Three Chords and the Truth UK

  www.johnblek.com It was almost six years to the day since John Blek was first introduced to Midlands music fans when he opened for Frontier Ruckus at the very venue he returned to this evening. The team behind the Thimblemill Library music presentation have proved valued supporters of this Cork-based singer-songwriter including inviting him to an early post-lockdown gig at a nearby upstairs pub room when available venues were thin on the ground. Looking back to a write up of the inaugural September 2018 evening saw that impressive traits of style and delivery remarked then were still high on the appreciation agenda half a dozen years further into an increasingly acclaimed career. This most recent visit to the West Midlands was in the final stages of a tour promoting an album released in early September. CHEER UP joined a length of several recordings to pop up since 2015 and help cement a burgeoning reputation of a stimulating folk-inspired operator warmly welcomed in Americana co...

  www.thelostnotes.co.uk The Lost Notes are a five-piece band highly active on the Midlands music scene with a keen eye to expand their horizon nationally. They have built a reputation as an adaptable and entertaining live outfit comfortable in a slimmed down three-piece where necessity ensues. To supplant the many live shows, the band led by frontman, lead songwriter, vocalist and multi-musician Ben Mills, have twice been in the studio to record full length albums. RUN FRE RIGHT NOW kicked things off in 2017, while LOWLIFES & HIGH TIMES proved a lockdown hit in 2020 as we were about to be confined to our homes for a long winter. Now opportunity has knocked for this independent band to return to the studio and the result is GOOD LUCK SHOES, a ten-track effort coated in the effervescent identity curated by a band adept at encompassing accomplished recordings into fun nights out.  The core trio of The Lost Notes is Mills, his wife Lucy on vocals and Oli Jobes providing most ...

  www.deanowens.com   Dean Owens is taking a unique approach in the run up to his next full album. While SPIRIT RIDGE, the 12th studio album from this award winning Scottish troubadour, is due for release in early 2025, fans checking in early are being presented with a trio of tasters for what to expect from this latest exploration into alternative music landscapes. Commercially savvy or just an outlet for multi layers of content, Owens is releasing three four-track EPs of material derived from a dip into the aura of the Italian hills and a hook up with producer Don Antonio. RIDGELINE is the second of these EPs, which consists of digital and CD formats, and hits the shelves on September 27th. Its predecessor GHOST WALKING opened the project in July (see the Bandcamp link below) and SACRI CUORI will complete this phase at the end of November.  While some of the work from THE RIDGE TRILOGY will appear on the full album, albeit likely in fuller versions, various elements are...

  www.juliantaylormusic.ca Toronto-based singer-songwriter musician Julian Taylor is riding a current prolific wave of activity that has supported an excursion into UK music communities. Two full albums, a career anthology, shorter releases and a couple of trips overseas have cropped up since 2020 when his name first appeared for many. In contrast, Taylor has been making music for over 25 years in his homeland accruing much acclaim and tangible recognition. Now the catalogue is expanded further with the release of PATHWAYS, an eight-track album of original compositions from both solo and collaborative writing set ups. As is the current trend, half the songs have strategically hit the digital market in a six-month pre-release period culminating in a title track attractively featuring the talents of fellow Canadian Allison Russell. ' Pathways' holds court at the mid-point of this concise release where not an inch of space is wasted. It sedately proceeds in a dreamy haze with a s...

  www.jillandrews.com For around half an hour in the second set, Jill Andrews hit a purple patch delivering near faultless music. A pitch, note or chord were hardly out of place as an artist sitting comfortably in their zone thrived on a compatible and supportive platform. A fan experience never to be taken lightly whether up close and personal at the grassroots or lavishly savoured on a grander stage. Of course imperfections can connectively bring live music into a sense of reality and towards the end of the show invited audience  backing vocals to ' Joy Ride' suitably provided this. Ah, the magic of being at one in a small room. Nashville-based Andrews was making a second visit to Birmingham after playing a show at the nearby Hare and Hounds in November 2022. For many present that night, she was a new name on the block, although mainly from a UK live touring circuit perspective as there is a fully stocked twenty year career in her music locker. Positive impressions brought ...

“You Brits are a weird bunch.” Whether the American social media commenter had a point when viewing the Long Road line up is irrelevant. It’s just the way we do things over here. The market is smaller. An innovative approach is required to match inclusivity and viability on a scale above boutique. Since its inception in 2018, The Long Road has achieved that, fighting off the challenge of two blank pandemic-stricken summers. Even over here opinions on the line up will spark conflict: not enough Nashville ‘A’ listers, too many hat and sparkle acts, who’s that Americana no-name who we’ve never heard of attracting only a dozen to their set.  It is tough to take an holistic view of a festival. Multi artist and activity events are different for each attendee. If you can reflect in the aftermath that Long Road worked for you, then an impossible job for the lofty ambitions of the organisers has worked.  The polar opposites of Long Road attendees are music nerds savouring every lyric, ...

  www.thepleasuresmusic.com The Pleasures are a three-piece band from Australia comprising of a trio of talented musicians in their own right. For nights like this a bassist extends the line up to four as opening act Riley Catherall expanded his repertoire to the rhythm section. Lachlan Bryan (widely known in the UK as the front person of his Wildes band) and Catherine Britt (lesser known in the UK but an esteemed international country artist for several years) front this recently formed combo with all round musician Brad Bergen adding the drums. Following a debut album release in 2023, the band have made a couple of visits to the UK this summer (no mean feat from Down Under) to promote their music culminating with a prestigious slot at Shrewsbury Folk Festival over the Bank Holiday weekend. This Kitchen Garden date was a handy insertion on the eve of the festival appearance in nearby Shropshire, and a venue supportive of Lachlan Bryan's music in the past. A freshened approach led ...