Month: April 2019

Posted on

Gig Time. Le Vent du Nord at the Stoller Hall on 7th April 2019

Le Vent Du Nord

The Stoller Hall is a performance space in Chethams School of Music near Victoria Station in Manchester. The acoustics are sweet 😉

Le Vent du Nord are French Canadians, and they do Quebec folk music. I don’t understand a word they’re singing, but it sounds good regardless.

We first saw them at Moonbeams festival, and were suitably impressed. After a couple of trips to the Waterside in Sale to see them since, it was good to see them try Manchester for a change. A highlight for me was an acapella song which really made use of the theater’s acoustics.

Posted on

Gig Time. Noble Jacks at the Deaf Institute on 5th April 2019

Noble Jacks

A very enjoyable way to spend a Friday evening at the Deaf Institute in Manchester. The Noble Jacks supported by local band Carl North and the Lonely Hearts.

We saw the Noble Jacks last year at Bury Met when they were supporting the Eskies. Having had such a good time then, it was good to see them back in Manchester.

Modern folkies with a lot of bounce, they don’t do the finger-in-your-ear variety of folk. My favourite song of the evening was The Blacksmith Stomp, which is very aptly named.

Carl Noble and the Lonely Hearts

I’d not heard of the support band before the gig even though they are local. They had some good songs though, and some catchy tunes.

Folk with a bit of a country feel at times. Might have to keep an eye out for them playing again.

Posted on

Gig Time. Jon Boden and the Remnant Strings at Bury Met 13th March 2019

Jon Boden and the Remnant Strings

I’ve seen Jon Boden as part of Boden and Spiers with John Spiers. More recently he was the front man for the brilliant Bellowhead. This time he was touring with the Remnant Strings – three talented ladies who play violin, viola and cello.

Jon is a very good storyteller, and his ‘Songs from the Floodplain’ album is a good place to start if you’ve never heard any of his work.

The performance was very enjoyable, and the evening flew by…

Posted on

Gig Time. Seth Lakeman at RNCM 4th March 2019

Seth Lakeman

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen Seth Lakeman.

I think the first time was in 2008 at Shaw Playhouse. He was touring with a young lady named Jenna, and Steve Knightly from Show of Hands. Steve was wanting to show off the talents of the two younger West Country singers.

A very enjoyable evening became memorable at the start of the second half when Seth performed Kitty Jay. The whole audience was blown away. I’m not surprised that it has become the song he is most well known for.

It is interesting how Kitty Jay has developed over the years. The intro and the outro are considerably longer that the first performance I heard, but every time I hear it, it steals the show.

Posted on

Gig Time. Melissa Etheridge at Manchester Cathedral 18th February 2019

Melissa Etheridge

What a cracking venue for a rock gig!

Manchester Cathedral was a fab backdrop for Melissa Etheridge, supported by Lucy Spraggan.

I didn’t even know that the Cathedral was a gig venue, but I wasn’t disappointed. The sound was rich and the gothic surroundings made it sound ‘big’.

Melissa was in fine voice, the atmosphere was friendly, and the crowd was bouncing.

Lucy Spraggan

I admit that I had no idea who the support was going to be. When I found out it was Lucy Spraggan, I wasn’t much more the wiser.

Turns out that she’s a Yorkshire lass with a cracking voice and a way with words. Well worth checking out on youtube – look out for ‘Tea and Toast’.