With a headline of Caledonian Soul there only has to be one artist - the one and only Blue Rose Code. The set started out as Ross Wilson on his own, but it wasn't long before the touring companion for this trip - Eliza Wren Payne - was invited to join him on stage and the gig eventually panned out to be one in a duet format. We had already been introduced to the music of Eliza when she opened the evening with a thirty-minute set under the guise of her recording name Wrenne. It soon became apparent that Ross and herself go back a long time with fifteen years being quoted, and a period when they both lived in London active on the open mic scene.
Times have certainly changed for Ross and his now well-known Blue Rose Code moniker, to the level where he is one of the most respected Scottish musicians plying their trade on the ever widening alt-folk circuit. The Kitchen Garden have been fortunate to host him on several occasions over the last few years often in different formats. It was only twelve months ago when a three-piece line up appeared at the venue to promote THE WATER OF LEITH album.
This time the gig had a smaller scale element to it with Ross using the set to road test a couple of new songs due to appear on the upcoming next record. The slimmer set up does nothing to diminish the stylish temperance groove to the frequently lo-fi music of Blue Rose Code. Ross has never sounded better and holds an audience in the cusp of his whispering vocals, one adorned with a hypnotic Scottish brogue.
Ross was certainly in a chipper mood this evening. Adept at mixing wit and just holding back on a self-admitted over candid exterior, he was thankful to the inner editor within, but you feel Blue Rose Code is a stronger outfit when the whole travails of Ross Wilson are poured into it. Those present would without doubt concur with this view.
Blue Rose Code flew on the periphery of my radar for a number of years. Reeling in the music to an accessible point has been a wise manoeuvre in what can be a crowded room. Evening's like this, and any format Ross Wilson chooses to represent Blue Rode Code in, fully justify the decision to take a closer look at someone so respected. You leave the show with the impression that this feeling is mutual between artist and fans. Roll on new Blue Rose Code music and more Birmingham shows.
Nb. Fascinated to see the Hibernian on tour sticker complete with British Rail sign and 1875 branding never leaves Ross's guitar. A proud Hibee to the core.
With due respect to Bronwynne Brent, the night she returned to the Kitchen Garden may have to take second place in the memory vaults to the birth of the infamous/famous stage. Yes, after a dozen plus years of hosting gigs on the floor of a daytime converted cafe, a new addition has sprung up in the guise of a temporary performing platform. So no more stepping over leads, instruments and any other assorted bric-a-brac, as a part-metaphorical/part-literal barrier now partitions the artist and the ever attentive front row. The end of an era or the dawning of a new one.
On one hand it's a sign of progress, and logistically it may improve things all round. On the contrary, quirkinesses is at the very heart of the Kitchen Garden gig experience and maybe a little part of that will evaporate with the new addition. Time will tell whether the stage becomes part of the fabric thus consigning the flat floor area to the canyons of history. So please front row, no beer glasses placed on it, and you may even hear yells of joy from those at the back twisting their necks to get better views of the artist.
Apologies to Bronwynne Brent for the very brief mention, but the night belonged to the stage. By the way our visitor from Mississippi and her touring companions from Brazil and Canada gave a first class performance. Worthy artists to grace the stage on its opening night.
A few years ago, Amy Speace appeared in the upcoming listings for the Kitchen Garden, but circumstances curtailed the tour and this date floated into the ether. The wrong of then has now been suitably corrected as, at last, the Kitchen Garden has hosted an Amy Speace show. Not only any old show, but one where the intuition of audience, venue and performer were perfectly aligned leading to the unravelling of a highly successful evening, to the extent where promises of an instant return should be held to account.
My awareness of Amy Speace traces back to her 2013 album release How to Sleep in a Stormy Boat. Around the same time she appeared on the bill of the Maverick Festival. In the subsequent period her name has cropped up on numerous occasions without the intensity of association that really came to the fore last year. It's probably harsh to say 2019 was a breakthrough year for somebody with the artistic experience of Amy Speace, whether in her theatrical life in New York City or the songwriting calling that took her south way past her Baltimore home to the music Mecca of Nashville Tennessee. However, the release of the excellent album Me and the Ghost of Charlemagne and a re-commitment to tour the UK as a solo artist has projected her into new territories as far as the UK is concerned. It helped that the album got a release on Proper Records thus widening availability and coverage. The touring has also leapt forward to 2020 with the promise of two further trips to this country before the year is out. To crown this purple patch, the title track of the new album has just been successful in the International Song category at the recent AMA UK awards ceremony.
Anyway enough of the background, and a return to the long awaited Birmingham debut. First and foremost, we got incredible value of money at this gig with Amy playing for two and a quarter hours, all for the princely sum of a tenner. In another boost, the amiable guys at the Kitchen shifted the often dormant piano from one corner of the venue to centre stage with Amy grasping the opportunity to share her award winning song on its main choice of musical accompaniment.
In some ways time ran away with itself during the gig with Amy enthusiastically sharing a barrage of stories, anecdotes and tales, often very personal with an expression of candidness. These interludes far from overshadowed the song content as she delivered a hearty slice of her material including a liberal sprinkling of tracks from the new album, thus putting an informative spin on listening to it solely in its recorded content.
To say we got to know about Amy Speace is an understatement. Whether name checking an incredible plethora of talented compatriots, many of whom are her neighbours in East Nashville, or delving into her own fascinating background, we were furnished with an entertaining scope to what forms Amy Speace - the songwriter, the artist, the person. It added to a very comprehensive evening of song and chat of the highest quality, all delivered by a person born to be an entertainer.
The Kitchen Garden is built for evenings like this and the wait for Amy Speace to sat-nav her way through the backstreets of Kings Heath was rewarded with a show stamped with the hallmark of what makes the venue tick. Another Nashville artist won over by the 'Bluebird of the Midlands'.
Storm Ciara blew into Birmingham this evening, but met its match in music's very own force of nature: Luke Jackson. A veteran of tender years, this hugely talented singer-songwriter-musician-prime vocalist from Canterbury has been furrowing his own route on the UK's acoustic circuit for a few years, never ceasing to amaze with his output and engaging mode of performance delivery. There has always been an independent streak to his presence on the circuit, choosing to cultivate a growing entity rather than cling to a scene. To further hone this impression, and hammer home the dedication of an independent touring musician, Jackson had driven to this evening's show straight from a house concert in Bolton, then making the long journey back to Canterbury right after signing the last CD and preparing to immediately leave for a short tour of the US. Of course, in the middle of this was a superb performance in Birmingham.
Pinpointing the style of Luke Jackson throws up some complexities. Folk music has frequently put a claim on him, but there is a far wider remit to how he can be summed up. On-stage revelation sheds light of being heavily influenced by his dad's collection of folk, blues, soul, classic singer-songwriter and specialist music now housed under the ever expansive Americana banner. To Luke's credit, all of these styles embed into his music alongside shades of gospel and a little peep of a possible rock direction with a new song previewed this evening.
New observers to Luke Jackson would straight away be drawn to his vocal prowess where range and control are as much a feature as depth and versatility. Quite simply the vocals possess the magic to move a listener and leave them surfing in a sense of awe. Acoustic guitar is the choice of instrumental mode, aided and abetted by a sole kick drum for this evening's solo performance. His picking is another trait to cherish and provides a canvas for a wave of self-penned primarily folk-style songs to flourish.
There are a handful of album releases already in the back catalogue for a performer barely into his mid-twenties. The latest record came out towards the end of last year and has been the focus during the current run of dates. We were close to hearing the entirety of Journals during the brace of sets played to a healthy gathering at the Kitchen Garden, and listening to the songs live along with the many fascinating back stories really illuminated the recorded content.
As an entertainer, Jackson is edging up the ladder, and this evening was probably the finest performance seen since first seeing him live in 2014. All the credentials of an engaging and highly effective crowd pleasing performer are solidly in place, without a trace of superficial content replacing the substance.
On a challenging night weather-wise plus the added sound effects of torrential rain pounding the plastic outer surroundings of the adjacent patio, there was no finer place to be than in the warm and dry listening to the premium talent of Luke Jackson.
When first encountering him a few years ago, a thought crossed the mind of what would be the outcome if he spent an extended period living in a shack in the Delta soaking up all the influences. Any subsequent homecoming would blow all Americana pretenders out the water. In fact while other artists wear the badge of Americana in this country, Luke Jackson doesn't need to. It's just there in his DNA.
The word rehab in music usually refers to a stint escaping the ravages of excess. In the case of Sam Baker the word in its longer form is more akin to a lifetime in music coming to terms with a traumatic event of unimaginable proportion. For close on twenty years this highly respected Texan singer songwriter has trod the boards of a rehab vocation and it would not be remiss to state that the underpinning framework of his art are the events of a distant day in Peru back in 1986. There is unlikely to be a Sam Baker show where he doesn't recall the bus bomb that somehow decided to spare his life and take many of those around him. The Sam Baker we see in 2020 is a product of rehabilitation and living proof of how greatness can spawn from utmost adversity.
What makes Baker tick as an artist is the sheer aura and commandment that comes from his rhythmic story telling. This is beat poetry set to a simple soundtrack recounting stories that spin in many directions, though we are rarely more than a couple of steps away from Peru 1986. There is a certain charm to his onstage personality that straddles the boundary of warmth and eccentricity, maybe even cashing in on alteration adjustments that likely have formed the Sam Baker coming out the other side of 1986.
Listening to him live is an intoxicating experience and it is easy to slip into a transfixed zone. This evening we enjoyed the added bonus of the most beautiful piano accompaniment from his travelling partner and the guest appearance of a local cellist providing some complementary bliss. Baker thrived in the confined surroundings of a sold out Kitchen Garden, on an evening where every crevice of this quirky performing space was full of inquisitive ears.
Sam Baker live is a phenomena. His shows seen over the last few years rarely stray from the core point and it is the effect that seeps into the memory rather than the detail. To counter this assertion we were left with a couple of gems from the evening in the phrase "the narrow blade of life" and showing disdain for inner rage. Yes, Sam Baker can get deep and philosophical, yet always in an alluring way.
When Sam Baker pops into your town, open your heart to the most emphatic rehab you can come across. Fulfilment is a likely departing gift along with a special experience of being in the exalted company of an extraordinary artist forever grateful to music acting as the best rehab available. A union one suspects that will be around for a long time yet. A South American rehabilitation stretching a lifetime.
One of the richest times of the year for high quality American touring artists to hit our shores is the period straddling end of January-early February. This is primarily down to the prestigious Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow and in recent times the staging of the AMAUK festival in London. Touring artists may tag a couple of other dates onto their schedule, but it's a rarity to have an extensive tour this time of year.
There is always a tinge of envy when perusing the schedules of these two events, which tend to be off limits for winter gig road trips. There is always the hope that Birmingham or the wider Midlands region can snap up one of these tagged shows, but this is definitely the exception rather than the norm with Manchester often being the city of choice for those scheduling extra dates.
However in 2020 there has been a twist of events. One show may be construed as small crumbs, but when you get a pairing of the Milk Carton Kids and Ryan Bingham at Birmingham Town Hall on a Friday night they are definitely quality ones.
The gig was billed as a Milk Carton Kids headline with Ryan Bingham as the special guest, but set times of 70 and 60 minutes respectively suggested we were heading into twin bill territory. The former had the slightly higher profile in the city having performed at the Transatlantic Sessions annual staging a couple of years ago. So in effect it was a full Birmingham debut, which was certainly the case for Ryan Bingham.
2019 was a re-introductory year for Bingham in the UK as he toured his latest album with a full band in tow, including a slot at the Black Deer Festival and a super gig in Oxford that settled in the upper echelons of my favourites of the year list. For this lower key mid winter visit, he left the band at home and played a solo format that I had not seen him in before. While it was a little different, especially when he played the old favourite 'Southside of Heaven', it still came across as an exceptional performance with a focus more on sharing his origins and influences. Covers of Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle and Terry Allen hardly shook the earth, but when you're steeped in the Texas songwriting tradition you might as well celebrate the best. There is no denial that Bingham gargles lone star dirt and creates an authentic aura when spreading the art of his homeland in far away places.
Following an hour of Texas earthy grit, the dial turned to pristine north eastern harmonies as Kenneth and Joey aka the Milk Carton Kids shared their innate prodigious talent with a Birmingham audience well versed in the wide expanses of the Americana genre. Satire fed the inter song exchanges including a response to their latest 7-track album that they only went into the studio to a record a 5-track EP. Just like Bingham exhaled an intoxicating aura, the Milk Carton Kids did likewise in a style rinsed with Greenwich Village nostalgia. It was purely magical listening to them in full flow followed by a reflection of how blessed it can be to tune in to such special artists executing classic styles.
For two hours on this Friday night, envy of Celtic Connections and AMAUK Fest evaporated in a song-filled haze and full appreciation of how good Ryan Bingham and the Milk Carton Kids are. Quality crumbs - nah, a fully artisan loaf!
Back on the gig wagon after a short break over the Christmas and the New Year period with the first reflection on live music for the 2020CMS project. While the majority of gigs attended is within the locality of the West Midlands, taking a road trip is not an uncommon practice and something that has frequently occurred in January when a wealth of top notch American artists visit our shores for invited events. The majority of these artists tend to miss out the midlands region at this time of year often necessitating the aforementioned road trip where practical. This year the perfect opportunity occurred when a double bill of Tyler Childers and The Local Honeys was announced for Manchester on a Saturday night, thus making travel relatively feasible.
The ultimate link between these two acts is their Kentucky homeland as evidenced at the end of this show when Childers paid tribute to the Honey's Montana's father who lived in close proximity when growing up. News of the two acts teaming up for UK shows was first heard when seeing The Local Honeys play the Kitchen Garden in Birmingham towards the end of last year. That evening proved a fantastic gig and it was interesting to see how the Appalachian roots acoustic music of the duo would fare in a totally different setting.
So as the lights went down at the stroke of 8 in a sold out 950 capacity Manchester Academy 2 venue, Linda Jean and Montana set about doing what they do best. A buzzing Saturday night standing crowd is going to be different to playing to 50 in the pin drop intimate surroundings of the Kitchen Garden, but these two Kentuckians did a marvellous job of keeping the audience engaged with a neat selection of informative chat and prime playing.
Unlike The Local Honeys, this was the first time seeing Tyler Childers live, although to be fair his UK dates have been relatively limited as the star of this Kentuckian as soared to levels far above most artists of his country music persuasion. To this extent I was mildly surprised at the turn out and strong rapport the audience had for him. His popularity had been clearly underestimated and in turn he repaid this faith by turning in a captivating performance adeptly supported by a five-piece band.
Although the sound did stray from pure country into other Americana directions especially soul and rock in places, Childers uses the most compelling of southern vocals to own a transfixed zone and keep a switched on audience in his loop. In a rather unique strategy, he decided to end the ninety minute set with three solo acoustic songs and an encore-free goodnight which hit the right spot on a night where you felt a country artist from the right side of the tracks possessed huge crossover potential.
£15 a ticket was a great steal for this show (ok any gig road trip has additional costs), but you would have to go a long way find a classier two hours of music than our two visitors from Kentucky delivered this evening. Manchester is not my usual gig stomping ground for the obvious reasons, but the dozen or so times I've made the trip up in the last ten years has yielded some great shows. Tyler Childers and The Local Honeys at the Academy 2 in January 2020 is up there with the best, proving one successful Kentucky crusade.
Live music is going to jostle gamely with the other activities for 2020CMS, but superb nights like this has set the year on a very promising path.
With a headline of Caledonian Soul there only has to be one artist - the one and only Blue Rose Code. The set started out as Ross Wilson on his own, but it wasn't long before the touring companion for this trip - Eliza Wren Payne - was invited to join him on stage and the gig eventually panned out to be one in a duet format. We had already been introduced to the music of Eliza when she opened the evening with a thirty-minute set under the guise of her recording name Wrenne. It soon became apparent that Ross and herself go back a long time with fifteen years being quoted, and a period when they both lived in London active on the open mic scene. 
