Rod Picott’s a songwriting craftsman, even to the point of using the imagery of woodworking tools to illustrate his songwriting process. We reviewed his latest album ‘Starlight Tour’ in October of this year and it reinforces his reputation as a chronicler of rust-belt America who tells his stories of everyday blue-collar people with economy and precision. He’s also a nice guy, so we were more than happy when he decided to contribute to this year’s High Fives. He’s also a discerning reader, so his selection is five books that made an impact on him this year.

‘August’ by Callan Wink

The book is a small marvel about the coming of age of a young man in Montana. The region’s politics and culture are deftly woven into this narrative. Mostly written in short declarative sentences – the comparisons to Hemingway are not overstated – particularly in the long sections of brilliantly executed dialogue.

‘Every Man for Himself And God Against All’ by Werner Herzog

The fingerprints and voice of Herzog come roaring off the page. It’s nearly impossible to read this memoir without the laconic dark-edged sound of Werner Herzog’s baritone rasping in your head. Like Herzog the director, this book is a ramble of memory and fever dream. The man’s memory is astonishing. A true polymath, Herzog can speak on nearly anything you can imagine – from forgotten pharaohs to his own directorial blunders.

‘Mayflies’ by Andrew O’Hagan

This touching and poignant read is quite simply a beauty. The first half of the book follows a group of post-punk fans-friends on a trek from small-town Scotland to a music festival in Manchester England. The charismatic Tully and the less confident James share a friendship that goes beyond film and music tastes and runs deeper than the adolescent chest thumping of youth. The writing is so sharp and filled with detail you almost feel like you are on the journey yourself. Halfway through the book, the reader is catapulted years ahead and the adult Tully and James come into focus. It’s an unexpected masterstroke. 

‘Lean On Pete’ by Willy Vlautin

Like most of Vlautin’s work ‘Lean On Pete’ is a slender novel. The story of a teenage boy’s search for a sense of home is poignant and quietly powerful. Charley’s relationship to a faltering racehorse as he attempts to make a dangerous trek across state lines to his only known relative will leave you gutted. Vlautin somehow manages the not so simple task of making you root for the underdog as his life continues to grow darker and darker. He does this without manipulating the reader and it makes the heartbreak even more eloquent.

‘Such Kindness’ by Andre Dubus III

‘Such Kindness’ spoke directly to this reader. Tom Lowe has had a tragic accident and is severed from his identity as a construction worker. He is in unyielding suffering, addicted to painkillers and is slowly descending into a version of himself he doesn’t recognize. The question that runs through this compassionate novel: Who are you, if everything you’ve built your life and selfhood on is taken from you? Such Kindness is a beautiful and slowly unwinding book. It is a series of small moments that add up to something philosophical and grand. Dubus is a masterful writer.

It’s three days in to the 2023 High Fives and we thought it was time to let Allan off the leash for his first contribution this year. Here are some of his reminiscences on gigs and artists old and new with a few photos as well. As you can tell from Allan’s introduction, every year has its losses as well as gains.

I’m rapidly approaching my fiftieth anniversary of gig-going and 2023 has been a year where the old and the new have frequently crossed paths as I’ve navigated the London gig scene. Before I get on to the positive stuff, there’s one loss we’ve suffered this year that really hurt. My love of live music kicked off when I was a student in Dundee between 1976 and 1980. One of the bands I saw there was the Scottish soul band Cado Belle. Maggie Reilly was an astonishing singer, but I was blown away by guitar player Alan Darby and his astonishing work on the tone poem ‘September’. The band split after one album and Alan did many things (including working on the door of a Covent Garden club managed by a friend of mine) before finally establishing himself as a guitar player and musical director with Lulu, Van Morrison and Les McKeown before going on to work in The Dominion production of ‘We Will Rock You’. A few years ago, courtesy of the wonderful Artie Zaitz, I wangled an invite for myself and my old mate (and Music Riot contributor) Steve Jenner to meet Alan at Chelsea Arts Club after a Guitars Deluxe performance. He was a lovely guy and he lost his battle with cancer earlier this year. Thankfully, we still have his music. Apologies for starting with a sad story, but those memories are as important as the happy ones, which are coming at you in chronological order.

Pin Drop Sessions @Caddy’s Southend (February 2023)

Have you ever been in Southend on a Friday night in February? It’s cold; it’s bloody cold, but I was going to see the brilliant Phil Burdett for the first time in 2023. It was a chance to see a new venue, have a beer or two with Phil and local bass maestro Martin Cutmore and grab a few pictures. So why is it called ‘Pin Drop Sessions’? It’s back to the old school; a small room, no PA and only acoustic instruments. No soundchecks, turn up and play to an audience that wants to hear music and doesn’t want to talk through the performances. You could literally hear a pin drop.

I’ve seen Phil Burdett performing many times over the last ten years as a singer-songwriter, author and poet and he’s always worth watching, never more so than in this intimate setting. It was perfect for Phil’s tales of Essex.

On this night, the new (for me) was Isabel Inkcap, who was totally engaging as she delivered her folk-inspired songs to a rapt audience. She’s a genuine talent who wins over the audience by sheer presence before she even starts to play either guitar or banjo. She also gifted me a great photo opportunity after a lengthy tuning session when it was obvious she was going to react somehow. I couldn’t have hoped for a better reaction.

Frankie Miller’s Full House @The 100 Club 30^th May 2023

In more ways than one, this comes back to Steve Jenner again. The first band that we saw together at Dundee University was Frankie Miller’s Full House. The blend of rock and soul and Frankie’s incredible voice blew us away; live music was never the same after that. Frankie’s band included a guitar player I’d never seen before, who went on to become hugely respected in the music business as a player and a historian; his name’s Ray Minhinnett. Frankie worked with various musicians live and on record before a brain aneurysm in 1994 ended his musical career. He’s doing fairly well now after all the trauma and the beautiful thing is that his legacy is still intact and his fans still want to hear those songs, which is where Steve Jenner comes back into the picture.

Early in 2023, Steve saw a reconstituted Full House (led by Ray Minhinnett and fronted by singer Gregor MacGregor). He pointed me in their direction and in May 2023 I got the chance to shoot Full House at The 100 Club. Frankie Miller was a one-off, but Gregor MacGregor has the Scottish voice to tackle Frankie’s songs with restraint and power in equal measure (and he’s a lovely bloke). A good night was had by everyone and the 1970s worked pretty well in the 2020s.

Southside Johnny @Shepherd’s Bush Empire 7th July 2023

It was a “Will he, won’t he” gig. The talk in the pubs around Shepherd’s Bush Green on the day was about whether Bruce Springsteen might make a guest appearance between his two Hyde Park gigs on the 6^th and the 8^th. He didn’t, but my mate and guitar player extraordinaire, Jim Maving did bump into the E Street Band bass player Garry Tallent at the gig. Bruce or no Bruce, I never miss a Southside show because you never know when the next one will be. I’ve been a Southside fan for nearly fifty years and I’ve been lucky enough to meet and interview him a few times and photograph him loads of times. I got really lucky this time. In the past, I’ve missed a few great photo opportunities because of the house policy of checking in all pro gear backstage after the first three songs – that didn’t apply this time and I got to shoot from the auditorium for the rest of the set and caught some cracking shots.

I’ve written about Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes before and I’m fairly certain I’ll write about them again. There’s a magic that happens when you take eight world-class musicians and give them the opportunity to express themselves within the framework of four-minute songs; you should all take the opportunity experience it.

Folk in the Park Sutton 19^th August 2023

If you haven’t met Hannah White and Keiron Marshall, you really should. They’re both incredibly talented but they’re the nicest people you could ever wish to meet and they care passionately about music, about the environment and people in general. Hannah’s songwriting is always powerful and sometimes visceral (‘Car Crash’ is a great example) and Keiron shapes the arrangements and production for her songs bringing in all sorts of musicians, including Michelle Stodart to back Hannah live and in the studio.

In 2022, they put together a festival in Manor Park, Sutton which was reasonably successful and decided to expand it in 2023 with more well-known and acclaimed and artists. I would have supported the event whoever was on the bill, but Hannah and Keiron excelled themselves, pulling in appearances from the legendary Nick Lowe (who I saw at my first gig when he played with Brinsley Schwarz) and Iain Matthews (whose album, ‘Stealing Home’, I bought in 1980 on blue vinyl and I’ve loved ever since). And they had Del Amitri topping the bill. Oh, and Hannah made an appearance with her band as well.

I’ve followed Hannah’s career for a few years now and it’s been a revelation to see genuine talent being recognised critically and commercially. Bring on 2024.

Stone Foundation 25^th Anniversary tour

You’ve already read me rattling on about working with one of my teenage musical heroes; I think Neil Sheasby of Stone Foundation trumps me on this one. Neil was a fan of The Jam from their earliest days and, as Stone Foundation gathered momentum through the 21^st century, they picked up a celebrity fan, Paul Weller, who went on to collaborate with them, produce their albums at Black Barn Studios and guest on a few of their gigs.

Forgive me for listing the band members, but Stone Foundation is a team effort and the core of the band has been together now for twenty-five years. Here we go: Neil Jones (vocals/guitar), Neil Sheasby (bass), Phil Ford (drums), Ian Arnold (keys), Rob Newton (percussion), Steve Trigg (trumpet and fluegelhorn), Dave Boraston (trumpet and fluegelhorn) and Anthony Gaylard (saxophone). They’re an incredibly tight soul unit and Neil Jones once told me that having the horn section on stage was like wearing a suit of armour.

I’ve been a fan for over ten years and this year they celebrated their 25^th anniversary with a UK tour that wound up with two nights at Islington Assembly Hall. They were supported by the wonderful Emily Capell (check out her album ‘Combat Frock’), DJ Robert Elms and had guest appearances from Mick Talbot, Graham Parker, Laville and Paul Weller over the two nights. If you want a validation of their work, I think that does it.

After almost fifty years of watching live music, it’s fabulous to pick out five gigs that really got the juices flowing. Just keep it coming, everyone.

We reviewed Adam’s EP/mini album as One Adam One in March this year and it was a beautiful piece of work. We’re pleased that he’s agreed to take part in our annual end-of-year feature and share some of his favourite things from 2023 and equally pleased that he absolutely bought in to the random concept of the High Fives.

The High Lonesome Voice That Hit Me Hard

This is the age of rabbit holes and I fell down another one when I saw this Dean Johnson performance of “True Love” on Country AF (very chill, authentic, obscure songwriter video channel). Dean’s voice is sincere and effortless and drop-dead gorgeous. He put out an EP earlier this year, right around when I released mine…so I feel like he’s my brother in off-the-grid indie twang.

The Cheap, Gimmick-y Looking Gadget That Turns Out to Be Ingenious

I stumbled into a conversation between younger gals raving about this new thing called a silicon scalp scrubber. I thought for a moment, “Well, that’s just for women.” But then I looked at them and they all had beautiful, healthy hair, while I have this sort of sad, stringy man hair that looks like it belongs in a medieval village. Who was I to deny their superior grooming wisdom? This soft little f-er is a game changer.

The Strange Podcast that Dances in My Ears

Iain Sloan of the Wynntown Marshals hipped me to the Blindboy Podcast and I often tune in when I don’t feel like listening to music. Don’t let the strange profile pic of the host in some sort of head bandage turn you off. The Blindboy is a master spinner of yarns and whip-smart contrarian. He can turn a story of a cat dying under his porch into an elegy of companionship and natural wonder. And, his lilting voice is ASMR-level soothing.

The Strange Novel from a Parallel Universe

When one of my favorite writers announced he was doing a book based on the family of a pastor in suburban Illinois in the 70s, I was a little freaked out. In real life, I was raised in the household of a pastor in suburban Illinois in the early 80s. I wasn’t sure I wanted an author of such skill applying his scalpel so closely to the heart of my childhood memories. I took the plunge this year and read Jonathan Franzen’s “Crossroads”. Thankfully, my family was not as dysfunctional, and the time era is slightly offset, but I recognized a LOT of it. And it’s brilliant.

The Pure Animal Energy that Revitalizes Me

I got a new dog this year and he’s a bit of a wild animal. I am very fond of him, but sometimes it feels like he just wandered in the back door to steal some food. Slowly, he’s melting under the spoils of civilization. Just recently he did the unthinkable — he rested his chin on my leg! I almost had to sleep sitting up because I didn’t want to disturb the best feeling of 2023. 

Here we go again. It’s time for High Fives 2023 and it’s traditional to kick off the feature with a contribution from Neil Sheasby of Stone Foundation. It’s a major anniversary on two counts – Neil’s been contributing to this feature for ten years now, and Stone Foundation have just completed their twenty-fifth anniversary tour, finishing off with a triumphant two nights at Islington Assembly Hall with special guests Emily Capell, Graham Parker, Laville, Mick Talbot and Paul Weller. And I know Neil mentions this at the end of the piece, but he’s also published his second book, ‘Bass Notes’, this year, giving a warts’n’all view of life on the road with an eight-piece soul band. Here’s Neil’s thoughts on this year, in no particular order:

Talking Heads Talking! – 

Something that seemed so implausible a few years ago but here we are in 2023 and they have been united again for the re-release of the ‘Stop Making Sense’ film. I’ve always felt there’s been unfinished business and I live in hope of a new album and possibly some tour dates. It just made me re-appraise that amazing back catalogue. 

Sly Stone book – Thank you (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) – 

All the wonder, excess and car crash material that you’d expect from a Sly Stone memoir 

Hard to believe he’s still here to tell his story. 

It’s kind of tragic and bittersweet but he was THE originator, look at them at Woodstock, bringing the heavy duty funk as early as 1969! 

Another great page turner was Kevin Armstrong’s ‘Absolute Beginners’ book, his experience as being a sideman to the stars (Bowie, Iggy) it’s full of amazing stories. 

The new Two Tone book by Daniel Rachel ‘Too Much Too Young’ is wonderful too, it digs in and unearths some interesting perspectives, it’ll make you play all those records again too.

It truly was a remarkable period. 

Album of the year? – 

I have to say whilst I heard a lot of songs that caught my attention, I don’t think it’s been a vintage year for the album. 

I’d have to plump for Blur’s ‘The Ballad of Darren’ as my most played record of ‘23 along with ‘Lotus Glow’ by Adi Oasis 

Closely followed by ‘Silver’ by Say She She, a modern soul dancer that doesn’t fall foul of the cliches and pastiche (great live too – check ‘em out!) 

I also loved Chris Thompson’s writing and work on his new Bathers record ‘Sirenesque’. It’s such an eloquent, poetic, beautiful album. 

Chris is a genius. 

The return of Galliano – 

I was overjoyed to witness the return of Galliano this year, naturally I felt I couldn’t miss their London show at Village Underground. I was kind of nervous about it though as they were one of my favourite live bands of the 90’s, I saw them tons of times, always an uplifting, joyous experience. 

The 2023 model were every bit as fabulous. 

There’s a new album in the works for next year too. Positive vibes abound… I’ll dig my beads out. 

SF 25th Anniversary celebrations – 

I’m hesitant to big up ourselves but I have to admit that 2023 and the 25th anniversary of Stone Foundation has felt like a special milestone and something I should not be guilty of feeling proud of. 

The gigs have been tremendous, the crowds have been amazing. It’s been my favourite tour thus far and I myself am celebrating 40 years of making noise in bands. 

I was also pleased to get my D/S/P project off the ground, it was lovely to create music with my son Lowell and my old sparring partner Nick Read, we received some positive vibes back from those tunes. 

So along with the release of my tour diary book “Bass Notes” I’d say it’s been a very productive year. 

The timing of this piece could not have been better. Dean Owens has had a great year, which has just been crowned by the announcement earlier today that he has won not one, but two, Americana UK awards. ‘Sinner’s Shrine’ has been voted UK Americana album of the year and Dean has been voted UK Americana Act of the Year. Both awards are well-deserved and couldn’t have gone to a nicer guy. So, over to Dean.

In no particular order:

The new Calexico album – ‘El Mirador’

There’s some cracking stuff on this record. Their first since Joey Burns moved away from Tucson. It very much sounds like a love letter to that city and the Sonoran Desert.

An Ian Rankin mention

Finding out that Ian Rankin had written me into the new Rebus book – ‘A Heart Full of Headstones’. Rebus is listening to my new album ‘Sinner’s Shrine’ in his car. Very cool indeed.

Kirsten Adamson album

Hearing the mixes of the new Kirsten Adamson album ‘Landing Place’, which comes out in February. I had the privilege of producing this lovely album and hearing one of our co-writes, the beautiful ‘Father’s Songs’, was a special moment.

‘Sinner’s Shrine’

I have to be a bit selfish here and say that finally seeing the release of ‘Sinner’s Shrine’ in 2022 was a big deal for me. This album means so much to me. To be able to make this record with one of my favourite bands, Calexico, in Tucson, was one of the thrills of my life.

Playing Edinburgh Castle

This was a truly amazing moment for me. Edinburgh Castle is one of the biggest shows you can play in Scotland. An amazing backdrop for a gig. I was invited to open for Texas. A night to remember.

Happy New Year everyone.

Graeme Wheatley is a songwriter and bass player with band Color Colour and he’s made a few contributions to High Fives in previous years. I think we’ll just leave Graeme to set the scene for this one (by the way there is a bit of creative swearing):

Sitting in the New Cross House the other night with Allan McKay talking about the year in review, cos we are eminent Victorian scholars, I was again struck by how many gigs he’d been to, how many new artists he’d seen and would recommend and his undiminished enthusiasm for all things music and in particular live music. Pretty much the opposite of me! Once again, due to a bundle of things, I’ve not really had my gig going head hands and feet on and so I have to once again cast around for other things to yabber on about in my High 5 blog. But what? Last year it was 5 best music related Christmas presents, previous years include 5 best cover versions and 5 fav lyrics as we stumbled through the covid years. Now, I’m lost for words.

So that’s it then, words. 5 words wot i like.

A couple of these have only appeared to me this year, so I guess it’s got half a valid reason for being here. And we can’t ask for more than that…

1. The Laughing Cavalier.

Now, these words are all known to me. As is the painting, the artist and the location of the painting.  You can go see the chap yourself, he’s upstairs in The Wallace Collection, Manchester Square, just off Oxford Street. However, I didn’t know the history of how he got here and how he got his name. Sir Richard Wallace bought the painting in or around 1870 when he was in Paris during the siege of Paris. Dunno if he was a communard but he did fund the installation of drinking fountains in the city to provide the people with water.

Anyways, he brought Mr Hals painting back to London as part of his gallery he was creating. The gallery was to be bequeathed to the nation and to be free to all. In order to get things sorted, he shipped all the paintings off to Bethnal Green where they were available for viewing in a temporary gallery by the local chirpy chappy cockneys while the gallery was refurbished.

At this time, the painting was known as “Unknown gentleman, aged 26”. But the cockneys are a creative, inventive and clever bunch of wordy wordsmiths and immediately christened the chap The Laughing Cavalier.

Now, my bit. It occurs to me, cockneys are most famous for their rhyming slang and there’s a certain nonchalant smirky twinkle in the chap’s eyes, his ruff is in full plumage and the embroidery on his doublet is of very, very fine detail. I just think the cockneys took one look at him and coined the phrase Laughing Cavalier in much the same way as they use Lillian Gish (fish), Amber Heard (turd), Rees Mogg (utter spunktrumpetting cockwomble). I might be wrong, but I might not care.

2 & 3.  Meccano 

Back in the day, Meccano was the toy of the year. The Buzz Lightyear of that moment. Every kid wanted a box for Christmas. It was imported from the USA and displayed in Hamley’s available in two sizes. The first box was Box Standard. The good citizens of London immediately christened this Bog Standard.  

The second box was Box Deluxe. and again, within seconds, this became Dog’s Bollox.

Genius.

Mainly, genius cos I have no idea why Dog’s Bollox means something great, but it does. If someone says to you “it’s the dogs” or “it’s the bollox” you know its great. Just the same as you know if someone says “that’s bollox” that it’s rubbish!

4.  Teddington

Not rhyming slang, stop trying to think of something that rhymes with Teddington, it’s not worth the effort.

Back in medieval times and onwards, until probably the 19th century, the life of London was dictated for many by the river. The Thames is tidal. When people worked up and down the city they timed their trips by the tide. When it came in, they went up west. When it went out, they went east. The Thames is a tidal river all the way up to Teddington, or Tiding-Turn. Isn’t that a lovely bit of language?

I’m a big fan of new words coming into existence or being twisted into new use and it’s great to see it happened way back in 13th Century too. Of course, in the current climate, new words have a rather topically down beat tinge – warmbank – library or similar provided by the council to keep people warm during the cost of living crisis and thriftifarians – rich people who pretend to be economising when they don’t need to so as to appear part of the affected as opposed to part of the effecters (ie – tories).

5.  Elephant & Castle

We have been welcoming Spanish people to London for many years, despite what Iago Banet says. But he does have a point when he complains about being called Llargo, Jargo, Frodo, Draco et al. Sometimes we struggle to get our coarse tongues around the llanguage – in his case, despite Shakespeare naming one of his most cruel and cunning villains after Mr Banet. Quite how Will knew Iago was going to be such a villain is a source of amazement – but he had Will Power – he was a clever bastard as Ian Dury might have said. Or Jan Deténgase might have said.

Something similar happened back in the 12th or 13th century – I forget which – it happened so quickly. The King, let’s call him Richard 11 – was contracted to marry a Spanish princess as was the norm in those days, pre tinder. She was shipped over and parked herself just outside of London to get herself cleaned up and all Magaluf-ed (waxed, oiled, full MOT etc). This took some 9 months and in that period a small settlement was founded in the area of locals all employed in the aforementioned buffing.

The locals, much like those of today who struggle with Iago, couldn’t get their tongues around The Infanta of Castile (even if she was in the mood), so they called the area Elephant and Castle.

Don’t tell me it isn’t true. It is in my mind – and that’s good enough!

Next year, I’m going to get out to more gigs, plays, films, events. festivals and raves and I’ll have something to report, including the return of ColorColour. Honest.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah

Sinter Klaas

Guitarists; like Madonna, they love to strike a pose, don’t they? It’s all very well playing great solos, but you have to look good at the same time because you might have a halfway decent photographer at the gig. I don’t think it’s an ego thing, I think it’s subliminally taught at the various pop/rock schools and colleges – who teaches guitar players at those institutions? Yep, older and more experienced guitar players. Here are a few shots that either confirm or subvert those plank-spanker stereotypes.

Si Connelly @Water Rats

What I really like about this shot of Si is that he’s so still. Anyone who has seen him live will know that he’s a bit like Taz on stage; a complete whirlwind, throwing his guitar around and kneeling on the stage, but I managed to capture him perfectly lit, with nice contrast and upright. Si’s an incredible performer and it was good to catch him taking a little time out.

Dan Owen @Crypt Lates, St Martin-in-the-Fields

Dan Owen is a master of his instrument, whether he’s playing acoustic or electric you can guarantee that you’re going to hear something special. His raw voice is perfectly suited to the songs he delivers. He’s also a very physical player who likes a bit of a stomp around on stage while he’s playing, which means that there are a few dramatic moments to capture. Here’s one of his characteristic stomps.

Matthew, The Molotovs @229 The Venue

While we’re on the subject of raw energy, how about The Molotovs? Matthew, Issey and Ice are all under eighteen and still developing as a band at the moment as they write more of their own songs. When they hit the stage some magic happens as the adrenaline kicks in and Ice’s pounding drums and Issey’s thumping bass create a platform for Matthew’s singing and playing as he whirls and leaps around the stage. There’s a lot happening on stage and it’s just a question of having the camera pointed in the right direction at the right time. The shot works quite well in black and white, but the warm colours and contrasts really work in colour.

Daybreakers @Slim Jim’s Liquor Store

Sometimes you get results because you’re having to work around things like lighting that’s not ideal and lots of people on a small stage. I found a nice shooting angle (which meant I got a nudge every time someone went downstairs to the toilets) but it paid off when Aidan, the guest guitar player and bass player Conor Cotterill all had the necks of their guitars at slightly different angles to create a bit of structure out of a very busy scene. The expression on the guest player’s face is the icing on the cake.

Joanne Shaw Taylor @Shepherd’s Bush Empire

This was a last-minute thing. My friend Richard Bolwell from MNPR magazine couldn’t make the gig and asked me if I was available to cover it. I hadn’t seen Joanne play before and I always like a pit shoot at The Empire. Except it was cabaret seating and no pit, so the order of the day was keeping out of the way of the people in the expensive seats at the front and grabbing a few interesting shots. The positives were that the lighting was perfect and Joanne is incredibly photogenic. Probably one of my favourite shots of the year.

I’ve been landed with editorial duties on this one, so I can explain how this particular theme came about. For various reasons, I’ve not been able to get to the big festivals this year but I’ve done quite a few local multi-site festivals with lots of indoor gigs going on. Maybe the artists aren’t as well known as those on the stages at Cornbury, Glastonbury, Isle of Wight or Reading/Leeds, but they’re still incredibly interesting people to photograph. These are all people totally committed to what they do and I hope the photos capture that. These are people that may only ever be known on their own local music scene, or they may go on to achieve international recognition. You might have an idea about their potential, but how often have we all been wrong with those predictions? As always, these are in no particular order.

The Slacksons @Hanwell Hootie

The Slacksons are a fascinating band from Bristol centred around producers Mikey and Andy combining samples and live musicians to create a barnstorming live experience fronted up by manic singer/rapper Mikey. I was invited along to this gig at The Hanwell Hootie by Darkspin Music Management, who look after The Slacksons after shooting the band at another couple of gigs – that was a no-brainer. Even without stage lighting, the band creates lots of striking imagery and Mikey and Andy aren’t camera shy and the monochrome editing and tight crop capture something of Mikey’s onstage intensity.

Bad Soul Buskers @Leek Blues & Americana Festival

Every year at the beginning of October the town of Leek in Staffordshire hosts a five day festival with live music in the town’s two gig venues and various pubs around the town. There’s a huge variety of music from established touring acts and visitors from the US to bands featuring musicians from the area around Leek. The town’s in the Staffordshire Moorlands, about 600 feet above sea level and it can be bloody cold at that time of year – just sayin’. This year I made a conscious decision to only shoot the pub gigs, partly to give myself a bit of a challenge. Gigs in pubs that aren’t set up for gigs is definitely a challenge. Bad Soul Buskers was the first band I shot, at The Red Lion on the Market Square. I quite like a bit of eye contact in close-ups and I definitely got that here from the singer, who really likes the shot.

Jim Maving @High Tide Festival, The Cabbage Patch

Jim’s a stunning guitar player that I’ve been bumping to at gigs for a few years now, working with people like Dean Owens, Lou Kyme and his old Case Hardin bandmate Pete Gow. He also played in The Mick Ralphs Blues Band. And I just need to say at this point that he’s a bloody good bloke as well. I’ve photographed Jim in many settings from pubs to theatre gigs, in monochrome and in colour and he always looks good. Makes me a bit jealous really, particularly as he’s such a brilliant player. This particular gig was mostly indoors (the picture windows opened out on to the street, so the lighting was kind of interesting. Unusually for Jim, this gig was all about his own material and he was holding centre stage. Superb performance delivered as always, and I liked this shot of Jim pulling the audience in to the experience.

Hannah White @High Tide Festival, The Cabbage Patch

I first saw Hannah four and a half years ago at ‘Vin’s Night In’ at The Hospital Club. My first impression was that her songs provoked strong reactions – what’s the point in songwriting if it doesn’t provoke a reaction. I’ve photographed her a few times since, particularly over the last year, and discovered how committed Hannah and husband, and guitar player, Keiron Marshall are to music (running The Sound Lounge live venue and organising the first Folk in the Park event in Sutton this summer) and to environmental causes. She also gives everything when she’s on stage and she’s a very interesting person to photograph.

I like to see talent being rewarded (and good people). Hannah’s a great songwriter and a heart-rending performer in a classic country tradition, so it didn’t come as a surprise when Ricky Ross played Hannah on his ‘Another Country’ show in Scotland after a recommendation and then invited Hannah & Keiron to play as support on his solo UK tour. And the accolades for her latest, appropriately named, album ‘About Time’ keep coming in. I’m sure there’s more to come.

Stoneash Blues Band @Leek Blues & Americana Festival

This was shot at The Wellington Inn on Strangman Street in Leek. It’s a pub that features live music, but as an add-on so it’s a challenge to get decent lighting and backgrounds, not for the first time, or the last. Stoneash Blues Band is typical of a many of the local bands playing at this event; it’s all about the music. Most of these people do this for love and not because they have any expectation of ever becoming rich on the back of it. This band had all the chops, timing coming from years of gigs, loads of little anecdotes and a singer with a voice that was honey over gravel. What more do you want from a free gig?

Music Riot’s based in London; that’s not boasting or bragging, it’s just the way it is. We try to cover gigs across the UK; we’ve sent Allan to cover gigs in Staffordshire, Leicester, Edinburgh and Fife in the past (he is actually from Fife originally), but London’s where we live and where we see most of our gigs. There’s a thing that’s common to London gig venues, particularly pubs, that you won’t always find across the rest of the country. We’ll leave it to Allan to amplify.

It’s all about property prices, particularly in Central London. If you have a property in a prime site, you need to devote all of the possible space on the ground floor to customers and move everything else upstairs or downstairs. How many ground floor toilets do you see on London pubs? It’s a similar thing with live music; a stage, mixing desk and PA take up a lot of space, so stick them down in the basement or upstairs. I’m going to focus on the basements here.

Simple Fiction @Underworld

I was shooting this particular gig in Camden because two bands I knew were on the bill. This shot is of the band that I didn’t know. The lighting was fairly underpowered and there was nothing at all on the drum seat. The one photographic rule I have that I never break is that I don’t use flash – ever. Yet this shot looks like it’s flashlit. The band had asked the lighting engineer to use strobes a lot during their set and I really wanted to get a shot of the drummer who was very active and not well-lit so it was time to play the odds; during an extended strobe session, I fired the shutter on burst mode hoping that one of the activations would coincide with a strobe flash. It did, and froze the action perfectly. Result.

Natalie Lindi @Pizza Express, Holborn

This is an interesting basement venue and I’ve shot here quite a few times. Normally, basement space is used because ground floor space is busy but this Pizza Express doesn’t attract a lot of passing trade outside working hours and the basement gig space is normally much busier than the ground floor space. This Success Express gig was the first time I saw Natalie Lindi and I was blown away. Her songs and delivery were superb and she was incredibly photogenic; I don’t know that I could ask for anything more, except a few more opportunities to shoot Natalie again.

Lisa Canny @ Crypt Lates

Lisa’s another one of those people that I never tire of photographing; she always has a dramatic and intense onstage presence. She’s also an incredible musician, songwriter and performer fusing traditional Celtic roots with hip-hop and pop to create a totally original genre. I like this shot because it shows Lisa cracking a joke (which isn’t unusual) and the response of the band who obviously weren’t expecting whatever she said. Knowing Lisa it could have been absolutely anything. However you look at it, it’s a fascinating tableau.

Danni Nicholls @229 The Venue

229 The Venue – not one, but two venues, both underground. This gig was in the smaller room with about a 200 capacity, where the lighting’s reasonable and there are some nice angles. Danni’s another artist that I always like to shoot – she’s very animated and totally committed on stage and it always shows through in the photos. Her songs are styled in Americana settings but lyrically most of them are very English; it’s a difficult trick to pull off, but Danni does it with style and aplomb. She gives her all on stage; it’s up to the photographer to capture it.

Say Anise @Pizza Express, Holborn

From the same Pizza Express gig as the Natalie Lindi shot. The big difference is that I’ve photographed Emily loads of times. Her onstage persona reflects the style of her songs; she’s lively, full of fun and just a little bit unpredictable. Keep the camera pointed in Emily’s direction and you’ll get gold at some point. I’m pleased with this shot because it’s more colourful than my usual Pizza Express shots and because it captures that slightly mischievous smile that Emily does. And I have to say that Emily and her fellow Say Anise band member Adrien are lovely people.

Steve Jenner has been contributing to Music Riot for many years now. He’s a huge fan of all sorts of music and he’s been a radio station manager and presenter for decades. Over the last couple of years, he’s achieved a lifetime ambition by securing regular gigs on Radio Caroline including proper live shows with record decks and everything from the Ross Revenge moored at Blackwater Estuary; there is no such thing as too old. Here’s Steve’s take on having a chance to play new music again on air.

As you may or may not know, I’m a presenter on Radio Caroline’s two oldies channels, Flashback and Radio Caroline North, which recall the halcyon days of ‘the pirates’ and this year I’ve been given the opportunity to go out to and present shows from their original broadcast boat the Ross Revenge, moored in the Blackwater Estuary just off Essex, and it has just been the most remarkable experience. However! In a year of ‘firsts’ I found myself playing new music on the radio for the first time in years when the organisation asked me to ‘sit in’ temporarily for a number of presenters on Radio Caroline’s main ‘Album Channel’, which features both classic and contemporary album music. Well, it doesn’t so much feature it as scream it out via 4000 watts on 648AM (AM rock, eh? Who thought THAT would be making a full-on reappearance in the broadcast environment at this stage in the game?) as well as all the usual digital armaments (apps, online, phone, Alexa, you name it we’re on it.) So, here’s my High Fives featuring musical airplay delights which have glowed briefly but brightly for me this year…

Todd Rundgren – ‘Puzzle’

This is just gorgeous. Taken from his album ‘Spaceforce’ it is a sumptuous wallow in modern recording techniques allied to great writing from someone who knows how music works and always did. Glass of wine/box of chocs in the bath stuff. It has hooks which positively tear the flesh but do so totally painlessly. Hear it once and you don’t forget it in a hurry. Better digitally online than on AM, I would venture but honestly, if it was being cranked out of the North Sea at stupid o’ clock at night to the accompaniment of crystal set whistle and fade, you’d have to have some.

Bernie Marsden – ‘Na Na Na Na’

This isn’t gorgeous and yes I know I’ve just been banging on about how lovely it is to be playing new music on Radio Caroline’s main channel. BUT it’s a new cover, from an album called Trios released earlier this year by a guy who in rock ‘n’ roll terms is a national treasure to many due to his work with Whitesnake. Bernie Marsden has been hammering out this stuff with customary joy and gusto since Noah floated the Ark and the fact that he’s chosen a sassy, trashy old Cozy Powell hit 45 as an opportunity to revisit the spirit of former glories is alright by me. Very alright by me. A spirited thrash which deserves praise just for having the brass balls to cover the thing in the first place, I so enjoyed playing this even though I knew it wouldn’t be universally met with similar enthusiasm. Sometimes you just gotta!

Tedeschi Trucks Band – ‘Soul Sweet Song’

These have been knocking out class music for a while now and it is great to see the increasing evidence that more and more people fitted with ears as standard are realising they’re in the presence of something rather special here. This is by no means their most popular song or in many respects a standout track but boy, does it programme beautifully. The sort of song that Raises The Tone, just by being there on the playlist. And I’m told that they’re That Good live as well. Highly unlikely many who hear this will actively dislike it; and many love it, that much is already clear.

Ricky Ross – ‘I Was The Beatles’

Just the voice, just the song. Just the piano with a bit of a string arrangement dropped on top. Recorded at his house with strings and brass bits added later, ‘Short Stories Volume 2’ appeared on Cooking Vinyl earlier this year. Not much on the face of it, it’s a song which drips loss and longing for a past which remains just out of reach to us all, it positively aches with the weight of lost love and friendship and potential unfulfilled. It has all the haunting quality of Deacon Blue’s cover of ‘What Do You Get When You Fall In Love’ but it’s an original song, even though it is shot through with intentional echoes and reminders. Delightful.

Dr. Feelgood – ‘Damn Right I Do’

In truth I don’t know if this song was ‘A-listed’ by Radio Caroline’s main album channel but I do know that various tracks from this, their latest album and first for ages, have seen considerable airtime on the station with a number of our presenters. I was present at a live showcase of the by the band at their stomping ground of Canvey Island this winter; as chance would have it this was shortly before Wilko died. There are those who say it doesn’t sound like original Feelgood, isn’t the original line–up and all the usual stuff but if you park that for a minute and just listen, this title track in particular in full–on, direct and punchy ‘attack’ mode has juke-box classic stamped all over it. Virtually no such thing now of course in any meaningful sense but certainly grabs the attention as a proper ‘45’ should as it leaps out of the radio at you.

And if you’d like me to leap out of the radio at you and play you some new music, I’m next scheduled to feature on the main Radio Caroline album channel on 648AM and all the smart stuff on New Year’s day at 10AM through until 1PM, as I ‘sit in’ for Phil Meek. I will be both ringing out the old and ringing in the new, the way you do…