Drawing their name from the story of an 18th-century shoemaker in their hometown whose violin performances in the local tavern helped him drum up business, and continuing to record at the home of the parents of band members Julia and…
Following the successful release of his debut album, Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm, five years ago, Benjamin Francis Leftwich unexpectedly vacated the spotlight. His sudden departure in 2013 to grieve the devastating loss of his father lasted three tumultuous years.…
The synth blast, urgent backbeat and whirling guitars that kick off Real Estate’s fourth LP augur well. You’d never accuse the New York band of urgency; they’re more prone to meander down melodic rivers with their jangle pop influences bobbing in their…
The idea of reviewing of Stornoway’s last gig of their farewell tour, in the town where they built their career strikes me as inappropriate. It’s like trying to review any sort of local, natural, beautiful, beloved phenomenon in Oxford. One…
At this point Alynda Segarra is Hurray for the Riff Raff – her songs, her music, her vision. Leaving the Bronx at the age of seventeen and riding the rails like a female Woody Guthrie, Segarra spent three years exploring…
Loudon Wainwright III, the precociously talented songwriter and exemplary troubadour, is performing dates this weekend at London’s Leicester Square Theatre. Father of the prodigious songwriters Rufus, Martha and Lucy Wainwright, Loudon is known for wildly entertaining narrative songs with an…
“Varium at mutabile semper femina” – “A woman is an ever fickle and changeable thing”. The origins of the title for Laura Marling’s latest masterpiece encapsulates her vision perfectly. Produced by the richly-gifted Blake Mills, the record serves as an…
Despite her dedication to a pure and uncluttered reading of traditional song Shirley Collin’s Barbican show is a lavishly staged affair. A huge screen shows films and animations for each song. A narrator gives context and history to the music…
Gabrielle Aplin hasn’t been out much of late. Penning new songs and reinvigorating her own independent record label – Never Fade Records – understandably puts a crimp in your gigging life. Thankfully the new initiative seems to be taking off…
The venue for the Jarosz’s concert in Oxford was St. Barnabas Church, a 160-year-old structure that looms on the edge the Oxford Canal. The Church was founded by Thomas Combe, and his wife Martha, notable names in the history of…