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REVIEW: Lisa Hannigan at St Philip’s Church, Salford (November 25th, 2011)

Advent is a season observed in the largely Western Christian religion, as a time of eager expectation and pious preparation. Perhaps fitting therefore, that Lisa Hannigan chose the first week of this hallowed juncture, to make her righteous return to the city of Salford… Accompanied by her constant disciples: Molloy, Glass and Fitzsimons, the musical message was one of peace and passion; with talent such as this, preaching would be futile.  

To read my full review for www.egigs.co.uk, please click link below:

http://www.egigs.co.uk/index.php?a=13995

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I wonder whether the zany allure of Zooey Deschanel would win her hearts and a hypothetical place, on one of the many and varied TV talent shows of today? Surely her perfect musical pairing with M. Ward (Matthew Stephen Ward) would secure her a place through to the live shows, where we could become smitten with her beguiling glances and addicted to the indie angst that her voice exudes. I’m pretty certain that Deschanel would never and will never have to venture down the reality show route in any case, not least due to the success of her aforementioned band of two; She & Him.

After collaborating with Gary Lightbody et al on supergroup Tired Pony‘s debut album, She & Him return with a festive offering for their quirky Folk followers. ‘A Very She & Him Christmas’ was released on October 24th, 2011 in the US and is also available to purchase online. The 12-track covers record features such Christmas classics as ‘The Christmas Song’, ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’ and ‘Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree’, all performed with their trademark subtle wit and wonder. This record would be the perfect backdrop to your Yuletide merriment; light and carefree on the build-up, fast-paced fun when you hit your festive social stride, then rejoicefully reflective in its resolve.

It was Snow Patrol lead singer, Gary Lightbody, that gave me the title inspiration for this piece; I’ve seen the Irishman in somewhat of a deity capacity for several years now. I recently had a conversation about idols: what constitutes and typifies an idol, what makes someone an idol to one and a nobody to another and what would I actually say to one of my idols? For me, an idol is someone that I respect, who is possessing of qualities which I admire and aspire to have and typically, someone who I would be completely dumbfounded to meet in person. Lightbody encompasses all of the above in my case: he’s creative, intelligent, quick-witted, unassuming and Irish (a common theme in my idol rule book)…need there be any further criteria?!

Snow Patrol’s latest 14-track record, ‘Fallen Empires’ was released earlier this month and is currently continuing to reside in the top ten of the UK album charts.  The second single to be released from the album is ‘This Isn’t Everything You Are’ and it would be fair to say that I am rather taken with it. It is unequivocally Snow Patrol and Lightbody at their very best. Some of my best memories of a live show have been at Snow Patrol headline gigs and festival slots. The emotion of the lyrics and power of the band’s performance combine to produce something quite special. I can’t wait to hear the tracks from ‘Fallen Empires’ performed live early next year.

I have always preferred Marina & the Diamonds to Florence and the Machine; I find Marina’s voice more pleasing to hear, warmer and more emotive somehow. I can sense her passion when she performs, whereas I’ve always found the more abstract Welch to be trying that little bit too hard. A personal deconstruction, perhaps. Marina releases her second album in early 2012, which has been given the title, ‘Electra Heart.’ A demo has recently been released on her official website of a new single; ‘Starring Role.’ The follow-up to ‘Radioactive’; this track is perhaps more typically pop than her usual electro-pop offerings and I like it. I like it a lot.

I bought Lisa Hannigan‘s second album, ‘Passenger’ a couple of weeks ago and have been listening to it every day since. I have a couple of favourites, of which ‘Paper House’ is definitely one. I’ve always dreamt of moving to Dublin, living in an apartment and taking autumnal walks around Trinity College – perhaps one day I’ll get there, but for now I’m content to listen to Hannigan’s tale of similar surroundings and pursuits. If she is also looking for a lodger in said paper house, I am most interested…have ferry fare, will travel.

You will probably be familiar with the work of Christina Perri courtesy of previously mentioned tv talent shows; her hit single ‘Jar Of Hearts’ has been covered on both sides of the Atlantic recently. Perri is a 25-year old singer songwriter from Philadelphia who has only relatively recently rose to fame in the US, on the back of the single being aired on various hit shows on the Fox network. Perri released her debut album, ‘Lovestrong’ in May 2011 and has been compared to Folk favourite, Natalie Merchant.

Perri wrote a song for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn official soundtrack, entitled ‘A Thousand Years.’ The track doesn’t appear on ‘Lovestrong’  but gives listeners a good idea of ‘la douleur exquise’ to expect from Perri’s album of love and heartbreak. I think the music world will be seeing a lot more of Perri in the years to come.

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Lisa Hannigan returns with more light-hearted, yet fully-formed lyrical mastery on second album, ‘Passenger.’ The 10-track piece (11-track via iTunes) was recorded in just one week during a creative pilgrimage to a slightly windswept North Wales in early 2011.

1. ‘Home’

Word is very quickly spreading about the album’s opening track and it is, I’m sure, going to be a strong contender for a future single. In just the same way as ‘Ocean and a Rock’ set debut album ‘Sea Sew’ ‘s tone perfectly and delicately, so too does ‘Home.’ The track opens to a sweeping and orchestral swell, with visions of Hannigan setting sail from her native Ireland over to America to begin her last tour.  This time however, she’s not alone on her journey and speaks about the fact that her and her fellow traveller will not be coming back anytime soon, their possessions being merely those that they stand up in. Hannigan talks of sewing or pinning people and places to her, so that she might carry them around with her, for better or for worse; “…And oh, every promise that we broke, is sewn to our clothes, now we are pinned to the wind I suppose.” I like the concept of never being able to escape from your actions and words, despite how far you might travel or who you might be travelling with. I’ve played this track several times already and it is fast becoming one of my most fond favourites.

2. ‘A Sail’

This is the most serene of all the tracks on the album, yet still manages to remain upbeat with double bass and fiddle accompaniment. Hannigan describes her sound as “plinky plonk rock” which will make perfect sense upon listening to this track. It is hard to imagine a more perfect sound to accompany such rousing and rich string instruments than that of Hannigan’s voice and I am yet to hear a contender to her title of Ireland’s favourite folk queen.

3. ‘Knots’

‘Knots’ was the first single to be released from the album and was accompanied by a quirky and colourful video, involving Hannigan being doused with spray paint whilst performing the track with just her ukulele and dwindling pride. It is all good natured fun however and no Hannigans were injured during production. This track allows her to showcase her technical proficiency in multiple pitches and impressive skills on the wonderful ukulele, as she recalls what appears to be the morning after a particularly hazy yet heavenly night before. She sits on a stoop with her high heels and her old dress, next to a companion whom she claims to have lost herself in, haven’t we all after a few too many Schnapps.

4. ‘What’ll I Do’

I’ve commented in previous reviews as to the wonder of Hannigan’s live band accompaniment. Gavin Glass and Shane Fitzsimons are just two of the multi-talented members of Hannigan’s ensemble and the chemistry and timing between the players is truly something to behold in a live setting. This punchy number will be particularly special when performed on Hannigan’s upcoming cathedral tour of the UK; I will be reviewing the Salford date at St Philips, so I am presently counting down the days. The track speaks about how every day things can seem difficult or challenging when a particular person is not around, ” …What’ll I do now that you’re gone, my boat won’t row, my bus doesn’t come.” Such occurences, of course, being purely circumstantial as opposed to an unfortunate twist of romantic fate, yet I enjoy the sentiment very much. Hannigan’s music often focuses on long distance relationships and the feeling of missing someone or something back home; this album continues the tradition, with imagery such as, “I have the fingers, you’ve got the thumb” and unless you happen to be of the feline persuasion, we all know the benefits of opposable thumbs.

5. ‘O Sleep’ featuring Ray LaMontagne

We are treated to a softer tone in LaMontagne‘s vocals on this delicate and dreamy track, a tone which compliments that of Hannigan quite pleasingly; there could only ever be one perfectly complementary vocal for Hannigan in my eyes and that shall forever remain, the equally as haunting, Damien Rice. LaMontagne, on this occasion however, fits the bill most sufficiently and it would be both unfair and fruitless to compare the two artists.

6. ‘Paper House’

This is one of my favourite tracks from the album, due largely to its storytelling quality and to the unmistakeably Irish lilt in Hannigan’s voice. The track focuses on a past relationship which blossomed in a paper house on the edge of Dublin, the foundations I’m guessing being purely metaphorical, unless the Taoiseach has come up with a novel, yet meteorologically-flawed solution to getting Ireland’s upwardly-mobile on the property ladder.  The protagonists of the story are young, having but each other and the theme of temporary bliss appears to be recurrent here. I should note that this implied theme never comes across as cynicism, which I believe is once again a result of Hannigan’s pure and eternally-hopeful take on modern folk.

7. ‘Little Bird’

This beautifully composed track serves as a soft dedication to an old friend or perhaps former partner, touching upon past harsh words that had been shared, yet acknowledging the fondness that still remained. Both parties left the friendship or union equally inspired by the other, yet somehow still experience the same feelings of loneliness, perhaps a creative loneliness or loss of appetite  for a passion which they once felt. Hannigan has never publicly stated that her songwriting is particularly autobiographical, but her lyrics would certainly seem to echo or mirror events and relationships which she could quite realistically have experienced…draw your own conclusions with this one.

8. ‘Passenger’

I first heard this track performed live on Hannigan’s last tour of the UK. ‘Passenger’  has the most traditional Irish folk sound on the album, which is probably why I can’t help but deem it to be my favourite. Hannigan namechecks several US towns and cities which she visited whilst writing this track and the album in its entirety. As she travels from place to place, the landscape may change but the focus of her mind and heart does not: that certain someone back home. The track echoes debut album favourites, ‘Venn Diagram’ and ‘Ocean and a Rock’ in their heartfelt dedication and emotional longing, but Hannigan again manages to infuse a dash of comedy to the proceedings, as only she can. Definitely one of the stand-out tracks on the album for me.

9. ‘Safe Travels (Don’t Die)’

I fell in love with this track on the first listen. Hannigan successfully delivers a combination of cute comedy and  poignant references in this quirky take on the traditional goodbye. Hannigan’s voice has a genuine and warm quality, revealing even the most carefully hidden of lyrical messages. My favourite lines include, “please don’t bungee jump, or ignore a strange lump” and “and I would be sorry if due to your hurry, you were hit by a lorry.” This will be a joy to listen to at a live show and would make a great closing track to lighten the mood post-show.

10. ‘Nowhere To Go’

Hannigan’s voice is the shining star of this track for me; it almost feels formulaic to talk about a theme or possible inspiration, such is the emotive power of Hannigan’s dazzling vocal narration. Luckily however for lovers of mathematics everywhere, I shall stick to my aforementioned formula, as the theme of this track resonates quite strongly with me. Hannigan speaks about your heart holding more than your hand and describes someone as wearing, “…so many hearts on your sleeve.” The subject of the track never has nowhere to go and what they feel inside far outweighs their material or physical possession. Imaginative Writing graduate that I am, I read this track to be a metaphor for the universal minefield that is, the modern relationship: the longing to feel any sort of connection or common ground which would seem to validate the authenticity of that relationship and the vicious circle that is consequently summoned – the temporary relief that the discovery of a connection administers and the subconscious fear that what you actually feel (the connection) is what you choose to feel, rather than what you truly possess in the cold light of day. Or it could be about being bored on a Saturday night because all of your mates have gone out and you’re skint…

Tickets for Lisa Hannigan’s upcoming UK tour can be purchased via the link below:

http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/Lisa-Hannigan-tickets/artist/1257907

www.lisahannigan.ie / www.myspace.com/lisahannigan / www.twitter.com/LisaHBand

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Lisa Hannigan releases tickets for an intimate UK tour, ahead of second album ‘Passenger.’

Lisa Hannigan brings her own brand of hypnotic and fascinating Folk, to selected venues across the UK this November. Backed by her ever brilliant and beaming band (Gavin Glass, Shane Fitzsimons etc), Hannigan will visit intimate and atmospheric spaces, including St Philip’s Church, Salford and St Paul’s, Birmingham. I do enjoy the gothic grandeur of a church or cathedral gig venue, especially if the reverberating sounds are of an acoustically soothing inclination.

Hannigan has just released the official video to ‘Knots’, another track from her much anticipated second album, ‘Passenger.’ The cute, Crayola-coloured quirky offering, features Hannigan; ukulele in hand, performing against a white backdrop, in a white dress…not for long. The video was directed by Myles O’Reilly , who has also produced several diary clips for Hannigan’s official website; documenting performances and rehearsals during the Irish folk-favourite’s album songwriting process. The video is sure to put a lighthearted and whimsical slant on the day of even the most grey of faces.

The tour takes in the following dates:

November 19th, 2011 – Birmingham, St Paul’s

November 20th, 2011 – Norwich, Arts Centre

November 21st, 2011 – York, The Duchess

November 23rd, 2011 – Glasgow, Oran Mor

November 25th, 2011 – Salford, St Philip’s Church

November 27th, 2011 – Bristol, St George’s

November 28th, 2011 – Brighton, Komedia

November 30th, 2011 – London, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire

For tickets, please visit either www.lisahannigan.ie or www.ticketline.co.uk.

‘Passenger’ is released on October 10th, 2011 in the UK and is out now in the US/Canada.

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Florence + the Machine return with their second studio album, ‘Ceremonials‘ on October 31st, 2011 in the UK, November 1st, 2011 in the US. The album was produced by Paul Epworth, who has claimed that there is not one weak track; if first single, ‘Shake It Out‘ is any marker of judgement, then I would be inclined to believe him.

Lisa Hannigan returns with her second studio album ‘Passenger‘ on October 10th, 2011 in the UK, September 20th, 2011 in the US and Canada. The first single to be released from the record will be ‘A Sail.’ I have been waiting for this album for almost two years and from what I hear so far, my wait has not been in vain.

Coldplay release their fifth studio album ‘Mylo Xyloto‘ on October 24th, 2011 in the UK and October 25th, 2011 in the US. ‘Paradise‘ will be the second single to be released from the album, hoping to follow the success of its predecessor, ‘Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall.’ The album is said to be based on “a love story with a happy ending‘” (Chris Martin); my favourite Coldplay track will always remain; ‘Fix You‘, perhaps that says more about my romantic history than any concept album could!

Feist returns with her fourth studio album, ‘Metals‘ on October 3rd, 2011 in the UK and October 4th, 2011 in the US and Canada. The first single to be released from the album will be ‘How Come You Never Go There.’ Short snippets of album tracks can be found on Feist’s official website (www.listentofeist.com). An instrumentally colourful and fervent indie-folk affair; the new single heightens anticipation for the new album offering from the sometime member of Broken Social Scene.

Kelly Clarkson releases her fifth studio album, ‘Stronger‘ on October 24th, 2011 in the UK/US and the first single to be released from the record will be, ‘Mr Know It All.’ Clarkson does break-up themed songs like nobody else (‘Since U Been Gone‘, ‘Walk Away‘) but this is a little bit different to the norm. The track focuses more on Clarkson’s powerful and raw vocals and features much less technical wizardry, which clearly was never needed in the case of the American Idol Season One victor. I love this track and am yet to see Clarkson perform live in the UK, perhaps a tour will follow the release of the new record. Here’s hoping.

Veronica Falls release their self titled debut album on October 17th, 2011 in the UK. Currently touring the US with The Drums;  the indie-pop four-piece from London have been making waves Stateside and online with their tracks ‘Beachy Head‘ and ‘Bad Feeling.’ I don’t expect that it will be long before we see these guys on Jools and the like. My favourite track from the album would be ‘Come On Over.’ Hope you enjoy!

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I have been eagerly anticipating the release of two albums this year: the first from Irish folk singer-songwriter, Lisa Hannigan and the second from Swedish electropop trio, Miike Snow. I believe the debut offerings from these  artists (‘Sea Sew‘ (2008) and ‘Miike Snow‘ (2009) respectively) to be the two best albums of the past three years. I rarely cite that I can listen to an album in its entirety without skipping the odd track, so when such an occasion presents itself, I know that I have truly found myself something special.Clearly on opposite sides of the page with regards to tempo and tone; both artists successfully manage to intersect at the point of their musical passion, lyrical creativity and natural charisma.

I have chosen my top three tracks from both albums below, which should support and validate the praise I regularly heap on both Hannigan and Snow (Christian Karlsson, Pontus Winnberg and Andrew Wyatt).

First up: ‘Burial‘, ‘Animal‘ and ‘Cult Logic’ from Miike Snow. I first heard about the concept of the band several years ago and finally caught them live at V Festival in 2009. They seemed to hit the scene out of nowhere and certainly caught the critics off guard, who later quite happily succombed to their addictive electronic-indie charms. Watching this band is very much a show for the senses and I look forward to a more extensive headline tour following their forthcoming, as yet untitled album.

From ‘Sea Sew‘, I have chosen: ‘Ocean and a Rock‘, ‘I Don’t Know‘ and ‘Pistachio.’ I have watched Hannigan live a couple of times now and she never disappoints. Don’t let her timid demeanour fool you, Hannigan’s vocal range and stage presence are both fearless and unyielding. I guarantee that you will leave the performance space thinking and feeling ever so slightly different, about so many things.

Hannigan’s second album will be titled ‘Passenger‘ and will be released on September 20th, 2011 in the US, September 21st, 2011 in Ireland and September 24th, 2011 in the UK. As a special treat for Hannigan fans, I have included a video of the album title track below. A taste of the wondrous things to come, I am sure.

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Lisa Hannigan; performing in a church, in Dingle, County Kerry. To me, this is merely the stuff of dreams; to our western Irish friends this is quite the reality, as acclaimed live music show ‘Other Voices’ continues to achieve great things on RTE Television…if only the channel could be included somewhere on the seemingly endless array of Sky TV packages. I’d gladly trade it for Sky Atlantic.

Both Hannigan and Dingle have a special place in my shamrock-shaped heart, so to stumble across this Christmastime recording this morning was a pure delight. I am also a great admirer of the captivating Richard Hawley and you will see why when you watch the two clips below. Never was there a more apt track for him to perform than ‘Hushabye Mountain‘; you will no doubt recall the song best from the children’s classic feature film ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’, were it was performed rather poignantly by the equally wonderful Dick Van Dyke. I’ve always loved the song and used to sing it to my sister when she was little, though I had to fluff a few of the lyrics because I was around ten at the time and couldn’t remember them all. It has such fairytale connotations and literally lulls you to sleep; in a good way!

The previous blog piece I wrote was about another of my favourite songs, ‘Moon River‘, which Hannigan and Hawley perform here just magically…if I’m able to pre-book, I’d like to request a live rendition of this very performance at the pearly gates when my time on this mortal plane is completed. Hopefully this is in many, many years to come as I actually have a couple of years on Hannigan and wouldn’t wish any harm to come to one hair on her beautiful Irish head.

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2010 Barclaycard Mercury Prize – shortlist announced today (July 20th, 2010)

Well the Mercury Prize shortlist has been announced today and I am delighted to see 3 folk artists/bands in the line-up; those being Laura Marling’s ‘I Speak Because I Can’, Villagers’ ‘Becoming a Jackal’ and Mumford & Sons’ ‘Sigh No More.’ The full list is below:

Biffy Clyro, ‘Only Revolutions’

I Am Kloot, ‘Sky At Night’

Dizzee Rascal, ‘Tongue N’ Cheek’

Paul Weller, ‘Wake Up the Nation’

Corinne Bailey Rae, ‘The Sea’

The xx, ‘xx’

Villagers, ‘Becoming a Jackal’

Kit Downes Trio, ‘Golden’

Foals, ‘Total Life Forever’

Laura Marling ‘I Speak Because I Can’

Wild Beasts, ‘Two Dancers’

Mumford & Sons, ‘Sigh No More’

With a talent for poetry and lyricism far beyond her tender 20 years; Laura Marling is well respected in both folk and wider contemporary circles. This, her second album, was released in March 2010 and peaked at number 4 in the Official UK Chart and number 1 on the iTunes UK Chart. The album has produced two singles thus far; those being ‘Goodbye England (Covered in Snow)‘ and ‘Devil’s Spoke.’ These just happen to also be two of my favourite tracks from a genuinely striking and sublime record.

Villagers are an Irish indie-folk band, hailing from Malahide in Dublin. This, their debut album, was released in May 2010 and immediately topped the Irish Albums Chart and the Irish Indie Albums Chart. Lead singer Conor J. O’Brien is widely respected and lauded for his songwriting, musicality and influence amongst his peers. O’Brien’s music has been described as drawing inspiration from dark imagery and by romanticising the mundane aspects of life. Definitely a wordsmith to note for the future.

I think most people will have heard of Mumford & Sons at this point; regardless of whether they happen to be a fan of folk music. This, their debut studio album, was released in October 2009, peaking at number 6 in the Official UK Charts in July 2010. The album has since been certified Platinum in the UK and has produced the following hit singles, ‘Little Lion Man’, ‘Winter Winds’, ‘The Cave’ and ‘Roll Away Your Stone.’ Continuously sold out shows confirm the band’s popularity both at home and abroad. I would be surprised if this band weren’t judged to be in the top 3 of those shortlisted; but then again, I fear other factors come in to play with these commercial prize-giving ceremonies; I still haven’t got over Lisa Hannigan not walking away with the award for ‘Sea Sew’ last year.

Still, us folk fans can dream and hope, hope and dream; I think these three are worthy winners but would like to have also seen Richard Hawley’s ‘Truelove’s Gutter’ and Noah and the Whale’s ‘The First Days of Spring’ nominated. But, you can’t have everything.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-10696387

www.mercuryprize.com

I am heading to Cambridge Folk Festival to review this year and I can’t wait. With Irish ancestry, I suppose a love of live music, particularly folk, was to be expected; but it’s only been the past couple of years that I’ve really found this genre to be my writing niche.

Folk music has been described as ‘the music of the people’ due to its geographical, historical and cultural references. The genre has a universal, yet personal appeal.  I love the emotions that folk music conveys and am yet to find a sub-genre which I don’t find addictive and uplifting; whether that be American Bluegrass, Celtic Traditional or Yorkshire Roots. I like the idea that a crowd can be watching the same performer, yet they are being taken on a completely different journey; being reminded of their childhood, where they came from, family holidays growing up, their youth and the list goes on.

I am particularly looking forward to seeing the following artists at Cambridge this year: Natalie Merchant, Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit, The Unthanks and Stornoway. I have added some You Tube links below to show you why. I keep praying that Lisa Hannigan, Mumford and Sons and Noah and the Whale suddenly find a spare day in their hectic diaries to come along…one can but dream.

When my family and I visit Ireland each year (Killarney, Co Kerry), we go to a great live music and eating venue called The Danny Mann. It is really popular and gets packed out every night. The food is delicious (particularly the Kenmare Salmon with chilli and lime) and the live music is always brilliant. We have had many a great night here. If you find yourself in the area, please take my recommendation and pop along. You won’t be disappointed.

The Danny Mann, Killarney, County Kerry

http://www.evistonhouse.com/dynamicPage.asp?id=16

So if you’re heading to Cambridge this July, I hope you have a great festival. I’ll be the girl with the notepad, the dictaphone and the pint of Bulmers trying to master the fine art of the harmonica in the music workshop tent.