Imagine a festival that only costs £5 entrance, has a choice of stages, several food outlets, the obligatory clothes and jewellery stalls plus a clairvoyant or two, a decent-ish bar, spotless portaloos with no queues… ok no camping, but then you can’t have everything. This is what’s on offer each year at Ealing Blues Festival,…
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The Bedroom Hour. It was the promisingly sultry name that initially enticed me to check this band out when they popped up on Twitter. First hearing and they’ve got me hooked. There’s an intensity to this five-piece West London band, an immersive quality, a moodiness which draws you in. Their songs have that ability to…
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It’s the fourth of July, we’re at St Giles-in-the-Fields Church, and Simone Felice is obviously enthralled and inspired by the atmosphere of the church and its grand beauty. So much so that towards the end of the set, he bounds off the stage to dance down the aisle, encouraging us to join in with the…
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Nigel Flood is a lifelong Northern Soul and reggae devotee. I spoke to him about the burgeoning soul scene in the north. For 20 years he has joined in to DJ at all-dayers and all-nighters, and has Dj’d for Paul Weller. Northern pride. Love of soul. The movement named by Dave Godin, owner of a…
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Organic lager, a super-friendly vibe and a Madchester moment for folk music: these are the memories of my evening at the Green Note in Camden. Find this bijou music bar/restaurant by heading up Parkway, away from the clamour of Camden Market, just at the point where the verdant sanity of Regent’s Park can be…
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Bearded Theory festival 2013: it’s the festival of Beards, Bands and DJs, and that just about sums it up. Now in its sixth year, Bearded Theory is set in picturesque Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire. With something like around 8,000 revellers it’s a nice size, and manages to feel like one big party. Bearded Theory’s line-up leans towards…
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Of all the train stations in London to find yourself in with time to spare, St Pancras is the most pleasant. A few shops, wine bars, artisan type food outlets, and occasional announcements in French – and I discovered Orlando Seale and the Swell were entertaining the crowds. There’s even more going on at the…
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Phildel used her surroundings of St Pancras Old Church to create a mixed media experience, instead of simply performing her songs – this was an inspired move. This tiny church has a rich history and amongst those buried in its churchyard are a vampire writer, a composer and a sculptor. It clings to the edge of the glitzy…
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What a transformation for the flamboyant musician King Charles. Last year I saw him perform in a church in Hackney, where a polite crowd clustered round the stage, supping wine and swaying gently. A year on, and he’s headlining at Shepherd’s Bush. The place seems rammed to the rafters with the most excited crowd I’ve…
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Phildel is more than a singer songwriter, she’s a multi-talented performer whose artistry permeates every aspect of her work. So I was keen to buy the physical CD of The Disappearance of the Girl and enjoy the art work and read the lyrics. Sometimes I just think, damn those soulless downloads: music without its history. For Phildel,…
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