Gig reviews
Kate Walsh at Bablake School- 30th November 2005 (Reviewed by MGAW)
© MGAW
Kate Walsh headlined a wonderful evening of music with support from the Ten O'Clock Scholars, Emily Jackson and school group, Handcrafted.
Ful review to follow...
KT Tunstall at Bablake School- 25th November 2004 (Reviewed by MGAW)
© Mustard 2004
KT, despite a heavy cold, delivered a tremendous 7 song set to begin our support of Amnesty's 'Stop Violence against Women' campaign. Fresh from a stunning performance on Jools Holland's 'Later' and a support slot for Travis, she was supported by 3 established and locally acclaimed acts: Wish, The Ten O'Clock Scholars and Olivia. We asked the audience for their comments.
KT TUNSTALL
Set List: 'Miniature disasters', 'Other side of the world', 'False alarm', 'Under the weather', 'Stoppin’ the love', 'Throw me a rope' and the awesome 'Black horse and the cherry tree'.
“Awesome- better than on Jools Holland” “One woman band” “Lovely to interview” “Absolutely fabulous, so talented, so stylish” “Made the bald guy in the corner go crazy and dance like a worm on a fish hook” "Fit!”
OLIVIA:
Set List: 'Tired of you', 'Pick up the pieces', 'Promises', 'Baby, just sighs', 'Another moment', 'Take it slow' and 'One year ago'.
“A 'feel good', brilliant set and awesome music.” “Really unique voice.” “Excellent performance.” “I liked the difference in Olivia's voice.” “The band was really good and the songs were original and uplifting. Great to have that different bongo sound behind as well.”
10 O’CLOCK SCHOLARS
Set List included: 'Disco gangrene', 'In the lap of the gods', 'Nil by mouth', 'Pathetic' and a John Martyn cover.
“Lyrics fitted the mood- really clever songs” “Loved them- awesome- get them back!” “Mix between Maroon 5 and Scissor Sisters” “Like Reef” “Great-looking hair- esp the keyboard player” “Brilliant music, CD great too. Will definitely see them again. Looked as if they were really enjoying it”
WISH
Set List: 'The longing hours', 'Ignite', 'River', 'Schizophrenia', 'Pictures at an exhibition', 'Wasting time' and 'Staying alive'.
“Some great moments, particularly Muse-style guitar’ “Very atmospheric music like Pink Floyd and great musicianship- loved it!” “Lead singer- great image and great range of voice” “Radiohead- awesome”
[Thanks to Martin Cure for the PA system, Simon Davis for the photography, Dave Prescott for lighting and Mark Taylor for a-v side.]
All photos © Simon Davis 2004
Olivia at the Godiva Festival- 11th June 2004 (Reviewed by MGAW)
© Woody 2004
Olivia is an acoustic singer songwriter who left Bablake in 1999- over the last couple of years, in particular, she has built up quite a reputation locally and it cannot be long before she receives that lucky break. She was supporting the excellent Nic Armstrong (Lennon, Jagger and Jack White all rolled into one) and her soulful set that featured 'Another moment', 'Baby just sighs', 'Promises' and 'Take it slow' was delivered with passion and strength. The Rootz tent was packed for Olivia and for many she was the highlight of the evening.
Battle of the Bands- 13th May 2004
Battle of the Bands 2004 took place with 5 of Bablake's best bands and guest appearances from Special Brew (including our own Gemma 'Sally' Brown) and The Way (with our very own Chris 'Carlos Santana' Thrippleton). Doodesh Marzin swept all competition aside and won the votes of the people and the judges.
© Woody 2004
Joss Stone at the Birmingham Academy- 31st January 2004 (Reviewed by MGAW)
© Woody 2004
On the eve of 'The Soul Sessions' hitting no 4 in the album charts (ahead of the Coral even!) and her debut single entering at 18, the atmosphere at the Academy before Joss's set was quite special. KT Tunstall's acoustic support had been well received but the acclaim to come was remarkable. With her logo and album cover projected assuredly onto the stage backdrop and the lights low, Joss' eagerly awaited first headline gig in the UK was not far off. First her backing singers and musicians appeared on stage, then came the rapturous reception for Joss which genuinely seemed to move her.
I have never seen the Academy listen to an artist as closely and reverently as it did with Joss. Her 'voice' was staggeringly emotional and powerful- where is such 'soul' hidden?! Amused yet clearly embarrassed by cries of 'Victoria Beckham, give up' and 'Queen of Soul', she stunned the Academy with her set: 4 new tracks blended seamlessly alongside the whole of 'The Soul Sessions' bar Aretha's 'All the king's horses'.
On an evening of many highlights, the raw emotion of 'Victim of a foolish heart', the still appreciation and reverence for 'I had a dream' and the rampaging encore 'Some kind of wonderful' took some beating. Then of course there was Joss' astute reworking of band of the moment, The White Stripes' 'Fell in love with a boy' (sic). So many artists launch their career with an insipid cover- not Joss! She has allied with the rare few who have nursed a song to a new level and then adopted it as their own soul child!
Talking to her manager, Brian Freshwater, after the gig, it is clear Joss will be massive but is being managed correctly. The lesser labels search desperately for the new Britney and find a face for an image. Brian has unearthed a star whose image, while immersed in an awesome back catalogue of soul legends like Betty Wright, Timmy Thomas, Aretha, The Roots, the Isleys and Angie Stone, will in turn be inspirational to other young singers. Can't help thinking too that growing up in the Stone household must have been blessed with some awesome music!
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