K-City Music Reviews

Gulbenkian Café Bar - Tuesday 25th November 2008

This was Amy's second stint at K-City Music Tuesday – she attracts an audience without too much fussing around which is good because the boys at K-City have reached the end of all the fussing – the end of this particular road. Not the end of K-City but rather the end of Music Tuesdays. It was always going to be a challenge – the café / bar area of the Gulbenkian is not a natural performance space and there's the danger of feeling like you're in a corridor. But with the help of the ever bubbling Ami and Mes (our faithful set designers) K-CMT's became a cosy, club-like experience with some great music passing through.

Amy, on the last Tuesday of not just the month but of the season and by way of a fond farewell, gave fine account of herself and her music.

She played many of her most popular tunes such as 'I Just Wanna Be Loved' and 'Nashville'. And now she's also entered the somewhat 'high-risk' world of live audio-looping. I can see the temptation looming large for the solo performer – they can multiply themselves manifold and suddenly you're not listening to just a gal and her guitar – you're hearing the album track complete with layers of instruments and vocals.

And whilst not wanting to be a damp squib, I have to say that it doesn't quite thrill me. It's a nice piece of gloss but it just looks a bit clumsy when, in the middle of a full-throttle number, you suddenly divert to a pedal-board and alternative microphone and start stamping on the pedals at strategic moments. Just looks like trouble.

Amy did it well though, she hit the pedals at the relevant moments and three-part harmonies started to swirl round the room – damn clever that!

Anyway, we shared out chocolate cake in the interval and the thronging throng smiled as we navigated our way through Amy's two albums. She's big in Wales ye'know! Yes, she does a radio show on BBC Radio Wales and you can hear past shows via the web.

She certainly did us proud on that last of last Tuesdays.

We will be back – maybe not on Tuesdays but where there's a need for good quality live music, we will be thereabouts, calculating the overheads versus the punter-take. Its not an occupation for the 'get rich quick' brigade – more a way of shedding pounds (£) – but then it was always about the music wasn't it??

Martin Goodsmith

Gulbenkian Café Bar - Tuesday 27th May 2008

This week's K-City began with a video-medley of previous K-City talents. From the enchanting melodies of Pete Roe to the intense song of Nick Harper, K-City has certainly rooted out some of the best unsigned talent that England has to offer.

The star of tonight, however, was to be Phil King. Like Pete Roe, King is also from Bristol. After a casual intro, he began his set with a really laid back blues. From the moment he started playing he gave the impression of someone to whom music comes naturally - his earthy yet soft voice complementing his seemingly simple guitar playing.

One aspect of King's music that I enjoyed was the imagery. In 'Leaves', part of the riff was a little trickle of notes which immediately conjured up - yes - falling leaves to my imagination.

As the night progressed, it became obvious that King had talent. As he played his version of the old blues tune 'Honeysuckle', I got the feeling that not only did King know the guitar inside out, but somehow the guitar knew King also. A lot of King's songs were built around a chromatic chord progression, which gave them a friendly, innocent feel. A song which really stuck out for me (and I'm sure the rest of the audience) was 'The War I Can Not Win'. The lights went red, and from the stage a hot bubbling river of passion hit the crowd. It had the right balance of intense emotion and musical value to make it, in my opinion, the song of the night. To complement this, King played a deep, slow, melodic song called 'Orion', during which he displayed his flexible vocal range quite beautifully.

In some of King's songs I caught the tiniest whiff of the band 'Maroon 5', in others, a trace of Pete Roe. However, there is one fundamental difference between King and Roe. Where Roe was hovering somewhere between the worlds, King was earthy and had real substance.

The Bristol 'seam' as it has been described is certainly rich in precious stones - once again the K-City folk have chanced upon a diamond.

Joss Lloyd

Gulbenkian Café Bar - Tuesday 29th April 2008

MAIUKO's support last Tuesday was the 3-piece Belleville led by the Gulbenkian's own Emily Yates on vocals and keyboards, James Whatley on acoustic guitar and Mick Norman on violin. They began with a rather lengthy instrumental intro by the two stringed instruments, after which Emily entered the mix. She has a nice voice that reminds me slightly of Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody. I was pleased to see they had written their own songs - if they were all a bit similar - quite dark - a lot of minor chord use (which I like!). It is unusual to see violins in modern popular music, though I think it worked here. Indeed had it not been for the violin to add a lighter touch, the music may have been a little dreary.

As soon as one saw Maiuko, one could tell there was some deep foundation of soul driving her. She was dressed in flowing clothes and had bare feet. As for the rest of the band, there was bass player Andy North, guitarist Chris Cawte, drummer Matt Goodsmith and keyboard player Martin Goodsmith. I don't quite know what genre I would place the music in - mainly African and jazz but with a pronounced soul influence. The wonderful thing about the band was that every musician was highly talented. The combination of the rock steady keyboard, the extremely versatile guitar, the enthusiastic and lively bass and the groovy drums generated the perfect foundation for Maiuko to really explore the musical atmosphere. At the beginning one did get the slight feeling, however that, she was holding back a little - or not even that - just that she had more to convey. But she opened up towards the middle, and her voice was, as I had predicted, full of deep soul.

The songs were all Maiuko's own creations apart from two - Nina Simone's Ain't No Use and Four Women. Overall, the instrument that stood out to me most had to be Chris Cawte's guitar. It was melodic, slow, and beautiful one minute, then brilliantly funky the next, then jazzy and slinky the next. Maiuko ended with a song called Mozambique (her homeland, by the way). It was lively, all the instruments gave it over 100% and there was audience participation.

There were, I thought, only two disapointments with the evening. One, the modestly sized audience, and two, despite countless invitations to ditch the chairs and take to the floor, the English spirit had its little victory, and people remained seated.

Joss Lloyd

Gulbenkian Café Bar - Tuesday 26th February 2008

One could tell, as soon as one entered the Gulbenkian cafe-bar that this was to be no ordinary evening of K-City music. One could tell, because the venue was absolutely jam-packed full of people. I was obviously the odd one out, having never heard of Chris Wood before. He appeared to be quite a celebrity. The evening started with three likely lads who went, collectively, by the name Ed, Will and Ginger. They were acapella singers. One of them had a great bushy beard, and they were dressed in what could be described as "simple country gear". They used no microphones or indeed any type of amplification, yet their voices projected well to the gathered crowd.

They sang love ballads with the pleasant aire of seventeenth century wandering minstrels; the rich sound they produced seemed to put the audience under some enchantment.

And then Chris took to the stage. He played, on the guitar, what I would call 'modern folk'. Modern, in the sense that some of the words in the songs were not around 50 years ago. But he did play some older ballads too, of kings and queens and revolutions! And his voice. He had that soft country accent which suited the songs he sang hand in glove. In between each number Chris would give a little interlude, a little or sometimes quite lengthy introduction to either why the song was played, or who wrote it, or who or what inspired it.

Every now and then, he would slot in a little satirical gag, which was amusing. About half way through, Chris got out not one, but two violins. He sat them on his knees, and plucked a soft melody. It was good, I thought, that the whole performance was only marginally amplified. It prevented the audience from chatting.

It was not till towards the end of the second half, however, that the real magic was made. His soft sophisticated playing coupled with a beautiful saga about a boy and girl who worked in a fish and chip shop seemed to cast a spell over the audience. I was disappointed when the end came, and even more disappointed when the spectators started applauding instantly. I felt there should have been a few seconds of silence - for us all to recover from the powerful mood that Chris had ensnared us in. After this brilliant performance, the remaining song, and the encore, which were both a bit more lively, seemed a little irrelevant… but then I was probably still lost in a dream-world.

Joss Lloyd

Gulbenkian Café Bar - Tuesday 29th January 2008

I am a great fan of fusion music. As the name implies, it is a "fusion" of other genres – jazz, funk and a few others. So when I heard that the latest batch of talent K-City had cooked up came in the form of fusion band Hail Bop, I was delighted! As the four musicians ambled on to the stage, I noticed that they were all attired casually – apart from the saxophonist (Ivan Thompson) who had donned an informal suit for the occasion. They started to play, and I was immediately struck by the groovy rhythm churned out by the drummer (Pete Cranham). Unfortunately however it was the only time I was to be wowed by that particular instrument - the quality of drumming throughout the evening was more than adequate but could, I thought, have been ever so slightly more elaborate.

It soon became apparent that it was Ivan who really led the band, with the bassist (Martin Elliott) also playing a lead role. One could tell that Martin was an experienced musician - exceptionally talented and flexible. As for guitarist Dudley Ross, he was of the melodic variety - his exquisite and sometimes experimental playing complementing the smooth sound of the saxophone.

This band seemed to have nothing planned - their arbitrary selection of songs gave the impression to the audience that they were sitting in on a rehearsal. Whether this was a desired effect or not, I do not know. The third song they played was a little more abstract, with the guitar playing an awesome double-octave effect.

They played a couple of pieces written by Martin but mostly material from the likes of Chick Corea, Steps Ahead, Tom Scott and more.

The second half kicked off to a cheerful start, with more quality riffs exuding from the instrumentalists. About half way through the second half they played what was in my opinion the highlight of the evening. It was a really funky number - with octave slap-bass, and whacky sax playing. Indeed the bassist increased the rehearsal feeling by shouting instructions to the drummer mid-song. The guitarist livened up a bit towards the end, thrashing out some five and a half star riffs. And then they wrapped up with a jazzy number - no encores, however.

Some will have mourned the lack of vocals - but I don't think that that is what fusion is all about. I think that fusion is about the instrumental melodies and the groovy rhythms. This has been my favourite K-City yet. Keep up the good work, I say!

Joss Lloyd

Gulbenkian Café Bar - Tuesday 27th November 2007

It was a close shave last Tuesday. I was suffering from the most dreadful cold, and I feared that letting myself loose on the harsh elements might further degenerate my delicate health. However, after careful consideration, I concluded that going out to K-City at the Gulbenkian would, in the long run, have a far more beneficial effect upon my wellbeing than just lounging on the sofa at home watching mindless pre-recorded programmes on the television. I turned out to be more correct than ever could be imagined with my wise decision.

The evening began with a Swiss fellow named Jaz Rice. Jaz played his own songs; simple strummed chords with his succulent voice (reminiscent of Paulo Nutini's) gliding over the top. The songs he played were effectively uncomplicated; the real drama was in the dynamics! It may sound odd, but I had, at the time, the most distinct impression that the charm he sited upon the audience was largely down to his control of the musical atmosphere.

10 minutes into the recital, Jaz played a song that luckily was so rich in chocolate layers that the audience weren't concerned with the admittedly so-so lyrics. Indeed at the penultimate chord many of the enchanted listeners broke into applause and when Jaz at last strummed the final harmony, he seemed pleased and proud of the fact that he had misled the audience…

Jaz 1, listeners 0, I thought!

Jaz ended with a song called Namibia. I must say I was a little disappointed, as the lyrics were far too wildlife-orientated for my liking.

Bristol-based singer-songwriter Pete Roe was quite the opposite of Jaz. Where Rice was quite clearly here in this world, Roe was sort of half in and half out of it. He mostly played pieces on guitar, but also played a bit on the piano; he was uncannily talented at playing both instruments. Indeed, he played the piano in a way not unlike my own piano teacher. A fan of really big chords, I noticed. Roe, with his soft sophistication, created a very special atmosphere. He has a voice not dissimilar to that of keyboard connoisseur Jools Holland. Sort of simple, but when Pete played he quashed any fears that might have arisen as to the association with the talented "Squeeze" oddball.

On a more serious note, when Pete sang some of the lines that required more of his attention, his guitar playing went a little fuzzy, and he did occasionally miss a beat, but when compared with the fact that he made one guitar sound like a full band, (and a good one at that) it really is barely worth mentioning.

As usual, the good folk behind K-City have come up trumps with a very impressive couple of performers. I'm sure I've said it before, but the worst thing is for a musician to be boring. An artist's primary goal is to keep an audience interested, and both acts managed this and a lot more. The only disappointment was the sadly undersized audience. Pete and Jaz deserved a stadium full of spectators. I shall put the small number down to the cold and wet weather keeping folk on their sofas!

Joss Lloyd

Gulbenkian Café Bar - Tuesday 30th October 2007

Last Tuesday was one of those nondescript days when one just doesn't know what to do with oneself. So I was uncannily tempted by the invitation to go to K-City Music Tuesday at the Gulbenkian theatre on the university campus. Well, in the foyer of the Gulbenkian anyway.

The evening kicked off at about eight fifteen, and I was immediately stunned by the flamboyant outfits of the two performers. The man (Pierre Vincent) was dressed in matching jacket and trousers, dark green, embroidered with a pronounced floral pattern and the woman (Bessie Sayce) had enormous platform shoes and a thoroughly plastic red, white and black dress. Collectively they call themselves by the slightly ambiguous name, "The Dealers". This could either be a perfectly innocent term for two people who come from the seaside resort of Deal, or a slightly more vulgar insinuation of something which I'm sure I need not mention.

They began to play. I was, I admit, at first a little disappointed at the simplicity of the chords that were emitted from the acoustic played by Pierre, but I was soon to learn that this was merely the aperitif. Before long, the perfect overtone harmony of Bessie's awe-inspiring voice kicked in, and my confidence in the duo was heartily restored. They mostly played their own songs, but also covered a couple, by the likes of Leonard Cohen, Billie Holiday, Tom Waits and somebody Price (I'm rubbish with names). In my opinion, the quality of the material produced escalated wildly, and as the evening progressed, I realised I had never seen anyone play an acoustic in quite the way Pierre did. By god I felt sorry for it. The rock/country tunes were thrashed out with so much talented dynamism that I was fearful for the condition of the sound system, not to mention the strings, of which one snapped mid song. But they just carried on, and like all sensible musicians, had a backup guitar. When the inevitable end came, the crowd that had by now gathered would just not let them go. They played three encores, ending with a remarkably accurate interpretation of “The White Rabbit” from the film “Alice In Wonderland”.

The Dealers have recorded two albums: "Listen" (2006) and "Trine To The Cheats" (2007). By all means buy them. You won't be disappointed.

Joss Lloyd

Gulbenkian Café Bar - Tuesday 25th September 2007

The only thing Amy Wadge lacks is a 'breakthrough song'. She has charisma, stage presence, confidence, and she has a great voice. She displayed all that at her K-City Music Tuesday gig last… yes, Tuesday.

Trouble was, I wasn't there.

And being one of the organisers I was a bit upset that circumstances meant that instead of being at the Gulbenkian to enjoy Amy's first visit to Canterbury I was instead queuing in Moscow (that's what people in Moscow seem to do a lot – they queue.) But I heard good things from the people who were there. And then I saw some videotape from the occasion which caused me to curse those Russian queuers once again.

So now I'm doing something no-one should ever do – I'm writing a remote review. Well, not remote in the isolated sense, but only in that my references are from those that went and this videotape I have here. So please forgive any misunderstandings that might come from this 'Match of the Day' approach!

With the video, I first noticed that she'd cut her hair fairly short. I then noticed that she's changed her shape some – not entirely in the notorious shape-shifting traditions of the Amazonian Shamans – rather in the fact that she's expecting a baby! This fact hadn't escaped the notice of her promoters who had aptly dubbed her current tour: AMY WADGE 'Bump on the Road Tour'.

So there was some extra respect out there in the Gulbenkian Café Bar and a healthy-sized audience were witness to a great night's entertainment.

Amy's style is interesting. She's a Cardiff girl and you might be forgiven for expecting some traditional 'folkish' melodies in her set. But no, Amy sounds like she could have hailed from one of the Southern US states, such is the inflection and power of her voice. She does confess a fondness for that part of the world and is explicit with it in her song "Nashville" – in which we're also treated to an improvised trumpet solo (okay – she mimicked the trumpet!).

During her performance Amy swings between instruments - one moment acoustic guitar, the next, electric piano. In fact, she has a fine range of guitars all standing by and she makes good use of all of them, but without a doubt, her strength is in her voice. Her range is fantastic and she can transport you from the cosyness and intimacy of "This is My Love Song" (written about her grandfather) to the Joplin'esque roar found in "I wanna Be Loved'.

Amy just has that confidence in her performance that keeps you interested and when she rises and falls, you rise and fall with her – and that's a lotta fun.

Next time she pops by, no standing-in-line Russian is gonna stop me. Keep an eye out for Amy… Oh, and good luck with the baby!!

Martin Goodsmith

Gulbenkian Café Bar - Tuesday 26th June 2007

From the evidence of his between song commentary, it was only the day beforehand that Jackie Leven was himself made aware that he had been booked to play a show in Canterbury so, given that it finally proved to be a more than memorable finale to the current season of K-City music nights there, perhaps it's just as well that his manager did phone to remind him of the fact.

If it was as the frontman of late seventies outfit Doll By Doll that Leven first began to attract critical attention, then it is as a solo performer and raconteur that he has really subsequently come into his own, blending gentle ballads suffused with a subtly seductive hint of Celtic melancholy with frequently hilarious anecdotes that encompass everything from home town Scottish gangsters and his youthful friendship with premier-in-waiting Gordon Brown to a discombobulating encounter with a Norwegian hobo.

As entertaining as the latter are in their own right, however, they can often also supply a fascinating insight into the songwriting process itself, showing how Leven will build upon a key phrase or slightly off centre observation to create a tiered series of images or semi-autobiographical reflections in such evocatively melodic compositions as 'A Little Voice In Space' or 'Another Man's Rain'.

His accomplished guitarwork notwithstanding, moreover, it is Jackie's distinctive vocal style that remains his true ace in the hole, with his clear, slightly burred delivery tremeloed on occasions or dropping to an appropriately low growl at the close of 'Elegy For Johnny Cash'.

With such established classics of his own as 'Single Father' and 'Universal Blue' duly complimented, therefore, by a lovely cover version of American sixties songwriter Jackson C. Frank's 'Blues Run The Game', the small but appreciative audience seemed held almost spellbound by the palpable sense of intimacy until the very last note had died away.

David Parker