Dust'n'Debris

DUST'N'DEBRIS

Willow Pub August 5th 2023

At the Willow pub last night for some Americana/Country/Skiffle and many others from Dust & Debris.

The band as always delivered a great set of well chosen covers and some of their own material in a breezy, entertaining and fun gig.

Each of the band shines, and in Les and Jade have two fine vocalists who always deliver with warmth and style... supported by an excellent bass and drums team (my apoligies... i cannot remeber the names...) and excellent fiddle and guitar/mandolin/banjo from Elaine and George respectively.

The band always seem to have a gret time on stage and that comes over to the audience... on this occasion disappointingly small but very well entertained and ready to dance.... a really good gig

However... not convinced that the venue is ideal for live music!!

Keep music live... keep music real... support your local venues

Hex Poseur/Pretty Little Rats/Mouse Teeth/We are Boilers/Velvet Crisis

HEX POSEUR/PRETTY LITTLE RATS/MOUSE TEETH/
WE ARE BOILERS/VELVET CRISIS

Musician Pub August 4th 2023

This was a gig i was anticipating with a mixture of excitement and fear... ended up loving a great night out. New territory in many ways so I may not be the ideal reviewer!!...

First up, representing the Unglamourous music project were a really strong garage band, Velvet Crisis... a highly energetic band featuring strong voices and some very potent lyrics.. as their publicity says the are loud, political and fun. Vocals were shared out and band members swapped instruments during the set leading to different emphases and a nice variety in the overall soundtrack. Thoroughly enjoyed the set... cracking start.

Next up were We Are Boilers... also representing the Unglamourous music project. Another strong energetic band showing great attitude and delivering more high energy and fun, also some great lyrics, including a great song demanding big meals (couldnt agree more!).

Third up was a solo performer, Mouse Teeth, who i found rivetting. She delivered a mix of poetry, accompanied by electronic drones, and songs accompanied by her own guitar. The poems and songs were delivered in a somewhat laid back world weary style which I found very appealing. In particular a speech about the lot of women in music, which i couldnt decide whether it was a poetry piece or just delivered from the heart... whichever way it made a lot of sense and went down well with the audience. Only negative point was that i found the drones around the poems a tad distracting at times.

After this back to the garage rock, this time from the Pretty Dirty Rats. A three piece who for me failed to hit the mark. The guitar playing was at best basic, though loud and fast, the vocals, when i could hear them weak and uninspiring... on the plus side they have a drummer who laughs and smiles through the set attacking the drums with joyful abandon... but this band is not to my taste ** As a post script to this post i have now seen/heard a video of part of the Pretty Little Rats set... on the night i genuinely could not hear any of the vocal track at all... just guitar, drums and bass. Having now heard the video with the vocal it makes a huge difference to the sound and feel of the performance... and also significantly lifts the guitar work. I hope to see the band again before too long...

However... to end the evening a blitzkreig of garage rock from the excellent Hex Poseur. Another 3 piece who played with great authority, energy and style. Rock solid bass and drums and some quality guitar playing. The overall sound was electrifying, dominated by the rocking thrashed guitar and powerful vocals. Really loved this band... but this was a really great set

All of the acts played with great commitment and energy, and had great rapport with the audience, leading to a lovely atmosphere all night... thoroughly great evening... hope to see more

Keep music live... keep music real... support your local venues

Code Switch Theory/Amy Dx/Hugh McManners

CODE SWITCH THEORY/AMY DX/HUGH MCMANNERS

Donkey Venue August 3rd 2023 

My first visit to one of Paul Collins "First Thursday"... and first up tonight was Hugh McMannersHugh is impossible to categorize, he is simply Hugh McManners, his own man. He is these days generally playing solo acoustic, basically folky these days, but while supporting two rock bands played most of his songs more in the style of his band, The Linden Tree Band, and for the most part the psychedelic and rock elements of his performance worked beautifully in this setting, though there were a few little crackles and glitches, not that they adversely affected the performance. Hugh has a "Lived In" voice, and personna, and an easy appealing stage manner which perfectly complement his excellent songs... i particularly enjoyed the opening story song "Indian" (a motorbike). Hugh introduced one song by saying that no evening was complete without a Beatle song... and he played one of the great, though rarely covered, ones... A Day in the Life... and made fine job of it. Excellent set, thoroughly enjoyed it.

Next up was a band i had never heard of, AMY DX. This was a five piece led by Amy on keyboard and vocals. Another band difficult to categorise...they did mainly original songs, the first of which I felt had echoes of Fleetwood Mac (the Nicks/Perfect version) and the following song was a cover of their "Go your own way" which rocked along beautifully, as did the other cover, a song by PJ Harvey. Their own songs were also rocky but much "gentler" in nature... and fine songs. Amy has a cracking voice and sings wonderfully, the band are also excellent, with some fine guitar work, and support her well.

The one negative is that they need to work on the overall stage presence and between songs banter... having said that, after the performance i learned that Amy has been working as a solo singer songwriter and this was one of the first handful of gigs for the band... the stage presence will come with gigging and experience, and they will be a quality band...

Headlining were CODE SWITCH THEORY. i've seen them before as a duo, and was a bit unsure about them, i found the music a bit inaccesible... however tonight i was surprised to see a vocalist and bass player now in the band and those reservations are gone... this was a damn good rock band playing a great set. They played with energy and style, and fine musicianship.The vocalist was clearly the focal point of the band, and has a strong clear voice delivering the songs with energy and great style. The band as a whole were excellent and delivered a poppy form of rock that was hugely enjoyable and high class.

Overall, this was a hugely enjoyable evening with three fine acts

Keep music live... keep music real... support your local venues