Mr. Heart at Club Academy, 26 May 2012

30 May 2012 by · Write a comment · Categories: manchestertaper · Tags: , ,
Photo by Jak-Kenton Spraggan

Sometimes it seems there is so much good music out there to discover that it’s easy to miss what’s on your very doorstep.  It took a heads-up from a friend in Leicester, of all places, to turn me on to Salford’s own Mr. Heart.  “They are fantastic,” he says.  “Bit PJ Harvey-esque.”

So it is that I find myself in the beer garden of Kro, on the hottest day of the year so far, approaching three girls half my age with a view to recording their impending shenanigans for our website.  We have no shame here at Manchester Taper.  Luckily, I don’t get a slap in the face, so the girls and I take our business indoors.  Score.

Onstage, screaming feedback gives way to a riot of crunching riffs, buzzing bass, and flailing drums.  Then all too quickly they break it down.  Mr. Heart do the quiet-loud thing well and often.  They’ve clearly been studying the alternative scene of the early ’90s (Pixies, The Breeders), which I remember with fondness and which they, almost certainly, don’t.

But it would be foolish to hold their youth against them.  Mr. Heart are as musically accomplished as they are knowledgeable.  Tamsin does, indeed, have an air of Polly Jean about her, while bassist Sophie is a protégée of legendary Blockhead Norman Watt-Roy, no less.  But it’s Helen — the least likely rock chick of the three — who surprises most when she turns out to be a monster drummer.

They tear through seven of their planned ten-song set before an edgy jobsworth at the Academy informs them to make the next song their last.  It’s the only unsatisfactory moment of the night, but I have the feeling Manchester Taper will be crossing paths with Mr. Heart again soon.  And, if we’re there, you can be, too.

Stream “The Hide”:

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Download complete show in MP3 format (click here)

Download complete show in FLAC format (click here)

Setlist:

Boredom’s Device
Mr. Heart
Sexy Husby
The Hide
Amber
Devolution
The Riot Song
Stones

If you download and enjoy this music we would fully expect you to support the band by buying their records and attending their gigs.  Mr. Heart’s official website is here.

The Miserable Rich at Deaf Institute, 20 April 2012

22 May 2012 by · 1 comment · Categories: manchestertaper · Tags: , ,
photo by manchestertaper

Looking at the Miserable Rich’s website, the first thing that strikes you is that this is a band that plays a lot of gigs. Including, apparently, two previous appearances in this very room – how they’ve managed to pass me by I do not know. And what a wondrous band I’ve been missing out on: from the introductory whine of stringed instruments being brought to order to the final, unforgettable, encore the Brighton sextet kept the Saturday night Deaf Institute crowd completely spellbound.

The setlist leaned heavily on last year’s “Miss You” LP, a chamber pop concept album about ghostly goings on – but don’t let that lazy description put you off: what in lesser hands could have been fey and indulgent is here full-blooded, captivating and shot through with an irresistible black humour.

Singer James de Malplaquet makes for a captivating host; between keening vocals and stage patter to elucidate the ghostly thread holding the new songs together, he even managed to sweet talk the audience into buying him a single malt to soothe his ailing larynx. It certainly seemed to do the trick as he effortlessly led the band through a set that kept the entire audience entirely rapt.

After 15 perfectly poised songs, we probably couldn’t have reasonably asked for any more but the band saw fit to circumvent the curfew they’d already broken by unplugging their instruments and playing the final two numbers of the night unamplified in the centre of the room. I’ve no doubt whatsoever that this is a trick they regularly pull out of the bag rather than the impromptu gesture it ostensibly was but it was still absolutely magical. An unforgettable end to an exceptional gig.

What a fabulous band. And they’re back in town in a few weeks, too.

Special thanks to Howard, the band and all at the Deaf Institute for facilitating this recording and, of course, much respect to Hey Manchester for another memorable night.

Stream “Ghost of a Dog>Tramps”:

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Download complete show in mp3 format (click here)

Download complete show in FLAC format (click here)

Setlist:

Imperial Lines
Laid Up In Lavender
Honesty
On a Certain Night
The Lighthouse
Let Me Fade
Telephone
Chestnut Sunday
Heaven’s Sake
Ghost Of A Dog>Tramps
Under Glass
Pillion
Ringing The Changes
Fear of the Dark
True Love
Monkey
Hungover

If you download and enjoy this music we would fully expect you to support the band by buying their records and attending their gigs. The Miserable Rich’s official website is here and their releases can be purchased from record shops of quality and distinction such as Piccadilly Records.

Richmond Fontaine at Bury Met 3 May 2012

10 May 2012 by · Write a comment · Categories: manchestertaper · Tags: , , ,
photo (c) Roger Liptrot

Richmond Fontaine: we love them. Everybody loves them. A collection of beautifully simpatico musicians fronted by a songwriter/novelist who apparently has a hotline to the very soul of America: what’s not to like?

With Willy Vlautin’s third novel winning rave reviews and literary prizes across the board and his first being eyed up by movie producers, one wonders how long Richmond Fontaine will be playing the intimate shows in which they excel. That being the case, there was no way we were going to miss this show: Willy and guitarist Dan Eccles playing as a duo and topping an amazing bill that also saw sets from Richard Buckner and Peter Bruntnell.

The band’s current album remains 2011’s The High Country: an ambitious, desolate collection of songs which was effectively a Vlautin novel set to music. After a highly acclaimed tour that saw the full band perform the entire LP in order every night, this short series of duo dates must come as light relief to the two guitarists. Not that the songs stray far from Willy’s trademark tales of hope glimmering in the shards of lives shattered by bad luck and worse decisions.

Eccles and Vlautin played a great career-spanning set in front of the partisan audience and ended the night by bringing the two support acts back to the stage for an eclectic trio of covers. The sound in the venue (once known as the Derby Hall, and scene of the legendary Joy Division riot, as if we needed to remind you) was immaculate and I think our board & mics recording captures it beautifully. It’s not a typical RF show by any means, but we’ve got plenty of those in the Manchestertaper vaults – let us know if you’d like us to post more of this fantastic band.

This show was a Mr Kite Benefit and we would respectfully request that you visit his site and consider making a donation to one of his good causes after downloading the recording. Special thanks go to Rich, Mr Kite and Terry, Nathan & all at the Met for a great gig and helping us make this recording.

Stream “Always on the Ride”:

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Download complete show in mp3 format (click here)

Download complete show in FLAC format (click here)

Setlist:

We Used to Think the Freeway Sounded Like a River
The Boyfriends
Lost in the Trees
Postcard from California
Don’t Go Back There
I Fell into Painting Houses in Phoenix, Arizona
Ruby & Lou
Let Me Dream of the High Country
Postcard Written With a Broken Hand
43
Always on the Ride
The Kid From Belmont
Incident at Conklin Creek
Postcard Postmarked Phoenix, AZ
Lonnie
Making it Back
You Can Move Back Here
Still Looking For You
I Can’t Hold Myself in Line
Candy-O

If you download and enjoy this music we would fully expect you to support the artist by buying their records and attending their gigs. Richmond Fontaine’s official website is here and their releases can be purchased from record shops of quality and distinction such as Piccadilly Records.