Tag: reviews

Hansel & Gretel: Panto at the Wharf!

Images: Chris Watkins Media

It was lovely to spend Sunday afternoon at Devizes’ Wharf Theatre, to see how this year’s pantomime Hansel & Gretel, is coming along. If my preview is behind me now, or if “oh, no, it isn’t,” I’m happy to confirm ticket holders are in for a real treat, and those without a ticket I urge you to be as quick as a quick thing being quick…..

Tickets for panto at the Wharf sell out fast every year, rightfully. I believe there’s only a handful left. It may beg the question why I’m here to preview it at all, but with our Ian hot on the scene of anything theatrical these days, I’ve missed being at our communal little theatre. While I may not be so knowledgeable on Shakespeare’s plays, I know what I like, and I’m smitten for a great panto.

First time panto co-director Karen Ellis, who works with Jessica Bone, told me there’s a slightly different approach this year. I couldn’t tell, Jack & The Beanstalk was wonderful last year, Hansel & Gretel is going to be as amazing as a gingerbread house decorated with sweeties!

A few sweets need tweaking, I’m at an early rehearsal, neighbouring seats are occupied with ladders and paint pots. Opening night is Friday 29th November, and with extra dates added the show runs until Saturday 7th December, with matinees on the Saturdays. With professionalism abound from what’s essentially an amateur production, from my sneaky peek alone, I’ve no doubt, this show is going to absolutely sparkle and thrill young and old equally. 

It was interesting, though, to see the inner workings of a panto developing, the many elements needing synchronisation I wouldn’t have contemplated before now, and the attention to detail to something which might seem somewhat improvised to an outsider. It might be a couple of hours of quality family entertainment to you, but from script, expertly crafted by The Wharf Writers’ Group, to this stage where only a few I’s need dotting and T’s crossing, has taken a year of hard work from a thoroughly dedicated group of very talented people.

And the hard work explodes like a supernova. As any panto should, the narrative is slight and loosely based on the Brothers Grimm fairy-tale. The show concentrates on slapstick, corny gags, drag, parodies of pop songs, slight tragedy, and a huge dollop of funny banter and audience participation, with a sprinkling of storyline. Brush up on your children’s TV show themes, anything more might be deemed a spoiler, but I can assure you, you’re going to love it; all these elements are in grand abundance, and it thoroughly entertained me.

Starter for ten, neither Hansel, parts shared by two great young actors, Rory Lee and Tamsin Antignani, nor Gretel, similarly played by Emily Edwards and Gigi Underwood, are the protagonists here, rather the main parts depict an investigating police officer, Buttons, and his love interest, comically named Carrie Okie. The latter is played superbly by Georgina Claridge, also responsible for choreography, and the former, Officer Buttons is sublimely brought to life by Darcey Oswin; both masterful and confidently versatile in acting and singing, they work together like the perfect double-act.

Adam Sturges’ thespianism flare, with a natural ability for improv makes for the quintessential dame; he remained in character and high heels when I chatted to him outside! Is this the first pantomime dame to have a son, I wondered? Shaken, but not stirred and played by Lucas Dowling.

Likewise, Helen Pritchard makes for an excellent witch, and there’s supposed to be a compliment in there! Lesley Scholes is hilarious as a discluded fairy godmother, and the randomly placed comical duo is supplied brilliantly by Oli Beech and Liz Sharman.

Other singing and dancing characters are cast aptly, with Archer Leigh, Jo Benyon-Tucker, Cathy Chappell, Corrin Bishop, Poppy Lamb-Hughes, Emily Webb and Ben Bryan. It wouldn’t be Christmas without a panto, and even a Grinch like me, after watching just a rehearsal for this early in November, could sense sleigh bells jingling and ring-tingle tingling all the way home!

I cannot guarantee your Brussel sprouts will be perfectly timed to coincide with the turkey, but I can assure you without doubt, Hansel & Gretel at The Wharf Theatre will warm your hearts and send you home smiling from elf ear to elf ear!

But hurry and be lucky to pick up the few remaining tickets HERE.

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“The Real Inspector Hound”, at the Rondo Theatre, Larkhall, Bath, November 8th 2024.


by Ian Diddams
images by Playing Up Theatre Company

When is a mousetrap not a mousetrap? When it’s written by Tom Stoppard…
If you have seen “The Mousetrap” you may find elements of “The Real Inspector Hound” quite familiar. Or alternatively, if once having seen “The Real inspector Hound” you then progress to seeing “The Mousetrap” you may find elements of that show quite familiar…

“The Mousetrap” of course being a play by Agatha Christie that is the London West End’s longest running play, performed ever since 1952 with only a lockdown enforced break in all that time. Famously, audiences are asked not to reveal the solution.  Tom Stoppard, allegedly, found this requirement somewhat tedious and so set out to write his own, similar, play.  You would ideally want to see both however to fully understand what he created.

“The Real Inspector Hound” is also famously known for being a play-within-a-play; that is, a play in a theatre where the story is about a play. Stoppard though arguably takes this one step further especially as the surreal activities of the second half of the play unfold, as it becomes a play within a play within a play…  the complexities of what that entails are best learned by seeing Stoppard’s excellently bizarre play!

The Playing Up Theatre Company present this show this week at the Rondo, Theatre, Larkhall, on the eastern extremities of Bath. In it they take Stoppard’s already surreal comedy and add even more layers to it…  not only is their performance of Stoppard’s urine extraction of Agatha Christie, but they have added hilarious homages to “The Play That Goes Wrong,” “Acorn Antiques” and even “Monty Python,” especially in the first half – the second half is bonkers enough to not need any additional layers, but the surrealism is excellently portrayed with good pace and no blinking of an eyebrow – audiences need to stay awake and in tune and to have listened attentively to the opening fifteen minutes to get all the nuances going on!

Stoppard used to be a theatre critic himself, and uses this knowledge as a vehicle to extract the urine to that demographic. The two critics, Moon and Birdboot, played by Andrew Chapman and Simon Shorrock respectively, certainly portray two characters full of self-importance and one upmanship, though from opposite ends of the ethical spectrum and the two actors capture this interaction excellently. James Coy adeptly and gruffly spins his way around the stage in a wheelchair as the physically challenged brother-in-law Major Magnus Muldoon, overly protective of his sister-in-law and threatening dark retribution to any man displaying intentions towards her. But is he what he seems to be ?

The star of the show – if one may be permitted to pick any one actor out of a superb line out anyway – for me though was Anne Hipperson as Mrs. Drudge the housekeeper. Her self-confessed homage to Mrs Overall from “Acorn Antiques” is perfect – some exquisite comedic timing. The only thing missing from the portrayal was Stoppard failing, sadly, to provide her with a line of “Two sugars” during the painfully brilliant coffee scene.

Simon Gascoyne, smooth, suave, and sophisticated wooer of women was played by Jordan Phillpots, oozing self-confidence and smarm from every pore, while Felicity Cunningham, played by Leah Brine, the breathless, suspicious, doubly wooed young lady was suitably, deliciously aghast at the abhorrent menfolk in her life.

Then there was the almost obligatory femme fatale for such country house whodunnits – Sophie Brooks as Lady Cynthia Muldoon. Outwardly a devoted wife to her missing husband, but privately a hot bed of passion for passing fancies, Sophie mixed M’Lady’s brooding, sultry character in the farcical first act, and surreal second half to perfection, another actor with perfect comedic timing.


Which leaves just Inspector Hound himself – as ever perfectly played by the ever talented Richard Chivers. Or then again – is he the “Real Inspector Hound”?


That leaves just one more character on stage … mentioned several times, but hidden, then revealed – twice. No names, no pack drill, but the character never puts a foot out of place, and remains faultlessly in character and on stage for the entire show.

The set, by cast and crew, is a simple one as befits a typical country house murder mystery, with the use of the Rondo’s rear “cubby hole” option as the theatre seats used by Moon and Birdboot. Costumes fitted the period setting of 1930s upper class types, and technical design, operation and support was handled with aplomb by Darian Nelson and Emily Smith. This just leaves kudos for wonderful direction by Darian Nelson, abetted by superb stage management – also stepping into the fold of tech team for technical reasons – by Diluki O’Beirne.

I can’t praise this performance enough. From the pure delivery of Stoppard’s farcical surrealism, to the directorial tweaks and homages so well delivered by the cast, to use of Bluetooth technology to really sell on stage audio, everything gelled so well.

So all that remains now is to advise you all – go and see this play wherever you can and see if you can spot who is…  “The Real Inspector Hound.”





The Soul Sessions from Bristol’s Kaya Street

In 1985 Tenor Saw toasted the lyric, “another sound is dying,” in Ring the Alarm. It implied his sound was the contemporary champion, yet while it’s true reggae is competitively progressive, this particular tune’s dubplate derived from the Stalag riddim created by Ansel Collins twelve years earlier, as did Sister Nancy’s Bam Bam and numerous others. I appreciate the ethos of dubplates, for a musician to lay down a track and various singers to interpret it, but favour, if you want a true contemporary champion sound, it’s not to regurgitate existing riddims, but to use past influences to create original composition; the more the merrier! I may have opened a Pandora’s box upon receiving The Soul Sessions EP from Bristol’s Kaya Street, but it’s certainly a refreshing and interesting original sound…..

In a promotional shot advertising their latest single Wild Child, getting spun on Daniel Pascoe’s BBC Introducing show, Kaya Street’s main man, Kaya, is shown wearing a Trojan Records logo on his T-shirt, it connotes awareness of their roots. I beg to differ from their accompanying quote, “like nothing we’ve heard before,” while perhaps not recently, the fusions Kaya Street experimented with here, reggae, soul, and afrobeat, have indeed been tried before, in abundance.

I could cite bands from Misty in Roots to the Clash, and even Bristol’s own Massive Attack. I could point to the logo on the shirt and suggest many discs sought for distribution by Trojan in the sixties experimented in such a manner; take Lord Brynner’s 1966 single Congo War as one of many examples, or even predate this with the notion mento is rooted from African rhythms. Yet, it’s not the ingredients in Kaya Street’s melting pot which makes it prominently interesting and beguiling, rather the way they stir it, the method in the composition and production. Either that, or I’m an ageing trainspotter beyond the years of all at BBC Introducing!!

The single Wild Child is an enchanting one-drop steppers march, steeped in conscious vocals akin to Marley’s Get Up Stand Up, denouncing the violent crime epidemic in the UK.

It’s bravely brassy too. In an electric modern world taken for granted, it will wake you up to the roots of reggae, when brass sections ruled the day, something which trends throughout the EP. I’m more than happy for the EP to flow throughout like this, but, imagine, a pleasant surprise when the second tune, Alfie proves Kaya Street are no one trick pony.

This is positively alive in an uplifting, paced soukous-inspired sound, while the last song Sway sounds more south than east African; funky township jive, reminding me somewhat of Thomas Mapfumo, with such a saxophone solo to rival Hugh Masekela’s trumpet, least as near as dammit! The penultimate song Be Mine is more commercially western, the offbeat is slight, the theme is romance, the overall vibe is soul, with its silky backing vocals, and again with this consistent concentration of saxophone.

But the best example to highlight my opening point is Low. Low certainly wasn’t my favourite on the EP, to begin with. It starts very lounge jazz, again with the prominent sax and silky vocals, but then subtly and unexpectedly twists into a dubby rockers riddim, so smoothly I had to rewind just to identify when and how this occurred. This alone caused my first impression to alter from, “yeah, this is good,” to “actually, this is a stroke of genius,” and for me to take it back to the beginning and reassess it.

Kaya Street’s sound, like anything progressive and experimental, is a grower, it creeps up on you. There’s narratives to each song I’ve yet to analyse fully, but the more you listen, the more you detect an element from this vast melting pot of cherry-picked influences, and comprehend the story behind each, and I love it for this!

Being I was digging into the archives to find examples of similar past fusions, a subject I could chew your ears off about, if Brynner’s Congo War is a specimen to ska’s African roots prior to the commercial blossoming of Rasta, as opposed to the more commonly cited jump blues influence, derived from US troops leaving radio masts in Jamaica after the second world war, try The Paragons’ lesser-known If I Were You for soul train size. It’s so funky it could be in the Stax catalogue, and is something Be Mine reminded me of; there’s so much going on here.

Yet as many examples of where and how the melting pot has been stirred, none are apogees; it takes Jamaican born Bronx DJ Kool Herc to reach that climax, when he maintained the procedures of King Tubby and applied it to funk and soul to appease the multiculturalism of New York, and created hip hop. Bristol in the nineties was a kingpin to pioneering a UK hip hop formula, which returned influences full circle and incorporated reggae again. Kaya Street continues this Bristol epoch, reviving it freshly. The Soul Sessions is a revisit, recorded in three sessions in 2012 at Exeter’s Valvetastic Studios, with prolific award-winning producer and musician Jolyon Holroyd.

If I am to find some niggly, it’s a lack of intro; the songs tend to jerk right in, but I guess it’s because I have the single edits here, and Kaya Street’s impressive lineup is plentiful to convince me they know the formula to extend and polish. It consists of Revelation Roots drummer Dan Salter, bassist Mark Lee from Hot Dub and Kolo, and that gorgeous sax is provided by Ray Beavis of The Clash, Suzy Quatro, and Katrina and the Waves. Kaya himself has previously worked with dub producers The Vibronics and Dubmatix. Herein is an insight to how the influences meld so professionally, so absolutely sublime.

And sublime is a word I’ll happily use to sum this up, save me waffling further! The initial project was a limited run of CDs for gigs, now for the first time, they are being remastered and released online. Wild Child was released 1st of November, the rest, I believe, will follow, and you need to be there to hear them when they do; Don Letts is raving about this, so here’s the socials to follow.

LinkTree . Facebook . Insta .

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“The Little Mermaid” at St. Augustine’s, Trowbridge, October 30th–November 3rd, 2024.

By Mick Brian
photos by Chris Watkins Media

Disney aficionados will need no introduction to “The Little Mermaid,” Disney’s 1989 film about mermaids falling in love with humans based very loosely on Hand Christian Anderson’s tale. By 2007 Disney had crated a stage musical version which officially opened on Broadway in 2008, with a later modification in 2012. But what Broadway can do, Trowbridge can do too, and this week Trowbridge Musical Theatre (a.k.a. TMT ) bring “The Little Mermaid” all the way from New York City and an undersea kingdom to St. Augustine’s Catholic College for our delectation.

This is a challenging production to pull off, with a huge cast, and multiple characters and costume changes, massive choreography numbers and immensely technical requirements, but TMT manage it sublimely in a packed and fast paced show. With a cast so vast its not feasible to list every single person sadly but it is fair to say that everybody involved brought something special to the performance. Added to which a brave decision to play it with American accents as per Broadway worked really well – kudos to all for not grating, and being thoroughly believable as sons and daughters of Uncle Sam.

Lets begin with the orchestra – with ten musicians and Kate Courage M.D. you can already appreciate the scale of this production. From the opening marvellous overture to the last note the orchestra were simply great.

The technical team brought the stage craft to life aided and abetted by some wonderful directorial touches by director Matthew Heaton… the pièce de resistance being the beautifully simple yet effective use of wave sheets to represent the sea, operated excellently by the younger members of the cast and especially effective in the ship wreck scene – top waving by  Emmi-Mae Cao, Elsie Cunningham, Iris Cunningham and Sam Hodgman. More kudos to the tech team and set designers with excellent projected backdrops and a few simple but effective set pieces.

Of the principals all provided great characterisation. Alex Ball as Flounder was a standout performance, Noah Heard as Eric executed his role as a prince falling in love at first sight to perfection with a voice that was creamy, dreamy and effortless with great diction, voice agility and ability. Triton’s daughters (all seven of them) proved wonderfully catty in their roles, and collectively strong with a great sound.

The evergreen Tim Hobbs was as brilliantly crabby as he ever is as Sebastian with some wonderful comedic touches, while Sarah Davies diva’d her way fantastically through the show as the wickedly creepy Ursula, with her wonderfully strong voice as ever.

She was superbly accompanied by the dynamic duo of Frankie Walker and Daisy Woodruffe as Flotsam and jetsam, Ursula’s henchmen eels who worked really well together. Ariel was the archetypal Disney princess portrayed to a tee by Katy Pattinson – gorgeous and tiny, with such a pretty voice and moved about the stage nicely.  Her chemistry with Eric was particularly good, and as a pair the complemented each other well. Her Act two performance in particular as a mute was really well executed with some strong physical acting, communicating superbly with facial expressions. Her scene of learning to walk was choreographed and performed extremely well.

Which brings us to the ensemble. Oh. My. Word. Ensembles make or break a show and here was a show that was made. Extremely strong in everything they did, they deserve a full bow of their own for the multiple costume and character changes required, as they sang, danced, and acted their way through being gulls, maids, sailors, chefs, princesses and the already praised “Wave” team. A specific mention here to Paul West as Scuttle the head gull with a strong comedic lead. But all members of this vast ensemble were worthy of their places I hasten to say!

Choreography by Anna Mazan was a huge feature of the show, and the time and effort put in by her and her protégés was evident. “Under The Sea” was a triumph – fantastic, energetically colourful, a massive carnival with bubble machines, jellyfish parasols and so much more in a cavalcade of splendour. You’d need to watch it many times over to catch everything that was happening on stage.

Costumes were simply fantastic. Just wonderful. A little fish told me that they weren’t without some teething problems on their arrival, but the wardrobe team did the cast proud. Chapeau!!   (If you will pardon the pun).

It’s a huge show. And its running in Trowbridge, at St. Augustine’s Catholic College until Sunday 3rd November, tickets from https://trowbridgemusicaltheatre.co.uk/tickets/





The Mist; New Single from Meg

Chippenham’s young folk singer-songwriter Meg, or M3G if you want to get numeric, will release her 6th single The Mist on Friday 18th October, and it’s got me thinking about the film Rain Man….

Showing my age, I saw it at the flicks in 88! Tom Cruise was everywhere in the late eighties, and this film began like any other. Cruise, an egomaniac businessman, but in his reassociation with his lost brother, played by Dustin Hoffman, surprisingly bucked the trend of Cruise’s Hollywood template. For the masses it was an awakening, raising awareness of and offering a fascinating insight into autism.

In an interview for Devizine conducted by my daughter, this celebrated upcoming singer-songwriter was comfortable discussing her autism. “I honestly don’t think I would be doing this if I wasn’t autistic, in a weird way,” Meg explained, “All of my songs are about me in some respect and it’s a part of me I can’t escape.” The Mist echoes this sentiment, precisely and wholeheartedly.

At the time of the 2023 interview, Meg figured the single they were discussing, Together was the only song she had written about autism, but connoting her later tunes, I believe others are, perhaps none more than The Mist. It is the most evocative and poignant on the subject, and being, as Meg said herself, “it’s part of who I am and I really value that part,” I’ll boldly declare this is the best of her singles to date.

We’ve come so far since Rain Man in understanding, identifying, and accepting autism spectrum disorder. The most important factor, I believe, is that everyone is an individual. Ergo, while at the time we may have considered Rain Man this insight into the autistic mind, it was, actually, only ever an insight into the character of Rain Man.

This song is on a similar level, as Meg opens up and expresses her deepest thoughts on sociability and correlation versus serenity and solitary, angelically. The line in the song, “my piece of mind got up and left my side, said I’d be better off without them,” is a haunting example. It is also a fascinating insight, to Meg’s sentience, yet in essence, it too is a beautifully crafted song with powerful ambience.

In thoughtful prose it drifts, still as the night air, and candidly as chilly, as if Meg invites you into the depths of her consciousness. It is a tested formula, astute honestly in songwriting, to leave a listener believing they’ve taken a piece of the singer’s life with them, and in turn, identified with it. Yet Meg does this so utterly uniquely it could only be her thoughts done her way, that’s the only hook needed; we’ve all put a square peg in a round hole. The solitariness of her delivery matches the theme and it combines into something wholesomely composed, yet sublimely forsaken.

Even the production matches the solitary of the sound, Meg provides her own backing vocals, to create layers of angelic voice, choral, like her thoughts reverberating, questioning or venerating her meaning. She will also produce and master her own work, so it is solely her outpouring, untainted by another’s input. And that is what makes it work so wonderfully. That is why Meg can hold a crowd willing to intensively listen, spellbound; I’ve witnessed this first hand, first time at the Pump, last time at the Tuppeny, it is something worth savouring timeover. If The Mist is a metaphor for the hindrance which obscures Meg from relating to others, it is also our musical Rain Man, a fascinating insight to how one’s personal autism conducts their innermost thoughts. And that, my friend, is how you write a masterpiece!

The Mist is out Friday 18th, check in then, on M3G’s Spotify page to hear it!

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Rachel Sinnetta & Rosie Jay at the Crown, Bishops Cannings

Must confess it felt somewhat odd to return to The Crown in Bishops Cannings for my weekly ration of live music. The only pub in the village has been closed a short while, since verbal pitchforks and torches from a crotchety minority who wanted the tavern to be little more than a museum artefact drove the previous landlords out…..

Prior it was a bustling community hub run immaculately with gusto and enthusiasm, hosting a variety of events and raising funds for charities. Seemed crabby witches and even a lord of a manor were prepared to gang-up, lie to police, and misquote Devizine when we failed to appeal to their better nature. It backfired, they didn’t own one, but let’s not dwell.

New landlords are in, pleasant and keen to maintain the pub’s reputation amidst the prying Karens. Sarah, the new landlady praised her new chefs, and the pub hosts an open mic every first Thursday of the month, Tuesday evening quizzes, and intends to begin a men’s mental health group and possibly a football team.

Tonight, however, will be the new owners first live music night, and they’ve wisely hoisted in promoters Wiltshire Music Events to organise it. Though without much advertising unfortunately the crowd was slight. Never the simple accomplishment it may seem when established venues have the monopoly through a regularity of gigs, to sporadically host will require endless bashing about it on social media. It is, however, easier with the increased 49 bus service, that a night bus will drop into villages enroute, of which you should take note.

I’m in attendance not only to support and encourage the importance of entertainment in villages, save the thought of losing your local watering hole. Rather it is because Wiltshire Music Events is hosting two new acts on their roster, one who’ve yet to explore outside of their Salisbury circuit. A wise choice being the neighbouring church is a mini replica of the cathedral to make the bishop feel at home in the Cannings, or at least so the myth goes!

Firstly, in support, young singer-songwriter Rosie Jay, one I’ve been dying to meet and see live since fondly reviewing her first two singles. Rosie didn’t disappoint despite the pedestal I’ve put her on. Her self-penned songs are rippled with the poignancy of the classic template acoustic wordsmiths who made it big will follow; concentration on the hook, something even more essential with the attention span of the Tik-Tok generation.

Her voice is rich, affectionate, and she delivers songs with passion and blossoming stage presence. An interesting choice of covers from a young artist, often, she explained to the audience, inspired by their usage in films. Okay, Elvis’ Can’t Help Falling in Love is timeless romantic, and The Cranberries’ Zombie is most formulaic, but Dylan’s It Ain’t Me Babe, is a cynical rare choice to pull from her magician’s hat. Though it relates in theme to Rosie’s first song, I Don’t Give a Damn, and her general subjects. Rosie nailed them all, beautifully, with particular evocative expressions in the reclusive and heartfelt jaundiced emotions of Dylan, and likewise her own intelligent compositions.

Currently pursuing a Level 3 Diploma in Music at Wiltshire College and University Centre, Rosie told me of her work on local radio, and was enthusiastic about her forthcoming EP. Part of the growing Wiltshire Music Events family now, as Joylon Dixon has worked with her to produce it. And Joylon accompanies the next performer, the incredible Rachel Sinnetta.

Renowned for a two-year stint supporting Gerry & The Pacemakers, singing to Prince William and recording with Pete Townshend, Rachel intended to tour a  “Wuthering Heights: The Music of Kate Bush,” project which unfortunately fell through.

Music teacher Rachel  set to tour this tribute extensively throughout the UK; that’s what the blurb told me. All I know is Kate Bush is the vocal epitome of singularity, the individuality debatably overlooked in today’s pop industry, as the penchant to sound akin to Whitney Houston seems paramount.

Just like Dolly, Cher, Tina Turner, Stevie Nicks, Tom Jones, Alanis Morissette, even KT Tunstall et al, you need a seriously powerful vocal range to convincingly take on a Kate Bush cover. And Rachel did, sublimely delivering Running Up That Hill, and popular hits of all the aforementioned. Seemingly having her own deal with god, Rachel naturally reaches the notes with ease, her husky yet divine rock voice is the eloquence and faculty able to adapt to take those powerhouse ballads on with such precision and poignancy, particularly with the female giants. She even rinsed Arthea Franklin’s Natural Women, and left me tingling, Chaka Khan’s Ain’t Nobody too simply wowed. Proud Mary in the key of Tina Turner; who would dare attempt them in an intimate gig such as this?! Rachel Sinnetta made them look childsplay.

Sassy with Tom Jones’ Kiss, joyful with Erasure’s A Little Respect, covers came thick and fast, coupled with the secret legendary Jolyon Dixon without rehearsal was a match from heaven, and the whole shebang was utterly blissful; shame only us, a few regulars and their dogs were there to witness it. Such is the uphill struggle for new landlords to plant their establishment into a local music circuit, partially my reasoning for doing this blog.

So, take heed now, especially everyone in Pewsey; this wonderful formula, Rosie Jay followed by Rachel Sinnetta with Jolyon Dixon will be continued at the Royal Oak, in Pewsey, with a free gig from 8pm, next Saturday, the 19th October; they are in for a treat.

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Ruby Darbyshire: God is Offline

Wiltshire singer-songwriter Ruby Darbyshire, you’re most likely familiar with, unless you joined Devizine family reader’s circle today, has a new song on YouTube, one she’s…

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Chatting with Josh Oldfield on Blues, Inspiration, and Drums in Suitcases!

I was chatting to Josh Oldfield last week, a Devizes singer-songwriter I believe we’ll be hearing a lot more of. Though this interview was pending before I’d had the opportunity to see him perform, coincidentally the Sunday before I was fortunate enough to, at a private party….

And it was worth a fortune, Josh has confident stage presence, a guitar soloist with soothing baritone vocals, white shirt and waistcoat, and a vintage suitcase foot-drum akin to a travelling Southern bluesman of yesteryear.  Connoting retrospective style, the drum gives depth to an otherwise acoustic set, and the show is quirky, but oozing with professionalism, like a one-man skiffle band. It’s something different from the norm, locally, which was the starting point to our chat.

Josh amended my description as ‘slightly different,’ “it’s a fair bit different,” he suggested, “and I didn’t mean to do it on purpose, it’s just naturally how it came out.” Fresh from Peggy-Sue’s local showcasing Don’t Stop the Music Radio Show on Swindon 105.5, he said it went “fantastic; there seemed to be people into it. And I don’t actually know what I’m doing, but it’s something different!”

Pinning his sound only for want of conveying it to you, I jested he caused me to think a ‘skiffle George Ezra!’ Said with upmost respect, despite Ezra’s commercial success, he never waivers his style, possibly opening a door to others with deep vocal range. Josh ducked the Ezra comparison, concentrating on the skiffle and deepness of his range. “Skiffle’s perfect. It’s something I should have realised with gigs; people seem to like originally. Years ago I’d try and move away from how deep my voice is, because it’s not popular. Professionals and singing teachers will tell you, that because my voice is baritone, they’re like, oh, you got to learn higher range for popular music.”

I supposed that was the appeal. “Well, yeah,” Josh continued, “turns out people like hearing the lower ranges, as it’s not so common, and maybe there’s a comeback now, where people are kind of picking that up a little bit more.” We waffled for some considerable time on the templates and expectancies of modern pop vocals, compared to a unique time of yore when a voice was a personal signature. Josh cited Tom Waits and Nick Cave as influences, favouring “obscure stuff,” over contemporary pop.

He first picked up a guitar at thirteen. “My dad just had a guitar knocking around the house. He used to play a bit, but didn’t really play anymore,” but stressed he didn’t start singing until recently. A couple of months ago he sang at the open mic at the Cellar Bar, “the first time my mum ever heard me sing, and I’m like thirty now. Singing is not something I’ve been doing naturally throughout the whole thing.”

Josh comes across an earnest perfectionist, one who solitarily hones his craft and doesn’t unleash anything until it’s mastered, ergo he’s new on the scene but ‘oven-ready’ to give an impressive show. If now is that time to break the local scene, there’s a valid reason. Given the all-clear from being diagnosed with testicular cancer last year, at twenty-nine years old, Josh expressed, “essentially that’s what ended up pushing me to want to pursue music. I was like, ‘I’ve kind of been given a second chance,’ you know? That was the main drive.”

At the party Josh pulled some finely penned originals out of his bag as well as adapted covers of crowd-pleasing pop, such as Tainted Love; the set was instantly prodigious. On writing he expressed songs were, “flowing out. They’re just coming. I was being asked last night, what’s this song about? I don’t really have a clue what they’re about. They’re just literally being put down on paper and then, there’s a meaning in there somewhere, you know? It’s more like transposing them. There was a song I wrote on Monday, and I played it on Tuesday on the radio, because it just kind of happened. But then, when I was trying to look at what it was about it, well, I mean, I was watching Clarkson’s Farm the day before. So, there was some stuff about a farm in there, so maybe it’s linked to that in some way!”

Capturing a moment no matter how inconsequential at the time, naturally crafting art sourced from it when inspiration strikes, and being as impossible to summarise how and why as it is to transmit a dream, is key to creative genius. That question put him under the spotlight, but he came up trumps!

Our conversation diverted to breaking the local circuits, the balance of adapting to certain venues and niches, as while many want cover bands, few prefer original acts locally, and I affirmed Josh’s self-penned vintage style would suit the matured blues aficionados of Devizes. Though we covered the upcoming more youthful indie-punk scene and talked of Kieran at the Pump. “That’s more what I remember,” Josh stressed after hearing me on the blues penchant of town. “Back in the day, the whole Sheer Music thing in Devizes. When that disappeared, I thought music in Devizes had disappeared. I thought it was all just, you know, pubs getting cover bands. But getting into it, there’s quite a big scene. It’s just finding it.”

That’s why we, and people like Peggy-Sue are here! Josh is sourcing all the right channels and appears on Fantasy Radio on the 10th of October.

We continued onto the one-man band thing, and that authentic suitcase drum. “It’s from America,” Josh explained, “it’s a suitcase with the basic drum built in. There’s a Pan American drum company, only two companies in the world that do it.” I imagined axemen of yore stopping at the crossroads and selling their soul to the devil with it! “Well, yeah, that’s the thing,” he replied, “I want to play instruments where I can take them anywhere. So I got the kazoo as well. I can take that anywhere. I can play acoustic guitar anywhere. I can sing anywhere. When I think blues, there’s electric, but then there’s the kind of, sitting on the front porch, playing kind; playing just cause you want play,” which led us onto old-archaic bluesmen, of which there could be no doubt Josh has done his homework, alluding to RL Burnside and others. “No one knew about him until he was like sixty something. He was a sharecrop farmer, and he just lived out there. He had like sixteen children or something, you know? But he didn’t care. And that’s really for me where that kind of foundation comes from,” he said, explaining the story of a blues song he played at the party.

“That old style of blues, I’m trying to lean towards, to be honest, has a lot in common with punk,” he said and triggered a tangent on pigeonholing when roots intertwine, which developed onto open mic nights.

“Everyone I’ve met has been through the open mics, and I like playing them,” Josh reacted. “There’s this kind of community around it. Yeah, it can be a bit musician convention, and again, you mentioned Vince Bell, you know that’s where I met Vince. Me and him are looking to play a couple of shows together hopefully later this year.”

Playing with the ethos of taking music back to its roots makes Josh flexible, his music fits into folk and blues, so it’s apt to work with acoustic folk singers like Vince, and Josh mentioned working with Jamie Tyler of The Worried Men too, electric blues, a different kettle of fish, but still fits like a glove. “The live reaction to stuff seems to be great,” he added. “It’s that people like the music, to be honest, more than anything else that always surprises me. It’s like we were getting messages in while I was on the radio yesterday and people saying that they were really loving it and stuff and that’s surprising.”

If Josh Oldfield is modest and wears his heart on his sleeve, it’s a common sign of a creative prodigy. He admitted, “I’m very reserved, introverted. In fact, part of the reason I like playing music is because I don’t have to be in the crowd. I don’t like being in crowds. So if I’m playing the music, I’m not in the crowd!” There’s logic there, but in the brief time I saw Josh play, I’m convinced of what I said at the beginning, I believe we’ll be hearing a lot more of him.

Book Josh Oldfield with Marland Music HERE.

Follow him on social media, links are here Facebook. Instagram

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JAZZ – Our Local Guide

Andy Fawthrop All That Jazz – Nice! D-Town certainly punches above its weight when it comes to providing a vibrant and varied music scene. …

An Apology to Councillor Wallis

I would like to apologise to Devizes Town Councillor Iain Wallis for incorrect quotes in a spoof article concerning a BBC Wiltshire video we…

Jurassic Hillworth Park!

You know, there’s umpteen articles, studies, and even a six and half minute YouTube video explaining that Steven Spielberg’s 1993 family sci-fi movie Jurassic…

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Few Remaining Tickets for The Importance of Being Earnest at West Lavington Manor House and Garden

Tickets are limited and selling fast for a staged reading of Oscar Wilde’s most renowned comedy masterpiece, The Importance of Being Earnest, performed in the glorious setting of West Lavington Manor House and garden, on Sunday 8th September 2024….

It’s undoubtedly Wilde’s magnum opus, a timeless hilarity of dissimulation getting out of control, which I cite as the influence of many classic comedy series, particularly Fawtly Towers and Rising Damp.  

It’s a promenade performance, moving from space to space, which means seating will be limited. The ‘stage’ consists of the Hall and garden of West Lavington Manor. The show promises to go on whatever the weather, so be prepared.

The Old Bag Theatre Company have assembled a superb, and unconventional cast to bring Wilde’s play to surprising life in a setting he would have adored.

All profits from the performance will be donated to The Nestling Trust,  a UK Charity established in 2013, with the support of people from a small community in Wiltshire, to give protection, and hope of a future, for destitute and abused children of Nepal, also to help provide basic healthcare and health education for people living in remote areas of the country without any medical facility. 

Performances take place on Sunday 8th September at 2pm and 6pm. The grounds will be open from Midday for browsing and picnics, camp chairs are allowed but not in the house. There will be a bar available. But remember, if you take muffins, eat them calmly!

Tickets are £20 (includes a glass of bubbly) available from HERE.

Enquiries to: oldbagtheatrecompany@gmail.com

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Jol Rose For Tomorrow

New single from Swindon’s finest Americana singer-songwriter Jol Rose, the kind of artist who’ll finish a song and leave a jammed pub in such awe…

Keep reading

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The Next Season at the Wharf Theatre

Featured image by Chris Watkins

Autumn, finish your ice lolly, as we need to to start thinking about it! Our wonderful, one and only, theatre in Devizes is currently “dark,” for maintenance, installation of new equipment and stage enhancement. But there’s a new season coming soon, and tickets for a variety of performances beyond panto and into 2025 are up for grabs…

The theatrical term “gone dark” indicates the venue is closed to the public. No lights mean no show. Historically, when theatres go dark one is left lit light at the centre of the stage. It’s known as the “Ghost Light,” believed to guide spirits and ghosts around the building.

Wharf Theatre

While it may be a fire safety hazard too far for us today, candles were used in times gone by, and this may explain why many theatre’s often burned down in the Shakespearean era. I’m not a fountain of knowledge, I pinched it from the Wharf Theatre’s Facebook post! But we can’t have ghosts snapping up all the tickets for themselves, so here’s the lowdown on performances they’ve got lined up for us from August.

Sat 10th August: sees Rabbit Rabbit, a tribute to those cockney sparrows, Chas & Dave. Performed by the renowned trio, Triple Cream with their fantastic musicianship & witty banter, this show will have you smiling from ear to ear!

Mon 2nd – Sat 7th September: Abigail Newton directs British playwright Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads. Three dramatic monologues taken from the BBC TV series from 1988.

Thur 12th September: Devizes Film Club screens joyful British comedy Scrapper.

Fri 20th September: Relive Hancock’s Half Hour with award-winning theatre company, Hambledon Productions’ recreations of three, ‘lost’ episodes from the original television series. Missing from the BBC archives, this UK Tour will mark the very first time these hilarious scripts have been brought to life since their original broadcast.

Sat 28th September: Jazz Britannia. Britain’s best New Orleans jazz combo Baby Jools & The Jazzaholics take you on a musical journey through the birth of British Jazz. 

Mon 21st – Sat 26th October: Nic Proud adapts and directs Shakespeare’s Pericles, Prince of Tyre. A man on an endless voyage of peril, with romance and killing.

Sat 2nd Nov: Murder: Just What The Dr Ordered. From Isosceles Theatre Company who brought us a sold-out performance of The Man Who Left The Titanic last year. Set in Edinburgh, between 1827 and 1828, science and murder cling together in a dance of death.

7th Nov: Devizes Film Club screens Aki Kaurismäki’s Fallen Leaves, a Finnish film about a romance between a supermarket girl and a metalworker against a backdrop of economic disparity and war in Ukraine. Winner of the 2023 Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize.

Thu 28th Nov – Sat 7th Dec: Panto Time! This year the Wharf Theatre presents Hansel & Gretel. Karen Ellis & Jessica Bone take direction roles for the gingerbread house traditional pantomime. Alway popular, book this asap.

Mon 27th Jan – Sat 1st Feb: Veronica’s Room. John Winterton directs the first Wharf production of 2025, a chilling mystery thriller by the author of Rosemary’s Baby, exploring the thin line between fantasy and reality, madness and murder.

Tickets now on General Release HERE. Please note that Devizes Library is closed until 24 July which includes the Community Hub Box Office. Support our lovely local theatre.

MantonFest Magic, Again

With the danceable penultimate act attracting a packed crowd, I observed a young teenager, who, on spotting a disregarded beer bottle, picked it up and disposed of it properly. I’m at Mantonfest, the gem on Marlborough’s annual event calendar. I’m not surprised, having been a few times now, it has always been this pleasant and respectable; this year I reasoned why….

Kids these days, huh? Reacting appropriately, averting a potential trip hazard, I ask you?! Elsewhere, a younger girl is on her dad’s shoulders, pumping her arms in the air while the Queen tribute reenacts classics way beyond her years, and her dad bounces underneath; it’ll be one of countless priceless family memories to savour here today, just like Heidi of Barrelhouse giving out inflatable guitars, mics and more randomly, crocodiles!

For at Mantonfest’s very opening, parents are driven to joyful tears, as thirteen year-old Megan Mills from St John’s School swaps guitar for keys and confidently delivers an outstanding if short set, filled equally with talent and expression.

If, in past years I’ve pondered the wide age demographic at Mantonfest, Mills, the aspiring health and safety officer, the girl piggybacking her dad, the toddler clutching his inflatable croc, are examples as to why. It’s the festival’s fifteenth birthday, families have grown up with this, ergo, Mantonfest is an institution, they return habitually and hold it in such high esteem, even at teenage they respect this congenial ethos. It creates a matchless experience to justify me hailing Mantonfest as the friendliest festival you’re ever likely to attend.

It’s tradition which warrants the return of favoured acts, such as Madness-Bad Manners and overall Two-Tone act, Badness, back by popular demand. They blew the roof off last year, although they mimicked their show, they came up shining, and skanking again.

Similarly, the model set from Barrelhouse will never go grey. They are to Mantonfest what R2D2 is to Star Wars, appearing time over and never failing to delight with their perfectly pumped hoedown of vintage blues. To see Barrelhouse live is cake, to see them at MantonFest is the icing on that cake. Yep, there’s many repeating features at Mantonfests, but if it’s not broken ….

I’m standing with Chippenham’s wonderful folk singer-songwriter Meg, complimenting Mills for a likeness to her own expressive vocal range. Meg’s on next, which shouldn’t really be as the section is supposed to showcase talent from the town’s comprehensive, but as one band cancelled I was called for a suggestion and couldn’t imagine anyone more apt and deserved. At 17 now Meg has developed a name for herself, hard working her idiosyncratic style to play Chippenham’s Pride, Folk Festival and expanding to Minety and Trowbridge’s Pump. On her first of three gigs this weekend, she excitedly tells me how it went supporting Jools Holland. Such are local circuit barriers though, Meg’s not so widely known here, so even a short set is good to help her to venture eastwards, and they sure made her welcome.

Sublimely delivering three tunes of her own wares, Meg set the bar high for Rory & Tom, who followed by providing popular covers in a friendly and lively fashion. Elton-like pianist Sammy Till-Vattier polished off the youth section. Saw him last year, he’s the upcoming name to watch on the Marlborough circuit. His poignant crafted originals are emotionally poured out, he literally sweats solo talent, as his final piece verged on Serge Gainsbourg level, and in his language too; je l’ai aimé!

This opening section to Mantonfest debuted last year shouldn’t be viewed as a filler or talent contest, rather a taster of what’s to come for the family event.

Just like other neighbouring towns, Marlborough youths show dedication and talent. It fills one with confidence that music is safe in Gen Z hands, but more importantly is Mantonfest’s drive to showcase them. There’s no bolt-on gazebo miles away from the event’s main brace, they’re on the same stage which Toyah once graced.

There’s a part of me, though, which wishes the hordes who came for the finale crowd-pleasing tribute acts could’ve supported the local talent at the start, but I know, cookie crumbles this way.

Tributes were the order of the evening, but nestled between the St John’s section and them, the tradition of family continues. Josie Mackenzie is no stranger here, she pulled a blinder last year guest singing with The James Oliver Band. Taking front and centre this time with swing-style rockabilly-blues her new band the Radiotones wonderfully reintroduced fifties-early sixties classics in an Etta James fashion. Particularly stand-out was Ray Charles’, Hallelujah, I Love Her So. 

Then, Ol’ Man Witcomb And The Bergamots; wow! In different guises, especially one called Skedaddle, Witcomb family members have regularly played the festival as they live in the village, albeit a slot so early I missed them before. Took this with a pinch of salt, then, assuming this being a village custom, I wasn’t expecting  greatness; my biggest surprise this year. 

The old man referenced in the name is Chris Witcomb, bassist, wife Jane sings, boy, does Jane sing, and three sons back them on lead acoustic and electric guitars, and drums, like a Manton Carter Family!

If this ensemble was “formed for a bit of fun” as stated I’m truly in awe; they were as uniformed as any professional classic rock band, and handled some unusual and technically challenging covers, particularly poignant was Genesis’ Land of Confusion. 

Aside from their model set they even carried onstage banter with ease, apologising for performing Making Plans for Nigel for its possible election connotations! It was a gorgeous performance they really should take on the road, sitting somewhere between The Pretenders and Fleetwood Mac.

Between acts Fruci Fit Personal Training of Marlborough and Devizes gave a loud and proud exercise class, then, The Fab Four took the stage. Working through the Beatles discography with lighthearted panache, they’re another back by popular demand, and are a thoroughly entertaining tribute. Barrelhouse followed as evening set in, enough said. Coupled with the perfect weather, it was looking to be a most memorable Mantonfest.

A further three tributes to take us to the cumulation. Firstly, Forever Elton was enjoyable if technically mediocre. Badness did it again, stealing the show with upbeat Two-Tone re-enactments in newspaper suits but idiosyncratically making tributes stand-alone. The northern working-class banter is at invaluable comical proportions, but their musical proficiency too makes it a class homage. It’s a wonder how Queen tribute The Bohemians will top it, but surprisingly, according to my love of ska, and the fact Queen tributes are two to a penny, I think they did.

Tricky to perfect but a common choice to attribute, Queen is a national pride. To do this badly would be an epic fail. I’ve always thought this, ending up surprised with the results of previous Queen tributes I’ve bore witness to, but The Bohemians were undoubtedly the best. It was a show stopping finale, a sublime imitation of probably the finest rock band ever, if not, certainly the most popular. Throughout their performance I was equally held in awe at the precision and attention to detail, and simply enjoying the moment, as those rock classics were delivered with such skill and gusto.

Yet it is not only the excellence of all the acts which makes Mantonfest Mantonfest, rather the lesser ingredients, the beautiful setting, the simplicity of the arrangement and its dedication to hold dear its self-made traditions. But most importantly, and likely the sum of all other parts, it’s this trouble-free tenant akin to a Caribbean holiday (with rum punch,) which has seen a generation grow and be proud and respectable of this wonderful annual occasion. 

For me, it’s equally about Mills, Sammy et al, as it is for a tribute act knocking it out of Treacle Brolly, but I feel it is too for the many here who enjoy this gem year after year. Another Mantonfest ticked off, another astounding and memorable year, it never fails to impress me. 

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REVIEW – Devizes Arts Festival – Duo Tutti @ Assembly Room 13th June 2024

A Lunchtime Amuse-Bouche

by Andy Fawthrop

Devizes Arts Festival’s programme continued on Thursday afternoon with a lunchtime classical concert in the beautiful surroundings of the Assembly Hall in the Town Hall.  Coming on a market day, it was no surprise that town was busy, and plenty of people used the opportunity to make their way to this splendid venue.

Duo Tutti is made up of Ruth Molins (flutes) and Alex Wilson (piano).  They are inspired by old and new music, creating sound worlds you might not expect to hear from a flute/ piano duo. Ruth plays a standard flute, alto flute, bass flute and the piccolo, accompanied by Alex’s piano.

Their programme was an interesting and eclectic mix of items, much of it from composers I’d not heard of before, but no the less enjoyable for that.

We started with the Sonata in F from Anna Amalia of Prussia (1723 -87).  This lady I was surprised to discover was the sister of Frederick The Great.  This piece in three movements, although simple in sound and structure, was bright, bouncy and just the thing to get started with.  There followed three very contrasting pieces from contemporary composers: John Rutter’s Suite Antique (in six short movements), Ruth’s own piece (Fuse for Bass Flute & Piano) and Elena Kats-Chernin’s Eliza’s Aria for Piccolo.  Each piece was delivered with freshness and confidence by the duo.

Keeping with the contemporary theme, we moved on to Arthur Butterworth’s Ukko, featuring the alto flute, and a piece that was slightly deeper and fuller, offering a darker, slower and slightly more discordant feeling throughout.  Then on to two “miniatures” from Constance Warren, the first being slow and thoughtful, and the second very short piece being much livelier.

Finally, slightly back in time to Jules Mouquet (1867 – 1946) for La Flute De Pan, a work in three short movements.  The first piece was sparkling, with many flourishes.  And, following the slower, quieter middle passage, the final section moved from a gentle fade-out, to another frothy champagne ending.

Throughout the concert the flutes were always to the fore, carrying the main themes, with the piano playing more of a supportive, sympathetic accompanying role.  But the combination worked splendidly, and provided a diverse and entertaining lunchtime concert.  Bravo!

You can find out more about Duo Tutti at www.duotutti.com/   

The Devizes Arts Festival is moving towards its end now, but there are still several events with tickets available, until Sunday 16th June at various venues around the town.  Tickets can be booked at Devizes Books or online at www.devizesartsfestival.org.uk

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REVIEW – Devizes Arts Festival – Lucy Porter + Support @ Corn Exchange  6th June 2024

Funny You Should Say That

Andy Fawthrop

And finally it was time to see the girl we’ve all been seeing on the poster for the past few months! 

Last night Devizes Arts Festival presented its comedy big-hitter, the radio and TV star Lucy Porter.  And D-Town responded with another packed audience.

Lucy Porter is a stand-up comedian, and a regular face and voice on TV and radio panel shows. She loves a good quiz show, appearing on a Pointless Celebrity Special with Ed Byrne and being victorious on Celebrity Mastermind. She’s also appeared in QI, Live at the Apollo, Room 101 and heard on BBC Radio 4’s News Quiz.

She handled the start of the first half last night by telling us (perhaps unwisely) that she’d never been to D-Town before, and therefore felt justified in playing back to us some of the research she’d managed to dig up.  This was fairly gentle, if predictable, shtick – poking fun at our “posh” neighbours in Marlborough, relating the Moonrakers story, and throwing in various remarks about the K&A canal, the Caen Hill Flight and something she referred to as the “canoe marathon”.  It was amusing, but not really hitting the target.  Once she put her notes down and started to extemporise a little more, the audience thawed considerably, and the evening began to improve.  Her key task here was to warm the audience up for her chosen support act, and to flag the themes she’d be covering in the second half.

So it was time to welcome Sharon Wanjohi to the stage.  She’s an up and coming stand-up comedian with a varied act ranging from shock to absurd comedy, and has already appeared at a number of festivals and on TV.  She’s clearly still learning her craft, but last night she managed to win over an audience that was slightly nervous of someone they weren’t expecting.

Her self-deprecating style, covering themes of personal awakening, both spiritual and sexual, gradually began to hit home.  Asking if there were any black people in the audience, indeed whether being black was even legal in D-Town, began to bring the laughs.  And her interaction with a certain audience member about being lesbian was truly hilarious.  Her set was slightly rambling and disconnected, funny but not hilarious.  But there was no doubting the great reception she received in response to her warm, and sometimes personal, story-telling, and her relaxed easy-going style.  I’d definitely file her under the “one to watch” category.

And then, finally, after a very long interval, we finally had the star of the show.  Wearing a changed top (“sparkly on top, comfy below” as she put it), we were treated to a master-class in gentle, apparently rambling associative comedy.  Picking up on the obvious demographic of the audience, she homed in on one audience member who was clearly younger than the rest, and making great show of “explaining” some of the gags and references (just in case no-one got the point).  She also picked up with Sharon Wanjohi’s interlocutor from the first half, a tactic that worked extremely well.

She hit some obvious targets for a Radio 4 audience – the menopause, the male mid-life crisis, the desire to retire, increasing health issues.  But she played these well, riffing on her hypochondriac relationship with her GP Margaret (the cancerous spot thast turned out to be Nutella), about doing R2 singalongs with the guys painting her house, and on her thoughts about the “development” of Paul Hollywood.  There was a wonderful pastiche of The Sound Of Music and, right at the end, a great punchline about paint involving the chorus of “Relax”.  There were plenty of anecdotes relating to her own general laziness, her long-standing drinking pals, and her tendency to be impulsive.  Her story of just “winging it” on a mistaken appearance with Melvyn Bragg was superb.

It was, for the most part, very clean and straight-forward stuff.  There was nothing that could be considered “edgy”, there was nothing political, and there was (amazingly) no swearing.  As such, it probably kept most of the audience in their comfort zone for most of the time, but it was no less hilarious for all of that.

Overall, it was a good night’s entertainment, although I expect there’ll be a LOT of people waking up on Friday morning realising that they now knew what a Gold Star Lesbian is.  Go figure!

There’s more information on Lucy at www.lucyporter.co.uk/

Another great night at the Arts Festival, and thanks (yet again) to DAF for bringing such top-notch entertainment to our little town. 

The Devizes Arts Festival continues until Sunday 16th June at various venues around the town. 

Tickets can be booked at Devizes Books or online at www.devizesartsfestival.org.uk 

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Brian on FullTone Festival

Our regular historian and Visiting Research Fellow of The Regional History Centre, UWE Bristol, Brian Edwards takes some time to sketch the FullTone Orchestra ahead…

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James and the Cold Gun, Lucky Number Seven, Nobody’s Dad, The Real Cheesemakers at The Pump, Trowbridge

Brian Yeates 

Images: Greg Stoner

This was the first time I’d heard about the Pump, and realised it did not refer to the popular local festival. I was familiar with James and the Cold Gun from a support run they did with Therapy a few years back. And I was planning to go and see them at the Fleece a few weeks ago when we had a few days away in Bristol, but the gig was sold out….

The Pump, part of the grounds to The Lamb public house, on outward appearances appears to be not much more than an old stable building next to the pub. Being a former member of Melksham covers band El Niño a number of years back, I could recollect playing at the Greyhound just up the road. However, inside is a different story. Two floors, the upstairs has old cinema seating, capacity is seventy. The venue is fitted out for gigs, with sound and lighting facilities, thanks to lottery funding. A nice intimate, quirky venue with musical instruments and stable paraphernalia adorning the walls, as well as “the pump”. If you’re tall like me there are a few places to exercise caution due to low ceilings! Most of the beams have been painted with blackboard paint so that visiting bands can chalk their name up on there.

I quickly set about trying to engage my friends to join me at this event and I managed to get a group of five of us to make the trip from the Vale of Pewsey over to the big lights of Trowvegas! The fact that for the princely sum of £11 each, we actually got to watch four bands, sealed the deal.

So first of all we headed to the Lamb to get some drinks as there is no room to have a bar in the Pump.

Unfortunately we missed a lot of the set by the Real Cheesemakers because we were outside but could tell from what we could hear that the audience inside were being treated to some top music. When we finally ventured in and got our wristbands we were taken aback by the witty and clever lyrical content of the Real Cheesemakers songs. As the set finished we were disappointed that we hadn’t caught more.

Next up was the young but very talented Nobody’s Dad, playing a lively and grungy Pixie-esque set, not to be missed if you get the chance to watch them live. The two lads and two lasses worked really well together and there were great harmonies from the ladies throughout the set.

The hard hitting post punk duo Lucky Number Seven were up next. Just drums, guitar and a big sound from their backing tracks/samples. We’d seen these before at the Underground in Swindon and they did not disappoint with their charged and effervescent set.

As we hear Kate Bush piped over the PA, my mate looks over and says to me that’s her song, ‘James and the Cold Gun;’ time for the main event. The band walked in exuding rockstar. The experience gained since the last time I saw them drips out of every pore, having extensively toured the U.K., two runs in the US including the SXSW (South by SouthWest) festival as well as a support slot for Guns n Roses at Hyde Park and some interesting studio time in the home of grunge.

A lively set with plenty of audience interaction followed covering all of James and the Cold Guns repertoire. With bangers such as Chewing Glass (a personal favourite,) She Moves, dedicated to bassist Gaby, and the recently released Sting in the Tail as well as a new song. Their hard hitting, pacey alternative heavy rock with hints Queens of the Stone Age amongst many other influences was just what the crowd wanted.

The end of the set saw the front men encourage the crowd to form a mosh pit, which members of the band joined in with as well as hugs and handshakes for the audience members that were wearing their band’s merch, reciting lyrics word for word or actively involved in the mosh pit.

All in all a thoroughly good night and we would love to do it all over again!

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The Grand Return of CrownFest

The first week into July, and two local festivals of five ticked off! CrownFest went down a hit with those who attended this fantastic reputation…

An Update on our Postcard Criticism

Earlier today I published an opinion piece on the postcard sent by someone at Devizes Town Council to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport,…

Mantonfest Magic Multiplies

Mantonfest, the longstanding gem on Marlborough’s event calendar, finalised for another fantastic year last night, with metal-driven mayhem, as the sounds of AC/DC ripped across…

The Clones at the Three Crowns, Devizes

Forget your pedal board setup for a moment, it was as if The Clones knew precisely what buttons to press to rouse the party crowd at The Three Crowns in Devizes last night, and whilst I’d admit it doesn’t take a lot to get them going, this four-piece certainly put an earnest shift in…

It seems irrefutable, the Three Crowns is the go-to pub to party and let your hair down in Devizes right now, particularly for Millennials and those tipsy enough to think they’re also twentysomething, like, I dunno, me?!! These wheels have been in motion for a few years and show no sign of slowing yet. It’s busy but hospitable, uses card-only payments to speed up service, inside it serves a respectable plate, and if previous generations favoured DJs in club format, the modern method of live cover bands is the epoch The Three Crowns abides by, and delivers in a spacious heated and covered beer garden, with zest ….but you knew this already, right?!

Whilst there’s the obvious popularity of regularly returning local bands such as People Like Us, The Roughcut Rebels and Illingworth, it’s a blessing to see a new band to the pub attract the same colossal positive response. The Clones hail from Corsham, I was unaware of them and my curiosity paid off. As we witnessed in Devizes last night, they sure put the cor in Corsham. Akin to when Pewsey’s Humdinger arrived in a blaze of glory, the punters showed them the Devizes appreciation and the atmosphere was electric.

Through a motley genre-mapped setlist they delivered a range of covers all with gusto, sharp class and attention to detail. Two lead singers generally adopted different stances, one taking the funky, soul numbers, with a sublime medley of Superstition and equally funky classics, the other with a penchant for eighties new wave, mod to Britpop; the Jam’s A Town Called Malice being my fav of the set, if I was forced at gunpoint to provide one.

Yet both duetted on a number of miscellaneous pop and rock classics. There were few tunes you might consider cliché, but they handled this well because often the crowd wants this, and mostly though sing-a-longs, they weren’t the archetypal songs to falter a cover band setlist. Daring attempts too, from Bowie to Jacko’s Billie Jean, there were some your average cover band should only try at home! It was nonstop fun, never attempting to sooth with a love ballad, or experiment with a synth, just the rock n roll four-piece format of drums, bass and lead, brought up-to-date with an exemplary setlist to rouse any diverse demographic audience.

It was loud, proud, and teetering with polished enthusiasm and professionalism. Landlords, if you want a band to make your punters thirsty by jumping for joy, this might be the cover band for you.

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Six:Teen Edition; Devizes Music Academy’s Historic Pop Blast Showcase!  

Images Used With Permission of Gail Foster

Last night at Devizes Corn Exchange I, and a packed house, witnessed the retelling of the six wives of Henry VIII, in an unique, contemporary and dazzling way. It was as if Andrew Lloyd Webber was directing Little Mix in a musical of Horrible Histories….

Without hindsight I admit, I was apprehensive it would be my cuppa. It was mostly the fact young Jess Self starred in it which drew me to it. Truly a natural born star, I’ve witnessed firsthand the range of dramatics she handles with sublime ease, yet I was concerned her talent may upstage the other students appearing in Devizes Music Academy’s inaugural showcase.

I wasn’t wrong about Jess’s talent, playing the part of Jane Seymour, her solo ballad much in the musical style she’s accustomed brought the house down, but I hadn’t predicted how exceptionally close to that pedestal the other cast members would attain. It was a bonded girl band, to all intents and purposes, akin to the non-uniformed Spice Girls, where each girl’s contrasting characteristics and personalities have the freedom to be played out, but the ingenious part was that both the individuality of each performer, and the characters of the wives of Henry VIII intertwined so wonderfully if the concept is difficult to imagine, it simply worked wonders through their dedication.

Image: Gail Foster

I mean, yeah, Devizes most prestigious stage, the quality of light and sound engineering, and the clever design of the dresses to mesh Tudor styles with contemporary fashion, all benefitted, but the magic truly was in the performance, as they boomed onto the stage brewing with both with the joy of performing and confidence of an established pop band on tour. Backed by the precise choreography of the remaining students, the six wives came out in a force of unison, as did they finalise the show with two additional numbers.

With just enough narrative to inform and not prevent it turning into a full blown play, rather a pastiche of a pop party, they jostled each other for the spotlight with amusing Gen Z banter and staged a song-off battle brimming with historic facts. It was uniquely brilliant.

Image: Gail Foster

Each took a solo pitch in the chronological order of the King’s wives. I tried to keep track of this despite mostly staring out of the classroom window during history lessons! Katherine of Aragon first, played enthusiastically and skilfully with the egotistical diva of Miley Cyrus, by Ruby Phipps, and you’d be forgiven to assume her astute and amusing quips and side-eye glances at the others would be a comical showstopper, much too was the confidence in her vocals.

Amelie Smith as Anne Boleyn followed. A contrasting but equally engaging performance, with the Cockney-pseudo-rap-singing fashion of Kate Nash. It was clear each modern pop sub-genre would be inclusive with each solo, and each performer’s personal attributes would be encased within their characters; the casting was defined with excellence.

Image: Gail Foster

Jane Seymour next, her family-orientated persona perfect for Jess Self to light up the stage with the aforementioned breathtaking musical ballad. Truly a star, but the others, I now know, are too.

It then all went all Europop for Anne of Cleves, adapting her Germanic roots in the House of La Marck as a tekno club intro was a stroke of humorous genius. Played with gusto and inimitable panache, the exceptionally talented Kelsey Husband took no prisoners in a neo-soul blast akin to Missy Elliot come attitude of P!nk in a period drama; wowzers, it was as cool as a cucumber!

Image: Gail Foster

Mia Jepson as Catherine Howard implemented a more punky, indie fusion, as if lead in a Republica style band. The result was spellbinding and contrasting, and performed with confidence, as if singing like a rock legend was child’s play to Mia!

Image: Gail Foster

The final wife Kateryn Parr, played with a certain brilliance by Lisa Grime returned the vibe superbly back to a soulful ballad, and through beautiful vocals the harsh realities of their fates begun to reside over the folly and excitement of fame, exactly the downside of Henry VIII’s wives and contemporary pop stars might equally face. And that was where the unique spin resided. I said from concept to production the idea was a stroke of genius, didn’t I?!

Sure, we’ve seen modern makeovers of biblical or historical stories in musicals, from the Romeo and Juliet adaptation West Side Story to Rice’s Jesus Christ Superstar, but nothing I know of which reflects a Gen Z pop concert to the letter, in so much as it was more a pop concert than play, and this conveyed the preference of the generation, and breathed zest and joy into a head-chopping historic referenced narrative.

Image: Gail Foster

A mahoosive congratulations to director and mentor Jemma Brown, and all the awesome students of Devizes Music Academy. It was absolutely fantastic, enough to take on tour, or perhaps, if you all became presenters of the History Channel, they’d move it to MTV and actually get viewers!!

While there’s many great local options for schools of performing arts, judged from the quality of this show alone, Devizes Music Academy shows real potential in creating current programs which would really engage the youth of today. 

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So Excited…. Devizes Musical Theatre’s Sister Act at Dauntsey’s

An exodus of musical lovers and, I’d assume, a healthy handful of friends and family, trekked southwards through winter’s final ambush last night, to enjoy the opening night of a dazzling performance of Sister Act at Dauntsey’s…..

It was presented by the established local amateur dramatics group, Devizes Musical Theatre. I stress my usage of the word amateur in its foremost dictionary definition; the opposite of professional. The second connotation it was in some way inept couldn’t be further from the truth in this case. A common misconception in creative arts, I find, whereby those in it for the love thrust their hearts, soul, and elbow grease into it, more so than a pro going through the motions for their paycheck. The result usually is perhaps something raw, but highly entertaining and enjoyable, and their production certainly was the latter.

The run ends on Saturday (30th March,) at the last count just fourteen tickets remained, so I advise you to be quick, and lucky, to pick some up. It’s a large hall, selling it out proves the grand reputation Devizes Musical Theatre has built locally, this performance hits their pedestal.

With a debatable focus on the singing rather than acting, the benchmark of a good musical, surely, there’s some show-stopping moments. Georgia Watson makes the perfect diva Deloris, and there’s both astounding vocals and comic timing from Louise Peak as Mother Superior and Barry Gibney, who plays the socially awkward police chief Eddie. Particularly noteworthy is Grace Sheridan who plays Sister Mary Robert, in song and conviction of the influence Deloris holds over the convent.

Yet high accolades go out to all the actors, stage directors and team; Adam Sturges, Oli Beech and Simon Hoy as the mobsters, Gareth Lloyd as mafia boss Curtis, Graham Day as Monsignor O’Hara and the huge backing of those wonderful singing nuns! It is the combination of their motivation and exceptional effort which makes this such a dynamic show, coupled with the elementary notion, Sister Act has universal appeal and is simply fun on a stick!

In critical reflection, the musical concludes somewhat differently from the movie. Without spoilers, the amusing scene where Deloris prays for God’s forgiveness unto the mobsters holding a gun to her head, causing them to question their ability to shoot her, wrongly perceiving her as a nun, is replaced by a more slapstick finale akin to a Benny Hill chase scene. Yet on further consideration into my rather geeky complaint, I guess this works better on stage, such is the jollification of a musical, often bordering pantomime. And it wraps it up faster, allowing more time for these astute and timeless Motownesque songs. Devizes Musical Theatre use this to their advantage; you certainly get your money’s worth.

Veils off to first time director Emily Holmes, and musical director Naomi Ibbetson for an apt and fantastic show, which will send you off thoroughly entertained, and with a smile.

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“RENT” at The Rondo Theatre, Bath, March 13th-16th 2024

Ian Diddams

Written by Jonathan Larson
Presented by Maple Theatre Company

It’s always hard reviewing a show that one has seen multiple times before, performed by differing companies. It’s also hard reviewing a show that is one of one’s favourite shows EVAH. And if that wasn’t hard enough…  Its far too hard to review a show that one has performed in oneself. It’s wrong to compare – its unfair and meaningless…  differing companies, differing directors, differing theatres.  So, ignoring the seven other productions I’ve seen including the one I bummed around in (quite literally – if you know you know) ….  Here goes…..


For those that know the story of “RENT” – you can skip this paragraph. Otherwise, Jonathan Larson’s story – a glorious homage to Puccini’s “La Boheme” – revolves around a group of bohemians in the lower east side of New York City and deals with topics such as homelessness, drug addiction, betrayal, and AIDS… as well as love, friendship, recovery, and hope. All wrapped up with a stunning score of often poignant, sometimes funny, always beautiful singing with six-part harmonies. If you want to know more …  duck go go is your friend as ever.

RENT on stage is usually set in a quasi-industrial area – and Maple Theatre Company don’t buck that trend (I doubt RENT heads would allow it to be honest!). Scaffolding creates multiple levels which are used excellently throughout the show and frames several areas for the action. ON stage props and setting is minimal, but I raise my hat to the wonderful use of moveable music flight cases with wooden tops that represent beds, side tables and THE cafe table (if you know, you know). Quite brilliant also was the use of 40-gallon steel oil drums …  where “drums” covers two definitions of that word.  Chapeau to Luke Hocket, set designer (who also produced the show) and his set team of Tom Courtier and Milly Hayward.

Directing a show like “RENT” is no easy task (not as hard as reviewing it obviously 😉) as the show is basically “the same” whoever does it (as it is so iconic – maybe after 400 years, like Shakespeare, some aspects will be changed, and we will get a RENT set on a spaceship …)  but Dionna Kate-Hargreaves set her own stamp on it in subtly brilliant ways. I mentioned the use of multiple levels already but the piece de resistance of the show is in many ways …  the drumming.  (If you know you know).

And speaking of drumming that brings us to the music – a six-piece band led by MD Kris Nock rocked out the show hidden subtly off stage but in full view (once you know, you know). I wonder if Kris’ toughest task (not as arduous as reviewing obviously) was teaching three actors to hit a large piece of metal in time with two sticks for some considerable time (if you know, you know).


Tech is as ever hidden away where no one can see them up in the attic of the Rondo, and technical director Tom Courtier and his crew slid their sliders and pushed their buttons and  lit their lights to full effect. (I’ve got a deep and meaningful understanding of tech). Rule number one in a theatre is never hack off the tech guys – they have hammers, and saws, and unlimited access to 240v at all times (if you know, you know) so – GREAT WORK GUYS!!!

That’s about it then. Set, Tech, props, direction, music.  Yup. That’ll do.


Ah.

Yes.  That lot that cavorts upon the stage.  Nearly forgot them. Starting with cavorting…  choreographer and dance captain Grace Egginton and Grace Shobbrook whipped the cast into a frenzy of whirling limbs when they weren’t singing.  And often when they were come to that. It must be said the Rondo’s stage is quite….  Bijou… particularly when by necessity a good half of it is taken up by aluminium scaffolding poles that don’t bend if you collide with them (if you know, you know) so the tightness of choreography is impressive.

And so – the cast. I’ve used the line about “strutting and fretting his hour upon the stage” before so I won’t use it again.  Ooops.

It takes a dedicated cast to work “RENT” – it is emotionally draining (if you know, you know), taking its toll on the actors’ own emotions. And this cast did Jonathan Larson proud. The ensemble – they always get listed last so here they are first cos that’s important (if you know, you know) so bravo Daisy Wilson, Morgan Hames, Georgi pepper, Steven Hockett, Jasmine Lye, Sophie smith, Milly Haywood, and Sarah Easterbrook…  All of whom also starred in the all-important cameo parts that just make “RENT” simply “work”. Special mention must be made though for Jasmine, who stepped up to play the role of the harassed waiter in the café scene due to cast unavailability this evening.  Cometh the hour, cometh the Jas!

I suppose that leaves the principals. *sigh*.  OK. Well…  ummm…  errr…

Well in all honesty they weren’t good. Nope. Not at all.

THEY WERE BELTING!!!  FANTASTIC!!!  MAGNIFICENT!!!

and other superlatives.

In no particular order…  Bryan Houce played Mark…  his portrayal got stronger and stronger throughout the performance as the middle-class wannabe with no confidence (that’s Mark – not Bryan!). Mimi was played superbly by Grace Egginton who quite rightly as a choreographer played the part of a striptease dancer very well.  (Hmmm…  that maybe came out a bit wrong?) 😉Roger Davis, all angst, and anger was quite phenomenal played by Josh Phillips.  Absolutely fantastic. Liberty Williams probably stole the show for “most likely to break a wine glass at forty feet” with her incredible top note harmonising as Joanne, and Naomi Marie as Benny (déjà vu here – if you know, you know) as the brooding, mean turncoat-comes-good ex-flatmate.

If I appear to be rushing through these principals, it’s because I could write war and peace about them otherwise. Next up – in her first ever principal role (which is hard to believe, if not as hard as reviewing of course) playing Maureen was Sarah Askew.  Now Sarah is no mean belter of a top noted harmony as well, as befits a rock band vocalist (if you know, you know) but …  well.  If you need a top MOO-ERR then Sarah is your girl (if you know, you know).  And then we have Davey Evans as Collins. Another wow moment.  Collins is a complex character to play especially with the range of emotions demanded of it, and Davey perfected them all. Great voice too. Which leaves last, but of course NEVER least…  Angel. George Friend. I had the pleasure of speaking with George before and after the show – he is reprising the role he played in 2017 – and he claimed (yeah right 😉) he couldn’t believe he could still reach the high notes he needed but they were well reached, another great performance.

So that’s it. I’ve reviewed a show that’s hard to review. A show that for an opening night was quite wonderful. And let us not forget either the debut show for a brand-new Bath based community theatre company.  Top job.


“RENT” runs until Saturday 16th March at 1930 each evening with a 1430 matinee on the 16th. Tickets can be bought from
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/bath/rondo-theatre/rent/e-mdxlbz

and I urge you to go.

And – don’t forget to MOOOO!  (if you know, you know).

You always said how lucky you were that we were all friends. But it was us, baby, who were the lucky ones.

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The Drum n Bass Huntr/s of Old Devizes Town

In true Royston Vasey style, unfortunately due to time and resources we don’t review international music as we did during lockdown, choosing to focus more on the original concept of local issues and talent, unless of course, we can find any vague link to someone around these parts; there’s a tenacious one with Beskar’s latest album of uplifting drum n bass…..

Proving the irony in Devizes singer Chrissy Chapman’s nom-de-plume, One Trick Pony, her stunning vocals feature on two tracks on the album, Liquid with Friends, released at the beginning of the month, and on a number of previous singles produced by Beskar. One of them is an astounding cover of Ella Fitzgerald’s Fever.

A chance opportunity for Chrissy, working as social media manager for 4NC¥ //DarkMode’s London headquarters during the pandemic, unveiled a hidden talent producing some spoken words for a Dust tune, which in turn led her to be introduced to Beskar, who since has enhanced many of his tracks with her prowess as a singer-songwriter. Now, under the pseudonym Huntr/s, Chrissy has fast climbed to recognition and popularity in drum and bass circles, though this doesn’t mean you’ll no longer see her acoustically perform on our local circuit too, I hope!

See? As the codger who was there for breakbeats slipping into acid house and creating a UK rave scene inspired equally from dub reggae as the less soulful German tekno, who danced through this progression, when hardcore fragmented into happy and dark, and celebrated what blew from it’s exhaust pipe, the “jungle” of drum n bass, and still coming up dancing, I find it slightly confuddling differentiating between the many subgenres drum n bass has separated into more recently. 

Take it as a senior moment, but I’m dubious about breakcore or dubstep, feel they’re heading in a direction I’m not looking to journey down. For me the split came at the end of the rave honeymoon, 1993. Andy C’s Origin Unknown caused heated debate, it was dark, directed away from the cheese on toast, carefree vibe of hi-hats and crashing piano breaks we were accustomed to. In just a few subsequent years I was waving A Guy Called Gerald’s Black Secret Technology CD around, but most of my mates waited for Goldie’s Timeless before accepting this new force, “intelligent” drum n bass.

It peaked at LTJ Bukem’s Logical Progression in 96, drum n bass no longer the jungle tumult you heard at raves, rather as the title suggested, here’s a style for the chill-out, for the after-party. And that’s where I left it, trundling off to the big beat sound of Jon Carter, The Chemical Brothers and Norman largin’ it. While what Beskar is laying down here is fresh and original, it makes no secret in nodding to its influences, to this peak of drum n bass, and for me, that works a treat.

The opening to Liquid with Friends is much like this, there’s the sparse drum n bass riffs of Photek, Hype et al, spacey ambient sounds of the Orb, KLF, and some uplifting vocals and piano breaks. There’s casual rap like Divine Bashim’s for William Orbit, there’s a spanning package offered here, flowing sweetly. The result is euphoric and enchanting throughout, but it’s the Huntr/s featured tracks, Home and Running which are the standouts, and I’m not just saying that, I’m backing it up with reasoning; because from cheesy hardcore to contemporary house, when any dance music genre breaks for some beautiful female vocals the soul is elevated.

Donna Summer proved that for Giorgio Moroder, Caron Wheeler did it for Soul II Soul in the late eighties, Rozalla took it to the rave, Heather Small did it for Mike Pickering, and a lounge style of house brought to the masses; dance music wouldn’t be what it is totally instrumental. Mickey Finn knew this with Urban Shakedown, and we did, we lived as one family, the vocal only enforced it into us! We were like, “damn that’s some powerful shit, we’d better live as one family now, or else!” I never did get any pocket money out of Mickey!

Beskar manages to amalgamate the lot without it becoming overcrowded there. Just as DJ Cam with the trip hop trend, funky jazz loops are allowed in. There’s a lot more going on with this album than breaks and beats, but it does this too with bells on. Silent River is one example to this experimental goodness, Inner City Life, the opening to Timeless meets Massive Attack, soulful vocals with layers of chill, and even subtle wailing guitars, akin Quincy Jones adding Slash to Micheal Jackson tunes, Beskar went there too; you magician! 

I’m taken back and in awe, our own Huntr/s’ contributions here embeds her voice to a history of female vocalists who uplifted the crowd, from Summer to Small, and that’s a high but deserved accolade for our Devizes girl!  

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Only Thursday! Jon Amor Trio Special at The Southgate, Devizes with Ian Siegal

Legend has it, as a child Elvis Presley sneaked into gospel churches and juke joints, surely the spark of rock n roll. Given a flux capacitor, that’s one point in time I’d beeline; love to have witnessed what he saw there. But it’s unlikely, Doc Emmett Brown doesn’t give them out freely…..

So I ponder at the door to the Southgate, this is as close as dammit I’m going to get to a rowdy postwar Mississippi juke joint in 2024 wilds of Wiltshire! You could argue the point, but I believe I’m right; it’s rammed to the rafters in there, and it’s only a Thursday night! If you were there you would accept it’s not open for debate.

Valid reason, homemade blues legend Jon Amor shifted his trio’s monthly residency from the usual Sunday to Thursday to fit the schedule of his guest, and what a dynamite guest it was. Devizes hasn’t seen Ian Siegal since 2022, part of the lockdown supergroup Birdsmens at Long Street Blues Club, with Jon, Dave Doherty, bassist Rob Barry and Jonny Henderson pushing the keys. A most memorable gig for Long Street, either not forgotten by the blues hunters of Devizes, or they’ll rightfully take Jon’s recommendations as red.

Classic Rock Magazine described Portsmouth-born Ian Siegal as “a national treasure.” He’s picked up thirteen British blues awards, three Mojo blues albums of the year, four European blues awards and three USA nominations. He is, as proved last night, cool on a barefoot Bruce Willis pounding through the glass of the Nakatomi Plaza level, he is the Steve McQueen leaping the anti-tank obstacles on a stolen Nazi Triumph of UK blues!

He came to our humble tavern, and between him and the Jon Amor Trio, sparks flew, pounding blues riffs reverberated, and crowds gyrated in harmony to a free gig you’d happily pay top dollar for. So, if we’ve said a number of times just how unmissable and phenomenal this monthly residency is at the Southgate, which we have, many times and by our many writers, it’s always worth reminding, and because of last night’s, this is a particularly appropriate time to do so.

There were people on Jon’s Facebook page commenting they were trekking up from Southend-on-Sea for this gig, ergo, we should consider ourselves so lucky to have it on our doorsteps, and thank Jon, Tom and Gerry, along with Debroah, Dave and staff at the Southgate, for maintaining Devizes as a blues town and providing us with talent on this level. It was one of the most memorable and historic nights I’ve witnessed at that tavern, and that’s pushing the boat out.

There’s dog’s bollocks accolades I could award Ian with, don’t want to flatter the guy, but damn, the vibes from that fella replicate all which makes blues the root of all pop music genres, the growling and screeching Howiln’ Wolf vocals, the nimble guitar picking, the very construction of the blues is in his hands, and he delivers it with a passion and virtuosity of the greats, of Muddy Waters, of BB King; hot dang, that guy can play! 

They did some originals between them, the ground thumped through Jon’s Juggernaut, the heavens opened when Ian lead the Rolling Stones cover You Can’t Always Get What You Want, long hair was swished around, the booze flowed and people came to party united in a sublime vibe of happiness, it really was the kind of scorcher I’m not sure how Jon and the Gate can top.

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Wormwood; Cracked Machine’s New Album

A third instalment of space rock swirls and cosmic heavy duty guitar riffs was unleashed in January from our homegrown purveyors of psychedelia, Cracked Machine. Plug in and prepare for takeoff, Wormwood continues on their already stunning discography of celestial shenanigans….

Pretty much where we left off with the Gates of Keras, Wormwood offers that prog-rock gorgeousness, as beefy as Bovril on the boil, heavy-laden guitar riffs beguiling the stoner or non-stoner alike; you need not skin up to be immersed in this. Pink Floyd’s moments of drifting ambience, meets contemporary likes of the Ozric Tentacles here, it’s a trip more than an album, flowing from track to track and taking you along for a ride of euphoria and headbanging moments, in equal measure. Someone, pass me a lava lamp, pronto.

All instrumental, and mentally metal, gorge yourself stupid, encased in its epic journeys. By its very flowing nature, it makes it tricky to say much more as a way of review, I found the summit track, Eigenstate particularly ‘aving it, and when it falls into eight minutes of Return to Anatres, you’re drifting back through clouds of guitar riffs as solid as tungsten. Yet, if space-rock as a subgenre has welded into the likes of Spiritized or Spaceman 3, Cracked Machine are more likeable to Hawkwind, which in my most humblest of opinions is no bad thing. Wormwood doesn’t go on whim of experimentation or try to slide anything unexpected into it, it just ripples along a course like a stream. Although intros like that of Desert Haze can cause you to assume things are going to get all trancy-techno, it doesn’t stop at that riverbank.

You may have caught them down the Gate for their album release show, I was gutted to have had to miss it. You may have seen them before, such as the year Vinyl Realm hosted a stage at Devizes Street Festival and all took flight from the Market Place to erect deckchairs at St John’s and lie in mega bliss. Such is the accomplished Cracked Machine, forging space-rock into a new era, yet not forgetting its rich history. Put this on and be submerged. 

Here’s their LinkTree, fill your boots, open your third eye…..

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Daisy Chapman Took Flight

Okay, so, if I praised the Bradford Roots Festival last weekend and claimed to have had a fantastic time, it’s all as true as Harrison Ford retelling Daisy Ridley about the Force, with one embarrassing hiccup!

Finally, for a brief moment between closing fire doors I met Trowbridge-based singer-songwriter extraordinaire, Daisy Chapman. She was going in, with her daughter badgering her for ice cream, and I was wandering out, assuring her I’d check the release date of the album she had kindly sent me for review. All a bit embarrassing on my part, I should’ve checked prior, She Took Flight came out in May last year, so opps, apologies, I’m late for the party, again!

Maybe this Daisy has equal power over the Force as Daisy Ridley, granddaughter of the Sith emperor Palpatine, or maybe she’s thinking, please don’t make Star Wars references when reviewing my album, you stupid fanboy! but wowzers, this is one magically epic and euphoric seven-track strong album only a Jedi could’ve made!

I wasn’t going in blind though, fondly reviewing her 2017 album Good Luck Songs, albeit belated again, in 2021. By way of comparing the two, I’d say while as the name suggests, Good Luck Songs is a sublime selection of songs with random muses, She Took Flight is concentrated on a theme and flows much better, with an overall narrative of life, motherhood, loss and love. Far be it to suggest it’s a concept album, but the thought, perhaps, is.

Dare I also suggest, akin to how Taylor Swift has financially benefited bending the folk rulebook to incorporate pop, Daisy folds similar, uniquely through dramatic piano and violin to define a confident euphoric and epic sound, like a musical classic. Though, with elements from so many sources and influences, to create something inspiring and enchanting, something she defines as “anti-folk,” I call it, in a word, enchanting. The uplifting musical reference is particularly true in the opening tune, Starlight, it’s a grand start.

Porcelain draws again on the epic, though incoming is Daisy’s refined and expertly crafted writing, often of arduous or dejected souls. This song drawn from a diary entry of the day her father died in hospital. Though there’s optimistic prose, as if life is starting over, only to be knocked back by the darker, probably most beguiling tune of the album, Womxn.

Over a subtle drumbeat the piano cruises like a well-oiled machine, and Daisy’s voice enchants like Kate Bush at her finest. Womxn’ chronicles a list of women
whose work was credited by men.

At the summit of the album lies the only cover, a perfect rendition of The Kinks’ Waterloo Sunset, this sunny side of the street against all odds concept is gallantly captured, and Daisy makes this song her own. I couldn’t think of another song so absolutely fitting for this journey, which mood changes with such gorgeous subtly, it’s breath-taking.

The Gashlycrumb Tinies will then twist the narrative of the theme. An abject abecedarian, inspired by Idilia Dubb, a girl who met her fate trapped up a tower in 1851, and various other historic tragedies. Herein lies Daisy’s writing influence, the likes of Leonard Cohen, and her ability to weave magic in her wordplay.

Wind Horses takes on the penultimate melancholic trip to insure you’re suitably impressed before this amazing album ends, a poignant piece, a cinematic nod to all who’ve attempted to climb the world’s highest peaks.

Then there’s something downhearted lounge-room jazz about the building layers of Ballad of a Distracted Mother finishing you off in no uncertain terms, Daisy Chapman’s voice is breathtaking, her writing astute and perceptive, and the dramatic string arrangements over her own ‘Nymanesque’ piano makes a this harmonic composition truly something to behold.

After forming bands at University in Bristol, Daisy released her first solo album
in 2004, a collection of sombre songs for just vocals and piano. Her cover of Cohen’s Halleujah proved hugely popular at the time on the iTunes chart and caught the attention of German label ‘Songs & Whispers’ who have since formed a 15 year relationship with Daisy, booking her shows across Europe and beyond.

Another cover song, Umbrella, received her an International Independent Music Award (USA) in 2009, which inspired a self-booked tour of coffee houses up and down Highway One on California’s Pacific Coast. Upon returning to the UK, Daisy was asked to be part of super-group Crippled Black Phoenix alongside members of Portishead and Hawkwind.

I’m sorry to have her performance at Bradford Roots, and wonder why they put an artist of this calibre on so early, but after hearing this I endeavour to catch her live as soon as, and I believe you will too.  Find out more about Daisy Chapman, here.

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