Category: Uncategorized

Sunday 15th September 2019

Review and photos by Keith Belcher

The Lonesome Ace String Band, Sunday 15th September 2019. The Live Room, Caroline Street Social Club, Saltaire. The first visit by Canadian trio, The Lonesome Ace String Band. They are Chris Coole (banjo), John Showman (fiddle) and Max Heineman (bass). I am glad to be able to echo the outstanding reviews and receptions they have garnered everywhere else they have played on this tour. I saw them earlier in the year at Celtic Connections , Glasgow and was looking forward to this one . I sincerely hope they will be back soon.

Sunday 8th September 2019

Photos by Keith Belcher

Some great photos as ever by Keith Belcher from Sunday’s show with Fraser Anderson and support The Silver Reserve. Beautiful songs, beautiful vocals and beautiful playing all round. And an absolutely lovely bunch of people too. Exquisite.

Friday 30th August 2019

Review and photos by Keith Belcher

3hattrio, 30th August 2019, The Live Room, Caroline Street Social Club, Saltaire, West Yorkshire.

The very welcome return visit of Zion Canyon’s, Utah based 3hattrio of Hal Cannon, guitar, banjo, Greg Istock , bass and Eli Wrankle, violin. Greg and Hal alternate lead vocals. Their musical genre is unique. They term it American Desert Music. A more upmarket terminology of “profundo Gregorian sagebrush chat” was attributed to their first album “Year One” by one reviewer. 

Now with 5 albums to their credit (the fifth “Live At Zion” is officially released this November altho’ it is available on this tour). No one else is doing what they are doing, they create their own , at times hypnotic and spiritual sonic landscape taking you to Utah and back and then some. Dust devils and sagebrush were almost visible in Saltaire last night.

During their performance you are fully immersed in the music, it is highly infectious to say the least. One of the very few bands that I feel extremely privileged to watch and hear. They are truly awesome. They don’t talk a great deal, letting the music do the talking but are always fully engaged with their audiences through their music and in no way aloof. See them if you can.

Monday 19th August 2019

Photos by Keith Belcher

We were thrilled to bring the amazing Lucky Peterson back to TLR for the second year running. In 2018 he came touring his new album, ‘A Tribute To Jimmy Smith’, which was his personal thank you to his sometime mentor, the great Hammond player of the same name. This year, it was the full blues and soul extravaganza, demonstrating not only his prowess on keys, but also his scintillating guitar playing.

For someone who in his own words, ‘don’t really call myself a guitar player’, he does a mighty fine impression! Walking down into the audience, he sang off mic and played sizzling solos over a medley of blues and rock and roll numbers that kept his band on their toes wondering what was coming next.

Joined by Lucky’s wife, Tamara Tramell, Lucky showed just why he is one of the great live performers on the modern day blues scene, in demand throughout the world.

It was another great night evening at The Live Room, helped in no small part by a wonderful turn out on a Monday night with an enthusiastic and vociferous crowd. Thanks to everyone who came along.

Friday 26th July 2019

Photos by Keith Belcher

Friday saw the long awaited first visit to TLR of the Grammy Award-winning bluesman and we weren’t disappointed! As well as his famed guitar skills, he’s blessed with a rich, deep big baritone voice that matches his 6 foot 5 inch frame.

California born, but Louisiana resident, he doesn’t believe in being pigeonholed into any arbitrary genre trap, and as well as some fine blues, we got power rock, punk, ska and even straight up honky tonk country. Alvin goes wherever his musical sense takes him and the audience were more than pleased to go with him! The only thing lacking on the night was any merchandise, denying the audience a chance to buy a CD, which we’re sure they would have done, judging by their reaction to the show

It was a powerhouse performance by any standard, from a man at the top of his game. He was ably supported by Italians, Fabio Drusin on bass and Silvano Bassi on drums.

Sunday 21st July 2019

Photos by Keith Belcher

We had booked Mama’s Broke – Amy Lou, vocals, banjo and guitar and Lisa Marie, vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar, step dance – after watching a few YouTube videos and being incredibly impressed by their songs, harmonies and playing. We were not disappointed when they took the TLR stage for the first time last night.

The songs were even more powerful live, their dark lyrics given real potency by the beauty of their voices in harmony. Drawing their influences from traditional songs, their self written material deals with such topics as public hanging (Black Rock Beach), mental illness (Count The Wicked) and the life and mind of the travelling singer songwriter (the bleak and beautiful Dirty Mattresses).

Already winners of a Canadian Folk Music Award, these two incredibly talented young musicians are now deservedly making a name for themselves on this side of the Atlantic.

Sunday 14th July 2019

Photos by Keith Belcher

A very welcome return for the Mississipi native, now resident in Mobile, Alabama and this time with her British band, who provided sterling support to this fantastic singer. Lisa received a standing ovation from the crowd, who clearly loved her open hearted approach to performance.

Sunday 7th July 2019

Words and photos by Keith Belcher

Sunday 7th July2019, The Live Room, Caroline Street Social Club, Saltaire. The first visit of the Eve Selis Band with Eve on lead vocals and guitar, Marc ‘Twang’ Intravaia guitar and vocals, Larry Grano, drums and vocals and Josh Jewsbury, bass and vocals. What a fantastic night, just sensational!!

Friday 5th July 2019

Photos and words by Keith Belcher

Friday 5th July 2019. The Live Room, Caroline Street Social Club, Saltaire, West Yorkshire. The debut visit of The Brother Brothers, identical twins David and Adam Moss who delighted the crowd with some magnificent sibling harmonies and great musicianship on guitars, fiddle and cello.

Friday 28th June 2019

Photos and review by Keith Belcher

This show had been a long time coming as promoters Ron & Hilary had been trying to arrange a date for about 3 years. The sheer number of projects that both Greg & Ciaran are involved in and availability of The Live Room presented a considerable logistical problem. When it finally happened, Hilary was holidaying in Florence leaving Ron to take the stage to introduce Greg & Ciaran. They did mention Hilary’s absence towards the end of their set but weren’t taking it personally.

They set off at great pace with the lively set of tunes that comprise The Warwick Road set, both showing their musicianship with Greg on guitar and Ciaran on very animated fiddle. At the end of the night Ciaran could have been found guilty of cruelty to bow strings. With no pause from the tunes Greg’s magnificent voice came to the fore on The Silent Majority with Ciaran weaving in and out on fiddle. Greg and Ciaran have a great rapport with their audiences engaging in humourous banter throughout the night.

The exchanges between Greg and Ciaran were quite funny too. Tonight, they had 2 fans who had travelled from Singapore for several of their gigs as well as what might have been their own travelling heckling team (in the nicest possible way). The audience were asked to participate quite early on with All Fall Down, this set the theme for the rest of the show. Great banter, good laughs and excellent music and singing.

At some point in the proceedings there entered a Spice Girls and Glastonbury element to the humour. Mercifully, (I speak for myself as a musical snob), we were spared actual girl power song covers, but Ciaran kept returning to the ladies in many funny (!) mentions. As well as the laughs there was a little politics with Line 2, The Silent Majority and We Are Leaving in set 2 which featured Ciaran on lead vocals. Set 1 finished with Crooked Jack, a song learned from Dick Gaughan.

The second set started as the first finished with a lot of humour, this time acronyms for tunings for guitar and fiddle were the subject. Ciaran deep in thought before coming up with Gerry Didn’t Appreciate Emma for GDAE. Thankfully Greg launched into John Henry sparing us more acronyms. Next was the poignant and thoughtful Lock Keeper which just happens to have a reference to Singapore, it also evoked another Spice Girls joke from Ciaran. I really appreciated Greg & Ciaran performing Icarus, a beautiful song I requested in the interval, hopefully the rest of the audience enjoyed it as much as I did. Banter and songs continued with set 2 finishing with a set of lively tunes which I think are titled Swipe Right before the very excellent encore of what seems to be their traditional closing song, a very rousing version of Pete Coe’s Rolling Down The Ryburn which lends itself to audience participation.

A fantastic night by a duo who fully engaged with the audience throughout, this wasn’t a finely refined and scripted performance, rather it refreshingly showed an enormous talent to give an audience a unique experience by their willingness and ability to ad-lib on the night which made it all the more personal. I think they would be welcome back preferably without another 3-year wait.