Jesca Hoop @ Band on the Wall, Manchester, 24 May 2010

The first time I went to see Jesca Hoop was at the Deaf Institute back in February, and I almost didn’t go. It seems incredible now, but I was tired and it was the night before I flew to Amsterdam. And now after seeing her twice? I wouldn’t miss a gig for the world. I have every intention of catching her for a third time at Latitude, and maybe even a fourth this year at Summer Sundae.

So, Jesca, how do I love thee? I shall count the ways:

1. Hoop has a wonderfully endearing stage presence. She flirts with the crowd, telling us how, as a California girl she has been won over by British treats such as Marmite. She tells a peanut butter joke. She apologies for taking time to tune her guitar. She talks about her mother’s illness and her Mormon family. And the audience fall for her bit by bit until they leave, totally head over heels.


2. You just know she would throw a good party. Songs like Out the Back Door and the brand new Kitchen Disco (complete with strobes) are just so damn cool I want to hang out after the gig and ask her to be my friend.


3. Angel Mom, despite the title, is one of the most beautiful songs I think I have ever heard. It demonstrates the purity of Hoop’s voice perfectly, and makes me cry a little bit. And I love a cry.


4. Jesca puts it all out there to give you a gig well worth your money. The music veers from blues to folk to…God, I want to say funk, but its more like some kind of new genre she has invented. There are strikingly beautiful backing singers, telephone theatrics, encores and a completely A Capella song that simply stuns the crowd.


5. Oh, and Guy Garvey came out to sing with her. Did I not mention that? You know it’s been a good gig when Guy Garvey is an afterthought.

The next month in music

There seems to be rather a lot of interesting live music in Manchester coming up, despite the fact that we are entering the traditionally slow summer season. Here’s my pick of the best stuff:

1. Antlers @ St Philip’s Church in Salford, Thursday 20 May:
Don’t know much about this band, I’m going with a fan, but always look forward to a gig in this venue. Seeing Hurts do their debut gig here was very special

2. Jesca Hoop @ Band on the Wall, Monday 24 May:
Seeing Jesca for the second time. She was mesmerising at the Deaf Institute, her songs are like a kind of wonderful soul-folk and she has quite a stage presence. Her ridiculously good-looking backing singers were crowd-pleasers last time as I remember. Her popularity is increasing rapidly, I would expect her to be pretty well-known by the end of the festival season



3. Dot to Dot Festival, various venues, all-day, Bank Holiday Monday 31 May:
Booked tickets for this before the line-up was announced, and the first batch of bands was a bit disappointing. Zane Lowe? But things are looking up, I’m especially looking forward to Wild Beasts, Beach House, Wolf Gang and Lissie – the latter’s EP I have has on repeat for a week or so, brilliant stuff. Booked the next day off work – for the best after a bank holiday all-day session.

4. Lau @ The Trades Club, Hebden Bridge, Friday 4 June:
Bit out of the area this one, but actually surprisingly easy to get to – there are regular trains to and from Victoria, and it’s nice to have a change of scene. Lau won Best Group at the 2010 BBC2 Folk Awards, and have some beautiful, more traditional folk songs.

5. Ian Brown @ Platt Fields, 11 June:
Is anybody not going to this? Have taken the afternoon off work to fully enjoy the line-up. Only mildly looking forward to Ian Brown himself, but with the park-based fun starting at 4:30pm and UNKLE, A Certain Ratio, Mr Scruff and Now Wave DJs also on the line up, I’m anticipating it to be one of the events of the summer.

Reviews to follow!

Tunng + Erland and the Carnival @ Band on the Wall Manchester

I had been keen to visit the restored Band on the Wall venue since it reopened in September 2009, and booked tickets when I saw Erland and the Carnival were supporting Tunng. I have to admit I booked them to see Erland, but after listening to a bit of folktronica 5-piece Tunng I was equally excited about seeing both.

It’s a great venue, with a balcony that can really make a gig for a shorty like me. Despite being sold out there was plenty of space for moving around, especially impressive when you consider that the venue is run on a not-for-profit basis.

Erland and the Carnival came out with no fanfare, getting immediately stuck into their new album. Erland Cooper showed himself to be an animated frontman, dancing and winding as he sang and played, while guitarist Simon Tong (ex-Verve, ex-Blur, ex-The Good, the Bad and the Queen) and the rest of the band focused on their instruments. The folk-tinged rock sometimes echoed The Coral, but not to its detriment. For a new band they were very tight, and Trouble in Mind and Was you ever see were real stand out tracks.

Tunng followed, after setting up their own instruments. One of their founding members, Sam Genders, has recently left the band so it was interesting to see how this reduced line-up would fare playing their brand new album And then we saw land. They seem quiet and nervous, but there is clear devotion from the crowd and they soon get warmed up. The sound is unlike anything I’ve heard before, with electronic sampling taking a bold role in a very un-folklike manner. But the gentle voices of Mike Lindsay and Becky Jacobs confirm that this is still traditional folk, and their voices mainly weave into the electronica seamlessly. There is an odd dud track but most are winners. Don’t look down or back and Hustle are getting 6music radio play, which the band gratefully reference, but the encore shows they have kept the best til last. Jenny Again is a quiet ballad with intriguing lyrics that sticks in the mind for days, while Bullets sweeps triumphantly over the crowd who begged for it, as all the band sing the chorus. Although my brother picks Erland as his favourites of the night, its Tunng that stole my heart.