The hell with the UK. I’m moving to NYC.
New York has long been associated with none-more-cool music of assorted kinds, and this EP continues that home-town tradition by eschewing norms and traditions in favour of a purely eccentric, experimental approach to composition and performance. I Did Fine features Read more…
Although 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…
I 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…
As a music venue embedded into Stamford Bridge (the stadium called home by Chelsea F.C.), Under the Bridge was an appropriately unique venue for this unique show. An industry showcase set up by trade paper Music Week, networking hub MusicConnex, promoters ILUVLIVE, and south coast music school BIMM, it goes without saying that the high-profile nature of this show inevitably brought its own special set of performance pressures. A quality showcase set has the potential to push an act to the next level, while a duff performance can see a band crossed off “Ones To Watch” lists in the blink of an eye.
On top of the potential for mind-freezing attacks of performance anxiety, this was not Read more…
When I reviewed Marcus Rexford’s Exposure EP last January, I found myself on the fence about it. This time around, though, I have nothing critical (in the sense of expressing disapproval) to say about his Sounds from a Bedroom Window mixtape. It is totally sublime, stuffed full of Read more…
Imagine you’re a beatboxer. You’re pretty good, so you enter the UK Beatbox Championships. You win. You eat, breathe, sleep and sweat beatboxing for a solid year before returning. You win again. Things get a bit crazy. A comedy video you made in a kitchen gets uploaded to YouTube (as freshly purchased by Google). In time, it will attract over 5 million views.
Over the next several years, you take solo beatboxing as far as it can possibly be taken. You play underground comedy clubs, TV shows, festivals. Your YouTube presence grows. You begin experimenting with live looping technology, battling not rival MCs but inefficient circuitry and user interfaces in the name of getting the ideas in your head into other people’s earholes. You find yourself in a studio, recording an eclectic collection of tracks that takes in everything from dubstep and hip-hop to almost every international folk music style recorded by history. Your debut album gets released; it sells nicely.
Finally, you hit on a pair of serious problems. Read more…
Opening with a grand, anxiety-ridden statement and segueing into warm swathes of fingerpicked acoustic guitar and sorrowful slide work, the first minute of Ghost Months opener Grass is a brilliant demonstration of Benjamin Longman’s compositional capabilities. As the thickest instrumental layers fall away, Read more…
Romani 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…
Country 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…
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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…