A Tilting Sky with No Høly Men

A real tug of loyalties on this November Saturday night. A choice of several excellent gigs in the city, and a visit from The Daughter from London meant that I needed to keep all my options open and flexible. But, after a bracing walk along the North Norfolk coast which included an outdoor lunch at the Beach Café at Overstrand and a pint of al fresco San Miguel on the pier at Cromer, we had formulated a plan. She would spend the evening with friends at a bar in the city, and I would check out The Tilting Sky night at Norwich Arts Centre.

Ginny Dix

First up was Ginny Dix, who I first saw at the Waterfront Studio earlier this year supporting London-based electronic duo Avec Sans. Some of you may remember her as vocalist with Norwich band Freyr, who reached the finals of the Next Big Thing competition back in 2013. There is an honesty and resonant intensity in Ginny's voice that really works well sat behind her keyboard on stage at the Arts Centre, drawing the audience in from the bar within seconds of starting her set. She switches to guitar for one song, but it is the voice that really draws you in. There are contemporary reference points that include Oh Wonder and Alpines, although a cover of Chase and Status' Alive bowls a curveball on a wicket of downbeat dreampop. The trick of creating a 'ghost' male vocal accompaniment is particularly effective. An impressive performance, although she does have a tendency to sing much of the set with eyes apparently closed.

Sadie Nencini

Sadie Nencini has progressed in leaps and bounds since I saw her perform her first ever live performance at a Sonic Youths showcase back in March of this year. Now she is on the main stage, and whilst still showing a few signs of nervous apprehension, and there are a couple of misplaced notes in her first song, once those spritely butterflies are exorcised what is revealed is a voice of confection that lies somewhere between Suzanne Vega and Camille Dalmais. The hip hop and folk compositions are delivered with cajon accompaniment from friend Jack, and the result is a seductive blend that imagines millennial lounge-act Nouvelle Vague switching from punk classics to rap covers. Caramel, the song title featured on the badges being handed out tonight, is not the Vega composition, but a rather lovely Nencini original which reminds a little of those Cabrakid / Maya Law collaborations. Very promising.

Rory Hill

Singer songwriter Rory Hill has come a long way since those heady days of two-minute pop pleasures served up amidst the pleasures of The Radical Tearoom. The Kabeedies were a dynamic post-punk indie band, fronted by vocalist Katie Allard but featuring Rory on bass and songwriting duties. After Katie left, The Kabeedies morphed into Keep Up, but tonight we have Rory and his resonator guitar performing a wonderful solo set of Americana-inspired songs - a mostly down-tempo selection that covers all the traditional bases of broken hearts and breakups. There is a cover of Townes Van Zandt's classic Pancho and Lefty, and a final, more upbeat, composition that was inspired by actually being in a relationship. Rory has a wonderfully textured voice that manages to combine properties of both gravel and silk - a real revelation to anyone who has not heard him outside of The Kabeedies. A true talent.

Andi Sapey  - No Høly Men

Tonight's headline act is Norwich trio No Høly Men - vocalist Alexandra Hill (yes, brother of Rory), drummer Nigel Aono Billson, and guitarist Andi Sapey. All three are lecturers at Norwich University of the Arts, but Andi is also a familiar figure to thousands of us for his amazing photographs taken from the pits of countless rock concerts and music festivals. Tonight the lenses point the other way as I point my modest Panasonic compact in his direction during this bill-topping performance.

Like the three previous acts, No Høly Men impress me tonight by the massive improvement since I last saw them. Their slot at the launch night for Norwich Sound and Vision was safe and moody, in a Radiohead kind of way, but tonight turned into a passage of rite into the realm of something much more tangible and exciting. True, the dramatic introduction sequence lost some of its impact when it subsequently transpired that Andi's pedal board had not been connected correctly, and Andi himself seemed to regret having had that last pre-set gin and tonic, but the three of them absolutely raised their game tonight.

Alex Hill - No Høly Men

As well as a headlining show this is also an EP launch, although there are no physical copies to purchase (this is 2016, my dear). Instead we are given postcards similar to those shoved through the letterbox to say that you have missed an Amazon/Royal Mail/UK Mail delivery. But, instead of instructions for arranging collection, we are given a series of web links to obtain exclusive access to tracks Exhale, This Is All and Shake. A neat, generous and effective marketing device.

No Høly Men

The performance itself really gave each of the three performers space to shine amidst the dark stage backdrop. Nigel is undoubtedly the stabilising backbone of the trio. His drumming provides exactly the right amount of anchor to keep the boat safely tethered whilst Andi copes with any remaining shafts of (unwarrented) self-doubt. Alex's vocals, once unleashed, have the capacity to transcend time and have moments when we are shipped back to the days of goth-punk and the sound of Siouxie and the Banshees. Andi, with trademark blond foppy locks, DM's and black rimmed glasses looks every bit the guitar hero kitted out in white shirt and black suit. But it is when the drums, the vocals, and the guitar all come together in perfect synchronicity that the magic is created. It may not have been technically perfect throughout, but there were many moments when I genuinely believed we were experiencing something rather special. The audience were on-side right from the start, and there was obviously a lot of love in the room for these three high-profile faces from the Norwich arts community, but the applause was genuine, warm, and well justified. Onwards and upwards.

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My Weekend of Lobster, Odd Boxes, and Sonic Youths

After a post-2015 week of stir-crazy Dry-January navel gazing my world starts to slip back into gear, and with a weekend packed with live music in Norwich to look forward to, my body was in danger of succumbing to something akin to Festival Dropsy, that feeling of tired legs, aching knees and cerebral exhaustion that comes from trying desperately not to miss anything, and adopting a belief that, somehow, surviving on about three hours sleep a night is completely do-able.

It was lovely to get back to Norwich Arts Centre on Friday although, as volunteer box office assistant, this was always going to be a case of keeping my wits about me rather than tripping off on some hedonistic orgy of beats and real ale. Heading the bill of Craig Hill's 'Tilting Sky' night was Lobster, the groundbreaking soul-funk-jazz ensemble headed up by Dominic Trevor on saxophone and Molly Holdom on vocals. Before challenging my definition of 'groundbreaking' just let me tell you that this nine-piece ensemble are all still in their teens. They are not only writing and playing the type of music that their parents would normally still be into (how bloody un-cool is that?), but they are getting all their friends and their friends-of-friends on board as well. As a result the Arts Centre is  packed out with 260 youngsters all up for a good time on some great live music. With Aphra, Gentlemen, and Perfect Mistakes providing backup on support, and the Lobster/Cabrakid DJ's spinning tunes in the bar, Craig's infamous £6 reduced admission deal to those in the know meant that this was always going to be a knockout event. Spend another £4 on Lobster's excellent debut CD, and you've probably had the best value for a tenner this side of Poundland's sale.

I didn't hang around at the end of my shift to catch Lobster's set (I know, I know, but I have seen them several times before, and they are competing in the first semi-final of Future Radio's Next Big Thing at Open on Saturday January 30th - tickets £4 in advance), so headed off instead to The Murderers to check out Host, a four-piece who describe their music as 'post-rock experimental'. It's another one of Odd Box Promotions' famous Friday night shindigs, and whilst I am too late to enjoy Hot Raisin or Mari Joyce, Host have only just started by the time I have negotiated my pint of Woodforde's Wherry and myself to a vantage point at the top of the steps and close enough to catch the action.

Host

Post-rock means different things to different people, and often suggests instrumental or minimal vocals, but Host have a haunting vocalist in Lorna who can somehow carry off singing ethereally into a microphone whilst adopting the arms-behind-the-back stance of  a female Liam Gallagher. The only other person I have seen manage it is Beth Gibbons of Portishead, although tonally the voice has more the echoes of Sonja Kristina of 70's prog outfit Curved Air. Perhaps it is the Murderer's backdrop of posters from Pink Floyd, Doors and Led Zeppelin, but Host project an authentic retro feel that paradoxically goes hand in hand with their declared experimentalism. Steve's cross-legged synth playing, Dan's laid-back drumming (well, compared to his other band) and Jack's sweet guitar all combine to win me well over. £3 even buys me a two-track CD that is beautifully presented in it's own hand-crafted sleeve. I love them.

Host

Saturday lunchtime back at the Arts Centre is my aim, and I manage it with flying colours, arriving just before the first act takes to the Café Bar stage for Sonic Youths, the Norwich showcase for musicians aged 14-19. Curated by the legendary Annie Catwoman, this is always worth making the effort to attend. Not only is it free admission, but you will become aware of the young musical talent that could continue to otherwise bubble away just underneath your radar. At the last one I experienced the amazing Midnight Zoo, who have since also made it through to the semi finals of this year's Next Big Thing.

First up is Maya Law, a 16 year old who has already played The Waterfront and The Birdcage, and whose maturity and style would not leave her out of place at one of the Art Centre's full Acoustic Showcases. Once again (I sense a theme developing here), Maya will be performing in the second semi final of the Next Big Thing on Sunday January 31st. As well as her own songs, there is a folk-reggae infused arrangement of Amy Winehouse's 'You Know I'm No Good' that is amazingly accomplished. Her own songs employ changes of pace and key that really take you aback. There are obvious flourishes of both Ed Sheeran and Luke Pritchard in her songwriting, whilst her own voice reminds me at times of Tina Dico. New song 'Fiction' is a real delight.

Maya remains on stage to collaborate on the first two numbers with hip-hop duo Cabrakid, back in the Arts Centre after their DJ set the previous night. With 19-year old Jake on vocals sporting a luxuriant beard such that I could only dream of (I can only wonder at what they are putting in the school milk these days) and some lovely mellow grooves from Gabriel on the decks, this is the happy summery hip-hop that takes you back to the days of DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince. However the mood can change, as with 'In The Family' when they tackle frustration with the politics of Cameron and the Tories, and '2003-2004' when Arsenal football club is celebrated (in spite of Jake sporting a Hellas Verona hoodie over his Gunners shirt). High Priest Cabrakan needs to concentrate on staying in character a bit more whilst on stage in front of his mates, and perhaps not have to rap the lyrics off his mobile phone, but otherwise I really liked them. Lots of tracks on their Soundcloud page, many of which are available as free downloads (https://soundcloud.com/cabrakid)

Jake from Cabrakid

Poppy Rae Read was the second female singer-songwriter of the afternoon, and again put in a very credible set. It's a crowded market for guitar-toting alt-folk acts at the moment, and sometimes it takes a while to carve a niche which enables you to stand out in the forest. Certainly the voice, which at times had touches of the more traditional Americana seemed capable of being stretched into an edgier, more individual identity. Certainly one to watch.

Poppy Rae Read

Finally, but by no means least, were the wind-him-up-and-let-him-go dynamo-fronted band that are served up as Dog's Dinner. I saw them support Kagoule about a month before Christmas, and even in that short time they have developed and gained self-confidence in their anything-goes rock and roll attitude, with frontman Josh writhing and contorting himself and his voice into all kinds of shapes whilst the band hit all the right notes. With foppish good looks reminiscent of The Vaccines' Justin Hayward-Young, but with the fuck-you attitude of the bad boys of punk Josh and these guys have all the right ingredients to win-a-lot of new fans. Did you notice what I did there?

Dog's Dinner

Thanks indeed to Annie for such a well contrasted afternoon of youth talent, and pleasing to see such a good audience turnout in the Café Bar. It left me just enough time to pop home and eat before returning later to the Arts Centre for the Plan-UK fundraiser featuring Jake Morrell, Kingdom Keys, and Addisons Uncle. But you'll have to read my review of that one elsewhere, at :-
 http://www.outlineonline.co.uk/music/live-reviews/addisons-uncle-fundraising-night

And now, to check my balls, and catch up with some football!

Rope Store Headline Norwich's Tilting Sky Saturday

Emerging from the safety of a recording studio housed within a former nuclear bunker hidden somewhere in Norwich, Rope Store came and set up stall within Norwich Arts Centre on Saturday night as headliners of Craig Hill's 'Tilting Sky' event. For some, myself included, it was the first chance to check out this intriguing group of retro-popsters headed up by a certain Mr Jason. Others seem to have been in on the secret for some time, and are here to renew the acquaintance.

Tilting Sky have, as usual, pulled out all the stops to pack the evening with musical talent. Whilst I couldn't get in to see the wryly-named Tom Happy kick off proceedings, and only managed to hear local four-piece Mallie from the foyer, I was there complete with pint in hand ready to enjoy Sargasso Trio member Emily Winng and her band perform  immediately before Rope Store. I've seen her once before (at Gravy Records Summer Party) accompanied by the band, and the result is a ballsy mix of summery alternative calypso, with a lyrical prowess that really grabs your attention and keeps it throughout her set. Whilst Sargasso continue on hiatus, its good to know that Emily is still out here performing.

Emily Winng

A total of nine musicians take the stage to perform as Rope Store tonight. Mr Jason oversees everything from right of stage on guitar, lead vocalist Gemma Dietrich commands the centre ground, whilst around her the rest of the band arrange themselves, with two saxophones to the fore, and keyboards, bass, drums and guitar squeezed in somehow at the back.

Having heard the tracks that Mr Jason and Gemma have produced down in the bunker, I am already in love with the authentic re-creation of the 60's style that they have achieved by recording straight onto 8-track with analogue equipment and by using just the one microphone. Having got the attention of Tom Robinson, amongst others, with 'Get Me Out' and 'Stop', they have since added the poignant 'Never Too Late To Love', and the gorgeous 'That's Not Good Enough' to the content of their Bandcamp page. Can they cut it in front of a live audience, albeit a friendly Norwich Arts Centre crowd, before setting off to the likes of the trendy Blues Kitchen in Shoreditch in September?

Well, if last night was anything to go by, they'll smash it. Bill, on sound, has managed to get the levels of everything just right, and the choice of retro dressing by some and essential 't-shirt and denim' by the rest creates just that right balance that shouts homage rather than pastiche. We all know that it is the music that is paramount, but neither are we so naïve not to realise the importance of appearances either. Gemma's monochrome outfit of leather jacket, tu-tu style skirt and trainers, brings a contemporary sassiness to the overall look.

 

Their performance throws in elements of everything from Style Council to Hendrix, and takes in the vocal styles and  60's gaiety of Parisian chanteuse Françoise Hardy as well as Swinging London's Marianne Faithful and Motown's Diana Ross. But in the same way that Sundowners and Melody's Echo Chamber take the psychedelic pop influences of the 20th century and spin them into a current seam, Rope Store have that contemporary appeal that should go down a storm with the hip city slickers of London Town. Personally, I loved everything about them.

We will find out how they fared in Hipster-land when they return to play The Murderers in Norwich on October 9th.

Buy some, or all, of their recorded tracks via their Bandcamp page at http://ropestore.bandcamp.com/ , and keep up to date on social media via https://www.facebook.com/ropestoremusic or https://twitter.com/ropestoremusic