Single Review - Til Last Call - Alan Finlan

 

Alan Finlan can always be seen at a festival playing his guitar and singing – even if he’s not on stage! In fact someone has said to him

you bring a party everywhere you guys go!

With this in mind, it is no surprise that his new single – Til Last Call – is about, well, partying!

Opening with electric guitar, the instrumentation is quite heavy on guitar and drums, bringing the feel of a noisy bar on a Friday night.  Alan has always had a powerful vocal, and coupled with the sound of this track you can imagine him in the bar, getting the drinks in, calling to his mates and just generally having a great time to end the working week!  If you’ve seen Alan performing live, you’ll know that “having a great time” is pretty much his on stage style!

Til Last Call is released on Saturday 24 February to coincide with his first headline gig, in a familiar venue to him, close to his home town.  As well as featuring his new single (and Gasoline and Matches as support) it will also feature a new beer which Alan has helped to brew

Clearly Alan doesn’t believe in doing things by halves (there’s probably a joke there about doing things in pints, but we’ll pass on that!) – a headline show, a new single, a new beer, all by last call.

If you have a ticket to Saturday’s sold out show, then you are absolutely in for a treat, if you aren’t able to make the show then you can stream or download the single, turn it up loud and pretend that you are there!

 

Til Last Call, the new single from Alan Finlan is available on all major platforms from Saturday 24 February.

 

Find Alan on Facebook and Instagram and follow him on Spotify

If you've enjoyed this review, please give us a follow on our Facebook page and on our Insta 

 

 

Gig Review - Girls Night In The Round - Birmingham Symphony Hall

I’m not sure that I’ve ever been to a show that opens with all four performers strutting/dancing on to the stage to the sound of Shania Twain singing “Lets Go Girls”, opening and pouring  the wine and then taking their seats – but then again, I’ve never been to Girls Night In…The Round before!

If you are yet to see this show, let me set the scene a little.  Its four of the very best female singers from the UK Country Music scene in a songwriters round…but fuelled by Jamshed wine (legitimately - they are sponsors!).  Once in their seats the four introduce the show by singing their own theme song, taking a line each and ending with a beautiful harmony.

The four are (in the order they were sitting) Kezia Gill, Jess Thristan, Demi Marriner and Jade Helliwell who are all friends away from the stage – in fact the tour was apparently conceived in a hot tub session.

As is fitting for such a night, there was a lot of sparkles on stage, with a special mention made for Jess Thristan’s jacket, although the comments were also slightly envious from the others!

 

In many ways, this show is not about music.  Well, it is, but it’s not just about the music!  The interactions, the jokes, the stories (a fight at the Glasgow date last tour) and the very obvious closenesss of the friendship all make this quite a unique tour.  It also adds to the flow of the performances – when Jess started a song and was advised politely, and then lovingly but less politely, by the others that she need to tune her guitar, there was no awkward silence as often happens.

The rounds are grouped by themes/titles (which is a great idea!) – including introductions, co-writes (Jade has co-written with all three!), Cry in your Wine and notably the Unreleased Round where each artist sings a song that is so far unheard, and these songs will change from venue to venue – accompanied by a plea to not put any videos on social media, making it an intimate treat for each audience.

In all there were 6 rounds with a short interval with the first half rounded off by an absolute showstopper How Long Have You Known and the recent single Jolene which we reviewed here.

It would be almost impossible to properly describe all the humour, situational jokes (Jade and her eyelashes), music choices and stories – and I wouldn’t want to spoil the fun if you are seeing the tour this week.

Suffice to say the show gives an insight into what it might be like to be on a night out – or a night in – with Kezia, Jess, Demi and Jade, and you can make your own mind up about who might be the ringleader of any shenanigans.  It also showcases the writing and performance skills of all four.

 

Girls Night In The Round is on tour all this week until Saturday 17 February taking in Liverpool, Glasgow, Gateshead and Leeds.

Tickets are available via Ticketmaster or direct from the venues

 

Although it was a girls night, we can’t forget to mention the input from Lloyd and Luke, husband and husband to be respectively of Kezia and Jade.

 

Silverball Country attended Girls Night In The Round in Birmingham’s Symphony Hall as guests of Zimagined Artist Management and UK Country Live

If you've enjoyed this review, please give us a follow on our Facebook page and on our Insta 

Single Review - Jolene - Jess Thristan

 

We all know her. Flaming locks of auburn hair with ivory skin and eyes of emerald green – that  man stealing hussy.

We all know the song, we can all sing it word for word. 

It's a well-known song about a well-known story. The man has his head turned, his wife doesn't want to lose him. She's not afraid to admit she's begging.

It’s an absolute staple for country fans and non-country fans alike, it’s a karaoke classic, a guaranteed party singalong.

It has also been covered, by Mindy Smith, The White Stripes, Strawberry Switchblade, Olivia Newton John, Me First and the Gimmee Gimmees, Dolly’s Goddaughter Miley Cyrus – there’s even a dance remix!  In the 78 versions, there’s a Dolly Parton cover – in collaboration with Pentatonix.

To record not just a cover but an interpretation takes some guts - even with three of your friends backing you up.

Jess Thristan has taken on the challenge, and having assembled her girls – Kezia Gill, Jade Helliwell and Demi Marriner - as her back up she has released a new imagining of the classic Jolene.

The delivery of this version is faultless, with all four voices combining in near perfect harmonies, with the tempo slowed right down, and an almost ethereal quality to the sound.

Rather than the begging of the original, this feels like defeat. He’s gone, she’s taken him from you – its over.

Down but not out, this new single has allowed Jess and the three singers to show off a level of inventiveness and skill that perhaps they don’t always get to do.  You can witness more of this as the quartet are taking their popular “Girls Night In The Round” back out on tour in February with dates in London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Glasgow, Gateshead and Leeds.  Tickets are available now, and are sure to sell very quickly!

Jolene, the new single from Jess Thristan is available to download and stream from Friday 2 February

You can find Jess on Instagram and Facebook, and follow her on Spotify

If you've enjoyed this review, please give us a follow on our Facebook page and on our Insta 

Gig Review - Jade Helliwell - Sunflower Lounge Birmingham

Jade Helliwell has quite a backstory that seemingly everybody knows, but not everybody knows the backstory before the backstory!  Despite gaining almost instant fame from the 2017 viral video (23 million views and counting) Jade was in fact already recording and releasing music, the video was just a leg up, the additional exposure she needed.  With this in mind, it was great to see that Jade chose to give the same chance to other artists on her Heroes and Heroines headline tour, inviting artists to submit a video of them covering one of Jade’s songs with a chance to open the show at one of the six dates across the UK.

We went to the second night of the tour – which opened in Manchester – at the Sunflower Lounge in Birmingham city centre.  An intimate venue, the performance space is downstairs, evoking old school club vibes, the perfect place to watch upcoming artists, and being able to say “I was there”.  The whole crowd can say “I was there” for Jades (surprisingly) first ever headline show in Birmingham, although she has played the city previously as part of other shows.

 

Opening at both the Birmingham and Manchester shows was Staffordshire  singer/songwriter Emily Lockett, whose video submission had hugely impressed Jade and her team.  If there were any pre-show nerves they didn’t show on stage as Emily played a selection of her own material, sharing some stories behind them, including the song that was apparently inspired by a Tik Tok video about a newspaper crush column – “Don’t judge me” added Emily, which is typical of her disarming charm when addressing the crowd.  Emily filled her 20 minutes with songs and stories, and no doubt winning some new fans along the way.

 

Support for the whole tour comes from Brighton based Gina Larner.  Taking to the stage with just her guitar (and some fabulous boots!) Gina gave a stunning performance, backed – as she put it – by some new toys in the form of backing instrumentals and vocals, so that the lone singer on stage was giving an almost full band performance!  Gina has been working hard this year having had her own headline shows and is now on her second support tour in a matter of months!  Despite this gruelling schedule she was full of energy on stage and is clearly really enjoying herself touring with Jade!

 

Jade came to the stage looking every inch the seasoned performer, in a bright and sparkling outfit – demonstrating her collaboration with official fashion partner The Bluebird Boutique.  The opening song grabbed everyone’s attention – the very fitting, anthemic Woman I Am.  The familiar band line up (Luke Thomas, Phil Donnelly and Luke Barrett) had a surprising addition – Laura Oakes has joined the tour on acoustic guitar and backing vocals.  This welcome addition maybe due to Laura writing one of the songs on the set list, but equally might be due to her recent marriage to drummer Luke!

Not only did Jade treat us to her well-known songs – Drive, Smoke and award-winning Boom Tick, but we also heard some earlier, very country songs!

The band left the stage, with just Laura Oakes remaining to accompany Jade on acoustic guitar for the plaintive Telephone before Jade gave her solo rendition of Numb/How Love Goes.

Reminding us that the tour is about Heroes and Heroines Jade was rejoined by Phil Donnelly taking over the acoustic guitar duties for a heartfelt tribute to two musical heroines – Judy Garland and Eva Cassidy with Somewhere Over The Rainbow.

After a few more songs with the band the show was all too soon at its end.  No fake encores from Jade, and only one choice to close – a stunning rendition of the titular Heroes and Heroines brought down the curtain on a first – but surely not last – Birmingham headline show.  Jade is not only a great songwriter and musician but a polished and seasoned performer, always putting on an entertaining and energetic show.

Over to Jade for her own take on the tour:

The tours going really well, we’re only two nights in and I’m looking forward to the rest of the dates and ending in my home town of Leeds

 

Jade Helliwell is on tour around the UK with tickets still available for some shows – check her website for details. 

 Silverball Country attended Heroes and Heroines at the Sunflower Lounge  as guests of 

Jade Helliwell and ZimagineD Artist Management

If you've enjoyed this review, please give us a follow on our Facebook page and on our Insta 

 

Gig and Album Review - Wanderlust and Breaking Hearts - Emilia Quinn

 

“You’ve made my dream come true”

Emilia Quinn took the stage in the intimate but iconic venue 2 at The Hare and Hounds in Birmingham on Wednesday night as part of her Wanderlust and Breaking Hearts tour – a tour that could have been titled the Dreams Come True Tour.  An opportunity to not only play a headline tour but also release – in fact “celebrate” her debut album was clearly a massive deal for Emilia who has seen her standing in the UK Country scene grow over the past few years, from acoustic solo sets to main stage performances at Buckle and Boots.

 

Accompanied by her loyal and very talented band – John W Doyle on lead guitar, Michael Addy on bass and Steven McMurray on drums – Emilia spent an hour and a half on stage playing not just the new tracks but some old favourites too. The night was certainly a celebration – of the new album, of Emilia’s vocal range and her songwriting ability.

 

With two opening acts, the night was certainly good value, and in a lovely touch, Emilia made a point of coming to the stage to personally introduce each one.

Friend and fellow Yorkshire resident Matt Hodges opened the show with an acoustic set.  Most people will be more used to seeing Matt with a full band – or even an orchestra last summer! – but with nothing more than an acoustic guitar and his deep, gravelly voice he warmed up the crowd for the night to follow.  With catchy sing along songs and a superb set ending rendition of Friends In Low Places it is easy to see why Matt spends most of his year on the road performing – and he has just finished his own UK tour along with Ruthie Collins.

Matt gave way to Midlands band Wood Burnt Red.  Formed in 2020, WBR have exploded onto the UK country scene.  Squeezing five of them on to the stage they brought their style of southern rock which complements Emilia’s own style.  Playing their back catalogue and their latest single – 18 Stone -  you could sense the room warming up ready for our headliner!

 

Emilia Quinn has come a long way, but it her own words she’s not stopping!  Despite the scale of the undertaking – an album and a headline tour all in one week – she remains a calm, professional performer, although she did say to us before the show

I’ll take it in when its finished 

The band support her superbly – even filling in while she changes guitar! – and provide a strong platform for her voice.  Probably her best loved hit, the rocky and feisty Outlaw certainly got the crowd going, and they listened attentively to her sadder songs.  The inclusion of Girltalk called for an additional singer – and if you weren’t at the Birmingham show you missed the sight of Tom Franklin from Wood Burnt Red in a blonde wig filling in for the multiple female vocals on that single!

 

The album itself is a bit of a departure from some of her previous work, with a gospel/blues influence to many of the tracks.  Hearing it live was hugely different to listening to our review copy, especially as Emilia explains the influences behind the songs – her wife Tammy (Magpie) , the loss of her grandfather (Rosary Beads).  We learned that Mountains is just Emilia and piano because the band couldn’t fit in the studio when recording it and decided that they couldn’t add anything to it.

Southern Gospel influenced River rightly opens the album, and opens with just Emilia’s voice before the backing instrumentation comes in softly.  This sets the tone for what is to come and demonstrates a maturing since the earlier work, whilst Magpie shows that Emilia hasn’t lost her rocky edge.  Nothing To Lose blends a soft opening with a uptempo rhythm.  Previous single Mr Shame is a nod to bad relationships and a nod to more rock/pop infused country.  In My Boots is bluesy with a thumping bass track that we all clapped and stamped to at the live show, while Mountains is slow and heartfelt, working perfectly as just keys/vocal.  On The Run is again blues, whilst Daddy’s Girl gives us the album and tour title, opening with the words “Wanderlust and Breaking Rules”.  Rosary Beads is clearly very personal, and was an outpouring after the loss of her Grandfather, a very measured and gentle tribute.  Final track Backroads also closes the live show.  Is a fitting close to both as it has the message of overcoming your struggles and keeping on to your goal.

 

If the album showcases Emilia’s developing songwriting ability, the live show showcases her developing performance.  Entertaining, talented and professional, she’ll “keep travelling down these backroads” and it should be a great journey!

Silverball Country attended Wanderlust and Breaking Rules at the Hare and Hounds  as guests of Emilia Quinn and ZimagineD Artist Management

If you've enjoyed this review, please give us a follow on our Facebook page and on our Insta 

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

If you've enjoyed this review, please give us a follow on our Facebook page and on our Insta 

Single Review - 18 Stone - Wood Burnt Red

 

When you watch a band perform, up there on stage it is obvious that everything is great for them, that they are smashing it and they have not a care in the world.  Right?  Wrong.

The reality – at least for Wood Burnt Red lead singer Tom Franklin is very different.  Tom tells us that he has endured a lot of negativity in the past:

“Throughout my life growing up, I've had constant comments about my weight, my height (not that that can be helped), the clothes I wear, even my music taste, and it bothered me right up until a few years ago”

Tom, and his fellow band members are using their voice to shout back against this with their new single 18 Stone. 

A song with a social message could be expected to be a heartfelt ballad – but not from Wood Burnt Red.  This song very clearly sticks two fingers up to the haters and detractors and is as much a song of power as of empowerment.

Opening with a crash of guitars and an absolute declaration “Six foot four eighteen stone” it is clear that this song apologises to nobody and for nothing.

It’s a rock song from its instrumentation to its lyrics and in its message.  The repetition of “six foot four eighteen stone” shows that he isn’t bothered – at least not anymore!  “Take me as a I am” is an absolute affirmation for everyone and should be painted on lounge walls instead of the more usual “Live love laugh”.

Having met the band when they headlined the Paddock Stage at Buckle and Boots you can’t help but be struck by their honesty and reality.  This song cements that – it isn’t an attempt to look good or fit into a trend, it’s heartfelt, saying what they want to say whether you want to hear it or not.

“…I wrote this track as a big 'F*** you' to those certain people. This song is about me, so take me as I am... because I'm not changing for anybody!"

The song isn’t one sided, its not just about the storyteller shouting about himself

But right before we do, I want to know a little more about you.

Like where’d you grow up, what fills your cup, what kind of movies are you into?

Authenticity is at the heart of Wood Burnt Red, and at the heart of this song.  No airs and graces, no big time sense of grandeur, these are a set of blokes from the Malverns who happen to be really good at playing their brand of Southern Rock.

Demonstrating that difficult topics don’t have to mean reflective songs, Wood Burnt Red have taken a message and shouted it out in a true Country Music style.  Strident guitars, thumping bass line, excellent lyrics and a powerful vocal delivery make this song an absolute anthem, an anthem to self-acceptance which will resonate with listeners making you think – as well as sing along!

18 Stone, the new single from Wood Burnt Red is available to downloads and stream from Friday 10 November.

You can find the band on Facebook and Instagram and follow them on Spotify

Wood Burnt Red are represented by Zimagined Artist Management

If you've enjoyed this review, please give us a follow on our Facebook page and on our Insta