rachel sermanni – and so she thinks

Rachel Sermanni – The Boatshed Sessions

admin — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 08:32:31 +0000

The lovely Rachel Sermanni has played events for me, slept at my house, made me porridge, and even discovered a mouse in my house, or moose in my hoose. But over the last two years, 21 year old folk-noir balladeer Rachel Sermanni has played over 400 shows across Asia and North America, as well as numerous headline tours of the UK and Europe; had a No 1 single in the Independent Charts; iTunes Single of the Week with Waltz resulting in 60,000+ downloads and saw the release of her debut album, Under Mountains meet with huge critical acclaim. We all know the real achievements.

Having spent a large part of 2013 touring North America she returned home to the Highlands this summer to record the Boatshed Sessions, out now on Middle of Nowhere recordings. Deep and rousing, it’s an album dripping with reflections on life, its varities and vagaries. Full of calm sounds that are disrupted by striking strums, like a thunderstorm in flux, it is an album that engages your imagination and enlarges your vista, and the influence of nature and the pastoral is not twinkling flowers and light leaves but vast mountains, bright heather, rough ground and textured forests.

Classically trained and accomplished, Rachel’s reflective and vulnerable lyrics are framed by captivatingly haunting melodies, and the magical music that has lured so many to her charms continues. Astute, urban folk songs, their disposition finding their roots in the personality of its creator, she is refreshingly direct and invigorating. As with any 21 year old, there is sometimes a feeling of an escape to urge, balanced to the lush cinematic description of coming home to her Highlands and the intimacy this generates. Full of beautiful strength and emotional fragility, Rachel Sermanni is one of the best songwriters of her generation, and still has so much to give.

A Sunday afternoon in Reading – Festival 2012!

admin — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 17:50:38 +0000

A little bit corporate, somewhat dirty, with its big wire fencing, dusty paths, and discarded chip trays, Reading Festival isn’t one I usually cite as one of my favourites, sometimes lacking the spirit and joie de vivre that percolates smaller festivals. However, with a big reputation, big bucks, and a big profile, it does attract some of the world’s biggest names and often has a line up glittering with long time stars and those rising up. This year was no exception, and with a Sunday day ticket and one heck of a hangover, we set out to Berkshire.

Django Django inspired some of the best dance moves of the day, with the jerking chicken dance coming out for Default, and some brilliantly synchronised Egyptian style moves for Cairo. At 2pm on a lazy Sunday afternoon, their slot probably wasn’t the best one for such infectious party music, but the NME tent still want off with a bang. In what can only be described as a Bolanesque sequined ensemble Johnny Lloyd, lead singer of Tribes, led the band in a vital and intense performance showcasing their new album Baby. Their rougueish spirit was evident, and Sappho and We Were Children in particular wrapped the crowd into their tearaway fold.
Next it was a dash to the BBC Introducing session, to watch the lovely Rachel Sermanni entrance the crowd. Rich and warm vocals, tantalising strumming, all enhanced by the ‘girls’ and their supporting strings, Miss Sermanni managed to captivate even the most unassuming members of the crowd just looking for a place to sleep off the night before, with one member of the audience articulating what everyone was thinking when he shouted out ‘I want to give you a cuddle!’ Selected by the BBC’s Ally McCrae, and about to embark on a European tour, Rachel’s debut album Under The Mountains is out on September 17th, and this performance will have driven a fair few new fans to purchase.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0AWv7ATa34]
Those familiar with It’s All Happening will know that wherever The Joy Formidable are, we’re not far behind, and today was no exception. The fandom of a certain Mr Grohl has certainly done them no harm, and it was great to see thousands of people singing out long time live favourites such as Austere and The Greatest Light… From the first quivering notes of Whirring, to the final elongated feedback drenched chords of the set, Ritzy, Matt and Rhydian did what they always did – made one heck of noise, but also experimented more with volumes and tempos than previously, soothing and softening before another fuck off massive crescendo, creating glacial soundscapes that explode on a moment, perhaps a sign of what is to come from the forthcoming second album.

2:54 are dark, brooding and visceral to listen to and to see live, and Collette Thurlow’s warm and charming pleasure at seeing the crowd moved by her music made the Thurlow sisters performance all the more disarming. Kicking off with new single Sugar, they slinked and stomped through the set, all thundery skies and gritty basslines, their sweet and sinister songs proving a highlight of the afternoon.
‘Guess who’s next’ Dan asked, ‘I’ll give you a clue. It’s coming up in several months. ‘
Christmas?
My birthday?
Er, a holiday?
It was ‘winter’ and the band Zulu Winter. Dreadful game to play, brilliant band to watch. Swimming has been one of It’s All Happening’s tracks of the summer, introduced to us by the lovely Amazing radio, and its hypnotic halcyonic vibe is not alone in Zulu Winter’s live set. Bolshy and defiant drums underpinned smooth electronic feeling melodies, in what was something of a surprise stand out, full of refulgent splendour.
The respective members of Deaf Club don’t look like they should be a band, nor capable of emitting such menacing and mesmerising indie noir, but their lack of contrived image only serves to highlight the truth – that Jen Long has definitely picked up on of the UKs most talented new bands. Also on the BBC Introducing stage we caught the end of Dinghus Khan, an 8 piece band whose stage set up is almost confrontational, lining up in a row to face the crowd and deliver their raucous and rambunctious pop.
Ricky Wilson is always an entertainer, and The Kaiser Chiefs performance got any of the festival site who weren’t yet in the party spirit ready for a riot. A scratchy throat meant that some of the vocal delivery wasn’t as strong as it could be, but since the slight musical decline post their debut album, The Kaiser Chiefs are all about having fun and putting on a performance, and thus didn’t disappoint. Another band who whack up the fun factor are King Charles (and not just due to the questionable hair styles inspired by the band’s namesake) but a result of their shambolic sea shanty style tunes that had the whole of the Festival Republic stage tent bouncing and bounding.

Having gone through an image change with the release of last year’s album Skying, The Horrors played an epic charge of songs that brutally assaulted the senses whilst fully immersing and swooping you up within them. Somewhat alone in the current climate, they make intelligent and intense rock that absorbs layers from the musical canon, fused together to make their own original output. Watching The Horrors live feels like a natural negotiation, tugging and pulling at the gut and the heart, a tangle of bittersweet vocals, driving bass lines and bristling energy.

The Great Escape 2012 – Festival Special!

admin — Mon, 07 May 2012 19:40:40 +0000

It’s that time of year again, when It’s All Happening, along with thousands of music fans, hundreds of bands and a good percentage of the music industry head down to sunny Brighton, for The Great Escape. I could wax lyrical about it, but I will just let our special edition zine do the talking…
In it you’ll find our opinion on the following 57 bands, as well as where and when they are playing, to help you plan your weekend around maximum musical pleasure …Cut Ribbons, Deaf Club, Among Brothers, Alabama Shakes, Dry The River, Common Tongues, Mujeres, Me And The Bees, Ninette & The Goldfish, Seward, Amics del Bos, Oso Leone, The Suicide of Western C ulture, Furguson, The Robbie Boyd Band, Wet Nuns, Sonic Boom Six, Swim Deep, Yukon Blonde, Bos Angeles, Toy, Alt J, Maximo Park, Mystery Jets, Chew Lips, Dakota Beats, The Front Bottoms, Shabazz Palaces, Pikachunes, Tripple Nipples, BOY, Emily & The Woods, Rae Morris, Slow Down Molasses, Tall Ships, Fanzine, The Switch, Worship, Concrete Knives, Mammal Club, Saint Saviour, Spring Offensive, Gunning For Tamar, Clock Opera, Hymns, Dems, Munich, Escaoists, Team Me, The Joy Formidable, Warpaint, Katzenjammer, Rachel Sermanni, The Manic Shine, Hatcham Social, The Temper Trap & Jack Savoretti.
As well as the IAH team (Dan, John, Greta, Caroline, Michael, Katie and Francesca) the lovely Jen Long (BBC Radio 1), Chris Foster (Pop Noodle), Jordan Thomas (Recharged Radio), Ellie Coden – (Fierce Panda), and Steven Boniface (Labelled Independent) have all written guest articles – thanks guys!

Open publication – Free publishing – More bands

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.

The next twelve months

admin — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 22:12:51 +0000

So now we know that it’s not the end of the world, what’s coming up in 2012? This is the stuff we’re already getting excited about.

Daughter – We were lucky enough to see Elena Tonra (aka Daughter) play at the beautiful St Giles in the Fields church in London just before Christmas and she absolutely blew us away. We’d been meaning to catch her for months, but events always conspired, but nothing could have prepared us for one of our gig highlights of the year. On some levels she will be pigeonholed as another ‘girl with a guitar’, but there is much more to her music. We’ve seen it described as ‘dream-folk’ and ‘ghostly’, which isn’t too far wide of the mark, with the kind of subtle soundscapes that the XX do so well adding depth to her music. If we’re honest she had us hooked after one listen of Landfill, but live she really is something special. With a date at Islington Assembly Hall already in the diary for April and many more around the country, we really hope 2012 is her year.
Listen to and buy both her EPs here.
Lucy Rose – Really excited to hear the full album from Lucy Rose. Having done the backing vocal rounds with Bombay Bicycle Club, this year is definitely her time to shine as an artist in her own right. With a voice to melt the heart and some beautifully crafted songs she’s sure to do well this year. Expect a BBC member or 2 on backing as well.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adBPg8Zdp2g]
Alt J – We wrote this on seeing them live a couple of months back… ‘The last couple of years haven’t been short on intelligent, earnest ‘indie’ music, but where say Wild Beasts skirt the fine line of irritating pretentiousness, Alt – J seem more accessible in their own abstractness and imagery, but no less intelligent or intriguing in their performance and sound. On this showing, they’ll certainly be heading for the upper ends of the ‘ones to watch’ lists for 2012.’ – we’ll stand by that…
Social Network here–
Breezeblocks (demo) by alt-J
The Maccabees
Ascending and descending through the depths of all emotions, the title track from latest album Given To The Wild is a departure, brimming with wavering soft ambience, but the gritty guazey guitars, stop start rhythms and dashing assault of psychological similes that made The Maccabees one of our favourite bands remains. ‘We’ve grown up as people and changed as a band,’ guitarist Felix White said recently. ‘We’ve learned for the first time what we really wanted The Maccabees to sound like on record. It’s taken us three albums but we finally achieved that. We’ve discovered what we’re truly capable of and that feels really exciting.’ Sounds it.
Blood Red Shoes

Their Facebook bio may describe them as just ‘another fucking roll’n’roll band’ but we know different. Scuzzy riffs, rip em up guitar work and a blistering pace, Blood Red Shoes consistently deliver behemoths of tunes, and the follow up to Fire Like This and Box Of Secrets won’t be any different. Besides, since when has being a rock’n’roll band been bad? Some narrow minded twit called David A Noebel stated on his spoken word album The Marxist Minstrels back in 1974 that rock’n’roll ‘music is loud, primitive, insistent, strongly rhythmic and releases in an undisguised way the all-too tenuously controlled, newly acquired physical impulses of the teenager. Mix this up with the phenomenon of mass hypnosis, contagious hysteria and the blissful feeling of being mixed-up in an all-embracing, orgiastic experience, and every kid can become ‘Lord of the Flies’ or the Beatles.’ Sounds bloody brilliant doesn’t it?

Ten bands you must hear this year (with handy links so you can start right now)

Fanzine
Low by Fanzine
Lanterns On The Lake
Lanterns on the Lake ‘Lungs Quicken’
Grimes
Grimes – Skin
Soldiers Can’t Dance
Soldiers Can’t Dance – Lego by soldierscantdance
Spring Offensive
A Stutter and A Start by springoffensive
Rachel Sermanni
The Fog by Rachel Sermanni
Young British Artists
Young British Artists – Everything In Front Of You
Ideals
Significant Other by Ideals
The Wave Pictures
The Wave Pictures – Sweetheart
Gross Magic
Gross Magic – Yesterdays

It's All Happening: The Christmas Collection

admin — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 22:27:29 +0000

Oslo’s given London a Christmas tree every year since 1947. Balthazar brought the little baby Jesus some gold. 27% of of men are hoping they’ll receive socks (according to TK Maxx). It’s All Happening want to go one better and bring you the ultimate festive gift – It’s All Happening: The Christmas Collection. Some of the best bands we’ve worked with this year, who have played the gig nights and generally delighted us all, have been lovely enough to donate tracks to our mixtape. Take a listen: it’s an absolute stonker, and like a puppy, not just for Christmas. Bet you wish you’d come to the gigs now hey?
Enjoy.
It’s All Happening: The Christmas Collection by It’s All Happening

Summersun – Ross & The Wrongens
Age Anti Age – The ID
Annika’s Song – Fievelwill
Tired of Being a Man – Killing Fields Of Ontario
Rocket Science – Cinemawave
Steal His Heart – Emily & The Woods
Aphrodite – Edit/Select
Plastic – Alphabet Backwards
Apes With Rollerskates – All Too Animal
Lion’s Throat – Barely Modern
Postcards To Strangers – Moustache Of Insanity
Soul and Substance – Peter Darling
In The Quiet – The Rifle Volunteer
Modern Hipster – Tracey’s Love
Truth Or Dare – ABI
Wired – Freak Static
Bonfires – Gunning For Tamar
Panic Don’t Panic – Secret Rivals
Joy – The Volitains
Heard It All Before – The Switch
She’s A Queen – Deadwax
Inuitses – Quadrilles
Rich and Famous – Lawrence Bray
Dancers In A Painting – Sugardrum
Burger Van Song – Rachel Sermanni
Taxi For Mr. Griffin – End Of Level Baddie

Rachel Sermanni, Robbie Boyd & Sugardrum

admin — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 20:51:06 +0000

So, how did it go? We could rave about how wonderful it was, boast that we sold out, be pleased that people were piling in on the steps outside, impress you with the that fact all the profits raised by the cafe went to St Margaret’s House, or we could just let you see some of the comments we got back. Keep an eye out for videos and photos from the night!
‘You guys are absolute legends’ Robbie Boyd
‘It’s boiling in here but she’s just given me goosebumps’ Amy Yates
‘Brilliant, thank you so much for having us’ Sugardrum
‘Amazing quality and awesome organisation’ The London Folk Meetup Group
‘Just spellbinding at the Gallery Cafe, looking forward to the next date in London’ Ross Wilson
‘Such a fun gig at The Gallery Cafe. Thanks to It’s all Happening, Dan and Cesca; you are wonderful.’ Rachel Sermanni
‘You were, as always, sublime :)’ James Houghton
‘Such an amazing night. Total triumph’ Becky Glass
‘Looking forward to next It’s All Happening gig’ Antonia Baker
‘Such a good night. Again I go home with an armful of CDs.’ Katie Mortley
‘Amazing night.’ Emily Evans

Rachel Sermanni – The Bothy Sessions

admin — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 21:53:09 +0000

The Bothy Session Artwork

Byron Huggins lets us know what he thinks of Rachel Sermanni’s recently released The Bothy Sessions…

Don’t just take my word for it – make sure you listen to The Bothy Sessions to fully understand the justice this album deserves. The press release details how this EP came about whilst experiencing nature and this is evident in the sound of the music and the feeling it leaves you with at the end of a song. Deep music with a relaxing and upbeat attitude, the influence of nature and the pastoral is clear.

The calm melodies which can suddenly become more striking hits when the drums clinically enter, like a thunderstorm disrupting a calm summer evening. When on your first listen to this artist you are shocked maybe as much as us Brits were when Susan Boyle belted out her opera. It touches my soul and I just could sit there listening to the beauty of the music on its own and the beautiful voice. Rachel’s voice is like a bow on a Christmas present; it just finishes off something already glorious. This is a must see and must hear artist. Close your eyes and just listen as the beauty engages your imagination, right up to the crescendo that finishes the album perfectly.

Rachel Sermanni performs for IAH at The Great Escape!

admin — Sat, 21 May 2011 19:13:41 +0000

At Great Escape Festival 2011 It’s All Happening were lucky enough to spend a sunny evening in Brighton with Rachel Sermanni.
This page features a series of videos that were taken during our chat, including Rachel performing three songs with her outstanding voice.
First up Rachel discusses the names of her guitars, how she got started in music and the story behind her writing..

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

The following video is a stunning performance by Rachel. Please excuse the sirens at the start of the video, despite being sat in a tranquil park next to The Royal Pavilion it turns out the road was the other side of the hedge..!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNpG6C9VQSo]

It’s All Happening then chatted to Rachel about her Scottish roots and her love of home, followed by a song..

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn9vUjUeVNY]
Last, but by no means least, Rachel performs The Fog as the IAH team watch in awe..

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