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There was a tingle in the air at Bush Hall, a sense of expectation – and those expectations and hopes were fulfilled.
Jake Morley is a singer-songwriter who gained a strong following from his early YouTube recordings showing him playing the guitar in a very peculiar and jaw-dropping style. As he sings the upbeat love/hate-song to London, entitled “This City”, his hands flash around his guitar, plucking at strings, banging it on top, on the side, whacking and plucking a whole band out of the one instrument.
This was a very popular video, but there is always a danger that the musician can be trapped by the popularity of this one thing, to become an online only flash-in-the-pan.
This night, in a gig that launched his first album “Many Fish to Fry”, Morley proved that he has the potential to be much more than a one-hit-youtube wonder. Looking 100% at ease with where he was, and what he was doing – playing to a packed Bush Hall – Jake and his talented band proceeded to grab the already eager audience into the palm of his hand and lead them through his collection of songs that were at times heartfelt, funny, revealing and emotional – and ultimately uplifting.
This is a man to follow, but not just on social media sites, but in real life whenever he plays a gig.
This is music to cherish, an album that is personal, but speaks to you on many levels.
This is Jake Morley.
Confused? You will be, but probably not as confused as Conor Oberst appears to be on the basis of the latest Bright Eyes offering “The People’s Key”. The album, released this week, probably has the most commercial and accessible mainstream sound Oberst has created to date coupled with lyrical content which is often irritatingly obtuse.
On first listen, “The People’s Key” impresses on a musical level; there are melodies which are instantly accessible and loads of instrumental hooks and riffs to pull you in to the arrangements. The vocals display Oberst’s voice at its best, emphasising the plaintive, keening qualities to good effect especially when it’s pushed to the point of cracking. Even when the voice is thickened up by overlaying it with a slight delay, the effect works and the production wrings out the maximum emotional effect from the vocal line. Read more
It’s difficult to believe that it’s been 20 years and it’s an understatement to say that it’s been a roller-coaster. This is the closest thing to a hometown gig on the tour and there’s a lot of love and mutual respect here. The audience looks a lot older than at the last London show I saw and the reason is that most of these people are the fans that were there at the beginning. This is an audience primed and waiting for the fuse to be lit. The flamethrower that ignites it is “You Love Us” and Newport Centre erupts; the Manics are back in town.
James is trying not to swear too much because his dad’s here and Nicky manages a whole gig with only 1 costume change. It would be easy to be complacent on a night like this but the Manics just don’t work that way; they’re incendiary from start to finish. Songs from “Postcards from a Young Man” feature throughout the set and are well received by the partisan crowd, particularly the title song. The strength of the performance, however is in the Manics back catalogue and their ability to deliver them with just as much venom as when they were originally recorded, although between songs the love and respect within the band and between the band and the audience is obvious. There are a lot of references to Richey tonight and the tone is one of fond remembrance, which suggests that maybe the band are beginning to come to terms with that particular tragedy. Read more
“This Is Our Way Out” is the first EP from the Brighton-based 5-piece Goodluck Jonathan (inspired by the current Nigerian President, or just a coincidence?) and it’s a very interesting box of tricks. Like most interesting bands, they’re difficult to define precisely. The basic feel lyrically is indie nudging towards emo but musically they cut across a range of styles from the spiky, 2 guitar indie sound (going back through Franz Ferdinand all the way to Television) to seriously heavy metal riffing. You even get a power ballad for the final track.
“Bruises Disappear”, the first track, starts with a spiky delay guitar intro and is a pretty good summary of the dynamics of the EP with an ethereal angelic choir on the heavy metal chorus, a spoken megaphone section and a power-riff section to finish. What sets this track apart from the rest of the EP is the political reference in the 2 spoken sections to refugee camps in Calais being destroyed by the authorities. It’s unusual but welcome in this setting. Read more
