The Mocaf Variations

A RIOTOUS AFFAIR

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 05:40:00 +0000

A review from 18 January 2010 on 6 Day Riot; a band that has made a good few visits to the Channel Islands over the last three years. Their song ‘Run For Your Life’ recently featured on the Scream 4 soundtrack. - JMM

(Scan courtesy of The Guernsey Press)

SATURDAY night at the Fermain Tavern saw London Folk-pop quintet 6 Day Riot grace the stage with their second appearance in the Channel Islands since headlining the Friday night at this year’s Sark Folk Festival.

Despite the event competing with the broadcast of the X-Factor finals, the turnout was surprisingly good. It was comfortably filled, with the recently-renovated venue’s new layout showing its strengths.

As a Folkal Point event, it is safe to say that most of the crowd were already familiar with the band from the festival.

They launched into their set with their latest single, All I Need – a waltzing, lilting zephyr of a track which carries lead singer Tamara Schlesinger’s feathery twee pop hooks gracefully and acts as a great gateway to the band’s sound identity.

That sound is a veritable smorgasbord of inspirations and quite difficult to place – although usually branded simply as folk-pop, there are several additional layers found in their instrumentation, which adds to the eclecticism.

Guitar, violin and double bass make for your standard folk backbone, but when you throw in the baroque sentiments of tenor guitar and ukulele, the Latin zest of the horn lines and frequent vocal harmonies, the recipe definitely becomes unique.

Despite this the band still manages to delicately orchestrate all of these elements and keep the songs sounding light and airy. The repetitive and upbeat spirit of the vocal lines also adds to the appeal, instilling the soul of the band into the minds of the audience and inviting them to join in their world.

The band’s excellent on-stage chemistry certainly made for a great atmosphere: a tribal fiesta of sorts.

The whole band seemed to undulate and swing harmoniously, from Tamara’s gleeful stomping under her shamanic headdress, to Edd Harwood’s lively circumambulation of his double bass, all the while with spectators dancing and eddying and chanting along with the better known songs, such as Run For Your Life.

The groove of their material held strong – particularly songs from their 2009 album Have A Plan – and the crowd developed an almost symbiotic connection with the songs, consensually hosting the infectiously catchy melodies and finding it difficult not to bounce to drummer Daniel Deavin’s tom-tom-driven rhythms.

Another high point, and perhaps the sine qua non of their successful formula, is that the band delivers songs which are already pregnant with a sort of creeping familiarity.

Even when logic dictates that you are hearing a track for the first time, there is something reassuring in the mixture which makes the listener feel on allied turf.

The set consisted mostly of material from the last couple of years, including material from recently released album On This Island – the name, according to the band, was inspired by their visit to Sark. Some of the set did span as far back as their debut album of 2004, Folie A Deux, and despite the line-up having significantly changed over the years there was a consistency throughout the whole performance.

The voracious crowd managed to squeeze three encores out of the band, including their version of seasonally relevant song 2000 Miles by The Pretenders (available to download free from their website). The final song of the night, although never before played live by the current line-up, came together well and sealed the deal on what was a very worthwhile gig.

With a genuine fondness for the islands being expressed by the band, they hope to try to organise a return by April.

I would strongly advise checking them out next time they are passing by.

In the meantime, for more information check out www.6dayriot.co.uk or download their latest release on iTunes.

FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 04:55:13 +0000

* The following was written late last year for a local magazine but ended up unpublished.

Hemingway’s dictum that courage is ‘grace under pressure’ refers to the idea that the truly brave maintain composure and humility in the face of personal challenges. It would be fair to say that local born five-piece Courage Have Courage have taken the bull by the horns this year with their ever increasing commercial success, but haven’t lost sight of their roots.

The band - comprised of vocalist Luke Vidamour, bassist Ollie Smith, drummer Jack Cowens and guitarists Ben Wilson and James Le Tissier – began life in West London, practicing in flats and studios in the Acton area.

Despite releasing a recording and music video for their first track ‘Say Enough’ in 2010, the band recognise themselves as officially becoming a band with their first live performance, supporting Adelaide at the Purple Turtle on the 29^th of March this year.

However even before their first outing, the troop had enjoyed some noteworthy success having been selected by Alex Bakerman as featured artist on Kerrang! Radio as well as having the video to ‘Say Enough’ played on Kerrang! TV. Having national coverage is no mean feat for a band that had yet to play live but this was just the beginning.

Since then, their accomplishments have been painfully impressive. With the release of a mini-album and subsequent tour with UK act Verses, further coverage from various media outlets such as BBC Introducing, Rock Sound Magazine and Mercury Press as well as big name endorsements (Orange, Fender, Protection Racket) it was only logical that by the summer, festival stages would be beckoning.

Playing a hugely dynamic live show on the main stage at the inaugural Guernsey Festival of Performing Arts showed that the boys can really work a stage. This was followed up by playing at both Leeds and Reading Festival in August. This is an almost impossible résumé for a band with less than a year gigging together and currently only 10 performances undertaken.

It is a little easier to digest however if you witness the virility of their live performances, observe their natural chemistry as a band and soak in a few of their unnaturally catchy melodies. Feel-good songs such as ‘All Night Long’ are loaded with melodic hooks powerful enough to snag a sea-beast.

What really shines though is their attitude towards success. Each of them seems modest and grateful in the face of their achievements and challenges and they certainly aren’t forgetting their roots any time soon. Drummer Jack Cowens reflected on this:

‘Guernsey is such an amazing place to grow up. You can take a lot of values from island life to this kind of industry. Everyone knows everyone and there are no big egos…it is great to take this attitude and translate it in to a world where networking is so important,’ he said.

With a fast-rising fan base beyond our golden shores, the British pop-rockers are certainly employing their down to earth island sentiments; from Luke signing autographs for hoards of screaming pre-teens to publically posting chord charts to some of their most beloved tracks on request.

It is likely their acclaim will continue to rise, with the band currently working hard on material for a new album:

‘The new album is properly underway now and we are in the process of demoing the new songs. The sound has progressed and matured, keeping in touch with what is current’

Perhaps their tour bus – a humble red Renault Scenic plastered in Jägermeister stickers – will be hitting the roads again soon, but until then their mini-album is still available for download from iTunes or you can visit them on the web at the following:

www.couragehavecourage.com

www.myspace.com/couragehavecourage

www.twitter.com/CHCOfficial

"Language is a virus from outer space."

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 04:40:16 +0000

“Language is a virus from outer space.”

- William S. Burroughs

“The night is fine,” the Walrus said. ”Do...

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 04:27:04 +0000

“The night is fine,” the Walrus said.
”Do you admire the view? “
- Lewis Carroll

Screamadelica Live Review

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 03:35:59 +0000

Screamadelica Live Review:

A review of Primal Scream’s performance at last year’s Guernsey Festival of Performing Arts

http://www.thisisguernsey.com/lifestyle/going-out/gig-reviews/2011/07/09/screamadelica-live/

(Scan courtesy of The Guernsey Press) A review of...

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 03:12:00 +0000

(Scan courtesy of The Guernsey Press)

A review of Roshambo’s album launch at The Fermain Tavern on 7 January 2012

A text version is available online:

http://www.thisisguernsey.com/lifestyle/going-out/gig-reviews/2012/01/14/the-%E2%80%99bo-show/

Their album ‘Held In Time’ can be heard here: http://www.tunecore.com/widgets/show/81454

I’m particularly enjoying the piano soaked ‘Wishbone’ - in all of its baritone warbling glory.

(Scan courtesy of The Guernsey Press) A short piece on Edwina...

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 02:55:00 +0000

(Scan courtesy of The Guernsey Press)

A short piece on Edwina Hayes’ recent performance.

Check her out at www.edwinahayes.com

"Speech is an arrangement of notes that will never be played again."

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 02:33:06 +0000

“Speech is an arrangement of notes that will never be played again.”

- F. Scott Fitzgerald

What fresh hell is this? I’ve decided to jump on the...

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 02:20:42 +0000

What fresh hell is this?

I’ve decided to jump on the blogging bandwagon. It’s a platform I’ve avoided for too long. I’ll be using this as a sounding board for posting my deranged diatribes and depraved scribbles, past and present.

JMM

http://about.me/JohnMichaelMcCarthy

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 21:32:00 +0000

http://about.me/JohnMichaelMcCarthy