SALTAIRE SPECIALS

Three local acts where the centre of attraction at the recent Saltaire Arts Festival. In the shadow of the wonderful and imposing Salts Mill, the following three sets showed how music can bring everyone, whatever colour, rich or poor, together in harmony for a sublime afternoon.

NILBANTER – Four very talented musicians who gave the audience a set of immaculate covers, including Summer of 69, Sweet Home Alabama and Brown-eyed Girl to name but a few. There are a great number of cover bands throughout the “live” music scene in West and North Yorkshire, very few, if any are as good as Nilbanter.

www.myspace.com/nilbanterboys

CROSSCUT SAW – After rave reviews following their performance at the recent Colne Blues Festival, Alex Eden, leading from the front on vocals, lead guitar and harmonica and the rest of the multi-talented band gave a quality performance of solid raw Blues.

www.myspace.com/crosscutsaw

KWAME.D – As the rain clouds gathered, KwameD succeeded in both dragging the sun out and sending the crowds spirits soaring as only he can. Is there a more inspiring and uplifting song than Kwame’s “Don’t Give Up”? if there is, then I’ve yet to hear it.

www.myspace.com/kwamed

WHEN FRIENDS MEET - HEARTS WARM

The impressive music room at the Owl in Rodley, was the venue of a birthday celebration and re-unions, all rolled in to one. Jackie Willacy who’s birthday it was, had organised the event, and as always when Jackie is involved, this resulted in a room packed with an A-Z of Yorkshire’s finest musicians. Artists performing included, KwameD, Duncan McFarlane, Ramon, Joe Gallagher, Rosie Clegg, The Lowtown Blues Band, Jackie’s class of 74 and Peculier Blue. With the music as hot as the free Chilli and Curry available, this was a wonderful evening which ended with a jam session into the early hours.

The re-union side of the night was two-fold, most of the people present at the Owl had enjoyed a memorable weekend in the lakes to celebrate Jeff and Jackie’s Silver wedding last year, a review of the weekend appears on this site under April 2006. The second part of the re-union was the celebration of the “Gig in the Sky” an event still talked about, when Jackie persuaded many of the musicians already mentioned, plus more besides, to walk / stagger to the top of Inglebrough to perform a gig, this event raised £1300 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and St Gemma’s Hospice in Leeds. Hopefully some sort of re-union / Gig in the sky 2 may take place in the future.

A photograph of the “Gig in the Sky” is featured on www.myspace.com/leedsmusicpromotions

ALLENSMITH

ALLENSMITH are a dynamic rhythmic based acoustic duo which has been forged between Barry Smith and David Allen, a young talented guitarist from Brighouse. The duo play original songs and tunes of a very distinct and individualistic nature, as well as arrangements of covers of folk to popular standards.

Forthcoming ALLENSMITH Gigs

Sat Sept 29th
THE ROBERTOWN FOLK DAY – organised by The Polaris Folk Club, featured artists and mc supremos of the afternoon open live session.
Contact Deanna Norman for details 01924 518753

Sat Oct 6th
CHEMIC CHARITY ACOUSTIC CONCERT – Woodhouse, Leeds
Concert with YLEM, Allensmith and The Beaumont Brothers.

Thurs Dec 6th
Support act to Phil Hare at The Topic Folk Club, Bradford.

For more details of this exciting duo please visit;

www.barrysmithmusic.co.uk

ESPRESSO PERFORMANCE FROM WATERLAND

As the kaleidoscope of china butterflies, surveyed the pine, wicker and clay pottery surroundings of the Cobbles and Clay café-bar, Waterland delivered a first-class service to the supporters of the Haworth Arts Festival. As the coffee machines kept erupting into action, the butterfly theme continued with the duos original and innovative “Butterfly In Reverse” track, adding to a set, containing covers from Springsteen, Stevie Miller and Joy Division. As the drizzle softly touched the cobbled main street, the delicate guitar work and strong vocals from Jon Palmer, coupled with the solid Bass playing of Sam Barrett, keeping the set as tight as a Keith Moon drum-kit, this was as professional a performance as you could wish to see, when this duo play, the werewolves of London put down their pina colada’s and listen intently to musicians at the top of their profession. A song written about a Friday night in Otley, “Another Friday Night In A Northern Town” was very appropriate as the duo are to perform three sets at the Otley Folk Festival, miss them live at your peril and buy the CD as a personal gift to yourself, when you listen to it, you know you deserve it.

www.myspace.com/waterlanduk

A special thanks to Tony Levy, who organised the “Live” music at the Cobbles and Clay café, without dedicated and genuine music-people like Tony Levy the “Live” music scene would be a very desolate and barren place.

www.myspace.com/tonylevy
http://www.tonylevy.co.uk/