In the world of the Google optimised band name, Park Hotel aren’t playing by the rules. From Tsilivi in Greece, to Barnstaple in the UK, there are plenty of Park Hotels but none of those are, as far as I am aware, making music and describing it as Doom Disco. I’m not sure about the doom element, but there’s certainly plenty of enjoyably slick boogie grooves in the material that this two piece, consisting of Rebeca Marcos Rosa (who grew up in Spain and has also works as a model) and Tim Abbey (a painter and photographer as well as a musician), are putting out. They're just bloody hard to track down through internet searching. The fantastic new single Going West gives an excellent introduction into what Park Hotel do, combining half-sung half-spoken vocals and that same sense of nostalgic funk that we probably last saw when Jungle headed out of the blocks. First and previous single Gone As A Friend, released earlier this year continues the coolest-dancefloor-in-the-world-ever vibes as it keeps the pressure on with some glossy old fashioned synth sounds, repetitive chanting and white trash disco guitar riffs – think Grace Jones, Friendly Fires and Nile Rodgers and you’ll be getting somewhere near the mark. Park Hotel make music that is as much about the groove as it is about the song. I can imagine them putting out a whopping extended mix of Going West that does nothing more than continue the riff for eight or nine minutes. It’s music to shimmy to under a giant glitterball wearing a cool suit. Count me in. Where’s that handbag? It’s time to dance round it.
If there’s one word to describe West London’s Bushstock Festival it would be pleasant; and that’s not a criticism, it’s a compliment. Reading and Leeds this most certainly isn't. With just 7 venues (one of which is a church) all located within relative close proximity to each other, a programme that finds most stages done and dusted by 11pm and a line-up that this year includes the likes of The Staves, Nick Mulvey and Benjamin Francis Leftwich, it’s fair to say that it’s unlikely that there will be any gurning off-their-faces loons in attendance. This is an event for the more discerning music lover, or for those who just don’t want to push their bodies too hard whilst experiencing a day of quality live music - and the emphasis is very much on quality - you're very unlikely to experience a duff performance at Bushstock. Now in its 7th year, Bushstock is created by the people behind Communion music and has a reputation for putting on many ‘next big thing’ acts in intimate spaces way before they become household names. I’ve seen the likes of Bastille play in a small pub to less than 100 people, George Ezra opening the day in St Stephen’s Church and Josephine from Oh Wonder in her Layla days performing at this festival. It will be interesting to see if any of this year’s acts progress onwards and upwards to commercial success in a climate that is becoming increasingly difficult for new artists to break through. This year besides plenty of new artists Bushstock adds some new venues (The Library at the Bush Theatre and the charity clothes store Traid) to the likes of St George’s Church, the outdoor Courtyard stage and the chandelier and mirror lined Edwardian dance hall of Bush Hall for plenty of architectural / environmental variety in which to enjoy the live music. Whilst the beauty of any festival is stumbling across something out of the blue that you’ve never heard of before, it would also be a little strange if I didn’t provide at least one or two recommendations of lesser known acts on the bill for you to highlight on your timetable. So here below are five names I’ve picked for your consideration, all of whom have featured in past introducing pieces on Breaking More Waves. Mirror Fury (13.00-13.30 Courtyard Stage) There really is no excuse to not catch Carina Bragg aka Mirror Fury - unless she is ill, as she had to pull out of a show yesterday, so I'm hoping she's better for next weekend. After all she’s due to open the whole event, and the Courtyard Stage, where she will be performing, is also where the wristband exchange is. Need further convincing? Listen to her commanding and emotive cover of REM’s The One I Love below. Get there early.
Jade Bird (14.00-14.30 St Stephen’s Church) I featured Jade Bird in a preview piece for Great Escape Festival last month and I’m putting her forward again here. With just a tiny hint of Ed Sheeran meets Dolly Parton about her, it’s still very early days for Jade, but her acoustic mix of country, pop and folk and songs about relationships going wrong will be a fine way to open up the day in St Stephen’s Church.
Joy Crookes (15.30-16.00 The Library) “If David Lynch wanted a soundtrack for his Twin Peaks reboot, and Lana wasn't available (probably because she's still too busy putting on that red dress) this could well be it,” I wrote in February 2016 of the then seventeen years old Joy Crookes. Now that sounds like something not to be missed, especially when you slide in some sweet soul smoothness to the sound as well.
Fours (16.30-17.00 Defector’s Weld) They had to be my fourth selection didn't they? “If E4’s teen drama show Skins was still running I’d be pretty sure that Fours would be cropping up there to soundtrack a sweaty, sexy disco party,” were my words in January 2016. OK they might be playing in a Shepherds Bush boozer in the later afternoon rather than a hip shaking club, but this four-piece are still worth catching for some indie high fives and grooves such as Fade To Love which has clocked up over 2 million plays on Spotify.
Liv Dawson - (Bush Hall 21.00-21.30) I've seen Liv Dawson a couple of times now and she was listed in last year's Ones To Watch 2017 list on the blog. What strikes me about her is the way her songs are so full of yearning and her vocals so perfectly delivered, irrespective of if she's doing mellow dance pop like Open Your Eyes (below) or tender soulful ballads. Bushstock will be Liv's second show of the day - she's warming up for Bush Hall with an earlier gig at Wildlife Festival near Brighton.
Bushstock takes place next weekend in Shepherds Bush, London. It usually sells out, so get a ticket quick, by clicking here.
I was very late to the party with Hannah Peel. But from the moment I first saw her live supporting Vaults (R.I.P) I instantly knew she was something special. For here was an artist creating pop music (of sorts) that had vision, originality and something buried within it that was raw, emotional, very human and connected with her audience. Awake But Always Dreaming, Hannah's second album, ended up on a few selective end of year lists and if I was rewriting mine now, it would have found a place on that as well. Now comes news of new material and once again it looks like Hannah's music is going to be taking listeners on a fascinating journey of discovery, with an album ready to roll out this September called Mary Casio: Journey to Cassiopeia. The record tells the tale of an unknown, elderly, pioneering, electronic musical stargazer and her lifelong dream to leave her terraced home in the mining town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, to see Cassiopeia for herself. The album is no ordinary pop album though. It’s a seven-movement piece composed for analogue synthesizers and a full traditional 29-piece colliery brass band, the brass being recorded live at The Barnsley Civic Theatre with Peter Gabriel’s Real World studio team. The first release from it is a track called Sunrise Through The Dusty Nebula and it’s absolutely breathtaking. It’s full of deep melancholy and spaciousness but equally it soars with a commanding wonder. Take five minutes out of your day to bury yourself away somewhere and absorb yourself in this gorgeous piece of music. Hannah Peel - Sunrise Through The Dusty Nebula
Since I first featured Welsh singer Casi on the blog back in 2015, I’ve had the opportunity to see her live a number of times and one thing has become absolutely clear – she wears some very fine trousers. This is important because as far as I’m concerned, I want my pop singers to look great. Let’s face it, if David Bowie (surely the model for all pop musicians to aspire to) had just gone on stage in a scruffy pair of jeans and a grey beer stained t-shirt from Primark, nobody would have taken much notice, would they? Talking of good trousers, another up and coming musician I’ve featured several times on the blog is Jerry Williams, who never fails to impress a fine cut and colourful number. Jerry sports the sort of trouser that if you or I wore them, we’d look like clowns, but when Jerry wears them she looks cool. That’s the reason why last night I was disappointed not be able to make the BBC Introducing gig at the Lexington in London, which found Jerry and Casi sharing the same bill. Surely it was a show of off-the-hook pantaloon sensations? If you were there, let me know if it was or not*. Edit: My spies tell me Jerry was sporting a fine pink pair. This is a good start. I'm still waiting for news about Casi though. Of course, besides the trousers, it’s also pretty important for decent pop types to have some decent pop songs and Casi’s latest Homesick ticks the boxes as far as that goes. “Attachment to place and people can be both cruel and magnificent. Homesick is me accepting what is now, how I feel today, and the realisation that sometimes, we have to let go,” says Casi of the song. Sadly, as you get older, you realise that it’s the same with those once cool clothes you wore as well, which creates a particularly difficult dilemma for older pop stars – to flaunt around the stage looking like a d*ck – or to slip into something a little more comfortable and uncool Of course, the best pop stars manage to look amazing and have great songs all the way through their lives. Casi doesn’t have to worry about that for a long time yet though, so for now let’s just enjoy her stirring electronic pop, which is streaming below. Casi - Homesick
