Darlingside - The Slaughtered Lamb, London UK

August 11, 2016 by David Vousden in Acoustic, Folk, Live Review, Singer Songwriter, Pop

Every now and again here at Red Guitar Music we are lucky enough to receive a CD in the post that turns out to be just a little bit special. Darlingside and their ‘Birds Say’ album was a case in point, I was keen, but fellow RGM scribe Rich Barnard won the lottery, got to work and his resulting review concluded “Darlingside have stories to tell, mysteries to solve and journeys to take us on. Birds Say manages the impossible; it is humble and bold; it is familiar and strange; it is slick and fragile. It is, in short, a total delight”. To support the UK release of the album the band had a slot booked at the prestigious Cambridge Folk Festival before they embarked on a short run of intimate UK shows concluding with the Slaughtered Lamb in London.

David Berkeley + Jack Harris - Paper Dress Vintage, Hackney London

June 22, 2016 by David Vousden in Acoustic, Folk, Live Review, Singer Songwriter

Paper Dress Vintage is one of the more interesting venues on the London circuit. Located opposite Hackney Central Station this retro clothes boutique by day transforms into a cool and bijou live music venue by night. The intimate venue itself is upstairs and the small room has just a few tables doted about so I took up a position at the small rear bar to check out the evening’s entertainment. I was immediately struck by the rather imposing mixing desk which seemed a little incongruous in such a small venue but it did bless us with excellent sound on the night.

Ruth Theodore + Linah Rocio - Green Note, London UK

June 14, 2016 by David Vousden in Folk, Live Review, Singer Songwriter

Green Note in Camden is fast becoming one of my favourite places to see a band in London. The Camden venue won a prestigious Time Out Magazine award ‘London Venue of the Year’ in 2015 so I’d guess I’m not alone in my view. The venue is, as they say, intimate which makes it fantastic to get up close to a quality artist or two. One such artist is Ruth Theodore and her visit to Camden was to introduce her very fine new single ‘You Can’t Help Who You Love’ and a whole lot more

Joana Serrat with Ellie Ford - The Slaughtered Lamb, London, UK

May 19, 2016 by David Vousden in Acoustic, Folk, Live, Singer Songwriter, Country

Spanish singer-songwriter Joana Serrat recently released her latest album ‘Cross The Verge’ on the Loose Music imprint in the UK and visited our shores for a short run of dates which included a show at the charmingly named Slaughtered Lamb in the heart of London. In stark contrast to the name The Lamb turned out to be a large pub with comfy leather sofas far removed from the image that the name might imply. Fans of the classic movie ‘An American Werewolf In London’ will be disappointed to find that there is no connection, at least initially, to the film but venture downstairs into the venue proper and the neon Slaughtered Lamb / pentagram logo is behind the stage. I must admit this did impress the inner film geek in me.

Glen Hansard - The 100 Club, London

April 21, 2016 by David Vousden in Acoustic, Folk, Singer Songwriter, Live

Sometimes you really do just strike it lucky. On this occasion a last minute invitation down to the legendary 100 club in London on a Sunday night resulted in the opportunity to witness an artist with the confidence in his ability, and the ability of his band, to freewheel through a two hour plus set without the aid of a safety net, or a set list.

Gretchen Peters - The Old Town Hall, High Wycombe, UK

February 21, 2016 by David Vousden in Country, Singer Songwriter, Live, folk

As luck would have it Gretchen Peters and her three piece band found their way to High Wycombe for a date on her 20th Anniversary tour. The Old Town Hall is a short walk from Red Guitar Music HQ so it was an opportunity too good to miss to go along and check out the show. The Town Hall is not really that well known on the touring circuit and with a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it entrance door (I did and I wasn’t the only one) I wasn’t sure quite what to expect. Luckily the venue, better known locally for the odd play and many a Tea Dance, turned out to be a good choice to hold, what would be a very enjoyable and civilised evening. The team of friendly dark suited ushers were quick to sort out my ticket and direct me to the bar where the local Rebellion brewery helped to get things off to a good start. The attendance for tonight was very impressive and I hope more acts will add High Wycombe to their tour

Colleen Brown - The Dublin Castle, London UK.

June 28, 2015 by Rich Barnard in Live, Rock, Folk, Singer Songwriter

Having been very impressed by the video for ‘Soap & Denim’, the RGM team headed out to Camden to see Canadian songstress Colleen Brown, who is here touring in support of her new album Direction…