Princess Slayer / Oh So Quiet / Lily Oakes [Live Review – The Stillery, Camden, 8/4/2015]

Princess Slayer

I love Camden’s diversity. Step out of Camden Town tube station and you’re a minute away from the Jazz Cafe, punk and hardcore institution the Underworld, and the Stillery – an intimate hole in the wall torn apart last week by Mancunian post-hardcore up and comers, the Hyena Kill. This time around, the Stillery hosted a set of very different musicians.

Lily Oakes is an interesting one. A series of trip-hop-oriented tracks performed in the most Read more…

Posted on 10 April 2015

Ben Williams – ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ [Review]

image003Although singer-songwriters are a dime a dozen-to-the-power-of-X, Ben Williams is an exceptional talent. A decorated sessioneer with a spectacular CV (including gigs with Read more…

Posted on 26 March 2015

Martin Harley Band / Andy Ruddy [Live Review – The Boileroom, Guildford, 27/2/2015]

martin harleyI love seeing musicians progress in leaps and bounds – and Andy Ruddy has done exactly that. The last time I saw him live, Andy Ruddy seemed reserved and nervous – but both qualities have now been completely eliminated, replaced by a confident and strong yet still warm and approachable presence. With a strong stage show, great songs in the singer-songwriter vein, and an album on the way, 2015 is looking very good indeed for Andy Ruddy.

Martin Harley is a local legend, and it’s almost criminal that Read more…

Posted on 02 March 2015

Romani Beau [Interview]

Screen shot 2015-01-21 at 18.44.57Romani Beau’s upcoming EP Molly and the Boys has been a long time coming, but it will be worth the wait for fans of lilting, breezy folk. Although Romani is currently living an underground existence, to say that he has the potential to break out of obscurity is a real understatement. This guy is the Surrey folk scene’s best-kept secret – but only for now. With great songs, a hugely talented team backing him up, warmth and charisma seeping from every pore, and a hilariously self-deprecating sense of humour, Romani shows all the signs of a star in the making.

TMMP caught up with the man himself to chat about the past, present, and future, memories and happiness and more… Read more…

Posted on 22 February 2015

Andrew Combs – ‘All These Dreams’ [Review]

AllTheseDreams-FrontCover-finalCountry music is a rarity on TMMP – but this album is so exceptional that I had to write something about it. Eleven tales of ruin, regret, and redemption told through deep-roasted vocals and Read more…

Posted on 16 February 2015

Billy Momo – ‘Drunktalk’ [Review]

billy momoBilly Momo know what it’s like to stand up to your chin in shit and watch as a wave starts to swell on the horizon. Throughout this long and winding album, themes of darkness and despair dance alongside Read more…

Posted on 09 February 2015

Romani Beau – ‘Molly And The Boys EP’ [Review]

Screen shot 2015-01-21 at 18.55.26Romani is one of the Surrey folk scene’s best-kept secrets – for now. Opting for a country-flavoured approach that marks him out from Read more…

Posted on 25 January 2015

The Weeks / The Apache Relay / The Greasy Slicks / Gold Phoenix [Live Review – The Boileroom, Guildford, 19/1/15]

the weeksI have no excuse for missing most of Gold Phoenix’s intense garage-rocking set. I’m just a bad person.

The Greasy Slicks, on the other hand, are good. As a matter of fact, they’re more than just good – they’re fucking immense. Flat-out fucked drums, flamethrower guitars, and Read more…

Posted on 20 January 2015

Ezio / Cardboard Carousel [Live Review – The Boileroom, Guildford, 11/10/14]

ezioAlthough I was gutted at missing most of Cardboard Carousel‘s earlier-than-planned set, what I did catch was as wonderful as I’d anticipated. Cardboard Carousel are an incredibly talented husband-and-wife team whose precisely attuned vocals give their carefully-worded tunes the depth they deserve.

I was probably the only audience member who was completely new to Ezio (whose name my spellchecker wants to change to ‘Wazoo’), and it was cool to see a pair of artists receive so much enthusiastic appreciation. Whether bouncing between acoustic-based genres – taking in rock, folk, blues, country, flamenco, and gypsy jazz – or prefacing an encore with an in-depth discussion of the walk of shame, Ezio were consummate showmen and instrumentalists. Along the way were laughs, melancholic moments, and more than enough lilting serenity to ease my post-Marmozets bangover. Read more…

Posted on 13 October 2014

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