While Ags Connolly continues to seek his niche in the UK
music scene, those listeners who tap into his distinctive style will reap the
rewards of their wise artistic choice. If you want to wear the badge of country
music in the UK then the unfiltered version purveyed by Ags is an essential schooling.
Not only does this Oxfordshire based singer-songwriter rustle up some
pinpointed songs, they are all sung in a gut driven spiral of absolute
authenticity. Alongside his mission to preserve the ideals, a student, advocate
and impressionist of country music shapes a performer dedicated and hell bent
to a cause.2016, especially the latter part, sees Ags in interim mode. Live dates are more sporadic rather than a structured tour. New songs are teased, supported only by the anticipation of a follow up album to his 2014 release HOW ABOUT NOW. Hopefully this will materialise in early 2017 and cement the embryonic relationship with South Coast music operation At The Helm Records, along with their partners. Of course such a state of mind does allow a little experimentation, exploration and fine tuning especially in an intimate live setting. This release will be an important moment for Ags and his pursuit of an independent yet thriving career.
On the evidence of this inaugural show in Birmingham, the new
material will not disappoint, with even the first hint of an upgrade. The bias
of the set’s content was tilted in the direction of the future with no sign of
compromising the past. The full band versions will without doubt enhance the
recorded format, but one man, guitar and a voice immersed in the song’s emotion
are a conduit to solo delivery success.
While a desire for originality inspires Ags to major on
self-penned efforts, he is not averse to celebrating the work of others who have
played a significant role in his musical education. So during this performance
at the Tower of Song, appropriately the work of Leonard Cohen was covered
alongside his own song writing hero Louden Wainwright III. Throw in an excellent
version of Shel Siverstein’s much covered ‘Jennifer
Johnson & Me’ plus Nick Lowe’s acclaimed rock ‘n’ roller ‘I Knew the Bride’ and the breadth of
the show was stretched. Although closer to the core was the work of David Allan
Coe.
There has been a limited CD only release during 2016 and
TRADIITONAL, his take on 12 cowboy songs is an indulgent passion which crosses
the line into listener appreciation territory. Ags borrowed ‘Rambling Gambler’ from this selection of
old time songs for the set list and it is well worth grabbing a copy of the
album, available either through his website or at a show. The record has gained
some respected specialist airplay and a good review from Country Music People,
with a further endorsement from yours truly.
While the new album will partially close the book on HOW
ABOUT NOW, there’s still plenty of life in the tracks with ‘The Dim and Distant Past’ and ‘Trusty Companion’ sounding good this
evening. In fact on the evidence of the whole show, Ags has the potential the
grab a foothold in many new towns across the country. There is a market for
folks who base their country on Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson.
So why not hook up with an English country singer, writing and delivering
superb material in a similar style. Let’s put the terms Ameripolitan, Americana
and sub genres to one side for a moment and just use the simple word ‘country’
to describe Ags Connolly.
