Three Chords and the Truth UK

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...

  Honey and the Bear appear to move effortlessly through the gears when in the album recording cycle. The usual two year gap between releases has been extended to three for A WISH & A TIDE but the short wait is compensated by a record rich in sound and informative in content. Suffolk-based duo Lucy and Jon Hart use the extent of mutual creative talent, collaborative reach and connective intuition to conjure eleven self-written tracks of elaborate worth. The precedence of fascinating stories sourced from both East Anglia and further afield is maintained alongside securing some of the best musicians in the folk community to add a touch of musical sparkle. The result is a lavish listen and smug satisfaction that the alignment between artistic pursuit and listener engagement has reached your door.  ‘Close to the Edge’ is a prime example of planting a dominant song to lead off. We are blessed with blissful flutes and whistles from guest player Toby Shaer as the theme explores...

  Sometimes good things happen to good people. The easiest activity is laying your money down, sitting in the front row and letting the entertainer take the strain. When the chips are stacked against the artist, the stage must be the loneliest place on earth. What didn’t happen in July 2024 came to fruition in April 2026, a vindication of a performer at the sharpened peak of his ‘A’ game. Ben De La Cour is a perceptive songwriter of extraordinary depth conveying stark realism in his songs. A dedicated Kitchen Garden gathering stuck by him on a tough evening when England’s Euro 2024 final loss proved a distraction. 21 months later, a near sold audience savoured a crowning performance in true British respectful style. Two conduits connected these shows. Ben De La Cour made a low key return to the venue last year when opening for Nick Harper. However, a more likely impactful factor was wooing hundreds of Lucinda Williams fans at Birmingham Town Hall in January with a stunning opening ...

  Brontës music enters the fray on a warm summer breeze igniting a passion for simple jangly tunes to brighten up any day. Five years into an existence as an active 4-piece band, this self-titled debut album puts a spotlight on a Glasgow combo with a knack of spinning an indie pop tune rinsed with familiar temptations.  Each track puts an extra building block in place to assemble a decent length record awash with hooks and adorable moments of aural pleasure. Brontës convey a DIY essence free from inhibitions, smoothing the path for a batch of deletable songs to hit the mark. A youthful zest decorates a sound threaded with a timeless appeal, think sixties pop spiked with new wave sentiment brought up to date with shades of modernity. College vibes mingle with record store intensity set to the background of a festival field, whatever the setting this ten track album gives plenty by turning a minimalist base into a satisfying entity. The band has the classic pop/rock make up - Ev...

Joe Martin sharpens his writing tools, expands an horizon and revels in fertile pastures where good music grows. Frontiers are stripped away as a Brit heads out west following the scent of a road weary trail. The fruits of this endeavour lie in the bold tunes and incisive lyrics forming an album finding its optimum pitch. ALONE IN VALENTINE is heavily stocked with nuggets spilling across the imagination highway. Eleven songs purr with an inclusive warmth. Martin evokes a sense of space and feeling, respecting the country playbook, yet shaping it with anglicised eminence.  From rousing rocker ‘ Hand Me Down Heart’ igniting an authentic sound to the delicate ‘ Paris Texas ’ proving a idyllic resting place, there is much to admire in Martin’s take on the power of music to convey reality in storytelling mode. You are unashamedly in Isbell-Cobb territory with ‘ Strangers to Lovers ’, by instinct or design, you choose but the result is the same. At the heart of the album ‘ Coal Town ’ a...

30 words for 30 sets and lot of late night Neil Young. Enjoy...  The Background In 2017, amongst a crowded festival landscape, Ramblin’ Roots popped up with a mission to succeed. Keep it simple, affordable, connective and real. Nine years later and some from that crowded landscape have toppled. Not the Revue. Provide the right platform, and artists and fans will buy in. Here’s why:  Clubhouse Alumni and Associates Luke Tuchscherer and the Penny Dreadfuls What better way to start the Friday fun than powerful protest rock from a paid up member of the fiery proletariat, evoking resistance while sparking your inner sense of rebellion. The Dreaming Spires Late night special guests of little surprise. The Bennett brothers are woven into the fabric of Ramblin’ Roots. A mass of normal people assembled in a normal town will concur.   Paul McClure Refreshed and restocked with new material ably supported by innate wit. The saloon was his domain and everybody embraced a finale for th...

  While the 2024 AMA UK Emerging Artist award nominated by Bob Harris attracted attention and proved an influential launch pad, we are in the wake of the defining days of Jonny Morgan’s musical identity to a wider audience. A dedicated album release and an urge to get around the country unveils the dual layer of a recording and performing artist opening channels for justice to prevail. There is never a guarantee of the latter but the swagger of THE HOPE THAT KILLS YOU and the vivacious stage presence combine to impress. Replicating the bottled connective energy of a buzzing small room in the Hare and Hounds on larger platforms would be tasty progression and the frenzied activity of spring 2026 casts the mould. The ace in the pack is the Moral Support. Maybe there is a fluidity in personnel between the studio and Kings Heath on a Thursday night but the tight eminence of Joe Coombs (lead guitar), Matthew Green (bass guitar), Eve Lesedi (saxophone) and Joe Montague (drums) gift-w...