'Hot Music Live Presents' fundraiser for The Tin #16
Review
Where shall I start with my account of our latest ‘Hot Music Live Presents' fundraiser for The Tin?
I could as I so often do remark on the stunning & highly individual originality of the artists: YNES, Ace & the Oddity, lovsüm and Her Alien Flower: overwhelming evidence of the continuing robust health of the local scene.
On this occasion however I was struck by the commitment and fortitude of so many of the musicians, labouring under a range of health conditions which for lesser individuals would normally have been understandable reasons for not playing. I think that my admiration for those concerned just continues to rise and that there is an organic connection between their personal values and the truths in their writing is beyond doubt. You honestly could not have guessed the burdens being borne from the performances either: there was no compromise but a lot of rising above circumstances. And all the sound was ably curated by Joseph Sullivan
Her Alien Flower are the latest recruits to an ever growing list of artists who test my ability to describe in words beyond my capacity. That's probably no bad thing for many reasons, not least because you'll need to see them yourselves. Though the members are highly experienced, I believe that this was only their second live performance in this configuration What I didn't realise was how much of the set is improvised, using guitar, bass, drums voices & occasional trumpet. So sure footed are the trio already that again, the average observer would take the tightness of playing for a rigid structure that apparently isn't what they want. No wonder they are cautious about recording: they don't see any performance as definitive. I actually managed to find a slight reference point which may be of help: if you step away from the better known Clash songs towards the sounds they were exploring towards the end (think of tracks like "Sean Flynn"), then the extended raga like structures, atmospherics and haunting melodics share some DNA. Of course that doesn't cover the lyrics etc but it's a start I suppose.
Another band which you may not have caught yet (and again they haven't been in the recording studio so far) are lovsüm. You may recognise some of the members from other exciting young bands who've emerged in the past couple of years but already this five piece have developed original material and a live confident identity entirely distinct from other projects.
I saw a couple of them delivering an acoustic set in the summer in Leamington so I already knew the quality of their songs, but unsurprisingly with the full lineup these were developed still further and offered complexities & depths of arrangements to fully exploit the excellence of what they've written.
It was a pleasure & delight to witness the band: they have a panache & joy in performance which gives the impression of having been around for far longer and they bring a unique freshness of their own. I think they have tremendous potential & cannot see how they will fail to delight a range of audiences: they balance an immediate accessibility with the edge of managing to swerve past the traps of derivation.
Given the other commitments of the members, not just to other bands but to studies, it's not immediately obvious how all this potential can be converted into the success they are capable of achieving, but if the circumstances align then all the ingredients are already in place.
Ace, accompanied by Emmy Mckissock (as the sole current Oddity) has a higher existing profile than the preceding artists but is just as capable of springing surprises.
Her juggling of various EPs etc, each showcasing different aspects of her interests means that an Ace set can potentially contain all sorts of songs of wildly differing tone and theme. Though her still-in-progress EP around the ideas of love & mythology was represented, understandably her forthcoming one focusing on the current experiences of Palestine took centre stage and what heart could be left unmoved by the passion of the words & the performances? Songs of this nature whose stories transcend the levels of petty human quotidian troubles are bound to touch more deeply, but via the medium of someone so deeply embedded in the subject matter, they are often unbearably profound.
The surprise I suppose was a rare use of a prepared track on one number to augment her voice & Emmy's guitar: not something they'd normally do but fully justified to realise the song & get closer to what you are going to hear on the EP.
I knew YNES was flying in from Vancouver to play (how great is that for commitment in itself?) though hadn't realised she'd be doing that on the same day. How anyone could play at all with that level of jetlag let alone hit those heights is beyond me. But that's why she occupies the level of esteem she does.
I've mentioned before that for her, like Bob Dylan, a recorded version of a song is no definitive version: merely some form of starting point for live interpretation. And so it was last night. Feisty punky songs like "I Wanna Be Overrated" or current single "What Was It All For???" became haunting fragile tunes of vulnerability, with their defiances providing internal gossamers of steel. No wonder she is admired as she is for so often managing to incorporate such apparently contrasting sentiments in the same song (it's one of her trademarks) but it's always fascinating to see what interpretation she opts for on any given gig.
The event celebrated her decision to return to Coventry from her years in Canada (and that may well have shaped her approach to the songs I just mentioned) and the setlist reflected to some extent her feelings for her home town: which are as complex as you'd imagine.
We look forward to seeing & hearing more from YNES in 2027 now she'll be back among us. She's also in Woodbine Street Studios currently recording new material (I'll be popping in to see how that's going once I post this).
Look out too for the new edition of her "FairPlay" magazine which amplifies the voices of working class creatives: you can access it via Instagram: https://linktr.ee/fairplayutd
Our next event is on Sunday 15th November (doors at 1800) and features Nyotaa, Pandora, Daydreams and Robert James Grey.
This will be another of our occasional seated gigs & so there will be a more limited ticket availability. To avoid disappointment (and save a little on the price), I advise getting advance tickets through this link:
https://events.humantix.com/hot-music-live-nyotaa-pandora-daydreams-robert-james-grey
