GIG LISTINGS
compiled by Andy Lowe
Advance prices shown, door prices may vary slightly - All doors 7:30pm except Sundays, when doors open 7pm.
TO BOOK TICKETS call our booking line on 020 7240 2622. Out of office hours the phone is on answer-phone in which case please leave your name, the artist you want to see, the date of the show and your daytime contact number and we will return your call.
OFFICE NUMBER 020 7240 2120
ADVANCED BOOKING NUMBER 020 7240 2622
E-MAIL: 12barclub@btconnect.com
YOU CAN JUMP TO FEBRUARY - MARCH
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Monday 8th February MISTER B THE GENTLEMAN RHYMER + ANNA MADELEINE + SERGEANT BUZFUZ + late set LEILA MUSIC £6 Blang
www.blang.co.uk
Blang's guests this month include two women whose music inhabits visionary other worlds juxtaposed with a gentleman from the receding world of English upper class eccentricities and tea at the vicarage.
8:30 SERGEANT BUZFUZ
Solo set from Joe Murphy.
'REM would kill, hopefully each other, for songs like these' (Unpeeled)
www.myspace.com/buzfuz
9:15 ANNA MADELEINE
A welcome return for Anna Madeleine and her strange brew of beguiling piano oddities and warped biotechfolkmusik. An original voice in a homogeneous world.
www.myspace.com/annamadeleine
10:00 MR B THE GENTLEMAN RHYMER
He looks like he's dressed for lapsang souchong at the Ritz until you notice the trainers and banjolele. Mr B, straight out of Surrey, is England's prime purveyor of 'chap-hop', a gentrified English form of that damned fine rap music. His splendid observations on cricket, the smoking ban, pornography and the Queen's English really are a perfect wheeze. A jolly good show!
'pure genius' (Tom Robinson)
'there has never been a rapper like Mr B' (Sunday Times)
www.myspace.com/mrbthegentlemanrhymer
10:45 LEILA MUSIC
Since making her first ever live appearance at Blang in 2006 and contributing to the Antifolk UK compilation CD, Leila Zerai has broadened her muse to include listening to Jim O'Rourke, Stereolab and Coco Rosie and introduced laptop and trumpet to her performance. Spectral landscapes awash with warmth and light.
www.myspace.com/leilamusic
Tuesday 9th February THE RIVERS PRESLEY SET +SWING YOUTH + ROB SKIPPER + BILLY VINCENT + RIGO (Antonio Righetti) £6
Hailing from Birmingham, England and channeling bluesmen infinitely older than his 22 years, Rivers Presley's music echoes the demons of Son House & Model T Ford if they were bought up on a diet of Biffy Clyro and Black Keys.
Joined on stage by drummer Thomas Henry their live presence switches between swollen slide guitar licks and pin drop silences which leave crowds staggered. Recent devotees Black Diamond Heavies, after catching The Rivers Presley Set live on a trip to the UK, were so impressed that they asked the guys to join them on the US leg of their tour.
The band are all set to release their debut single this summer and are currently playing a string of dates around the UK.
www.myspace.com/riverspresley
Swing Youth released their infectious double a-side debut single "Myself To Blame / Blade of Grass" lasy October.
The band who only formed in the spring of 2009 have been busy writing and crafting their enthralling set above the music venue they run in Twickenham, London, where the buzz around this band and music scene is really building.
Word is spreading fast about Swing Youth's fast and frantic live performances and musically the bands influences from the postpunk era are clear to see, the likes of The Cure, Siouxsie, Joy Division, and X-Ray Spex are all in the mix.
www.myspace.com/weareswingyouth
Robert Skipper, born 1985 in Waltham Forest is a guitaris , fiddler and singer. In 2003, Rob's previous group The Moulettes formed, then called "Hannah, Ruth and Rob." They first played at the Glastonbury Festival on the Greenpeace stage. Skipper has a cameo on the Larrikin Love album, The Freedom Spark, and for some time was a member of The Holloways. Since September 2008, Skipper has been performing with his project, Rob Skipper & The Musical Differences.
www.myspace.com/themusicaldifferences
Billy Vincent are a South London based five-piece band, featuring Billy Barratt, David Vincent, Joseph Kinsey, Rania Kim and Dan Birch. Billy Vincent sound indisputably unique but dig deep and you can hear influences from the likes of Nick Cave and Conor Oberst.
www.myspace.com/billyvincent
Legendary Italian musician and songwriter Rigo opens with a rare appearance in London.
www.myspace.com/rigorighetti
Wednesday 10th February HOLY MAN JONES + JEZ HALL + AYO BAMIDELE ++++ extra show DAYNA KURTZ (end of UK tour show) £6
Holy Man Jones are hot, a hot rocking, rock and soul band in the mould of The Black Crowes or Rolling Stones with an Otis Redding on Lead Vocals. Guaranteed to get foots a tapping and butts a shaking. Guitarists look in awe as Paul Cunningham unleashes licks from the Hendrix and Cropper song book. Danny Howard's drumming and Sean Kelly's Bass form a rhythm section which entices like Muscle Shoal's, Hawkins and Hood. As if this were not enough, add Colbert Hamilton's southern Fried deep soul vocals a band not to be missed. A Rollicking Good Time headlining Act
Jezz Hall has been entertaining audiences around the World for over two decades. Dextrous guitar playing sensitive song writing that contains genuine charm. Influences include Nick Drake, Pentangle and The Incredible String Band. Small Town one of Jezz's most loved songs was inspired by trip to Oxford Mississippi Alabama. Jezz say's "I was in Oxford Mississippi which inspired the Bob Dylan Song Oxford and the Civil Rights Protest that took place there in the 50's. This played a big part in me writing Small Town."
Jezz will be performing with band mates Andy Hill on bass & electric guitar. Andy Whittle joins on Piano.
Ayo Bamidele has one of the most distinctive voices to be heard anywhere in the UK. He is often compared to stalwarts such the late John Martyn, Ben Harper and Eric Bibb. Musically he is probably closer to Richie Havens playing a very rhythmic and grove based guitar style. He writes songs which cover heartfelt social concern and all of life's rich tapestry, joy, love and loss are all to be found in Ayo's songs. In his long career he has supported Glen Tilbrook, Ian Dury and the Blockheads and Jazz Jamaica.
The last few years has found New Jersey native Dayna Kurtz winning over new fans in the New York City music scene. In the past two years she has been invited to open up for Rufus Wainwright, Antony & the Johnsons, and Keren Ann. Additionally, Dayna has won over fellow "Living Room" habitué Norah Jones, who sings a duet with Dayna on "I Got It Bad..." (From Beautiful Yesterday). Outside of her new hometown, the legendary Richard Thompson invited Dayna to open up for a coast-to-coast nationwide tour that found Dayna converting some of his faithful fans.
The fan response and critical attention generated by Kurtz's grass roots touring efforts inevitably drew interest from the mainstream music industry. Despite her indie status, Dayna has found an enthusiastic audience, winning high-profile guest spots on such radio shows as World Cafe, Mountain Stage and NPR's Morning Edition. But nowhere has the interest in Dayna's music been more pronounced than in Holland, where Dayna's debut studio album soared into the top 20 of the album charts on the strength of the hit single "Love Gets in the Way". In the summer of 2003, Dayna went from performing in front of 50 people at the Living Room in New York City's lower east side, to headlining the fabled Paradiso theatre in Amsterdam in front of 1000 people in what would be her first of many sold out shows in the Netherlands in the months to follow. Dayna has since then discovered a larger audience in Europe, and this tour alone will find her in Greece, Spain, Germany, Belgium and the UK.
www.daynakurtz.com
www.myspace.com/daynakurtz
Thursday 11th February THE CATATONICS + THE SAVAGE NOMADS + RED ROOM + JON BYRNE £6
The Catatonics are an Americana style trio from Ghent, in Belgium.
www.myspace.com/catatonics
The Savage Nomads, a South London four piece, were inspired to perform as a serious act after Clash founder Mick Jones urged them to play support at one of his Carbon Casino events in Notting Hill in early 2008.
Cole Salewicz, who had founded the Savage Nomads with drummer Billy Boone the previous summer, had been reluctant, feeling that the group wasn't ready, even with the addition of feisty bass player Josh Miles. Up until then they had only played one show, at a friend's birthday party in a Brixton pub. But as singer and guitarist Cole had recently written "Christmas Shoppers" which he considered "a strong song", he allowed Mick Jones to coax him into it.
After their original guitar player left the band to focus on studies, Cole Salewicz put ads for a new guitarist on the internet. The Savage Nomads were flooded with responses. But the only appropriate musician was one who had applied for the job within the first five minutes of it being announced on the web. "Joe Gillick's innovative, unique playing and his great enthusiasm and desire to write, took us up another gear, and cemented us as a group we were really pleased with," says Cole Salewicz. "Joe really appreciates that in any sound you can find something you like."
" We listen to absolutely everything," Cole Salewicz defines the sound of The Savage Nomads. For all the group members, it's a great quest to find the next track that leads onto something new for them. "Music is very liberating. We never wanted to play anything that sounded the same as other people. We wanted to incorporate all different ideas into the sound: even though there is an underlying punk rock influence, the lyrics can come from hip hop, and the live drumming as much from electronica beats."
The group recently reunited with Mick Jones, this time in the studio that was part of the Clashman's Rock 'N' Roll Public Library exhibition. And as 2009 draws to a close The Savage Nomads are proud to be on the verge of releasing their first ep, recorded with top producer Andy Strange (Elton John, INXS, Pulp), a stunning 10 minute representation of the group's riveting live sets.
For now you can catch The Savage Nomads' terrific onstage work every month at their residency at the 12 Bar Club.
www.myspace.com/thesavagenomads
Friday 12th February THE PENNY BLACK REMEDY + HYLANDS & HERON present "Songs For Single Lovers" + more tba £6
In The Penny Black Remedy, Keith Thomson seems to have found the perfect vehicle to express his world view...that life is full of dark, cruel things and unjust miseries, that it may come to a premature or unpleasant end, but that there is no reason not to embrace the situation and be cheerful, and live life to its limits.
This band make a gleeful noise, dancing on graves and kicking away ladders, and Keith croons and snarls, roundly abusing the audience and pretty much anyone else, but in such an agreeable way that they always want more.
Penny Black Remedy's songs wash over the audience like petrol pouring on a barbeque, as their Balkan country punk juggernaut exhumes Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley and Hank Williams, checks Nick Cave's pulse for continued signs of life, and sets all of them go-go dancing till the bars close and the street cleaners come to pick up the bones.
www.myspace.com/pennyblackremedy
Now on the fourth year Kevin Hylands and Cormac Heron return to the 12 Bar with guitar and banjo for their annual Songs For Lovers performance celebrating the best and best of love songs ever written. This year they will be performing classics from the likes of Turner, Tyler and Houston.
Last year's performance was a riot, literally. Some girl got up on stage and tried to upstage them. (She was found beat up in some police cell the following morning.) This year's promises to be just as eventful for they shall be joined with Seb on drums.
N.B. Due to Cormac's pending marriage this could (and probably will) be his last gig for the next 7 months.
http://itiswhatever.com
Saturday 13th February THE SLYTONES + T.CRACK.2 + BRIGADA MERCY and more tbc + guest DJ LARGE GARAGE £6 Bonnie & Clydes Renegade Rendezvous presents Anti-Valentine's Day Love-In
Sunday 14th February THE FIELD PEOPLE + OLLIE FURY £5
In 2008, Aviv, Yogev & Eviatar formed The Field People, a rock trio which combines different rock styles all the way from psychedelic to plain old rock 'n' roll. During that year, the band kept performing all over Israel and gathered a small but faithfull crowd.
In May 2009, the band recorded and released their first EP, "People of the Field". Since then, the band have relocated to London and continues to perform frequently while working on new material.
www.myspace.com/thefieldpeople
Monday 15th February MATTHEW NEEL + PRIVATE TROUSERS + GERRY MITCHELL + BROMIDE + SPECIAL GUESTS + late set EUPHONIUS GADFLY £6 Scratchy records presents SCRATCHSTOCK 8, featuring:
MATTHEW NEEL and friends celebrate the launch of his nick drake / REM / waterboys infused debut album 'new maps of hell' on scratchy records.
www.myspace.com/matthewneelpage
"matthew neel is the missing link between Nick Drake, Beck & Richard Hawley......intelligent, dark melodic folk" the troubadour, earls court
"New Maps Of Hell is a sombre piece of art which is strangely alluring and mesmerising" awal.com
with support from
PRIVATE TROUSERS wet dog offshoot band powered by rich and his amazing home made instruments. expect multiheaded ukeleles and even one with a miniature practise amp inside. the boy's got flare(s). sorry..
www.myspace.com/privatetrousers
GERRY MITCHELL resonance fm's own poet in residence ruminates on the 'idiot box' in the corner and other modern distractions.
www.mypace.com/gerardmitchell
SPECIAL GUESTS ooooh !
BROMIDE label boss still plugging 'the trouble with.. bromide'. well, it's only been out since august 2008..
www.theinternetatemysoul.co.uk/bromide.htm
+ late set from EUPHONIUS GADFLY (aka Michael Freer) - last seen performing a well-timed cover of 'killing in the name of' about a month before that whole christmas campaign kicked off. cool !
+ dj matt chilton (spork, vultures)
+ compere martin soan (pull the other one)
label website: www.theinternetatemysoul.co.uk
Tuesday 16th February VIKTOR & THE HINTER + MIKE BRIGHTLEY + BILLY VINCENT + RENFIE £6
Viktor and The Hinter is an eclectic mix of nineteen sixties pop infused ballads with a little cheeky twist of folk and blues to boot. All the songs speak of the fun and games of living in London, and reflect on experiences had by The Hinter". So there are many words of love, comedy, aliens, elephants, mushrooms and the like.
Viktor and The Hinter are both music men from the dark dank streets of londinia, and are both influenced by poet's such as Edward Lear, Spike Milligan, Thom Yorke, Jim Morrison and anyone else who joined lovely words together. Both men concerned are, or have been, under the influence of music such as Radiohead, The Doors, early Beatles, George Harrison, The Small Faces, Frank Sinatra, Elvis and any one who sounded good. They also like Brit pop, and can often be seen at their local ballroom singing and dancing to the likes of Blur, and swirling around by the light of the moon to other groups of that nature.
But above all Viktor and The Hinter do hope that you have as much fun in listening to their own music as they have in playing it.
www.myspace.com/viktorandthehinter
Mike Brightley - guitarist/singer/songwriter - performs with a versatility that takes him from sweet, chilled-out melodies to darker, heavier sounds, drawing comparisons to Neil Young, Damien Rice and Red Hot Chili Peppers. The emotional intensity displayed in his vocal delivery combines with talented guitar playing to make his dream-like sound a very compelling listen. Cathartic, contemplative, questioning lyrics link love, loss and philosophy, making his songs sound simultaneously melancholic and hopeful. Mike's major musical influences include John Frusciante, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, Josh Homme, Pearl Jam and Jimi Hendrix. He has been performing live for almost 15 years, with bands or as a solo act, across the UK and from Scandinavia to South America. Paranoid and beautiful. Soothing and searching. Well-crafted rock music straight from the soul.
Mike Brightley's single "Say It" was released last November. "Say It" is an apocalyptic love song loaded with strings, guitars and tenderness. Also on the release are "Call To Arms" - a gig favourite - and lullaby "A Better View".
The tracks were produced by Nick Harris and mastered by Grammy-nominee Andy Jackson.
www.myspace.com/mikebrightley
Billy Vincent are a South London based five-piece band, featuring Billy Barratt, David Vincent, Joseph Kinsey, Rania Kim and Dan Birch. Billy Vincent sound indisputably unique but dig deep and you can hear influences from the likes of Nick Cave and Conor Oberst.
www.myspace.com/billyvincent
Wednesday 17th February KENNY WHITE + JODIE + ROUSSEAU £6 Wildflower Records present
Kenny White has driven a long and interesting road to bring him to this moment. At eight years old, upon being asked whether he'd practiced this week's piano lesson, Kenny remarked, "yeah...but HERE'S what I wrote."
Those songs have not always come easily, however, after many successful years of various musical endeavors, they have led to White's new Wildflower Records release, "Comfort in the Static." A collection of wonderfully crafted songs, this album continues to follow the human condition with both unbridled detail and humour.
For many years, White was a fixture in the NY studio scene, writing and producing literally hundreds of commercials for TV and radio. In this capacity, he worked with artists like Gladys Knight, Linda Ronstadt, Dwight Yoakam, Ricky Skaggs, Kim Carnes Felix Cavaliere, Dobie Gray and Aaron Neville among many others.
His relationships with Marc Cohn and Shawn Colvin led to his producing Colvin's Grammy-nominated, "I Don't Know Why" and to his involvement in Cohn's eponymous platinum debut record. White went on to produce three records for legendary J. Geils Band leader, Peter Wolf. The second of which, "Sleepless," garnered the distinction by Rolling Stone magazine of being one of "the 500 greatest albums ever made," as well as giving Kenny a chance to work with Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, and Steve Earle. A brand new release with Wolf entitled, "Midnight Souvenirs" will be released in the Spring of 2010.
As a contributing writer/musician, White worked on many a film soundtrack including, Message in a Bottle, Ed TV, Forces of Nature, A Walk on the Moon, Where the Heart Is, Edie & Pen, and four films by indie master, John Sayles.
After being hailed by reviewers from the NY Times to the SF Chronicle for his thrilling and unique piano playing, White chose to devote himself to making his first album and subsequently, "hitting the road." His work in the studio enabled him to assemble an A-list team of players for that release, 2002's "Uninvited Guest." He traveled and opened shows for many mainstays, including Cheryl Wheeler, Shawn Colvin, Peter Wolf, Richard Shindell and Jonathan Edwards, quickly gaining a reputation as a 'dazzling' and 'not-to-be-missed' performer. An early copy of his follow-up record, "Symphony in 16 Bars" landed in the hands of folk legend Judy Collins who then signed White to her own Wildflower Records and released the CD in the winter of 2005. Showcasing another remarkable ensemble of talent, Symphony in 16 Bars picked up where Uninvited Guest left off, following a main character whose story, set in New York City, navigates the heart's complexities through an ever changing urban landscape.
This year, in addition, Kenny is proud to announce his first non-musical publication. He joins a group of renowned essayists in a collection called, "The Black Body," published by Seven Stories Press.
Kenny White's latest album Comfort in the Static , containing eleven new tracks from the experient songwriter, leads the listener on an intimate odyssey, the spotlight focused on our commonality as humans. From the first haunting melody of the opening track, Useless Bay, which begins as if White were letting us in on a bittersweet secret, to the catchy pop sensibility of the beautifully melodic Please. From the Dylan-esque sound of Who's Gonna Be the One, to the plaintive musings of "I was fine until love got in the way" from Where You Are Tonight, Comfort in the Static is an arrestingly candid and personal collection of songs.
White's Comfort in the Static is soulful singer-songwriting at its best; lush piano melodies combined with vulnerable vocals and smart, insightful lyrics make for a seminal recording that observes the boundaries between jazz, blues, rock, pop and folk...and then proceeds to step over them. With such seasoned, interpretive musicians as Duke Levine, Shawn Pelton and Marty Ballou backing him up, as well as the contributions of Big Al Anderson and ubiquitous T-Bone Burnett collaborator, Stephen Barber, White wrote and produced this new album with the listener in mind. Comfort in the Static showcases White as a deft storyteller employing striking arrangements and spot-on vocals reminiscent of Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan and early Randy Newman. This CD is a feather in the cap for Kenny White whose fan base continues to grow along with his talent as a singer-songwriter. Comfort in the Static is a powerful, sophisticated album that will stay with you long after the CD has stopped playing.
www.kennywhite.net
www.myspace.com/kennywhitemusic
Rousseau is a British artist. He's in the middle of recording his debut album in Portland Oregon, USA, and between recording sessions he's currently playing acoustic versions of his songs around London and the UK...influences are broad, ranging from Radiohead to Nick Drake.
www.myspace.com/jamesrousseau
Thursday 18th February JESSICA GOYDER + LIZZY SPIT £6 Jessica Goyder grew up in India, Ethiopia and Oxford in the UK. A classically trained pianist and self-taught guitarist, it's her voice that continues to silence the room.
She cut her teeth in a local band and played her way solo around London and Sydney. Then little short of a musical explosion followed her first landing in Barcelona. Here she fell in with a crowd of Brazilian musicians, discovered Bossa Nova and lived for more than a year as a singing angel street statue. Later periods in the city were spent wrestling music theory in Catalan and taking Lizzyspit's songs are like a packet of smarties. Some are blue, some are oddly shaped, but none of them have any articifial flavours or additives!! Having taken a few months off from performing, Lizzy returns with a whole lot of new songs.
www.myspace.com/lizzyspit
local cabarets by storm in an eight-girl country band. Her songwriting is often inspired by her travels, from a tour of Central America and Cuba, where she performed regularly at Havana's 'Casa de la Troba' to a series of concerts in Brazil and Argentina.
Jessica has performed on stages of all shapes and sizes, including 4 Glastonburys, Brighton and Edinburgh Festivals, City Showcase, a residency at Henley Festival and walked onto the main stage as Jools Holland walked off at the first ever Cornbury. Collaborations include work with The Soundbringer and the electronica album Cosmos with the producer Mr. Smith, released in Canada.
Having recently returned to London from Mallorca with a publishing deal in place, she is in the final stages of recording her debut album. She continues to write and perform regularly both solo and with a band.
www.myspace.com/jessicagoyder
Friday 19th February SIMON BREED + Mr. SOLO + THEE INTOLERABLE KIDD + MERTLE + SPINMASTER PLANTPOT + FILTHY PEDRO + FAUNTLEROY +ONE MAN DESTRUCTION SHOW + NAT THE HAMMER + THE WIZARD £6 AntiFolk UK Winter Festival
7:40 The Fauntleroy band
8.20 mertle
9:00 Spinmaster Plantpot
9:20 Filthy Pedro & the Carthaginians
10:00 Simon Breed
10:40 Thee Intolerable Kidd
11:20 One Man Destruction Show
12:05 Nat the Hammer
12:45 The Wizard
01:45 Hello Babies
Saturday 20th February THE REBEL + ERIN K & TASH + POPULAR TYRE + PAUL HAWKINS & THEE AWKWARD SILENCES + ADAM DONEN + KEV HAYLEY + BEN SHAW + more tbc £6 AntiFolk UK Winter Festival
7:45 Ben Shaw
8:25 Kev Hayley (formerly Kevin 2 Sheds)
09:05 Paul Hawkins & Thee Awkward Silences
09.45 Erin K & Tash
10:25 The Rebel
11:05 TBC
11:45 Adam Donen
12:25 Popular Tyre
01:05 TBC
02:30 Hello Babies
Sunday 21st February INOUWEE £5
Inouwee are full of secrets and atmospheres from the city and nature. They get inspired by how it affects our dreams and our thoughts on love, life and especially death. The music is effortless and epic; it moves from heavy beats to dreamy and melancholy passages and along with the gloomy and personal lyrics it makes the listener enter the universe of Inouwee with ease. By the first note you get invited inside.
The creative duo behind Inouwee consists of Kaare and Signe who both are well versed in the music scene of Copenhagen. They met by coincidence and have since been working on expressing their feelings, thoughts and ideas.
Inouwee are the colors in the sunset you see above the cold roofs in the city...There is nothing to be afraid of anymore...
PS. This is a secret....ssscch
Tuesday 23rd February SPINDLE & WIT + BEN FOLKE THOMAS + BILLY VINCENT + TERRY EMM £6
Wednesday 24th February CHINA SOUL £6
Thursday 25th February NEW SECRET WEAPON + BORN OF THE SUN + STEVE McQUEEN + DAN SHEARS & THE VELVETEEN ORKESTRA + a late set from THE EASY PEELERS £6 Hieronymous Bisch Bosch presents
Friday 26th February UMBRELLA ASSASSINS + THE BANDITOS + THE YEARS £6 Chog Town & London Callin present
Saturday 27th February LONDON + STEVE LAKE (ex ZOUNDS) + EASTFIELD + CONDITION DEAD £6 London Callin presents
Sunday 28th February TRASHCAT + 16 GUNS + THE WRITE OFFS £6 London Callin presents
Tuesday 2nd March MATT DEIGHTON £6
Wednesday 3rd March MARK MULHOLLAND £6
Thursday 4th March RUSSELL JOSLIN (album launch) + DANNY VALENTINE & THE MEDITATIONS + PHILLIOUS WILLIAMS + LUCY O'DRISCOLL + KATE WESTON £6
Sunday 7th March SEBASTIAN WALDEJAR £5
