Eliza Doolittle & THOS / Bat and Ball / Tweed & Hyenas / Tusks [Live Review – The Boileroom, Guildford, 9/1/15]
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…
If your plans for the night of February 2nd 2015 involve chugging absinthe, spinning round in circles until you fall over or puke or both, repeating the above until you pass out, and then waking up and putting on your coat and going to work, this album is the soundtrack you need. 
This EP is aptly titled. If you’re feeling starved of intense and immense prog-fusion brilliance, then you should do two things: Read more TMMP, and check out CHON. They’ll seduce you effortlessly with opening acoustic-centric track Super Potion, and leave you wondering what the fuck just happened by the time Knot is finished. Not bad for just two tunes. 
On this twelve-track long player, über-groovy bass maestro Stanley Clarke set out to have fun with some legendary friends – and a tangible sense of shared joy, excitement, and creative intentionality shines through every second of Up. After 40 solo albums, it’s safe to say that Stanley Clarke has established a signature sound all his own – and although long-time bass fans may feel that they know what to expect, there’s a genuine vibrancy and freshness on Up that marks it out as an exceptional album. 
Although I’m a huge fan of Project RnL, and TMMP is all about negating musical boundaries, my first reaction to Expiration Date was something along the lines of “Just what the hell is this?!” 
You have a choice here: Set your mind to ‘Blown’ now, or let this album do it for you. Alessandro Bertoni is an exceptionally talented composer – and on Keystone his own formidable keyboard skills are backed up by three legendary fusioneers in the form of Brett Garsed, Ric Fierabracci, and Virgil Donati. Expect grooves aplenty, cliffhanger staccato moments, and pristine production from first track Megas Alexandros Pt. 1: The Great Portrait alone. 
On paper, an ode to a piece of gear (in this case Waves’ Codex synth) should really, really not work this well as a piece of music. But then again, Eyal Amir isn’t your run-of-the-mill composer. Theme From Planet Codex all but bursts with joy and cuteness, effectively representing the rapture of pure creative inspiration in almost exactly four minutes.