nigel Blackwell and Neil Crossley are the only original members. Their first album has a great title that is a bit of a word play on the Beatles song “Back In The USSR”; it is called ‘Back In The DHSS‘. They broke up in 1986 and then reformed in 1990 with an announcement on the John Peel show. Peelie had always championed the band and they recorded twelve sessions for his show.

The band once turned down an appearance on Channel 4’s ‘The Tube’ because it would have meant missing a Tranmere Rovers match. The band have been mentioned in many UK TV shows including Byker Grove, Hollyoaks, Football Focus and Brookside. Mainstream chart success sadly eluded them but they had many UK Indie chart number ones. ‘Back In The DHSS’ went to number one in the Indie album charts in 1985. EP ‘The Trumpton Riots’ hit the top along with “Dickie Davies’ Eyes” in 1986. Their highest UK Singles chart hit was an album track that made it to number 56 in 2010 thanks to downloads. That song was “Joy Division Oven Gloves” It was taken from their 2005 album ‘Achtung Bono‘ and was part of the online campaign to save Radio 6 with a sadly missed target of reaching number 6. So now I would like you to enjoy some music from a band that I saw live at the Reading Festival in 1990.