Live Reviews | MTTM - More Than The Music

Feb 14, 2012

Posted by Kimberley Manderson | 1 comment

09/02/2012 | Kina Grannis – Union Chapel, Lo...

Sitting in the pews of a packed-out, but freezing, Union Chapel, all mentions of snow were forgotten as a pretty Californian girl took to the stage, accompanied only by a guitar and a cellist. For a girl who not so long ago was singing to her stuffed animals, Kina Grannis isn’t doing too bad at all. One of the latest to breakthrough from YouTube generation, Kina gained thousands...

Feb 11, 2012

Posted by Lisa Ward | 0 comments

07/02/2012 | Boy – The Jazz Cafe, London

The Flash Player and a browser with Javascript support are needed. Having never set foot on UK soil, Swiss-German band, Boy, seem somewhat overwhelmed as they step onto the Jazz Cafe stage, and even more perplexed when they realise that not only are there a fair few German fans in the audience but also that people already know the lyrics to sing along. I have to confess;...

Feb 5, 2012

Posted by Lisa Ward | 0 comments

30/01/2012 | The Secret Sisters – Union Chap...

The Flash Player and a browser with Javascript support are needed. Perhaps it should be made clear from the start, The Secret Sisters are good, both vocally and musically. Nevertheless, it’s fair to say their downfall is what comes between songs, or at least Laura’s is. When they’re singing their mix of traditional country numbers, inspired predominantly by the...

Jan 29, 2012

Posted by Lisa Ward | 0 comments

28/01/2012 | Lindi Ortega – The Jericho Tave...

The Flash Player and a browser with Javascript support are needed. ‘You’re gonna know me by my little red boots’. Actually, if Lindi Ortega is going to be known for anything it’s likely to be her ability to belt out songs without missing a note, something the album doesn’t seem to capture. Whilst the album is solid, live the songs are transformed with a rhythm...

Jan 28, 2012

Posted by Lisa Ward | 0 comments

24/01/2012 | Madison Violet – The Stables, M...

The Flash Player and a browser with Javascript support are needed. It has to be said, the idea of leaving a warm flat on a cold, damp Tuesday in January to see a band I know little about seemed relatively unappealing, especially since it seems as though nothing has left me longing for more recently. That is until Brenley and Lisa strike up the first chord of If I Could...

Jan 14, 2012

Posted by Lisa Ward | 0 comments

10/01/2012 | Ani DiFranco – Union Chapel, Lo...

The Flash Player and a browser with Javascript support are needed. Before tonight I knew three things about Ani Difranco. 1, She has a ridiculous number of albums, 2. She’s an overt feminist and 3. I have always meant to listen to her properly but have never managed to find the time. As she launches into Little Plastic Castle I quickly learn that my laziness might...

Dec 12, 2011

Posted by Maria Turauskis | 0 comments

09/12/2011 | The Drums – Shepherds Bush Empi...

First impressions of this high profile live offering from The Drums is the disappointing tone of pretension heavily present in the air. The Drums are perhaps known for their slightly foppish hipster audience (yours truly included), but the sheer proliferation of posers, taking innumerate photos of themselves and not actually engaging with the music is somewhat...

Dec 12, 2011

Posted by Lisa Ward | 0 comments

09/12/2011 | The Saw Doctors – O2 Academy, O...

The Flash Player and a browser with Javascript support are needed. A Saw Doctors show is pretty much a dance-meets-karaoke session for incapacitated drunks. Whilst Tommy K has one less move than the YMCA (albeit with similar arm formed letters), Hay Wraps boasts a simple finger wave; in essence it’s a Steps concert with a little less cheese. This is by no means a...

Dec 6, 2011

Posted by Lisa Ward | 0 comments

02/12/2011 | Seth Lakeman – Cheltenham Town ...

The Flash Player and a browser with Javascript support are needed. From the first few beats of tonight, there’s a sense that it’s going to be loud; even the opening drum beat mimics Queen’s We Will Rock You, a perfect summary perhaps for what unfolds. As someone who loves Seth when his arm is moving at 100mph across his fiddle, there’s a sense of dismay with the...

Dec 4, 2011

Posted by Jo Cox | 0 comments

27/11/2011 | Bellowhead – The Regal, Oxford

The Flash Player and a browser with Javascript support are needed. It seems as if little has changed for Bellowhead as they return to The Regal a year to the month since their last performance here, touring with the same album and an almost identical set list. It’s tempting to use this as a criticism but in all honesty, when you know they’ve found a formula...