Let’s not mess around here: fans of Americana will be absolutely smitten after just one listen to this EP from alt-country duo Lewis & Leigh. Their third release in under a year, ‘Hidden Truths’ has a heart wrenchingly gorgeous sound, bringing a perfect blend of country and folk, with a smidgeon of a Wilco-ish influence in the guitar department. Coming together from solo projects, hearing Alva Leigh and Al Lewis harmonise is to hear something natural and pure – voices that belong together as much as Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, as Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, and these four songs have the natural flow of performers who sound as if they’ve been playing together for years. The fact that at the time of this release Al Lewis and Alva Leigh had only been writing and performing together for a short time only makes ‘Hidden Truths’ all the more remarkable.
NINE MILES SOUTH – Nine Miles South EP
Situated in middle-class Surrey, Guildford is hardly the epicentre of British rock. Aside from The Stranglers, few bands have ever put that town on the map. It was the location for Carter USM’s final show first time around – a show succinctly described as “shit” by frontman Jim Bob – and is only a few miles away from where Paul Weller began his illustrious career with The Jam, but even so, it could hardly hold a candle to Camden, Newcastle or Coventry for historic musical thrills. In this respect, Nine Miles South are possibly the best thing associated with Guildford since fictional character Ford Prefect decided to call it home after his relocation from Betelgeuse.
Upcoming live shows from The Computers
Exeter’s finest punk ‘n’ roll/mod revival band The Computers have a long run of shows coming up, seeing out the rest of 2015 in style. All dates are listed below.
THE RIZZOS – Worse Things
At the beginning of 2015, Brooklyn’s The Rizzos released their debut EP ‘No Parents, No Rules’. Far from perfect, it showed a great promise for the future and was worth checking out for ‘Vomit Kiss’, a punky number that showed the energy within the band in a brattish and youthful manner. That glimpsed promise comes really through on this seven track cassette – issued just six months later – where The Rizzos really hit their mark consistently, blending their garage rock roots with some serious early sixties bubblegum vibes and some classy power pop.
KURT BAKER – Play It Cool
Kurt Baker’s first full length release ‘Brand New Beat’ was an instant power pop classic. Despite all of the tunes being appropriated from the catalogues of Joe Jackson, Nick Lowe and The Cars, Baker’s abilities for penning a great chorus along with his insistence on bringing a party spirit ensured his enthusiasm and talents shone through almost every moment of every track. A companion disc comprising ten session leftovers – ‘Brand New B-Sides’ – was worth the price of admission for his take on Nick Lowe’s ‘So It Goes’ and an ode to actress Emma Stone (the appropriately titled ‘Emma Stone’) alone.