Woodpigeon at the Cumberland Arms 18/09/2008

Arriving a bit late at the gig, I almost missed the whole of the first act that was on, the solo artist Francis Conway. I made it just in time to hear the last two song of his acoustic set. They were absolutely amazing, and both were rather long so I can say I got a good picture of what Francis Conway sounds like.
Beth Jeans Houghton was up next. Last time I saw her live she was performing on her own, this time around she was joined by a drummer, ok he did not only play drums, he also was gifted for the piano. I am still very impressed by Beth’s good use of the loop pedals, they give her music the extra something that make is very special. It is going to be interesting to see where Beth is going to be in a couple of months time as she has just released a single and has a lot of new songs up her sleeve.
It was so hot in the Cumberland Arms that night that I seriously considered leaving as it made me really tired. I am happy, that I did stay around because Woodpigeon are a really good band that I would have regretted not seeing. This Canadian band had the characteristic of having many people on stage. As a consequence they had a lot of different instruments including a violin. The music was absolutely stunning. Everyone seemed to try to figure out what genre they belong to. “Unclassifiable” that’s most likely what they are, the music is a mix of eastern European folk and Abba, with elements of all sorts of musical styles. The fact that they are Canadians with many band members and a diverse selection of instruments makes them a bit Arcade Fire-ish. By any means if you have the chance to see Woodpigeon, you should definitely take it, as for them as well you can’t know where they will be in a bit.

Review by Solveig Werner

Make Model at the Cluny and Uncle Monty at the Cumberland Arms

On the 24th of January Make Model was the second band to perform at the JD sessions gig held at the Cluny. This six-piece band is marked by their diversity, each member had a different way of dressing, behaving and making music. The music was good, but there were moments when the only girl in the band sang her parts a bit to high, but that might also have to do with the fact that you could easily find yourself outside the area where the sound is good. Make Model had a bit of a Spanish feel to them, they could get along well with the South American rock. They opened for Kubichek, who did not really manage to please the public. This gig was made special because Peter Hook, the legend himself, bass player of Joy Division and New Order, being present (as he was the co-hosted the concert). Apparently the first band that played at the gig the Answering Machine was the best band that played that night. I do not know about that seen that at that time I attended another gig up the road.
It is not normal to attend to two gigs at the same time during one nigh, but it is definitely something to do. At the Cumberland Arms the Newcastle Band opened for We Are The Physics, seen that the demo CD of Uncle Monty sounded good it was something that should not be missed. To my ear’s present surprise the life version of the songs sounded really good too, maybe even better, not only was I reminded of the Shins but also started thinking that something n the direction of Modest Mouse might be played next. After that I managed to catch the beginning of the set by Razmataz Lorry a member of the electro rock scene.

Reviews by Solveig Werner