Issue 76 / April 2017

Karl Blau
+ Astles
Harvest Sun @ Leaf - 17/02
A quick google search of KARL BLAU will return images of Blau
fantastically clad in rhinestones, cowboy hats and embroidered
jackets, along with articles fawning over his most recent release,
Introducing Karl Blau (and rightly so). Introducing…, is a catalogue
of country-soul covers of mostly Nashville classics, the careful
selection and alignment of which, create a beautiful tale of
love, loss, adventure and hope. You’d be forgiven to assume the
Nashville stuff was his niche – his sonic and literal home actually
lies within the American North West indie scene, where he’s
heralded as an integral foundation. His back catalogue, (most of
which proudly fill the racks in K Records - which includes releases
from Beck and Kimya Dawson of the Moldy Peaches) is a diverse
exploration and representation of his enthusiasm and passion
for music. So tonight, I’m left with an itching curiosity as to what
corner of Karl’s world we’ll explore.
Which’ll have to wait as it’s ASTLES who’s first to mount
the stage at Leaf tonight. A large, receptive and reverent crowd
overlook Astles as he solitarily occupies the front of the stage.
Unassuming and restrained he stays rooted to the centre of the
stage, his guitar twines minimalist, delicate but evocative lullingfabrics.
His presence, in lack of a band is slight, however his
pained, sonorous voice fills the open spaces of the room. His set
is short, although it’s stuffed with sincerity and honesty.
A small collection of cowboy hats drift along the crests of
the crowd, as Karl and the band make their way to the stage.
The first few notes of Woman (Sensous Woman) spiral from
a pedal guitar and the scene is quickly set for Blau’s brand of
Tennessee drenched country-folk. Karl’s deep mellifluous voice
floats around the room, the pain and sorrow of Let The World Go
By reverberates a deeper sense of loss, honeyed with a sweeter
sense of hope, through the medium of Karl’s humanising voice.
The majority of the set is devoted to his most recent release,
however, a few articles from his catalogue get a country lacquer.
Slow Children, is a highlight, a heartfelt tribute to his childhood
cat, who was run over by a car; the chorus delivering a melodic
reminder of the naivety and frailty of youth.
At times there is nothing much to say about the performance;
the songs are performed so seamlessly, care free and
professional, it leaves little to critique and explore. Much like
Ronnie O’Sullivan playing with his left hand or Manchester United
bringing on Phil Neville at half time – the band showboat by
switching up positions with a playful glee, and continue to coast
along the set. Karl and his band, are affable, fun and evoke the
hospitality and nature of a country joint’s resident band.
What continues to intrigue me most about Blau, is his
seeming ability to adopt a style of playing or a musical genre,
master it, and make those songs his own. The gig has catalysed
my interest into the scope of Blau as a multi-instrumentalist,
a portrayer of characters and storyteller. It will be interesting
to see where Blau will expand, what direction he’ll take. But
in the meantime, for the next few weeks, my idle afternoons
will be spent delving myself into his K Records back catalogue
and his world of DIY releases, in the hope of gaining a further
appreciation of the man.
Jonny Winship / @jmwinship
ROUND UP
A selection of the best of
the rest from another busy
month of live action on
Merseyside.
Powersolo (Paul McCoy)
Although The Kazimier is no longer with us, you’ll still
find the Kazimer Garden surrounded by a matrix of
scaffolding, plywood boarding and the rubble of its late
sibling. And it’s in this oasis that Stuart Miles O’Hara
immerses himself for an evening of music in the company
of TAUPE that channels the old spirit of the Kaz. Bursting
straight into a breakneck set, the three-piece of sax, guitar,
and drums waste no time in showing off the gut-wrenching
changes of tempo that characterise their second album,
Fill Up Your Lungs And Bellow. With an improvisational
style that gets the forehead veins throbbing, it springs to
mind a new cut-and-paste genre: ‘math jazz’. “This is what
jazz sounds like,” they say – because it’s 2017, and nobody
wears berets anymore.
Over at the O2 Academy, Del Pike is in the presence
of a true icon of indie rock as he settles in for an EVENING
WITH PETER HOOK AND THE LIGHT. Hooky makes short
shrift of demonstrating his stamina as he treats the fanatic
crowd to a two-part set packed to the brim with crowd
pleasers. The first half is dedicated to New Order, starting
with In A Lonley Place before stepping things up with Blue
Monday. The mood is noticeably different in the second half,
as Hook imitates the funereal vocals of Ian Curtis, although
a rousing finale of Love Will Tear Us Apart somehow lifts
the mood and sends everyone home humming.
It was only a matter of time before SOLARDO were
back to party with the Scousers, and Joe Hale is on hand
to witness their Sessions tour as they bring their bassdriven,
Haçienda-on-acid-influenced tech-house sound
to 24 Kitchen Street. Their range of garage drum ‘n’ bass,
rolling basslines and syncopated rhythms light the spark
for a lively audience, holding off until the end of the night to
kick the crowd into a free-for-all when they drop their most
famed track Tribesmen.
Elsewhere, Max Baker camps in Buyers Club until
the early hours for Familiar Circles’ debut as they host
producer ROSS FROM FRIENDS, who performs an
uninterrupted live set with a guitarist and a saxophonist.
Bootman, the set closer, is an exceptional example of
the South Londoner’s low budget sound, creating an
intimate sense of introspective romance in the red-lit room.
Meanwhile, Paul Fitzgerald is captivated by the barmy
Danish rock ‘n’ roll duo POWERSOLO in the back room of
Legion Of Lost Souls.
Full reviews of all these shows can be found now at
bidolito.co.uk.
Karl Blau (Mike Sheerin)
Taupe (Glyn Akroyd)
REVIEWS 47