After a string of releases in collaboration with guest vocalists ("Here and Now" with Brudez, "Perfect Imperfection" with Princess D Krazy and "Bring Me Closer" with Shanade Morrow), bassist, producer & songwriter Justin Bygrave will on 30^th January share with you "Mankind" on his own Beat Rebel Records label, this time taking lead vocals himself for the first time this century.

Describing it as "..a lot more underground track,  bit political this one.." I really enjoyed "Mankind". It helps that soundwise & lyrically it ticks many of my personal boxes, but I should like to think that I'll not be the only one. He's not anticipating much radio play & I agree that it's not mainstream orientated but I'd like to think that community & alternative stations will give it an airing.

I try hard not to offer direct comparisons in my reviews too often and so by all means level the charge of mild hypocrisy at me for doing so on this occasion. The first thought that went through my head on playing it was "Jah Wobble": not for one factor but several. The dubwise bass sound, the experimental sounds, the attitude, the theme and of course the idea of a renowned instrumentalist blossoming into a singer too. There's a lot of points where the two touch.

That's not say that the song reminds me of a particular one of his: both are committed to original music & not repeating themselves so that's not going to be the case. But they both are reading from the same philosophy I think. If I'm not being clear enough, that's all intended as high praise.

"Mankind" is already one of my favourite singles so far this year: it's subtle, persuasive & you're going to have to seek it out rather than have it spoon fed to you via conventional media, but knowing "Hot Music Live" readers, I think many of you will get what he's saying.

As noted previously, 'Hot Music Live Presents Volume Fourteen' is dedicated to the memory of William Douglas Armstrong (aka "Doug") (17th June 1951 to 4th December 2024)

Although, as always, tracks on 'Hot Music Live Presents Volume Fourteen' are available as free downloads, there is the "name your price" option: if you'd like to use it to make a donation, all proceeds will, at the request of Doug's family, go to The Shakespeare Hospice.

https://www.theshakespearehospice.org.uk

Doug was passionately involved in music: for example running Stratford upon Avon Folk Club (where you'd find literally the biggest names imaginable in folk music playing alongside local talent) and his "Music From Big Pink" show on Welcombe  Community Radio: " a show aimed to celebrate creativity, shared experiences and community – reflecting the ethos of the album of the same name written and recorded by The Band so many years ago".

However his concern for the vulnerable & isolated in society was perhaps even greater and his founding & organising of the Street Arts Project, which has been covered many times in "Hot Music Live" will be his legacy.

"We are all heart-broken to have lost our dear friend Doug.  Helping the vulnerable was a path that Doug had followed all through his life. His kindness, genuine care and compassion made him loved and respected by all that knew him.

His equal love for music has also made him a humble legend amongst musicians far and wide and helped many on their own difficult journeys.

Above all he was a loyal and strong Northumbrian warrior that will be missed and remembered forever". (Jackie Lines, co-founder of Street Arts Project)

"It's difficult to imagine a world without Doug Armstrong.

He was the glue that brought us all together. He taught us to look after each other and showed us that a kinder and more compassionate way is possible. He encouraged us to get on stage and share our songs with the world. He taught us to think outside the box and that everybody, whatever circumstances life has thrown at you, deserves to have their stories told and art created from them. He showed us how to hold people to account, but also check in on them if they are struggling.

The Street Arts sessions he ran were a joy, at times a real challenge but every week we ended up with a song. I think that is the best way to remember Doug, in the way we treat others and in our songs"  (Jack Blackman Street Arts Project musician, solo artist, leader of The Beautiful Wreck & a member of  WLDFLWRS)

"It seems only right that this collection of songs curated by Andy Holdcroft representing musicians in Coventry and Warwickshire should be dedicated to Doug Armstrong who always championed musicians and believed in the power of music to unite people.

When the music industry can feel competitive and cold at times, Doug made it all about community and inclusivity.

Speaking from a personal point of view ; Doug changed my life for the better ; gave me back confidence I'd lost, a sense of belonging when I felt isolated and introduced me to some lifelong friends whilst becoming a lifelong friend himself and I shall certainly remember him as a great friend for as long as I live. The fact is ; mine is one of multiple similar stories. It's quite unfathomable to me how one man can be there for so many whilst being a devoted husband to Aly, a loving father to Jess and James, Grandad to Lara, run Street Arts Music Charity and grow his own vegetables! He can only have achieved this by always putting others before himself.

The last time I saw Doug was at a Robin Williamson gig he'd booked at the Playhouse in Stratford which I remember him being excited about for months being a long time fan of the Incredible String Band. I observed how Robin seemed just as pleased to shake hands and have his photograph taken with Doug as visa versa.

Doug also loved Bob Dylan and I got to thinking any one of Doug's heroes would be equally thrilled to make his acquaintance as he theirs if they only knew of the countless good deeds, the selfless acts of kindness & the mentor, friend and teacher to so many that was behind the unassuming smile, the twinkling eyes and the soft Berwick twang.

Rest in Power Doug" (Katherine Abbott, Street Arts Project musician, solo artist & a member of  WLDFLWRS)

 "Doug was an inspiration. He had time and empathy for so many people. He helped people experiencing homelessness and set up music courses for them in Stratford upon Avon. That is where I met so many new musicians and vulnerable people. We wrote songs about their experiences. We did concerts to raise money and awareness we recorded CDs with the songs we had written.

All of this was organised by Doug. He will be sorely missed in the town of Stratford. I will miss Doug's positivity and enthusiasm. I will miss Doug as a friend and a mentor. He helped me when I was down. We all have a lot to thank Doug for." (Nigel Clark, Street Arts Project musician, member of Dodgy & solo artist).

"Doug was a proud husband, parent and grandparent. He was a great man and more importantly, to many people he was a great friend. Doug was an inspiration.

He would do anything for anyone: he was somebody who would draw out potential that people didn't know they had and he always championed the underdog.

Doug's impact was felt right across Stratford from the terraces of his beloved football club to the many music festivals and events that he used to organise.

He also created the Street Arts Project with Jackie Lines: the not-for-profit organisation supporting the vulnerable and socially isolated. His incredible drive and dedication to help people will be missed. Stratford has lost an icon". (Jono Wright, Street Arts Project musician, solo artist & a member of Mos Eisley Bros & WLDFLWRS).

"William Douglas Armstrong moved to the Midlands from the North East during the 1970s. Known by everyone as Doug, he was a wise and compassionate person who encouraged, guided and lifted people. He co-founded the charity Street Arts Project and ran many live music events in the local area, all the time supporting musicians and aspiring musicians, all the time championing the overlooked, the disadvantaged and the isolated in his community.

This year he lost a long battle with cancer and is sorely missed and very fondly remembered by many in the music community and beyond who he met along his journey." (Wes Finch, Street Arts Project musician, solo artist & a member of WLDFLWRS, The Silver Wye & The Mechanicals Band).

‘Hot Music Live Presents Volume Fourteen' can be downloaded for free or you can donate to The Shakespeare Hospice, via this link:

https://hotmusiclivepresents.bandcamp.com/album/hot-music-live-presents-volume-fourteen

Volume 14 (opens in BandCamp)

This collection is the fourteenth in a series celebrating the inspiring & diverse talent of Coventry & Warwickshire musicians of yesterday, today & tomorrow.

When you have enjoyed the music yourself, please do share the album with others to help promote & support the creativity of these innovative, authentic, dedicated & skilled musicians.

'Hot Music Live Presents Volume Fourteen' is dedicated to the memory of William Douglas Armstrong (aka "Doug") (17th June 1951 to 4th December 2024)

Although, as always, tracks on 'Hot Music Live Presents Volume Fourteen' are available as free downloads, there is the "name your price" option: if you'd like to use it to make a donation, all proceeds will, at the request of Doug's family, go to The Shakespeare Hospice.

Doug was passionately involved in music: for example running Stratford upon Avon Folk Club (where you'd find literally the biggest names imaginable in folk music playing alongside local talent) and his "Music From Big Pink" show on Welcombe Community Radio: " a show aimed to celebrate creativity, shared experiences and community – reflecting the ethos of the album of the same name written and recorded by The Band so many years ago".

However his concern for the vulnerable & isolated in society was perhaps even greater and his founding & organising of the Street Arts Project which has been covered many times in "Hot Music Live" will be his legacy.

"We are all heart-broken to have lost our dear friend Doug. Helping the vulnerable was a path that Doug had followed all through his life. His kindness, genuine care and compassion made him loved and respected by all that knew him.

His equal love for music has also made him a humble legend amongst musicians far and wide and helped many on their own difficult journeys.

Above all he was a loyal and strong Northumbrian warrior that will be missed and remembered forever". (Jackie Lines, co-founder of Street Arts Project)

"It’s difficult to imagine a world without Doug Armstrong.

He was the glue that brought us all together. He taught us to look after each other and showed us that a kinder and more compassionate way is possible. He encouraged us to get on stage and share our songs with the world. He taught us to think outside the box and that everybody, whatever circumstances life has thrown at you, deserves to have their stories told and art created from them. He showed us how to hold people to account, but also check in on them if they are struggling.

The Street Arts sessions he ran were a joy, at times a real challenge but every week we ended up with a song. I think that is the best way to remember Doug, in the way we treat others and in our songs." (Jack Blackman' Street Arts Project musician, solo artist, leader of The Beautiful Wreck & a member of WLDFLWRS)

"Doug was an inspiration. He had time and empathy for so many people. He helped people experiencing homelessness and set up music courses for them in Stratford upon Avon. That is where I met so many new musicians and vulnerable people. We wrote songs about their experiences. We did concerts to raise money and awareness we recorded CDs with the songs we had written.

All of this was organised by Doug. He will be sorely missed in the town of Stratford. I will miss Doug’s positivity and enthusiasm. I will miss Doug as a friend and a mentor. He helped me when I was down.We all have a lot to thank Doug for." (Nigel Clark, Street Arts Project musician, member of Dodgy & solo artist).

"Doug was a proud husband, parent and grandparent. He was a great man and more importantly, to many people he was a great friend. Doug was an inspiration.

He would do anything for anyone: he was somebody who would draw out potential that people didn't know they had and he always championed the underdog.

Doug's impact was felt right across Stratford from the terraces of his beloved football club to the many music festivals and events that he used to organise.

He also created the Street Arts Project with Jackie Lines: the not-for-profit organisation supporting the vulnerable and socially isolated. His incredible drive and dedication to help people will be missed. Stratford has lost an icon". (Jono Wright, Street Arts Project musician, solo artist & a member of Mos Eisley Bros & WLDFLWRS).

"William Douglas Armstrong moved to the Midlands from the North East during the 1970s. Known by everyone as Doug, he was a wise and compassionate person who encouraged, guided and lifted people. He co-founded the charity Street Arts Project and ran many live music events in the local area, all the time supporting musicians and aspiring musicians, all the time championing the overlooked, the disadvantaged and the isolated in his community.

This year he lost a long battle with cancer and is sorely missed and very fondly remembered by many in the music community and beyond who he met along his journey." (Wes Finch, Street Arts Project musician, solo artist & a member of WLDFLWRS, The Silver Wye & The Mechanicals Band).

The previous volumes can all still be downloaded for free from: hotmusiclivepresents.bandcamp.com

You can find out what each artist is up to on their individual websites or by following "Hot Music Live Presents" & “Hot Music Live” magazine on social media:

• facebook.com/groups/1059868484187225/
• facebook.com/HotMusicLive
• twitter.com/HotPresents
• twitter.com/HotMusicLive
• instagram.com/hotmusiclive/
• youtube.com/channel/UC_BLgRK3chKctKbwU3KGQtQ
• open.spotify.com/user/8prllnhc70fhudsra764m1aix?si=f1cd762f4a50422c

Many thanks to every single one of the generous & supportive musicians who have contributed their considerable talent to this project. The music scene of Coventry & Warwickshire has so many artists of vision, integrity & sense of community: hopefully this project can give a sense of some of this.

Credits:

Hot Music Live Presents Volume Fourteen

© all rights reserved

1. WLDFLWRS - "WLDFLWRS" 00:23 2. Yonderland - "On Chesil Beach" 05:15 3. Scratchy Beard - "The Best Things" 04:16 4. WorldSong - "Kaval Sviri" 02:34 5. Luminae - "Toffee" 03:20 6. Voyeahs - "Regular Normal Life" 03:25 7. What About Eric? - "Cascade" 03:23 8. Barney Cunningham - "It's OK Not To Be OK" 03:52 9. Creaking Twitch - "Fight for the Cause" 04:56 10. Not Right - "The Facilitation of Lawful Protest" 01:47 11. Nathan Wade - "House of Cards" 04:52

We are delighted to announce ‘Hot Music Live Presents Volume Fourteen': eleven more of the finest original songs from Coventry & Warwickshire artists, demonstrating the great diversity of the local music scene.

This collection is dedicated to the memory of Doug Armstrong

Although, as always, tracks on 'Hot Music Live Presents Volume Fourteen' are available as free downloads, there is the "name your price" option: which if you'd like to use it to make a donation, all proceeds will, at the request of Doug's family, go to The Shakespeare Hospice.

https://www.theshakespearehospice.org.uk

On this occasion we are delighted to share with you the following songs:

"WLDFLWRS" by WLDFLWRS

"On Chesil Beach" by Yonderland

"The Best Things" by Scratchy Beard

"Kaval Sviri" by WorldSong

"Toffee" by Luminae

"Regular Normal Life" by Voyeahs

"Cascade" by What About Eric?

"It's OK Not To Be OK"  by Barney Cunningham

"Fight for the Cause" by Creaking Twitch

"The Facilitation of Lawful Protest" by Not Right

"House of Cards" by Nathan Wade

They can be downloaded for free via this link: https://hotmusiclivepresents.bandcamp.com/album/hot-music-live-presents-volume-fourteen

When you have enjoyed the music yourself, please do share the album with others to help promote & support the creativity of these innovative, authentic, dedicated & skilled musicians.

The album and all previous thirteen volumes can be downloaded  from:

https://hotmusiclivepresents.bandcamp.com

You were probably as delighted by the news of Ed Sheeran's visit to Coventry this week & his support of grassroots organisations such as The Tin & Coventry Music whom we support in this magazine as we were.

Therefore I'm delighted to share this message from The Tin:

"Yesterday afternoon Ed Sheeran, one of the best-selling music artists in history, made a surprise appearance at The Tin Music and Arts during a youth band rehearsal.

The appearance coincided with launch of Sheeran's new charity, The Ed Sheeran Foundation, which will aim to improve access to music for more than 12,000 children and young people by providing instruments, creating performance opportunities and opening pathways into the industry.

The Tin is one of 18 national music organisations and three Coventry centres which will receive funding through the foundation to support their work with young people. The Tin's Live on Stage project, run in partnership with Coventry Music, launched in 2017 with just four bands.

It's great to see established artists supporting young musicians and grassroots music venues!

So how can you support our grassroots venue?

We're currently raising money to have the front of our venue refurbished. If you've visited us recently you will have noticed our frontage is in need of desperate repair. We're half way towards our target but we still need to raise £5000"

The link for donations is here:

https://localgiving.org/fundraising/Tin-frontage-refurb

Dan Sealey is such an active figure in the local music scene, running what seem like innumerable top notch open mic sessions here, there and everywhere & mentoring talented emerging artists (which in my book is a crucial role to be saluted) that maybe his own musical career can get overlooked.

The latter which has included membership of such classy original bands as Ocean Colour Scene, Merrymouth and Merrymaker featured the sort of subtle, exquisite compositions & performances which attracted aficionados: as recorded in our review of a gig by the last named as regrettably far from recently as 2019: there simply have not been any subsequent opportunities alas.

So Dan has been very busy helping others & prioritising that it would seem over his own creative career, yet quietly he's been crafting his solo debut album & clearly favouring the longer route taking in perfection to short cuts of expediency. I've been aware of it for a long time & checked in with Dan periodically (hopefully without hassling him too much): it nearly appeared towards the end of 2024 but now I gather that it has a release scheduled for March.

Entitled ‘Beware of Darkness' (a George Harrison nod?) it contains ten tracks which to be honest stretch my capabilities as a reviewer: words at best tend to be inadequate to convey a different artform & in this case they are just a well intentioned approximation: I urge you to play it at the first opportunity.

That the ten start with "Looking Inward", and end with "Inside My Head" sends a pretty strong message of Dan seeking to explore the subject of introspection and despite their name, Merrymaker were masters of the reflective, the sombre & elegiac.

Looking at the album title he's gone for, it seems he wants to balance any suggestion of   negative rumination with a warning to take care over an excess of melancholy and the other eight titles ("Yesterday Came", "Better Day", "Keep On Reading", "Over The Sea", "People", "Into The Wild", "All Stand Up" and "They Don't Care") tell different stories to their bookends.

Naturally this is an album of maturity in every sense & one for those who appreciate a succession of layers of songs to explore in return visits. With a top stratum of accessibility in each case, no-one is excluded from enjoying any of these tracks, but the seasoned listener will appreciate just how much Dan has created for them.

This is to some extent a trip through aspects of the human condition (don't worry: it's not a concept album as far as I can see, but certainly a themed one) and he demonstrates compassion at each turn, without ever having recourse to platitudes. This tendency must come both from a maturity of perspective & a finely honed songwriting craft: the dismal parade of lyrical commonplaces & bromides is frequently the factor which determines whether I feel I can find positives enough in music to write about it or not.

The album is an acoustic one (I imagine few people will be surprised by that) and it's another tribute to his taste & skills that within the palette he's chosen to paint with, he summons up so many different combinations & variations: always offering stimulating arrangements but never adding more than required to frame each song. It's great to report that helping him out are a number of artists we've featured over the years: Antonia Kirby on backing vocals, Jack Blackman on slide guitar & banjo, Rikki Hansel on harmonica plus John McCusker on flute & whistles. Every part perfect to enhance the songs & of course zero grandstanding.

The musical mood, as with the best writers who can set tunes at angles to the lyrics for extra emphasis & effect, is generally very jaunty. Your feet will be tapping along throughout and maybe you'll want to get up and dance: all the while thinking "he's right there you know" in relation to the words: in other words this is music for people capable of dual processing.

It's tricky for me to get the right balance between the parts & the whole: each song is a finely polished gem but also there is a real sense that the entire album has a unity of purpose. Realistically of course every track has its unique value & I strongly doubt that Dan will play the whole collection in the order set out here (though that approach is more popular these days I admit). It's one of those where all of the tracks might be considered for a single and I suppose that once you've experienced the whole, you can dip back in & use individual tracks as your emotions require. If intensity is something you can only process in small amounts, you may prefer to sample it thus.

Though ‘Beware of Darkness' has been long in the making, the great thing is that the songs are all timeless: they can only grow with you gracefully rather than fade as the more ephemeral types will. In fact that's another aspect worth mentioning: quite apart from having no ties to the here & now, Dan repeatedly references the broad passage of time & specifically cites issues experienced by humanity forever. For example, "Better Day" refers to the challenges of life as well as the introspection mentioned earlier yet looks as much forwards as backwards, acknowledging the difficult but offering hope. It's an antidote to despair and so corrects any possible misapprehension of his message without denying the more sombre. That it features more guests than other tracks may be no coincidence.

Sitting right on the pivot of the sequence is the heaviest song, "People" and epitomises the tensions and dichotomies in all of them: an almost bewildering collage of anguished blues (this is where Rikki's harmonica comes into play), doom laden passages & much lighter ones of hope, Dan explores the depths & heights of human behaviour over four and a half minutes: I think he comes up on the side of optimism but it's a close call.

It's not fair on Dan to dissect all the tracks before you've had time to draw your own conclusions, nor to you the reader by  too lengthy a piece, but I'd say that most tracks cover this tussle for emotional balance & while not shirking realities, he does favour the hopeful. For every "People", there is an "All Stand Up" where the arrangement soars rather than howls. It can ask a lot of questions of you if you pay attention, but you are rewarded by potential answers.

In emphasising the sophistication of composition, arrangement and performance (not to mention sequencing which seems to have received equal attention), I really do not wish to give the impression of an elitist or inaccessible record: quite the reverse. ‘Beware of Darkness' is a true folk record in the sense it's about real people & for real people. The aim here is surely for the listener to enjoy themselves as much as Dan himself & to identify with his wisdom as much or as little as the mood on any given occasion suggests to them

With both bands known for their infectious energy, harmonious vocals and sense of humour, they will perform a set list inspired by their collaborative album ‘The Longest Pony'.

Taking their name from the Lords of the Rings inn, The Prancing Pony, El Pony Pisador are festival favourites throughout Europe and North America, with their inclusive sound drawing on traditional songs from all over the world, but especially Celtic influences and sea shanties.

Featuring Ramon Anglada, Guillem Codern, Miquel Pérez, Martí Selga and Adrià Vila, the group's adventurous spirit and playful approach to traditional music have made them a fan favourite, both in Spain and internationally.

All hailing from Bristol, The Longest Johns have been together since 2013, captivating audiences with their rousing sea shanties and folk songs. Their line-up of Jonathan ‘JD' Darley, Andy Yates, Robbie Sattin rose to global fame with their viral hit ‘Wellerman' and have since become one of the leading voices in modern folk music, with a twist of humour and history in their performances.

They have graced the stages of international folk festivals and toured the UK, Europe and North America. They've gained a massive following online with more than 400 million streams across all platforms, more than half a million YouTube subscribers and over 200,000 hours watched on Twitch. Their gaming partnerships include Sea of Thieves and Wanderworld.

Looking ahead to February's tour dates, The Longest Johns' Jonathan ‘JD' Darley said, "The songs of the sea know no boundaries so it's perfectly natural to us to make music with our Catalán friends, our brothers in song."

It's a sentiment echoed by El Pony Pisador: "This collaboration was born from friendship and mutual respect between our two groups, and shows we can be proudly independent while celebrating all that we have in common."

With sold-out shows and rave reviews from Catalan audiences, The Longest Pony UK Tour promises to be even bigger and better this time around.

Tickets to see The Longest Pony perform at Warwick Arts Centre on 1st February are available from the venue and via www.thelongestjohns.com/live.

I was wondering what the focus of my first review of 2025 might be (and I have been nurturing one for a long time now: looks like it's still not ripe for sharing though) and I'm glad to say it was another of those surprise releases so many of those artists I most admire specialise in.

This time it's Duke Keats who has dropping a whole EP called ‘This California Dreaming' which contains the tracks "This California Dreaming", "Fame and Fortune", "The Middle" and "Delta Boy". As far as I can see, this is only available on his Soundcloud page at the moment (https://soundcloud.com/user-518334935/sets/this-california-dreaming).

The EP derives from the DIY side of his work as it is wholly & solely his own creation being self composed, performed & produced. Given this, it's hardly surprising that Prince features amongst his proclaimed influences, though it's one thing to wish to emulate a music great, quite another to possess the talent in all those capacities in order to pull it off. Which he does.

It's a curious, thoughtful & emotional complex quartet (not sure that's much of a surprise). As one who so very frequently channels aspects of Hollywood in his writing, it's interesting therefore to see his tagline "I don't know ‘bout you, but I just can't afford this California Dreaming" which opens up all sorts of potential discussions around the roles of dreams as both aspirational goals yet also possible damaging fantasies. Personally I have wondered how long it will be before Duke ends up in LA, but here is expressing caution & a palpable sense of "watch what you wish for". Good for him: this is music for grown up minds.

Not surprisingly, the music veers towards the raw. The title track is a starkly simple arrangement though that doesn't stop it being one of his most gorgeous songs. Beautifully played, he's left the sound of his fingers moving on the fretboard high on the mix which is pretty unusual for this sort of melodic song & his voice is close mic-ed and breathy. If this is his way of signalling authenticity of emotion & lyric then it's a great one.

"Fame and Fortune" as you'd imagine connects tightly with this theme. It may be a close fit conceptually but musically it's very distinct. Featuring a variety of overdubbed instruments it has a fuller sound but the true glory is in its audacious reimagining of what sounds like an old time cowboy lope into twenty first century idiom. If this sounds too weird to work on a popular level, think again as once again this remarkable artist has thought up yet another unlikely hybrid & made it work without compromising accessibility.

"The Middle" is another unique oddity: we are back to the delicate picking with highlighted fretboard sounds but the whole has been enveloped within what sounds like a form of white noise through which he's mixed it enough to escape to the point where it's clearly audible but after effort on the listeners' part.

Go on: guess the guitar style on "Delta Boy": yes you got that right there. Given that the EP starts on the US West Coast but ends up on the Atlantic seaboard, I wonder if the whole represents an eastbound journey? If so, that might explain the enigmatic "The Middle" in geographic terms. Conceptually, I might suggest that offering the authenticity of the delta blues sound provides a counterpoint to the perception of false values in Tinseltown where we started.

Or am I reading too much into ‘This California Dreaming'? It's difficult with artists of this calibre to always analyse how many layers their songs possess. One key might be that the songs form the first part of a soundtrack for a fictional musical which will eventually be augmented by some of Duke's animated visuals. Once again there is a breadth of artistic vision here which is beyond any of the formulaic fodder which passes for the mainstream of popular music these days. That's why my personal preferences lean so far in this direction. I look forward to the next instalment (as I do with those from Ace Ambrose & Monastery who are working in similar long form narrative arcs) which hopefully throw more light on the overall story & reveal more of the secrets I've yet to unravel.

In describing to you last night's Christmas Show put together by Izzie Derry, since she headlined and was supported by Lauren South (who was herself supported for most of her numbers by her duo comrade Keith Donnelly) and by Katherine Abbott, it seems almost superfluous to comment on the exceedingly high quality of the music. Those of you who have had the pleasure of catching any or even better all of them live will know what to expect & if you haven't, my regular reviews of each of them will leave you in no doubt as to my views. In fact my problem is finding new superlatives.

I'm so pleased that if the LTB Showrooms have to close, the plethora of artists whom we have championed who are playing the final gigs there is a worthy testament to Alan Denyer & team's vision for a space where original music of this calibre can be performed before the right audiences. The final ever gig features Sophie Hadlum on January 3^rd (with the New Moon Choir)  and the official closing party on 28^th December has multiple great acts. But more of that at the end.

We were privileged to see an unprecedented coming together of three such acclaimed artists: they'd never played together before & I gather after the success, they would be very open to repeating the combination.

All are to some extent local musicians but are now enjoying reputations which have spread very wide & far: which is excellent. All are long past the point where we can expect all their performances to be in our area & so any which are, can be seen as treats: it's great to see them all enjoying rapid career progression.

First up was Katherine who apart from having gigged internationally this year (including the US), came straight from a most prestigious concert the night before with the group she is also a member of: WLDFLWRS. Another of their popular re-creations of The Band's "Last Waltz", this one at the Viaduct Theatre in Halifax featured a true host of guest stars including Dodgy's Nigel Clark, Chris Helme of Seahorses and to me the most jaw dropping, R&B legend P P Arnold (and that's the first time I've used the word "legend" in a review as it's the first time it's been appropriate).

This gig however gave Katherine the chance to sing her own compositions & you know how much I rate those. The evening could have comprised a great many songs I know & love (after all I am pretty familiar with the work of all three musicians) but they are better than that & all sprung surprises. Katherine focused on her more recent songs including her upcoming single ("Freedom"), her current one "Wings on Fire" (composed while in the US), another very recent new one and even an AC/DC cover so processed to her own style as to be completely unrecognisable as theirs. There was a real sense of looking ahead & not back.

Many things form bonds of similarity between Izzie, Lauren & Katherine: but not style. Each is unique and that commitment to wholly personal writing & performing is instead one of the instances of commonality. The complete lack of interest in artistic compromise is one aspect of the adamant which provides the creative spine of them all: they each conceal this to some extent under the beauty of their performing & the friendliness of their demeanours on stage & off, but delve into the songs & the steeliness is there to be discovered.

In Katherine's case, her outwardly gentle & hypnotic approach to songs can divert you from the profundity of the usually allusive, poetic lyrics. With Lauren, the form is much closer to traditional folk for the most part, but don't be fooled by the beauty of the melodies & arrangements: songs can be about family & love, but also loss, challenge & personal growth set against adversity. We'll come to Izzie in a bit.

If Katherine has been transatlantic in her travels, Donnelly & South are a nationally known & respected duo who are in demand everywhere in Britain. After the warm months spent in multiple festivals, they arrived at the LTB off the back of a pre-Christmas tour of the country.

As Katherine moved on from her back catalogue, Lauren chose songs of a festive nature I'd not heard before: from her own personal Christmas composition to a traditional Hebridean carol and a more contemporary cover ("I Am Christmas" by Bill Meek and John Conolly), it was typical that they celebrated Christmas nicely but not by resorting to the cliched "authorised" canon of the mainstream media. A small note, but worth I think sharing: I'd never heard Keith play so many guitar harmonics before (he modestly suggested that his new pickup made them easier) but may I suggest that these make for the most refreshing alternative to actual bells to conjure up the atmosphere of Christmas? And subtle with it.

Outside these, Lauren did play several tracks off her debut album ‘Tiny Boat': which was appropriate since Izzie acted as "production consultant" on that collection.

Production & sound engineering are two of Izzie's interests on top of her own music (and I was pleased to hear how she's mentoring young musicians in Brighton too) and she worked the sound for the gig herself (though for her own set, Jake Rizzo who's back from his Philadelphia adventure for Christmas, helped out on the faders).

Having described how the other two have aspects of their craft within iron gloves, it's now Izzie's turn. In her case, the manifestation I've reported on in loads of recent reviews of "angry Izzie" is stunning live & in an intimate space (I'd only heard her play these newer songs outdoors before you see). Easing us in with an older, more dreamy period number, the rest of the set was more recent material (plus a nod to Christmas with a cover of Joni Mitchell's "River"). What astounded me is how she's developed an extra gear in terms of the power of her voice: at times she seemed to scarcely require a microphone. I'm not sure how that's happened but it really helps put this sort of material across & she is so convincing. This is yet more deeply personal & hence emotionally charged music. No wonder her career has taken in Glastonbury in 2024.  Her set was always magnificent & now it's hitting awesomeness in its intensity.

I started with some words about the venue. Sad as it is that it is closing, that was always known & to be fair, they have had more extensions than anticipated. Alan apparently has top secret plans to set up a similar space elsewhere which is very good to hear. However given that Commonground in FarGo Village closes next week, it is a worry that venues where the likes of these fine original musicians can be enjoyed are firstly too few locally & potentially becoming fewer. It's great to see people rally round The Tin to raise funds (thankfully more to do with refurbishment than an existential threat) but realistically, given that these artists have so many gig offers elsewhere, when they do have the time to play in Coventry & Warwickshire, they can only do so if there is a space for them to do so. Although Izzie had played the LTB previously, the others had not & expressed sadness that they wouldn't again from onstage. The need to support venues where artists can dare to be different & challenge audiences instead of having to pander to them is actually more of a contemporary issue than that of musical talent: thankfully we are so lucky to have so much of that around currently.

I'm personally so thankful that musical talent & the right space came together last night for my considerable pleasure & that of all those who could join Izzie's hometown party. The artists involved have all had really impressive professional years in 2024 & all the signs are that they will all hit new heights in 2025. I hope to witness & report on as many as possible.

One of the delights of reviewing the artists I do are the left field projects so many get involved with: so many have side musical projects and are talented visual artists as well.

However I'm certain that I never contemplated writing about a panto ("oh yes you did"). Had I done so, Duck Thieves with their unique "indie pop, punk panto" approach are not only top of the list but the only ones on it.

Therefore their decision to write & perform their own full pantomime in 2024 has triggered the need to tell you about it.

Created in partnership with DJ Millabong of Brum Radio, you can hear the whole production via this link:

https://www.mixcloud.com/BrumRadio/rock-of-ages-with-dj-millabong-xmas-panto-special-the-five-duck-thieves-of-christmas-25122024

You'll see at once that this is no mere skit: it's a full length production which alone shapes how I must write this piece: highlights rather than minute detail.

However perhaps even more pertinently, I'm not sure I'm capable of reflecting it adequately in words. It may be a genre I'm less experienced in reviewing but the sheer scale is daunting. Not merely at the macro level (and it's worth noting straight away that this is a "proper" narrative from start to finish which frankly puts many traditional pantos to shame) but not a moment is wasted in sharing minutely crafted component gems.

The work which must have gone into devising this is staggering: the concept is huge but the script is full of incisive (and hugely satirical) barbs between the exposition & the plot elements. And then there are the high quality adaptations (in the classic panto style) of suitable songs to fit the story. To be honest, had it not been for the lyrical changes, so well are these performed that I initially mistook the first couple for reworkings by the original artists. In fact after multiple plays I became rather disorientated (possibly what they intended) as to which were Duck Thieves' versions & which were by artists they admire & whose songs fitted anyway. Have fun with that conundrum.

Throughout, the Duck Thieves maintain their trademark accessible humour but the darts aimed shrewdly & accurately at a huge range of favoured targets: so much so that the breathless pace at which "The Five Duck Thieves of Christmas" rattles along means that processing some of them requires a second or third play (which of course is not something they'd want to deter you from).

You knew members could  create films, fiction, photographs & visual art in addition to their musical skills (and as I say, the panto really allows them to show the latter off), but who knew how well they could act? Michelle, Justin, Diana, Joe & Tom are all essentially playing versions (exaggerated or lightly fictionalised?) of themselves so no need for accents etc, but the confidence of the delivery is striking. There are also additional characters who may be guests or various Duck Thieves actually putting on different voices: again dissecting those is beyond me so I leave that to you.

Where the inhouse expertise in film comes into play are the cunning nods to genres and the lacing of the script with quotations from the movies to match those from the world of song. The glory (or one of them) really is in the detail here.

If the composition took them plenty of time (which I'm guessing it did), the recording with its mixture of the songs, incidental music, dialogue & sound effects can't have been a simple job either: nor, given the tightness of the final project & I assume plenty of fun equalising levels, can the editing.

There was a surreal but in hindsight revealing moment at this year's Godiva Festival when the band received a shout out from the stage. Since Justin & Michelle were at the barrier at the time but made no sign of having heard it, I asked them what was so distracting for them to cause them to miss this. They told me that they were planning the tenth anniversary celebrations. Well I've reported on their birthday gig at The Tin but I strongly suspect, given the amount of time presumably spent on "The Five Duck Thieves of Christmas", that this must also have been part of their discussion that afternoon. If so, it was one heck of a productive chat.

I have no idea whether something of this nature or on this scale was on the cards earlier in their decade: it seems so fitting now they've done it. Given the commitment of time & energy I guess it might, justly, be a special project. Or maybe we can look forwards to a Duck Thieves panto every year?

As previewed in my November review of the single "Kaval Sviri" by local a cappella group WorldSong, their latest album ‘Together As One: A Celebration of Community Singing' is now available for your pleasure.

Produced again by Mason Le Long (the sessions were a series of live ones held in various Coventry churches which certainly accounts for the atmosphere of the tracks) it comes out ten years after their previous one ‘Keresimesi' and also as predicted features songs from South Africa ("Hlonolofatsa" and "Asimbonanga"), Romania ("Sarba Pe Loc" and "Miluieste-ma Dumnezeule"), Scotland ("Ca' the Yowes"), Finland ("Pseudo Yoik"), USA ("Seal Lullaby" and "Hold On"), Australia ("Kalkagunga Yurdu"), Serbia ("Ajde Jano"), Norway ("Vueli"). A Roma Gypsy song ("Sao Roma") plus the Bulgarian single we've already met.

The choir, although impressively diverse in membership, are not so polyglot as for each member to speak every single one of these languages fluently, so they learn the ones they are less familiar with phonetically.

The songs cover an equivalently wide spectrum of theme with songs of greeting, prayer, humour, spiritual uplift, cultural heritage, dance, addressing the environment, weddings and taking on apartheid: which all fit into their mission statement of creating "stunning harmonies, uplifting songs, inspiring rhythms, music for the soul."

We've mentioned Mason's fine work in capturing this instrument free (well voices are instruments of course) magnificence but we cannot proceed further without naming Una May Olomolaiye, WorldSong's Musical Director who pulls all the talent together. She was described by choir member Diana Stefanescu  (to whom I remain indebted for drawing WorldSong to my attention & a great deal of what I know about them) "not only is she a force of nature and an amazing musician but she's also an actual medical doctor". It wouldn't surprise me if in the latter role she perceives therapeutic value in this music for both participants & audiences: it certainly has a beneficial effect on me & sure that it will for you.

Not only were the lyrics a challenge but Diana describes the songs as the technically hardest they've ever taken on: which presumably accounts to some extent for the gap between releases. Some took a whole year to work on before they were satisfied.

At this point I have to confess a failing on my part: I always try & credit everyone concerned with a release but with forty five members, that isn't easy for me this time. I hope every one of them will accept my apology & my assurance of the equality of my esteem for their performances on ‘Together As One'.

There is however one further excellent reason to mention Diana's name and that's to credit her for the album's artwork.

It's also worth stressing for full context & illustration of the scope of what these singers & colleagues from similar choirs do, that in the "Sing Away" Community Choir Festival (previously held in Stratford but I believe it's in Edgbaston in 2025) WorldSong sing a repertoire with up to five hundred other singers: which must be stunning.

As I say, listening to ‘Together As One' is emotionally uplifting even if you don't necessarily grasp the full meaning of the lyrics. It's also educational: I like World music but all these songs were previously unfamiliar to me as were some of the cultural sources.

Coventry quite rightly prides itself on being a home for multi-cultural values & celebration (and I can't readily think of a musical project with this breadth of multi-culturalism) and one where the spirit & practice of community has high value. The city & area should be very proud of WorldSong. This marvellous collection embodies such qualities superbly. One can only hope not only that the songs themselves get shared & played widely but that the values & philosophy of WorldSong can be introduced into schools etc.

On that note, I'll sign off with more from WorldSong themselves as it articulates what they wish the world to know about what they so delight in doing:

"WorldSong celebrates the richness of the human voice by singing without instrumental accompaniment. Our repertoire of songs is drawn from cultures where singing and dancing are as natural as talking and walking. 

There is an old Zimbabwean saying: "If you can talk, then you can sing" which pretty much sums us up! The other basic principle is that everyone should have access to music, so we don't insist that people can read musical scores: everything is taught by ear in the time-honoured tradition of many orally-based cultures."

I have been waiting for over seven months to bring you this review as I first heard her new song "Holloway" when Rebecca Mileham supported John Douglas at The Tin. Now it appears as her new single on Big Plate Records so you all get to hear it.

In a set otherwise dedicated to tracks from her two EPs, ‘Underground' and ‘Rising Tide' this song stood out despite the daunting competition: it really is something rather special.

I try not to foist personal enthusiasms upon you unless I can validate them to some degree & in this case, chatting to some highly experienced gig goers & musical aficionados seated near me, none of whom was previously acquainted with any of her music, it was clear that the song had made its impression on them too.

Musically & thematically closer to the folk music she plays with Liam Vincent & the Odd Foxes (though very much calmer than their take on the artform) compared with her previous solo work, Rebecca taps into the deepest traditions & as we shall see, magic of the English landscape.

Beautifully sung over the most restrained & charming of arrangements (Rebecca plays piano & violin with flugelhorn added by her producer Mark Stevens and double bass by Tim Harries), this epitomises what a tasteful & experienced musician can do with the strongest songs: let them ring out truly without smothering them in unrequired instruments or intrusive production. This is folk at its most natural & connected to its source.

I mentioned the magic of the land: this is not a cat song, but while shooting the video (which can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVcRQzWWJmc), one appeared from nowhere & took its place on film, becoming something of the star thereof. There is a story that while Joni Mitchell was writing "Coyote", one equally suddenly appeared in the snow outside & let her play with it. The provenance of this feline is just as enigmatic but if one writes songs about the deep mysteries of the holloways then manifestations cannot be ruled out I suppose. (Spoiler alert: the same cat is also the main subject of the cover art: photograph courtesy of Yin Chien Yeap and art design by Jonathan Yeap).

Often formed in times beyond collective human memory, these sunken lanes remain in many parts of the world, remnants of trackways both of great length & significant usage and of local utility. Time often feels like it stands still in them & Rebecca captures this perfectly.

While her lyrics tell of the rolling cycles of time, the march of seasons & continuity between lives, the song itself could exist or have been written in virtually any time: it has deep roots and the accident of its creation in 2024 is almost irrelevant: it has no connection to the ephemera of today. It might fit into any compilation of traditional folk songs perfectly and going forward deserves to.

I must however emphasise though that "Holloway" is absolutely not one of those cloying exercises in retro stylings which gives certain folk music a bad name: it is timeless yet fresh as a (winter) daisy and its honesty of spirit shines through in its deceptive simplicity.

There may be a fine line between maximising sentiment (she wishes to "fix broken things") & straying into sentimentality but Rebecca has the skill & confidence to exalt the former & eschew the latter. There will inevitably be those dubbing "Holloway" as her finest solo achievement to date & you won't find me getting into a fight with them over the subject.