Three Chords and the Truth UK

The spirit of John Martyn loomed large on the stage of this inaugural festival as it soared towards a searing finale with a communal version of the latter’s popular tune, aptly named ‘ Over the Hill’ . Naming its festival in honour of one of this country’s finest roots artists was among many successful manoeuvres by the organisers. At the forefront of this was arranging for the hottest possible late August day to in effect bless the serene surroundings of Cogges Manor Farm in Witney, Oxfordshire. Obviously booking eight excellent homegrown acts to fill the pair of barn located stages played the premium part, with it proving a testimony to their lure and the pre-festival promotion that the sold out signs were raised with literally hours to spare. From the opening bars of Ags Connolly digging deep into his country soul to Dany and the Champions of the World playing their usual ‘best ever show’ vast riches were on display, especially for those glued to the near non-stop array of music fr...

From a partially hidden gaze on the front cover, Rod Picott is in a mean mood as he slips out yet another album of self-reflective industrial grit. Even by his own substantive standards, this latest record sinks into the depths of a mind — troubled, pensive and ultimately grasping at faint shafts of light. To get TELL THE TRUTH & SHAME THE DEVIL out from the inner vaults to the ears of a somewhat tuned-in listener, Picott engaged no more than his guitar, harmonica, gruff vocals, fertile mind and a living room-style setting appropriate to disseminate such candid thoughts. There was an extra helping hand from Neilson Hubbard to mould the recordings into a more palatable state, but this takes the term ‘stripped back’ into new territories and it wouldn’t be amiss to stamp some sort of ‘content warning’ on the cover. This album challenges the notion of a third way when engaging with a record. If you get to the end of the forty-seven minute playing time, you are likely to be a ful...

Is there room for another festival in an apparent crowded field? Definitely when it's a quality roots event within 80 miles of the West Midlands conurbation on a quiet Bank Holiday Monday. So let's embrace the birth of Over The Hill and wish it a prosperous existence. Plenty of top acts lined up for this inaugural staging including a somewhat rare appearance these days from Danny and the Champions of the World (for the right reasons though and we know they ain't going far away). For further details, check out the official press release below and look out for future coverage from the day's activities down Cogges Farm. The beautiful Oxfordshire countryside is destined to become immersed in the world of Americana this Summer at the first-ever  Over the Hill Festival .  Proudly presented by  Glovebox Live , Over the Hill takes place on  Bank Holiday Monday 26th August  at the picturesque  Cogges Manor Farm . With plenty of opportunities to delve into t...

Fair enough there hasn't been a weekly blog post since July 14th, but a couple of album reviews returned, a comprehensive look back at SummerTyne was published and the full gig coverage resumed albeit during a quiet period on that front. Meanwhile the steady stream of album releases flowed continuously and news of upcoming records gathered pace. So in the little world of this blog, here is a round up of activity covering the period July 14th to August 11th including the sharing of a couple of September tours. Gigs All reviewed and accessed via links Don Gallardo at the Kitchen Garden in Birmingham SummerTyne Festival at the Sage in Gateshead Baskery at the Kitchen Garden in Birmingham Lucinda Williams at Birmingham Town Hall Album Releases Click on the links for clips/further detail Carly Dow - Comet (July 15th) Alice Howe - Visions (July 15th) Karen Jonas - Lucky, Revisited (July 19th) <a href="http://karenjonasmusic.bandcamp.com/album/lucky-revisit...

Beth Bombara is explicit proof of how taking your music out on the road in front of new fans can be a game changer. Back in 2017 her most recent record MAP AND NO DIRECTION was given an international promotional opportunity. The danger in new markets is the extent of the competition and whether your record is going to fight through the crowded room to find sufficient listening time. Twelve months later she had the opportunity to leave her US home (Missouri to be more precise) and play a series of UK dates with Jamie Wyatt. Listening to her music in a different zone unlocked the door and a back catalogue, which stretches back a further four albums in addition to the latest release at the time, was duly explored. With connections in place, the chances of her brand new album EVERGREEN slipping through the highway cracks had all but eradicated and with little hesitation a whole hearted recommendation is forthwith.  Of course, such a process is hugely personal and the next potent...

Open an album with an absolute belter of a track and you’ve got your name on the board. Follow it up with several other strategically placed crackers and you’ll get yourself on repeat mode. Make a smart move in covering a John Moreland song and folks with an acute ear for a finely crafted lyrical masterpiece will pay attention. Alternatively just make a record that finds its audience with arrow-like precision and the great minds of artist and discerning listener will align as designed. Through the body of their debut release MORNING SUN, California-based duo The HawtThorns have all the aforementioned attributes nailed on and are now set on the next path to widen the appeal of music fully deserving of extending far from a home base way out west.  The HawtThorns is the slightly modified moniker for the artistic output of husband and wife duo KP and Johnny Hawthorn (the extra t remains a mystery). They bring a vast experience of rock, pop and country music into the style of their...

Like a false start in a 100 metre sprint final, sometimes greatness requires a re-boot to click into gear. Maybe presentational timing wasn’t fully in place when the band entered the Town Hall stage, but we are in the presence of the queen of imperfection, an artist who turns frailties and fragility into a virtue. A false start indeed, but one quickly gathering pace to blossom in its pomp and prime. Here, the sprint analogy ends as events move into the territory of a two and a half hour marathon. This is Lucinda Williams as candid, full-on and content as any fan could wish. An artist entering a zone of proud reminiscence and an audience taken on a journey that few suspected could ever be so deep, intense, revealing and downright enthralling. Any whispering doubts substantiated by precedence were cast aside. This is Lucinda Williams - the legend. This is CAR WHEELS ON A GRAVEL ROAD - an album cementing a genre. This is a gig of the ages. The algorithms were in full throttle on soci...

B askery is a band that periodically flickers on the radar, usually when passing through town. A little delve into the archives throws up 2008 opening for Seth Lakeman in Wolverhampton, 2012 at Shrewsbury Folk Festival and a 2014 gig at the Kitchen Garden in Birmingham. You can now add 2019 at the last venue as the Bondesson sisters made a somewhat surprise and unexpected return. Yet a welcome one as the Kitchen can bring out the versatile side of a band set up especially when the multi instrumental operation can challenge the dynamics of an intimate space so often the domain of the solo singer-songwriter. Across two sets, each roughly 50 minutes, the trio bound through a thumping arrangement of songs, all structured by a mystical road trip starting in their home city of Stockholm before venturing out to Europe, America and even outer space.  A healthy gathering of the committed and curious gave the sisters (Stella, Greta and Sunniva) a receptive environment to ply their trade...