Alfie Boe at the Orchard Theatre

Alfie Boe
Orchard Theatre, 25 May 2012

Years ago, back when I was at school, musical star Michael Ball had his own TV show. Ball is a singer and a West End star who had made his name in Andrew Lloyd Webber show Aspects Of Love, and even now is famous for his cheeky, clean-cut image, curly blonde hair and boyish charm. His show was a variety type affair with guests and him singing various MOR and musical numbers, fairly typical early evening TV fluff and nothing to write home about. But one performance from that show in particular has stuck in my mind all these years because it was so unintentionally hilarious and completely misguided: it was Ball, in a poor attempt to be hip, trying to croon the quirky punky pop of Love Shack by The B52's. Well this weird-ass Alfie Boe show was the live equivalent of Michael Ball singing Love Shack.

The Afghan Whigs live return

Performing the song See And Don't See. So good to have them back.

Sharon Van Etten at Scala

Sharon Van Etten
Exitmusic
Scala, 16 May 2012

Sharon Van Etten looks thrilled and completely overwhelmed that she's standing in front of a sold-out audience in London. "We're a bunch of nobodies, who can't believe a bunch of somebodies came out to see us," she says sweetly. It's not a Sally Field "you love me, you really love me" moment either, Van Etten giggles like a kid at Christmas whose long wait has finally paid off. And things are finally paying off for her, after three superb albums, people are starting to take notice of her and catch on to her unique and beautiful brand of folk-infused rock. Not only is the Scala filled to the brim but there's even some American fans beside me who have traveled all the way from the States to see her, one saying he had tried to see her in New York but her shows were sold out, so obviously it's not just a London thing.

Anaïs Mitchell interview

I interviewed the wonderful Anaïs Mitchell about her new album, Young Man In America, for Hive Magazine. You can read the results there or below!

Singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell has been compared to everyone from Joanna Newsom to Ani DiFranco (whose Righteous Babe record label used to be her home) but really there is no one else like her right now as her last album, the masterful Hadestown (which boasted such guests as Justin Vernon of Bon Iver and DiFranco herself) clearly testifies. An ambitious and musically diverse concept album, it drew rave reviews and found itself on many end of year best-of lists in 2010. Her latest release, Young Man In America, is a more traditional affair but is equally arresting. We asked Mitchell all about the new album, her up upcoming UK tour and more.

Your last album, Hadestown, was an opera based on the story of Orpheus and Eurydice and although you’ve said that this one, Young Man In America, isn’t a concept album, do you think they share any themes? 

People have pointed out that they DO share themes, but I totally didn’t notice that when I was writing the songs. Hadestown is the Orpheus myth as you said, but it’s set in a post-apocalyptic depression era that takes a lot of inspiration from 1930s America, the poverty and exploitation of those times. Young Man In America takes inspiration from the current recession and the first two songs on the album are set in a wild America, an every-man-for-himself version of America. So I guess I have some kinda bone to pick huh?