| 3 Blind Mice E-REVIEWS |
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Heard a 3BM album? Seen them play live? Share your thoughts with other visitors to catsaway.com by sending your review to: e-reviews@catsaway.com 3 Blind Mice & Friends @ The Battersea Barge Two gigs, two nights, great fun, and a Dutch film crew filming the proceedings!! Thanks Gert and Arjan for your friendship... can't wait to see the results... edit away guys!! Monday's gig started with 'Mouse Idol'. Compere for the evening was Nick Courtney (gig promoter and avid Mouse fan who had brought a coach party up from Portsmouth!) introduced the three support acts Leigh Stokes, Chris Pitt and Ashley & Serena. They sang two original songs each and then with use of Hughie Greens' clap-o-meter a winner was to be decided...the prize ...to sing a third song of course! The result was too close to call so Nick called for a Mouse decision. Victoria asked 'Simon Cowell' to choose, Frankie a Mouseketeer and brilliant Cowell impersonator choose my favourite, Leigh!! As she walked to the stage I called out 'Tom Vek' - a marvellous song I'd heard her sing on my trip to Portsmouth. Others joined in and she duly sang it!! Hurray!! The Mice then took the stage and I hit the dance floor... well, my own personal spot near the bar!! 3 Blind Mice had become six, with Andy Herbert on bass and double bass, Nigel Spennewyn on guitar and Frankie Jack on percussion and BV's. They performed a mix of old and new, fast and slow, which went down a storm with the crowd, most of whom were familiar with Mouse Music. During the half time break, another brilliant singer/songwriter and friend, Gareth Howells, was persuaded to sing a couple of numbers... the wonderful Brilliant Fire and the superb Machismo... which he dedicated to me (I'll miss him over the next five weeks as he's flying off to gig in Thailand). The Mice reappeared on stage and the fun continued, Alex managed a whole gig without breaking a string!!, Lyndon climbed on to his keyboard stand, standing over the keyboard and still managing to play brilliantly!!, Sean broke into a sweat and had to remove his jacket...that's a first!! Andy, Nigel and Frankie were as excellent as ever and Big Tom joined them on stage, deserting his lighting post, for the encore and stayed for the second encore too!!! All too soon the coach party had to leave -- it's a long drive home -- and the rest of the crowd filtered home too. Tuesday night was a totally different atmosphere as most of the crowd were new to the Mice, which is great to see. Spreading the Mouse word is VERY important!! Gert and Arjan were back again... and the guys were wearing the same clothes as the night before... good for continuity!! The support act arrived late... London traffic!! They were Dave and Matt and their guitars, they sang some mellow folk songs. The Mice played straight through, without a break, this time Alex broke not one but two strings, with Lyndon improvising music whilst Frankie improvised the words... not repeatable on a family site!! Wonderful off the cuff stuff!! The crowd really seemed to enjoy the set and we sold quite a few CDs' too!! The encore was a very under-rehearsed version of 'Benny And The Jets' with Peter the Barge owner taking over the keyboards and Lyndon taking centre stage, wearing a pair of comedy glasses and getting the words wrong... in the end he gave up, shared the keyboard with Peter and Frankie took over the singing... and fantastic he was too!! We had a famous face in the crowd too... Andy Newman of Thunderclap Newman!!!!. Anyway I can't wait for the next gig.... I'll keep you all posted as to where and when!!! Maybe I'll see some of you there one day soon!! 3 Blind Mice @ The White Lion, St. Albans The evening started with the mellow Waterline and continued the theme with Welcome To The Water. After the thought provoking lyrics of Blue is Blue, the mood and the tempo changed with the upbeat Where's The Fire? Sean The Sax joined Lyndon, Alex, Sean and Andy on stage for The Word and gave a great performance, first time I've seen him play with this brilliant band!! Alex went back to his roots with Kolysanka, inspired by his great, great grandparents escape from the Russian pogroms... The quirky up tempo Derek Malone, the story of one mans and his knife, oh and an encounter with a homosexual policeman,was followed by the heartrending Your Face Is Not Enough. A short interlude gave the crowd a chance to buy the brilliant Good Grief, the long awaited fourth album. It was worth every second of that wait...there are no fillers here, every song a winner! The second half started with a bit of rock 'n' roll in the form of I'm So Tired. I had been dancing from the beginning of the set, now that the tempo was faster and the drinks flowing, more people joined in at the front. Piccadilly, the story of drug addiction, "with the names changed to protect the guilty" followed by Old News, a personal favourite. Alex has a way of telling a melancholy story with a bouncy melody!! The Egg (or The Igg if you're a Kiwi or a South African) contains the most poetic line I've ever heard "No chalk dust autumn sunshine" conjures up the perfect image of the watery sunshine you get at that time of year. Plans came next followed by the very rock 'n' roll Don't Break Me...during which Alex broke a string!!!! As he changed it, the rest of the guys improvised a little tune the Lyndon dubbed "A Song To Change Strings By"...maybe it'll be on the next album. A new love song next, Flowers, written for the wonderful Victoria, Lyndons' girlfriend and Manager of all things Mice. The superb Hellbound Eyes was next, a rock 'n' roll horror story!! After a very short break for Phillipa, the organiser, to thank the guys they returned to the stage and played two encores. The uplifting Pray God and then a request from the crowd..."play that Russian one again!"..so they did!! After a long and rousing round of applause, the guys left the stage!! 3 Blind Mice - "Good Grief" CD The lyrics are superb throughout and the vocals from Alex and Lyndon are strong, passionate and varied. The songs: Your Face Is Not Enough: Great display of the band sound, and the first indication of how good they are at writing lyrics. Dead Penguin: Classic pop song; guaranteed to get people plugging in their air guitars. Kolysanka: Lovely surprise, hadn't heard this live...in fact, can I hear this live please? Derek Malone: Nice Colin Moulding bounce to it - again nice lyrics. The Word: This one got my son dancing about the room in funny ways - and singing along with a grin on his face - and it feels good....to sing it! I'm So Tired: Excellent rock song - shows a different side to the band: in the same way as Swagman does - which doesn't seem to be on any of their albums! The Breaking: Wow! - bit of a revelation this one. Subtle, powerful, compelling. Alex really delved into this one. The King's Shilling: Chilling vocal line - beautiful. Sung with great power. I Wanna Be Alright: Proof that rock n roll can have great lyrical poetry. Andy Is Waving Goodbye: The vocal line in this is so infectious! - great pop song, the melody is unforgettable. Who is Andy - sounds personal...great lyrics again. The Egg: Perfect follow up to the mega-production of 'Andy'. How Will I Know: Fantastic lyrics, possibly the best set of lyrics i've seen about growing old. The vocal harmony overdubs remind me of the Yes classic 'Leave it' too, which is saying something! Tell St George the Dragon is Still Alive: Big epic rock song with great harmonies. Paper: I love this song so much! It's raw and personal, the chorus has that bitterness in the music and the lyrics in the verse are beautiful and poetic. Live it's even more powerful. - basically a pretty big achievement. I will be playing this CD a lot. Anyone who has seen them live and loved it will find what they want on this CD. 3 Blind Mice & Friends @ The Battersea Barge Well, last night
for me was fantastic. I had had a particularly difficult day but
seeing the guys perform was a real pick me up.
My
partner who had only heard 3BM in the car before last night was most
impressed and loved the impromptu jammimg session that popped up at the
end. Lyndon was as good as any man could be with the
excrutiatingly
long hours he has put in lately, paining himself to finish his own
album, the up and coming Go West album as well as touring with them,
but
dearest Lyndon PLEASE GET SOME SLEEP!
The
album is just brilliant and my 9 year old who hates reading even got
the booklet out to read the lyrics! We will play that to death
before
the next gig and with my partner having a copy in his car as well I can
listen to it for twice as long!
Sean was as
smouldering as ever and I will definitely have some chest hair next
time love, okay ;oD
For
me it was lovely to hear Peter (darling) play the piano. I am always
late turning up so I never see him perform; he sure knows how to bang
out a tune!
It
was a bonus to have so many other mouseketeers on stage, some old faces
and some new. They just enhance a truely talented band.
Cant wait
to see you all again x
- Sarah Thorp
The Micemas Party @ The Battersea Barge So now they were able to show their songwriting skills - and they really shone! They began with the core members of 3 Blind Mice, utilising their 3 part harmonies straight away on the opener, "First to Call Me Beautiful" A big start that continued with "Old Mother Hubbard" and the powerful "Where's the Fire?" (loved that one). "Blue is Blue" began with Lyndon going off for a pee break, the humour of the band and great comraderie showing through nature's call. "Watchstar" included audience participation as their Christmas commentary was augmented by the audience, as requested, singing an adapted version of "O Come all ye faithful" - that had great atmosphere, Alex shining on this one. "Waterline" showed off their harmonies again - this band slipping into a tight, close harmony rock that brings memories of Crowded House, CSN and Todd Rundgren. These lyrics were a nice reminder of my home in Portsmouth, with the images of the sea etc... "Heartstrings" brought the set into the second half where the trio were joined by a bass player and a lead guitarist. "Halo" was first up in this part of the set, and this song was a storming example of strident voices bouncing off the full band backdrop. Great choice to introduce the bass and lead guitar. The lead guitarist did some fantastic soloing in this one, really playing unpredictable notes and "feeling" the track in synchronicity. "Paper" knocked me for six. A beautiful example of honest songwriting, Lyndon bares his soul and sang with real passion - a really powerful moment with a gorgeous chorus that reeked of emotion. Amazing. "Living on Maybe" was a great loud song to follow the intimacy of "Paper" that Alex described as his comment on pretending to be famous for so long. Must be difficult when you're that good and have to play for someone else to pay the bills. "Plans," "Derek Malone," and "The Bear lies Down" were next up in the set, three songs that continued the strong juggernaut of a set. "Swagman" crashed into the set next, with a brilliant lead guitar riff chugging the song along, driving the sense of urgency and pushing the whole band to play with aggression and immediacy - totally fitting the song. This pounding song includes a big chorus too, that had the band really going for it too, you could tell. Brilliant. The energy didn't let up as the band went through "Welcome to the Water", "Don't Break Me", "The Word" which featured an enormous piano solo from Lyndon, and "Hellbound Eyes." Naturally the crowd were shouting for more as they went off, and after a brief pause, the band were back..... ...or at least Alex was back to give us a solo rendition of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" for Christmas. That was cool. Then they asked a great harmonica player called Tom to join them for "Ride On", a huge performance that had an infectious chorus and, this time, an extended bit of playing at the end where the band members were named for us to applaud. A great way to finish, I had "Ride On" in my head for ages afterwards. This band is a powerhouse live, watertight harmonies, a driving pulse in the big songs and a powerful intimacy in the slower songs. Totally recommended. - one other thing, the venue was lovely! The Battersea Barge, where the sound system was perfect and the food on offer was top quality. A great night out had by everyone I was with. (and there were a lot of us! lol) - Gareth Howells - Portsmouth The Micemas Party @ The Battersea Barge It was great to see Lyndon relaxed and at his best after the HUGE Go West tour which finished just weeks ago, as well as trying to finish his own album, recording for Level 42 and Go West on new albums! The man is amazing! Alex was gorgeous and funny as ever, Sean just smoulders and oozes sexiness (damn you man!) Victoria was beautiful and effortlessly wonderful as usual. Peter darling! was, as ever a brilliant host, his songs and music need to get an outing more often! On a personal note, Thank you Peter darling!, Victoria, Sean, Alex and Lyndon, I love you all,I am forever touched by your warmth and hospitality. It was like coming home last night. God bless you all xx Fab to meet the highly amusing guys from Holland, looking forward to that DVD! Extra special for me as it was my son's first gig, he totally enjoyed it and I cant tell you how special it was for you to sing him Hellbound eyes! Maybe we can put his little video on the end of the party DVD?! Was lovely to see Anjella and Helen. Thank you for NOT spilling my beer Anjella ! LOL Tom was great if not looking a bit chilly around the face! Didn't get to say much to Tom but was great to see you. Andy, your eyes always get me! And last but not least I love Christmas purely for the fact you can get as many hugs and kisses as you like and people dont mind! Maybe I should have got some more ay!! MERRY CHRISTMAS MOUSE FANS AND A HAPPY AND PEACEFUL NEW YEAR!! SEE YOU IN 2007. - Sarah Thorp 3BM and friends @ The Scoop (lunchtime) & The Battersea
Barge (evening) The evening started with Marie Batchelder who has a lovely voice but her songs were melancholy and too full of heartbreak for a 17 year old!! Next came SilverSam,much more my cup of tea,funny,charming and a little bit rude!! Then the main event started.The boys were really on form. As the set progressed the feeling that they really loved what they were doing swept through the Barge. I am so grateful that I was there to share in their joy. TWO HOURS OF HEAVEN!! Alex eruditely explaining the origins of the songs, Lyndon mounting the keyboard, Sean's lovely smile, Andy getting into the groove and Big Tom just trying to get on stage - but when he did - wow that man can play. Only Big Tom can make the harmonica sound sexy!! Even Majorette made an appearance - and yes he does remind me of Phil Collins and Matt Lucas!! Someone was videoing the gig-I just pray they either put it on the website or sell copies to fans because I for one would love to relive that gig over and over again!! It'll probably be a long wait 'til the next gig-what with a much anticipated album to complete and Lyndon touring with Go West for two months. Here's hoping they squeeze one in to launch the album!!!! If you were there I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did and if you weren't - well you missed the unmissable. - Anjella 3BM and friends @ The Battersea Barge The mice were great as ever giving us a mix of songs and a great snippet of two songs from the up and coming new album "Good Grief". Excellent and thought prevoking as ever. I had a darn good sing along, a bit of a subtle boogy and a right good evening. I enjoy the whole Barge experience, great atmosphere, even the hour and a half to two hour drive to get there and back and the inevitable getting lost that I usually endure, I love it all and am looking forward to the next one. - Sarah Thorp 3BM and friends @ The Battersea Barge First on stage was LadyK, who set the scene for the evening and got everyone in a relaxed mood. She performed some brilliant songs. She left the stage to a warm and appreciative applause from the large crowd that had gathered. I was tucking into my Lamb Chop with all the trimmings, when the 3BM took to the stage. Their opening Number, Lyndon's "Welcome to the Water", was very apt, considering the venue, and it got the crowd in the mood for what was to follow - more great songs, such as "Old Mother Hubbard", "Don’t Get Caught", "Piggy in the Middle" and "The Word". Every song was oozing with quality, and performed with great professionalism amid exchanges of humour from all band members. Alex’s storytelling kept me enthralled, and I felt that I was being entertained on a ‘one to one’ basis in my front living room! All the band members (including Sean, Andy and Ian) were brilliant and were worth making the personal effort to see. Everyone in the audience was clearly enjoying themselves, and they hung onto (and even repeated, X-Factor style) lyrics to many of the songs. I was impressed by the complete absence of background noise and chatter throughout the first set (this continued throughout the second set as well). After a short break to gather our well entertained senses, and to stock up on alcohol and food, we all settled down again quietly for an eagerly anticipated second set. There were no disappointments here either, in fact 3BM got even better as the evening wore on. Perhaps this was due to the temptation of the cheese on Lyndon’s keyboard (along with his new toy),coupled with wine and great food, which resulted in a great time being had by all. Great songs like "Feeing All Gone Selfish", "Golden Boy", the impressive new song "Swagman" and "Hellbound Eyes" really uplifted everyone, and the evening came to a brilliant and fitting conclusion, with the 3BM rendition of "Ride On" (complete with Big Tom on harmonica). Everyone drifted homeward with a warm feeling inside, having had a superb night that will be long remembered. When it comes to well crafted music, I am very picky. I only like music artists of a high quality, who have developed their skills and techniques, like a fine wine, over many years, my main influences being Steely Dan, Little Feat, Level 42 and Nils Lofgren. My expectations were thus high, and there was not one second of disappointment throughout the whole evening. I had the best night of live music in a long time! If you are looking for an evening of great entertainment, you won’t go far wrong with the 3BM. Their next Battersea Barge gig is on January 25th. I will be there and I hope that you will be too. - Paul Ennis
3BM and friends @ The Battersea Barge The Thames was on the ebb, the barge had settled in its mooring for the evening and the lights of London twinkled on the almost still surface of the river. The candle-lit interior beckoned and people were already tucking into their food as Steve Jones played some great guitar. What amazed me was the complete absence of the usual background noise that support acts have to battle with ... being ignored by someone droning on about their recent coup in the office politics. There was none of that - just a bunch of people clearly enjoying what they were listening to. The atmosphere was mellow and relaxed and I felt myself sinking into a very comfy seat and ... breathing out. The food turned out to be literally irresistible and I was still demolishing a superb turkey and ham pie as 3BM took to the stage. It was clear that they too felt the atmosphere in the place and were soon adding to it with their lovely blend of chilled out tracks amongst the funky beats. These guys were having an absolute ball...and it showed! The double act of Lyndon and Alex in between the songs was hilarious, bizarre and highly educational. I loved Lyndon's stories of "other gigs that he had enjoyed less than this one!" On occasions, I forgot that we were there to see a band ... enjoying the banter between the two of them. But this was a night when you had to be there to 'get it'! I certainly 'get' 3BM. They are nothing short of the real thing in all respects. If you intend to leave the comfort of your own home on at least one occasion in the next few months, then I would urge you to go to a 3BM gig. Some of the finest songwriting and musicianship that I have enjoyed for some time - and I go to lot of gigs. The rhythm section is tight and smooth - with some lovely slinky bass riffs. Ian's sax playing will melt the coldest heart. Lyndon's keyboards are nothing short of inspirational, and if you want to hear how an electro-acoustic guitar should be played - watch how Alex makes it look effortless. The vocals and harmonies are simply to die for - Lyndon's emotional voice brought more than the odd tear to the room at times. Alex has the gift of story telling through his songs. When you listen - you know he is compelled to tell the story ... and you want to hear how it ends. As well as all of that - they always have great supporting musicians with them. It is so sad that we have a non-music industry at the moment. 3BM would not pass the age test (over 21) and would probably frighten the life out of most of the cloth-eared graduates who parade themselves as 'A&R' talent scouts. So will these guys make it beyond their current scene? That is largely up to you ... if you continue to buy concert tickets they will have to play larger venues, if you download their songs they will have to be given a place in the new charts, if you buy their CD - they will be able to pay their bills. I know ... you just wanted to pass some time having a vicarious experience ... but now your interest has been aroused and you are wondering just how good are these guys? - Dutch Van Spall 3BM and friends @ The Battersea Barge A short while ago a member of staff in my record shop in Portsmouth received a call from the Farmers wife, he said "I have a band on the phone who want to play your club, they are called 3 blind mice" "Pass me the phone" I said, "better see how they run then" That was my brief and somewhat silly introduction to the 3 Blind Mice. It turned out they wanted a warm up gig outside London for their tour of Alaska. Well it is pretty cold there, so I thought we better warm them up and agreed instantly to accomodate them in sunny Southsea on the 2nd June at Roger Courtney's Open Mike Club. As a record shop owner and the MC of a weekly open mike club, it would take something musically brilliant to make me sit up and listen. I downloaded the 2 free tracks on their website and liked what I heard, in fact I loved it and went in search of more mouse droppings on the net. At the itunes website I found 2 complete CDs containing songs that had made the 3 Blind mice famous and that was it, I was hooked, caught in a trap, no turning back, just like Elvis. As I approached the Oh my God, I've played the CDs 20 times mark, I realised I needed help, but most of all, I needed to see them Live. It was only May and June 2nd was still 3 weeks away, it was no good, I was going to have to go to London. I checked out their website and found a Mouse Party on a barge in Battersea on the 11th May, so with wife in hand, I headed for London, well the train station anyway. The evening started at 7pm with a theatrical MC called Bob Sinfield boldly introducing the first band "Mambo Jambo" an unusual and lively session of world music that began in Hull and ended in London several instruments later. A very nice start to the evening that also accompanied my Prawn starter, as we were actually candlelit and dining at the same time. At 9pm and not a minute later, according to theatrical Bob, 3 blind Mice appeared on stage and like magic, my fillet steak arrived on my table and there I was sitting on a candlelit barge on the Thames or on a sand bank anyway, eating the best steak money can buy and listening to the best music I have heard for years. As I gazed out the windows watching the sun go down over London, I experienced one of those heavenly moments that are as rare as my steak, which was actually quite rare. It was one of those moments when you could actually believe that all was right in the world or at least time to slow down on the rum and cokes anyway. My wife and I were happily subjected to 2 hours of some of the best music I have ever heard, there were harmonies to die for and a tightness of sound that is rarely obtained by lesser musicians. Their amazing songwriting abilities and onstage expertise created a perfection that would normally take a lifetime to achieve, it was the music of giants, everything I had hoped for and more and to top in all, in between songs they were actually very funny. So I had bought the CDs, seen them play live and even though I had not yet been offered the T shirt, I knew that one day I would probably end up wearing one. "Have you even seen such a thing in your life" 3 Blind Mice. 3BM and friends @ The Battersea Barge The evening was hosted by the satirical stand-up songster Steve Gribbin, who battled valiantly with a largely unresponsive audience. His material relied largely on selecting soft targets (US foreign policy and Charles and Camilla) and then crucifying them, or on this occasion himself. The jokes were obviously very funny but no one much, other than himself, seemed to get them. The first act he introduced was Jamie Woon, an incredibly talented singer and guitarist, whose songs were complex and beautiful. His very gentle and unassuming manner could not fail to win an audience over. His delivery of Sting’s “Walking on the Moon” sparkled and gave the song new meaning. His final song, or party piece as he described it, used no instruments but made extensive use of echo loops to build a melodeodramatic backing track from scratch, over which he developed an intricate jazz ballad. Check him out at the Bedford, Balham on April 4th, details at jamiewoon.com. Incidentally his enviable good looks are likely to swell the ranks of female fans. After another helping of Gribbin ribaldry we were treated to the delights of the main act, 3 Blind Mice. Wonderfully catchy tunes, clever lyrics, delicious harmonies and get-you-up-on-your-feet-dancing rhythms guarantee the return of faithful fans – and they did, easy to spot as they sing along, while newcomers franticly tap their feet to the beat. This is a feel-good band and by the end I felt fantastic if a little hoarse from shouting “one more”. The sound was sensitively mixed at the next table by a sound engineer with a builder’s bum fit for a king. My companion, after too many pints, was intent on blowing Guinness froth down the crack. Well rounded entertainment. In spite of being a bit of a hike from the nearest tube, Battersea Barge is a great venue – particularly during warmer weather when you can sit and drink on the deck. Even in winter you can go upstairs and talk quietly while enjoying the twinkling river views. 3 Blind Mice will be back on the barge on May 11th. See you there. 3BM and friends @ The Battersea Barge There's music, there's great music and then there's 3 Blind Mice. I had only been to see the band once before, so I was particularly looking forward to catching up with them on their 'home turf', The Battersea Barge - the venue of regular 'Mouse Parties'. I wasn't disappointed! It's hard to pigeon-hole the Mice so I'm not even going to bother. Theirs is a hybrid mix of folky, funky, rocky influences - a blend of everything that's good in the world of music. Whether it's XTC or Joni Mitchell, The Beatles or The Eagles, there's something here to catch the ears of everyone out there that appreciates well-crafted and thoughtful songs served up with a side order of F-U-N! Not ones to take themselves too seriously, 3 Blind Mice are that rare beast that straddle the thin line between being commercially accessible whilst also managing to please the purist. Songs such as Pray God, Baby And All and Piggy In The Middle bounce along with real gusto that belies the rather dark subject matter of some of the lyrics, whilst the pure beauty of the Thomas Dolby-esque The Bear Lies Down had a lively audience in silence. A rare feat! It was hard to believe sometimes that I was actually listening to a live show such was the quality of the musicianship. The blend of vocals from Garry, Alex and Lyndon are part of the magic as the three counterpoint the harmonies to great effect - probably the best I've actually heard live. Like I said previously, this was only my second time catching the Mice live but it surely won't be the last. Just take my word for it, catch them now in this beautifully intimate venue while you can because it won't be too long before they're headlining at bigger, and less intimate theatres. - Chris Irvine 3BM and friends @ The Battersea Barge T'was a cold and windy night down on the Thames... So - what can you do on a cold night in London? There's nothing better than being on the Battersea Barge for a few hours of non-stop entertainment, that's what !!! We arrived early but the venue was already quite full, just shows how popular the 3BM and Friends are becoming. To put us in the mood MC Stetson Stan (affectionately known as the Southgate Cowboy) warmed the audience with one of his "ditties", not sure what this guy's on but I'll have the same next time...... Next on was Nick Pynn and Jane Bom-Bane - very unusual act... worth watching just for the "goldfish bowl on her head" which revolved during the song to the accompaniment of the audience, mmmmmm...... Then came S*T*U*F*F* - these were a collection of people from Belfast changing line-ups for each song but an absolute treat !!! In particular I have to mention Foy Vance - that guy sings so powerfully, a treat for the ears - I wouldn't be surprised to see this guy go a long way - the sort of person you would see popping up on Friday Night with Jools Holland and deservedly so. And finally to 3 Blind Mice - eccentric rootsy pop (well that's what it said on the flyer) - for me these guys are simply brilliant musicians and singers who put on a fantastic show - they involve the audience, laugh, joke and sing their hearts out entertaining us with a wide ranging collection of songs. Some are self-penned, romantic, thoughtful and evocative - especially when we were told one of them was about Lyndon's mum ( Ahh bless I heard one lady say...) My favourite song is the singalong "Jack and Billy" the harmonies are perfect and the crowd join in with the chorus. Together with a couple of appearances by Sean Freeman (isn't he that young lad with Level 42???) sax player extraordinaire - it was a magical night. Oh, nearly forgot - Peter from behind the bar at the Barge got up and did a Beatles number with 3BM - wow !!! Singalonga party time- brilliant. - John O'Connell 3BM
& Friends @ The Battersea Barge When I first saw 3 Blind Mice I knew this was a band with a whole bag of original ideas. They were playing a 15 minute set for a pittance - sandwiched between several other musicians (I say 'other musicians' in the loosest sense!). No place for true artists who really know how to write and perform. Four years on and they're pulling in the fans to their own regular venue - on board London's Battersea Barge. I went to the last Mouse Party they had there's and before I get to the music can I just say BOY! Someone should have warned me about mouse MC Stetson Stan. He's a cowboy all the way from Southgate - with a guitar, a roving eye and a surreal sense of humour. Who else could include a line in their song explaining what happens when "Jesus found out he was a bastard"?! HELLO!!!? Had me in stitches. We went from Stan to our first act of the night - Chantelle Duncan & Robert Bentley. Chantelle's got a lovely sound, with a deep soulful quality, and I'm looking forward to hearing some of her original stuff. Next up was a man with the perhaps the best voice I've ever heard. Foy Vance is a singer-songwriter from Belfast. And he's just brilliant. Looking around, I had a job finding a dry eye in the house as Foy took us on an emotional rise through his head. Wow. And then it was time for Stetson Stan to bring out the headline act, rightly pointing out that for this night only they should be called 7 Blind Mice, not 3. Garry, Alex and Lyndon just back from their "international tour of Watford" had just a little help from their friends for this gig. On stage was Richard Brook (of Go West fame) on percussion, Saxophonist Sean Freeman (Level 42), Richard Cleveley on bass guitar and the ever talented Big Tom Edwards on Harmonica. You just can't liken 3BM to any other bands past or present. We were treated to beautiful ballads like 'Wednesday', 'Welcome to the Water' and 'The Bear Lies Down' (Lyndon I almost cried!) - to the foot-tapping energy of 'Piggy' - who 'eats himself alive', 'Hellbound Eyes' and my personal favourite 'Jack and Billy' all about one man and his dog. Then there's the amazing 'Bindley Tree'. They all tell a story, and each one is different. And there's nothing better than watching musicians who love what they're doing. There is no one lead vocalist here they can all step into the role, and they each have a very different sound. And the harmonies truly work. This is infectious stuff. Look out...The Mice are nibbling on the crust of something really great. - Dawn Langan More E-REVIEWS coming soon... |
