11th February 2016 (SCE #6)

The Details

Date: Thursday, 11th February, 2016

Venue: 176 Whitechapel Road, London, E1 1BJ 

Time: 8.30pm

Entry: £5.00

Travel: Whitechapel Tube & London Overground, various buses

The Performers

Various Guises

Various Guises are the London-based expandable duo of Maya McCourt & Blanche Ellis on cello and guitar often joined by banjoist Dana Immanuel. Formed late one night around a bonfire in Brockley the girls have been stomping and swaying all over town ever since. Playing original music influenced by old New Orleans, Appalachia and English and European traditional tunes, the girls' close-knit harmonies weave a sense of timeless folk.

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Ady Johnson

Ady Johnson released his new EP Thank You For The Good Things on May 18th '15. The title track is an ode to his late grandfather under whom he received his antique restoration apprenticeship. Recorded with Mercury nominated producer Gerry Diver, the EP brings together the soulful delivery of Ady's live performances and has been selected for Tom Robinson's 6music show.

Website

Mine Host: Simon Hopper

Simon Hopper is the founder and host of Song Club East. See earlier posts in this blog.

Website

Three bar-stools, three mics and three singer-guitarists

It was our first evening in The Urban Bar. It was January-cold and winter-harsh outside on the mean streets of Whitechapel, but inside Song Club East concert#5 it was warm, welcoming and songwriter-sensitive.

It comes in threes at Song Club East: singers, guitars, songwriters and now in our new home, three barstools and mics. Very songwriters-circle, very conversational.

Our guests were stalwart adherents to the singer-songwriter code with story songs, tales of broken hearts and sympathetic left-of-centre-humane socio-political prognostications.

In the week that David Bowie left us bereft, Our Man in the Field, played for us the day before the birth of his child (8.4lbs, apparently). The circle keeps turning.

Alex (OMitF) name-checked Vin Garbutt as an influence and his dry, direct delivery was reminiscent of the north-east folk-legend and fellow Teessider. He sang L'Etranger, to applause from the French contingent in the audience. His caustic Background Hum tells of inhumane attitudes to those escaping war and famine propagated by the right-wing media. Low-key but warm, his stage presence compliments his songs. We were charmed by his visit.

For the second time in as many concerts we were sought out by a transatlantic fan of song-writing (and welcome to him). His visit was well-timed as it coincided with the appearance of a transatlantic artist in the shape of Robert Chaney. He played songs written by an old girlfriend, by Irving Berlin and by himself. He and our US visitor reminisced about songwriters they knew from home and Robert showed why Americana tale-telling-in-song is such a popular genre here with intriguing songs such as The Ballad of Edward and Lisa and The Cyclist.

Your host (me) contributed with material from his back catalogue, encompassing the creation of everything and how to say a final goodbye with joy.

We loved having our guests along. We loved having the audience there, too.

Join us next month for Various Guises and Adrian Johnson. February 11th.

14th January 2016 (SCE #5)

The Details

Date: Thursday, 14th January, 2016

Venue: 176 Whitechapel Road, London, E1 1BJ 

Time: 8.30pm

Entry: £5.00

Travel: Whitechapel Tube & London Overground, various buses

The Performers

Our Man in the Field writes musical snapshots from the lives he's observed or the life he's lead. Influences include the open spaces of the North East Coast and the raw energy overflowing into London's sky line, and all the people in between.

Website

Robert Chaney is an American performing artist, heir to the songwriting traditions of Townes Van Zandt, Hank Williams and Judee Sill. Come to hear songs from his 2015 ten-track debut, Cracked Picture Frames.

Website

Simon Hopper is the founder and host of Song Club East. See earlier posts in this blog.

Website