It’s also refreshing to have some 80’s power ballads for a change. Sometimes ‘covers bands’ do not offer enough fresh ideas to an audience. Party bands should try to entertain and delight – of course – but they should also surprise their audience – perhaps revealing long hidden memories or replaying some cherished old favourites.

So we had “Alone” – the ‘Heart’ hit song -  written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. (They also wrote the Madonna hit “Like a Virgin” and The Bangles “Eternal Flame”.) This  piece showed off the remarkable talent of Stacey.  She is a gutsy, powerful and passionate lady. And we also had the incredible “Love Is a Battlefield” (Pat Benatar) which was released in 1983 in the United States. This song was written by Holly Knight with Mike Chapman (half of the brand “Chinnichap.”) Stacey says that this is her favourite number to perform and we could see why. She brought drama, remorse and extraordinary strength to each word of the song.  And the tune has being going around in my head every since!

http://www.asylumaffair.com

But although the focus was on ‘The Eighties’ it does not mean that the band did not play some enjoyable hits from other decades. “Handbags and Gladrags” is normally associated with the Stereophonics or with the theme tune of  ‘The Office’. But it was actually written in 1967 by Mike d’Abo (vocalist with Manfred Mann) before being offered to Chris Farlowe as a single. Dave Greenslade played the piano riff on that original version. Asylum Affair’s interpretation had everything that we expected from this much loved song. Pathos, the sense of loss and  the overpowering nostalgia. It was all there.  Ahh! Those bittersweet memories. It was an excellent cover.

“The Boss” was also covered. “Born to Run” (1975) was sung with the same vigorous hard-working energy that you would expect from  Bruce Springsteen himself. The ‘Clarence Clemons’ sax piece was expertly executed by Mark ‘Wilko’ Wilkinson, who swapped keyboards for the saxophone. Later we also had “Because the Night” – one of my favourite songs of all time -  it was written by Bruce Springsteen for his ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town’ album in 1978.  And it is still Patti  Smith’s most popular  number.

Stacey Cronin’s voice is often compared favourably with Bonnie Tyler. But I think that her voice has more in common with Steve Nicks than with Tyler. It has that high quality husk – for sure – but it is not so acidic or sand papery.  The voice  is light, fluorescent and powdery.

So, when the band played their songs from Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’ album, we enjoyed the full range of delicate expressionism – easily spliced with powerful zest and gusto. For these songs,  the boys also came to the microphones to provide some beautiful harmonic backing vocals. And the Fleetwood Mac numbers provided an opportunity for John Lawrence (lead guitar) to produce an abundance of perfectly pitched and lavishly adorned solo work.

During one number – the ‘Prince’ odyssey  that is “Purple Rain” (1984) -  the excellent ‘Giant of the Bass’ Colin Payne moved so far from the stage  – (using his wireless kit) – that he more-or-less left the building. John then focussed on the blooms and contortions of that famously extended guitar solo. It was moving stuff!

The Staines Riverside Club has brought some incredible music to Staines over the years. And they can be justifiably proud of hunting down Stacey Cronin and Asylum Affair. This is every bit a high quality music act.

So please don’t miss them next time they come around. And support live music locally.

- © Neil Mach May 2013 -

Link:

https://www.facebook.com/asylumaffair

Check http://www.ents24.com/staines-events/staines-riverside-club for the next gig at the Riverside Club

In December 2011 the band recorded their second EP  (at the Air Play Studios, Ashford.)    This cut included 3 news songs:  ‘KOL’  ‘Winning A Losing Game’ and ‘Submission’ and also included re recorded versions of ‘Left the City’ ‘Reflections’ and ‘Anthology’.

During the start of 2012, the Staines band played multiple gigs for Theory Project Revolution ( Woking)   and also played a fantastic gig at Thorpe Park to promote the new Swarm ride for Buckle-Up Promotions.

They cite influences such as:  Klaxons, Arctic monkeys, Manic Street Preachers, and Two Door Cinema Club.

GITG  played the marvellous Hobgoblin Staines venue on Saturday, supporting talented indie rockers ‘According to You’.

The young band played a bright, airy and pleasant set – gaining many new fans along the way.

We thoroughly enjoyed songs like ‘Left The City’ with those sparkling clear guitars, sleek lines of shimmering sound and a rueful voice from Jordan that is very reminiscent of Lou Reed – at his most introspective.

This song – like many numbers from GITG -  explodes like a piñata …   into a riot of exultant colours and candy pieces.

Or ‘KOL’ that is generously abundant, with a vocal line that claws itself  deep into your heart and writhes along to burrow into your brain.  Guitars from Tommy percolate around the stubby riffs, and the low notes of licorice bass from Jamie will give you a shudder.  The percussion, meanwhile,  is center fired by Connor – and this pushes the song along at a fairly snappy pace.

Guitars churn in opalescent majesty, and they heave around the central theme, creating an aquamarine treasure of lush textures and bright lights.

Very highly recommended !

Next show: Happy Landing Public House;  Clare Road, Stanwell, Staines
Saturday, 11 May 2013 at 21:00

- © Neil_Mach April 2013 -

Link: http://www.facebook.com/girlinthegardenUK

They performed a bunch of invigorating and fascinating popular songs for the breathless audience to swing along to and enjoy.

Several songs were played ‘acoustically’ and taken from the band’s recently released acoustic EP – and other new numbers were taken from the two ‘Guerrilla Invasion’ discs.

Songs included the nostalgic ‘Mr. Policeman’ which is a traditional English 2 Tone number, created, perhaps,  in memory of  The Specials.   It feels like a  hopping and punky Basildon street party. With those raspberry guitar sounds, walking bass lines and fluctuating, fluttering percussion – it is a full bunting flapper of a song.

The gently murmuring guitars and the swooping woo-woos from the keyboards added texture to the carefree fun of it all.  In the brightly coloured Chigwell/Chigley world portrayed here, all the cops are like PC Corky Turnbull and all the villains are like Grange Hill’s “Tucker.”   With lines like  “Mr Policeman please let me go…” running around in our heads hours later, we realised that this song was a real House Of Fun.

Britpop flavored ‘Young Disciple’ was very reminiscent of Parklife era ‘Blur’ especially with that ingenious spoken verse (reminding us of Phil Daniels)  “You should take a vow of silence mate….so he did.”  The ‘Dedicated Follower’ vocal was patently a knowing nod to the “Dedicated Follower of Fashion” single by The Kinks (progenitors of Brit-pop.) The vocal on this chorus was sweetly high, saccharine luscious and it really showcased the astonishing talent of lead man  “Alex” Greaves.  And the backing vocals were also clean and reliable.  Crikey! The tune on this number was irresistibly attractive  – with those ska sounds predominating.  What a treat.

‘Glorious’ sounded like something that Adele would probably produce. A bighearted, big bosomed anthem. One that would make your Nan and Grandpa sit and listen. Or get your little niece to dance along to in her mother’s “Big shoes”.  It  had that crisp rat-a-tat military rhythm that steadily marched along.

And there was also that kind of big, pouting melody that wins Brit Awards: With a prizewinning line that went something like “All we need is a little more time …. to be glorious.”  It was a song all about shining a golden light upon our lives.  So, with winsome synths (courtesy of birthday boy “Jon” Sharpe) creating some silky brocaded backdrops,  and shiny guitars from “DAVE” Rolls -  the overall lustre was guaranteed.  Largely,  this was a song that celebrated life and the voice.  And if it doesn’t win a Grammy award for MA  then there ain’t no justice in this mad world.

We also had some of the best songs from the back-catalogue, the favourite of these being ‘Dave’  with those quick witty texts, and plinky-plonk boogie “Joanna” – it had the animated crowd at the Boiler Room up and dancing like Redbridge hoodlums!

It was a great show, and we cannot wait to see Missing Andy again. We really hope that they get the recognition they deserve for their amazing new releases. They are the salt of the earth. And. God,  we love ‘em.

- © Neil_Mach April 2013 -

Link:

http://www.facebook.com/missingandyofficial

Now celebrating its fortieth year (first premiered in June 1973) it was written by out-of-work Richard O’Brien to keep himself busy. The show has been given a new coat of paint and was trundled out in time for Christmas in Brighton. An apt location (if ever there was one) and a fitting time of the year. It is has always been a dressing-up box panto for adults.

Directed by Christopher Luscombe, the new Frank N Furter is played by Oliver Thornton, who was winner of  Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers’ Choice Award for “Best Supporting Actor in a Musical” in 2010 playing Adam (Felicia) in Priscilla Queen of the Desert. So this part suits him from the top of his scarlet fascinator, down to the tips of his polished toes.

The Narrator in Brighton was Philip Franks – probably best known as “Charley” to “Darling Buds” fans, or more recently as Sgt. Raymond Craddock from Heartbeat. The The X Factor runner up Rhydian plays Rocky.

The majestic Theatre Royal in Brighton was dressed up to the nines for the starry opening night. Cleverly designed red tinsel boas lined the windows and doors. Inside the venue, the place looked like a tart’s boudoir. So it was perfect for this show.  The Brighton crowd bustled in, most were dressed up to have some fun.  “No water, lighters, cards, water pistols ….”  Said the stern lady on the door as we went through to take our seats. She pointed out a long list of rules that were printed onto the door. We could not see all the rules of the house, but the list probably included ‘No smiling’ and ‘Do not sing’. But there you are, that’s ‘Health and Safety’  Britain for you.

But once the show got under-way, the “regular Rocky fans” (they tend to describe everyone else as mere ‘Mortals’)  found cunning ways to beat the system. So, for example,  when we got to the line about seeing a light “Over at the Frankenstein Place” … the Rocky fans held up a wide range of party lights, glo-sticks and torches.

The ‘house band’ was loud and expressive. They delivered a real punch. Full credit must go to Gareth Owen for Sound Design and Tony Castro:  Musical Supervisor.  And some of the cast played their roles superbly well. Leggy Abigail Jaye was excellent as The Usherette/Magenta.  And in this new production, The Usherette pushes back the tatty curtain, to literally open up the show. This was a nice touch.

The new Brad  (Ben Forster) and  Janet  (Roxanne Pallett) don’t now start their story outside the church at the Hapshatt wedding. The show starts with the newly engaged couple already travelling in the car.

The old castle has been carefully created (Set Designer Hugh Durrant) and seemed to be a bit more believable than the 2009-10 production. But there were some minor irritations. The television monitor scene in Act 2 was poorly executed. And it took a lot of imagination (and knowledge of the show) to get an idea of what was happening.  And there was too much ‘smoke’ when Riff Raff and Magenta emerge wearing space-suits. And even more smoke was used when the castle went off into space. We hope that these problems will be ironed out in the coming weeks.

The big question is – was Oliver Thornton  passable as Frank?   Well, to be fair, he has some pretty big platform shoes to fill. David Bedella (as the most recent incarnation in the UK) was considered by many fans as one of the best Frank N Furters in the Rocky story. It is going to be a while before Oliver Thornton is able to make the role his own. At times, during the Brighton performance, his accent seemed shaky.  Was it Welsh?  Was it starchy English?  Or was it Transylvanian?  But maybe that was all part of the act.  But all-in-all,  Thornton struck an imposing figure. Sultry, masculine and threatening. It will be nice to see him develop the role.

Far weaker, though, in our opinion, was Rhydian (playing  Rocky until March 2013.) Not only was he physically weaker (there were no gymnastics during “The Sword of Damocles” – and he was unable to pick up Frank in the ‘dying’  moments ) but he was also vocally weaker . He seemed to lack stage presence * [Update below]

In conclusion, I think that we felt just a bit of disappointment that Christopher Luscombe did not try something entirely fresh and innovative for this special 40th anniversary production. Without spoiling the essence of the show, some risks could have been taken. For example, why does Frank always have to be some kind of incarnation of Tim Curry?  Why not try a different approach – for example a sleazy Essex-boy type. ( Russell Brand’s name was mentioned recently in connection with a new movie version… not that I am recommending him for the role -heaven forbid – but you get the idea.) Or why not try a sexy urban-style player – based on someone like Idris Elba’s character “Stringer” Bell from the  HBO drama series ‘The Wire’ ?

But perhaps that’s the beauty and the essence of the show. Like all good pantomimes, we all know who we have to hiss at. And root for. The heroes and villains are crudely drawn. But they are easy to identify.

And, in Brighton, when Richard O’Brien came on stage for a final “Time Warp” – and the audience burst into irresistible applause -  we all knew that this was a very special moment. “For a show that was not expected to last more than a few weeks … we did pretty well,” said Richard. “Don’t you think?” The crowd roared their approval.

Here is to another forty years!

- © Neil_Mach December 2012 -

There are a whole bunch of new UK Tour Dates. So check the website http://www.rockyhorror.co.uk/ for details and book your tickets as soon as you can !

——————————————

*

From : Andrew

He’d sprained his wrist, didn’t you notice the strapping? It’s not condusive to picking up another human being or doing gymnastics!. Vocally weak? You didn’t see the injury so I’m not convinced you could hear very well either, Rhydian has a very powerful voice.

——————————————

From: Fiona

Sorry this had to be said- Are you not aware that all directors who attempt RHPS have to run their ideas by R’Ob first? The possibility is- R’Ob likes his production how it is. And so do all us fans- or we wouldn’t keep returning.

At the cramped Fishbowl Brighton © Neil_Mach

Every now and then a band comes along that really chippers us up. Brother And Bones really bounce. They put passion in your heart. This is one of the best live bands on the circuit today. They play like rabid beasts. They look like mythological heroes. And they write music that even the gods would bless. This is a band you dare not miss.

We first saw them playing live at this year’s Great Escape.  They were playing in a tiny pub -  ‘The Fishbowl’  in Brighton.  Most of the audience had to stand outside the public house and peer in through the windows to see their show.   Brother And Bones are the kind of band that need a lot of room. And I mean a lot … there are five of them, and they even have two drum kits.   Yet, here they were crashing and smashing around a cramped room.  And they played that gig after they had played a tiny launderette!  Give them their due.  These lads work hard.

During the summer, we caught them again at the fabulous RedFest music festival, set in the beautiful rural surroundings of Robins Cook Farm , Redhill, Surrey. This time the band had a huge stage to move around in.  And they utilised every inch of the space they were given. They are so energetic, it makes you feel tired just watching.

We had another opportunity to see the band this week at Guildford’s favourite venue – The Boiler Room.  The place was packed. The atmosphere was electric.

Their debut single,  ‘Back to the Shore’ has a dark heart, and streams of strumming black passion.  Angry vocals are spat out against storms from the guitar. And as the anger and the fire builds up, you realize that you will reach an outstanding and tumultuous chorus. And when it comes, it is literally stamped and thumped out.  They rage around the stage as if they are trying to put out a sudden blaze. It is about as expressive as you can get. And as exciting as having a tiger claw the pants from your body.

‘Good For You’ has a growling guitar that curls his lip at you and snarls out his intent. The vocals from Rich are manfully wrenched from his gut, and the pounding drums rabidly fluster. Every now and then a pure note is squeaked out from James on lead guitar. Then he builds up the pace, whining, moaning and throttling the life out of the strings.  After a good pounding of drums, the song opens up into a swaggering, swaying chorus. What a song. What a band.

James Willard at RedFest 2012 © Neil_Mach

‘Skin and Bone’ is bleating and haunting. An extraordinary verse dribbles before it crawls. Then it burns and blisters your heart with its disturbing relevance.  You don’t get much more masculine than front man  Rich Thomas. And his voice, on this song, is a mixture of bitter rum, black tobacco and barely held back, tense manhood.

‘Hold Me Like The Sun’ is the most folk-rock sounding of their output on the night. But Brother and Bones surpass all other peers in their genre. They sound genuinely ferocious on this song. It is as animalistic as it is raw. It must be the combination of razor-sharp percussion, sepulchral vocals and rushing guitars. This song places them in a breed apart from other contemporary folk-rockers.

At the Boiler Room, Guildford, Brother And Bones worked the stage like crazy animals. Wringing every gram of sweat from their pores. And almost destroying their instruments with a fury rarely seen.

Strewth! We look forward to seeing again.

- © Neil_Mach November 2012 -

Link: www.facebook.com/brotherandbones

Slade Live – Anvil Basingstoke – © Neil_Mach November 2012

When I was in school there was only one band that you were proud to say that you had seen play live. It was Slade. This was before they became a joke. It was before you dared not admit you liked Slade. Before their records were remaindered in Woolies. It was before Noddy left to go to be an actor in The Grimleys.  It was even before Slade became a household name, part of our national heritage and glam-rock heroes. It was before they gave us their Christmas number one. It was when they were known for just one thing – for being the best hard rock act around.

In those days, at school, things were divided into two musical camps: One lot liked hippy stuff. They liked Yes, Pink Floyd and Tyrannosaurus Rex (not T. Rex.)  This lot went around in hippy clothes such as loon pants, cheese-cloth shirts and old trench coats. They said “Peace” a lot. The other camp – the ones that adults called “Skinheads” (point of order – we just called them “Skins”) had short hair, wore boots, and liked Slade. This was before punk. It was before 2-tone. It was long  before ‘Madness.’ The only thing that the skins could call their own kind of music was Dave and Ansell Collins. And Slade.

Slade came out of the Black Country in 1971 with “Get Down and Get With It”. And with it came boot stomping rock ‘n’ roll heaven. That song was originally recorded by Little Richard for the “Okeh Sessions” . And it gave everyone a chance to get their boots on and stamp their feet.

The Slade boys – drummer Don Powell, guitarist Dave Hill, singer Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea were raised on fine music – such as John Lee Hooker and Howlin’ Wolf. They had played support slots for bands such as The Yardbirds (fore runners of Led Zeppelin.) In 1971 it was their chance to take centre stage.

Slade made the wearing of Crombie coats, cherry red Doc Martens, and Sta-Prest Levi’s with braces, seem cool and trendy. And even if that conjured up images of skinheads who were more like Dick Emery’s idiot creation  ‘Bovver boy’  (and his even more idiotic his father – played by Roy Kinnear) -  Slade become a cult act, and skinhead rock was real.

Little Richard Get Down and Get With It

But, when Chas Chandler (former manager of Jimi Hendrix), came into possession of the brand, and began to drive the musicians towards success, things began to get out of hand. After the successful – and much-loved single “Coz I Luv You” (written by Lea and Holder) we then got a flurry of misspelled pop songs like “Take Me Bak ‘Ome” and “Look Wot You Dun”. And Slade gradually became a ‘Glam Band’  I always thought that they seemed reluctant to go down the glam-rock path.  Well, except for Dave, that is.  His glitter wig and super-yob guitar can never be forgotten. The story goes that, after an altercation in the dressing room on Top of the Pops – when Jim once again criticised Dave for wearing a tin foil jumpsuit – Dave allegedly responded to the criticism  by saying “You write ‘em Jim,  and I’ll sell em !”

Looking back at the early 1970’s (and in light of the Jimmy Savile allegations) I sometimes get a feeling of nausea – rather than nostalgia about the times. This was the era that brought us Gary Glitter and “Do You Wanna Touch Me? (Oh Yeah)” with the “Do you wanna touch me there, where?” lyric. It was addressed to little girls.  And little boys. And I also remember Sweet’s ‘Little Willy’ (You can’t push Willy round, Willy won’t go.) And just knew that Mary Whitehouse would write in about it.

So when Slade played live at the Anvil Basingstoke this week, it was probably reasonable to exclude “Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me” from the set list. And thinking about this reminds me that my favourite song by Slade was “Gudbuy T ‘Jane” and it was kept from the No 1 slot by the  innuendo laden Chuck Berry hit “My Ding-a-Ling.” (Which Mary did complain about.)

Today, the Slade line-up is:  Vocals and guitar Mal McNulty (previously with Paddy Goes To Holyhead and Sweet) John Berry on bass / backing vocals and violin (he has worked with Mud), and the original band members Don Powell on drums and super-yob Dave Hill on lead guitar.

At the Anvil, the band worked their way through a series of ‘Crazee’  rock numbers – and they had the audience up and dancing almost immediately. Just like the old days.  Everyone was standing. Everyone was stomping . Best songs in the show were, for my money, the excellent “Everyday” (I forgot how good that number was) and the Celtic sounding  song “Run Runaway”.

I missed “Far Far Away” and I really liked “Nobody’s Fool”  back in 1976. But that was forgotten too. But we still got “Mama Weer All Crazee Now”. Thank goodness.

Dave Hill still haunts the stage with that silly smile of his. Trying to boot things. Still being the class clown. And Don still looks as menacing as he ever has been. Mal actually sounds like Noddy. And that must be a hard act to follow. And John played a passable violin solo on “Coz I Luv You” – but it was not as good as Jim Lea. Their performance was exhilarating. Strong, heavy and full of fun. Just like a Slade show should be.

Some of these old bands become shadows of themselves. They sometimes become affectionate cover bands. Of their own music. But Slade have not crumbled. They are still full of energy.  It’s encouraging.  They really know how to perform. And they are loud.   That’s why they brought the house down at the Reading Festival in 1980

And before the curtain call at The Anvil, Dave came out on stage to thank the audience. “It was not a bad year that?” He chirped. “It’s been good hasn’t it?” Everyone agreed and clapped some more. Party hats were rushed on by roadies. And the group got back on stage. And they played “Merry Xmas Everybody”.

Before the concert, I was thinking about that song. And I was hoping that they would not play it. But they did. And do you know what? It brought a tear to my eye.

- © Neil_Mach November 2012 -

Link:

http://www.slade40years.com/

Kitten and The Hip Live at Boiller Room
Image © Neil_Mach October 2012

One year ago, Ashley Slater met Kitten Quinn.

Ashley Slater is a UK based trombone player and best known for his work with Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim) in the band Freak Power. Kitten is a beautiful and intelligent singer songwriter. Together, they write songs, hang out, and play mischief.

In February, they were having a chat, and Kitten advised Ashley not to worry about something or other. Their dance-floor hit ‘Don’t You Worry About That’ was born the next day.

Live, Kitten and The Hip are usually a quartet, with Kitten singing and Ashley taking to the trombone and providing ‘scat’ style improv vocals. Kitten is a natural front-woman, at once mesmerising and seductive.

At Guildford’s favourite music venue, The Boiler Room, 4th October 2012, the band played their debut single “Dont You Worry” ( which has been signed to Hed Kandi and is promised major success in the clubs.) This song has gleaming vocals with a hint of sexy varnish around the smooth jazz edges. The cheeky trombone adds an impudent spiciness to this swing time Lindy Hop dancing track.

At the Boiler Room, Kitten & the Hip played without drums, and there was, in my opinion, a slight over-reliance on their prerecorded backing tracks. Songs like ‘Don’t Touch the Kitten’ have a lush “swing era” feel to them. Kitten’s cleaned out pipes really shine… chromium plated diamond studded style. The lilting ‘Swingle Singers’ sounding backing vocals adds some fine razzmatazz . And the ‘bone rubs up against the cat’s plate-glass voice – creating a heady static electricity to the fizzy pieces.

With their boogie woogiman connections and Manhattan Transfer style evocations, their material is clubland polished. If you go mad for the “Swing house” thing, this may be for you.

- © Neil_Mach October 2012 -

Link:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kitten-and-The-Hip

Raw Ramp was lucky enough to catch the band at Surrey’s favourite live music venue – The Boiler Room, Guildford on Friday 05 October, where they supported Films of Colour, Cities of Glass and Secret Son.

The sound of The Planes is haughty and trashy. They come across as lonely lanky lads, with floppy hair dos, devil-don’t-care attitudes, and bucket loads of style. Imagine the Stone Roses crossed with the Libertines to get something of an idea of what’s going on. They readily admit to being inspired by the Small Faces, and that shines through, in their looks and their polish.

Songs like ‘Looking At Me’ illustrate the ability of the band to find a hook and then use it, masterfully. Mike Smith’s vocals (lead vocalist and rhythm guitar) are clear-cut and inspired. And the harmonies are sweet. Sweet as honeyed rye. Guitar work is precise and imperious. The drumming ( Ollie Shaw) is as tight as a Punkie’s doodah.

The Planes song ‘On Demand’ reminded me of work by The Style Council. Crisp arrangements, smooth bass lines (Chris Smith) , and just the right amount of peppered funk. When the lyrics are peeled back, they reveal an inconsistent maturity.

The band played a new song at The Boiler Room – which, they say, will be on the highly anticipated new EP ( released next month.) ‘Stay The Weekend’ has crunchy chords, dizzy harmonies and a terribly catchy chorus … as well as those shamelessly sashaying guitars from Sam Wardle (lead guitar) .

As the band squeezed out their last song, I got to thinking that we are going to see a lot more of these guys. And that’s a good thing.

- © Neil_Mach October 2012 -

Link:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/ThePlanes

Cornelia Live at Boiler Room Guildford
Image © Neil Mach 2012

On Monday 15th Oct we were lucky enough to see the Swedish singer / songwriter and electronic pop temptress, Cornelia Dahlgren at the fabulous Boiler Room venue, in Guildford, Surrey. Cornelia participated in the first season of Swedish Idol 2004, but dropped out of the show in the final stages because she did not consider the manufactured approach to the music to be what she was all about. She instead chose to start her own label ‘Camp Mozart’, and debuted with an EP release entitled. ‘Capsule’ .

Recent widely acclaimed collaborations with artists such as Portico Quartet and Scratcha DVA have brought her to the forefront of the music scene in the UK. We saw this strange musician supporting the amazing and sumptuous sounds of the Submotion Orchestra – the 7-piece project from Leeds.

Entering into the world envisioned by Cornelia is like being trapped inside a snow dome, with a swarm of moths. It is not a particularly pleasant experience, but it is not truly distressing either. Uncomfortable enough to give you nightmares, but you could endure the sensation for an eternity. The relentless wing-beatings are somehow comforting. Pellets of sound strike you … creating uneasy memories that will never go away.

Her voice is Kate Bush, Katie Melua and Lene Lovich – all rolled into one. And then smothered in popping candy. If you listen to this at the same time as drinking cola, it will cause your stomach to explode. And that is a fact.

Shadows of sounds come and go, tempting the listener briefly before wisping to heaven. Into this simulated reality of synthetic sounds and mixed, disjointed bass notes, comes the voice of Cornelia, at once disturbing, tragic … renegade. It has a fleeting, spectral quality that does not materialize properly. It will always border on the ethereal world.

Take her song “Stormy Weather” – the bumpy, potted traffic-jam of noises encrust the baby-voiced bleats of the singer. The song touches you in places you wish were not touched. It feathers you, and slides down your backbone… stroking and teasing its way into your nervous system. It is creamy and delicious.

Or listen to the older song “Aquarius Dreams“, which rises and falls like a sinus beat. A grumble of lightly percussive sounds creates a rustle, while the gloopy electronic soups bubble and broth. But rising from this boiling mix is the steamy voice of Cornelia. It shimmers and glides across the surface.

Cornelia is a dangerous kalidah and she cannot be trusted. If you feel safe within her glittering folds, beware. She will attack you, and she will stab you. With prongs of power. You had better give her the attention she demands. You will hear much more from Cornelia in the future.

- © Neil_Mach October 2012 -

Link:

http://www.facebook.com/iamcornelia