Tanfield Railway, 14th May 2016: Eva Stone,The Lake Poets, Hyde & Beast

#Gadgees went to Tanfield Railway for a memorable gig at a special venue

Long walk but it was worth it.

What a venue

@gerry0504

Eva Stone opened the evening with an excellent set showcasing her own songs from her CD. She has a fantastic voice reminiscent of Eva Cassidy & Norah Jones with an impressive pedigree having supported  Paolo Nutini  & Nitin Sawney. This gadgee would like to hear here singing some Jazz standards; she has the voice to deliver.

@gerry0504

The Lake Poets, Martin Longstaff, for this gadgee, the best set of the evening with songs of personal experience, compassion & love. His songs about His Grandmother with Alzheimers & his  experience as a schoolteacher were moving & insightful. 

 

@gerry0504

Hyde & Beast rounded off this excellent evening with a tight rocking set, with "Hard Times Good Times"  as a rollicking finish.

Laura Cantrell at Jumpin' Hot Club, Caedmon Hall, Gateshead Sat 7th May 2016

#Gadgees keenly anticipated another Laura Cantrell gig promoted by Jumpin' Hot Club, this time at the Caedmon Hall, having previously played at the Town Hall, Sage & also the Little Theatre in Gateshead,  something of a record for such a renowned American country artist.

@gerry0504
This #Gadgee tends to lose critical faculties when seeing Laura Cantrell but she produced another peerless performance this evening with her unique voice, combining fragility & passion in equal measure.
The late, lamented John Peel made a typically generous comment about "Not the Trembling Kind" which is where I first heard her.
This gig showcased the vinyl reissue of  this album and her latest release, "Laura Cantrell at the BBC" with some tunes from Kitty Wells album.
The reciprocal warmth from stage to audience made this a gig to remember. Laura, the consummate artist delivered in style with a performance that encapsulated her early career & illustrated her love for, & knowledge of her chosen genre.
Please check out online  her radio broadcasts to hear this:
http://www.wfmu.org/~laura/index.html

The support band, My Girl the River, provided excellent vocals from Kris Wilkinson, who joined Laura for encore.

My son, unable to attend this gig because of university exams, was happy to receive this having seen Laura  a couple of times over  the last decade.

@alphaspud
Once again Laura delivered another flawless performance,crystal clear vocals backed up by superb accompaniment made for a very enjoyable evening

Sleaford Mods: Invisible Britain at Tyneside Cinema, 1st May 2016

Sleaford Mods: Invisible Britain

#Gadgees went to 1st screening of Invisible Britain at the Tyneside Cinema, a rockumentary by Sleaford Mods, not having seen them live.

@gerry0504
Certainly, the Sleafords have been added to the #GadgeesBucketList for a live gig.

The fortysomething duo from Nottingham have the look of an angry geography teacher & an electronic geek but produce a vibrant sound & a verbal assault delivering insightful lyrics with graphic imagery; a harsh, realistic commentary on austerity Britain.

The documentary element was a bit of a curate's egg, falling between two stools,  two distinct elements : the fan interviews & the real-life documentary interjections.

The former were genuine fans' opinions, pretty much: the best band since The Sex Pistols/Specials. My view is they were more like the current Public Image Limited & just as relevant.

I found the latter element much more interesting albeit lacking narrative.The contribution by Dr Lisa McKenzie, a sociology lecturer, about the under-representation of working class people, was core to this documentary & deserved more space.
 (http://www.lse.ac.uk/sociology/whoswho/academic/Mckenzie.aspx)
 I urge anyone who has been interested in this subject following the recent Hillsborough revelations to watch, learn more & GET INVOLVED.

@folkastro
What an engaging commentary on modern day austerity Britain.  This was a very thoughtful production with intelligent insights from a cross section of the public.  For Jason and Andrew think Sex Pistols with Portishead; social commentary and energy; fully engaged audiences.  This gadgee is personally looking forward to seeing them when they tour later in the year.