Recent Reviews and Recommendations

Dame Cleo Laine was in the audience for this concert... [more]

Event Date: October 27, 2009
Event Venue: The Stables

Dame Cleo Laine was in the audience for this concert (we are extremely thankful she and Johnny Dankworth have built this wonderful theatre). Everyone had a thoroughly enjoyable night of virtuoso performances from this quartet (over 2 hours). Whilst I'm not a connoisseur of jazz, just intrigued by the advert - and having heard some Grappelli many years ago (with Yehudi Menuin) - I could appreciate that this was a masterclass in pushing this jazz improv style. Interpretations included Bach Fugue, Handel's Air and Gershwin; along with Grappelli classics, and some wonderful original material - playing conversations with amongst these four. All beautifully performed. Great usage of electric violin foot pedals: fuzz boxes and wah wah. Christian announced he was inspired at the age of 5 way back in 1978 by a concert by Stephan Grappelli at this very venue - I'm sure the master would have been delighted to have heard this show! Highly recommended [less]
by Phil & Sheena A from Northampton

Now i'm not gonna lie....I love The Maccabees. I always... [more]

Event Date: October 10, 2009
Event Venue: 02 Academy, Leeds/Elbow Room, Leeds

   Now i'm not gonna lie....I love The Maccabees. I always have. So if this is a little biased, i do apologise.
In the past year, I've seen them tens of times, literally. Living in Brighton until recently had provided me with the opportunity of following their progress since the release of "Wall Of Arms", and so tonight as their tour drew to a close, I was saddened to think of the months they would now disappear for, much like they did after "Colour It In".
  It's not just the music, even though it is faultless. After following them round for the best part of a year, it's no longer much of a surprise to them that I'm at a Brighton/London gig, so as I bound over to Felix before the support band starts he greets me like a long lost friend and asks "What are you doing in Leeds?" The Maccabees are the sweetest boys you will ever meet. The charming shyness, the eagerness to please, the genuine love, attention and care they show fans. Likelihood is if you've met them, they'll remember you.
   Post Felix chat and support band it's time for them to take to the stage, opening with "No Kind Words" states their dominance on the stage, and they proceed to charge through a collection of favourites.."X-Ray", "Can You Give It" and the resurrection of the much loved "Latchmere".
   Orlando calls a halt to proceedings towards the end of "Precious Time", a scuffle breaks out in the standing area and from the stage Orlando shouts "OI! What Are you doing?" I don't care who started it, you're not at school"...and then proceeds to finish the song.
   Die hard fans are treated to B sides such as "Accordion Song" which alows Felix to take centre stage and then onto his little brother Hugo for a heart-warming "Hearts That Strangle".
   I know the drill, once you hear the brass section of "Love You Better" start up, you know it's the end of the set. I find myself thinking I just wish it was the start again, I'm tired and my throat hurts but I'd give anything to go back an hour.
   So that's the end.......no. There's the after party, where the White brothers take to the DJ decks. Beastie Boys, Outkast, MJ....they get more perfect by the minute.
   And so that's it. The Maccabees tour. The Maccabees second album. They blow kisses as they leave, as we drunkenly tell them this is our last encounter for a while. But when they come back...with a third album...make sure you go see them. Please. Because if anyone appreciates it, it's them. So boys...just don't leave it too long! [less]
by Jaimie from Sheffield

I've seen The Rapiers live on four occasions now, and... [more]

Event Date: Sept 2007
Event Venue: Shadowmania

I've seen The Rapiers live on four occasions now, and am knocked out by the sheer professionalism, authenticity of sound and musicanship which is always to the fore of each performance. They go to inordinate lengths to ensure that they replicate perfectly the original Shadow sounds, so much so that Bruce Welch himself says that The Rapiers are the best in the business.  The lead guitarist, Colin Pryce Jones, is a great guy and a perfectionist, and if you close your eyes during a performance you would swear that you are listening to Hank B Marvin.   His equipment is the same that Hank used, even to a piece of fag packet paper under the guitar nut, just to create that same 'twang'.  He has scoured everywhere for equipment that was the same as Hank's and has put together an awesome array of it, all in the name of authenticity. And what a result. It's mind blowing to hear him play.  I have all The Rapiers CD's and never tire of listening to them. I would urge anyone who has not yet had the privelege of hearing them live to grab your tickets for the next show near where you are, you'll rejoice that you did, believe me, and I'd bet you too will be after the CD's as well.
Long may this brilliant band perform.
Mike Burrows, from Cheshire. [less]
by Mike from Northwich

wow! first time seen this guy after catching him... [more]

Event Date: September 18, 2009
Event Venue: The Studio, Lowry, Manchester

wow!  first time seen this guy after catching him on one of Jools Holland's Later... prog's.

What a set!.  The Studio holds maybe 200 tops?  So, very intimate, he strolls on, sits down, starts playing.  The foot is going, not banging out the rhythm, but swaying, as if every note hurts and its a good set.  Yeah, he doesn't talk a lot, as he (reluctantly) admits but that leaves more time for good playing and singing.
Its a good mix of very laid back blues, sometimes a bit country orientated (But not too much otherwise I wouldn't be there)  The only disappointment is that, although he is an absolutely ace slide guitarist, he doesn't play any.
Still on AG's scale of gigs, this 4.5 /5.

Check out the following:  Lead me On, then go see. [less]
by Alan from Gatley

The post-punk pulse of Midland mavericks The Nightingales was at... [more]

Event Date: October 4, 2009
Event Venue: Buffalo Bar, Cardiff



The post-punk pulse of Midland mavericks The Nightingales was at the forefront of the 80's, Radio One schedule of the late great DJ, John Peel. The Nightingales leader, Rob Lloyd has returned to post millennium action with new incarnations of his cult band, and a show at the Buffalo Bar, Cardiff was a monumental rock 'n' roll triumph.

Take the nuances of Captain Beefheart, throw in some Link Wray plus a portion of The Fall and then add the unique Lloyd lyrical loaded lustre-and, the raw power of a cult act becomes a tad clearer. However, there is much more to this dynamic force!

The fiery four that make up the current line up do not rest on any previous achievements, for this is not a nostalgia trip! This is very much 2009!

A punk confrontation and post-punk discordance are joined by rockabilly rhythms, palatable pop and a unique stage presence that even makes the odd drum solo acceptable. Lloyd enters the arena of the punter and anti-serenades anyone who comes in to his view, and to add to this manic mingling the humour is aplenty as ad-libs dovetail with the fruits of a colossal, aural arsenal.

The songs interweave, head off in to new pastures and the element of surprise combines with the off kilter behaviour of a truly, original front man. Newer material is joined by a rollercoaster ride of past glory-and, just when you think that a cover of The Troggs 60's hit 'I can't control Myself' is off the cuff the lads then throw in a soaring version of the Status Quo smash 'Paper Plane'!

The Nightingales playing was tighter than a duck's rear end soldered together with krypton and these guys offer 110% energy-and, then they push on to a new level of drive! This was a fine gig from a combo who you are well advised to witness because to sample this motor music Midas is an imperative experience! [less]
by Rob Jones from Tonypandy

I cannot emphasise enough how utterly brilliant and exceptionally wonderfully... [more]

Event Date: Friday 6th November 2009
Event Venue: Durham Gala Theatre

I cannot emphasise enough how utterly brilliant and exceptionally wonderfully great this man is. Daniel Kitson is constantly superb from start to finish.  Fairly priced tickets and his set ran for roughly 2 straight hours. No break, no support act, just 2 hours of perfect Kitson comedy.

Rather than seeing a comic that might make you smile or giggle, Kitson literally left the crowd in fits of continuous laughter. I'm not writing this to sell the show more but people were wiping tears from their eyes they were crying so much and for a comedian there cannot be any greater response. People rocked in their seats and struggled to catch their breath the laughs came so quickly.

One gift to Kitson's comedy is that it isn't just gag after gag. He leaves the audience with a moral to his story as his shows are based on one big moment in his life and how things have happened to him and how these things affect us all in the real world. In between jokes he'll give poignant little speeches based on emotions and actions and how everyting is part of reality.  Rather than live life to the full, just enjoy what you want and do what makes you happy (within reason and in the law) and if you can have a sit down while doing so, result.

If you've never heard of him, go his website or itunes and get his 2004 and 2005 shows as podcasts for free.

He too plays small theatres which is a bonus. Large arena shows ruin comedy. The more intimate the venue, the more comfortable the setting, the more local the crowd and the more comfortable the seating. He will never do arenas. If he were ever as big a name as Lee Evans or Bill Bailey (as good they are), be assured he would never play a big show. Kitson keeps himself quiet and as such does not print tour leaflets. You have to sign up to his newsletters, get alerts here or regularly check your local theatre websites for upcoming dates.

Forget Christmas DVD sellers and arena sell outs, Daniel Kitson is without any doubt the best stand up on the circuit and leaves everyone else standing, sitting, in the dust etc

He is just too good. Just see him if you can and love it for what it is. A five star, 100% funnyman who isn't afraid to say what he thinks. And what he thinks of is comedy gold. [less]
by Sean Prower

Either I'd forgotten just how good a Southside Johnny gig... [more]

Event Date: November 2, 2009
Event Venue: The Globe, Cardiff

Either I'd forgotten just how good a Southside Johnny gig can be or he got even better! There were a few changes from the last time I saw Southside:  a little more facial hair, the trademark shades being discarded early on, and the ever changing line up of the Asbury Jukes.

But much remained the same, including great musicianship from the eight strong backing band,  featuring a strong horns section (sometimes reminiscent of the Memphis Horns sound), keyboards, drums, lead and bass guitars.

There were the trademark gestures and the false starts: Johnny deciding he didn't want to do this song right now when he was a few lines in, killing the band when they chose a number he didn't want tonight or stopping a band member who'd outplayed their solo.  He certainly likes to control the show and make decisions on the fly - you wonder if it gets frustrating at times for the band, although I guess they know what they are going to get.

But when it all comes together it's truly glorious: the anarchic and spontaneous nature of a Soutside Johnny performance making a refreshing contrast to some well-known bands working though their stale set lists. In then last few years I've seen both the Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen with the E-street band in Cardiff's Millennium stadium and hardly enjoyed them. They'd lost whatever it was that delivered those great experiences years ago. This was much more fun, with even Springsteen's own numbers like "Love on the Wrong Side of Town" sounding better here.

There was a lot of humour in the performance and the interaction with the crowd - never far from the stage in this wide and shallow small venue - was certainly entertaining. It's not often you get an audience member asked up on stage to sing chorus lines in Welsh!

If the lyrics were mostly about frustrated love, break-ups and heartbreak (inevitable with so much blues and soul influence), the sound was truly uplifting. As the gig progressed there was an increasing emphasis on crowd-pleasing numbers with sing-along choruses - I'm still hearing songs like Talk to Me and Walk Away Renee, days after the concert.

Above all, there was total commitment. On stage for a non-stop two and a half hours, Johnny left the capacity crowd with big smiles on their faces. Best gig I've seen in Cardiff this year. [less]
by Paul S from Cardiff

Hi, Tony was excellent, a great sense of humour put... [more]

Event Date: November 3, 2009
Event Venue: memorial hall, frome, somerset

Hi, Tony was excellent, a great sense of humour put all the audience at ease, I was one of the lucky ones and had my late husband come through and Tony was 100% accurate to what he had to say, I had always been in 2 minds about the other side but I can say now I really do believe in it,  This is the first time I had ever seen Tony but will definitly be seeing him again with my family.
Tony Stockwell you are brilliant and thankyou [less]
by Sarah

Chesterfield's foremost rock / metal covers band If Iron Maiden, AC/DC,... [more]

Chesterfield's foremost rock / metal covers band

If Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Gotthard and old school heavy metal is your thing, these guys do not disappoint. Check them out on myspace [less]
by Wheaty from Holmesfield

I also find Sean Lock - super funny......yet there are... [more]

I also find Sean Lock - super funny......yet there are no tour dates in Wales.......

Come on Sean, travel a bit!!!! [less]
by Nicola J from Aberdare