Pablo’s Finest Hour at the Deaf Institute, 31 May 2012

23 July 2012 by · 2 comments · Categories: manchestertaper · Tags: , ,

photo by manchestertaper

Sometimes it seems that merely mentioning a band’s name out loud condemns one to a never-ending barrage of messages and tweets via every conceivable medium, keeping you up to date with the minutiae of their movements. Sign up for notifications of live dates and you’ll soon have enough material in your inbox to write a passable biography. It is refreshing then to be greeted by such a dearth of information when looking for some background on Manchester duo Pablo’s Finest Hour.

Aside from a spartan Facebook page and a neglected Myspace site all we have to go on are some sadly under-annotated YouTube videos. But there is considerable eloquence in this unassuming approach, with Simon and Hannah content to let their gentle but wryly perceptive songs stand on their own.

We saw them for the first time supporting Gideon Conn at his recent album launch and they set the scene for him perfectly: despite having to go out in front of a packed and partisan audience, PFH played a compact, crowd-pleasing set couched in self-effacing banter that belied the accomplished songcraft on display.

They won us over and we hope to feature them again soon. Follow the links below to check out one of Manchester’s best-kept secrets.

Stream “My Heart’s Just Not in It”:

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Download complete show in MP3 format (click here)

Download complete show in FLAC format (click here)

Setlist:

Forever Restless
Lazybones
My Heart’s Just Not in It
For Hours
Tiny Splendour
Set in Stone
World Keeps Turning

If you download and enjoy this music we would fully expect you to support the band by buying their records and attending their gigs.  Pablo’s Finest Hour’s Facebook fan page is here.

Gideon Conn at the Deaf Institute, 31 May 2012

14 July 2012 by · Write a comment · Categories: manchestertaper · Tags: , ,

Photo by manchestertaper

Having spent Gideon Conn’s formative years on the Manchester singer-songwriter scene living on the other side of the planet, I must confess ignorance of him before this night.  The only information I am armed with as I enter my favourite venue in town is that Conn is “eccentric”.  So is Tom Cruise, I silently ponder.

The opening number is an amusing little ditty about a hard-working fishmonger, quietly strummed by a solo Conn.  It’s a fun lyric, but I’m not yet convinced.  With his ironic trucker cap and mannered speaking voice, one can’t help but wonder if all this isn’t just a hipster put-on.

All fears are soon assuaged as the band takes the stage and begin kicking out a funky rhythm.  Conn launches into a hip-hop vocal and before I know it he’s in the audience, dancing like your kid brother who’s drunk too much Buck’s Fizz at a family wedding.

“Quite early for me to go downstairs,” he announces with a cheeky grin.  I’m officially converted.

What follows is, indeed, eccentric, and often amusing.  Conn is far from being a comedy act, however.  More he’s Manchester’s answer to Jonathan Richman, with all the wide-eyed joy that tag implies.  I can’t remember the last time I smiled so much at a gig.

Musically, Conn and his band are all over the map, switching effortlessly from gentle ballad to soul and beyond.  Guest vocalist Josephine Oniyama is a particular highlight, her warm tones bringing an extra dimension to “Colours” and “Raise the Bar”.  And for the funk nerds out there, there’s even a cover of Archie Bell & the Drells’ 1968 hit “Tighten Up”.  Clearly, Gideon Conn knows his onions as well as his fish.

Stream “State of the Nation”:

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Download complete show in MP3 format (click here)

Download complete show in FLAC format (click here)

Setlist:

The Man Who Drives Around Selling Fish
I Want You Around
Mighty Lightning
Wildfire
Carcenogenics
Read the Signs
Colours
Take It All
Fall Under Tokyo
Trademark
Our Future
Tighten Up
Real Life
Raise the Bar
State of the Nation
Inside

If you download and enjoy this music we would fully expect you to support the band by buying their records and attending their gigs.  Gideon Conn’s official website is here and his current album can be purchased here.

Paul Thomas Saunders at St Philips, 6 May 2012

05 July 2012 by · Write a comment · Categories: manchestertaper · Tags: , ,
photograph courtesy of Julia

Until the previous night, Paul Thomas Saunders was unknown to us. SFTOC had only just published the running times for the day, and we were working our way through the list of bands on the SFTOC website, meticulously listening to all the bandcamp etc links, trying to plan the day ahead. It was a long evening. Most of the links got at most a cursory listen, until we got to PTS. In the end we had to tear ourselves away, and force ourselves to carry on working through the list.

In other words, this was a must-see.

By way of background, the St. Philips lineup was curated by our friends at Hey! Manchester, who by and large have impeccable taste in music. In the end, we arrived early, the entire festival was running a little behind schedule, and we ended up staying longer than initially planned. It was an evening of beautiful music, and to this writers ears, PTS was the absolute pinnacle.

The band came onstage, and at first it seemed shambolic; but soundchecking seamlessly segued into Santa Muerte’s lightning & flare, which brought to mind Submarine’s debut album albeit slightly less frenetic.The use of both regular and distorting microphones was a nice touch (a technique used effectively by Damien Rice amongst others).

Paul cut a slightly nervous figure, berating us for having cans of beer in church. His lyrics belie his youth – Appointment in Samarra detailing a breakup (“make no future plans / sever every bound that binds us”) and The trail remains unseen about exorcising the past (“as the fields turn to coast / let the water scare away all of your ghosts / of the girls you held at seventeen”).

We are pleased with this recording, and can’t wait til Paul is playing headline slots. We hope you agree.

Stream “The trail remains unseen”:

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Download complete show: click preferred format: mp3 or flac

Setlist:
Santa Muerte’s lightning & flare
Appointment in Samarra
Good times rags and requiems
Let the carousel display you & I
The trail remains unseen
A lunar veteran’s guide to re-entry
??

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