• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

sounds magazine

Sounds Magazine

  • Home
  • ABOUT SOUNDS
    • ABOUT SOUNDS
    • CONTACT
    • MERCH
    • STAFF
  • FEATURES
    • JAWS
    • COLUMNISTS
  • On The Road
  • Reviews
    • BOOK REVIEWS
    • ALBUMS
    • TRACKS
  • Blowin
  • News
    • Sounds Playlist
  • 18/04/2018

The Cornelius Crane

10/05/2017 By Jasper C Dubussy

SHARE Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
News Team | sounds magazine

The Witchwood Ashton U Lyne 29/04/17

I am in Ashton –U-Lyne at an old stomping ground of mine, ‘The Witchwood’. As a child I attended the local high school, which would be another story altogether and not for the faint-hearted. Ashton is an old Market town on the outskirts of Manchester, and like many of these satellite towns there is a distinct difference in attitude. Ashton for a period of time was the centre of everything that wasn’t right in this area, that now has changed thankfully and as I get off the 219 bus I saunter with a smile as I reach the venue.

The evening starts with The Dollar Bombers, a country/folk duo who are blessed with wonderful vocals and charming songs.  The ideal start to an evening for any occasion, a band that also seems confident in the world they inhabit, and I am sure could support many a main act at any size venue.

The Witchwood has a buzz about it as the next band, Control of the Going, come on stage. I have never seen the band before and was expecting great things from the psychedelic rock and rollers. However, it just didn’t happen for me, from being a psychedelic haze it just became a drone of the obvious. Although the band seemed to be a hit with a number of friends who had come to see them, the back of the room was more concerned with the price of beer and what was happening in the boxing event that was on the TV screens.  However, there is potential in a number of their songs and there is a certain richness to the vocals that makes me think they can move forward. I hate to knock a young band but they have to up their game if they want to make an impact in the psych world, which at the moment is outstanding.

Next up on this busy night are the Last Race Home — a band described as having songs of hard drinking, love, gritty Northern realism, romanticism and heartbreak. The last time I saw this band they were fronted by a ‘very’ Mancunian vocalist, and although I enjoyed them there was something not quite right, so tonight would be my first chance to see the difference, and what a difference it was. The band now have a total sanguine factor about themselves, a band made for any summer festival you could mention, a genuine optimism that is contagious. With shared vocals and competent, confident musicians, The Last Race Home were a force to be reckoned with, and I am sure will please people up and down the country.

The lights went down and a smoky haze drifted across the stage and the main act for the evening, The Cornelius Crane came on stage.  The band are a unique mix of Americana and northern folk that tends at times to drift into 70s prog. Yes totally up my street. I relax as the band go through their set; the strength of the band is not only their musical talents but the quality of their songs, songs that reach out to you and touch your very soul.  This is a band I have seen on many occasions that to me set the standard of what a quality professional band should be like. But as I take in the music and the performance something doesn’t seem quite right— the songs are played well, and although the sound from the PA system was a tad ropey for the first few songs, something was missing. It was like watching a band who were coming off a 2 year tour and on their penultimate gig. Musically it was spot on, but the magic of watching a live band is that spark, that energy, which I am sad to report wasn’t there on this occasion. In the past when I have seen the Crane there is always genuine humour and banter on the stage— this wasn’t present and it showed. I hope this was a one off, as a band of this quality doesn’t come around that often. Overall I enjoyed the evening, perhaps there was one band too many on the event, but real value for money at a venue that has far too many tribute band posters adorning its walls.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Twitter
  • More
  • Pinterest
  • Print
  • Pocket

Related

Filed Under: On The Road

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Ads

FAB

News

CALLING ALL STATUS QUO FANS!

CALLING ALL STATUS QUO FANS!

McVention 2018 – The Scottish Status Quo Convention –  will be held across Friday 12th and Saturday 13th of October at The Classic Grand in Glasgow, with 8 of Europes finest Status Quo tribute bands on the bill. McVention 2018 [...Read More]

Lindsey Buckingham has parted ways with Fleetwood Mac

Lindsey Buckingham has parted ways with Fleetwood Mac

Variety reports that Lindsey Buckingham has parted ways with Fleetwood Mac — reportedly being fired after a dispute over touring. Buckingham’s last performance with the band was in January, when the group were MusiCares Person of the Year honorees preceding [...Read More]

Rowetta Talks Happy Mondays

Rowetta Talks Happy Mondays

Ahead of the band’s big show at the Macclesfield Festival in July, we caught up with Happy Mondays singer and general Manchester legend Rowetta to see how things have been going since the band got back together. Sounds: How’s has [...Read More]

James Reveals New Four-Track EP

James Reveals New Four-Track EP

Manchester legends James will release a brand new four-track EP to coincide with their already-announced tour of intimate venues in May. The Better Than That EP is the band’s first release since the hugely successful album Girl at the End [...Read More]

Farewell Raphael Doyle …

Farewell Raphael Doyle …

We are saddened by the news that Cafe Society’s Raphael Doyle, lost his battle with motor neurones disease on Friday March 30th 2018. If you didn’t catch the interview with him in 2016, here it is again. His album “Never [...Read More]

Manchester’s Ist Ist Release Debut EP

Manchester’s Ist Ist Release Debut EP

One of Manchester’s most powerful up-and-coming bands, Ist Ist, is set to release their debut EP on April 6th and embark on their biggest UK tour to date. Over the past year or so, they’ve been gaining a loyal following [...Read More]

About time

BBC Radio 1 has been told that 50% of the songs it plays in the daytime must be “new music”. The ruling came from Ofcom, which said “a significant proportion” of the music must come from “emerging UK artists”. The [...Read More]

Archives

  • April 2018 (7)
  • March 2018 (23)
  • February 2018 (18)
  • January 2018 (13)
  • December 2017 (15)
  • November 2017 (18)
  • October 2017 (13)
  • September 2017 (9)
  • August 2017 (21)
  • July 2017 (30)
  • June 2017 (24)
  • May 2017 (15)
  • April 2017 (28)
  • March 2017 (36)
  • February 2017 (23)
  • January 2017 (17)
  • December 2016 (70)
  • November 2016 (119)
  • October 2016 (15)

Footer

  • E-mail
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Advertise
Contact
Privacy
Cookies
Sitemap

Copyright © 2018 · Sounds Magazine · Site by Samu·

By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.