Strongroom Blog

Strongroom Studios Presents… Will & The People And Bert Miller & The Animal Folk

phil — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 18:39:35 +0000

People and Animals. What more could you ask for at a Christmas party? Mistletoe, perhaps; ale and fine wines – certainly. They’ll be on hand of course but this evening the focus, as ever, is on quality musical entertainment, live and direct.

Being the season of jollity and cheer we proudly present to you this month two bands that combine their musical chops with a healthy dose of good old-fashioned entertainment.

Perennial professional party-poppers Will And The People don’t take ambivalence for an answer; living, rehearsing, gigging and partying together imbues them with a commanding presence as well as a Santa-sack full of great songs. Super-tight and beautifully harmonious, infectious ska-based grooves flow from the stage creating a sound which translates vivaciously everywhere they play. If there is a band to save the word ‘popular’ then this is it. “A touch of Robbie Williams’ swagger, the Special’s darker sonic shades and a trace of the Police’s pop smarts. It shouldn’t work, but it does” - Sunday Times Culture “Gloriously tuneful and infectiously upbeat” – The Guardian

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfYFnpb2zOo

Formed in 2005, Bert Miller And The Animal Folk have a unique take on the art of storytelling. Eccentrically happy and darkly funny, their carefully crafted songs depict the trials and afflictions of Bert’s life and are largely focussed on his unadulterated love of animals. Not a band to strum ineffectually while the crowd goes mild, these guys have charisma to spare and draw the audience ever further into their magical little world.

It’s close enough, but not too close, to Christmas, it’s the perfect night to party.

From 8pm, Wednesday 14th December. Strongroom Bar, 120-124 Curtain Road, EC2A 3SQ. Nearest tubes Old St./Liverpool St. Free entry.

Strongroom Studios Presents… Stealing Sheep And Tanja Tzar

phil — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:14:39 +0000

For November’s SSP we’re delighted, excited and immensely proud to welcome to the bar recent Heavenly signings Stealing Sheep and Macedonia’s Tanja Tzar. Each of these acts would be worth a trip to Shoreditch on their own but, happily, you can catch them both here in our bar on the 16th.

Stealing Sheep are Becky, Lucy and Emily; a Liverpool trio who started writing together in 2010. Their psych-folk sound, powered by beautiful vocal harmonies and 60′s-flavoured synth/guitar, has proved hugely successful in festival appearances over the summer as well as in support slots for the likes of Tune-Yards and Beth Jeans Houghton; their first single ‘I Am The Rain’ received extensive airplay on 6music winning the girls a legion of fans and a ton of critical plaudits. Their 6-track EP ‘Noah & The Papermoon’ is out this week and looks set to crank things up another notch ahead of the release of their full album on Heavenly early next year. Here they are making good use of Abbey Road Studio 1:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyH2YpusKpc

Singer, songwriter and composer Tanja Tzar writes and performs in both English and her native Macedonian, specialising in Balkan and Byzantine harmonic styles. Her voice and arrangements can be heard in the Academy award-winning score for Wolfgang Petersen’s ‘Troy’, including the end titles duet with Josh Groban. She has a number of other film credits to her name, including ‘The Passion of Christ’. She appears at Strongroom accompanied by the guitarist Jamie McCredie; Tanja’s performance promises to bring a huge sound into a small room. Check out the first song from Tanja’s recent album:

We feel extraordinarily lucky to be able to bring you these two fantastic acts in such an intimate surrounding as our bar and it seems certain that another unique and memorable night is on the cards so be sure, as always, to get down early.

8pm, Weds 16th November, Strongroom Bar, 120-124 Curtain Road, EC2A 3SQ. Free entry.

Strongroom Studios Presents… She Makes War & Dakota Jim

phil — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:11:57 +0000

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5hzO-s2LA4

After a summer break October 19th sees the return of the Strongroom Studios Presents sessions, with East-end gypsy-bluesman Dakota Jim and acclaimed multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter She Makes War.

Laura Kidd AKA She Makes War produced her first album with former Strongroom engineer Myles Clarke, who now has his own studio in London Fields. It’s very good. (The album, not the studio. Although I’m sure the studio is jolly decent too.) They’ve recently completed work on her second album “Little Battles”, available next month to fans who contributed via PledgeMusic.com and shortly afterwards through Bandcamp. She appeared in the bar a few weeks ago with Catherine AD and we’re delighted to welcome her back.

The best way to understand Dakota Jim is to see him perform live, which isn’t difficult in these parts thanks to this man’s passion for getting the music out there. You’ll find him in residency at hipster-hangouts Jamboree in Cable Street and the New Empowering Church as well as busking with friends and family on Columbia Road. Their mix of blues, country and gypsy folk makes for a beguiling performance.

So once again we have two fantastic acts for your entertainment and enjoyment, guaranteed to warm the cockles and maybe even send a shiver down your spine. Rock up early.

20.00-23.00 19th October, Strongroom Bar 120-124 Curtain Road EC2A 3Sq. FREE ENTRY.

Dakota Jim – Jockey Full Of Bourbon

Can We Get Much Higher?

phil — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 13:35:19 +0000

Five sessions old and Strongroom Presents is officially on fire! Following some truly amazing performances from the likes of O.Children, Daughter and of course the unforgettable Roots Manuva Banana Klan party, the musical bar has been firmly set to ‘Too High’. Last night we were once again treated to some exceptionally talented musicians providing entertainment of the very highest calibre.

First up, Peter & Kerry, performing with two drummers and a bassist, gave us a beautifully polished set of finely crafted songs, with material from their ‘Clothes, Friends, Photos’ EP as well as from the forthcoming album. Their re-work of Amerie’s ‘One Thing’ is simply awesome and will no doubt be a YouTube smash if and when the footage of it gets uploaded. Both Peter and Kerry have performed in the bar previously, before they began writing and performing together as a duo. Seeing them on stage last night you’d think they’d never been apart, theirs is a very natural and relaxed co-operation and – is it OK to say symbiosis? Having two drummers worked well too, if only because it looked really cool. Can’t wait to see these guys again.

It was a tough set to follow and prior to taking to the stage, Tony O’Malley was rifling through his repertoire, no doubt pondering his first move. Luckily, a 40-odd year career playing to every kind of audience around the world has provided an unerring instinct for how to work a room and he didn’t put a foot wrong from the moment he sat down. Beginning with a bar-room blues solo number, he quickly spotted a couple of friends in the audience and invited them onstage. One was Emily Dolan Davies, one of Peter & Kerry’s drummers, and the other was Andy Treacey, another superb drummer just itching to pick up the sticks on his night off. The three of them got stuck into ‘Mr Operator’ and boom! ‘Let’s take it to the groove station!’ called Tony and they did just that, much to the delight of the crowd. Virtuoso renditions of Tony’s compositions alongside classics such as Lovely Day and Unchain My Heart had fingers popping, hands clapping and everyone singing along, with beaming smiles all round. It felt as though the band could have played all night and many wish they had, but Tony’s shirt was beginning to dissolve and with a session in the studios booked for the morning the final note had to be played.

Fortunately for lovers of quality live music everywhere, there’ll be another chance to join in next month – we’ll see how much higher we can get on 20th July.

Strongroom Studios Presents… Tony O’Malley And Peter & Kerry

phil — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 10:00:39 +0000

This month’s SSP session is on Wednesday 15th June and, as ever, takes place downstairs in Strongroom Bar. Taking the stage and maintaining the standards of excellent musicianship for which this night is becoming renowned are virtuoso keyboardist Tony O’Malley and London-based songwriting duo Peter Lyons & Kerry Leatham.

Peter & Kerry came to our attention on the back of their excellent ‘Clothes, Friends, Photos’ EP, released in March on the boutique indie-folk Tape Club label (also home to Strongroom faves The Laurel Collective). The EP, recorded in 6 days, has been much praised (“Leatham and Lyons are masters of their collective heartbreak, their knack for transforming the commonplace into the extraordinary hinting at great things to come” says The Line Of Best Fit) and appetites are well whetted for the full-length album on which they’re now working.

When we heard that engineer extraordinaire Haydn Bendall was planning a session with Tony O’Malley the day after this gig, we couldn’t believe our luck and quickly made arrangements for Tony to begin his time at Strongroom with a performance in the bar. With a career stretching back to the sixties, where in his teens at the legendary Bag O’Nails Club he would jam with the likes of Georgie Fame and Jimi Hendrix, over the years Tony’s bands have included Arrival, 10cc and Kokomo; he is a highly accomplished musician and a consummate entertainer. Now six albums into a successful solo career he’s bringing his well-honed talents to Strongroom and is guaranteed to make party.

As always entry is free of charge and space is limited, so come down early, enjoy a beer and a bite to eat and make sure you don’t miss the chance to see some truly fantastic music in one of London’s most intimate venues.

8pm, 15th June. Strongroom Bar, 120-124 Curtain Road EC2A 3SQ. Free entry.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SII0qMbg6wM

Strongroom Studios Presents… Daughter & The Kindling

phil — Tue, 10 May 2011 17:16:42 +0000

The bar was set at a lofty height again here last month by are-you-Lee-Mavers-in-disguise? northern songsmiths The Great Eastern and the powerful beauty of O.Children. That was magic number three, so what can we expect from the fourth in this series?

In The Kindling and Daughter, we have two new acts with extraordinary songwriting talents with each with a refined, original style.

The Kindling started life as a collaboration between songwriter and guitarist Guy Weir and drummer Leon Baker in the autumn of 2010, making lo-fi recordings at Guy’s place in the Kent countryside. They added banjo, lap steel and strange percussion and liked the results.They put 4 of the tracks onto an introductory EP called ‘From Out Of The Wreckage’. Other people liked it too. Now joined by Ben Ramster on bass The Kindling “sound like they’ve just emerged from Bon Iver’s cellar after a night on the lash with David Bowie. Theirs is a beautifully laid back vibe that doesn’t try too hard”.

Elena Tonra aka Daughter writes “literary folk”, according to The Independent. We wouldn’t know about that but we do know her self-released His Young Heart EP is a delightful, appetite-whetting taster of this young North Londoner’s talents. Others have noticed this too, with feverish blog action driving her up to number 3 on The Hype Machine’s Most Popular Song Chart and Record Of The Day declaring her to be the Hottest Unsigned Act two weeks running. Reaction to live shows, including a show in St. Stephen’s Church, has been equally unstinting in praise. Three performances in Brighton next week for The Great Escape means she’s going to be in blistering form when she hits Strongroom, or maybe just ready for a sit down. Either way, we can’t wait.

These are people who will not be playing to small crowds in East End bars for ever, so save the date, put on your best listening ears, come on down and join in the fun.

8pm, 18th May. Strongroom Bar, 120-124 Curtain Road EC2A 3SQ. Free entry.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=018aDXtUSM4

STRONGROOM STUDIOS PRESENTS… does it again

phil — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 16:14:07 +0000

Those of us lucky enough to be at the Strongroom bar last Wednesday night can look forward to saying these immortal words: “We were there”. Yup, you better believe it. We saw The Great Eastern and O.Children in our legendary hotbed venue, where we were mere feet away from these future arena-fillers as they bared their souls in raw, stripped back acoustic sets. We were transfixed. Wizardry, perhaps even witchcraft, was at work in that room.

Only the third in the series of STRONGROOM STUDIOS PRESENTS… – Roots Manuva sending the roof into orbit at the last – this monthly Wednesday night is already creating a buzz that’s radiating out from the social oasis that is our courtyard, across Curtain Road and onto the streets of Shoreditch.

And damn rightly so. Billed by the curator, our hirsute virtuoso Phil Sisson, as an outlet for the creativity bubbling away in the studios next door, STRONGROOM STUDIOS PRESENTS… is a geniously simple idea: the studios have been at the throbbing heart of the music scene for over a quarter of a century – why not share it live?

The next coming together of ascendant supernatural forces here in our bewitching bar will be on 18th May. Acts still to be announced of course, because it’s all about what talent is making its presence felt in the Strongroom fold at the time. Spontaneous and white hot are the watchwords.

I learned the other day that our studios are slap bang on top of a kind of mystical energy highway known as a ley line, with Studio 3 actually being built at an angle to harness its full powers.

This explains a lot about STRONGROOM PRESENTS…

Get involved before you can’t even get in.

Strongroom Studios Presents…. O.Children & The Great Eastern

phil — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 11:51:20 +0000

On Wednesday 20th April at 8pm we have the next in our unique series of gigs bringing the best musical talent from in and around Strongroom to a live audience in our bar.

Following last months’ incredible Banana Klan and Warrior Charge party, where bass took centre stage and latecomers had to be content with listening from the pavement, we’re returning to a more relaxed, stripped-back and acoustic feel for this month’s SSP. First up we have fresh talent from Yorkshire in the form of THE GREAT EASTERN. An appearance in the capital for these Sheffield rock’n’rollers is a rare opportunity for southerners to catch these guys in their current exhilarating form. They’re catching the attention of some very discerning music fans and we can’t wait to get them onstage.

O.CHILDREN’s powerful, brooding sound and captivating stage show makes each of their performances a remarkable event, with imposing frontman Tobi O’Kandi’s baritone drawl evoking Ian Curtis and the darkly glorious music of Joy Division, Depeche Mode and the Bad Seeds. The performance is given another level of intrigue on this occasion as they present their songs in a small, intimate room with minimal amplification. These guys will be in-your-face and making a direct assault on the senses. Beautiful.

As ever, admission is free and space is limited so arrive early to avoid disappointment.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh1o_03ilQY

Bo. Rap. Gets Newton Faulkner Treatment

phil — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 15:50:02 +0000

Newton gives the Queen show-stopper a run out on his trusty old acoustic between sessions in Strongroom 5 with resident producer Duncan ‘Pixie’ Mills. Even Freddie would been impressed with this epic performance, we feel.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqtWsQcoOkQ

Strongroom Studios Presents… Banana Klan & Warrior Charge

phil — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 12:50:18 +0000

Well, well, well… there’s something a bit special happening in the Strongroom Bar on the 16th March. The next instalment of the Strongroom Studios Presents sessions sees the mighty BANANA KLAN SOUND SYSTEM live on stage alongside one of the UK’s finest rhythm sections WARRIOR CHARGE.

Banana Klan is the touring party collective featuring Roots Manuva, Ricky Ranking, Gibbs King, DJ MK, Ellie Mae, Big Daddy Kope, Hash Basey, Amaziree and the Dub College Selectors. The philosophy is “Have equipment, have crew and we do what the f*ck we feel like.” Can’t say fairer than that.

So it’s already sounding fantastic. Now, who’d be the perfect partners for a party like this? Warrior Charge? They have a pedigree that includes long-standing relationships with the likes of Adrian Sherwood, Tricky and Aswad, producing as well as playing. That’s that sorted then. This is going to be unique, don’t miss.

FREE ADMISSION… BUFFALO TRACE DRINKS PROMOS… LIMITED SPACE, COME EARLY