Corrine Bailey Rae Live Review

Royal Festival Hall, Monday 18 October 2010

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Corinne Bailey Rae has had an eventful career in the few years she has dined at the top table of British pop. Two albums in and all seems well on the surface, with both receiving widespread praise and industry plaudits. But her time at the top has also been marked by tragedy – the death of her songwriter husband Jason Rae in 2008, which saw her take a two year hiatus. The path she has trod may have been musically successful, but she has not had an easy ride.

Bullish Leeds lass Bailey Rae would want no doubt want to be judged on the music though. Self-titled album one was quintessential coffee table fare, ear fodder for the chattering classes and ultimately harmless. It landed a couple of knockout blows, namely Like a Star and the ubiquitous Put Your Records on, but Bailey Rae’s soaring vocal still had an annoying habit of wandering away into nothingness. She was, however, granted wider exposure by the album’s success as the kind your parents might buy from Sainsbury’s – not a game-changing record but praiseworthy all the same.

So far so good. But then Bailey Rae’s career took a couple of turns you would have struggled to predict. Her husband’s unexpected death cued a different, more brooding direction for album two, The Sea. It won almost blanket praise, picking up a prestigious Mercury Prize nomination, and Bailey Rae, who clearly hasn’t heard of second album blues, had done it again.

To the Royal Festival Hall, then, to see whether she can live up to the hype, hacking into the average age of those present (Radio 2 primetime, I’d say) in the process. To start with, she has a strong, if strange, stage presence. It is undoubtedly a powerful one, but the lungful power of her performance seems to belie her waif-like size, diminished further by a svelte black dress.

On top of breaking the laws of physics, Bailey Rae can keep an audience happy. Though the gig was a few country miles removed from the epicentre of cool (two members of the seated crowd who stood up to dance were told to sit down straightaway), she gave a slick, assured performance, seamlessly switching from ballad to more gutsy fare. And though I was accused of vulgarity, it seemed to be a very sensual display – she incontrovertibly sang from the hip.

The song order felt odd at times, with Put Your Records On – still the flagship tune of the Bailey Rae canon – jammed in three songs from the end. It would have been good to hear tender album one opener ‘Like A Star’ too, but album two’s standout track Are You Here shone enough to just about made up for it. Safe to say, the Mercury nomination was more than justified in the flesh – and it will be interesting to see where Bailey Rae goes from here.

This review was commissioned by Sleeve Magazine, a new free music monthly for London.

Glasto 2010: The Top Ten Moments

Got back from Glastonbury a week ago and have just about recovered. What an amazing festival. Here are my top ten moments, with videos to show how good they were...

10. One of my visits to the John Peel Tent was to see Kele, the now-solo former Bloc Party frontman. His huge set was packed with new material which fitted the frenzied heatstroke atmosphere perfectly, though the biggest cheers came when he dropped in a medley of Bloc Party songs towards the end. Having said that, Tenderoni wasn’t half bad either.



9. For those wanting to cool down with a more laid-back sound, Beach House played a mesmeric set in the Park on Saturday afternoon. Zebra is one of my songs of the year.



8. I have just watched Damon Albarn’s Friday night Gorillaz headline set again on iPlayer, in an effort to work out why it provoked such a lukewarm reception from critics and crowd alike. It was indubitably an awesome artistic feat but ultimately failed, I think, due to the dearth of hits – the currency most valued by crowds at the Pyramid. Nonetheless, there were still some epic moments, not least when Snoop Dogg appeared onstage for the Clint Eastwood finale. From their newer stuff, On Melancholy Hill – with ever-weird accompanying video – was oddly powerful. Here is their performance on Jools from a couple of months earlier in the year.



7. No amount of TV highlights can reflect the sheer variety of music and performers on offer at Glastonbury. You wouldn’t find the Cornish sea shanties of the Fishermen’s Friends at most other festivals, but they raised everyone’s spirits to the roof of the Acoustic Tent with their bawdy west country humour at lunchtime on Sunday (before the football lowered them again). Here is a clip of them performing in their native Port Isaac.



6. Faithless and Glastonbury have a fairly long history, and Sunday night’s warm-up gig for Stevie reminds you why. Seeing them live also reminds you what a catalogue of hits they have produced over the years, while their front man Maxi Jazz is a consummate performer, as demonstrated by this performance of We Come 1.



5. I missed Shakira and her ‘two minute bum solos’ (as observed by Peter Paphides of The Times), but her set went down a treat with the Pyramid crowd. Bizarrely, it included the following cover of Islands by The XX. Even more bizarrely, it works.



4. Foals really divide opinion, but it cannot be disputed that they are a class live act, which they showed in the John Peel Tent on Saturday. Not only that, but they seem to be going from strength to strength with their new material – big fan of this tune, Miami, in particular.



3. I know everyone always bangs on about how good Muse are live, but it’s true. I have always been a fan of the band but Saturday night was the first time I have seen them in the flesh – and they are indeed amazing live. Their performance of Hysteria was particularly memorable, especially as someone was waving a flare right over my head for most of it.



2. I don’t know if I have ever seen a DJ as happy as Craig Charles. The wonderfully grinny 6Music presenter has trod a varied path (Red Dwarf, Robot Wars, Coronation Street) to his current status as one of the country’s leading supporters of the Funk n Soul scene. This Duffy remix by The Third Degree was one of the highlights of his bouncing DJ set in Cube Henge on Sunday.



1. Sunday night headliner Stevie Wonder is a genuine living legend, and his magical set was made all the more special by the fact that the vast majority of the crowd will never get the chance to see him again. The highlight came late on in the set when he launched into rollicking renditions of Superstition, Sir Duke, I Just Called to Say I Love You and Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours – a truly amazing live experience.

Ben Goddard Album Launch Interview

A crowd of over 150 turned up to the Talking Heads music venue in Portswood, Southampton last night to see Ben Goddard's album launch gig. The singer songwriter was back by a band that included members of his previous band, Three Kings, and played a set full of tunes from his debut album, 'Hearts and Arrows.'


Copies of the album were on sale last night and can also be purchased via iTunes. Before the gig I caught up with Ben to discuss the night, album and his plans for the future, listen here or below.

BEN GODDARD Hearts and Arrows (album review)

If Hampshire has been making any headlines this century, it has certainly not been for its musical output. Its football clubs, for various reasons, have been the source of much excitement, while its MPs have not escaped expenses shame. But on a musical level, bar providing Razorlight with a drummer and the emergence of Southampton-based synthers The Delays, it is fair to say Hampshire has not been a musical epicentre since the millennium.

One musician bucking this trend is Ben Goddard, a young singer-songwriter who has been spreading his gospel of acoustic guitar-led funk balladry across venues in the south for years. Still only 21, ‘Hearts and Arrows’ is the soulful first album from the Hampshire songsmith, on which he tips his hat to Jason Mraz, John Mayer and others who have shaped his distinctive style. The eight tracks display impressive musical variety, reaching dazzling peaks when indulging Goddard’s penchant for hip-hop pop on numbers such as ‘The City’ and ‘So Good.’

His accomplished guitar work, meanwhile, shimmers throughout and is complemented by a soaring vocal which delivers in exquisite style on ‘With You,’ a standout track buried late in the album that could surely take the singer songwriter onto a greater stage. That song is undoubtedly the best example of Goddard’s skill for delivering slower songs which still manage to maintain an energetic and interesting guitar line. Other ballads on the album, such as ‘Hearts and Arrows’ also shine, but seeing Goddard perform you get the impression it is in funkier tracks such as ‘The City’ that his main appeal lies, an avenue he has admitted he may pursue more heavily in the next album.

One constant that characterises the album is its unerring ability to marry enough musical ability to satisfy the purists with the quality of listenability required to appeal to a broader audience. This is undoubtedly a consequence of the experience he has accumulated through a number of collaborations with other local performers over the years. Now Goddard has taken the plunge alone, however, only time will tell whether the performer, one of Hampshire’s own, will attract recognition on a bigger stage. But the strength of this diverse and immensely enjoyable debut offering certainly bodes well for the future.

JB announces... Ben Goddard

Am currently working on some press material for Ben Goddard, a singer-songwriter who is finally releasing his first album next month after years of gigging in the Hampshire area.

I will be releasing much more about Ben and the album, entitled 'Hearts and Arrows,' on this page over the next few weeks. In the meantime, you can hear some of his tunes on his Myspace page.

The album will be available on iTunes and at his album launch event in Southampton next month. Details are available on his Facebook page: just search 'Ben Goddard.'

Ben Goddard - The City

JULIAN CASABLANCAS Live in Leeds

10/12/09

Leeds Met University

For someone who redefined the meaning of cool when he led his merry band of indie pretenders The Strokes to instant acclaim with game-changing 2001 record Is This It?, Julian Casablancas seems oddly unsure of himself. In recent interviews, he has appeared insecure, perhaps failing to get to grips with the transformative effect his song writing has had on alternative music, an impact of which everyone except himself seems sure.

Cool back in 2001 meant guitars, greasy hair and leather jackets and there is plenty of all three on display on a cold night in Leeds. The skinny jean and standard-issue military jacket brigade are out in force, perhaps hoping to relive those halcyon days. And though pre-gig watering hole the Dry Dock is playing enough Strokes classics to whet the appetite, Casablancas is out to prove he is no spent force, promoting first solo venture, Phrazes for the Young, an album which shows his songwriting talents show no sign of waning.

It does not take him long to get into his stride during his first live appearance on these shores since 2006. Standout album tracks 11th Dimension, Left & Right in the Dark and Out of the Blue go down predictably well, but it is less-trumpeted tracks Ludlow St. and River of Brakelights that are taken to a new level in a live setting. Whatever his supposed insecurities, Casablancas is ultimately a performer as ice-cool as the weather outside, his leather jacket not inducing even a bead of sweat on a potentially stressful first night.

The venue is near full, quite an achievement given that Mad-chester icon Ian Brown is stepping out down the road at the O2. Unlike the Stone Roses frontman, however, Casablancas has no need to dine out on former glories, delivering only a reworked acoustic version of third-album track You Only Live Once to those who had come for a Strokes tribute gig. Casablancas, however, has moved on. Their song-writing inspiration, The Strokes, certainly, need Casablancas back if the fourth album is to ever happen. Whether Casablancas needs them, however, is much less certain.

Casablancas played:

Ludlow St.
Out of the Blue
11th Dimension
Tourists
Left & Right in the Dark
4 Chords of the Apocalypse
I’ll Try Anything Once (You Only Live Once cover)
River of Brakelights

I wish it was Christmas Today
30 minute Boyfriend
Glass

JULIAN CASABLANCAS: Phrazes for the Young (album review)

NOVEMBER 2009

The extent to which New York indie maestros The Strokes transformed the face of guitar music in 2001 is often overlooked. With its inventive guitar lines and audacious arrangements, their first album, Is This It? showed how spectacularly creative guitar music could be. It was indie pop perfection, blazing a trail for the sort of bands – Bloc Party, Libertines, Kings of Leon – for which the noughties should be remembered.

Given their influence, it is perhaps surprising that the first sortie into solo territory of front man and songwriter Julian Casablancas has not generated more attention. However, The Strokes ship has not been a happy vessel of late, with mixed critical acclaim greeting their most recent, 2006 offering, First Impressions of Planet Earth and a mooted release date of early next year for album four attracting more doubt than excitement.

But take all that away and it is possible to distil the secret of The Strokes’ success to one indisputable truth: Casablancas is a wonderful songwriter. And on Phrazes for the Young he not only proves that he is in no way a spent song-writing force, but that the halcyon days of Is This It? may not be so far away after all.

Strokes aficionados may have had felt more than a twinge of worry that Casablancas would use a solo project to fully indulge his fondness for the massive, intricate arrangements that stretched the waistband of the New York band’s bloated last album. At fourteen songs First Impressions dragged on, but here Casablancas gets the recipe just right. Phrazes for the Young is filled with songs that fizz and sparkle and therefore skips along as an album, from the ravishing chorus of Left & Right in the Dark to the eighties bounce of synth-tastic standout track 11th Dimension.

Casablancas never fails to please with his trademark languid vocal, but what he has achieved is more than a hugely pleasing first solo album. By successfully fusing the raw, gutsy appeal of Strokes albums one and two with an almost electro vibe – while keeping it loaded with the arrangements of album three – is alchemy. If Phrazes for the Young proves one thing, it’s that Casablancas isn’t done yet – and that Strokes album four should be worth waiting for.

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