Horseplay at The Queens

           Dark Horses is a bit of a misnomer. There is nothing dark,clandestine or hidden about Keith Donnelly and Flossie Malavialle, who together make up this talented duo. They are just very good. They know it,and only those who have not seen them or heard them before know it. They brought a substantial crowd into NFC's First Wednesday in November, predominantly people who knew all about them and wanted to see even more. That this was achieved on a cold wet night,with the duo appearing in other Warwickshire venues the night before and also on the Thursday, says much about  the pulling power of Dark Horses. And that's only the first of several equine puns. 

        Added to potential local counter-attractions, (and Keith, feel free to use this in your future patter), just down the road,Piero Lounge were celebrating their long-awaited opening night in a rejuvenated premises which had previously housed a Maplins store. A long-anticipated event finally bringing some classy catering into the town. Far be it from me to name and shame those who stayed in there,instead of staggering up to The Crew to enjoy decent music.Thereby sampling the dubious qualities of Bath Ales and having their wallets emptied by an eye wateringly pricey menu instead. 

          I have no doubts whatsoever that some of our audience on Wednesday attended all three local dates on the DH Warwickshire Tour. But our attendance was still gratifying. Perhaps because as well as our magnetic Main Attraction there were other appetising counter attractions from the floor. Or rather,up on the stage. Not least the unique phenomenon of having not one but two gorgeous Flossies. A treat for the few hot blooded men in the room to feast their eyes and ears upon. 

           
      We were all genuinely disappointed to hear that Kate of Greengrass had failed a late fitness test,(so Greengrass fans will have to wait just a little longer to finally see their debut on the Queen's Hall stage).(Get well soon,Kate!).  I tried (unsuccessfully) to recruit a late replacement but as luck would have it, John Wright and his camera turned up just before we started and so we filled the vacancy with minutes to spare by asking him to do a couple of songs. It was a nice touch though,that Lauren,also of Greengrass, turned up in person to run the rule over the venue and enjoy the evening with us. 

        Nunc were at nearly full strength,so we started with "All Gonna Die,"added "Bring It On Home," and finished with "Perfect."   Our home Flossy laid down a few vocal markers for Flossydom everywhere,and we had a rare smile from Paul Moore to add to the list of collector's items. 

          Bob Brooker was next on,with his trusty Bouzouki and he gave us all an opportunity to hear some of his wonderful instrumental work. Being Bob,he couldn't resist advertising a few of his wares including recent albums and some sketches which he is currently selling to raise funds for a charity in memory of his late brother. Here you can see him mistaking the angled mike boom for his trusty tin whistle. ( You'll not get a note out of that Bob!)

            What then followed was another treat. John Wright having travelled all the way down from Scotland,had come along ostensibly to enjoy the artistes and to take some of those great photographs he does so well. The collective noun for great photographers must be a plethora and we were certainly blessed on Wednesday,with John Wright,John B.Smith and Ray Buckler all present and snapping busily away to record the evening. We have all three to thank for the photographs featured here. There are loads more on the NFC Facebook page. 

         At very short notice,John gamely helped us out by filling our vacant slot and  singing  two of his own inimitable interpretations of classic songs:"Nobody Knows You" and "Ride On." The latter accompanied by  Jon Harrington. Invited to play a solo,Jon proved beyond doubt (if anybody had any),what a fine harp player he is.Thanks,gents! Wonderful,emotional audience singing accompanied both these magical songs, too. 

        That scamp Craig Sunderland arrived next, and he chose to represent the angst of many of Nuneaton's waterless population last weekend by doing a song about drought. (Craig makes no secret of the fact that in his spare time,whilst not working as a highly proficient Folk performer and guitarist,he fills in holes for a well known Water Utility). Always entertaining,a fine musician and someone who doesn't take himself too seriously. Some of us older types are amazed by the number of song lyrics  he not only learns,but remembers.

         Next it was time for Malc and Gill.  Gill began by skilfully deconstructing Keith's mike stand:the one he had so carefully positioned and fine-tuned earlier on,as he and Flossie were doing their sound checks. Keith is a bit taller than Gill and so she decided it needed adjusting. This made a few of us wince, as we knew Keith had been wrestling with levels before the gig started and before declaring himself fairly satisfied. I think he was out of the room at the time. But here is an action replay. 

        The Bedworth Folk Club resident duo then went on to perform a newish Kate Wolf song, Alex Campbell's "So Long" (and it was!)  and Dougie McClean's "Caledonia." Malc was evidently having a good time. Or maybe he'd spotted someone he knew in the audience. Or he'd just remembered he was off to Lanzarote the next week.

           Having whipped our audience into a frenzy of anticipation with quality entertainment we then unleashed the Dark Horses. They began at a gallop,Flossie opening with a stunning vocal in the eponymous. "Dark Horses." It was so powerful that after they had finished this opening song, I rushed downstairs to fetch the Guv'nor up to hear her sing. Keith had by his own admission been beset with Gremlins during the sound check,and decided to exchange his guitar for Flossie's as there was still a technical hitch. This settled him down and left a few of us wondering what Flossie's guitar playing might have been like. 

              What followed was a storming finish to the first half,alternating serious and imposing material with excerpts from Keith's considerable comedic portfolio. Always the consummate professional,Keith takes appearance very seriously and is always immaculately turned out on stage. 

            Thanks perhaps to the generosity of those who had donated such ace  raffle prizes, we collected a few bob during the interval. As Mags folded the tickets and prepared for the draw,Nunc returned to warm up for the reappearance of Dark Horses and to conduct the raffle draw. That done, it was time to settle back and enjoy the second half. Watching Flossie's expression as Keith ran through his various routines, each one becoming slightly more manic than the other,was priceless. My,but she's a patient and canny lass. C'est vrai,absolutement. (That's Geordie for honestly, they were dead good,like).

           Time flew by and all too soon it was time to draw the night to a close. Not without two or three encores,however. I really think the audience would have stayed there all night if we'd have let them. As usual,our thanks to Aaron on the bar (Bob Brooker was almost beside himself to find his beloved Doom Bar on) and to Harvey,single handedly at times, driving the Sound Desk. The following night, a Thursday, Dark Horses would do it all again at The Tump in Coventry. Whilst simultaneously, just round the corner and only a five minute walk away, Nunc would be doing their thing at The Twisted Barrel Brewery Tap. And that's Show Business. 

         

Winter Wilson Album Review

Published in November 2019 edition of Folk Monthly magazine

Live and Unconventional                             Winter Wilson

           Winter Wilson were invited to support Fairport Convention on their Winter Tour of 2018. Those of us who know them and have followed their continuing rise to national recognition were not in the least surprised by this. Thereafter, Kip and Dave could be excused for embracing Luvviedom and turning their back on their roots, as some starstruck Folk musicians sometimes do. But they haven't done this. 
     They remain a charming,friendly and approachable couple. This is reflected in their music which remains sincere,warm and sensitive. Dave's versatile and accomplished musicianship remains outstanding. His voice and Kip's work so well together that their harmonies seem effortless. But they are not. It takes hard work, great professionalism and enthusiasm for the genre, mixed in with the pure joy of performance, to reach and then sustain performance at this level.

         This album contains some new material and five re-workings of original content from previous albums. One Sandy Denny song is the only cover. The remaining songs were all composed by Dave Wilson. A talented duo:Dave plays guitar and Banjo whilst the album design,artwork and much of the photography is by Kip herself. (Who besides having a tremendous voice also plays piano accordion and guitar on the album).Its just not fair!

        Unsurprisingly they are also able to summon a formidable array of musicians to supplement the sound. Dave Pegg (bass guitar): Simon Nicol (guitar) Gerry Conway (drums) Rick Sanders(violin) and Chris Leslie(mandolin and whistle) also contribute to various tracks.All recorded,engineered and mixed with the integrity we have come to expect from them. The “Unconventional” part (other than a clever pun on The Fairports) comes,I think from the fact that two “live” tracks were recorded as part of a Sound Check rather than before a live audience.

        'Merciful Father' and 'I'd rather be Ashes Than Dust' are both from the 2016 album Ashes and Dust. 'Ghost', 'Grateful For The Rain' and 'Far Off On The Horizon' have previously featured on the 2018 album of the same name. Of the newer stuff, 'Storm Around Tumbledown' is a Dave Wilson song first recorded by Vin Garbutt. 'I wish I could turn back time' is a reflective song about our lost Mining Industry and closed Collieries. 'Tried and Tested' is a bluesy homage to Bonnie Raitt with a funny intro by Kip. 'Orange Trees and Dusty Roads' is an evocative nod to The Grapes of Wrath and Tom Joad. 'Still Life In The Old Dog Yet' ( like 'It'll Take a Long Time' ) features the full Fairport line-up and is another Wilson reflection on the wasted resources and frittered away years brought on by redundancies and the crushing of our manufacturing base, At times it sounds uncannily like a John Richards song.( Which given his connection with Fairport is not that surprising!)

          All tracks are of a playable length and nicely compact. All are shorter than six minutes and a couple are under four. If I had a penny for every band who make the mistake of slipping into the temptation of recording extended versions of their set list songs on “Live” albums then I would have-well One Shilling and sixpence in old money.

        The CD is beautifully presented. A gate fold case has ample credits and sleeve notes included plus inside is a lyric booklet and in the copy I had was also a Winter Wilson Coaster. ( Us tegestologists would call that a beer mat-but it's a very clever touch!).

      One of the best releases of 2019,it has already won fulsome praise via published reviews and will definitely feature in The Anker Folk Album of The Year Show. Winter Wilson are in constant demand for tours and club nights,so you can see them virtually anywhere over the next 12 months. Including Nuneaton Folk Club where we are delighted to welcome them back in 2020. It is a major coup for us that they have agreed to appear there.

Dave Taylor Album review

Published in November 2019 edition of Folk Monthly Magazine. 

Losing Battles        Dave Taylor        Acorn Records

          I have no idea when this was released, as it is undated. Presentation and packaging-wise,and right at the other end of the spectrum of the lavishly packaged and presented albums received for review by Winter Wilson and Show of Hands in September,out of a plain brown envelope also dropped this contribution from Dave Taylor.

         Dave is a prolific Singer-Songwriter from Leicestershire. With his wife Julia they appear occasionally together as a duo, singing tastefully arranged traditional songs with great passion. Dave also chucks a few of his own self-penned numbers into their public performances. (This is often by audience request,as some of them are quite popular!). By contrast to the kind of material he and Julia usually cover ,the majority of his own songs are waspish,angry,hard-hitting and occasionally,quite rude.

        ' Losing Battles' arrived on my desk in a plain PVC sleeve. The cover was hand drawn and a single piece of white paper inside detailed album credits. There was also a brief synopsis of why Dave chose this working title. Best summarised in the final sentence 'Some are personal battles connected with advancing years,some battles against the powers that be who always seem to want to take everything good and replace it with crap.'

        I've known Dave for a few years on the circuit. He burns with a quietly controlled rage and you could argue that all or any of his songs are about fighting battles. I'll lay my cards on the table:I like his material. I admire his honesty,his candour and his conviction. His albums are not all that sophisticated in terms of production and his lyrics are not the kind you have to pore over all night puzzling over the hidden meanings. They come right out and smack you in the face and as such the majority are mostly a kind of 21^st Century protest song. Though Dave also writes songs of great tenderness,you tend to remember more vividly the ones on previous albums like “White Boots” a visceral flaying of t.v talent shows,or the immensely enjoyable parody:“Leonard Cohen's Shantymen”

        Once Dave got his pen in hand over this one there was little that escaped the treatment. One of his strengths is in parody. “Kick In The Proverbials” deservedly mocks the cumbersome Pink Floyd epic 'Brick in The Wall.' “The Devils Man” is loosely based on a Charlie Daniels hit. He takes a poke at Oasis and the cult of recording a Magnum Opus with “Three Minute Limit.” His version of the Gallagher vocal whine is something only a personal hearing can fully describe.

         “Grown Up Now” and “Journey Song” are more reflective than Dave's stronger satirical muse and he laments his own advancing restrictions wistfully with “Wishful Thinking.” It's a much gentler song than we usually expect from Dave and contains some fine Kazoo work. He tilts a lance at Graffitti artists with “Kilroy,” and leaves us in no doubt where his feelings are over the Keep Fit Industry with “On Me Exercise Bike,” and “Roly Poly Army.” More historical (albeit recent memory) observation comes with “Writing on The Wall,” and “Old Clothes.” “Goosepastures” and “The Recruited Eric” also consider historical issues, whereas the target of “Menopausal Men with Expensive Guitars” needs no further definition.

         Guest musicians are Julia Taylor,Sarah Brookman,Steve Cartwright Steve White and Martin Tabraham and the album was mixed and mastered by Greg Tempest at Gregs Music Room. . The production belies the simple layout and artwork-it is competent and clever without being over complicated. Keep Fighting those battles,Dave!