folk/country
Live Review: Shania Twain / Breland – 3Arena, Dublin 19.09.2023, plus Gallery and setlist
Stetsons and cowboy boots were the order of the day as global superstar Shania Twain roared into Dublin on her big steel stallion, for her worldwide ‘Queen of Me’ tour at 3Arena. As the stage time ticked, with anticipation at its highest with all eyes (and inevitably, phones) glued to the stage, she pulled off …
Live Review: Lauren Housley and the Northern Cowboys / Nigel Wearne – Alder Bar, Sheffield 21.01.2023
A trip to the Alder Bar at Kelham Island in Sheffield on a very cold January night for what promised to be a relaxed, intimate (and sold out) gig at a venue I hadn’t been to before. First impressions were really good, a real ale welcoming pub atmosphere, a separate room for live entertainment and …
Live Review: CMAT / Soft Launch – Omeara, London 08.04.2022
The Irish country-pop singer Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, better known as CMAT, released her debut album, ‘If My Wife New I’d Be Dead’, earlier this year and is now on tour in support of the album. Rachel Wonders was there at her London gig to capture the colourful performance of support band Soft Launch and Thompson …
News: Following the release of his new album: ‘The Ghost And The Wall’, Joshua Radin will be heading to the UK this Spring
With a record hailed his “strongest work to date” (Glide) now under his belt, the US singer-songwriter will be embarking on a stretch of seven shows that kick-off at The Cumberland Arms, Newcastle on 18th April and come to a head at London’s Islington Assembly Hall a week later (25 April). Support for all shows …
ALBUM REVIEW: The Weather Station – Ignorance
Building up on the career of an accomplished artist, Ignorance is no doubt one of the first “headline” albums of 2021. Full of lush and classy orchestrations, the album exudes music craftsmanship throughout its canonical ten tracks, evoking smoky, nocturnal, slightly alcoholic, Closing Time soulscapes. Following 4 years after the last installment in Tamara Lindelof’s …
ALBUM REVIEW: Bill Jr. Jr. – Homebody
A first suprise for 2021 from a Vancouver-based indie-folk-rock project
See: Holly Macve releases video for Be My Friend
Brighton based singer songwriter Holly Macve has revealed the video for “Be My Friend”. A blend of country dream-pop, complete with slide guitar, with Macve’s wistful delivery over the top. A little reminiscent of singers such as Neko Case or Caitlin Rose, it’s a late night saloon bar sound that somehow matches a sugar sweet …
Premiere: Westberg reveal new EP ‘Boomer Studies’ – stream exclusively here
Westberg, aka husband and wife duo Ariel Westberg and multi-platinum pop/electronic producer Scott Bruzenak, are gearing up for the release of their forthcoming EP, Boomer Studies, and we’re delighted to premiere it in full right here on Backseat Mafia. Of the EP, the pair say “This is our mid-life crisis EP about being Gen X …
Album: Matt Berry – Phantom Birds
Matt Berry’s debut album on Acid Jazz, Witchazel, included prog gems and a McCartney-featuring track; since then he’s released well-received albums like The Small Hours and Television Themes. New album Phantom Birds is no different to previous marvels, confounding expectations once more. This sees a simpler sound, with Berry accompanied only by pedal steel guitarist …
Not Forgotten: Bob Dylan – John Wesley Harding
Music changed forever in 1967, primarily because in the wake of Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, it was firmly established that the long player had finally wrestled the mantle of definitive medium for rock and roll statements from the single format. Sure, it was already in the pipeline anyway, as acts like Pink Floyd …