I've moved

What's happening, cats? 

I'm always trying to work on fresh ideas and take on new opportunities. 

With this in mind, I've upgraded to my ver own site! 

You can find me at www.hepkattfm.com 

I hope to see you there. 

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HepkattFM 

Larkin Poe live @ Night and Day Cafe, Manchester

Ten seconds. 

That's all. 

Just ten seconds in to Larkin Poe taking the stage and I knew this was going to be one of the best gigs I've seen in a long time. They arrived in a whirlwind of power and energy,encapsulating everyone in the crowd as they jammed out a fierce opening.

The venue for tonight's gig is The Night and Day Cafe, an old haunt in Manchester where I caught the Civil Wars some years ago, and we're treated to an opening performance from Jarrod Dickenson. Hands up.  I hadn't heard of this guy before but boy, do I know who he is now. A burley Texan who took complete command of the stage whilst accompanied by his beautiful Irish wife. Jared definitely had the feel of David Rawlings about his playing with elements of Jason Isbell to his voice. I picked up a CD and I'll bring you a review of that very soon.

Jarrod Dickenson doing his thing.

As Jarrod took his bow and worked his way through the crowd, up stepped sisters Lovell and their merry band to make mayhem on stage. It almost feels like a refreshed band as their music has certainly taken a more rock based direction than the more mellow previous releases. It suits them. They bound off of each other on stage, smiles plastered on their faces and fly through the opening few tracks, even dropping into a spontaneous rendition of Black Betty which really got the crowd whooping and a hollaring.

Rebecca Lovell takes lead on vocals and guitars and is unwavering in her poise and purpose as she completely blows the roof off with her voice. When she really lets loose she channels the raw beauty of Janis Joplin, fuelled by emotion and flawlessly harmonic. Rebecca's sister, Megan, takes control of the slide guitar and I'm not doing her justice by saying her playing would be worth the admission fee alone. What Megan can do with the lap steel is beyond the realms of normality, it's a screeching, scrawling thunderclap that she masterfully uses to create ambience in the dialled down songs, room filling solos in the rockier numbers and the odd vocal battle.

In other words, they pair off perfectly.

Sisters are doing it for themselves. Rebecca and Megan.

We're treated to a performance of what will be their new single here in the UK, Sucker Puncher, and it's a triumph. If this single doesn't go on to capture the hearts of the Brits it will be a travesty. It offers up Americana true to their roots with a rocked up vibe.  A lot of the songs on the night ended with pacey jams largely due to the restricted sets they have been playing with Elvis Costello, so tonight was chance to let loose and thank the lords they did. This is when you see musicians in their purest form, free to attack the air with their brand of noise. You could sense a lot of grunge elements to the instrumentals, as my partner said "very swamp rock".

In what was a lovely touch, the sisters came out to meet all the fans and even had their album on sale despite not coming out in the UK for several months. I desperately wanted to get my hands on one but I had battled through my anxiety and panic attacks to reach the end of the gig, it was time for my great escape. So I implore you to be like me, get the piggy bank out and preorder what's going to be a powerhouse of an album.

It feels like your entrance just caused the temperature to rise

Everything you’ve come to expect.

The Last Shadow Puppets deliver nothing less but a whole lot more. They’ve sure changed since the baby faced first album some 8 years ago. Both have achieved great things in the time they were apart creatively and it has culminated in a humdinger of an album. A no skip album.

The British gent suits have been replaced with open shirts, bare chests and gold chains and I dare say that they have found what they should be, producing shoot from the hip, slick and greasy, 60’s and 70’s influenced sounds. There was critical acclaim for Age of The Understatement with its string accompanied serenades and powerful lyrics. It’s possible this album won’t get the same amount of acclaim with some music writers calling it “more of an in-joke than a band”.

Sure.

Miles Kane and Alex Turner are close and are creating something they want to hear and want to share. What’s wrong with that? Miles Kane is far more prominent in this album than the first and we can be grateful for that. His guitar playing adds an edge to the album and allows Alex to focus on his singing, which has come along no end. Songs like Sweet Dreams, TN show just how powerful a set of pipes he has, creeping through the words and jumping out for a huge finish with very minimal music behind it which adds to the beauty of the track and makes it my favourite off the album.

The musical craft on each song offers something different which keeps everything interesting. A luscious guitar riff on Aviation will have you humming it for days and for me takes from Arctics song My Propeller as it uses simple guitar to create a complex song. Dream Synopsis is a journey through the mind of Alex Turner to LA via Sheffield in the form of a jazz club house band. It’s a guitar down and mic up kind of album for Turner and you get the feeling that’s exactly what he wants with his loose hips and wandering hands.

The album offers up of a double bill of melancholic ballads with songs like “Miracle Aligner” and “The Element of surprise”. Both could easily have been pulled from a Lou Reed album and offer the best of the strings.

I read recently that Bad Habits was essentially a jam with Miles Kane going with what words came out and lasted around 45 minutes. This was whittled down for the album and offers a little rock relief which Kane gets to vent on and keeps on chugging with a chunky bass line and sharp strings.

The album is a sepia serenade with the sunset in the background, a midnight drive round a mountain side and the little umbrella in a cocktail all rolled together. They kept the strings but took everything else in a different direction and found songs of love, lust and lavish lifestyle.  

Regardless of some of the bad press they have had, strip away the joking interviews, the LA tan, the gold rings and loafers and what you’re left with is a damn good album. They have bucked the trend of old friends sharing some nostalgia and gone full throttle down the highway to something fresh, something that the charts don’t see anymore. I’d rather not wait another 8 years for the next album but if it is even better than this one, it will be absolutely worth it.

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HepkattFM

Postmodern Jukebox @Sheffield O2 Academy

Postmodern Jukebox.

The top 40 in the Tardis.

The shape changing, era-morphing collective took to Sheffield O2 Academy last night to give the sort of a performance only they can deliver. And what does that show look like?

Well let me tell you. 

The first thing to know about about Postmodern Jukebox live is that this is much more than a gig. It's cabaret, its Broadway and it's full of 'I was there moments'. For instance, watching Casey Abrams balance a Ukulele on his finger, pull a beer from his jacket and take a sip all whilst the band behind plays some double time swing, yeah, I was there. 

Scott Bradlee, creator, curator and all round piano genius, has created a revolving door band full of the best voices and talented musicians that he can find. They might not be household names here in the UK but each brings style, attitude and flawless performance to the live show. If you've spent anytime watching the Youtube videos they create weekly (if you haven't I strongly suggest you do) you'll know that there are almost too many talents to choose from but tonight we are spoiled.

The show is controlled and compered by LaVance Colley, a presence almost as bold as the striking colours on his blazer . He whips the crowd in to the frenzy and sets the stage as each singer steps out for a solo song to get warmed up. LaVance isn't just there to clap his hands and bow his head though, oh no. This guy can sing. He takes on Halo, originally by Beyonce, with a Motown twist and near levitates when he scratches the ceiling with his high range. 

We meet Cristina Gatti, a self professed Jazz pervert, and instantly she has the crowd in the palm of her hand. She looks extremely happy to be on stage and completely in her element with a big cheshire cat grin as she slinks around the stage looking equally comfortable taking on Drakes 'Hotline Bling' and The Strokes 'Someday'. You wouldn't recognise these songs, they're being played in 1945. Cristina isn't the only powerful female voice, she brought friends and Sara Niemietz is one of them. She dresses like a Fitzgerald protagonist and sings so beautifully whilst visibly trying not to burst with excitement. It's her first time in Sheffield as she proclaims and believe me when I say, if she comes back, I'll be there. She works every corner of the stage and interacts with each of the band members playfully as she works through Outkasts' 'Hey Ya' and Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance'. 

Completing the trio is the sultry, sassy, soulful Maiya Sykes. A big voice with a big attitude and she absolutely brings the place down. Unbelievable voice control, a presence that made every hair on the back of your neck stand up and So. Much. Power. If they used glasses in the O2 academy they'd have shattered. It was a privilege to be witness such talent. Maiya puts her stamp on a number of songs but really releases on Roar by Katy Perry and Katy if you're reading (just kidding, we know you are) she's got you beat. 

Postmodern Jukebox is all about taking the modern era and reworking, restyling and reproducing songs back to another time. That's why Casey Abrams was a no brainer in joining the tour. He's a jazz cat who skats and that and a true to word performer. He's got boundless energy, a raw and raspy voice that really comes in to it's own as he flies through Stacy's Mom previously of Fountains of Wayne fame. He's not just a voice. He plays double bass and on occasion double person, double bass. Yes. You read that right.

As I said before, this is not just a gig and if you need further proof in comes in the size and shape of Sarah Reich. Sarah is a tap dancer and a damn good one at that. She not only dances but brings percussion to several songs, you've never heard the imperial march until you've heard it played with piano and tap shoes. She steals your gaze whenever she takes the stage and owns the drummer in a fun little drum off. 

Everyone takes the stage for the final few numbers culminating in a breathless, mile a minute performance of Taylor Swifts 'Shake it Off', each member getting the chance to show their soul and let loose one last time. Tambourine Guy, sorry, Grammy Award winning Tambourine Guy damn near has a heart attack bounding around the stage, bouncing off the sax and trombone player. It's infectious and the crowds respond in earnest.

PMJ are something of an enigma to me. I'm not a fan of Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift or Drake but this troop of performing artists show that music is what you want it to be, when you want it to be. I first saw these at the Leadmill and LaVance said something that stuck with me ever since. If you don't like something the way it is, you have the power to change it. 

Sure. 

It sounds a little profound and easier said than done but there's no size to this. You can change little or large and these guys are showing you how that's done. 

Thanks for reading, guys and dolls.

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HepkattFM 

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats @ Rock City

Band....Check

Bourbon....Check

Beard....Check

The stage is set for Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats.

Nottingham's ever atmospheric Rock City is the venue and believe me when I tell you, the place is heaving. So much so that when a young, bright eyed couple have a full blown argument behind me, a group of us get covered in fruity cider when one of the little lovers has enough and launches her pint in a fit of passion. Beats the smell of sweat I guess. 

The night was kicked off by the raw and ready sounds of Reverend Deadeye. Admittedly, I've never heard of them but the moment they walked on stage and started to get dressed in shirt and tie, yes, they got dressed on stage, I was intrigued. Imagine the Eagles of Death Metal on a rickety, beaten up guitar and a drummer who only hits hard and you've got Reverend Deadeye. They look like the type of band with a cult following, exactly what Nathaniel Rateliff had but never will have again. 

This set the tone for the 7 piece main attraction to bound on to the stage like eager kids at the top of a slide and launch in to 'I need never get old'. There's so much energy on the stage that it's impossible for the crowd to stay still, erupting like the cider from aforementioned scorned ladies pint. Each member is having a ball. The Saxophonist and Trumpet player seem to be in competition for who can keep moving the longest. Arms flailing, legs a kicking they own the stage and draw the eye from Nathaniel Rateliff who fights back with his howling, soulful voice. It's powerful and alluring. The kind that makes you wish you could sing and leaves you eternally jealous.

There's little talking between songs, other than to raise a glass and celebrate everyone in the room. They are all genuinely humble and happy to be here, "you're so much better than Leeds last night". We know they all say that, we've come to expect it but it gets a rasping cheer from the crowd.

They slink and slide through songs from the album that has broken so much ground in the UK and each song is greeted like a new friend, starting with a hand shake and ending with a full blown hug. Songs like 'Shake', usually so mellow are kicked up a gear and this gives the The Night Sweats the chance to show off their talents, with elements of rock and blues creeping in to their folky,  tone. 

The night ends with the song that the UK has really taken to, S.O.B. It's catchy hook and chorus grabs the baying crowd by the vocal chords and they scream the words right back. When they finish, there's no cheering or clapping. Oh no. Instead, they stand choked up by the song being sang right back at them and indeed, sang until they return to treat us to another round and another drink. 

The band sure earned their sweat and earned new fans. These guys are the real deal and bring a much welcomed sense of enjoyment to their performance which resinates with everyone in attendance. It certainly felt like an 'I was there' moment. 

Go out. Buy the record. See the show. You won't regret it.

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Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats are:

Nathaniel Rateliff

Joseph Pope III

Wesley Watkins

Patrick Meese

Luke Mossman

Mark Shusterman

Andy Wild 

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HepkattFM 

The List

For those of you who saw my last post, I've picked up a few tickets for some exciting, upcoming gigs. 

Now.

I get around and I've seen my fair share of gigs, so much so that I keep a list of each one. This doesn't include local acts, just those that I've paid to be in the presence of. 

Some of them have been brilliant and some have been down right terrible but you know what? I'd rather remember those ones more. The ones where I can see chance of improvement, decide what I want from a show and search until I find it. 

Forgetting is no fun. 

So, take a deep breath and take it all in, here comes the list (in no particular order):

Turbowolf	Jack Penante	Goldheart Assembly
Postmodern Jukebox	Florence and The Machine	Local Natives
The Cribs	Jamie T	Los Campesinos
The Enemy	Bombay Bicycle Club	Billy Talent
Oasis	Vampire Weekend	Pulp
Kasabian	Yeah Yeah Yeah's	The Strokes
Twisted Wheel	Ian Brown	Muse
Kings of Leon	Passion Pit	Young Knives
Trivium	Queens of The Stone Age	The Streets
Iron Maiden	The Wombats	Death from Above 1979
Pendulum	Elliot Minor	We Are The Ocean
Ocean Colour Scene	Biffy Clyro	Taking Back Sunday
We Are Scientists	Doctor & The Medics	Fucked Up
Kaiser Chiefs	Hot Chip	Offspring
Tenacious D	Glasvegas	Deftones
Babyshambles	The Thermals	Miles Kane
The Killers	Kid British	Frankie & The Heartstrings
Last Shadow Puppets	Joe Carnell and The Book Club	White Lies
Frank Turner	Eagles of Death Metal	White Denim
Bloc Party	The Futureheads	Beady Eye
Fratellis	The Libertines	Tom Vek
Editors	Arcade Fire	Tim Minchin
Raconteurs	Guns and Roses	The National
Dirty Pretty Things	Weezer	Madness
Plain White Tee's	Limp Bizkit	2 Door Cinema
Artic Monkeys Reverend & the makers	Cypress Hill	Seasick Steve
Radiohead	Dizee Rascal	Pigeon Detectives
Fightstar	Gaslight Anthem	Dizraeli & The Small Gods
Prodigy	Modest Mouse	Bright Eyes
Courteeners	Yeasayer	Manchester Orchestra
The Rakes	Gogol Bordello	Jonny & Jenny
Maximo Park	NOFX	Civil Wars
Enter Shikari	Blink 182	Black Keys
The Horrors	Get Cape, Wear cape, Fly	Band of Skulls
Metric	Mystery Jets	Gillian Welch
Little Boots	Joy Formidable	Ryan Adams
Patrick Wolfe	Mumford and Sons	Spiritualized
Tame Impala	Royal Blood	The Pogues
John Cooper Clarke	Nathaniel Rateliff & The Nightsweats	Squeeze
AC/DC	Vintage Trouble

Some of these I've seen numerous times. I don't hide the fact that Ocean Colour Scene are one of my favourite bands and together with my Dad, have been to far too many shows and heard the same songs. In truth, I bloody love them. 

So.

That's the list so far.... 

Let me know who you've seen from this list and who you're excited to see this year.

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HepkattFM 

If you've lost your faith in love and music, the end won't be long.

2016 is shaping up to be a good year for music.

I know, I know. 

So many people have said this it's cliche but I'm excited. 

First up, we can look forward to a new Royal Blood album. That fabled second album that can propel you to the next level or leave you in the bargain bucket. The rowdy duo were lauded for bringing dirty rock and roll back and I'm not ashamed to admit that I got giddy at the sound they created. I caught them support the Arctic Monkeys at Finsbury Park when I had never heard of them and I'm constantly kicking myself that I spend half the set in the queue for the bar. Nevertheless they were on fire. 

Beyond that I have several gigs booked over the next few months that I can't wait to tuck in to. Later this month, I'm going to get my first live experience of Nathaniel Rateliff and the NightSweats. Their brand of messy upbeat music is something that caught my attention when I first heard S.O.B whilst surfing around on Youtube. I'm seen some footage of them performing and I get the feeling this will be a great show at Rock City, Nottingham. 

This is where it get's interesting. I've been fortunate enough to get hold of tickets for the Milburn reunion.

Now. 

These may not be a huge household name. However, I grew up in Chesterfield and spent lots of my youth at gigs in Sheffield and these guys were everywhere. These were the band that the Arctic Monkeys were seeing when setting out and you can hear so many similarities in the first album from Turner and Co to that sound that Milburn were championing. I once watched Arsenal vs Tottenham with the drummer and bassist in the Forum in Sheffield. Lovely bunch of chaps. But that's for another time. 

They are playing two dates at Sheffield City hall and the atmosphere will be one of nostalgia and mindless teenage recklessness. 

In May, I head to the city hall to see the Last Shadow Puppets. I'm very excited for the rebirth of this act as the new single seems a far throw from what the first album was. I caught them at Leeds festival first time round and was blown away by the chemistry Turner and Kane had as they quipped their way through a 30 minute set. This was prior to the first album and so felt thrown together but that kinda added to the spectacle. 

And finally, PostModern Jukebox return to the UK. It's no secret. I love these guys. They play pop music from the back of a Tardis. Best sellers of today played in the style of best sellers from yesterday. The musicians and singers that get together to offer us this are beyond talented and I'm crazy excited to travel back in time once more. 

Hopefully, there will be plenty more gigs to come and I'm always looking to catch local bands. This is why 2016 promises to be a  great year for me in music. 

Let me know who you're seeing this year and who you think will own 2016. 

Till next time.

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HepkattFM 

Taking over....Ate Days A Week

This week I'm giving you something scrumptious. 

Ate Days A Week is taking over and mixing food and music together for you happening cats.

Make sure to check out ate-days.blogspot.co.uk for more tasty morsels.

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I’m a big fan of a strange combo, and while my main passions lie in anything to do with food (sad right) I also love a strange and exciting musical mash-up, a well-executed cover that had no place being there. Like a biker band, turning up to a Justin Bieber concert and killing it anyway.

So here it is, my favourite unexpected food and music combos:

Apple + Cheese

You’ve heard of chalk and cheese? Well this is like that, yet despite being the opposites of each other, apple and cheese just gel. My favourite nostalgic treat.

Love Machine – Arctic Monkeys.

If you haven’t heard it you must. A chance to hear the now ever brooding Alex Turner having a little bit of fun. (you might even hear him smile!)

Any weird burger topping 

You can’t always beat a well-made cheeseburger, but throw anything out of the ordinary on that burger and I’m all over it.

Reptillia – The Punch Brothers

Mandolins and Indie Rock? Of course it works, don’t even question it.

My favourite to date? ‘The Scooby snack’ A giant double cheeseburger, towered atop a toasted brioche bun, with a side of delicious chilli cheese fries and topped with warm ham, onion ring, and pineapple (you thought it was a normal burger up until the end there didn’t you?) I don’t know why the pineapple works, I guess it’s like sweet and salty popcorn..

Which leads me to…

Sweet and Salty Popcorn.

It’s again like chalk and cheese, I love a salty snack, but in the cinema, there’s only so much sprite you can drink to counteract a super large salty popcorn - throw in a little sweet, and every other bite is an emotional rollercoaster of flavour. Yum.

Hey ya – Obadiah Parker

An old youtube favourite, turning an in your face Hip Hop (is it? I have no idea) song, into an acoustic masterpiece. Sometimes all you need is a guitar and a voice.

Bacon jam

I mean, its caramelised bacon that you can smear on top of a burger, sandwich, crackers, or just grab a spoon and dig right in! I mean it’s bacon, what’s not to like?

Johnny Cash – Hurt

Amazing that this wasn’t the original, as if written for the musical legend it can hardly be recognised as a cover.

Dorito Chicken

Crunchy chicken nuggets tossed in your favourite crisp. Mash up a bag of heatwave dorito’s, roll your chicken in the crumbs, bake. Et voila! Crunchy, firey and a lot more impressive than the preparation that went into it.

You are my Sunshine – The Civil Wars

Creepy folk song, covered by a cracking folk duo – it’ll give you a whole new view on a song that you probably just thought was a pleasant lullaby.

If that’s a little too dark and dreary for you; try their cover of Jackson’s I want You Back.

Twix Brownie

As good as it sounds, soft gooey chewy brownie, topped with a ayer of biscuit , melted caramel and crunchy chocolate. Heaven and calorie hell all in one delectable bite. (or 20 mouthfuls of sinful self- loathing)

Shake it Off – Scott Bradley and the Post Modern Jukebox

I could not complete a covers list without including one of these gems. Turning well-known pop songs into timeless classics. Get your jazz shoes on ‘cos you’re going dancing.

That’s it from me, I promise there’s a thousand more brilliant examples of these but it’s hard to think on an empty stomach…

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HepkattFM

Taking over .....LIPPY KID

Taking over with... is a new spot where you'll see musicians and musos take the reigns and let us in to their world. I asked LK what 2015 was for him and what 2016 holds.

Get your Brain Dusters ready.

Here's Lippy Kid.

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So 2015 has come to a close, and on refection, from a musical perspective, what a year it’s been. I entered into the year with a head full of unfinished ideas. Time to focus and think about a direction. The immediate, outside world was becoming an increasingly gloomy place, so I’d started to spend more time looking wider afield. Carl Sagan’s ‘Pale Blue Dot’ had started to resonate strongly. Our relative significance. I wondered, if asked, what would the world of Social Media start to say if I presented them with a simple query……

‘We search the world to find……’

There response was amazing. Hope for a better planet. A daughters aspiration, the comical, the reflective. It was incredibly moving and filled my heart with optimism. From that moment, completing my musical ideas became a downhill task and ‘Echoes and Answers’ was born.

The reception for the album surpassed my wildest expectations. Fantastic feedback and reviews (a particular review by Simon Tucker for Louder than War stunned me completely). Amazingly, and totally unexpectedly, the album even got picked up by one of my favourite 6 Music DJs, with Mary Anne Hobbs featuring ’24 Hour Reboot’ on her ‘6 Recommends’ show. 

As a completely independent musician, it’s hard to describe the feeling you get when you self-produce something and receive so much love in return.

The remains of the year was spent putting in place new projects, new foundations for more ideas and collaborations. It was lovely to produce a track with Helen Mort, Derbyshire’s poet laureate, for the Dark Outside broadcast. I’ve been a huge admirer of Helen’s for some time so it was a real honour to work with her. Also, to find our track featured alongside work from artists such as Plaid, Martyn Ware, Grumbling Fur, Pye Corner Audio, Scanner, Ben Salisbury, Chris Carter…pretty amazing really.

There have been many people I’ve been discussing projects with towards the end of the year, and hopefully these will materialise with something worth sharing with everyone.

To reflect on an inspirational year, I decided to close it off by releasing a track I’d been previously working on for the ‘Echoes and Answers’ album. It seemed appropriate somehow:

https://soundcloud.com/lippy-kid/spatial-nature-of-thought

So to 2016…..

Well this year has started off in the most surreal way possible. Like so many people, the news of David Bowie’s death came as a devastating blow. From initially being introduced to Ziggy as a slightly awkward, introverted eleven year old, Bowie was the shining light and a huge inspiration to me. I did find it a little difficult to comprehend. And only days after releasing one of the finest albums of his career. I guess it was only in the days that followed that we were able to truly understand the poignancy of its content. 

I’d like to feel the key things that I did learn from Bowie’s career was to keep exploring, be bold, be true to yourself and never fear collaboration.

So who knows… Each year I seem to meet more and more creative and inspirational people. I’m currently working on a number of new ideas with some of those I met last year. On the immediate front I’ve been pulling together a collaborative mix with my very good friend ‘Mixless’ aka Antony Theobald that will be broadcast on Nick Wlkinson’s ‘Inner Depths’ show on Future Music FM. The show will be broadcast Feb 29th, something we’re both looking forward to. After that…well there’s a number of other ideas, things I’ve said I’ll aim to look into, ideas of my own…plenty to keep me busy.

I guess all I can say is watch this space, but thanks, as always, for the incredible love and support, and as David once said…

“Tomorrow belongs to those that hear it coming…."

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http://www.lippykidmusic.com

https://soundcloud.com/lippy-kid

https://twitter.com/lippykidmusic?lang=en

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Thank you to Lippy Kid for taking the time to write this. If you want to take over HepkattFM and have a guest spot, get in touch!

Until next time.

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HepkattFM

From the archive : The Civil Wars - London 2012.

The Civil Wars are no more.

The Americana duo were truly a blessing for music and offered not only one of the best debut albums in Barton Hollow but a truly intense live experience.

I was privileged enough to see them twice, once at the Night And Day Cafe in Manchester with no more than 20 people and then at the Shepherds Bush Empire, London. 

I wrote this review shortly after the gig in London in 2012. Enjoy a stroll through the archive

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The Shepherds Bush Empire is seething with people. We’re all here for the same reason, that’s the Nashville duo of Joy Williams and John Paul White. They had played to big crowds before when supporting Adele but this crowd is theirs. John Paul is sophistication personified as he strides out in a dinner jacket and tie, greeted by a glass of bourbon and followed by the poise and elegance of frock wearing joy. She can barely contain herself, with smile after smile sneaking across her face. It’s infectious. The crowd can do nothing but smile back and listen to her stage patter as she proclaims “Why are you all here?” The answer is simple. The Civil Wars are Exceptional.

They ease in and out of songs from their debut album “Barton Hollow” and throw in neatly reworked covers, like “I want you back” by the Jackson Five, which is no longer the upbeat sing-along you remember, rather a deliberate romantic, encounter played with precision and hair-curling harmonies. Something is quite haunting about the harmonies that these two produce as they bend their bodies from the microphone to add to the splendour of songs such as “My father’s father” and “C’est La Mort”. A trait seemingly taken straight out of the Gillian Welch and David Rawlings handbook, especially accompanied with the simplicity of their stage. There are no extra musicians, no banner sporting their name, no gimmicks. It’s about the music here. Apart from Joy occasionally slinking over to a piano to accompany such songs as the utterly seductive “poison and wine”, they stand together. Their chemistry on the stage is like a perfectly rehearsed play, they seamlessly act out their set.

  

The crowd are transfixed by this special blend of country and Americana music with a folky core. As every song is being absorbedly listened to, the crowd is an eerie kind of silent. Every note dances its way to the back of the venue, reaching every person. When the music stops, the place erupts. Leaving White and Williams to stand and take the plaudits they so sorely deserve and are humbled to receive. 

They quip about Adele using them and on the evidence of tonight ,coupled with the fact they have sold out their UK tour and will return to the US to play numerous festivals, they could well be right.

The highlight of the night is the barnstorming title track “Barton Hollow”. Its burly guitar riff piques all interest, encouraging everyone in attendance to move, Joy stamps her foot through every line and sways with the melody. They launch into the tune with fierce vocals, played out in perfect harmony. Their voices brawl to the finish, Williams with her hypnotic gothic sound and White with his striking power intertwine faultlessly. It calms to finish as they show remarkable control and drift into its complete opposite “falling”, which is an enchanting love affair which cools everyone down after warming them up. Its moments like this that proves they are deserved of their double Grammy success. 

A stunning rendition of “Billie Jean” closes the encore, a song which is played with real satisfaction from both parties. London shows its appreciation with rapturous applause which doesn’t end until Williams and White are most likely back on their bus. 

At one point during the night, a voice climbed out from the crowd proclaiming “CONGRATULATIONS”. This is most likely in response to Williams’ news that she is an expectant mother; however it could equally simply be recognition of them achieving something truly special. From a backroom writing desk in Nashville they are building their legacy, succeeding with an air of class and sophistication. The Civil Wars will be around for a long time to come. Join the revolution. 

Setlist:

Tip Of My Tongue

Forget Me Not

From This Valley

20 Years

I’ve Got This Friend

Sour Times (Portishead Cover)

Barton Hollow

Falling

C’est La Mort

I Want You Back (Jackson 5 Cover)

Birds Of A Feather

To Whom It May Concern

My Father’s Father

Poison & Wine

Encore:

Billie Jean (Michael Jackson cover)

Dance Me To The End Of Love (Leonard Cohen cover)

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Hepkatt FM