3 December 2018

Katy Hurt

Live Review – Katy Hurt @ Sixty Sixty Sounds, London, UK

Live events, News /

Katy Hurt Sixty Sixty Sounds, London 1 December 2018 Katy Hurt rounded off 2018 with a bang as her final show of the year emphasised further why she is seen as one of UK country’s brightest talents. Performing in Sixty Sixty Sounds – a premium guitar shop in Leicester Square – Hurt performed for over an hour and set the tone from the get-go with the frenetic Sunkissed, before launching into recent country rock single Revved Up. What makes Hurt so exciting as an artist is her versatility and range – frequently throughout the night, she demonstrates her devastating vocal skills and the ability to hold a difficult note for a prolonged period of time like it’s a walk in the park, while her guitar playing is very much on point. For the first third of the set, Hurt is backed with her excellent band, but opted to slow things down and go acoustic for a brief segment. Doing so, Hurt got the opportunity to make the most of playing at a premium guitar shop and cherry picked her dream Gibson guitar to play. In her solo segment, Hurt performed Light and Growing Up, before performing her new single Natchez. Guitarist Gab Zspaka returned to the stage to accompany Hurt on guitar for the track, as both went unplugged to bring a real feel of intimacy to proceedings. The full band returned to the stage for Before the Ice Melts as the band stepped up the tempo for the home straight, with See Ya Later in particular proving to be a standout track. Hurt closed the night on My Place and spent a lot of time after the gig to speak to those in attendance, all of whom who were very appreciative of watching a top drawer performance. Prior to Hurt’s performance, Jake Morrell took  who was celebrating the fact that his latest single Home had been played on BBC Radio 2 that morning. Morrell played a number of songs from his ‘Englishman’ EP and was brilliantly received by those in attendance. Katy Hurt played: Sunkissed Revved Up Sleeping Next 2 U Drink Fire Old School Small Town Light Growing Up Natchez Before the Ice Melts Ride Home See Ya Later Unfinished Business My Place

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Dave Ellis & Boo Howard - Great Pleasure

Album Review – 'Great Pleasure' by Dave Ellis & Boo Howard

Top Picks /

Dave Ellis & Boo Howard GREAT PLEASURE Doghouse Records *** A long and winding career still going strong…   Dave Ellis is a seasoned performer who has been making records for more than forty years and has had a few brushes with fame along the way. His first album, imaginatively titled ‘Dave Ellis Album’, released in 1973, was seen at the time as an acoustic classic and saw him touring with the late great Bert Jansch and appearing on the legendary ‘Old Grey Whistle Test’. His prowess on the acoustic guitar at that time saw music rag Melody Maker declaring that he was “one of the six best guitarists in the world”. Since then, he’s released nine albums and toured consistently and recently had some songs featured on US TV show ‘Wet Hot American Summer’. He was joined in 2000 by Boo Howard and together they have an agreeable, if a little bland, sound. The album kicks off with a bright and breezy Great Pleasure, which has a nice open sound and a positive message about getting along with people and being nice – and, in our cynical messed up world, what could be better? The arrangements on the songs are simple and straight forward and nothing really leaps out at you. The music here is rooted in folk with a pop slant buried somewhere in the mix. The musicians are, for thermoset part, laid-back and understated. However it’s all pleasant enough and there’s no doubt that Ellis is a fine guitar player and Boo Howard has a sultry melodic tone to her voice that pulls you in. Perhaps the most interesting quality on display here is the fact that whilst the music is sweet and the melodies are charming the lyrics really do have some bite. Walking Wounded sounds gorgeous, but the tale of sadness and loss belies the sweetness.  Likewise, Refugee has a sweet languid guitar figure and Howard’s voice is again lovely, but the lyric is full of a shimmering anger at the way the west is dealing with the refugees fleeing their homes right now. This is one of those albums that sounds pleasant enough in the background, but you’ll need to listen really closely or it won’t pull you in for repeated plays. If you make the effort to engage with the songs songs over the music, it’ll repay your best attentions – so go on, give it a go. www.daveandboo.com Greg Johnson

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