Gig Diary: Thea Gilmore - Midland Arts Centre, Birmingham. Friday 18th November 2022

 

www.theagilmore.net

Twelve months ago Thea Gilmore ripped open the package of a new phase in the creative atmosphere of the Midland Arts Centre to stunning effect. With that new phase firmly embedded a return was a no brainer as another tour was scheduled to launch the post-Afterlight stage of a career now stretching twenty-three years. The solo format has become de facto with the presence of guitars, keys and an evolving loop machine providing the comfort blanket of sound. Throw in a passion for words plus vocals blending the blunt and beautiful, and what rises is a foremost contemporary singer-songwriter forever evading those aiming to pigeon hole. For an hour and a quarter this evening, Thea Gilmore treated a Birmingham audience to a celebratory compact show packaging the past, present and future in a mist of musical marvel. 

Afterlight's seismic introduction last year is still there, yet quite subtly included. The main set opens and closes in the same vein of the album with the live renditions of the spoken word sparking a loop-created backdrop. 'Of All The Violence I Have Ever Known' and 'Last' have deliberately defined the present with an effect that defies dilution. No introduction is required, They leave an imprint, while also unlocking the template for much more to surface and prosper. 

Before we leave the 2021 album that seams to have been only a temporary name change, a nod to three other tracks claiming places in the setlist twelve months on. Straight after the emotive opener we leapt into 'Friendly Little Heart Attack' and 'Stain', with the latter being undoubtedly the more domineering addition. As we edged towards the final stages, 'Vespering' was shared, and is set to be a live staple long after the Afterlight has faded. This is a soothing transcending song with so much hope and vitality.

Covers can divide opinion especially when a singer-songwriter has an extensive catalogue of original material. Thea Gilmore makes no apology of her love for sharing the works of others, both on record and live. This evening's selected trio harked back to last year and pitch a fascinating if not uncovered presence. 'Wrecking Ball' (the Miley Cyrus cut), 'Bad Moon Rising' and 'Cabaret' (the last two surely transcend their origin) are three you wouldn't bet on, but are undisputedly covered well and slightly different. As is increasingly the norm, the slice of musical theatre drew the curtain down to conclude encore. 

The future for Thea Gilmore immediately lies in the scope of a series of EPs. 'Bones' from the recently released first one titled WAS had an airing bestowed with an extensive backing tape and faint electric guitar. 'The Chance' was a preview of an upcoming release and delivered from the keyboards. An instrument turned to again in the encore as the legacy of murdered MP Jo Cox was remembered in 'The War'.

Any Thea Gilmore audience is likely to contain long term fans. This evening they (and any newbies) were treated to a very old Radio 2 playlist favourite 'This Girl is Taking Bets' from the early 2000s. The 2017 album THE COUNTERWEIGHT always appears to be a crowd favourite, exemplified by 'Rise' getting an introductory cheer and a rousing reception at the end. 'Johnny Gets a Gun' was the other inclusion off this record and breaths all round were held as an adventurous loop behaved itself to ensure an innovative version didn't crash and burn. 

Just like 2021, the support act was a performing poet. This time Oliver James Lomax was invited to share his work for around twenty minutes and try to inject a literary air to the evening. This complements Thea Gilmore's love for all things lexicon-related and worked really well. Admittedly adding an extensive bout of the spoken word to a music evening can stretch minds and not be a universal choice. However it is becoming the norm here and open to embracing if succinct, direct and charmingly entertaining.

The ease to which Thea Gilmore is slipping into the new format is open to the eye. She remains humble and appreciative that fans are moving with her. It helps if you possess the talent that has adorned a platform for many years and a creative yearning that appears to be intensifying over time. Long may she keep Birmingham on the horizon and continue to share music in all its guises. The music landscape is a richer place when artists like Thea Gilmore gift their craft. 

Gig Diary: Ellie Gowers - Kitchen Garden, Kings Heath, Birmingham. Thursday 17th November 2022

 

www.elliegowersmusic.com

From Beardy bubbles to sold out signs, it has been a crazy couple of years in the music life of Warwickshire-based folk musician Ellie Gowers. The first of these markers is a little niche and personal, but the second was enabled by those cramming the Kitchen Garden to celebrate a landmark show on the debut album launch tour. While Birmingham may not be quite the hometown show, it is increasingly becoming a fertile ground to increase a fanbase, and subsequently more and more are tuning into the wide reaching talents of an exceptional performer. Throughout the two sets this evening, Ellie put her confident and assured demeanour on full show to strip bear a passion and aptitude for curating a special song that etches a deeper mark on the local folk music landscape. 

For a little preliminary context, Beardy bubbles refers to the miraculous socially distanced festival held in September 2020. From those first gently strummed chords at Beardy Folk festival where she was discovered, there was a sense of a blossoming talent set for a bright future providing a positive trajectory was maintained. Fast forward two years and this has unequivocally happened culminating in the outstanding release of DWELLING BY THE WEIR in September. Those lucky to snap up a privileged ticket here had the beauty of all the songs played joined by material from earlier mini recordings, folk exploratory pieces and a cover road tested at this very venue earlier in the year. 

Ellie Gowers explores her musical odyssey through a combination of spectrums. She balances writing original tunes with spinning a different slant on the work of others alongside honouring the folk tradition of re-working the lyrical prose of the past. She effortlessly moves between a gentle acoustic guitar accompaniment and relying purely on her crystal vocals to paint the elegance portrait of a song. On two occasions the a cappella delivery froze a captivated audience, first in the opening number 'The Snow It Melts The Soonest' (an unrecorded traditional song regularly called upon) and later with 'A Letter to the Dead Husband of Mary Ball', an original composition off the new album. As a live performer she flits between solo and trio format where practical and viable. This evening was almost entirely solo bar two guest performances from colleagues Michelle Holloway (vocals) and Emily Dore (violin) on 'Women of the Waterways' and 'Poor Old Horse'. Both interesting tracks from an album heavily influenced by traditions sourced locally in rural and urban Warwickshire.

Urban Coventry threw up the track that made the greatest leap from record to stage in 'Ribbon Weaver'. Many listens had already confirmed the worth, but listening to this live and unfiltered ascended the reception a few more tiers. It was fitting that the album title track was kept to the encore slot as 'Dwelling By The Weir' is the adhesive that binds the theme by harking back to the original name of the town of Warwick.

As per se with standard folk gigs, the inter-song chat was highly informative. A vast majority of songs had a revealing insight shared. Too numerous to go into detail, but always a selling point for a future Ellie Gowers show. 'Brightest Moon' and 'The Last Warwickshire Miner' from the new album had the full treatment here, with the latter firmly fixed as a live favourite from early renditions via the summer festival circuit and support slots for Blair Dunlop earlier this year. 

While Ellie Gowers is first and foremost a folk musician, there are shades of 'This Ground' that reach out across the tracks to musical meadows not so hung up on the genre. The infectious melody attached to this track (a strong candidate for show and album pinnacle) could almost stray in country, Americana and singer-songwriter pop waters. Mind you crossover appears the exception at this point of a career.

Away from the album material, we were treated to a lovely cover of Gillian Welch's 'Dark Turn of Mind' and a version of 'The Cottager's Reply', a song lyrically enhanced through the work of Chris Wood. Closer to home were songs such as 'Against the Tide' and 'In the Past' that can be found on the early EPs that launched the recording career of Ellie Gowers. 

As thoughtful, enterprising and enchanting as the songs are, it is largely the innate ability to project artistic expression through voice, sound and personality that connects Ellie Gowers with an audience. A sold out show is a testament to her approach to package an inner desire and dismiss any shackles of pretence. The trajectory since 2020 (a date mark purely from this writer) has been steep. If maintained, opportunities will be boundless. However a sensible head will keep things within the realms of true to oneself. From an audience perspective what comes across matches an ideal and has been firmly tightened by the live and recorded platforms.

For this Birmingham show, the invited support act was newly formed local outfit The Missed Trees, tentatively exploring the folk duo format from bases in the wider music world. This slot sometimes requires a subtle stance, with the pairing of Joe Peacock and Louisa Davies-Foley framing it succinctly to plant their music in the minds of others attracted to the main billing. Further exposure will define their presence on the local music scene with raw credentials in place for this venture to make an impact. 

Ellie Gowers can hopefully look back on nights like these as significant moments in a music career that will likely twist and turn down many unknown roads. While this journey may be scary and with likely trepidation, the warmth of a growing support will be there to engage with artists acute at making their music connect. 

Gig Diary: Jill Andrews - Hare and Hounds, Kings Heath, Birmingham. Monday 14th November 2022

 

www.jillandrews.com

Success for artists striking out in new territories as live acts requires organic growth or instant impact. The former can only occur over time, but if the latter is in place from day one then the chances of succeeding are looking good. The best assessment of seeing Jill Andrews for the first time is to liken her traits to those of three fellow Nashville- based artists adept at ensuring their music travels with acclaim. The poise of Erin Rae, the song craft of Caroline Spence and the vocal air of Gretchen Peters all came to mind as the latest US singer-songwriter export parading on the fault lines between country, folk and Americana took to the stage for a mesmerising hour and a quarter during the Birmingham date of an inaugural UK tour. It doesn't require too much research to uncover the pedigree of Jill Andrews back home with a recording catalogue stretching over eighteen years in numerous formats and guises. The degree that pedigree was channelled into a polished performance is a testament to a seasoned operator equipped with all the attributes to court overseas audiences of various persuasions. 

The turnout at the Hare and Hounds was compact yet immensely knowledgable. Consensus was only of a vague awareness, but one that warranted checking out on a November Monday evening. The end result was resoundingly in the affirmative to kick start the required organic growth. Instinctively composed songs wrapped in eminently comforting vocals chaperoned by a radiant personality gives Jill Andrews a head start in front of any new crowd. Her appeal stretches from writing a fully signed up tear jerker taken up by the TV series Nashville to gliding through a cover of Neil Young's 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart' in all the haze of an early 70s singer-songwriter. Dipping back into her recording emporium reveals multi orchestral offerings and cuts sunk into indie-folk psyche. It's a little more simplistic here with a solitary guitar acting as the guiding light on a seismic stroll culminating in the immortal unplugged song to finish. This up close and personal ending casts away the shackles of the past couple of years. 

The set list for this show in the Hare and Hounds small room stretched back to an impromptu version of 'The Red Rose' from an album released in 2005 by a band co-fronted by Andrews known as The Everybody Fields. To bring things right up to date a number of songs were shared from this year's THE PARTHENON SESSIONS EP including set opener 'Sorry Now', the Nashville TV bound 'Sanctuary', the ethereal 'Cloud Chaser' and 'Rust and Gold'. This EP recorded live in Nashville's attempt at re-constructing Ancient Greece was one of a number of interim recordings keeping fans happy in between the three full length albums that have accompanied Andrews since going solo in 2011. 

The most recent album is THIRTIES possessing an unfortunate release date of March 2020. The accompanying book was shared and promoted during this show alongside a number of tracks including 'The Party', 'Back Together' and 'Call It Even'. This last song was one of the personal highlights from the set. Another favourite was 'I'm So In Love With You' recorded as a duet with Seth Avett of the famed Avett Brothers, and originally found on 2016's excellent album THE WAR INSIDE. 

While Jill Andrews feasts on the sad song syndrome, and has clothing merchandise to celebrate it just like Caroline Spence and Gretchen Peters, there is room for a little bit of deviation such as the requested 'Tell That Devil'. Another composition transitioning to TV as the theme song to Wynonna Earp. Whatever was turned to this evening came up trumps, all gloriously bestowed in singer-songwriter gold and fully cemented our guest as an artist of cultivated panache. 

Katie O'Malley

Contacts bringing Jill Andrews to the UK for the first time have lined her up with fledgling homegrown artists who will no doubt sharpen up their own practices in the midst of a supreme artisan. Emilia Quinn opened an extensive evening at 7:30 with a vibrant brand of acoustic original material drawing on influence from country, pop and Americana. Katie O'Malley subsequently delivered a more rock oriented acoustic set in tune with a refined bruised vocal style akin to complementing greater electrification. Both artists will find their niche in the UK scene and played a supportive role in a wholly rounded inspiring night of music. 

Emilia Quinn

Jill Andrews certainly made the right impact to prosper in the UK in whatever direction her advocates pull her in. An extensive array of dates the full length of these Isles enhances the spotlight as well. Primarily who ever turns up to listen to her play live will boost their gig going repertoire and in turn help a deserved artist grow. Everything is in place. We just need fate to play its rightful hand. 

Gig Diary: Sam Lewis - Katie Fitzgeralds's, Stourbridge. Wednesday 9th November 2022

www.samlewistunes.com

Gig Diary: Michael Weston King - Kitchen Garden, Kings Heath, Birmingham. Wednesday 2nd November 2022

www.michaelwestonking.com

A balmy night at the end of June or a dreary rainy one at the beginning of November? Covid stepped in to determine the latter and who could argue that a darker background wasn't a more appropriate setting to showcase an album shining a light on life's darker corners. THE STRUGGLE broadly announces its arrival from a title landing the first blow and it evolves into a piece of recorded art deserving a platform for dissection. When you have waited a decade to turn the clocks back to a more solo focussed period of a career, maximising its effect is high on the agenda. Michael Weston King felt the presence of Clovis Phillips is the only just way of truly opening the pages of THE STRUGGLE and that an old favourite venue in the Kitchen Garden was an ideal place to ease out the contents of a record ripened by acute ears. Circumnavigating suburban Birmingham's flooded roads for an hour did briefly yearn for sunny June, but the prize of candid exposure ebbed away the endeavour. This show epitomised the crack that 'live only happens once'.

The notion behind this last phrase keeps live music fresh and unique. Presenting an album from start to finish sprinkled with relevant blurb, fruitful addendum and light hearted irreverence twists the process of listening to music. The afforded space blended the extra dimensional factor of an ultra-talented guitarist sidekick and a singer-songwriter blessed with the in-built ability to frame sincere lyrics in a premium melody. An album on its own sparks imagination; an album altering the listening process in settings like this directs attentive minds to a host of audio and visual nuances. 

There was an additional defined duality to a show postponed from its original June date due to Clovis Phillips being struck down in a summer wave that seemingly eventually got the rest of us. The nine tracks of the album padded out well past an hour then seamlessly drifted into the wider realm of Michael Weston King's lifelong calling to make music with intent. No interval to an intense show extending to near the hour and three-quarter mark does evoke some pondering of convention, groove and effect. Numerous factors will always come into play and for once the unbroken connection trumped the concentration reset. Upon lifting the needle from the present, the duo briefly interspersed songs from My Darling Clementine, The Good Sons and Michael Weston King solo phase one. 

A scholarly breeze drifts from Michael Weston King's enthusiasm for peer inspiration. Fair enough peers may stretch things a little back to classic singer-songwriters of the 60s, 70s and 80s, but they embed into the approach of contemporary artists. Being schooled in the well of Prine, Leven, Case, Newbury, Costello, Lowe, Van Zandt and Winchester was proudly quoted from the stage this evening, and it is not unknown to return from a Michael Weston King/My Darling Clementine show to seek not one of his records out, but one of an old artist extolled on the evening. Jesse Winchester being the latest recipient. 

While verbatim live shows don't exist, the effect of Clovis Phillips and Michael Weston King collaborating is open to repetition. Likewise as long as new music is being made, whether My Darling Clementine or solo, the live accompaniment will continue to add value. Those making the Kitchen Garden their wise leisure choice this evening had both a unique and special experience. One of 2022's most absorbing records had an intrinsic and skeletal airing combining pinpointed musicianship and proud creator presentation. 

*** The Struggle was released in April 2022 and was the first Michael Weston King solo album since 2010. The intervening decade has seen concentration on four My Darling Clementine albums and other ad hoc projects. This show played the album in track order, obviously omitting the reprise. The second part of this show shared solo recorded older songs 'Life is Fine', 'Hey Ma I'm Coming Home', and 'Celestial City'; 'I No Longer Take Pride' from the My Darling Clementine back catalogue and 'Riding the Range', an old Good Sons song later cut by Townes Van Zandt. The evening concluded with a version of Joe Henry's 'You Can't Fail Me Now'***

www.cherryred.co.uk/product/michael-weston-king-the-struggle-cd/