Hector Gannet Live at Hall 2, Sage Gateshead

Went to The Sage to see Hector Gannet and reviewed the gig for Rocking Magpie.

Hector Gannet
Hall 2
Sage Gateshead
Saturday May 6^th2023

Before a guitar was strummed, a lone voice filled Sage 2; filmed in 1944 following the re-opening of Tyneside’s shipyards at the start of the World War 2 a cloth-capped Geordie states
”Tyneside’s busy enough today,
owldens and youngens hard at work makin’ good ships…
will it be the same again five years from now?“
The footage, courtesy of the North East Film Archive plays on a screen above the heads of Aaron Duff and his band as the music kicks in.
Tonight’s opener -The Launchwas taken from their 2020 debut albumBig Harcar- it’s a beautiful, largely instrumental track with only the haunting, echoey lines

‘When you’re ready to go, let me know’transporting us backwards.

Of course, this historic newsreel/live music territory has been richly mined of late by Public Service Broadcasting, but…

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Aldous Harding at Sage Gateshead

Went to the Sage Gateshead to review Aldous Harding for Rocking Magpie.

The Rocking Magpie

Aldous Harding
Sage 1
Sage Gateshead
Saturday, 22nd April 2023

Aldous Harding takes to the stage dressed in something akin to a black karate outfit, flat black leather shoes, her hair pulled tightly into a ponytail, her face seemingly make-up free. I
It’s a minimalist look, and this, coupled to her understated entrance sets the tone for what is to follow.
Despite tonight’s unglamorous façade, Aldous watchers know full well that her persona is an instrument of remarkable agility, her voice too – soft and gentle at times but it can also have a blowtorch intensity to it too.
Add to this the jagged lyricism of a young, surrealist poet and the simmering energy she quietly creates on stage soon starts to glow.
‘Lick my instep,
I miss the funk it leaves on me’
she sings moments into the evening’s opener, Ennui, one of nine songs she performs…

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Emiliana Torrini and The Colorist Orchestra FRI-SON, FRIBOURG, SWITZERLAND

Went to Fri-Son to see Emiliana Torrini

The Rocking Magpie

Emiliana Torrini and The Colorist Orchestra
Fri-Son
Fribourg
Switzerland

Friday, March 24 2023

When I travel andwherever I land, Ialways keep an eye out for opportunities to sample the local live music scene.
Case in point; I discovered thatEmiliana TorriniandThe Colorist Orchestrawere on tour and playing one Swiss date in Fribourg andthe venue (lucky for me) –Fri-Sonis just a ten-minute walk from where I’m staying.
Happy days.
I’m familiar withEmiliana Torrini, my gateway into her music had beenMe And Armini,her 2008 album andalthough it’s an interesting listen, it’s been one of those albums that over the years, through no fault of its own, has been pushed down the pecking order when it comes to choosing what to play next.

Pre-gig I learned that the Emiliana Torrini/Colorist Orchestra collaboration was originally envisaged to span a run of five concerts. A live recording of…

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