SMOKE FAIRIES / SEA OF BEE'S - BRUDENELL SOCIAL CLUB, LEEDS 27/01/11

The Smoke Fairies (Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies) came to my attention after hearing them on Marc Riley's show on BBC 6music. They do a two part harmony which covers British folk and Southern swamp blues. Totally infectious and very different. Apparently the name alludes to the summer mist that collects in the hedge rows of Sussex's narrow country lanes.

Smoke Fairies have been getting loads of attention and have toured with Richard Hawley, recorded with Jack White and even come to the attention of the mighty Bob Dylan.

I bought tickets for this gig having only heard three songs and really had no idea whether they would cut it live. Let let's just say that they were utterly sublime. For two seemingly shy country girls they absolutely command the stage, building great songs with intricate dual guitar and those gorgeous harmonies. I was surprised to find how rocking this band actually is, with excellent backing from violin, bass and drums. The crowd was rapt, silent and attentive throughout, which for a gig like this is an absolute must.

Judging by the feeding frenzy after the gig at the merchandise stall, Smoke Fairies are destined for big things and they'll go down a storm at Glastonbury. An early tip from me is that they'll be close to headlining the Park stage which Emily Eavis curates at Glastonbury this summer.

Opening act Sea of Bees (Julie Ann Bee) from Sacramento, USA were also superb and I was chuffed to discover they are supporting John Grant in Leeds in March, when hopefully they'll do a longer set. Endearingly kooky with strange vocal tics and mannerisms, Jules really caught my attention.

During the gig I had a chat with Ash the promoter from Iron Wagon who is one of the guys in Leeds bringing these outstanding bands into the city. Top guy and hopefully he'll work his magic on Michael Taylor (Hiss Golden Messenger) and get him on the bill in Leeds somewhere over the summer.

THIS ALBUM IS SIMPLY MAGNIFICENT

John Grant - Queen Of Denmark

I received this album as a Christmas present from my daughter and it's had more airplay than anything else over the last four weeks. I'd read the reviews and seen how well it had done in the various music magazine end of year polls (winning album of the year in Mojo) so put it down on my wish list. The whole story behind how John returned to music, coaxed back by the superb Midlake to act as his backing band had me intrigued.

On first listen on Xmas day I was pretty disappointed, it sounded interesting but I really couldn't figure why the reviews rated it so high. On second and subsequent listens though it has just got better and better. The album is just so different to anything else out there at the moment. It's middle of the road music for sure but with kick ass songs, great lyrics and huge melodies. Not only that but as a twelve song cycle it is nigh of perfect. I've loved this first thing on Sunday morning's, last thing at night, cycling to work, it really fits any mood. As you would expect from the sonic perfectionists Midlake, the musicianship is outstanding throughout. Buy it, you won't regret it.

John's on tour in March and me and Pammy have tickets for his gig on the 25th March in Leeds at Holy Trinity Church. I've never seen a rock gig in a church sat in a pew, so it's going to be an interesting evening. Wonder if we can sneak in some booze?

YET ANOTHER GIG...

I've just spotted that The Decemberists are playing the 02 Academy in Leeds on 11th March. Leeds is finally getting a decent run of quality bands through the various venues.

For years I've been driving over to Manchester to see the types of bands you never see in Leeds, mainly Americana / Alt Country bands. All of a sudden they are over here in force, what's going on? Maybe there's a resurgence in gig attendance in Leeds, there certainly seems to be a change in the types of bands being booked in the city. Anyway, other than the hole in the bank account though buying all these tickets, it's great news.

With the Leeds Arena funding in place and building underway, we'll also have a 13,500 venue in the city for the arena circuit pretty soon. Where will it end? Maybe Rounday Park will get dusted down for some enormo-gigs in the summer, mind you who could fill that at the moment? The Leeds gig weekend in late summer has also being getting some traction over the last couple of years. This is similar the the Camden Crawl in London, where you buy a wristband and can duck into as many venues around Leeds as you want during the weekend.

2011 looks like it might be the year when I come close to topping 1998's gig total.

TOP 10 GIGS

I've been meaning to do this for a while and it's a tough task, but here goes, my top 10 gig's ever.

1. Neil Young - Le Grand Rex, Paris 14/02/08

Spent a couple of days in Paris with Pam and saw this awesome show on Valentines Day. Acoustic Neil first, playing some incredibly rare songs, followed by the full electric band. We had front row seats, though for the electric set I ran down to the front and was 3 feet from Neil Young for 1.5 hours of incendiary rock. The Best Gig Ever.

2. Spiritualized - Fibbers, York 03/03/04

Spiritualized at Fibbers at the height of their fame? Yep, they played two intimate gigs, me and Speesh went to the matinee and were right up against the barrier in front of J Spaceman. Superb gig, with a superb bootleg recorded by Species 8472 which I play regularly.

3. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - SECC, Glasgow 20/07/96

The best Crazy Horse show I've seen. Sheffield 2001 was great but loose as a goose. This was halfway through the tour and they were on a roll. The best gigs are in Glasgow, that is a fact.

4. Drive By Truckers - Academy, Manchester 2003

The first time I saw DBT and probably the best, on the Southern Rock Opera tour with the classic line up including Jason Isobel and bassist and Jerry Garcia look-a-like Earl Hicks. Blistering southern rock, saw them in late 2010 and already got tickets for their first Leeds gig in May 2011. One of my very favourite bands.

5. Whiskeytown - Academy, Manchester 1997

Touring to support the magnificent Strangers Almanac album, I went to this gig with Speesh and was amazed that we were in the venue with about 50 people. Ryan Adams at his best, sublime harmonies with Caitlin Cary and just a great gig. At this point me and Speesh were in Manchester for gigs pretty much every week and had started a quest to visit every curry house in Rushholme. Think we got half way before Speesh moved to Arhus, Denmark.

6. Radiohead - Odyssey Arena, Belfast 14/09/01

We flew out to Belfast 3 days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Weird vibe throughout, definitely the oddest flight ever, not helped by some of the Captains comments over the tannoy. Radiohead at their quirkiest and sticks in my mind as the best gig of the many of their's that I've seen. Great night out in a very edgy Belfast afterwards with Joycey, Judd and Jeffo.

7. Manic Street Preachers - T&C, Leeds 16/10/94

The only time I saw the Manic's with Richie, on the Holy Bible tour, remember it as being short, loud and classic rock and roll. Seen the Manic's probably more than any other band and loved their 2010 appearance at the same venue. Great band still producing great music and always killer live.

8. Sunhouse - Riverside, Newcastle 1998

Crazy On The Weekend is one of my favourite albums ever. It wasn't a commercial success and I think the band folded soon after it was released. Me and Speesh drove up to Newcastle for this and were quite literally the only people there. Wonderful intimate performance, so much so that the band were asking us both what songs we wanted next. Great gig, shame about the speeding ticket on the way home.

9. The Jawhawks - Academy, Manchester 1997

Great show, playing many tracks off the Sound Of Lies album. Went with Speesh, who was a top gigging buddy from around 1997 - 2004.

10. John Crooke / Joe Pernice - Fibbers, York 1998 (I think)

Went with Big Fishy Bob to this, a very small crowd, maybe 20 there. The band stopped after 2 songs and sat at our table and played in front of us. They asked for requests, I asked for Sex & Candy by Marcy Playground after spotting a sticker on John's guitar, they played it!

Honorable mentions:

CSN - Apollo, London
Eels - Rock City, Nottingham
NOFX - Rock City, Nottingham
Rocket From The Crypt - Pub With No Name, Leeds
A - Roadhouse, Manchester
Hold Steady - Cockpit, leeds
Wheat - Cockpit, Leeds
Rilo Kiley - Cockpit, Leeds
Beck - Glastonbury
Midlake - Glastonbury
Thom Yorke/Johnny Greenwood - Glastonbury
Queens Of The Stoneage - Cockpit, Leeds
Deer Tick - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds.

THE JAYHAWKS - MUSIC FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY

OK this is quite an old release, I didn't buy it when it came out due to it being quite pricey and I had quite a few of the tracks. Well, I snagged this earlier in the week on eBay for less than a tenner and I'm well pleased. So what do we have; CD1 is a chronological run through the choice cuts from The Jayhawks albums, CD2 is the usual B-sides, demos, live cuts and previously unreleased recordings and the DVD covers the music videos and some TV appearances. The whole thing comes in quality packaging and a 28 page booklet. So far so good, especially for £7.95!

So onto the band, I first heard about The Jayhawks in 1992 through my Neil Young contacts, who claimed that Hollywood Town Hall had a Neil Young & Crazy Horse feel to it. I bought it, loved it, and followed them from that point on. The follow up album Tomorrow The Green Grass was more mainstream and had some potential chart songs, however at this point Mark Olson walked away from the band to care for his sick wife Victoria Williams (...and went to record several great albums with her as The Original Harmony Ridge Creek Dippers).

The Jayhawks carried on and recorded one more great album, Sound of Lies in 1997. I finally saw them live on that tour and it's still in my top 10 gigs. Further albums followed; Smile in 2000 and Rainy Day Music in 2003, both good albums but not a patch on the early 90's stuff.

Olson is now back in the fold and we can apparently expect a new album from the classic Olson/Louris line up in 2011. By the way two albums were released prior to Hollywood Town Hall; The Jawhawks in 1986 and Blue Earth in 1989, though I've never felt inclined to track them down. I like to think that The Jayhawks landed on the scene with Hollywood Two Hall which would have been one of the greatest debuts ever.

I've played this through several times now and it's a cracking record, I love CD1 which really highlights the development of The Jayhawks sound and the three stages of the band. Quite why this band didn't fly on the 90's americana/alt country/no depression wave is beyond me. Much of this record is up there with the best of Wilco/Whiskeytown/Calexico. Maybe in their latest incarnation they will finally hit the jackpot.

I'm not going to attempt to list my favourite tracks as playing CD1 is like slipping on your favourite jumper and setting down to read a great book. Wonderful stuff which just washes over you and is finished before you know it.

PEARL JAM - LIVE ON TEN LEGS

Blimey another live Pearl Jam release. Given that this is something like the 76th live show released you could ask, what's the point? Well this is a compilation of shows from 2002 - 2010 and is the follow up to 1998's Live On Two Leg's. It features fan favourites and some very obscure covers.

It's mixed superbly and sequenced to appear like a full Pearl Jam show. Kicking off with a cover of the late great Joe Strummer's 'Arms Aloft' and not letting up till the usual show closer 'Yellow Ledbetter'. Along the way there's some astounding guitar from for me the best live arena act going at present. I saw PJ with Digger at NYNEX in Manchester in 2009 and it was definitely one of the best live arena shows I've seen.

So all in all, yes it's a great addition to the PJ back catalogue. On that subject PJ have announced that Vs and Vitology will get the legacy/deluxe treatment during 2011, if these releases are anything like the Ten Super Deluxe Collectors Edition they'll be definitely worth getting.

HISS GOLDEN MESSENGER - BAD DEPT LIMITED LP

This is how much care Michael Taylor takes over his releases:

"Not only is Bad Debt limited to 100 copies world wide, each copy of Bad Debt comes packaged in a hand-numbered black inner sleeve, as well as a substantial plastic outer sleeve. The album is accompanied by a tri-folded, hand-printed lyric tract, also hand-numbered. These artifacts were beautifully rendered by the Lampyridae Press in Brighton, England. The vinyl edition of Bad Debt includes an extra track, entitled "Call Him Daylight," that does not appear on the CD version of the record."

Wow! Additionally Michael kindly agreed to sign my copy. I'm going to put this away and save it for my birthday in March.

HISS GOLDEN MESSENGER - BAD DEBT

I got the long awaited email from Michael Taylor (HGM main man) yesterday to say that the limited Hiss Golden Messenger 'Bad Debt' vinyl had finally arrived (100 copies world wide). It's now in the post from North Carolina and should hopefully be here in a week or so.

I've held off tracking this album down until I got the vinyl, but couldn't resist using the download code that Michael emailed me and finally got to listen to the album today.

It was well worth the wait, it's a belting little album. Nine tracks, all acoustic, several with no overdubs or effects, other than the fire crackling in the background. Wonderful songs, lots of religious imagery and great acoustic guitar playing. So many excellent songs, though I must point out 'Jesus Shot Me In The Head' and 'Balthazar's Song' as immediate stand outs. If I was being very lazy, I guess there are comparisons with Bon Iver's 'For Emma, Foreever Ago', though 'Bad Debt' is more pure and has less production and is better for it.

Another superb Hiss Golden Messenger album and destined for cult status given the limited release (though you can track down a CD version). Hiss Golden Messenger are over for a couple of gigs in February, but unfortunately only playing London and Cornwall. Michael reckons he'll be doing more UK gigs in the summer, so hopefully then I'll get to experience Hiss Golden Messenger live.

UPDATE: HGM have repressed some copies of the ultra limited 'Live @ Big Sur', which was originally limited to 65 CD-R copies world wide. Michael's offered to sell me one online, which I'll obviously be doing. If Carlsberg made Bands!

DRIVE BY TRUCKERS LIVE AT LEEDS

Finally the mighty Drive By Truckers are playing a Leeds gig on the 11th May 2011 at the Leeds Metropolitan University. Tickets on sale on the 21/01/11, pre sale on the 20/01/11.

I emailed DBT a few weeks back teasing them about having never played Leeds and reminding them about the greatest live rock 'n' roll album of all time; The Who - Live At Leeds. I guess my message got through and for once I won't have to drive over the hill to manc land to see one of my very favourite bands.

This isn't the first time DBT have played gods own county, I saw them in Sheffield with my good mate Shaun many years ago on the Southern Rock Opera tour. Shaun knows an amusing story about my behaviour that night, which I'll leave to him, either way the punch line was Cooley shouting from the stage "shut the **** up!". It was also the loudest gig I've ever been too and resulted in buzzing ears for three days.

The news about this gig really has made my day. The other great news is hopefully loads of new tracks being played from the new 'Go Go Boots' album which is out next month. There's also new DVD, 'The Secret To A Happy Ending - A Documentary About DBT' out at the same time.

New music I'm excited about in 2011

Pearl Jam - Live on Ten Legs
Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
REM - Collapse Into Now
Hiss Golden Mesenger - Bad Debt
The Boxer Rebellion - The Cold Still