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Of all the shows I caught during Independent Venue Week, Jamie Lenman’s Saturday night acoustic set at the Boileroom in Guildford most effectively captured the community spirit celebrated by IVW. Intimate, emotional, and packed with Lenman fans old and new, it was a genuine experience made truly special by Read more…
After the previous evening’s You Me At Six-centric pop-rock extravaganza, Guildford was in need of something a little more low-key this past Saturday night. Fortunately the Boileroom’s booking team had it covered, offering acoustic vibes from two underground talents and one certain legend; a perfect contrast to the full-on mainstream rock angle taken just 24 hours before.
Lee Martin got things off to a quirky and passionate start with Read more…
Clean, pristine, and polished so much it shines, Following Foxes’ debut EP is a prime cut of pro-grade acoustic-driven folk rock. Although the airtight production does eat into the earthy and organic vibes common to most releases in their chosen genre, Following Foxes’ songs are Read more…
Martha Paton has a real knack for penning amazing songs and making the most of minimal instrumentation. Lights to Lines continues Paton’s ubroken wining streak through a combination of Read more…
Romani 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…
I 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…
Meghann Wright’s Twitter bio describes her work as “sad bastard music” – and it certainly Read more…
One of my favourite things about the Boileroom is the sheer diversity of musical styles that are welcomed within its walls. For this year’s DengFest, Selectric set up an appropriate air of unpredictability via Read more…
The fact that this show even happened is a true testament to the strength and indomitable passion of its organisers. Few life experiences are as devastating as losing a friend or family member to cancer; when that happens, most of us would become too overwhelmed to function, and with good reason. Nobody would have blamed Tom Morley and the team behind Smile For Hatti (a campaign set up to support the courageous and inspiring Hatti Sandall, who sadly passed away only three days before this gig) had they rescheduled or cancelled this fundraiser – but they didn’t. For that, they deserve all the respect in the world – not to mention the sheer success of this awesome event, which raised over £2000 for Smile For Hatti (which is in the process of becoming a new charity, to which future donations will be directed) and Sarcoma UK.
As far as opening acts go, Read more…
An elegantly understated and wistfully melancholic collection of prime-cut songs in the singer-songwriter vein, Symptoms managed to halt my search for something dense and heavy, and keep me blissfully entranced by something delicate instead. On the day after the Charlie Hebdo murders, angry aftershocks are rippling around the world – but albums like this are fully capable of reminding us all that peaceful action is a more effective response to conflict than blind rage. Read more…