live
MYRON & E
Koko Gorilaz, Cardiff
Thurs 5 Dec
pic: SCOTT SLOPPY WHITE WILLIAMS
Debates about ‘authenticity’ in music started roughly 10 minutes after the invention of music itself,
have been raging ever since, and by their nature are all but unresolvable. It seems fair to say, however,
that while a zealous dedication to replicating authentic sounds can sometimes pay off handsomely,
that needn’t mean you can’t fiddle with a few period details. Certainly, this has worked a treat on
Broadway, the debut album by American classic soul duo Myron & E.
As Myron Glasper and Eric Cooke, they met while touring with Blackalicious. Soon after, Eric was
performing in Finland and encountered Helsinki band the Soul Investigators, and their lush, funky and
painstakingly 60s sound. They clicked so well, they were recruited as Myron & E’s backing band, and
time spent absorbing their chops should silence anyone doubting the legitimacy of Finnish funk.
“After an impromptu jam session they suggested I sing on a track for them – it was just a case of being
at the right place at the right time. It wasn’t a shock that they can play soul music very well as I know
they’ve all studied the music a lot,” Eric says.
Broadway, released earlier this year on esteemed LA label Stones Throw, is a tribute to a decade or so
of almost unfathomably creative black music. Sixties soul is its foundation, but there are ventures into
early disco (Do It Do It Disco) and suggestions of folk and psychedelia. (Eric attributes these elements
to producer Didier Selin: “We didn’t draw from any psych music but we were happy with those touches
added into the mix.”) Most tracks were released as 45s before the album came together. “The 45 is a
great way to release music,” Eric asserts; “it gets to DJs and they turn people on to new music.”
Their Cardiff date, promoted by Cafe A Go Go, is a rare chance to catch some acclaimed contemporary
peddlers of the retro-soul sound in the region. “For us the best thing is that our music is accepted by
all people – meaning all ages, races, and genders,” says Eric. That’s where you come in.
Tickets: £13. Info: 029 2034 1767 NOEL GARDNER
pic: ®JONNY WALTON
SLOW CLUB
Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
Sun 8 Dec
Sheffield’s Slow Club’s first album Yeah, So
introduced a folk-inflected, somewhat twee
duo, with Charles Watson and Rebecca
Tyler taking turns as lead vocalist. The
album earned them comparisons with the
White Stripes; probably more due to the
male/female setup than the music, whose
gentle folksiness probably bears closer
comparison to another duo, Chicago’s
Puerto Muerto.
On 2011’s universally acclaimed
Paradise, with Tyler firmly established
as the band’s lead vocalist, their sound
thickened, introducing a greater range of
textures, creating a sound reminiscent
of Cowboy Junkies or Galaxie 500 on the
quieter numbers (Hackney Marsh) and
occasionally straying into Wild Beasts’
territory (Two Cousins). Last year’s single
Beginners, a delicately poignant break-up
song taken from Paradise, raised their
profile with a video featuring erstwhile
Harry Potter star, Daniel Radcliffe.
Their current tour brings them to Clwb
Ifor Bach. Though they still perform as a
duo, here they’ll be appearing with a full
band, offering a retrospective of their first
two albums, Yeah, So and Paradise, and
showing off some new songs from their
imminent third LP. Playing on a Sunday
evening may not be ideal for some bands,
but Slow Club’s simple melodicism,
interwoven vocals and thoughtful lyrics
are perfect for a post-weekend wind-down.
Tickets: £12. Info: 029 2023 2199 (DG)
BUZZ 44
CROWS’ BONES
The Gate, Cardiff
Wed 18 Dec
The hauntingly beautiful Crows’ Bones
are returning to the stage this December
for a performance filled with eeriness and
mesmerising, ghostly songs.
Crows’ Bones will be putting on a live
theatrical concert and study of ghost
songs in The Gate Theatre. The show
will follow the old tradition of ghost story
telling at Christmas, featuring old and new
songs which promise to be wonderfully
disconcerting. The performance brings
together a mix of haunting pieces about
murderous visitations and unnatural
happen