Spoken word
Live Review – Bob Vylan/ Hyphen/ CLT DRP – o2 Institute Birmingham – 03.11.2024
Sparks fly as @BobVylan make their triumphant return to Birmingham with the ‘Humble As The Sun’ tour
Live Review – The Lovely Eggs/ Violet Malice/ Loose Articles – XOYO, Birmingham 27.05.24
Lancaster’s finest The Lovely Eggs brought their ‘Eggsistentialism’ tour to Birmingham on Bank Holiday Monday for an evening of punk, spoken word poetry and sing-a-long fun. Up first were Manchester 4 all female four piece ‘Loose Articles’ Taking to the stage surrounded by a blow up doll dressed in their merchandise and oozing with confidence …
Album Review: ‘FYEAR’ – a phenomenal, poetic statement from the Montreal post-jazz ensemble (aka. FYEAR)
Music and poetry, poetry and music, the Montreal convened collective FYEAR show how potent this combination can be on this self-titled debut, out now via Constellation. Led by poet/novelist Kaie Kellough and composer/saxophonist Jason Sharp, FYEAR the ensemble has been evolving through a project-based approach for several years now culminating with the ambitious, multi-movement composition …
Track/Video: A statement of scale and integrity – Montreal ensemble FYEAR preview the dramatic ‘Pt.1 Trajectory’ from upcoming debut album.
So the presser says “FYEAR interrogates our present and future post-capitalist polycrisis“. Any creative project aiming to probe into that vortex would require scale, focus, finesse and integrity, which are exactly the qualities that this Montreal convened collective possess. Led by composer/ saxophonist Jason Sharp and poet/novelist Kaie Kellough, FYEAR have been sculpting their resonant …
Live Review: David A Jaycock / Cracked Hands – Bishops House, Sheffield 24.09.2023
It was hard to believe there was anything going on at Bishops House at all when I arrived (admittedly, late- it being my first time there and estimating set times etc), with the 15th century house on the edge of a park in Sheffield shrouded in darkness and with no audible noise emanating from it. …
PREMIERE: Kramer shares video for adaptation of Allen Ginsberg’s ‘At Apollinaire’s Grave’ as he releases ‘WORDS & MUSIC, Book One’
He’s had a hand in producing albums by Low and Galaxie 500, runs a record label and is an esteemed artist in his own right, so having Joyful Noise name Shimmy-Disc owner Mark Kramer (or simply Kramer) as their Artist in Residence for 2020 acted as suitable testament to his capabilities. This year, he’s been …
Live Review: GATHERING YE ROSEBUDS 02: The Dada Movement / Endless Digital Birthdays / Bishopskin / Jelly Cleaver – The Columbia, London 06.11.2021
Words: Chiara Strazzulla // Pictures: Spela Cedilnik London has plenty of venues with plenty of history, but there is a special charme to the Columbia, a space which has seen a good number of rock legends go by and which now sees its stage trod upon by some of the most interesting emerging and alternative …
Track: LYR share ‘Redwings’: unique and profound
LYR, an acronym of Land Yacht Regatta, have recently shared their latest emotionally evocative musical amalgamation Redwings, following the recent release of their collaborative track with Prefab Sprout’s Wendy Smith, “Winter Solstice”. The unique triumvirate – comprised of Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, musician and singer-songwriter Richard Walters, and producer and multi-instrumentalist Patrick J Pearson – …
Track: LYR share ‘Winter Solstice’ featuring Prefab Sprout’s Wendy Smith, and announce UK tour dates
Formed through a passionate creative drive and mutual appreciation of each other’s work, LYR is a musical machine that reverberates an incredibly singular effusion; the triumvirate of Sigur Rós-like ambient decorations, blissfully gilded and emotionally wrought piano and evocative vocals, and masterfully moving poetry delivered a truly unique, collaborative project. The group – comprised of …
Boston MC Billy Dean Thomas Reminds Us That “Hope Is A Song In A Weary Throat”
Last year seemed like the year that Billy Dean Thomas would finally break through. The Boston-based hip hop artist, poet and writer had accumulated a steady list of accomplishments. Thomas had performed on The View, was nominated for a number of music awards, including a Grammy, and had won grants that enabled Thomas to worry …