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The super-compact Green Note is one of RGM’s very favourite venues. There’s invariably a friendly welcome and the low lighting, velvet curtains and bare brick walls adorned with paintings of Joni Mitchell and Nick Drake all align to create a reverent and rustic intimacy which encourages those pin-drop moments of spiritual levity we crave from a performance. For me at least, its proximity to the 29 bus route is also a big plus.
Read MoreIn spite of the atmospheric tumult that accompanies the onset of autumn (by which I mean it’s wet and a bit nippy) the RGM team are out to catch the London leg of Rachel Sermanni’s tour in support of So It Turns, her thoroughly excellent third LP. It’s our first ever visit to the crumbling grandeur of St John’s Church in Bethnal Green, one of a growing number of sacred places doubling up as music venues. For those among us that already consider gig-going a semi-religious act it’s the perfect partnership and the instant reverence that buildings like this bestow on visitors does plenty to civilise a crowd. To be fair, the fifteen foot statue of Jesus hanging behind the altar helps, too.
Read MoreThe RGM team doubled in size for day three of Black Deer in an effort to reach into even more of the many nooks and crannies from which live music could be heard floating around the site. On arrival, RGM and Black Deer favourite The Sheepdogs were doing their thing on the main stage (impressive as they’d closed the Supajam tent the previous evening). The Sheepdogs were again going down a storm with ‘Nobody’ a perfect complement to a sunny day with its Paul McCartney & Wings tribute/pastiche breakdown and no less than three guitarists trading musical blows to complete their set. A great start to the day.
Read MoreDay two at Black Deer broke bright and sunny, which always does wonders for the spirit and rejuvenates a tired mind and body. As usual, where to start our musical journey was a tough choice, but Jessie Buckley won the day, mainly on the strength of positive feedback from the photographers in the pit. This feedback turned out to be a very good tip, as Buckley and her excellent band won over a crowd that didn’t really need to be won over, as she had them in the palm of her hand from the off.
Read MoreFor the first day of the annual Black Deer Festival, the gods have been kind and the sun is trying to break through the clouds. The UK is back in love with country music and all things Americana - at least on a musical level. This level of acceptance for the genre has not been seen on our shores since Dolly, Kenny and Tammy topped the charts and the Wembley Country Music festival was a must-see on BBC2. Black Deer is only in its sophomore year but it already feels like a must do on the crowded festival calendar.
Read MoreTom Baxter’s extensive UK and Irish tour in support of his latest album The Other Side of Blue (review) includes only one London appearance: here, at the Union Chapel. The place is perfectly suited to Baxter’s solo setup as it remains one of the capital’s most intimate and reverent mid-sized venues. Baxter has been out of the spotlight for a few years but has evidently lost not a drop of the energy and passion he had when we first saw him play The Borderline as a newcomer to London’s acoustic scene more than fifteen years ago.
Read MoreA typical Friday night in London and unsurprisingly the streets are full of people with things to do and places to go. The London Bridge area is as good a place as any to experience the hustle and bustle of London life with seemingly every other doorway leading into a coffee shop, restaurant or pub, while the imposing 95-story Shard skyscraper looms overhead. Just up the road from London Bridge tube station, we find Omeara a bijou live venue (capacity 350) which opened in 2016 and is the brainchild of Ben Lovett (Mumford & Sons). After two or three near misses this is my first visit to Omeara and I’m immediately impressed with the venue hidden away in Flat Iron Square, an open courtyard type area with galleries, street food etc. The vibe is cool and hip but not annoyingly so, the door and bar staff proved friendly and the venue itself looks like a decaying regency ballroom as imagined by Universal Studios for ‘Poseidon’s Fury’.
Read MoreSinger-somgwriter Ruston Kelly is in London promoting his excellent debut album ‘Dying Star’ with a low key show at the bijou Slaughtered Lamb. Needless to say the gig is sold-out and it’s pretty obvious the crowd are expecting good things long before Kelly ambles on stage.
Read MoreThe Barbican complex in London seems to be undergoing something of a renaissance in recent times as people are able to see past the Brutalist 70’s Architecture and enjoy the large open communal areas, the conservatory (a lush tropical garden in the concrete bowels… who knew), cinemas and a wonderfully varied musical palate. Don’t get me wrong, the covered walk from Barbican Station past the car parks is beyond ugly and the convoluted journey down multiple levels to find the correct area of the actual venue could be a little intimidating, but the concert hall is superb with comfy seats, plenty of legroom (I’m 6’ 2”), great sightlines and impressively clear sound. It was also refreshing to find a ban on photography and mobile phones, people actually had to pay attention to the acts which made a welcome change.
Read MoreAs a venue, The Union Chapel rises serenely above the sticky floors of its close neighbours The Hope & Anchor and The Garage. It balances its roles as fully functioning church and celebrated concert hall with ease and, if you’re after a sense of reverence and ceremony, there aren’t many London venues that can match it. On this balmy May evening, Scott Matthews' disciples gather respectfully along the ridiculously up-at-heel Compton Terrace long before doors open and I have the distinct impression that I am in for one of the more civilised gig-going experiences of my modest career. I install myself in pew 77 with a Coke (no alcohol allowed in the church itself) and begin to contemplate my manifold sins.
Read MoreWe’re getting increasingly excited at the thought of a full-length debut from transatlantic duo Son of Town Hall. Filled with much hope and a little trepidation, the RGM team head to Cecil Sharp House for the London date on their current UK tour...
Read MoreI pride myself on never being late for anything. But unavoidably late I am for Glen Hansard’s show at The Royal Festival Hall (it’s a long and boring story involving a room full of teenage guitarists - I will spare you) and I kick myself as I am ushered by torchlight to my seat and Hansard’s eleven-strong band (3 strings, 3 horns, 2 keys, drums, bass and guitar) promptly leave the stage in order that the man himself can take the piano alone. What?! I’ve arrived in the lull?! Dammit! I discover later than I’ve missed eight whole songs but, luckily for me, there’s plenty still to come.
Read MoreMy introduction to the band of musicians that form the Texas Gentlemen was via Paul Cauthen’s excellent ‘My Gospel’ album. Browsing the credits, which is pretty refreshing to be able to do in this digital age, and the names of Beau Patrick Bedford, for his terrific production work, and guitarist Nik Lee stood out. Bedford is effectively the leader of The Texas Gentlemen a band of session musicians who’ve become go-to players for a host of artists including Joe Ely and Kris Kristofferson, which really tells you all you need to know about how good these guys are. With so many great players on tap, eleven Texas Gentlemen worked on ‘TX Jelly’ their debut album; you’re never quite sure who’ll turn up which is bound to keep things interesting.
Read MoreLondon is my usual stomping ground for gigs so the announcement of Country Music Week was most welcome. From October 2nd – 8th some of the best and the brightest artists of the genre are popping up all over town in various musical configurations be it with full bands, acoustic sets or the much loved, and quintessentially Nashville, songwriters circle, CMW had all the bases covered
Read MoreSummer seems to have arrived in London and a trip down to one of my preferred gig venues The Borderline sounded like the ideal thing to do on a Tuesday evening. Well at least I think I'm in The Borderline...the old Mexican Cantina ambience has been replaced with a more upmarket and modern club vibe. We are, most definitely, not in Kansas anymore and it’s so refreshing to see a venue investing in the future with a very cool refit. For those of us who've been visiting the place since the early 90s it might seem a little strange initially but it works for me.
Read MoreFor his first shows in the UK the Sold Out signs are up and Brent Cobb finds himself, to his surprise I’m sure, welcomed with open arms for his London debut. The musical grapevine has been working overtime and Brent is playing to full houses two months before the UK release of his debut album ‘Shine On Rainy Day’ (March 24th is the date). A respectful and knowledgeable crowd obviously knows the album, which was released stateside late in 2016, and have an appreciation for good songs well played and sung. Brent Cobb covers all these bases with aplomb which, when coupled with the relaxed Southern charm he demonstrated on the night, ensures artist and audience are on the same page and destined to have a great time.
Read MoreEarlier this year Ian Hunter released his first record in four years the excellent ‘Fingers Crossed’ which displayed that the former Mott The Hoople frontman had lost none of his ability to recognise a good tune and coin an interesting phrase. The album really is terrific and still gets regular spins at RGM towers (check out our review of the album here). The announcement of a date at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire had me very keen to pop along and check out the man and his Rant Band in the flesh.
Read MoreHaving chairs set in rows tends to have a civilising effect on a crowd but tonight at Bush Hall the attendees need no reminders when it comes to audience etiquette. A respectful silence falls over them long before support act Dietrich Strause has got himself comfy behind the mic and we're sat so still and expectant I suspect we're actually starting to freak him out. Undeterred, Strause paddles through his set of deftly fingerpicked and tender folk songs perhaps a little too apologetically but is nonetheless warmly received.
Read MoreThe opportunity to catch John Paul White in the intimate confines of Bush Hall where the acoustics pretty much guarantee a lovely vocal sound was one not to be missed. Obviously plenty more people were following my line of thinking as the website claimed Sold Out and there was definitely a healthy crowd on the night.
Read MoreThe general opinion seems to be that the live music venue is an endangered species these days. Even ex Beatles recently bemoaned the issue (Ringo with rather more energy than that other bloke) and this may well be true, but dig a little deeper and there are great venues playing host to fabulous performances every night of the week in London town which brings us to Dalston on a surprisingly chilly Monday night in October.
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