Three Chords and the Truth UK

  Suzanne Jarvie has aimed articulately high with her new album and wrapped a posse of deeply constructed songs in a sweet coated package.. Clear vocals and a simple sound belie a complex inner as mother’s day takes time to settle. From slow burner to intelligent keeper, rich pickings await an open minded approach. This is the third full length album from the Toronto-based Jarvie. Spiral Road opened many doors with a well-received unveiling in 2014 followed by 2019’s   In the Clear. Life may well have impeded more output along the way but things are back on track in 2026.   Across eight original tracks and a borrowed ninth, themes of loss, love, family and gender are explored and elegantly put into song. Personal musings are applied to the bulk with the outlier being ‘ Polonium’ inspired by the Litvinenko poisoning. Whether solo on piano or with added strings, Jarvie applies a sophisticated touch making her voice heard. The album benefits from a hard hitting start with th...

   “Town Hall, eh.” Three words Katherine Priddy admitted she never envisioned saying or maybe there was an inkling that one day the path may lead here, at least in her dreams. From the Cafes - Ort and Kitchen Garden, through the Hare, the Glee and St. Paul’s, the journey has been short in miles but long in effort. There was a stopping off point at the Symphony Hall last November, a warm up for when you own the big stage, instead of sharing it as an invited support. It was fitting that Birmingham Town Hall was the final date on a whirlwind tour. Time to regroup after a hectic start to 2026 when the success of These Frightening Machines altered the landscape for Katherine Priddy.  Who wasn’t willing those last half a dozen tickets to be sold on Saturday afternoon? The sold out sign would have been the crowning glory. At least this iconic venue was sold out several times over in spirit. By the time Priddy took to the stage at 8:50 an anticipated appetite filled the air. The...

Three key attributes to a successful gig were in place as a double header with distinction descended upon the Kitchen Garden. You can ask no more than an artist on their first UK trip to leave you fifty minutes later fully versed in what makes them creatively tick. Additionally, it is a vindicated pleasure when the faith placed in another artists recent album release is reaffirmed. Ultimate satisfaction lay in a pair of rewarding performances leaving a positive glow in the aftermath. Full credit to Geneviève Racette and Roswell Road for the treat of a debut Birmingham performance. Hailing form Montreal, Geneviève Racette is determined to make the most of an inaugural UK tour The dates are of a varied commodity teaming up with a handful of homegrown acts creating a perfect opportunity to sell the wares from an eventful career to date. The jewel in the crown is coming equipped with a band consisting of Judith Little (backing vocals and percussion) and Éléonore Pitre (acoustic guitar). Fr...

The future arrived around a quarter to ten on an ordinary Wednesday night in a suburban Kings Heath grassroots venue. In terms of first heard impact, ‘ Ran Johnny Ran ’ was up there with the unrivalled. The groundwork was now complete for Sorrel Nation to move onto album no.2. To the folk rock armoury, you can now add traditional country, or in other words a bonafide Americana act. The imagination added the pedal steel, leaving food for thought to the endless possibilities for release mode. For now it crowned a successful night when Birmingham hosted Sorrel Nation for the first time. It was neighbouring Sandwell that welcomed a full band show in the summer of ‘25. The Kitchen Garden gig was one of the early dates on a spring tour keeping this southern based singer-songwriter in the spotlight. Its compact nature proved an ideal fit for a 4-piece band who played the bricked walls, stone floor, wooden ceiling and creaky staircase to a tee. An adaptive stage style reflected a freshened up...

Through an appealing collection of songs, transatlantic duo A Different Thread share a warm glow of what life deals you. Whether narrating through characters or directly focussing on personal experience, Alicia Best and Robert Jackson carve a connective path where the music matters. OVER AGAIN has taken its time to get over the line but when you have the back story of this couple, good things are worth waiting for. The eleven songs each form a part of a meaningful mosaic crossing the threshold of listener enjoyment. You sense we are all in this together and artists successfully transmitting this tap into a rich vein. After a decade of red tape wrangling, criss-crossing the ocean and seizing limited opportunities, Best and Jackson are now settled in North Carolina. However the English Midlands will forever remain close to their heart and a sense of celebration is conveyed in the buoyant reception this largely positive album gets.  A Different Thread are absolutely rooted in the folk...

  Veteran Canadian alt-rockers Great Lake Swimmers cast excesses from the recording process to cut an album stylishly layered and right on the mark. Awash with mesmeric undertones and primed moments of twang, CAUGHT LIGHT reflects the grandeur surrounding this Juno nominated and in-demand Southern Ontario outfit, who since assembling in the early 2000s have fermented a sound reminiscent of 70s influenced folk rock. In a concoction of Canadian class meets West Coast panache, this outstanding ten track collection instinctively captures the moment.  The constant of the Great Lake Swimmers across nine albums is band leader Tony Dekker as the players rotate around its founder. His pensive vocals are a key feature on a record organic in feel and tenderly understated. From the wonderfully poignant opener ‘ One More Dance Around the Sun’ to gracious closer ‘ All the Best ’ , barely a foot is out of place. The idyllic rhythm to ' Wrong, Wrong, Wrong ' is an endearing feature as is the...

With gritty guitar and worn voice, Elaine Palmer hits the right tone from the first beat to shape a slate of songs spun on a transatlantic axis. Arizona and North Yorkshire hold special affection in the heart of this British singer-songwriter and together with a part recording in Northern Ireland a cosmopolitan thread generously laces a mini album mightier than the slender first impressions. Seven tracks and a fraction under half hour running time is sufficient for Palmer to deal a winning hand and impressively add SOME SEEK SILVER SOME SEEK GOLD to a growing back catalogue. The tracks are neatly packaged with a detectable rhythm to the order. A pair of bangers to kick off, a couple of complementary slower tracks in the middle and a diverse finale encompassing the wide expanses of Americana music. Opener ‘S ome Seek Silver ’ is best framed by a poignant ending and a wholesome representation of a vocal style alt round the edges and milder in the middle. It leads into the absolute qualit...