Three Chords and the Truth UK

  Jaywalkers induce a sense of satisfaction from an audience savouring fine musicianship at a close proximity. Hailing from North West England, Mike Giverin, Jay Bradberry and Lucille Williams have been plying their trade the length and breadth of our isles for many years, yet fly under the radar to recruit new fans left wondering why it’s taken so long to jump aboard. The trio retains a humility, just doing what comes naturally and making music capable of extending far from the current boundaries. Joy emanates from the breathtakingly tight virtuoso playing and is received with awe. The Kitchen Garden, buoyed by an authoritative display of stringed eminence, was in its element.  The focal point of 2025 has been the band’s fifth album, Move On, and dates supporting it have run right up to the end of the year. Birmingham concert goers making a wise choice had the pleasure of the album played in its entirety as all ten tracks were built for a live airing. Mix in some innovative c...

Katie Fitzgerald’s and the 3 Daft Monkeys are a good fit. They’ve met before and likely will do again. The latest acquaintance had the bonus of a sold out Saturday audience and a boisterous atmosphere to celebrate the positive energy of a proudly independent folk band. This oxymoron-quartet is renowned for a live show full of connective synergy, and many excursions from a Cornish base are met by a fanbase full of vocal verve. Songs of Anger and Redemption are established promoters at this Stourbridge venue and were no doubt chuffed with how the evening panned out. Katie’s secret garden, the performing space within the grounds of this former active pub, was just starting to fill up when support act Brad Dear and the March took to the stage. They were similar to 3 Daft Monkeys in set up with stand-up double bass replacing the electric version of the headline. The songs and presentation were built for busy Saturday night venues and a 45-minute stint suitably warmed folks up on a damp and ...

EPs, solo appearances, festival sets and support slots are merely the building blocks up to the point where you take your full band on a debut album launch tour. Steady Habits have arrived at that moment after a lengthy run up period with a short tour of UK dates in support of the recently released Deviate. Sean Duggan has been a respected player on a tight-knit music scene for around a decade but is starting to blossom now he’s found the right vehicle to express an identity. Originally from New Haven Connecticut, Duggan is an honorary Brit and first came to prominence in the duo Loud Mountains with his brother Kevin. Many subsequent live appearances have honed a style which has been giftedly modelled by assembling a fine band for studio and stage work. When in the full complement of Duggan (vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica), Joe Coombs (electric guitar), Cathy Ife (bass) and Jamie Dawson (drums), Steady Habits are at their best and this came to the fore on the opening night of the t...

With its hordes of Brummie summer visitors and propensity to flood, Bewdley is far from a normal town. However, for one night only it became one, twinned with Didcot in Oxfordshire. Now, Didcot is a normal town as proved by the metrics and such an honour is ripe for commemoration. Step up a band soaked in Oxfordshire tradition to write a concept album based on hometown normalcy. 2025 has seen The Dreaming Spires storm back into the spotlight after a lengthy hiatus. The year began with an AMA UK showcase in Hackney (not that the band needed such a reminder exercise) and climaxed with the release of the album Normal Town in November. This brings us right up to date and the concluding night of the album launch tour in Bewdley.  St.George’s Hall has been kind to the Bennett brothers over the last decade. Almost ten years to the day, it hosted The Dreaming Spires celebrating the most recent previous album Searching for the Supertruth. This evening was Joe’s fifth visit and Robin’s fourt...

Ranagri posses a wondrous allure lifting you from humble surroundings to spacious settings such as coastal splendour, idyllic Ireland and the warmth of a gracious Highland community. Fleeting moments took you from a social club in Bromsgrove to a swaying festival field or a grand theatre with every corner filled by the magnified tones of four splendid musicians. Each applies a personal touch to a sound rooted in folk tradition yet transcending into rays of popular music. Nights like these redefine the folk club parameters as Donal Rogers, Eliza Marshall, Eleanor Dunsdon and Jordan Murray orchestrate the magic of Ranagri’s magnetic appeal. From 8:40 to 10:50 this spot where the urban West Midlands spills into rural Worcestershire hosted a prime exhibition of unified musicianship and engaging narrative. Even the regulation twenty minute break and obligatory raffle whetted the appetite for a sumptuous dose of Ranagri round two. From an opening instrumental titled ‘Fort of the Hare’ defin...

Afternoon gigs are where it's at. At least Sunday ones in November when you're done and dusted before the evening sets in. Maybe ideal for a certain demographic and not artists who quibble about a festival slot being too early. All parties at this sold out gig were happy to descend on Claptrap the Venue in Stourbridge High Street for doors at two and an encore at five-thirty, especially for a much loved performer on a special occasion. Ian Passey aka The Humdrum Express is a popular act on the Midlands music circuit, full band when flushed and able, solo when adaptable and practical. Both outlets brim with fast paced lyric-laden songs mixing performance poetry with uptempo indie rock. Incite and wit frame the narrative as a sharp literary barrage of quirky subjects load the cannon to fire back a volley of catchy songs. The special occasion was the album launch of Rastrophiliopustrocity Pomposity, a title for the ages if not algorithm friendly.  The afternoon kicked off with an ...

There is different lens through which to view artists like Suzanne Vega. One sees a musician embedded in a nostalgic memory where timeless songs act as an anchor in a changing world. Another, bonds with a singer-songwriter seeking to move the dial forward with new material. Confessions of anxiety were laid bare in the early throes of this show mindful that a near sold out Symphony Hall audience may have various expectations. Ultimately unfazed, the experienced Vega found a balanced poise to steer a performance to a fulfilling conclusion.    An assured stage craft defined this acclaimed New Yorker flanked by the impressive Gerry Leonard on guitar and the evocative cellist Stephanie Winters. Together the trio generated sufficient verve to channel the venue’s celestial acoustics. Some parts rocked in a mild way; others chilled with a gentler persuasion. Whatever the sonic mood, Vega injected insightful stories through her distinct north east American brogue. Strip away the mi...

  Attending a Honey & the Bear show is a guided tour across the expanses of rural and coastal Suffolk, peering at its wildlife and landscape, listening to local tales and absorbing characters buried deep in its folklore. If an ambassadorial candidate was sought, Lucy and Jon Hart are at your service. A compendium of stories and anecdotes sit alongside a melange of instrumentation coaxed to fruition through a couple of entwined voices. This is folk music from the regions at its finest, and the Kitchen Garden Cafe is the perfect setting to deliver to the people.    This was the first Honey & the Bear headline gig in Birmingham, though not the first appearance. Back in June they opened for Sam Kelly and the Lost Boys at the nearby Hare and Hounds and the effects of that performance rippled through a return to the area. A further link to that evening was inviting Lost Boys member Toby Shaer to join them and turn Honey & the Bear into a trio for the Kitchen Gar...

Looking forward to a Holly Carter gig simmers with anticipation; basking in the aftermath accrues the satisfaction of spending time in the musical company of a wonderful artist. Instrumental prowess is the most celebrated side of her armoury, yet when combined with a sublime voice, acute song writing and engrossing presentation skills, the ingredients for a special night are in place. Leamington Spa was the latest stop on a run of dates promoting the recently released full length debut album. With Joe Wilkins on guitar and John Parker on double bass, the stage was set for a show that eventually stretched a lot further than a take on a very good record. The Temperance is a live music gift to the town of Leamington Spa. Additionally, its accessible location draws people from neighbouring urban areas like Leicester, Coventry and the West Midlands. A first descent into the basement performing space is an eye opener. Repeated ones still hone in on a unique charm. The packed schedule is a ...