April the coolest month

Recovered from those post-Xmas blues? Spirit and body intact? No money in your pocket? Hey! Spring is in the air, bunnies are running for their life in Clissold Park, the birds are coughing and it’s time to party with a vengeance. Stokey’s music venues have a basket of spring goodies lined up, just for you.

Summer offers even more fun and great music. N16 is presenting the third N16 Music Fringe in June (see page 19). Provisional bookings so far include Arthur ‘I am the god of hellfire’ Brown and folk music icon Martin Carthy, and other big names as well as the best in local music will show up at the event. We will give you party animals music, film, comedy and lots more.

Stokey’s premier music venue The Eye (020 7923  7781) leads the way with its own Northern invasion. The New Mastersounds make the trip down from Leeds for an exclusive set april is the coolest month...in Stokey on 2 April. They say ‘When it comes to dirty, hard funk, these guys are the best around’. Manchester’s Space Jam plays every other Sunday from 11 April. Space Jam is a merge of sax, drums, bass and keyboards with electronic gadgets, and gizmos. According to the boys, they are a little bit of Manchester in arty, multicultural Stokey. Apparently, ‘in the (Stokey) village atmosphere, locals and visitors still mix and talk, smile and swap stories with strangers in a friendly manner’. Eh! You mean as in ‘mine’s a pint’ or ‘your place or mine’ or ‘I’m wired’? Every Wednesday there is free pinball, table football and killer pool on the American pool table. 

The Eye’s sister venue Ryan’s (020 7275 7807) has its usual excellent music programme, including a Blues Jam every second Wednesday and the industrious XR5 along with special guests and Kitsch Dress on 9 April. 

The Vortex (020 7254 6516) is still with us. April highlights include Pirate Jenny accompanied by Des de Moor who entertain us with raw and powerful cabaret on 6 April and respected composer and trumpeter Kenny Wheeler on 14 April supported by The Vortex Jazz Quartet – John Parricelli (guitar), Martin France (drums), Steve Watts (bass) and Huw Warren (piano). Harvey Brough, leader of the cult band Harvey and the Wallbangers, plays 15 April. 

The Barracuda (020 7275 0400), under the watchful eye of Mr Teng, maintains Professor Johnny Miller in his Friday night residency. Other happenings are planned in the Bond-style basement. Phone for details.

The Auld Shillelagh (020 7249 5951) continues to blaze its own unique trail. Every second Friday, we have the Other Brothers – quality traditional Irish music. On Sunday nights during April the Shillelagh is staging Peel Me a Grape and Democracy as well as two new innovative offerings – A Tribute to Fats Waller and An Evening with the Man in Black, Johnny Cash. Phone the pub or drop by for further information.

Bar Lorca (020 7275 8659) continues its proven and popular weekly music formula. Grab a flyer from the bar for details.

N16 also recommends Sunday Jazz at Bar 98 (020 7241 0777) and regular music/DJs at Booth’s (020 7923 9332), Birdcage (020 8806 6740), Londesborough (020 7254 5865) and White Hart (020 7254 6626).

city farm By Richard Boon

The joint was jumping. Transformed for one night a couple of months ago into an exemplary small rock venue (backdrop, lights, PA, video crew), St Mary’s Old Church had a full congregation, bearing witness to the live premiere of local guitar luminary Mike Gibson’s debut solo album City Farm.

Perhaps better known in these parts as leader of those titans of twang, The Bikini Beach Band, and organiser of the monthly Acousticism nights at The Lion, Mike reveals that under the garish Hawaiian shirts of his cartoon combo beats an aching, breaking heart.

Songs of plaintive yearning, regret and the exorcism of personal demons are delivered over superbly executed, deceptively upbeat backing. Some bittersweet country tinges (honourable mention, here – and on the night – to guest lap-steel guitarist Martin Fieber of local Customtones), some plangent rocking (‘Wild Heart’, ‘The Truth’), some poignancy (‘Purify’, the reflective ‘Tear It All Down’).

‘Well I’m going down the dark side’, sings Mike , ‘with my fortune in my bag’ and, while unlikely to make his fortune, this CD collection deserves to find its place on the nation’s hippest station, Radio 2, in your homes and in your hearts.

(Mad Village MADVLP001. Info: www.mike-gibson.com and for recommended retailers, Mildmay-based UK independent distributor www.shellshock.co.uk )