Single, album, DVD, book and live gig reviews by Matt Fancy

Matt Fancy

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A few brief words about me…

(Not that you’ll read beyond the first paragraph…)

I would gladly give all my worldly possessions for 5 minutes in a room with Simon Cowell and a pointy stick with broken glass in it. I would then, cackling and weeping with joy, dance a jig on his remains with nailed boots on. I am also filled with bile at the Daily Mail, Richard Littlejohn and T4/E4 presenters. Seriously, I would vomit if I met one. All over their alternative retro-crap clothes. When did Sunday morning TV become the preserve of the hung-over teenager? Whatever happened to the Littlest Hobo? Did he finally find a stop, make a new friend and then settle down in a nice cosy kennel to make lots of Littler Littlest Hobo’s with Mrs Littlest Hobo?

(Got bored of reading this yet? Thought so. )

On a more positive note, I quite like the music of Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Richard Thompson, Julian Cope, The Pogues and various other weirdos who you probably wouldn’t want to sit next to on a bus for too long. I also ‘dig’ Ray Lamontagne, Sam Cooke and the Stone Roses. ‘The Band’ is one of my favourite records, along with ‘Astral Weeks’, ‘No Other’ and ‘Liege and Leif’. Sandy rocked like a mutha.

‘Ah’ you’re now thinking, ‘old fart eh? Like a comfy cardigan and some Horlicks before bed do you?’ Well, yes. I suppose so. All the rest is just a noise isn’t it?

Oh, and I can’t stand ‘cheese’ of any description either - unless it’s served on a plate with a cream cracker and a confident Merlot. As far as I’m concerned, ‘Grease’ is most definitely not the word. ‘Bollocks’ is.

(Wow, got this far did you? Too much time on your hands, eh? There’s a whole world out there you know. Seize it!!)

Heroes: Tim Buckley, Peter Cook, Christoper Lee, Swarb, my mate Ed, Stephen Fry, blah blah Ned’s Atomic Dustbin blah blah Bill Hicks etc…

Reviews:

Owen - Ghost Town Album Review

Aside from mullet sporting ex-footballer and eighties one hit wonder Owen Paul, not many Owens have troubled the charts. There was X Factor foetus Eoghan Quigg, but happily, after ...
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Church Shoes - Church Shoes Album Review

If you live in a large house in Surrey with many lawns and windows and your hobbies include chasing foxes round on horseback, then Church’s Shoes will be familiar to you because yo...
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The Doors - L.A. Woman (40th Anniversary) Album Review

“I’m drunk I’m nobody; I’m drunk I’m famous; I’m drunk I’m dead” is how US stand up Denis Leary succinctly premised the rubbish Oliver Stone film biopic of The Doors (tagline: “No ...
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Matt Andersen - Coal Mining Blues Album Review

They say that if you compress coal for long enough you can produce diamonds. This latest album from Canadian blues singer-songwriter Matt Andersen certainly contains its fair share...
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Goapele - Break of Dawn Album Review

Neo Soul? Trip Soul? Soul Hop? No idea what to call Goapele’s sound but whatever it is, it’s different and therefore (mostly) interesting. Hailing from Oakland, California but with...
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The Bacon Brothers - Philadelphia Road Album Review

Kevin and Michael Bacon are the Bacon Brothers. Leaving younger brother Biffa at home in Viz, these two guitar slingin’ hot shots are REAL MEN of AMERICA who like beers in bars, gr...
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Hugh Laurie - Hallelujah, I Love Her So Single Review

Hugh Laurie has proved that he is far more than a talented comedian and actor with the release of his first album ‘Let Them Talk’ earlier this year. The swampy mix of blues, boogie...
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Michael Bublé - Christmas Album Review

The gran friendly croon meister returns to bother girlfriend's Christmas stockings everywhere.With shocking inevitability, Michale Buble delivers an album of his favourite Christma...
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Swimming - Ecstatics International Album Review

Swimming. It’s brilliant isn’t it? All wet and everything. Except when you get a verruca and have to wear one of those special socks and everyone at school laughs at you for being ...
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Joe Fahey - Bushnell’s Turtle Album Review

‘Bushnell’s Turtle’ is Minneapolis musician Joe Fahey’s second solo release after 2006’s well received solo debut ‘Tote Bag’. After a few listens it becomes apparent that while Joe...
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Thea Gilmore - John Wesley Harding Album Review

John Wesley Harding’s skeletal songs have been beefed up somewhat splendidly by Thea Gilmore on her take on Dylan’s eighth album – rightly or wrongly. Too late to prattle on about ...
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Lotus Mason - Rust and Roll Single Review

New Zealand! Land of sheep and hobbits. And now home to a fairly spiffing new band. Lead singer of Lotus Mason Blair Jollands hails from NZ, (although now resident in Brick Lane, m...
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The Blues Maters - The Blues Masters ft. Mickey Thomas Album Review

Blues howler Mickey Thomas may well be more familiar to people as the bloke who sang on Starship’s huge 80’s hits ‘We Built this City on Rock and Roll’ and ‘Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us...
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The Retrospective Soundtrack Players - Cool Hand Luke Album Review

The idea of composing your own soundtrack to a favourite film is a great idea. It guarantees a built in, curious audience who are already familiar with the plot and characters of t...
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Larkin Poe - Winter EP Review

The cover art of Larkin Poe’s series of seasonally themed EPs of which Winter is the last, reminds me of Kim Grove’s “Love is…” cartoons, all big eyes, childish simplicity and gooe...
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Larkin Poe - Fall EP Review

The third in Larkin Poe’s seasonally themed EP series is another fine collection of bluegrass and rootsy material from Rebecca and Megan Lovell. The duo have a knack for a catchy m...
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Billy Vincent - King Island Coyote EP Review

Billy Vincent are a hot up and coming five piece from South London, who, according to their press blurb, “take influence from the very streets they inhabit”. So, will this debut EP...
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Boothby Graffoe - Songs for Dogs, Funerals... Album Review

Comedy and guitars do not great bed fellows make. Images of Mike Harding or Jasper Carrot spring to mind - or even, ohgodpleasehelpusno – Richard Digance. To be at once funny and ...
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The Moonband - Songs We Like to Listen to While Travelling Through Open Space Album Review

Hippy alarms bells start to ring when you stare at an album cover with washed out painted space scene and astronauts all over it. Thoughts of Wakeman’s cape and widdly keyboard sol...
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Bellowhead - Hedonism Album Review

Bellowhead are something of an acquired taste. Their intriguing mixture of folk tunes and big band arrangements seems to either have people frothing at the mouth with glee or scrat...
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The John Henrys - White Linen Album Review

Beloved of late night legend and quietly spoken BBC whisperer Bob Harris, Canada’s The John Henrys return with their third album. John Henry, according to folklore and millions of ...
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April Maybe May - April Maybe May Album Review

April Maybe May used to be called Fallen Leaves until a bunch of tight trousered punks from London stuck a flag in the name and claimed it as their own. They can keep it. ‘Fallen L...
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Emily Barker and the Red Clay Halo - Nostalgia Single Review

Those of you with nowt else to do on a Sunday night after Antiques Road show will already be familiar with this rather lovely piece of music as it’s the theme tune Kenneth Branagh’...
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Fairport Convention - Fairport's Cropredy Convention 2009 @ Cropredy - 13/8/2009 - Live Review

Like a nice piece of cheese or a quality bottle of plonk, Fairport’s Cropredy Convention seems to be getting better with age. Now in it’s thirtieth year (the band themselves celebr...
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Michael Bublé - Meets Madison Square Garden Album Review

The Boob seems to be taking over the world. Want to make a woman of a certain age quiver? Mention Michael Buble. Yet still many people don’t have the foggiest who he is. So, for yo...
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