Live music, again... The Pains of Living Life in Frome.

Just joking of course, and with apologies to Brooklyn's 'The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart'.
This post comes from Friday evening - Acoustic Plus, an almost monthly event at The Cheese and Grain. This one, the first of 2012, provided a particularly packed programme - and still all for £5 - starting with vocals, guitar and blues piano courtesy of Sara Coffield and Pete Gage.

Next to play - just five songs, three of them from her recent EP, and two newer still - was Beth Monk. She was clearly very nervous introducing both herself and the songs but once performing she owned them. While she is not the same, and you might even consider the comparison strange, the first thing this made me think of is Kate Nash in the very early days - if you are lucky enough to own the MoshiMoshi 7" singles then perhaps you can see where I am coming from; the lyrical narrative song-writing is not however derivative or, worse still, generic.

Next up, complete with the rarely-seen sousaphone, and joined by Nick on trombone...

... this is the totally instrumental 'Honk Monster'.
  

The next artist was one that I have seen live at Acoustic+ before. Daisy Chapman  is now accompanied by a cellist and it makes a lot of sense.

The clutter that came between them was an unfortunate result of turning five sets around in short order but didn't spoil the music, at least in my opinion, one little bit.

Last but not least was Joe Mulcrone, formerly of Bath but now relocated to Brighton if I remember correctly.
So what is it like to live in Frome?  To those just asking, I'm just saying.

Acoustic+ - November acts 1,2 & 4

This starts where the previous post left off. In some ways this is the less acoustic side of Acoustic+, but in several different ways that is rather telling.

The first to perform was Alex Veale who performed some tracks solo and some accompanied, but all acoustic.

His other musical outlet is an all-electric rock outfit...  and this is in fact an acoustic cover of a Metallica song. That is no surprise really and certainly nothing new: Lucie Silvas covered 'Nothing Else Matters' as a piano ballad on her 2004 album Breathe In. Done well, and this was, it can work even if the die hard fans might say otherwise. 

Next up was Bristol/Bath based four-piece Furlined. They were not entirely acoustic, as electric bass was involved. No matter though: so is one of the acoustic instruments much in vogue at the moment - 'cello played by Tegan Thomas.

All songs are by Neil Crossley, also lead vocals and acoustic guitar. Engaging lyrics, a band so good and this was interspersed with intelligent patter; sometimes poignant, sometimes truly comedic retrospective.  I kid you not - this is what 1990's music could have been if it were done properly.

Of the four acts performing the only one that I had seen before was the last, and the youngest, Amplified Silence. To state the obvious, they are in the "+" category as they are not acoustic at all! I think I could have a good guess at some of their musical influences. I'm not going to do that - they don't need it. They perform as a five-piece outfit except for a couple of instrumental numbers...

  

...leaving their vocalist in the rôle of on-stage muse.

The Daturas - Acoustic+

Frome's very own Acoustic+ is something of a regular on these pages now - and with good reason in a local scene that, as well as thriving, has many competitors. The most recent event was last Friday. Sometimes I cover the acts/artists in order of appearance but this time that has gone out of the window.  The Daturas were actually the third of four acts to play and, although they were very good, I've chosen to mention them first for this reason alone... 

Earlier this year, when commenting on unusual instruments that had appeared at Acoustic+, I mentioned that it would make my day if pedal steel guitar were one of them. I first became acquainted with it in the live environment at festivals a couple of years ago and thought it as remarkable as the sound is distinctive. The stranger thing is that, despite the above comment, it is a sound that with judicious consideration can fit well with many genres of music (in that sense perhaps like saxophone) in which it is non-traditional. To be honest I'd have liked the sound of The Daturas even without said instrument - they have presence, something that actually applied in its own way to all four acts - and songs to pull it off.

Not to mention a distinctive and charismatic front man.

The next thing, you might reasonably wonder, is how the other three acts measured up in comparison. 

Acoustic+. Live with little comment.

Four acts - £5 entry - and 3 hours of live music. If this is not a bargain then I don't know what is...

Dan Days, live @ Cheese & Grain, Frome, February 18, 2011.

Lara and Harry, at the moment that a new song did not quite go according to plan.

Harry plays electric bass, except when she doesn't and Lara just sings instead of playing acoustic as well.  Harry then does acoustic guitar instead. Any which way it - the acoustic guitar - is truly thus as it has no internal pick-up and so a condensing microphone is used instead.

  

Ben Waller and The Tell Tale Signs

  

This band was, quite effortlessly, my stand-out of those at Acoustic+ in December (see here) and I'm delighted that it appeared again for a much more extensive set last week.  This did nothing other than to cement my conviction that I was right.

   

Recode - Live and Local 2

I've seen plenty of great new and less-than-new acts this summer and they have come from most continents, so perhaps that might result in a sense of overload?
It is still however a very special thing to be able leave home for a venue that is ten minutes away on foot. The music is good, and £4 ($6.50, €4.50) for four bands is a bargain and almost all in my experience are well worth seeing.
Yesterday evening the acts at Acousic+ were all good but one was quite remarkable for the publicity and mobilisation of their fan base, which was obvious from the moment one arrived at the venue, but publicity does not always a good act make!

That for me was Recode but in this case it lived up to the hype. Formed just ten months ago it is not only good musically but also amazingly professional. It was actually (guitarist) James' 21st birthday and what a way to celebrate it!

That is in itself not enough but it also has a definite, tight, clean and complete sound that is certainly not immediately derivative and also great original songs.

Wonderful. Stand-out songs for me are 'Consequence' and thus described "this one is a newbie" 'Today'.

Life live?

Two venues and five bands in six hours is a good deal however you view it. That it all took place within a fifteen minute walk from home is just a dream scenario. The supposedly showery weather did not materialise for the International Food Event - I had Kenyan fried chicken with spicy accompaniments and, while rather beyond my usual menu choices, it was totally delicious.

The weather was near perfect and the turn-out was quite amazing. The first band was Praying For The Rain and even that couldn't make it happen... The next band, Phantom Limb, could probably invoke a hurricane without warning if they so wished with their unashamed tales of death and despair... and that couldn't do it either.

... but gathered a young following regardless.
This was the final song 'Withering Bones'.

Time to head over to the Cheese & Grain for Acoustic Plus not least because there is not another until September. I got there just in time to hear the last four tracks of the first set:

Ruby Brown live at Acoustic Plus, Frome , Cheese & Grain - 4 July 2009.

Next up, The Rusticles playing energetic cross-genre tunes of their own devising...

and to wind the evening up some funk rock from their début album.

I'll Be On The Common - Port Erin

www.myspace.com/porterin