COURTNEY ASKEY/MOUSETEETH/JJ LOVEGROVE/HONEST DAVE
IAC 25TH January 2025
It was a really lovely Friday evening at the IAC... a celebration of local talent promoted by Magic Teapot
Given the awful weather a great crowd turned out for the gig... and as you settled down into a seat their was a feeling of warmth and love for the show in the air...
First up in the evening was HONEST DAVE ably assisted as ever by Shaz Collyer on sax.
I am not normally a lover of loopers and pre-recorded tapesbut Dave uses them incredibly well, building up layers of texture and depth both vocally and on the guitar while Shaz adds some lovely sax to make an intriguing and enjoyable whole... Dave also adds some nifty guitar lines over the loops and backing tracks... Dave's performances are always quirky and rather different, a very enjoyable set, but to be honest, refreshing the set with some new material would really help.
After Dave a quick turnaround for JJ Lovegrove to weave her magic with her keyboard and incredible voice. for the first song the stage was dark, lit by one spotlight behind JJ which was a really good look and somehow appropriate, but I was grateful when she asked that the spotlight be dropped and the stage lit from the front... I now really understand why many artists dont like a spotlight on their faces!!
That aside, JJ started gently on the keyboard and built it up, the sound swelling adding multiple layers before the glorious voice came in over the music... a JJ Lovegrove performance has an ethereal quality as her voice soars over the keyboard accompaniment... delivering her excellent songs with passion and assurance... This set felt relatively short but more than maintained the standard... high quality set which i really loved.
Next up was Mouse Teeth Music who was a revelation... having seen and really enjoyed several Mouse Teeth sets before, tonights performance was even better... she has matured as an artists and this set was delivered with total commitment and assurance.
Her original songs and poems are powerful and very personal in nature, superbly crafted and at times somewhat disturbing and difficult to hear... and you have to admire the honesty and raw power of the songs... Her voice is clear and distinct bringing out the emotion of every song and poem.
Surprise of the evening was when she, with a laugh, introduced a sing-a-long... not normally included in her sets... but it went superbly and the audience fully bought in to it... Terrific performance all round
Last up was the one new name to me, Courtney Askey. Her set was almost divided into two, with a few numbers with her guitar and band and a few more solo on piano.
The band numbers were excellent, I am told a departure from earlier material being a tad darker. The songs were really good, and the performance concentrated on the lyrics and Courtneys performance though the band, comprising bass and drums, were superb... accompanying her with subtlety and total empathy making a lovely whole...
However... i personally preferred the solo piano pieces, Courteney sitting behind her piano on a dramatic looking empty dark stage and singing her songs beautifully with great assurance and feeling... rather beautiful.
Thoroughly enjoyed the whole of Courtneys performance and hope to see her and the band again before long
This was a lovely evening, demonstrating once again that the music scene in Leicester is alive and vibrant with countless talented and wonderful artists... thanks to Ian for putting on this, and similar, shows.
Keep music live... keep music real... support your local venue
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