Gig Review - Country In The Afternoon November 2024 - Half Moon Putney

They say “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” but they never said that you can’t change it! 

Due to (In Gavin’s words) “The stars aligning” the latest instalment of this twice-yearly fixture in the country music calendar became a one day special – and how special it was! 

In addition, the format of the day also changed, instead of a build-up of artists which grow in experience and fan bases, we saw three of the best male artists on the scene each take to the stage following by a highly anticipated writer’s round,  combining  them for an afternoon of music and stories.

We even saw Gavin deviate from his normal strict timekeeping, this was cast aside in favour of an early set start to allow more time for a certain artist who we know likes to talk.

Kicking off the show was Matt Hodges, followed by Gary Quinn, who invited on stage, to sing a duet, his special guest Mikki Evans.  Jeremy McComb followed the trend and also invited guests to the stage, including Robyn Red (on her way to another show) for a solo performance as they can’t find a song they both know; followed by his touring guitarist Yannick Van Riet to rock out  together.  The afternoon was rounded off by that quite special writers round, and yes, it ran over time!

With Jeremy centre stage you know you were in for fits of laughter, even when the sentiment of the story is supposed to be a sad one. Matt warned we might end up in tears, based on an previous telling out in Nashville but the laughter had already taken hold. Often, we can’t believe some of these events actually happened, but we all knew where the story was going from the minute Jeremy mentioned the hot water pull cord in the Quinn’s bathroom – yes, he pulled the disability alarm cord during the show in South Wales the previous night. Whilst we are used to artists playing along during a round, these three bounced off each other adding the raucousness of the event – it certainly wasn’t PG! “Whoop whoop” could be Mr McComb’s and the event’s title – a warning of an afternoon of fantastic music and stories. Yet again CITA didn’t disappoint.

Despite the fun, throughout the day, there was a repeated sentiment of gratitude, to the hosts but also to the audience. An appreciative audience, that enables artists to deliver their craft.

We at Silverball Country echo the gratitude, as its you, the fans that enable Country Music in the UK to survive and grow. Keep buying the music, the tickets and the merchandise and we’ll see you at an event soon!

 Silverball Country attended Country In The Afternoon as guests of Cumbrae Promotions

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Gig Review - Country In The Afternoon May 2024 - Half Moon Putney

 

The Half Moon pub in Putney, South West London is no stranger to great line ups, over the years it has played host to some of the absolute greats, and twice a year for the past few years has been home to Country In The Afternoon, brought to us by those fine folks at Cumbrae Promotions – Gavin and Christine Chittick.  Even if you haven’t heard of Country In The Afternoon, if you’re a country music lover you may have attended on of their other events - notably Millport Country Festival, or perhaps you’ve caught one of their ad hoc intimate evenings both in London and in Scotland.  If you’re a Buckle and Boots attendee, you’ll have seen Gavin running the Paddock Stage along with Silverball Country and Christine looking after the all-important beer tokens!

You have to wonder if these two ever stop.  We think the answer is no.  There's two more new events in the calendar this year alone, plus the next Country In The Afternoon.  They do take time for holidays – but those are as much for talent spotting as for relaxing!

Country In The Afternoon is two days of music in an iconic venue running from 12:30 until 5 – which gives time for drinks between the 4 acts (as they turnaround the stage) on each day plus a chance for a meal in the pub garden afterwards, especially when the weather is as good as it was this past weekend.

We joined the Chitticks on Sunday, which had an international line up – two American acts, two British acts – and an Austrian!

 

First up, from Nashville was John Wesley Satterfield.  John has a very traditional country sound to his voice, and a traditional style to his songwriting, with songs about his guitar, whiskey – great subjects!  Whilst he would never sell his battered old guitar, he did offer his beagle dog for sale!  Accompanied on stage for a couple of songs by Jon Stone (American Young) the storytelling was as good as the songwriting, with some numbers inappropriately dedicated to Grandma!  John didn’t use a set list preferring to go with the flow – and the same was true for the second act – Georgia born Ian Flanigan. Having appeared on The Voice - USA as part of Blake’s team, Ian is now known simply as “The Voice” and what a voice he has!  Despite being from the US, his stories resonated and were easy to follow.  We were treated to another guest appearance from Jon Stone who has written and produced the new material that Ian treated us to.  Notable was “The song with the longest title” – the very relatable Words I Never Heard An Old Man Say.

 

Both John and Ian were visiting the UK for the first time, whereas the next band to take to the stage were far more familiar having played the event before and also just finished a UK Tour.  Lewis and Izzy (from Austria!) better known as Two Ways Home.  As well as their trademark light teasing of each, other Two Ways Home delivered a loud and rocking set backed by Michael Clancy on guitar and Jake Stanton on drums.  Even Gavin Chittick was moved to declare that it was possibly the best they have ever sounded – and we have to agree!  The band are very hardworking and seem to constantly look at ways of improving their show – this time including some more intimate songs around their bespoke, old style microphone – in fact there are only three of these microphones around, and notably, Bob Harris has one of the only other two!

 

The afternoon was rounded off with a storming set from First Time Flyers, who are making waves across a number of stages and festivals.  First Time Flyers gave us our second full band set of the day, and brought with them an enthusiastic and dedicated following showing that whatever the size of the event, independent gigs can build and hold an audience!

 

Time to rest?  Nope.  Next up from Cumbrae Promotions is the Signature Brew Americana Showcase, London E17 on 22 June and Milltown Music Festival in Paisley nr Glasgow on 31 August

Silverball Country attended Country In The Afternoon as guests of Cumbrae Promotions

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Gig Review - Country In The Afternoon Nov 2023 - Half Moon Putney

 

This weekend saw the 9^th Country In The Afternoon at the Half Moon Pub in Putney, South West London, and on each occasion Gavin and Christine Chittick put together a lineup of 4 great acts each day from both the UK and overseas, it’s never the same but generally it sees the atmosphere build - so much so that you forget it is the afternoon and often are reluctant to leave! 

Saturday was opened by Terri Leavey, whose career seems to have started, or been accelerated by a karaoke night at Dixie fields where people discovered her voice, leading to an appearance on stage at Buckle and Boots.  Since her discovery at Dixie Fields, she has been building her brand and recording her own music. But, undoubtedly she has stage presence and anyone who watches her will not be disappointed but in for a good time - we can forgive the covers. There was nothing but positive reviews from her, and the support that she brought with her helped to form the biggest audience for any opening act at Country In The Afternoon so far

 

When we see Christine and Gavin at festivals, they always have their list of artists to check out, and they are always on the hunt…  At Black Deer festival last year they came across Liam Cromby in a songwriters round.  Black deer was Liam’s introduction to the UK Americana scene, and that’s quite a debut!  Liam told us that his songs can take 20 minutes to write – or seven years!  On a visit to Nashville (courtesy of his uncle’s business!) he had a writing session with Kenny Foster – another Country In The Afternoon favourite.  Accompanied on stage by guitarist Alfie and backing singer Shawn, Liam gave us a preview of his forthcoming album.  Liam has a superb voice which had the very full room listening to every word.

It was Raintown who gave us the fact about this being the 9^th CITA, but Gavin who gave us the fact that it was their first London appearance since before Covid.  Lockdown and “life” (a second child) have had an impact on Raintown’s touring, but the enforced break means that they too have an album coming up, and they used the time to continually polish it! Clair and Paul, with Stevie on guitar and Fiona on violin gave us a few of the new songs plus some absolutely foot stomping songs.  Raintown add a Scottish folk edge to country – and they also added that edge to a quite unusual cover.  As they started singing “One Love” you could see the crowd realise they knew it and they joined in, line by line. Originally a hit for Blue in 2002 it was a great version – and a bit of nostalgia!  With that album due out in March next year, it gives us something to look forward to after Christmas – and pre-save/save up for!

In between acts there is a chance to get a drink from the bar while the next band sets up – but also to meet the artists as they all hang around supporting each other, which is a great chance to grab a selfie, a chat, and catch up on the latest gossip!

Headliner Cody Pennington mixes covers with his original music for his touring show, and he obviously had brought quite a crowd to his only London show of this tour.  Opening with his recent singles Cowboy Sitting At The Bar and How About Kentucky the room weas once again singing along.  Cody’s belief is that you need to give the crowd what they want and good time so that they come back – throw in your own songs and they learn those too – its like a cycle.  He certainly gives a good time – and in return the venue gave him an unexpected extra ten minutes on his set!  Along with stand in Christiano Pochesci on pedal steel and his regular bandmates Niran Mistry on bass and Lee Brooks on drums Cody took the opportunity to drop in a medley of Country favourites including  9 to 5, Ring Of Fire, Folsom and the Gambler before a massive singalong to Country Roads.

What an end to day 1 of the 9^th Country In The Afternoon!  The Sunday promised to be a great day too, featuring The Blue Highways , The Handlers Band , Tim Gerard and Emily Faye 

 

What will the tenth show bring? We know it will be on 18-19 May 2024, and we can’t wait to see the line ups!

Silverball Country attended Country In The Afternoon as guests of Cumbrae Promotions

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Album Review - The Carnival - Eleri

 

Ok, first things first.  It rhymes with Fairy.  Hailing from Wales, Eleri will no doubt have had to explain that a few times, and she includes it in press releases – which was incredibly helpful when we introduced her on stage at Buckle and Boots this year – just one of many festival appearances she has made recently.  We got the chance to simply sit and listen (and share a drink) when she appeared on the line up of the super “festival in a day” Country In The Afternoon in Putney’s Half Moon.  It was at that meeting that Eleri told us she had an album coming out, and we have been excited to hear it, so we were thrilled when it arrived in our inbox.

To be honest, we are always excited by an album release, as we don’t seem to see so many of them now.  An album allows an artist to really explore their own part of the genre, and tell a few stories, set a theme and let us properly appreciate their talents.

Of her new album The Carnival, Eleri says

I always want to push myself to be better and on this album I’ve amped up the energy on my country sound infused with rock and pop and made a few fun country party tunes that wouldn’t be out of place at a Rodeo

 

So, lets go to The Carnival…

The album opens with Magic – but it’s a live version! Hearing Eleri address the crowd and announce the song almost had me cheering the stage! Bouncy, uptempo – and excellent percussion keeps the track moving and the listener clapping along.  This is very much our welcome to The Carnival, an invitation to enter the tent and behold the wonders within!  Heels to Hell keeps the up tempo feel, with a great rhythm and Eleri’s vocal being slightly darker than in the rest of her songs.  The whole album is a wonderful mix of stories and styles, with almost every track introduced with its own instrumental style, the link in every case being Eleri’s vocal.  Heads I’m Yours (Tails Your Mine) slows the mood, while Good For A Girl has an almost ethereal opening and uses background effects that show Eleri is willing to experiment and push boundaries with her sound.  Blue Skies a Comin’ is a very slow track, allowing us to really hear the purity of Eleri’s voice, as a song it tells us of looking to a better future.

Live Wire lifts the tempo again, and incorporates an interesting blend of voice/acoustic guitar and electric guitar/beat.  Theres a great guitar line to Karaoke which summons the memories of having fun in bars on a summers night. Snake Like You is a darker, Americana infused story, and as with When We Collide covers the almost obligatory relationship stories!

Burn the Candle Down is a softer, more gentle track – a couple trying to recover from a fight at night, with the vocals, instrumental and pacing all creating the feel of a late night chat.  It’s a duet and it is actually quite beautiful!  Leon Stanford’s voice blends so well with Eleri’s giving the song a slightly folk feel.

Calling It certainly picks up again after the previous track, its rocky and pacy, it’s very much a statement - I’m done, its over Bang Bang opens with drums rather than guitar, and is probably the most “country” part of the album, but firmly modern country.

The final track is Every Road.  It’s a reflective song, the tempo moving from the slow opening moving up to a guitar driven chorus.  The mix of tempos throughout make for a great final track on an album that is a variety show from start to finish that will keep you in your seat to see what happens next.

Most albums are named after one of the tracks but titling this album “The Carnival” is spot on. A blend of new songs and some favourites, Eleri has been on a physical and metaphorical journey, now she gets to set up her tent and present her show.

The Carnival, the new album from Eleri is available to download and stream from Friday 13 October with an album launch on Saturday 14 October 

You can find Eleri on Facebook and Instagram and follow her on Spotify

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Gig Review - Country In The Afternoon - Half Moon Putney

 

Take an iconic venue, add in some touring artists, mix with the Chittick’s unerring ability to curate a line up and the result is another stunning Country In The Afternoon.

 

If you haven’t yet sampled a CITA, its basically a mini festival over two days.  Taking place at the Half Moon Pub in Putney, which has played host to a long list of legends over the years, you get to see four acts per day, starting at 1 and finishing at 5, in time to sample the fabulous food that the pub has to offer.  Each day has a great line up, so you can do either day or both and still have a great time.  Although the weekend attracts in excess of 300 people over the two days in comfort, it still feels like an intimate gig, with many of the artists opting to play an acoustic or stripped-down set.

Following on so closely after Buckle and Boots Festival, there was a chance to see some of the touring artists who played in Manchester, and this weekend saw a Saturday line up of Matt Wynn, Jessie G, and Australia’s Josh Setterfield (who all played the main stage), headlined by Alyssa Bonagura while on Sunday headliner Aaron Goodvin from Canada was joined by Eleri Angharad (who played the Paddock stage) plus Simon James and James Riley.  We attended on Sunday, fighting our way through tube closures to make it to a sunny corner of South West London.

 

The theme of Sunday was very much about telling stories – it was as much about the stories as the music.  Eleri Angharad was up first and set the tone.  Her style of gently strumming her guitar while she talks is very soothing and keeps a link between words and songs.  She played her fabulous new single Good For A Girl, and ended with a great rendition of These Boots Were Made For Walking which really got the crowd singing along and pumped for the rest of the day.  She was also wearing good boots!

Simon James hasn’t been around much recently, but he’s back and with the promise of a new album.  If anything, his voice has matured, and it’s a voice that we have really missed.  When Simon sings he transports the audience and himself to a different place.  You can see this in Simon because either his eyes are closed or he’s staring out into the distance.  Speaking to Simon after the show he confirmed he is often not on that stage.  Simon loves to talk between songs and even shifted his set list around to accommodate the time he had taken!

James Riley was not familiar to us but is an artist that as soon as Gavin and Christine heard him play at a showcase event, they knew they wanted to bring him to Country In The Afternoon.  Playing acoustic guitar and accompanied by a stand-up bass and a fiddle player, James is on the folk side of country but very much in the story telling tradition.  He spent lockdown playing roof top concerts in his own neighbourhood earning him a slot on local tv news, and took himself off to a remote part of the Kent coast to write his newest songs, all influenced by his view out across the sea.  The attention he received for his rooftop series means that James will be spending part of his summer playing at Glastonbury.

Sunday’s headliner Aaron Goodvin has been on a mini tour of the UK having flown over for Buckle and Boots.  As he demonstrated in a songwriters round on the Paddock Stage, Aaron is a natural storyteller, even stopping mid song to tell a story.  It’s a clever technique that grabs your attention and keeps you laughing!  His start in the music industry came when his mother bought a Karaoke machine for the family and then entered Aaron in a contest at the local mall where he came second, winning $200 dollars which he instantly spent on golf clubs.  This was clearly the dream life for him – singing and earning – and the rest is history!  Supported and heckled in equal parts by Matt Wynn and Jessie G, the pair then joined Aaron on stage for an impromptu rendition of Tennessee Whisky which they had previously performed to support Electric Umbrella – a children’s charity in Hertfordshire.  

This collab was completely unexpected and one of the best we have ever seen. Already a big star in Canada, Aaron would like to cultivate a “sexy image” in the UK, rather than the Kermit comparisons from a comment on the tour.  There followed a few passable Kermit impressions which added to the general light-hearted approach Aaron took to his set, delivering a personal, intimate, powerful and hugely entertaining show before joining us all outside in the sunshine.

 

We have worked with Gavin and Christine Chittick at a number of festivals, so we know how hard working they are and how very welcoming too.  They have a real talent for finding artists who will work well in the Country In The Afternoon format as well as the Millport Festivals that they put on, and while Millport is taking a break we know that they will continue to promote great music and introduce us to new artists.  Country In The Afternoon allows for music, meeting up with friends and the chance for us to really appreciate the artists we may have missed while working at festivals, all in relaxed surroundings.

 

See you in November!

Silverball Country attended Country In The Afternoon as guests of Cumbrae Promotions

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Gig Review - Country In The Afternoon November 2022 - Half Moon Putney

 

We all saw the recent announcement about the future of Millport Country Music festival – but whilst that won’t be going ahead (at least for now) we knew that you can’t stop Gavin and Christine Chittick from putting on amazing country music events!

 

In addition to Millport and a fabulous intimate concert in a private club in Barnes they have been giving us a two-day mini festival in South West London over the past few years.

 

If you haven’t experienced Country In The Afternoon, how can we describe it to you?  Take an iconic music venue (Half Moon Putney), open the doors just after lunch and put on four incredible – and often diverse – Country and Americana acts, finishing in time for a meal in the main pub.

 

The Chitticks have an incredible track record for selecting line ups, to the extent that each individual day rivals many full-scale festivals, and if you can only spare one day of the weekend, you will be hard pressed to choose!  The latest instalment saw a Saturday line up of Chloe Chadwick, Kenny Foster, Lorna Reid and TheOutlaw Orchestra, while Sunday saw a stripped back stage featuring Robyn Red, Dan Olsen, Poppy Fardell and Jeremy McComb.  Sadly, life got in the way of being able to spend both days at the show, but we did manage to get down for Sunday!

 

Robyn Red opened the show on day 2 – a talented youngster from Scotland, Robyn has already appeared at Millport CMF on the Maverick Acoustic stage and made an appearance at the recent BCMA showcase.  A real talent to watch for the future Robyn has a beautiful voice and a very passionate support team!  After travelling so far, Robyn and her family spent both days listening to all the other artists and making new friends!

Dan Olsen is usually seen in the company of Jeremy McComb, and has been accompanying him on his UK tour as well as performing with him at Buckle and Boots earlier this year, but seeing him take to the stage alone with just his guitar shows what a talent he is of his own.  As with so many US performers, Dan is a great storyteller between his songs and bring a real warmth to his show.

 

Poppy Fardell has had quite a year – from major surgery to a storming set on the paddock stage at Buckle and Boots and a slew of recent single releases.  Poppy was accompanied by Michael Clancy on guitar and vocals and Jason Boyd on bass.  Poppy opened her set with her single “Beer Budget” which Jeremy McComb later declared to be “a definite hit” which he can’t wait to play to his own management team in the states.  It is fair to say that UK country has a slightly different sound to US country, but Poppy, with her songwriting and singing neatly bridges the gap, with one foot on each side!  While performing Poppy brings joy to the stage and shows her true self to the appreciative audience who were treated to the first live performance of her new single which drops on Friday.

 

Sunday’s headliner was Jeremy McComb.  It is not easy to sum up a Jeremy show.  He introduced his set by asking if we were all “ready for some Hill Billy Bulls**t”.  To call Jeremy “a storyteller” is an understatement, and with 45 minutes he was worried that he’d only manage 3 songs between talking.  There is no filter in the stories, but every one of them is hilarious and had the whole room fits of laughter.  From tales of his wife to a guided tour of Folsom Prison (“I’m a prison 10” needs to be a single title) with truly fabulous country songs in between (yes, it did feel like it was that way round!) Jeremy really puts on a unique show that really has to be experienced!  His songs though vary between heart-warming and really quite dark.  13 Steps, a song about death row and the story of a murder is in the greatest traditions of Country songwriting and even without the video (banned on most platforms) it is incredible evocative.  By the end of the set you feel like you know Jeremy’s life, hometown and even some of the characters who live there.

 

Gavin and Christine Chittick – Cumbrae Promotions – will undoubtedly carry on bringing us unique events and amazing line ups, promoting, supporting and nurturing UK Country artists and Country Music in the UK.  We can’t wait to see what will be next, and we are eagerly awaiting the dates for the next Country In The Afternoon - which you will of course find on Silverball Country!

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