communion – and so she thinks

Citadel is here – and it looks amazing

admin — Tue, 07 Mar 2017 13:41:36 +0000

When Citadel Festival was first born, I had reservations about the longevity and meaning of its life. Did London really need another festival? Did the UK need another family friendly event? But they’ve been building on their successes, and this year bring an amazing line up of quality artists to Victoria Park on Sunday 16th July 2017.

Foals play their only UK festival appearance, and indie legends Wild Beasts will also be whipping the park into a dark trippy frenzy, and the ubiquitous and brilliant Bonobo mixes things up. If you’ve tried to get tickets to see Laura Marling recently you’ll know that even selling multiple limbs won’t secure them, so the opportunity of seeing her on a (hopefully) sun drenched stage in summer is one not to passed over. Communion welcome to their stage soulful Michael Kiwanuka, Sylvan Esso, rockers Twin Peaks and Nadine Shah, whilst Clash & Last FM turn things up a bit with Vessels, and welcome Ben Howard’s new band A Blaze Of Feather.

You’ll also find Sunday Papers Live, Sofar Sounds and journalism experts The Frontline Club, as well as the Science Museum, FuturePlay and The Indytute offering creative exploration and events. All festivals these days need yoga and swing dancing, and Citadel is no different, bringing on board SwingTrain, Frame and the House of Voga for a dose of wellbeing. There’s also some acoustic sessions, the must see Roller Skating Fiddle Players, a family rave from Big Fish Little Fish, some sports games, theatre – and a ton of street food and craft ales.

All in all, they’ve proved me completely wrong. Nice one.

Buy tickets now.

HAUS

admin — Sat, 02 May 2015 10:57:00 +0000

If only all bands would pull their trousers down. This six piece from London have been described as ‘cheeky’ and ‘full of lols’ and that’s largely because they are. Bouncing melodies and bustling rhythms, they evoke the jangly pop tunes of Two Door Cinema Club with a more rhythmic math rock edge influenced by Foals and Metronomy, imbuing it all with a jumping and sunny disposition of youth. Sometimes fun is all you need.

Bushstock 2013 – a success

admin — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 16:35:04 +0000

Despite my best efforts of two years in my previous life, west London has never really had that buzzing music scene of its eastern counterpart. Bushstock, run by Communion records is one of the counterbalances to this, bringing music, art, people and beards to a little area left of the London middle, Shepherd’s Bush. Taking place on Saturday 1st June across a diverse set of venues – local cool pub Defector’s Weld, the fully functioning St Stephen’s Church, former underground toilets Ginglik, and beautiful if unassuming from the outside Bush Hall – this year’s festival provided a strapping line up of strong and stellar bands. As is always the case with these events, one can’t be in multiple places at once, so to get full coverage of everyone playing you may have to piece together numerous reviews, but from my perspective, in no particular order, here goes…
George Ezra sounds like he has lived through struggles and strains to get a voice that gravelly and a presence so compelling. The 19 year old captivated the St Stephen’s Church crowd tempted in from the sunshine, his blase and bristling manner a perfect wrap over the poignant and earthy tunes. Story Books and their Foals esque aesthetic were one of my highlights, brimming with energy and hopscotching guitars, but the Bush Hall audience were waiting for buzz band at the moment, Bear’s Den. Rocking their way (in the only way that strings strumming bands can) through Agape, Pompeii, and songs not ending in the ‘ay’ sound they were many people’s bands of the day, but as I personally am a bigger fan of guitars and synths, indie rock rather than folky strumming, they were never going to get my biggest smile.
The Lake Poets performed a set of vivid chords and rustling tunes, their dreamily domestic songs sincere and heartfelt, whilst Geordie singer songwriter Sam Fender won everyone over with his charming accent and pleasant plucking (mind out of the gutter please). Kaleidoscopic and intense songs from Thumpers are exactly what we have come to expect, and what they delivered, the jubilant duo igniting a rousing response. Similarly rousing with cracked vocals and tweeking and twerking guitar work was London quartet As Elephants Are, winners of best name award toboot.
All Eyes by Post War Years was one of my favourite songs of 2012, and they didn’t disappoint with either this track or any other. Thrillingly primordial, their brand of disco trips and travels, piercing drumming blossoming in a potent cocktail of fluorescent jams until its hypnotic beats drop. Final band of the night was Dutch Uncles whose shimmering guitars and convivial eclecticisms took the underground toilets of Ginglik to places they had never been before, anarchic and aesthetic.
Even if only once a year, west London is the place to be.
Heneker Photography

Something brilliant for a Monday…

admin — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 10:14:28 +0000

Let’s Buy Happiness – Works Better On Paper

from The EP No Hot Ashes

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJMcPrwkjG0]

Bushstock!

admin — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 10:54:07 +0000

A festival in Shepherd’s Bush you say. Only 10 minutes down the road. Curated by the guys at Communion. I’m there. Except, thanks to a particularly riotous IAH Friday gig to see in the Queen’s Jubilee weekend at The King’s Head (thanks Mishal Moore, Abi Murray and ScenicLife) I found myself with an inability to sit upright for more than 2 mins and so very nearly wasn’t. Eventually, loaded on carbs, we braved the 207 and made our way down the long and winding Uxbridge Road to Bushstock 2012. I would imagine that most people reading this will be familiar with Communion, but in case not (or if my Dad has decided to read this) the Communion label is home to Lucy Rose, Daughter, Mumford & Sons, Marcus Foster and Rachel Sermanni – in other words perfect music to sooth a storming head.

One of those wrist band affairs, Bushstock spans four venues, of which the Sunday Best (yes, it took place on a Saturday) at the Defector’s Weld hosted the strongest line up, but an unfortunate layout and poor sound made for a frustrating experience. When Rae Morris took to the stage early in the afternoon the room was already packed it, her strong voice astounding many, its power even more startling in contrast to her huskily quiet stage banter and the commonplace surroundings of a local pub. Whilst it is the lungs of Rae Morris that captured the room, Alessi’s Ark thrives on understated simplicity, the clipped diction and careful fretwork beautifully accentuated her wistful and smooth folk songs, and the cries of ‘I love Alessi’ and whispers of ‘wow’ suggest the crowd were just as enamoured by her short but sweet set.

We may have delusions that folk music all orginates from frolicking in fields musing on life, but today ‘where is my life going and what does it mean’ thoughts are for more likely to take place at 3am with a thumping head slumped in the club toilets, and so the converted public conveniences of Ginglik were not as odd a venue as you may think, particular highlights being Oh Burgundy and Gabriel and The Hounds.
As venues go, St Stephen’s Chutch ticks many a box. Ornate windows, tall white columns and acoustics to rival heaven, this was the perfect setting for the moody melodies of Daughter and frenetic fiddling of Bear’s Den, as well as a place of sanctuary when the summer skies opened upon us. It was Lanterns On The Lake who were the highlight – lush strings, powerful drumming, vibrant vocals and passionate delivery, combining to create something akin to an experience. Given that each of their soundscapes stretches in at least half a dozen minutes, the set was not big on quantity, but did not leave wanting on that other q. Their recent hit (in my small circles where Amazing Radio is the equivalent of the Top 40) A Kingdom was spellbinding but it was Not Going Back To The Harbour that left me with a tear in my eye, and allowed me to momentarily forget the hellish hangover. Epically beautiful and hauntingly intense, this is a song that quietens the voice and rouses the heart even on record, taken to its emotional peak in such a setting.
Other bands of note include Let’s Buy Happiness, whose were a shot of adrenalin to an until now sedately soundtracked day, and the husky vocals of Sarah Hall ensured that the boyfriend and I both left with a crush. In recent months Leicester based Silent Devices have muddied up their once slightly well trodden sound into a fast and frentic dense collection of melodies, intensely ambient atmosphere punctuated with driving rhythms. See them, and Alessi’s Ark, at a festival near you too. headlining the day were the consistently brilliant Mystery Jets, showcasing songs from latest EP Radlands as well as inducing whoops and wails for the hits.

Depending on your frame of reference, at £30 a ticket Bushstock is either expensive (the 3 day Great Escape festival in Brighton for £35) or stupidly cheap (£198 for a Reading Festival ticket anyone?), but for bringing 35 bands to a West London and carving out a space of its own in the musical landscape, and for curating a more compelling line up for the bank holiday weekend that the longstanding Field Day can’t be knocked. Chuck in the laidback feeling, impeccable timing and easy stumbling distance, and I’ll definitely be back next year.

Rachel Sermanni – Black Currents EP

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 20:10:40 +0000

Released on February 6^th 2012

Reviewed by Francesca Baker

Atmospheric wind and whooshes, punctuated by the dull thud of bass open Black Currents EP, with Breathe Easy the perfect introduction to Rachel Sermanni’s dextrous shuffles along the fretboard and earthy emotional songcraft. The momentum soars as Rachel sings ‘I hold my hands up, my bloody hands up’, and makes this track a perfect introduction to Miss Sermanni, combining Rachel’s wide eyed gentleness and fierce headstrong music. The round lulling of the words breathe easy and the crisp enunciation throughout make the vocals a delight to listen to. Title track Black Current is a folk ballad, its story telling evocative and execution rich, and Song To A Fox an ethereal journey, undulating between high sweet melodies and almost spoken affirmations, delicate plucking of strings and scuffy guitarwork . Standout is The Fog, the chopping slices of the strings evoke thrashing waves against the rocks of her native Scotland, as well as the relentless rounds of emotions that life throws up.
Rachel’s touring schedule is pretty hectic at the moment, and It’s All Happening! were invited along to see her at the beautiful Union Chapel. Having only ever seen Rachel perform solo with her guitar in smaller, more intimate venues (including our own private gig in the gardens of Brighton pavilion) we were unsure as to whether this sweet young girl would be lost amongst the nine members of her band. Fears were soon quelled, as Rachel vocals and guitar, powerful and raw led the music, absorbed in it but never swallowed by it.
There is a strength and variety in the songs not so evident on The Bothy Sessions EP, possibly influenced by her recent move from Carrbridge to Glasgow, where ‘Jazz, folk, indie – all the spheres seem to meld together and there are no boundaries, which creates an incredibly healthy scene.’ Continuing her friendship with all things Communion based the EP was produced by Ian Grimble, and a solid driven vitality envelopes the record. The only thing he has been unable to capture is Rachel’s off beat quirkyness and captivating balance of blushing shyness and confident mischievous minstrel. For which the only cure is to get to a live show again soon.