Features

Al,Chris,Sue,Kev,Lee,Tom,Jules,Flea & Carol
Hail to O'Hare!Andy mate....we owe you one big time! After your ace review of Boozestock and rave comment leaking the info "born from the ashes of Aura" re new band Naked Remedy....as we were ardent followers of Aura,couldnt possibly miss the opportunity to catch up with Naked Remedy for the first time on the doorstep at our own Worcester Uni.....what a find! What a night ! What a band ! cheers mate..add us to their army! Front man Dave Small obviously hasnt lost the knack of writtin them freeekin ace tunes...glad to see him "out front" again after a spell on drums with Gwyn Ashton (not to say he cant make them skins dance though...as Gwyns new album proves,nice one Dave!)hope he's paid you handsomely lol! Good to see a genuine no holds barred rock band back on our local scene ! Cheers again Andy.

Wayne J Barber III
The Supertonics are without doubt one of the UK's top cover bands....Their Two Tone Sound is Too Tight for words...Boshky

Glyn Anslow
Saw a band called the Supertonics on Friday at Wolverley Social club. What an amazing seven piece band,they totally blew me away. How on earth these guy's have never been signed up by a record label is beyond me.I heave never seen them before,so it was a real surprise on the quality of the sound they produced.Cheers Glyn

Bald Eagle
Went to The Bunker @ Keystones Worcester on wednesday 3rd feb. Seems like the new venture of having good original and touring bands play there on occasional wednesday nights is paying off. With a suprisingly sizeable audience for mid week, the night started off with an pleasently chilled set from local lads Neil Ivison and Adam Barry. Second half of the night , rocking it up was the band Naked Remedy who displayed a fantastic fiery set of original numbers that got the place jumping. Great stuff! Good night was obviously had by all and with the next lot advertised being the dandelion killers for the 17th, should be an equally enjoyable night , so stick it in your diary.

Craigus
Saw the spoonfedz at the Pheasant Sunday 17th January, was most impressed... They had the feel and sound of jam bands such as the long beach California ska punk band Sublime & the mighty Funkadelic also they had nods towards early {i.e Good!} chilli peppers. But this wasn’t you understand, just a band out to simply mimic their eclectic influences as they were full of energy and professionalism that far exceeded my expectations. Front man engaged the crowd with little pretension and is a true entertainer who conjured up multiple eccentric personas reminiscent of George Clinton himself! The drummer in particular had such finesse, style and control that he could take a simple marching rhythm on a snare and hi hat and propel a song into a monstrous full kit groove! They even covered the Sublime song “Greatest Hits” to incredible affect – no mean feat in itself! I was impressed by the command they had over the audience and the vibe they created was outstanding.. Every song seemed to have another treat just waiting to be pulled out on the unsuspecting crowd.. A true local treasure! Is worth mentioning that when the first band of the evening Brian Maiden were on I couldn't even get into the actual gig in the back room of the pheasant as the doorway was lodged with bodies of people.. rediculous!!

Brian Eastman
Finding myself in Worcester over Christmas, (unintentionally convalescing; that’s another story)! I was somewhat at a loose end as to keeping myself entertained. After visiting various establishments with their usual dose of youngsters “enjoying” life accompanied by copious amounts of drum & bass drivel, I stumbled upon (the strangely named for these times!) “Boozstock” @ the mars bar club. with Various acoustic acts advertised and a very reasonable entrance fee, I grabbed my bottle of Bud (what...no local real ale??) and found myself a seat. The atmosphere was very relaxed and friendly, although I have to say that the only performer who smiled all night was a young lad called Chris who was the only one who looked as though he was actually enjoying himself; and I must admit I did enjoy the quiz, much to my surprise!. I was informed that tomorrow it would be “all bands” night (rather more to my taste) I arrived the following evening with the promise of 6 live bands...again a very modest entrance fee, myself being used to London prices...again I was entertained by a very varied mixture of bands, but the highlight of the evening was the final band Naked Remedy (clever move by the organisers as it was obvious this was the one the crowd majority had anxiously waited for). What a band! Think...Free/Cream/MC5 crossed with INXS/Black Crows/Primal Scream and you get the picture! A very professional outfit fronted by the best voiced and charismatic guy I have seen for a while (and I have been a professional musician for 35 years!)I found myself off my seat and swept along by their very catchy and mature original material, well done guys! Their set of well over an hour, rounded off with 2 very well deserved encores...a fitting finale to an overall enjoyable evening! Cheers guys...keep up the good work and all the best for you in 2010...hope to see you down my way soon!Brian “Horn Blower” Eastman(Islington)

John Moore
…only one word to describe kiddy town hall gig on sat…disappointing!Headliners ‘70’s band The Blockheads were quite frankly boring…sorry guys, local bands Slowburner and Supertonics blew you off the stage! Only thing that made us smile that night was the fact that we had only parted with £10 and not the original entrance fee of £18 (entrance fee had been drastically reduced at the last minute due to the fact that only 60 tickets had been sold on fri 5th!)…….did others know something we didn’t!

Craigus Barry The Cretinal Circuit
Saturday 19th SeptemberRE: Park Festival, Ah Andy turning up late missed some fine stuff Gheluvelt Park Community Festival - Worcester. I turned up fairly early into the proceedings to hear Red Book finish their set with a energetic cover of Life On Mars this was followed by Becky Rose in full pelt with the brilliant Motorway, sounding unstoppable like Danny Elfman putting music to a silent film of a scatty run away train going down a rickety track.. I could see promoter Ed Steelefox fearing the level of her vocal projection – quite rightly so, I’ve seen her almost blow the grills off a pair of monitors before! Seems the day was instilled with some marvellous energy as this was followed by a stunning set from Robinson & his chamber string section- highlights been “Always Talk To Strangers”, the fanfare laden “Really Want” and my favourite “Future Blues” an autobiographical number about Robinson raising his head proud above the drudgery of disposable music to make a name for himself through shear determination and sincere perseverance.. --At around about the time of The Players 3rd song I made my way to..-The Vauxhall up Rainbow Hill, my their were certainly a lot of gigs that day! This was a plucky punky evening affair promoted and arranged by Ben Langdon of the penetrators & local controversial Muppet. This gig had some fantastic moments.. First up were local grunge act Laundry Room who although not practising for a year since I last saw them at city walls youth centre, turned in an incredible set! This band comprises of a solid rhythm section- Death on drums, Greg Guest on bass guitar and are fronted by the eccentric and all things Seattle fixated Alan Terry who when the moment takes him decided to throw more musical ability into his playing then my brain could comprehend- some interesting feedback ridden lead work..-Next up were Strontium Dogs a Stourbridge punk band who managed to lose two guitarists prior to playing so front man mark resorted to learning all of the songs at the very last minute.. Which certainly showed in the performance in songs variously about “Special Needs” and “The Grannys Are Coming” well to their credit the other subject matter is hardly radio friendly.. This band had to be seen to be believed – I counted two broken SM58 microphones, one XLR to XLR lead and a almost totally ruined guitar by the end of their anarchic set.-.Psyflyer were the last act I caught and my this band are certainly unfairly over looked! They comprise of Sophia/Jason on guitar, dresses & vocals, Rob on bass guitar and Death once again on drum duties & strangely rap vocals.. This band are a genre shifting monster the rhythm section been part muscular metal and part funkadelic rubbery elastic slap bass. The guitarist/ front thing Sophia is fond of his/her shoe gazing indie music from the 90’s not to mention the wah wah pedal which he uses to astounding affect. They don’t stick to one particular formula either, unafraid to experiment with elements of math, funk, grunge, sludgy psychedelia and what I can only describe as a My Bloody Valentine esq spiralling wall of distorted bliss! This is a band to be watched live guys as really is nothing quite like them anywhere else.. After this I nipped over to Llama Lounge to catch the last half and chalk for peace outside..Until next time Aloha

Tanya Wilson
Just thought I'd write in and say what a fantastic Sunday myself and my family had at the Masons-Wichenford at the Dr John Bue memorial charity music festival. Well done to the organisers who had obviously worked so hard to make it a successful family fun day and a huge thank you especially to the kind hearted local musicians who gave their performances for free on behalf of Midlands Air Ambulance and Gambia Glory Baptist Childrens Church , namely : Naked Remedy, Dave Onions, Slowburner, Cracker & the Woodpeckers, , Laura Broad, Vo Fletcher, Aaron Booton, Windsocks,Ash & Kate and 12 year old guitarist Tom and sorry I can't remember the other bands name! Brilliant day guys and I believe that over £3000 was raised...you all did Dr.John proud !!!Thank you!

Jason
The Worcester Music Festival was awesome! How do they do it? So many bands and performers running at so many venues; it was a brilliant weekend. I went to The Pheasant on Sunday for the "Rock the City Sessions" and I certainly rocked. Marzipan Moon started the evening off with a set of outstanding self-penned prog-rock songs. No lead guitar for this band but lead-bass instead that contrasted well with Tracy Rock's powerful vocals. They even threw in a bouzouki to the mix on a couple of songs. The Moon are inventive with their sound as well as being great muso's. Highway 5 always delivers with a hard punchy Americana set. This time the band were in a much more mellow mood and eased us along into the evening with some great sounding new songs, closing with "The Last Song"; a personal favourite of mine. Derailed from Hereford were next up with their own brand of retro-60's/70's rock. I sat admiring this underestimated band from Wyeside and I thought they sounded very much like The Doors or early Captain Beefheart. Derailed play uncomplicated rock music with a gritty edge – nice! Then on came the local boys to finish the night with two encores! Absolute Ataxia certainly rocked the city with a brilliant set. Ben Williams is one of the finest rock guitarists in the city and many an aspiring rocker could learn loads from watching Ben “shred” the frets. The band ran through a fantastic set with Pulp's "Common People" ending a fantastic Sunday night. Well done to everyone for a fine festival and to the four bands for rocking my city!

Gavin
Saw SILVER TEQUILA at the Mars Bar (Pierpoint Street)last night...it has been a long time but they kicked a**.

edward jones
Lewis spelt Backwards, The Fire Fly Worcester 25th July Lewis Spelt Backward's E-p launch on July 25th firmly established him as Worcester's most developed and best showman. There was glitter, heals, cat suits and hot pants in an hour long performance which was filled with the energy, sophistication and all round entertainment we have come to expect. The addition of dancers and projection sealed the deal and made the small room seam like the much bigger stage that Lewis no doubt will soon command.Lewis uses the theatrical to present a spectrum of solid and innovative material, those not familiar with him were won over by his fantastic presence as well as by his powerful lyrics which weave the subtle and sensational together with a sometimes biting political awareness. All this set against the backdrop of harmony and rhythmical force Lewis builds with vocal loops, creating grooves which would make any funk band green with envy. The Worrisome Ankle Trout Munroes Sunday 19th The Cellar Bar Worcester Multi-instrumentalist John Joe Murray, Know as The worrisome Ankle Trout is steeped in the tradition and also completely unique. He demonstrates deft skills and distinctive sounds from any of the instruments he adds to his live looping. This is not the world of self indulgent sound scapes however as the tunes are finely crafted and wind towards equally accomplished vocal passages delivered in fine voice with a concoction of vivid lyrics addressing both the comic and political with mature articulation and emotional force.Murray is also keenly aware of his all round performance and is impossible to take your eyes away from; part jaw dropping musical intelligence part wild eyed hedge dweller he controls the stage with menace, focus and a repertoire of incomprehensible moves and facial expressions. Between numbers he shows great humility and a gift for surreal humour.A joy to listen to and watch

Dj Protégé
Hi, Guys.hope your all good just to give you a quick update my night 'Horny crumpet has now moved to the all new Indi Bar in the arcadian centre birmingham. we have our residency there every wednesday hope to see you all ther sometime soon. keep your ears open for further events throughout the midlands.Protege

Susi
Bash:Roland, a band who were interviewed live on the Friday Night Session a few weeks ago when they headlined at the Kempsey Bund Aid Charity Concert, has just got through to the Regional Finals of Surface Unsigned. After several fiercely fought rounds over the year to date, they appeared in their semi-final, last night (Thursday 30th July) at the Asylum Club in Birmingham. They had to wait till nearly midnight to hear the results but they and their fans were delighted to discover that they were named as the winners of their semi final and will now be playing in the Regional Final at O2 Academy 1 (Main Stage), 52-54 Dale End, Birmingham, B4 7LS on Sun 30 Aug 09 (Bank Holiday). Bash would really love it if they could get plenty of support at the event to help them try to get through to the national finals. They had a good turn out last night from family and friends and that certainly helped when there was an audience vote. The audience vote only counts towards which were the top 4 bands on the night to be considered by the panel of industry judges.The comments from the Industry Judges in an earlier round was "Next up was Malvern based five-piece Bash:Roland. Their sound is alternative indie-rock with a progressive edge – full of energy and ideas – it’s a direction that really works for them. Launching into their set with a decent enough cover of Jack Penate’s “Torn on the Platform” – it was when they made it their original material that they really started to shine. There’s a clear Larrikin Love-esq influence running through their sound, as well as a distinct nod to upbeat American melodic alt-rock, yet the band takes this base and builds on it nicely for something fresh and genuinely compelling.” Words by Stephen Hudyba – BBC WM. Last nights comments were “The sixth band of the evening was Malvern based five-piece Bash:Roland. They have a Funk-Indie sound with a Pop-core and it’s this balance of accessibility and creativity that makes it such an irresistible and compelling direction. It seems to be more of a humorous performance than a serious one but it’s definitely an element that works for the band. They have a slight influence from Ska running through their original sound which helps keep their tracks very up-beat and craving for dancing. A great traditional cover of Rage Against The Machine just finished off their set smoothly.” Words by Ashley NealBash:Roland, who formed at Hanley Castle High School, is a five piece band, the members are: Ed Haynes – Lead Vocals, Adam Smith – Guitar/Backing Vox, Tom Guilding – Guitar/Backing Vox, Luke Faine – Bass/Backing Vox, Duncan Powell – Drums/Backing Vox. They describe themselves as “a tight, well-oiled machine fuelled by a love for music, controversy and above all alcohol”. You can find out more about them on their myspace page www.myspace.com/bashroland.

Jason
I went to the Upton Blues Festival last weekend and had a great time listening and watching so many blues and roots musicians and bands. It was not all " When I woke up this morning, I was feelin' dead" blues music, in fact I was really surprised of the variety of blues and the manner in which it was played. It was an education!Anyhow, the best venue by far was The Boathouse and there they had 17 different bands and performers working over the weekend with Fat Rat Productions running the house PA. The host band were blues/roots specialist duo BabaJack who kept the momentum of the shows running nicely with the likes of Poor Bob Jones, John Denton, Mellow Peaches, Martin Thorne, Tyler Massey, Ragtime Ewan, Slidin' Steve, Stompin on Spiders, Mark Bennett and Matt Woosey raising the roof with some excellent blues. BabaJack played to two encores when they completed their set and much deserved too! However, it was Matt Woosey who brought the house down with four encores! What a player that guy is!One final and pleasing point to note, was the attitude of the audience. They treated all the performers with respect and they politely listened to the performers without chatting or shouting unlike the punters at many of local gigs do these days. Well done, it made a special weekend all the more enjoyable.

Richard Mann
Blimey, where did these guys come from - "Stompin' on Spiders" I'm talking about - who are they? I went along to The Boathouse in Upton-upon-Severn for the opening night of the brilliant Blues Festival (entrance to all the Blues Festival gig venues was free by the way) and after the fabulous "open mic" sessions ended on came this unheard of duo to get the festival proceedings at The Boathouse under way in a big, big style. Blues (obviously), soul and a little bit of Country/Rock was mixed in to their set which featured originals and a few not so familiar blues/rock covers - "Lazy Bones" by Hoggie Carmichael being one such song. Their stomper ("Never Trust A Woman" I think it was called) played on a 12 string guitar (!!!) was a blistering foot tapper and the acoustic/electric version of the Jimi Hendrix classic "Voodoo Child" certainly generated a few wows from around the room - it was absolutely brilliant. Unfortunately I didn't have chance to catch the names of the duo and their various guests, but if you have any songs of "Stompin' on Spiders" at BBC H&W, please let us hear one. The whole weekend at "The Boathouse" was brilliant and even though the venue ran out of beer, I'll be back there next year! But who ever these "Stompin on Spiders" guys are, their set the blues weekend up a treat.....

Jim
Damo Suzuki (Marrs Bar Saturday 18/7/9)I went to this gig not expecting miracles as I'd already been told that the legendary Can front man would not be playing any Can songs, so no 'Mother Sky' or 'Oh Yeah' then and that he would instead be doing an improvised jam with some invited Worcester musicians, so it all pointed to a potential hit or miss affair.So Damo starts singing or more like channeling something from another cosmic plane and the Dudes Of Neptune take his lead and soon start to pick out an impeccable groove, then it really starts to lift off with some fantastic drumming from Ed Steelefox who truly looks possessed by now and the music is really flying now but new people join in and it just gets better and better.First Johnj does some lovely electric violin work over the top of this and he is quickly joined by Craigus on Theremin (the most cosmic instrument ever invented), a kids ray gun and even more bizarrely a FURBY, yes that talking toy from the nineties and it works! By now we are in in Psych territory with some lovely work from the Dudes and Damo is giving it everything but there is more!By this point the jam is probably half an hour in and the Narcoleptic Penguins (If Carlsberg were naming a band this is what they'd be called!) and their ranks of percussionists line up in front of the stage and take the music to a higher level still, they are beating their instruments to within an inch of their lives but not in anger but in joy with beaming smiles and laughter.After about an hour it is over, the Shaman that was Damo is now a mere mortal, drained and dripping and he gives each of the band a heartfelt hug and he must be thinking that this was a great gig and the audience are still cheering.As I leave the venue into the pleasant summer evening air I am still buzzing and 3 words keep going through my mind as I am trying to come to terms on what I had just witnessed...Outstanding...Inspired...Joyous.

Gazza
He may be a bus pass holder, but don't underestimate the talents of Poor Bob Jones! Bob is the stalwart of blues in the "Faithful City" and his blues night are really quite special. However, watchin Bob perform over at The Upton-upon-Severn Blues Festival, the old man was in his element and delivered a blistering set at The Boathouse on Saturday afternoon. Not only is Bob an excellent blues-player and singer, but he tells a good story too. A true gent and a font of knowledge when it comes down to art of the blues. Poor Bob performed songs from Muddy Walters, Robert Johnson, Eddie Cochran as well as his own penned songs. A much deserved encore too. Magic stuff! Let's get Poor Bob on the BBC Hereford & Worcester wireless sometime please?

Mary Smith
I saw Bruno Gallone at The Fleece Inn at Bretforton last weekend. I’ve not seen him before but I had heard lots about him locally. I thought he was brilliant! He has a very likeable charm and his lyrics were so thought provoking. He took me back to my youth with his song “Forever Eighteen”, he made me cry with “Miss You”, he made me laugh out loud to “Mary” (obviously) and he made me and the rest of the pub sing out loud to "Perfect English Life".What a great night

Dan Leigh
The Cohen Brothers, they keep surprising me – once at The Lamb in Malvern on a late Spring evening with the clouds surrounding the pub – they nearly blew us all away as a power trio (I think that’s what my dad used to call these bands) – yup a power trio with an amazing guitar-hero who had us all cheering for solo after solo – a singing keyboard player with lovely bells and organs coming from somewhere – and a drummer so funky I couldn’t stop dancing.Then they surprised me again – yes, I was at the fantastic Pyramid Party too – and I saw the Cohens again on Friday night – but this time they had their bass player – big fella with an even bigger stand-up bass – very jazzy one minute and then very funky on his electric bass – they brought percussion too, but some kind of box that the percussionist made sound like Africa, India, space stations and everything.These guys are very cool and I am going to go out of my way to make sure I see them again soon – watch out for them – they said they are back at The Lamb soon and also at the West-Fest. They told me they have a myspace/thecohenbrothers internet site too.Wherever you are lads get in touch – love ya !

Llyod Tranter
have to say, first time back in worcester in a few years and have seen a few changes last saturday, was at the horn and trumpet (the blower) and really enjoyed the night called the horney crumpets and was impressed with the change in music, gone is the bad reputation that i remember and now they have something that got people dancing and actually enjoying the night!!i cant remember the last time i saw the place that packed before the djs were great and i was dancing along to dirty house and electro, cant wait for the next horny crumpets!!

Grant Daley
The Pyramid Party is as good as a little festival could be - great venue, friendly people, excellent catering and an intriguing selection of music from the border counties and beyond.Spread over three days and nights the whole thing was bathed in sunshine which made the thing even more laid back than expected. Who could fail to be enticed by the prospect of early summer sun, a cool beer, distant views of the hills and a choice of two stages? I was seduced by it.The main stage was well populated by rocking bands, the smaller acoustic stage was much more enticing on both Saturday and Sunday. Special mention to long serving space cadets, Omnia Opera, much loved by the Hawkwind fraternity and with good reason! They are space rockers on a mission and stamped their authority on a cool Friday night. And Saturday's sunniest interlude was Marina Del Ray whose snappy songs and snappier playing kicked off the day. A Nick Drake cover album in the summer and an album of their own later own the year, said the guitarist in conversation with a sunbathing crowd. A cracking little band...who played in shirts and ties. Neat, boys.So, forty or so bands and a wonderful weekend had by all. Write it in your diary for next year and given that it's discretely advertised, go out of your way to find it next year.

Snake, Cattle n Frog (oh and not to forget Rattie!
Went along to the Lamb open mic last night.It was packed! Good to see so many bods out supporting local music on such a cold rainy Thursday night.Usual mainly acoustic acts on and good sing-along-set from new face Aaron; but OMG wow ! What a finale! Local band Naked Remedy blew the windows out with their superb set; we certainly didn't see that one coming! Within minutes frontman Dave had got the whole place up on their feet and rockin (ok and yes Mrs Snake, I confess even me up rockin too)! Ace tunes and boy can that lad sing! Apparently this was their first time at the Lamb and somehow I don't think it will be last we see of them. If this is a taste of what's coming from this newly formed band(about 3 months) then bring it on and count us in!Good stuff lads !Be seein ya'll again VERY soon. (and i'll bring Mrs Snake too!)Snake n Co.

Graham
Marzipan Moon must be one of the most underrated bands around at the moment. I went up to The Lamb in West Malvern last night for the "Open Mic Night" and to my delight found that Marzipan Moon were playing there. The band were in acoustic mode tonight, not the full electric band I saw at The Llama Lounge in March, but this did not detract from an excellent presentation of their set. Tracy Rock led from the front again delivering powerful vocals that only Becky Rose can better on the local circuit. Again, Thunder's "When Love Walked In" was a gem from Tracy. Adam Rock (any relation by chance?) normally drumming with the band moved up front and played a mean 12-string guitar throughout. And was that The Abbot of Unreason on acoustic guitar and mandolin? Blimey, that guy gets around a bit doesn't he? It was a shame the band had to rush through their set because of timekeeping problems from earlier acts, but the Moon people gave us a great performance. It's a shame that they are not given a stage of their own to show their real worth, but that will happen soon I hope? A great band all the same. Get them on the Friday Session as either the acoustic or electric band. Thanks BBC H&W for all you are doing for local music and for likes of me to add "my say". Graham

Naomi
JIVE STICK- New line up and New sound. Fantastic recently have had several gigs in Hereford including The Jailhouse, 14th April, with Zebedy Rays and The Grapes, 25th April with Dandelion Killers. The band have more tracks, more noise and more great reviews. Playing at the Grapes Cellar in such a small venue they managed to get the best sound possible with what they had, and with New Drummer they certaintly just work. Recently headlined a gig in London theres really no stopping the 4 lads. Intense voice and a nice noise. Rocknroll inflected grunge with added grrr...

Jim
Llama Lounge 18/4/2009The In-laws were coming over and I was facing an evening of potential heavy drinking in Worcester when...they cancelled..Great! Now we can go to the Llama Lounge instead!and I wasn't disappointed. The angel centre was beautifully transformed by Holly and Craigus, Si Anthony delivered a terrific acoustic set given a little more bite with the addition of drums and a great cover of Jeff Buckley's Mojo Pin, he then got up and joined the new Fellfield 5 piece supergroup and they were brilliant, they already have a terrific batch of originals but the cover of the Nine Inch Nails/Johnny Cash song 'Hurt' where they positively soared was just....Wow!Drink lots of beer or listen to great music?...No competition !

Jason
Hi guys, called in at The Cap & Gown in The Tything on my way to the Marrs Bar and was pleased to see the wonderful Claire Boswell performing there. The house was a bit sparse (due to the aforementioned charity gig at The Marrs Bar) but Claire Boswell was in top form. What a voice; what some wonderful songs she writes. Hear that Claire may be enlisting the services of The Abbot of Unreason to provide accompaniment for some of her songs in the near future? The Abbot was there last night warming up the audience with a mix of covers and his own material - I especially loved the blues song played on a 12-string guitar! Stayed 'till the end and so glad I did; this was Claire & The Abbot at their best. Thanks Cap & Gown, a great start to the night!

Graham
Hi Friday Session Introducing... Went to The Lamb last Friday to see Highway 5 with Marzipan Moon in support. A great night's music despite the new stage lights not working (somebody walked off with the lighting controller apparently) and the new sound limiter (fitted by the Malvern Hills District Council)cutting the mains on the stage every 10 minutes or so. Hat's off to The PA Meister from Fat Rat Productions and both bands for having to endure the crazy interruptions between the power-cuts -(The Lamb has really got to get this sorted - hint..hint!) I thought the Marzipan's were excellent; pumping out some powerful acoustic rock and meaningful ballands. Tracy Rock is one hell of a vocalist and it was good to see the Abbot of Unreason working his acoustic instruments with the band too! However, this was the night of Highway 5 and the band were on fire - with Paul Maddox on bass instead of Ben Williams (on Absolute Ataxia duties apparently). Maddox played faultlessly throughout two full sets of Highway 5 numbers with Noor on vox & grizzled guitar and Duncan bashing hell on drums; the guys gave it their all. Then H5 were joined by Hywell Payne from Fellfield as the band launched into a mini-set of Neil Young songs during which Noor & Hywell swapped their Gibson SG's mid-way through "Rockin' in the Free World" - real theatre and not a note missed. The Abbot joined H5 for the last few songs, including a rousing version of "My Sharona" and I went home really pleased having enjoyed really excellent local music. Oh yes, Noor was playing on one leg again! Watch out Mr Anderson!

Nick Taylor
‘Fusion’s gig at the Bedwardine last night (Fri 3rd) was a knock-out success. The place was packed and swaying along to that particular blend of Psychedelic pop/rock we’ve all come to love. The weird and whacky film show playing behind the band worked to enhance the more spacey moments throughout the evening, and all present left with a feeling of jubilant fulfilment.

anne scott and friends
as lovers of live music and this being only our 3rd visit to worcester,on advise from staff at the b&b,off we went to the mars bar club last sat. 28 feb, what a night; 3 bands for a fiver cant be bad! have to say, 2nd band on made the night for us, "naked remedy" have to be one of the most musically energetic and entertaining bands we have seen for a while,playing mostly their own material,good solid tunes,very impressive. judging by the reaction from the large crowd,we were not the only ones impressed!worcester sure was rocking that night!looking forward to our next visit!

Fat Rat Productions
We worked with Da Vinci at The Bedwardine last Saturday and we think that this band are Worcester's best kept secret that the world should get to see and hear! The guys were absolutely awesome. Declan played so many instruments that there was only one spare channel on the mixer! The show was just stunning and for us, the 18 minute track "King" was the highlight. If Da Vinci are not the crowned kings of the Worcester Music Festival in August 2009 at Huntington Hall, then we'll eat Andy O'Hare's Wales rugby shirt!

Nick and Elaine of 'Fusion
Great to see Da Vinci at the Bedwardine on Friday (Feb 28th). They truly rocked the place with their own eccentric brand of prog/glam metal. Declan was in a particularly cheeky mood, with quips and wry observances aplenty, not to mention several costume changes (some mid-song) and a vocal range that most singers can only dream of. We particularly enjoyed seeing him balancing precariously atop barstool crooning into the now infamous Bedwardine stage camera, with sideways glances at the in situ wide-screen teles. Quite a site! Vin was as brilliant as ever; reminiscent of Brian May at points, he’s got to be one of the most proficient guitarist currently working in the Hereford and Worcester area. All in all a fantastic night. Da Vinci come highly recommended from us ‘Fusion types and we can’t wait to play with they at the Firefly on Saturday 11th April, along with Gandhi’s Walrus.

Aaron
Friday Session.... what a great show last week. Just caught it on BBCi - great to hear Dolly James in session, she was awesome. That last track was a sensation. Equally as awesome were the tracks from Ten Thousand Flushes! Amazing stuff and you say these guys are all 17 years old - wow! They are good! Thanks again Andrew & crew. Here's to local live music!

Dean Meyer
The Boathouse in Upton-Upon-Severn (excellent venue)plus BabaJack and Marzipan Moon (two excellent bands)all added up to one great night of LIVE music! Thanks everyone concerned.

Jim conner
Saw the irony for the first time in the mars bar last week and was very impressed, great songs.

Jim
Matt Woosey & James, Kidderminster, Thursday 29 January 2009.The venue was freezing, no one from the pub was there to greet them, the audience of five was mainly the other acts for the night, there was a moment when the audience increased by one but that was the guy from the other bar came in to collect some free sandwiches for the crib team ! However, did that stop Matt from delivering an outstanding set, I doubt if he would have given more if there were a thousand there and the track called 'Strange Rain' was an epic. I gather he is doing a hundred gigs in a hundred days, so if you make the effort to see him you will not be disappointed. A true pro and a class act.

Justin Wood
The best of Worcester's acoustic heads packed into The Firefly for Flo Rowland's "Get The Pluck Up" open mic night. It was so full people sat on top of people! A great night of acoustic music from everyone. Flo kick things off in her usual wayward and quality style and what followed was just excellent! Claire Boswell made an appearance and so did BlueRadio with Shane, Jimbo, Hyden and new boy Si Anthony on bass. The Marzipan's and Brian Hoggard from the Worcester School of Rock & Performance and Stu from The Donns were there too while the awesome Richard Clarke twiddled the knobs on the mixer throughout the night! A great evening and everything was just groovy! Thanks Flo!

Sebastian Sullivan
Dandelion killers are awesomei played a gig with them with my cover band and they were really nice guys aswell as being awesome musicions i truely love them. Giging again with them soon

Zoe Lane
At a private party at Whittington hall, we were then treated to a non-stop and breathtaking performance from Faithless Friend - and believe me it was an awesome performance! Each song blended comfortably into the next as the foursome gave us their best performance witnessed since they came together just under a year ago. As many of the punters commented, you would have pay serious money to see a band deliver such a set. And what make things all that more amazing is that the average age of Faithless Friend is 16 years! Breathtaking and so talented - hats off to these four guys - a very professional show indeed!

"Startford" Mike
Bruno Gallone supporting Dr Feelgood at Cox's Yard.I'd seen Bruno at an Acoustic Night at Cox's Yard a few months ago and really liked his songs and his style.So when I saw he was supporting Dr Feelgood, I thought I'd pop down.Even though Bruno was excellent, as the place was heaving with Feelgood fans, I was surprised how well they took to Bruno. They cheered him from the first song till the last and even called out for an encore. Well Done Bruno - it was well deserved!If you've not seen Bruno Gallone, he's worth checking out!!

Jason
Saw a new band at The Lamb in West Malvern last Thursday. They are called Marzipan Moon. A four piece outfit with a very individual sound using keyboards, acoustic guitar & mandolin, bass and drums. Not in your face music from this band, but a subtle and melodious journey with a biting edge. Only two covers too. My favourite was "Soul Mate" (okay it was a cover) but what a build up, what powerful vocals from the lead singer (she is something else) and a fabulous finish - sent shivers down my back. Gotta hear more of these Moon people. Get 'em on the Friday show soon BBC!

the big prince
one of the very best acoustic venues close to hereford and worcester is cox's yard, nice place, exemplary sound! special credit to worcester's marina del ray for making it even better with their neil young plays the velvet underground doing nick drake set. acoustic, congas and big, black double bass. they are just the coolest!

jack the lad
i saw the mood elevaters last friday the 28th november. they were by far the best band Ive seen this year . They enjoyed one of the largest crowds the marrs barr has had for a while, packed, why, because they play far beyond the musical standard of most local bands, they mix reworked covers with there own material the whole place was on its feet all night dancing get to see them.

The Abbot of Unreason
By Friday, a lingering cold finally crippled had my voice, so rather than perform at The Marrs Bar in Worcester on 21st November, I sat back and witnessed possibly the gig of the year from two very excellent local rock bands. Highway 5 lost their gig at the Mount Pleasant in Malvern because of refurbishment at the venue, so with Da Vinci's blessing, the threesome took my place and the stage was set for an amazing night of "in yer face" music.Highway 5 played a lot of tracks from their impending CD (titled The Fear) and some of the oldies from "Songs of Alcohol, Love and Pain" were also brought back for the evening. "The Ocean" was possibly the best of the snappy numbers on the night and for "Burned Out Heroes", Noor Ali just emptied his lungs into the lines of the song bringing home the true meaning of the song to everyone. However, the highlight of the set for me was "Metal Turns To Rust - Part One" - an amazing song with Arabic overtones lurking behind its haunting rock melody.Da Vinci buoyed on by the excellent H5 set, wound up the heat to near-thermal meltdown. Dec Sharma was suffering from the early stages of the cold he said I passed on to him, but despite that, Da Vinci were just amazing! The quality of the band shone like a beacon from the Marrs Bar stage as the band launched into "Sarah", "Razorblade" World and the extended workout (and mini opera) "King". Not only do these guys have the rare talent to mix musical ability with seamless time and mood changes mid-song, but their stage presence with Dec Sharma storming around like a demented vampire-lord is of the highest quality. Claire Boswell stepped up to join the boys on a song from the bands Razorblade World rock-opera and then it was the end of the show with my bank manager's favourite song "Give Me The Money". For an encore, Da Vinci gave us the only cover-song of the night, the AC/DC classic "Back in Black". This was an excellent night and if you missed it - well shame on you! Keep the faith!

Jason
Hi guys,Went to Bossa Nova in New Street, Worcester on 5th November and saw two excellent local rock outfits. First on were the Kevin Holmes Experience who opened the night with some serious contemporary rock sounds. The foursome are all 16 years old and were former students of the Worcester School of Rock and Performance. These guys were brilliant and the dual guitar solo's were the highlight. Then to finish the night were Jack's Hammer from Hereford. These guys were awesome and the 90 minute set was a great experience and clearly they were enjoying themselves. "The Wicker Man" was my favourite. The band really was tight and blended their music well - light and shade - throughout. Why we haven't seen Jack's Hammer in Worcester before is a mystery. In fact why hasn't Bossa Nova had any rock acts before is also a mystery because the sound system is brilliant and unlike another Wednesday venue the floors are sticky. A great night. Thanks Bossa Nova - keep rockin'Jason

Jason
Hi guys,Went to the open mic night at The Boathouse in Upton-upon-Severn on Friday 3rd October. The evening was hosted by soul legend Dolly James who sung some soul classics with Patsy Gamble on sax. Awesome.Others there were Ragtime Ewan, who blew the place apart with some mean guitar finger picking mixed with modern day lyrics; Ursula Russell, who wowed the audience with her self-penned songs and neat guitar work and Worcester three piece Marzipan Moon who steamed through their well mixed set of acoustic rock. Also there was blues specialist Martin Thorn, sounding very much like the legendary JJ Cale and The Abbot of Unreason who played a medley of Ian Anderson and Newton Falconer songs finishing with a rousing version of "Walkin in Memphis" that Dolly James seemed to approve.A great night at a great new venue with free entry and fantastic roasted pork babs - no need for a chippy on the way home that night! Brilliant!

Gill
Saw Distorted Waves at The Plough in Hereford last Saturday, they were fantastic, great to see a girl drummer and front man Kirk is sooooooo sexy. Crowd were jumping (literally)especially to Wild Thing, had a fantastic night, if you get a chance go and see these guys theya re amazing.

stu
The irony at Nozstock were amazing album sounds the nuts to.

Jon
The Return Were Awsome On Thursday Night At The Marrs Bar ! :)x

Dave
The dandelion killers set at wyeside (the saturday set) they played loads of new ones, it was amazing....those boys can write some serious tunes! Also mars bonfire on the main stage were phenomenal, i want to be remi!

JB
Went to see Scandal House play at The Red Lion in Powick recently. They play a rock/blues set of mainly original material but they threw in a couple of superb acoustic tracks and tore through some surprise covers too.Their singer Izzy is amazing but the standard of all their playing must be a real kick in the teeth for all the local wannabee bands.Check them out on myspace.com/scandalhousemusic

Sarah
I went to the herdsman on the 30th of November too see The Fallout Theory and I came across a new band called Greater Expectations, They were great, Got everyone dancing and warmed up for TFT

Kate
The night before music festival rocked! It was a brilliant atmosphere and a really good venue. All 5 bands did themselves proud.

Sam
Went to see punk4pudsey great night and quality entertainment! Going to go to The night before at Evesham Arts centre to see some more of the local bands great stuff!

Gavin
I saw Silver Tequila at the Flapper and Firkin on Sat night, they jsut keep gettin' better. New songs are classics. Can help but hum them all week after.

James
Hi, i saw back-light play at the mars bar on wednesday ther wer amazin.loved ther style and some gr8 lyrics. I was ther when they won the battle of the bands at stourbridge they rock the stage!

emma
I cant believe Blackout missed going through to the National finals of BOTB in Birmingham,they were brilliant, what a loss to the competition I think they are great, love you guys xx

Rosie
I saw 'Parker' playing at Bossa Nova on Wednesday the 20th June and they were amazing. It was such a fun night... I will definately be seeing them again!!!

Marc Davis
Saw some great DJ'ing skills a few weeks ago at the Horn & Trumpet in worcester, some local DJ's & MC's were doing a old skool hardcore nite under the name starlite, great music and some wicked skills on the decks and mic.Have found out as well they are doing another on 14th July at TJ's in worcester, if you like the music hard and underground, then this is the event to look out for!!Also they have a website: www.bebo.com/starlite-events

Shona
Saw Silver Tequila at the Marrs bar on Pierpoint street on Saturday night, why are they not signed. Great tunes that stay with you for days.

claire
you played pencil toes! i the electro indie ness! are they from hereford or worcester. do they have myspace? x

Caroline O'Connor
Frantik were just amazing at the blind college on saturday, wow!

Pete
Has anyone see local band Proletariat play? recently? I saw them at The Marrs Bar a couple of weeks agao, and they were great...playing a mix of their own music imbetween indie/punk covers ranging from Bromheads Jacket to The Damned via The Libertines and The Rakes. Go and see them if you can...Highly recommended. I've just found theor myspace page too:www.myspace.com/ukproletariat

jj
Downer at the herdsman on friday the 16th were the best iv ever seen them....they rocked old school!! bringing back the grunge woooo!

Gav
Saw Silver Tequila Twice this weekend. SUnday at the Marrs Bar and Monday at the Little Civic in Wolvo. Both great, these boys just keep on truckin'.

Fozzie
Kid Carpet at the Herdsman on 3rd March was possibly the best thing I seen this year so far in Hereford! x

Chris
Saw Silver Tequila last night at the Marrs Bar! Those boys just keep getting better... get them on the show!!!

Joe
I saw Dave the Chemist and the Folk Vortex the other day - they were awful!

John
Saw Totem Pole at Marrs bar wed jan 17th(?) thought they were fantastic a great mix of pop, funk and jazz weirdness played for twenty mins or so crowd loved em so did I,will go see them again..

Matt
Saw a great band the other night (Thurs 18th Jan) at The Marrs Bar in Worcester called PARKER...will definately go see them again. Anyone else see them?

Phil
just been listening to the new Nigel Clark album released this week absolutely blown away. 21st century man sounds better than most of his ex Dodgy stuff. Get it played!! Think his band are playing Marrs Bar next friday.

Sarah
Silver Tequila were amazing on Sunday!!! Seen them twice now and really loving the tunes. The Marrs Bar is a great place to go see them. Really liked the support too, Six Deep Holiday, all round good gig!

dale
i saw dower the other day at the herdsman and i though they sucked but i likwe there bass but his name escapes me. did any one esle see that gig what did you think about it

Steve Harris, Worcester
Saw the final of Marrs Bar Battle of the Bands 23.5.06. The winners Silver Tequila were awosome. Never seen them before but they have a great future. Great songs, great delivery and a good look. A punk/pop/rock combo that deserves to be played on national radio and cable music channels. Hope they gig more in the Worcestre area, I can recommend this band to the youth of the Midlands.

Chris Atkinson, Droitwich
Did anyone else see the Marrs Bar Battle of the Bands Semi Final this week? A fantastic performance by both bands (Karass & Silver Tequila) but Silver Tequila really shone through. I had never seen them play before, but what I saw I loved!!! Catchy tunes that I have been whistling all week, fantastic rhythms and a great overall presence on stage. I will be looking forward to the final on Tuesday to see if Silver Tequila can go all the way!!!

Carrie Jones
Last nights gig at the student union bar at the Royal National College started of with the Liberators, a punk outfit from Hereford. They played tight fast paced self penned (with the exception of blitzkrieg bop originally by the Romones) songs which left you wanting more after their short but well crafted set. By then the small and relatively unresponsive audience had started to grow in anticipation of what was to come. Frantik then took the stage and gave us 75 minutes of their, as always, well rehearsed brilliantly staged show. The front man, Robby, was on real form, bantering with those in the crowd who were moshing and responding to his every word. Chunk, well what can I say, a superb guitar player, I play a little guitar myself but this mans fingers just danced on his fret board. He made his Gibson sing, cry and scream effortlessly. Bass man sparty must be the coolest bloke in music. Faultless, precise with the occasional cheeky grin that would melt any girls heart. At the back (as most drummer seem to find themselves!) was bubbles. How anyone can keep all that goes on in Frantik's music together at that pace is any ones guess. Every beat played to perfection, at least 2 sticks broken, just superb. Where ever and when ever Frantik play they are worth seeing. Its difficult to label their sound, but when I spoke to them afterwards, it was apparent that their wide ranging influences, from seventies glam rock to the current chilly pepper/ green day scene, provide an eclectic mix of quality and uniqueness.

Cheers love Marina x
What can I say but, Alive by The Capital ? - Great song, are they playing locally? They sound a proper 'fit' band is there much for the ladies to look at there?!! Seriously though I hope there's more to come from them and GET THEM IN LIVE!!!

Sean
Saw Clive John at the Rugby Club in Malvern on ST Patricks night, He was brill - had the whole place jigging! Its good to have such a talent as a local lad!