Three Chords and the Truth UK

  Rhiannon Giddens is a beacon for meaningful music. The self-described 'cultural archaeologist' brings many facets to the stage underpinned by definable musical talent and a sense for enlightened justice. This Limerick-based North Carolinian is in a buoyant phase of a celebrated career. The wider world has embraced a new album delivering a rare delve into entirely original material, while seismic potential surfaces from playing banjo on Beyonce's dip into country music. For a smaller set, the enticing prospect of touring with a full band has built upon the esteem of generating appreciation from more slimline stage set ups. Twelve months on from a duo performance at Birmingham Town Hall with partner Francesco Turrisi, the multi-dimensional six-piece line up returned to the zone and the transformation was immense without shedding any intimate personal appeal. A major development between shows was the liberation of Giddens from a fairly intense performer to a majestic band le...

  www.spencerlajoye.com Combining the subtleties of indie folk and the sweetness of introspective pop sees the full length debut from Spencer LaJoye blossom across its wholly owned template. The themes of SHADOW PUPPETS re-define the boundaries of personal discovery in an immensely engaging manner. Through a dozen tracks bursting with lyrical intent, a door is opened on a world of making sense of things leading to the calming waters of reassurance. Gender identity and religion entwine as a songwriter seeks solace in their art. LaJoye effectively deploys their own elaborately primed vocals across a musical landscape layered with succulent strings, subtle synth and essential acoustic guitar embedding a slice of simplicity into a complex world.  Believing in Lajoye's long and ongoing journey, on a literal plane from south west Michigan to Boston but so much more from a queer artist finding solace in music, takes hold with a minimal dive into the songs and associated trappings. Th...

  www.mattowensmusic.com Remove the name irony and you have a rollicking good UK band adding fully fledged homegrown sensibilities into the beating heart of 'transatlantic implied Americana'. You sense the work of Matt Owens bubbling upwards in recent years and the latest output overflows with guile, potency and richly layered rock-infused songwriting intent. The journey from the heady heights of Noah and the Whale to unlocking the treasures of the Delusional Vanity Project is shaping up conveniently for listeners switched on to Matt Owens' organic approach to cultivating a fresh identity. WAY OUT WEST toys with heartfelt sentiment and tightly spun rock defining the current space commandeered.  Two tracks into the album and high octane cards are laid on the table. If charging your listener with upbeat energy from the off is the aim then look no further than the rocking duo of ' One for the Grapes' and ' Glasgow City Lights' . The former wastes no time in th...

  Three tours into the re-set and this new phase of 'Thea Gilmore live' is taking shape. Solo has become the de facto format with the extra dimension of improvised additions to meet the halfway point between pure acoustic and some element of a band. Whether the latter resumes is conjecture for another day, the present is owned by an artist appearing content, purveying peace and kindness and feeling a mutual love of playing live. There was a change of venue for the Birmingham date of the latest tour. After twice staging shows at the MAC, she returned to the city centre and graced the stage of The Glee Club for the first time in over a dozen years. A commendable turnout had the honour of sampling a cross section of her work ranging from an earlier album now turned twenty-one to last year's record courting an all-encompassing remark of 'contentious'. This didn't stop many quarters from hailing the self-titled album a landmark release, but like much of Thea Gilmore...

  A thirty-hour trip home may have been next up for Gordie Tentrees but nothing was going to be left on the table after the final show of his latest UK tour. In a lengthy and extensive performing existence, wooing new towns is second nature for a Canadian where the travelling gene is as imperative as one born to share songs and stories. The call of the road is a must when your base is the town of Whitehorse located in the far north western Canadian province of Yukon. Learning that over a thousand shows have been played with existing touring partner Jaxon Haldene alongside hundreds more in different guises translates into distance being no obstacle. Therefore a shortish hop from Scotland to Birmingham would be small feed to a serial gig player. Not a minute was wasted to engage the fresh ears of a Kitchen Garden audience from a booming opening note to closing an hour and a quarter later with an audience singalong to Fred Eaglesmith's ' 49 Tons' . An evening extending to almo...