The pace is hotting up in the den of Liam Vincent and the Odd Foxes. After the passion of lead singles "Summer's Secrets" and "Keep Running" from the forthcoming EP ‘Breath, Blood and Bone' they have decided to put out a third single "Four Thousand Weeks" on the same day as the EP: which is to say December 5^th.

The idea behind this song (which I'm giving its own special place in the limelight: look out for a review of the remainder of the EP in the next few days) is one I first encountered with Ian Dury's 1984 album ‘4,000 Weeks' Holiday' and in similar vein references the average human lifespan. While the earlier one was a pretty angry record, the Odd Foxes take as their inspiration the book ‘Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management For Mortals' and it sits at the more reflective end of their own spectrum (lord knows they have angry songs enough of their own).

In fact part of their reasoning is that with the maelstrom of festivities coming up, something calmer might be a counterpoint for our ears & psyches.

Polemics & blazing with passion may be characteristics of Odd Fox songs (and I do say that of them) but I might also state how intelligent & wise their songs are (I don't see those two terms as synonyms by the way). The more raucous cuts probably start their effects on the feet and then move up to the heart, so one might be excused if in the delirium of the effects, the impact on the head is subsidiary. With "Four Thousand Weeks" you do get a chance to meditate on what they are saying: and it's not like they want you to leave off dancing: it's just that this is more of a stately waltz…. and in the context of a full Foxgig that probably is no bad thing if you want to dance from start to finish without collapsing.

Again: the sentiment is humane: however fed up they get with various shortcomings of flawed and failing societies, it's because they care and can see better ways of doing things: and in this case of living lives.

In their own wise words: the song is "..a wry, warm meditation on time, mortality, and what it means to live well .. and urges listeners to embrace life's fleeting moments with joy and humour." And Rebecca adds "In a world where we're constantly told we're doing it wrong, this song is about celebrating the moment. With only 4000 weeks to live, we might as well dance a bit and sing about it — especially at this time of year."

Well I can relate to that (frankly it homes in on some of my own weaknesses and so I thank them for it) but please don't think I'm describing some sort of facile feel-good philosophising: the Odd Foxes haven't lost their bite and the actual words include such acerbic gems as "we all have to swim in the same filthy sea".

They are smart & kind people and they are also superb musicians who have adapted here to a much gentler sound incorporating a shruti box, bodhrán, and a mandolin played by Guy Fletcher rather than their default instrumentation.

What you can't appreciate as fully (yet) is their decision to close the EP with "Four Thousand Weeks": they have obviously given it plenty of thought and their reasoning is impressive. I'll share that with you when reviewing the full EP since context is all in this matter. But like their debut album ‘Fabric of a Flawed Society', Liam Vincent and the Odd Foxes can not only write some potent individual songs but also build more complex and bigger pictures by composing them into broader structures.

They will be launching the records on the same day they come out at The Queen's Hall in Nuneaton alongside Greenman Rising.

This review is possibly (sorry) going to be one of my weirder ones.

Let me explain. Orange River Remedy kindly sent me their song "Confusion (Slight Paranoia)"  (produced by Barry Bayliss at Gospel Oak Studios)  in November 2022 at the same time as their debut single  "Rollin' On", (which is featured on ‘Hot Music Live Presents Volume Nine‘ as well).

At that time, it was scheduled to be the follow-up though "BB33" in fact came out in the meantime. In November of last year, it seemed that its time had finally come, but various issues have delayed it until today, meaning that I've had a whole three years to mull over its merits and quite a few of my impressions below were drafted a fair while ago. Not that my substantive views have changed: it just constitutes something of a personal record. I'd note too that Orange River Remedy are a band so obviously steeped in the traditions of classic rock music as to pretty timeless: they are a long way from being ephemeral musical bandwagon jumpers.

Likewise, no one can accuse Orange River Remedy with saturating the market with hastily put together material: they set their quality control to same high level for recordings as they do to their live show.

As Rikki told me, they originally had it in mind for their debut album (please watch this space for that) and only the plethora of really strong material they're putting together for that has prompted a rethink, choosing instead to put it out as a single ahead of the long player.

Played with their normal panache and obvious love for what they are doing (they are one of those bands who when you see them live seem to be enjoying themselves even more than those watching), this song is a superb advertisement for just how well they both groove & swing even at low revs.

Lottie Pennington is known for her powerhouse drumming & this song gives her a chance to demonstrate her range & ability to be inventive & subtle at slower speeds & less volume.

In fact the whole track is a compendium of showcase moments: the vocal harmonies, the guitar solo, harmonica, guest Dan Sealey on organ all add up to another mesmerising track which so easily captures your affections that you don't immediately notice the complexity of the structure or arrangement. Clever stuff.

Lyrically, the Orange River Remedy approach already seems pretty diverse. Their debut certainly fitted with the good time vibe which permeates their exceptionally popular live performances. That the follow-up addressed their pride in their cousin's achievements seems a perfectly understandable detour. "Confusion (Slight Paranoia)" is cut from very different cloth to its predecessors, yet on reflection I'm not sure that we should be too shocked. Sunny optimism & enjoyment of life may characterise the way they play gigs, but a closer glance at their setlists reveals plenty of covers of darker & more unsettling songs from that late 60's/early 70s period which so shapes their sound. When I first heard Rikki & Tyron play, they were a trio with their brother Dylan & a standout was a version of "A Quick One, While He's Away": a bold choice musically but also a song which touches upon child abuse. Equally they are big Neil Young fans (one of the things they've been so busy doing is  recreating his ‘Harvest' in a series of  concerts with the help of Dan) and his repertoire is hardly light in tone is it?

Now I wouldn't wish to leave you with the impression that "Confusion (Slight Paranoia)" goes anywhere near subjects like paedophilia, heroin abuse or genocide: it's more about personal identity & relationships. However they've taken a significant step away from what Rikki identified as a "comedic" element in "BB33" and the intensity of the way they play & especially sing is noticeably higher: the sort of level typical of their gigs in fact.

In fact all the evidence is that they are a band who like to imbue their songs with balanced emotions: nothing too extreme in any single direction but nothing bland nor inauthentic either: adult songs for grown-up audiences who want something to get their teeth into.

It will be most interesting to see the variety of approaches they adopt across their album. Though when I can tell you about that is not something I dare to predict.

You'll pardon me I hope any inadequacies in my report on our eighth ‘Hot Music Live Presents' fundraiser for The Tin: the one you'll have seen posters for featuring Stone Bear, Alchemista, The Pristines  and  Massasauga: I'm sure I've not got my head round it fully: but since I may never do that, I'll give you what I've got today.

I hope you follow us on social media: if so, you'll know that the gig was threatened by poor advance ticket sales: you don't need me to talk you through that. Then, after we'd had to deal with Storm Amy hitting during our previous event in October, her sister Claudia came calling last night: and she seemed in a worse mood.

You may have seen some photos I posted earlier from which Alchemista were absent: only three members made it through to the venue given the flooding of many rural communities. This was a huge shame as they'd worked up a set of material they'd not necessarily played live before and in fact they've not gigged for a long time: you may also have seen their enthusiasm in the promotional phase too.

So: this didn't have the largest audience of the series but that, I can assure you is the end of anything negative.

So many people on the night urged me to see the positives and they are right: so here goes.

The three bands who got through in full order were superb. Top form all round. The gigs aim to raise money for a vital venue for local original music but they are also intended to have high artistic value each time.

They all presented the audience with unique experiences. Stone Bear has not played for a long time either & several of his songs have therefore never been played live. The Pristines unveiled no fewer than three new songs and Massasauga a couple of unreleased ones too: so to have been there was a privilege just in those terms.

But the performances were stunning: all three palpably enjoyed themselves on stage which to me is a key metric of success.

Part of this was the audience response: what was a bit unfortunate in terms of numbers was compensated for by extra enthusiasm and it was great to see people engaging with the artists off stage: another aim is to introduce people to bands they've not seen before. Once again it was a diverse sets of sets which sound engineer Phil Morley, shadowed by Ishmael curated perfectly.

I learned much. The biggest revelation for me was from David John who for the first time spoke about how the loss of his cousin Chris actually sparked the creation of the band (then a duo) and how so many songs were actually conversations with him. This explains so much about so many tracks & also how his sound has evolved over the years. In at least eight years of reviewing Stone Bear, I knew nothing of this and obviously in hindsight every single article I have written could probably need revising with this key information. I'm glad however that he feels that the time is right now to tell us.

It may be the thirtieth anniversary of the release of ‘Teen Fraud, Pop Whore' and while many bands tour key albums on these milestones, The Pristine's response was to play nothing from it but, as I said, look to the future. Isn't that great? You can't help but warm to a band with that attitude. As you can a band who play a song, decide they hadn't played it well enough & play it again. No wonder bands like that inspire others with their attitude as well as their actual hypnotic music & I wonder how much their influence is responsible for the revival of shoegaze locally through the likes of What About Eric?

I've reviewed loads of Massasauga releases but no actual gigs to date so I was looking forward to that (as well as previews of tracks yet to come out) and I also think I may now have been tutored into pronouncing their name properly.

For the record, it's interesting how they cover them selves with both  a fuzz rock and doom metal self description (though you know I like artists who defy formal labelling): I would say that I've tended to hear the studio recordings more in the former vein: live they are much more towards the latter… so you can get to hear them in two complementary modes if you shuffle between the two formats. And they are wild live. They take the suggestion that they recruit a bassplayer as something of an affront: as they sang forcibly of how they may be outnumbered by other bands but never outgunned. And Conrad has an octave pedal anyway.

And did you know, could you have guessed that "The Only Good Wizard Is A Dead Wizard" is their audience singalong? I didn't.

I'm still to come to the heart of what went well: and that's the sense of community. I've mentioned the audience response but the gig went ahead because of the efforts of quite a few people, most of whom I've mentioned before in the magazine. I'm humbled by what people did to turn it around and many of them could not be there due to other commitments so hadn't even the reward of experiencing the results of their input. I'd love to name them but knowing them, I suspect they'd prefer me not to: so I'll respect that but I know & you might make a few intelligent guesses.

On the night it was good to see other musicians in support: Julie from The Sunbathers (who are playing at our December 12^th event) and all of Stegosaurus Sex Party (date still being worked on) to name but two bands. This is why The Tin needs supporting because there are people who go the extra mile, support each other & are open to the admittedly often startlingly eclectic mixes these events aim to be. And they all got wet too.

I don't know how many people constitute the local audience for original music which doesn't come at them through mainstream media (ie all we heard last night). From what ‘Hot Music Live' does, I know these are good times for numbers of artists and I know all too well that the number of venues is low & they all operate without huge surpluses.

I think we do need to redouble our efforts to ensure the venues don't go & the audience builds and sustains: this event was too close for comfort.

Our next event is, as I've said, on December 12^th & features Grail Guard, RobinPlaysChords and The Sunbathers. The poster currentlyshows Abz Winter too but I'm afraid she can't now participate & as yet I've not confirmed a replacement: please watch social media.

Please do also buy tickets in advance: I really don't want to go the brink again. The link is:

https://www.ticketweb.uk/event/hot-music-live-presents-grail-the-tin-at-the-coal-tickets/13893164

Sadly, as another symptom of the current problems with ticket sales, Massasauga had had their gig the previous evening cancelled. However they have another tonight at the Wheatsheaf in Banbury with Bright Black: the weather should be kinder.

Equally, after a period without too many gigs, The Pristines are at Just Dropped In on the 30^th

I hope both Stone Bear & Alchemista appear in events listings again soon too.

Available now, at the really generous "name your price" rate via Bandcamp, is the third album from Zaruna, ‘Palm Tree Woman'.

Their albums have come annually (check out 2023's ‘El Zaruna' and ‘Hula' from last year) which (unless you are Daffod'i'll putting out five a week) is good going these days. Nevertheless it says a lot about their zest for writing and sharing their songs that they suggested to me that they felt it had taken them a long time to complete it.

Well time & perception of it may be relative but given the number of singles they've been putting out, there have been few periods of any great length between Zaruna releases: in fact I admit keeping up has not always been easy.

Some of those recent songs we've reviewed are here: "Piss", "Heaven", "Cocoa Bango", "Indigo" and "Monkey News" to name but five. They are joined by: "J Bone", "King of the Worms", "Palm Tree Woman", "Finding My Name", "Barbecue at the Luau on a Friday", "Barren Lies", "John Candy" and "On Top of the Ocean": so not only is the album reasonably priced but you get plenty for your money.

Is it a concept album? Good question. There certainly is a strong theme running through which checks out contexts of a tropical island based nature: though starting with "Hawaii", the first track on their debut via "Singapore" on their second, the theme seems more career sized: albeit more apparent this time out.

That's an issue of commonality. However through this run of singles, so diverse have they been that I've already raised a speculative one regarding how they might sound in juxtaposition: let alone with new neighbours.

Well now we can move beyond conjecture to experience.

I do honestly fear sometimes that certain forces & tendencies in our evolving culture are reducing effective attention spans: content is being created in quite small, discrete packets. To this end, I do feel that artists releasing music in single & EP formats are doing so with greater expectation of everyone listening to the end than with say an album.

This is a terrible generalisation of course & the capacity for processing albums is still there for many. Historically sprawling, eclectic sets like ‘Sandinista!' or the ‘White Album' may have perplexed those wanting homogenous collections but sent messages to other listeners that here was a band who had varied interests and could play in a range of styles. I think that Zaruna will be appreciated by those with the latter mindset & breadth of vision. Guess which one I think is the more valuable audience for them to build.

I love how they obviously enjoy playing differently each time & abjure repetition. This to me is not just a band who shine today but have the attributes to go a long way forwards. If they ever got caught be a limited expectation (as unfortunately a few "one hit wonders" have been), then that would be something of a pity. If you can't detect this joy in the playing of the songs, then you are most unfortunate.

However, I had better put my hand up next as though I fervently stick by what I just wrote, I enjoyed the tracks I hadn't heard before so much that I found it hard to tear myself away from each to move on: left to myself I'd have been abusing the repeat button. As it is, you'll want to play this album time & again.

Yes: it's very eclectic & the faint hearted may be startled by the tonal changes between tracks but each is a cracker in its own right. If you  decide you have a favourite, then you have achieved something which is beyond me. There are far more than just five tracks on here which could be singles.

Sadly all artists get put into a box sooner or later: either willingly or otherwise. Zaruna seem happy with the broad descriptor of "alternative rock" which encompasses a lot & is as fair as anything could be in their case. Yet they also possess a fine pop sensibility: their songs hook you and reel you in.

Since their music is about as non-parochial as it gets (if anything the tracks seem set on the opposite side of the globe), there is no obvious reason for them not to be embraced anywhere and everywhere: their approach already has global elements to be found referenced. And plenty of humour too which always ticks a box my end.

How they work their magic is a little elusive: whatever their thoughts on their speed may be, their prolific output would seem difficult to reconcile with having loads of time to spend on each song: especially given the Higher Education factor which means substantial periods when they can't get together. Yet each one comes across as being the product of a labour of love. A lot of it too. They must make good use of their time. I hope you enjoy their efforts as much as I did.

No sooner had a published a review of a local folk icon who is now also part of a supergroup (I'm talking here about Ellie Gowers and The Magpies) than something similar has occurred with solo star & Liam Vincent and the Odd Foxes member Rebecca Mileham.

Her new collaboration is forming one quarter of Women of Folk (no danger here of transgression against Trades Description legislation) alongside Linda Moylan, Lizzy Hardingham and Louise Hatch with a mission of paying homage to the songs and repertoires of the best women folk singers and singer-songwriters of the past and present.

With the addition of Linda's regular collaborator Ian Montague on guitar, they have just released a debut single: their version of the classic song "Wild Mountain Thyme" on the Talking Elephant label. Since Joan Baez, Judy Collins and Kate Rusby are among the (female) artists to perform it, it certainly meets the criteria above.

Obviously with four such voices available, the quality is as high as you'd expect: with almost a superfluity of vocal resources, I was impressed with how they measured them out: no grandstanding but thoughtful, dignified lead vocals in turn interspersed with the sort of harmonies you'd imagine possible given the ingredients to hand.

It's one of those "less is more" affairs which appeal to me: not just the tasteful singing but minimal instruments: just enough to carry the song & add embellishments as needed and no more. Hence you do get to hear Rebecca's violin nice & prominently too. Which pleased me.

Women Of Folk will celebrate the release of the single with a concert at London's Water Rats on 20th November: again I think the prestige of the venue tells you something useful about this new venture worth knowing. I'm not sure if they have plans for gigs around our way, or whether, like The Magpies, we may need to admire them from something of a distance.

I'm pleased to share with you the release of ‘Racialised Aggravation', the debut EP by Wallace & Vomit.

Featuring an extended version of previously released single "County Lines" (well you get 12 additional seconds of an admittedly pretty short song in the form of a sampled intro) plus "I  Drew Muhammed (PBUH) On The Back Of The Bus Stop (And The Bangla Boys Ain't Happy)", "River Or Skip", "White Devil Bitches" plus a live version of "Fight Your Feelings".

It's hard to think of a set of songs I've heard in recent years which is quite as unrelentingly provocative. Louis Scheuer, Alex Vale, Matt Cameron and Jaymes Milner appear to have set themselves up to combat racial prejudice very proactively and directly & the route they've taken is one of getting up close with stereotyping and attempting to skewer it. This manifests itself in various contexts throughout the EP.

The basic tool to do that is through irony, amplified by the passion and vitality of the delivery: all valid techniques: in a war you need weapons & ideally puissant weapons.

The danger of course is that, as Elvis Costello said "irony is lost on pinheads": first generation punks tried this and songs like "White Riot" and "Tommy Gun" by The Clash (it was in relation to the backlash against the latter that EC was speaking) or "White Noise" by Stiff Little Fingers were taken literally by some (not bothering to double check against the avowed stances of the bands) : essentially the reverse of the writers' intentions.

I would never argue against the use of irony or another grown up lyrical approach, but it does need managing I suppose. Equally to hold a mirror up to racial prejudice in the context within which the members of Wallace & Vomit live is important: I was saying to someone just the other day (it was in fact Duck Thief Justin Wing Chung Hui who is helping run the ‘Love Music Hate Racism' gig on November 22^nd at the Priory Visitor Centre at which Wallace & Vomit are playing alongside such artists as Roddy Radiation and Stereotypical: tickets are available via  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/love-music-hate-racism-coventry-tickets-1783212599889) how in the original heyday of ‘Rock Against Racism' (when I put on my first gig), the violence from the likes of the National Front, British National Party and other assorted nasties was appalling: even lethal. However the prejudice was to some extent corralled within relatively small groups of general political toxicity, led by creeps who usually ended up humiliated and/or in gaol. Now sadly much of the venom has seeped out into political contexts which actually embrace electoral success. So yes we need bands like this to express how prejudice works in 2025 and if they do so as forcibly as Wallace & Vomit do with ‘Racialised Aggravation' then that's fine by me. Some things need shouting & not whispering.

Fans of Stylusboy's 2023 release ‘Back in the Day' will hopefully be pleased to hear that he's back with another EP comprising songs based on stories from older memories of community members.

This time with ‘The Coleshill Tapes' he is (you guessed it) in Coleshill and the songs ("Pockets Full of Life and Freedom", "The Journey that Never Came Back", "A Better Tomorrow" and "Raise a Glass") are inspired by stories of life during the Second World War experienced by some of the residents to whom he spoke.

Funded by Creative Coleshill (Rural Hub Towns) through Live and Local and Arts Council England, this project is obviously centred on the unique narratives of individuals.

Consequently, he needed to create around these, whatever shape they may have taken: to insert his own creative voice, even in editing would have been an act of manipulation if not distortion & certainly lacking in the respect appropriate to the project.

Therefore the lightest of creative touches was required yet he also had to shape the stories into song formats which could connect with listeners: not an easy balance I'd have thought.

Of course, as with the previous time (the experience must have helped), he achieved this but it's worth noting that to complement this accessibility of form & authenticity of lyric, he chose to record them live in his own The Truffle Room studio. I'm sure any significant "production" detectable by the audience or convoluted arrangement would restrict the qualities he was aiming for. (It was mixed and mastered by Dave Pollard in The Wood Room).

It's impossible to fault his choice of song titles either: the aim is transparency and so you are prepared for each when you see what they are called. In fact you plunge straight into each narrative.

I'm sure you will be prepared for what lies within: any songs written from the viewpoint of elderly people looking back both to childhood and a period of trauma are bound to be emotionally charged: loss of places, times & people are the hallmarks so don't venture in unless you can handle pathos: though of course there are elements of optimism and ability to process which if they don't balance the sadnesses, at least offer compensatory feelings.

Steve as ever doesn't fall into the trap of amplification of emotion: the articulation of the residents is quite sufficient to shape the hearts of the tracks. Instead he sings with understanding & empathy: this is about them, not him.

That said, though these are person specifics, in his capable hands he takes the particular & offers it to us in ways which give us the chance, where we can, to relate to our own lives of those of our own families from that generation. His ‘Back in the Day' songs are important ones in his "regular" set to audiences from outside the community which inspired them & I don't doubt that the same will apply to ‘The Coleshill Tapes'.

If (like me) you greatly enjoyed Ellie Gowers' ‘You, The Passenger' EP which is about to celebrate its first birthday, then you'll be delighted to hear of the Extended Edition which has come out: presumably to mark the milestone.

I delight too in how busy she is: it's only three weeks since I reviewed ‘The One Thing That I Know' by her group The Magpies & here she is with a release and starting her national tour (it kicked off last evening in Guildford). I would draw your attention to the only local stop (in Kenilworth) but I strongly suspect that it's sold out.

The new edition is also her debut vinyl release (in red) though you can also access downloads via Bandcamp.

Whereas the original was recorded with TJ Allen at J&J Studios in Bristol, this time Ellie went into 300 Acre Studios with Matt Cotterill producing.

The original EP is pretty stunning and she certainly stands by it: what has happened since is that through the many live renditions with drummer Scarlett Churchill and bassist Joss Mann-Hazell, she's found new aspects to them and the exploration has taken her so far that she decided to commit the outcomes to posterity: thus Scarlett & Joss join her on live takes of "A Moment", "Testing the Water" and "Sorrow" and Ellie performs "I Can Be Right For You" by herself.

I can (and have plenty of times before) go on about the high quality of Ellie as a writer and a performer but maybe any emphasis on her as a musical philosopher has tended to zoom in on various individual songs: she is a deep songwriter and her compositions usually need study. Sometimes I have even got my analysis somewhere near her intentions. I haven't really gone into her broader visions but I think she articulates them herself most openly on this occasion.

Firstly is as I've just mentioned: she clearly sees a recorded version of a song as merely one step along her own path (but presumably that of her audience, albeit a step behind her) to understanding the potential meanings of each one. Isn't that more or less what Bob Dylan does too?

Secondly she comes out with the incredible five words "I only wrote the songs": what a thing to say: humble yes but also totally reflective of her understanding of the collaborative creative process.

I first heard her play them in a solo context but thankfully not only have I heard the recorded versions, but I've seen her play them live with her trio. I have to admit that conditioning must shape our perceptions: I've only seen her play her own material in this fashion once (and never yet with The Magpies) and in contrast  goodness knows how many times I've caught her solo.

I need to adjust to this newer, more collaborative Ellie and I think to some extent she's doing something similar: you might see the Extended Edition both as evidence and celebration. It might also be a statement of vision and intent.

The four reimagined songs without a doubt take off into different territory: the exercise is artistically justified. But then of course we ask ourselves "which do I prefer"? I guess as a reviewer you look to me for a definitive response: but it's hard and anyway you might quite reasonably differ from me. Or I could try and wriggle out by saying both versions of each has its attractions.

Certainly "I Can Be Right For You" (which I did actually first hear in a solo version) does come across incredibly powerfully with less arrangement: in my heart I feel the new take edges even the original one… but that's just me.

The other three as a set do neatly evidence the many extra months of playing by the same team: no one has radically altered words or chords but much more subtle qualities have evolved. So much so that I got caught in a labyrinth of imagination trying to definitely pin down differences. Too much of that and false perceptions would have multiplied, but the assurance factor is probably increased. I'm certain this leads to the tendency towards & courage to linger longer over notes: space is embraced & enjoyed. Each moment (which is appropriate given the theme of the first track) is savoured to the full. They seem to love playing the songs and to love playing them together.

I'll come back too to what I've said before. Ellie Gowers is without question regarded as one of the great recent additions to the folk world & graces folk festivals. This however could be filed under "jazz" in your local record store. It's luxuriant.

To finish, I'll go back to Ellie's own words: specifically how she found the original recording to be "fun and cathartic". Perhaps only Ellie could combine the two concepts. I review cathartic music surprisingly often and by it's nature, the writer/performer often doesn't sound like the inspiration had been much fun. These songs, if cathartic don't really take the raw route, but in the melancholia which underpins the melodies & words, you can detect it, but with writers of this subtlety, it's a nuance and not abruptly thrust into your sensibility.

When I reviewed The Caroline Bomb's EP ‘From the Back Room' about sixteen months ago, I commented  on how each track was presented as a demo.

This was, I felt, a strength given the immediacy of their music and I felt the version of "Dead Eyed Nation" which we featured subsequently on ‘Hot Music Live Presents Volume Thirteen' told newcomers what they needed to know about the band at that time.

Since then, I've intermittently returned to the theme and in the context of various other artists pondered how well releasing "demo" versions serves the interests of their music. I think in each case, I felt that they made the right choice. My own instincts definitely favour the lighter touch in preference to over-production.

But here we are with The Caroline Bomb's ‘Wired' EP which features a new recording of one "From the Back Room' song in "Green ‘n' Knobbly" plus three new songs "Wired", "Marginalised" and "Chicken Pen" recorded at Leamington LAMP & mixed and mastered by Timothy Ellis of Jackdaw with Crowbar.

If you don't mind, I'll start with "Green ‘n' Knobbly" since it gives me a chance to compare the two versions of the same song & see what can be said as a result of the different takes.

Well it's definitely the same song and you certainly can tell the differences alright so that strategy works. Basically, it can be confidently said that the distinction between a homegrown demo and formal studio recording are easy enough to spot: though you'd expect that wouldn't you?

I appreciate that they played the song a lot live between the two recordings and we must factor their increased familiarity into the equation: not that there are major arrangement changes.

Certainly rougher edges have been smoothed off & the sound (both instrumental and vocal) is less abrasive. A big plus is the easier access to the words. The big question is not around difference but about whether they've improved the song: or at least our interaction with it. I liked the abrasion of their sound & there are plenty of great songs whose lyrics are not easy to fully discern. I imagine part of their attraction to their audience back in 2024 were these qualities. Given the nature & full force of their stage act, I question whether everyone is fully concentrating on processing all the words given the aural & visual distractions.

This is sounding an awful lot like me taking a long time to say "I don't know" and I think it's my duty as a reviewer to commit to an answer, so I'll say that if in doubt, respect the artistic choices of the artist and applaud them for progressing their music.

In fact, moving on from the philosophy of production, bands with something to say owe it to themselves and potential fans to spread the word as widely as possible. The Caroline Bomb have been attracting much attention on the local live circuit and the next step is to reach beyond that & give thought to first contacts with other people which are via recorded media not on stage. ‘Wired' is probably a better vehicle for this than ‘From the Back Room' which in hindsight might be considered as a gift to their fans as a reproduction of what they've experienced to take home & enjoy there.

This is a thoughtful, articulate band with excellent musical skills and sympathetic production such as this helps communicate these qualities.

The songs now have a bit more groove to them though if you feel you would like to write one called "Wired" (which is pretty outstanding here) you do have to leave the edges on it.

In fact this one does showcase really great bass & drum sounds as well as clear vocals & a warmer guitar sound. Placed at the start, they may well agree with me that as an introduction to the band for neophytes, it's the prime pick.

You probably could have bet that this band, given their lyrical interests might create a track called "Marginalised" and this one epitomises the thoughtfulness and detail of the writing as well as offering a signpost as to where they might be heading next musically: again the rhythm section is given a prominent role & it grooves rather more than the overwhelming onslaught of other (presumably older) tracks.

"Chicken Pen" is another curious case altogether: the lyrics and their delivery are more akin to the "no holds barred" rampages of before but come across clearly over a fantastic post punk riff based arrangement: almost rockabilly in style. If  you would like a point of comparison (and you're going to get one), it reminded me of the thrilling & captivating work of the Au Pairs.

This is The Caroline Bomb at the new level I think & ‘Wired' is a fine calling card which will open new doors for them. It's conventional (and who likes convention?) is some cynical circles (including too many ‘proper' reviewers) to sneer at more polished releases following rawer debuts. You know the names which people get called: I won't repeat them. The Caroline Bomb are something of a cult band right now, but who sets the limit on how many people can be in the club? It's cool to be one of a few hundred initiated into such a secret but it's a bit selfish to resent letting new members in. I think ‘Wired' will tempt many in.

When I broke my duck for attending allotment based gigs back in September when I went to the Coventry Food Union "Song & Soil" event at their base on the Sherbourne Valley Allotments to see Izzie Derry, I was rather pleased to be experiencing what was to me, a unique occasion.

But not for long as I was back yesterday for the next one featuring Donnelly & South with the bonfire playing a more central role.

Their set was later, timed for dusk & if you look at my photos on Facebook you'll see the full range from the last of daylight to night time: I particularly like the colour in the background of the betwixt moment.

What (thankfully) they do not show is the torrential downpour which bisected the set & explains why some photos are in one location & others under cover.

Quite apart from the magic of these sessions with so much else going on (young children were prominent in the vibe until the deluge made their departure prudent), I was looking forward to hearing Lauren & Keith performing their storytelling set. I go and see them as often as possible but I'd not yet caught this side to what they do: though to be fair it's tailored to specific settings including schools. I hadn't seen the guitar Keith uses for gigs with young audiences either: it's quite something as hopefully the photos show.

Thus although they played excerpts from their regular set, such as "My Sister and Laura and Me" and "Tiny Boat" plus a brace of Lauren's most recent fiddle pieces (which we got to hear one and half times since it was during their performance that the rain forced the relocation), we also heard Keith tell a number of his stories (appropriately Hallowe'en orientated) while Lauren played successively an arpeggiated tenor guitar part, her "haunted briefcase" shruti box & fiddle as really effective spooky accompaniments. They got scarier once the children had left and the weather added to the atmosphere.

These are great stories and I hope you get to hear them: though realistically these specific ones probably only get told once a year. I bet the ones they tell at other times are just as good though.

Hats off to them both for being such troupers and carrying on despite getting wet and I'm afraid their instruments did too due to the suddenness and strength of the rain. Their commitment to the excellent cause was commendable & I'm sorry that part of the price was that if you were hoping to catch them tonight at Willow & Tool's Music Parlour at the Harvester in Long Itchington then I'm afraid Lauren has had to take the path of prudence given the effects on her voice. (Incidentally, if you had not heard of the hospitalisation of John McIntosh, aka ‘Tool' then I hope you'll join me in sending best wishes to him & his family).

I'd also like to drop into the review my appreciation of the apple cake (nothing like consuming produce at the place it originates in) and the spookiness of the firework which sounded like a gun shot the moment Keith told a Trump joke.

Donnelly & South have Christmas gigs coming up: look out for the details of these.

The next Food Union Crypt Session is on December 19^th with Stylusboy (tickets via: https://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/events/the-crypt-sessions-2) and on December 21^st they have their Winter Solstice edition of "Song & Soil".

A very happy fifth birthday to ‘Black Cat': which is in many ways the beginning of the now legendary career of Duke Keats, being the first project he produced & released independently. ("Don't Fall Apart" which featured on ‘Hot Music Live Presents Volume Ten' had its original home on this album).

To celebrate, he's gifting us (not the usual way birthday presents work is it: but it's most generous) ‘Black Cat 2'.

Again it's made up of eight tracks, but whereas many artists marking milestones of albums tend to remaster & remix the original songs and then add in extra demos and the odd one which didn't make the cut, Duke opts for eight we've never heard before: it's actually a brand new album, albeit constructed from 2020 recordings rather than the contemporary ones he's been sharing recently such as ‘Avalon'.

The obvious statement that "what talent he has if he left these off first time round" is so necessary to say that I'll get it out of the way right now. Such is the embarrassment of riches that the song "Black Cat" itself, though I guess the intended as the title track of the original, only appears now. This, in my opinion is a darned shame as it can only have been squeezed out by the merits of the eight which made the cut: it's a great track and ideal for Hallowe'en… a rather disconcerting and spooky meld of a jazz groove with slivers of rock jabbing into it.

The second set is consistent with the feline concept of its predecessor and with its All Saints Eve/Day of the Dead vibe and I suppose both fills out the story & adds shadings to it. The other seven songs are "Once in a Black Moon", "Hattie", "I May Cry For You", "A Spider in the Middle of a Web", "Nice Guys Finish Last (It's Just Like That)", "More Lassis" and "The Sound of Love".

I've mused over the issue of releasing "demoes" several times recently so I won't repeat myself. With ‘Black Cat.2' we have several factors to take into our consideration. The firstly is that however good these songs are (and I'd fervently thank him for not keeping them to himself any longer), he's progressed even further in the intervening half decade. This is not juvenilia but they are also less complex conceptually to begin with and in their relatively stripped back arrangements, there aren't the myriad of little touches that we've since become used to. Clearly he feels that his art has developed and with all the exciting new material to share, going back & working further on them isn't a priority: they are an honest window into his work of the time.

That said, through luck or something else, we can delight (well I did) in strange sounds which are more interesting than had layers of polish been applied: levels of reverb or vocal balances which probably wouldn't have escaped a full production process for example. I think they add character & originality.

In terms of potentially the biggest production deficit, "The Sound of Love" which is a rather agreeable 80's styled instrumental here, could also perhaps be a backing track for a song which didn't in the end receive lyrics. In its present form he should try selling it as incidental television music: it'd work just fine.

As you'd imagine, his use of visual & cinematic stimuli for writing music was in place then & stories are being told, extended & augmented & vivid scenes are being set throughout.

His curiosity as to varying styles is also noticeable: you might discern in "Hattie" not just a flavour of flamenco but maybe a precursor to the acoustic phase he's currently exploring.

I think you'll be a bit shocked that it's taken five years for these excellent songs to come out (some Royal scandals have been quicker) but the feeling of pleasure and justice served will overcome that of surprise.

Knowing Duke, who'd bet against a ‘Black Cat.3' emerging in 2030? There are for all I know, probably ‘Dirty Glamour.2' and ‘Post-Internet.2' to boot. This man is prolific.

I do like sharing with you music which not only inspires my writing but also challenges my communication skills such as they are.

This review scores on two fronts in that respect: the inherent qualities of the song and in the interesting route by which it came to my attention.

Let's start with the latter as the former is consequent upon it.

I certainly have written about vocalist Claire Glasbey in the magazine on several previous occasions. You'll find her under her stage name of Miss Songbird. However I've not managed to review her for seven years: mostly I think due to other arcs in her life heading off into other directions. However given that this act of hers was essentially a covers one (I saw her play with the likes of this magazine's Paul Englefield and with Chris Gibbons), there wasn't a great deal of scope for releases etc. However behind the scenes she has been a strong supporter of what we've done & that's probably not terribly well known.

However I was greatly & pleasantly surprised when she told me some months ago that she was working with the band Ieere on new, original material: which immediately opened the door for articles like this one. Moreover, the album (it's called 'Sad Moon, Sleepy Heads'  and is out next year) is centred around the work & ideas of Goethe. Well that scores full marks on the culture register and frankly I never anticipated writing those words. Even without Claire's involvement, I believe that this is the sort of thing we need to share & promote given the likelihood of mainstream media attention being sadly far from assured.

Begore plunging into telling you about taster single  "Ginkgo Biloba"  (out on World Tree Day on November 21^st), I'd better say a bit about the band: especially since they've been around for over twenty years (a personal record for belatedness in writing about).

Taking their name from the German for "emptiness", the lineup here is Simon Monaghan (lead vocal/electric guitar), Dom Hanway (bass guitar/electric guitar), Jon Fisher (trumpet) and Claire Glasbey on backing vocals (look out for Claire on lead vocals on "Earth Spirit": the next single).

I say "band": they identify as a collective and publish poetry books as well as having put out albums including 'Compassionate Ride' (2005), 'An Alleluia Of Sorts' (2009) and 'Ever Being On Lark Lane' (2011) and singles such as "Ubuntu" (2014), "Yellow Tango Ball" (2023) and "Dolorosa" (2024). Their work generally explores spiritual and social themes: again plenty of rationale for me writing about them.

Recorded at Gighouse Studios with Andie Thomson as sound engineer, "Ginkgo Biloba" did not strike me as any sort of quote from Goethe (and in fact it's the name of the maidenhair tree) but I was wrong: he actually wrote a poem on the subject in 1815 which concerns his muse Marianne von Willemer and leaves from the tree formed tokens of their relationship.

If, like me, your acquaintanceship with Goethe is based around  ‘The Sorrows of Young Werther' then, also like me, "Ginkgo Biloba" can be a very helpful nudge into looking into other aspects of his work & life. And what an excellent inspiration for a song!

So what does it sound like? Well you might speculate reasonably around possibilities which might include nods to Beethoven given the subject or perhaps given the information given above, something in the realms of high art and limited accessibility. But you'd be wrong: musically it's contemporary and very welcoming. To be honest you could fully enjoy the song without engaging with the thought & tribute in the lyrics and equally the penny drops as to why Claire is now part of the picture.

This is a soul record.

Which I guess does connect with the sentiment and you might make a tortuous point that if one of the giants of German Romanticism was to make a record, soul might be the genre of choice.

I suppose the first reference point for me was Blue Rondo à la Turk: they too were a collective and their exploration of funk, jazz, pop & soul in the very early 1980s reminded me a little of what Ieere are doing here with  "Ginkgo Biloba". I don't know how helpful that is but it assisted my thinking. At any rate their experience & taste ensures that they play a potentially complex hybrid with assurance & no little verve.

Lyrically you can tell they write poetry and have no fear of using polysyllabic words nor imaginative phrasings: which they make fit the tune snugly. One would hope that a postulated  time travelling Johann Wolfgang would not only embrace the musical form but appreciate his heartfelt sentiments being expressed in the twenty first century idiom.

A couple of years before Blue Rondo à la Turk materialised, Madness had a slogan "Fuck Art, Let's Dance". If you pardon the vulgarity,  I think "Ginkgo Biloba" proves that the two are not necessarily mutually exclusive.