the Mountain Goats - Clean Slate

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuO2gbeUzb0 One from East St Louis with a scar beneath his eye Left the kitchen spotless on the day he said goodbye Breakaway republic dude, supremely filthy mouth Copiah, Mississipi, points much further south It's never light outside yet when they climb into the van Remember at your peril, forget the ones you can Leave home feeling empty, change planes in Taipei Stay awake the whole time, end up several worlds away The house was almost full that day, they made a space for you This world is sad and broken, gotta fix a crack or two Rest until you're rested, climb back onto the caravan Remember at your peril, forget the ones you can And then just when you think you've learned how to forget You learn it's just the ones who haven't risen to the surface yet Absence after absence, keep the place secure This will be the last time that I do this, I'm pretty sure No one lasts for long in this profession, so they say Maybe see you again someday Every endpoint fixed forever on the day its arc began Remember at your peril, forget the ones you can Forget the ones you can

The War on Drugs - Under the Pressure

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByrKdwQMGYc&list=RDGMEMBhrNM15bN0pM50WECpic-A&start_radio=1&rv=HmHzSxaifbU Well the comedown here was easy Like the arrival of a new day But a dream like this gets wasted Without you Under the pressure Is where we are Under the pressure Yeah, it's where we are, babe You're the only one Like an illusion When it all breaks down and we're runaways Standing in the wake of our pain And we stare straight into nothing But we call it all the same You were raised on a promise Found that over time Better come around to the new way Or watch as it all breaks down here Under the pressure Well the break-down here Stole it all the way across I gotta talk downhill Stranded on When you come here and I'm wasted Lying on a field, dancin' in the rain Hidin' in the back, loosening my grip Wading in the water Just trying not to crack, under the pressure Yeah, it's where we are babe Under the pressure

In Dreams - Friday 14th July 2023

FIRST NIGHT | THEATRE In Dreams review — Roy Orbison’s hits lift an irresistible show Leeds Playhouse Rachel Halliburton ★★★★☆ Death has rarely felt so exuberant as it does in this gloriously irreverent musical, which channels the spirit of Roy Orbison for a story of hopes and dreams that’s so cheesy it would give your average Roquefort an identity crisis. The Schitt’s Creek writer David West Read pulls out all the emotional stops for this New Mexico-set tale of Kenna, a country-rock singer who checks into a joint specialising in margaritas, tacos and memorial services for a reunion with a twist.

Appropriately, the plot is so skeletal it almost deserves its own wake: it’s no spoiler to say that Lena Hall’s sassy, wisecracking Kenna suspects that she’s dying and contacts her old bandmates to say goodbye without telling them why. As with Mamma Mia!, the story’s a shameless device for shoehorning in as many songs as possible, whether it’s two rock stars turned exhausted parents singing A Love So Beautiful or Kenna being raucously welcomed to the hotel with You Got It. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HId94DB-lI Luke Sheppard’s pacy, colourful production takes Mexico’s Day of the Dead as its inspiration: there’s a sombrero-wearing skeleton called Katrina and the family restaurant in which most of the action is set is festooned with lights and marigolds. The vibe’s not so much about mortality as each character’s attempt to recapture a younger, more carefree version of themselves, whether it’s Oliver Tompsett’s hilarious Uber-driving ex-drummer, Ramsey, or Alma Cuervo’s vibrant, scene-stealing matriarch, Ana Sofia.

Any hint of sentimentality is quickly deflated by a barrage of one-liners; when Ana Sofia is introduced as a widow, it’s explained: “We say she’s in a long-distance relationship.” The gloriously awkward reunion between Kenna and her ex, Ramsey, is considerably enhanced by the scene in which he misguidedly tries to show her how much she means to him. “Somehow your arse tattoo isn’t telling me you’re serious,” she quips. In the true tradition of feelgood musicals, a story unfolds for everybody on Arnulfo Maldonado’s ebullient, cluttered set, filled with vintage neon signs. There’s the young couple about to have a baby, Oscar and Nicole (Manuel Pacific and Gabriela García), George the widower looking for new love (Richard Trinder), and Sian Reese-Williams and Noël Sullivan as Jane and Donovan, parents trying to reconnect. In a universally strong cast (not least Leon Craig as Tom, the band’s unashamed fanboy), Hall and Tompsett provide a credible and funny emotional core as the wild-at-heart exes. A rigor mortis-defying evening all round.

Alma Cuervo (Ana Sofia) Gabriela García (Nicole) Lena Hall (Kenna) Leon Craig (Tom) Manuel Pacific (Oscar) Noël Sullivan (Donovan) Oliver Tompsett (Ramsey) Richard Trinder (George) Sian Reese-Williams (Jane)

Focus at the Brudenell - 29th June 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My7RAgJrj2M Sophie and I went to see Focus. They did two sets - and amongst other stuff I didn't know they did “Hocus Pocus” (see below for an very early version!), and "Eruption“ from ‘Moving Waves’. "House of the King" from Focus Plays Focus as well as "Sylvia" from 1972 album Focus 3 Thijs van Leer on vocals, flute and keyboards, back on the drums is famed Focus drummer Pierre van der Linden, who joined the group on their second album ‘Moving Waves’ in 1972. Internationally renowned for his rhythmic skills, Pierre remains a defining factor in the Focus sound. Bassist Udo Pannekeet, and guitarist Menno Gootjes, who participated in Focus at an earlier stage, complete the band’s current line-up. Thijs van Leer now!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ill06Ekj6QI

Laura Cantrell - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds - 23 June 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9hJ8eI8vWU I met a guy in a west coast town, had four walls to bring him down. And he sometimes speaks of you, the way that you want him to. Late at night he'd reminisce, over the lips he used to kiss. And his hand upon your hip, why don't you send him a line. Cause I'm almost certain, That he's going crazy. For two seconds of your love. Two seconds of your love, Is all I need from you. Two seconds of your time, that's enough to say we're through. Two beats of your heart, enough to know we'll never part. Two seconds of your love, that's all I ever want. I never thought that he'd go that far, lost his job and he stole a car. And he's running back to you, the way you'd want him to. Late at night I reminisce, over the lips I used to kiss. And your hand upon my wrist, why don't you send me a line. Cause I'm almost certain, that I'm going crazy. For two seconds of your love. Two seconds of your love, Is all I need of you. Two seconds of your time, that's enough to say we're through. Two beats of your heart, enough to know we'll never part. Two seconds of your love, it's all I ever want. Two seconds of your love, Is all I need of you. Two seconds of your time, that's enough to say we're through. Two beats of your heart, enough to know we'll never part. Two seconds of your love, it's all I ever want. Sophie and I went to see Laura - not sure of the set list but she covered the following ... Churches Off the Interstate Someday Sparrow Do You Ever Think of Me Queen of the Coast Brand New Eyes I'm Gonna Miss This Town Can't Wait AWM-Bless When the Roses Bloom Again Secret Language Not the Tremblin' Kind The Whiskey Makes You Sweeter Two Seconds REVIEW BY PAUL RHODES Laura Cantrell is one of a rare breed. Seeking a life, rather than a career in music has enabled her to resist the drip-drip to pander to today’s fads, which is perhaps why her body of work is so consistent. Cantrell is also a DJ of note, so it was not a surprise that the setlist on Friday was crafted with the same care that goes into her songs. The 13-tune, 80-minute set showcased her new album, but began and ended with tunes from her debut and had enough forays into her back catalogue to keep everyone happy. It helped that over more than 20 years almost everything she has released is of the highest quality. Despite being an Americana artist, what also startles is how many of her songs feel like bona fide hits – from the 1960s. Her cover of Amy Rigby’s Brand New Eyes recalls Ronnie Spector. Do You Ever Think Of Me (from her proper debut, Not The Tremblin’ Kind) would sit proudly in the country pop canon of Skeeter Davis, while Two Seconds, the closing song on Friday, can devastate just as effectively as her heroine Kitty Wells. Listening to too much Wells can be a bit of a straightening experience, but Cantrell’s set was far more varied. This was her first show at the Brudenell since 2016, and it was clear from the first that she hasn’t spent the last seven years gargling stones and whisky. Her voice was as clear and wonderful as ever. Kicking off her UK tour, Cantrell’s five-piece band were still, laughingly, brushing off a few rough edges, but these enhanced rather than detracted from the show. Adding too much polish would obscure the music’s soul. “Laura Cantrell’s voice was as clear and wonderful as ever,” says reviewer Paul Rhodes Alongside Cantrell (rather than at a deferential sidestep), Mark Spencer and Jimmy Ryan on electric guitar and mandolin shone. They took in the different contours of the Americana map, with country at the centre, but more than a smidgen of rock, rockabilly and folk. Cantrell’s new album, Just Like A Rose, her first since 2013, is among the strongest of her career. It is saying something that the new duet with Steve Earle of her signature song When The Roses Bloom Again (penned by Jeff Tweedy, but made entirely her own by Cantrell) is not the best tune on the record. That honour goes to AWM – Bless. AWM (Angry White Man) is a protest number that takes aim at any number of entitled white-backed alpha males. Written in anger, it retains a dignity that makes such songs endure. When it comes to Laura Cantrell, the Leeds crowd were powerless. They also enjoyed entertaining opener Doug Levitt. This songwriter is leading a colourful, itinerant life, a former foreign correspondent and travel writer too (listen to his Greyhound Stories on BBC Sounds). His first album, Edge Of Everywhere, is an apt title for his journeyman songs. The pick of the bunch, (not coincidentally the shortest by some distance) was I Killed Buddy Gray. The crowd gave Levitt a warm hand, but for Cantrell they really didn’t want her to leave. A great night at the Brudenell, thanks to Joe Coates and Please Please You Productions. Review by Paul Rhodes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kifh6UOOZyo&t=31s Laura Cantrell - When The Roses Bloom Again They were strolling in the gloaming Where the roses were in bloom A soldier and his sweetheart brave and true And their hearts were filled with sorrow For their thoughts were of tomorrow As she pinned a rose upon his coat of blue Do not ask me love to linger When you know not what to say For duty calls your sweetheart's name again And your heart need not be sighing If I be among the dying I'll be with you when the roses bloom again When the roses bloom again Beside the river And the mockingbird has sung his sweet refrain In the days of auld lang syne I'll be with you sweetheart mine I'll be with you when the roses bloom again Mid the rattle of the battle Came a whisper soft and low A soldier who had fallen in the fray I am dying, I am dying And I know I'll have to go But I want to tell you Before I pass away There's a far and distant river Where the roses are in bloom A sweetheart who is waiting there for me And it's there I pray you take me I've been faithful, don't forsake me I'll be with her when the roses bloom again Source: LyricFind Songwriters: Jeff Tweedy / Woody Guthrie

The War On Drugs - The Piece Hall, Halifax

The Mountain Goats - Waylon Jennings Live!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6Kqdu8_w9c&list=RDMM&index=18 Drunk at the Meskwaki casino Right where God intended me to be Looking up at the one man in this room Who's handled more cocaine then me Think back on the good times just an hour or so ago Before I got myself this drunk When the valet parked my rented Mitsubishi With a beat up old brown suitcase in the trunk Full of firearms and flash drives Full of passports And international money orders For just in case I make it cross the border Get a postcard from the gift shop Let my family know I'm doing fine Looking up at a map up on the ceiling To find the place where we all meet up further on down the line Head back to my table Get another scotch and soda for the road The band on stage is really working off a head of steam Close my eyes and lean my head back, dream a little dream Full of firearms and flash drives Full of passports And international money orders For just in case I make it cross the border