THE WINELIGHT CLUB IN LONDON

On Tuesday 23rd September: The Winelight Club vists the Capital with a fantastic show at The Old Queens Head in Islington at 8pm:

Tickets £5 from http://www.wegottickets.com/event/34443

The Winelight Club, with venues in Manchester and Norwich, presents this one-off show in London as a means of showcasing some of the amazing talent on the scene at present. The nights special event features: -

FALLEN LEAVES - This Cumbrian Duo completely blow away all before them with their amazingly good songs, backed up by some of the best vocals in the business and clever musicianship. Fans of Everything But the Girl, Massive Attack or Kathryn Williams should not less these pass you by.

ROCKFORD'S ROCK OPERA - made its live debut at Norwich's Winelight Club and drew a capacity crowd. This really is something different, a full show mixing vocals,guitars, visuals and narration about tales of extinction. Big things are happening for Rockfords and this is a remarkable opportunity to catch it in intimate surroundings for possibly the last time.

JUDITH HAUSTEIN - provides a different edge to the evening. A mix of sultry jazz with synths and acoustics make for a very interesting array of some very fine songs creating an ambience not too dissimilar to the best of Paris's Latin Quarter.

SIMON CHANDLER - Sexy, soothing, sophisticated Samba music of the best Latin American flavours from one man and a guitar. Prepare to be whisked away to the sleazy bars of South America on a wave of gentle acoustica.

Something for everyone and all backed up by the usual excellent facilities and provisions The Old Queens Head is famous for.

Please support us in this venture as, who knows, it may become a regular event. We would be delighted to see any of our southern based artistes down there and we are running a GUEST LIST for those and MUSIC INDUSTRY types. For guest list entry please email the.winelightclub@ntlworld.com

Otherwise tickets a mere £5 from http://www.wegottickets.com/event/34443

Hello everyone,

It's been a while and it seems we only post blogs when we are blowing our own trumpets.....and this one is no exception!! We are most grateful to Manchestermusic.co.uk for their continued support of all things Winelight and hope the review of last month's show (below) entices a few more along to our (almost sold out) Christmas Party at Automatic, Bury tomorrow to enjoy a night with Ireland's answer to The Dixie Chicks (The Murphys) plus (The Human Stax Machine) Graham Robins, Garron Frith and Warren Gaskell. All for a mere £6 on the door or in advance from The Met, Bury on 0161 761 2216.

So onto the trumpet blowing.....pah, pa papa pah...........

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MAY I HAVE SOME MORE PLEASE..
:: Robert Brown :: The Steals :: Juliana Meyer :: Andrea Glass ::
13 November 2007 / The Met / Bury (mcr)
By JA
THE WINELIGHT CLUB put on regular shows at Bury Met's Automatic and this week there are another four up and coming acts. But first a word of warning. Unlike most venues, this has a set up based around food. With waiter service, the idea is that people can have a meal whilst listening to some specially selected live acts. I was sat amongst a number of people sat stuffing their faces with Chicken Dinners and pasta. And I was hungry. ROBERT BROWN is from Suffolk and likes Cuban heeled cowboy boots as well a nice line in acoustically driven folk rock. He's also been on what seems like a two million date tour of places like this up and down the UK. He's very progressive at times and one track is a bit of an epic, played out on a mandolin like a traditional version of Led Zep. Even more to his credit is his voice – a sturdy and often silky example of composure and considered melody. He does an extra set at the end of the night to close off the show and he's not just a seasoned singer but an extremely accomplished guitar player. Personally I think THE STEALS (from Leeds) are the best band on here tonight. I'll bet some lazy hack somewhere has already made references to 80's acts like A.A.E (I daren't say the full name). Well they're wrong. The Steals are the very epitomy of 21st Century folk gone electric. John Hogg carves out his signature sounds with effects which leave notes hanging in the air as he plucks in a quick arpeggio or sends a skittering harmonic down the waves of almost looped, rotating delays. Haunting, ethereal stuff it is too with Jayn Hanna layering in her sweet, defined voice. It's all a pleasure to hear tracks like "Over Me" and Hanna's exceptionally long hair makes her look like a modern damsel in distress as she calls out across the airwaves - exceptional stuff indeed. JULIANA MEYER has made the long journey up to Bury and with an album full of self penned and self performed tracks, there's a touch of Suzanne Vega about her work. I'm not sure if it travelled as well as it could. She sounds good on My Space, but instead of her surfeit of journeyman themes, the odd catchy song to match her rather regular MOR vocals would have provided just the lift. ANDREA GLASS on the other hand has jumped on a bus from just down the road in Bolton. There seem to be a lot of friends and family here and tonight she's playing solo with just voice and her acoustic guitar. Her anecdotes about a trip she made to Nashville are borne out in her music, although the sound would undoubtedly be more attractive with a full band. She has the banter of Sara Cox and the voice of Emmylou Harris, which provides warmth on all fronts. It's an attractive mixture of country and home grown folk all deliciously stirred into something distinctly northern. The Winelight Club and Automatic have more acts in the coming months (including a Christmas Special with Turkey and all) and with four acts a show, there's always the promise of something new and interesting from the established City circuit - or using Winelight's critically proven radar - from beyond. Next time though, I'm taking a fork with me ...
Resources: Julian Meyer on MS Andrea Glass The Steals Robert Brown on MS Winelight Club (Bury) on MS

To receive reviews like this is really rewarding for all of us who work hard to ensure The Winelight Club goes from strength to strength, and behalf of all behind the scenes we would like to thank all the artists and our fantastic audience for the big part they play in all things Winelight. Here's the review ........

http://www.music-dash.co.uk/live/live.asp?item=1301

www.manchestermusic.co.uk

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TRAMPS, GAS & WINE

:: Patrick Briscoe :: Tom Kerswill :: Fallen Leaves :: Rachael Wright ::

14 August 2007 / The Met / Bury (mcr)

By JA

I only live a couple of miles outside of Bury and worked there for 17 years before opting for a job in Manchester City Centre. Despite my familiarity with and proximity to my hometown, I rarely venture there for social engagements, mainly because I spent so much time there in my youth. The big joke about Bury is that it was always the "10 Hour Town" – nothing opens before 8am and everything is locked and shut by 6pm. Except the pubs - and tonight the town looks like the set from 28 Days Later, the gloom broken only by the faint glimmer of the lights from the Yates' Wine Lodge. Parking is easy in such circumstances and I'm only several seconds away from experiencing a typical local tourist attraction, in the form of a rather large bloke taking a very long and no doubt enjoyable piss into a rubbish bin outside the Council building on Broad Street – he was quite well dressed (no tramps in Bury!) and as we walked past him I'm convinced that if I'd said "evening" to him he would have cheerily responded mid-stream. The experience is quickly followed by an eleven year old kid on BMX cruising up and down the pelican crossing in the best 2002 JJB outfit he could find, asking for "25p for the phone". F*ck.Off. So far the comedy fear was manageable but then horror of horrors, the doors to Automatic were closed – there'd been a gas leak. But all is well, because the Winelight Club thrives on reliability and the very essence of the show-must-go-on - therefore proceedings have been transferred upstairs to the bar of The Met (aka The Derby Hall), scene of Joy Division's riotous fan brawl in 1979 and the venue for the very first Chameleons gig. No such nonsense tonight however and none of that student yapping throughout acoustics sets that's often experienced whilst in the company of loud mouthed city centre yuppies. No – this is truly an oasis – candlelit tables, an impeccable, gentle, finely tuned sound and four acts who enjoy the undivided attention of the audience. The bands are swiftly rotated with short but leisurely breaks for drinks and a quick chat. There's even a complimentary glass of wine for the inconvenience of climbing a flight of stairs. This is finesse and traditional, professional promoting at its best. As a late arrival, I have to wait outside the room to avoid disturbing the performance – just like at a proper theatre – I miss the first few songs but catch the soundwaves of FALLEN LEAVES. Their honey dewed melodies and caressed, wondrous sound almost carries you into the room on a bed of succulent, fragrant acoustica. It's a haunting, quiet, but exciting performance. Once installed on the sofa – yes ! a sofa – it's the best gig ever ! , RACHAEL WRIGHT is the next entertainer, accompanied by a second guitarist and bass player who also has a handy portable glockenspiel in a carry case. Rachael's voice is spellbinding and whilst the songs are quite progressive and at times exceptionally long, it's easy to begin wishing for a simple pop song rather than various epics about things sailing in heaven and combing your horses mane. It's engaging stuff though and a very thoughtful set from the Liverpudlian and her band. Probably the star of the evening is TOM KERSWILL, a familiar face on the city circuit and very much a one man band. Tom's energetic approach to his music finds him on cue with work boots, well worn jeans and maybe his favourite t-shirt. He's casual in image but so absolutely meticulous when it comes to songwriting. His guitar style eschews finger picking for the best part, with his dynamic strums sometimes feverishly staggering between big chord crashes. The songs are perfectly trim and crammed with infectious, serious melodies. There's not just one or two gems here but a whole string of tunes that hook you in to the observational lyrics as the set is interspersed with tales from the road and anecdotes about missed trains. "My Mind's Eye" is one of Tom's signature tunes and I for one hope that more people get to hear and see him play. To round off the evening PATRICK BRISCOE selects tracks from his album "Colours Will Fly". The diminutive Briscoe for the best part does seem a little edgy and his complicated picks seem to teeter right on the edge of his sophisticated timings and song structures. With a violin to lighten the load, he seems more comfortable, but the emotional connection found on his record seems slightly frayed and perhaps less natural. His voice is accurate but quite generic at times and I suspect that his work favours a more comprehensive line up of musicians. But there are plenty of choices available in the song bag and Patrick Briscoe is never short of a melody or a climatic crescendo of buzzing strings when needed. Winelight Club can be found at The Met / Automatic in Bury, a couple of times a month and it's thoroughly recommended. The line ups are discerning and the host and venue the friendliest you could ever expect – I for one will definitely be back .