Cambridge Edition February 2019

NIGHT L I F E

NIGHT L I F E

A t the Blue Moon this month you’ll find the unusual line-up of two singing drummers. It sounds like it can’t be done, but Rattles, performing on the 1st, use the limitations of their arrangement to create pieces of intertwined, flowing, textural percussion, while threading sublime melodies through the gaps. The same venue also sees the return of Cambridge’s eclectic night of electronic music, Theo Sayers & Friends on the 15th with COIN OP headlining and hosts History & Lore on the 23rd. Our top Blue Moon pick, however, comes courtesy of Leeds noise-rock and DIY linchpins Bilge Pimp, who released their first record ten years ago. They will be performing on the 21st. ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead are one of the best live bands we’ve seen, and they return to the UK this month to celebrate 20 years since the release of their seminal sophomore album, Madonna . The band is performing it in full, alongside a host of songs from their other studio albums, at Storey’s Field Centre on the 10th. After a gap of ten years since their last album ( Varshons , released in 2009), alt-rockers The Lemonheads perform at the Junction on the 14th, in support of their new album Varshons 2 . Like Varshons , the new record is dedicated to covers. The same venue hosts White Lies on the 13th, who are celebrating an entire decade as a band. They return with their new album, Five , and a headline tour to flaunt it on. The record sees the indie trio reaching new creative heights that’s bolder and more complex than previous efforts, and sure to cement their status as one of the most important bands on the scene. Canadian hardcore legends Cancer Bats (7th) and New Orleans street brass legends Hot 8 Brass Band (19th) complete our Junction recommendations. Our Portland Arms tip this month is Kevin Krauter on the 11th. An insightful songwriter with a lyrical style that is both economical and evocative, Krauter crafts unique soundscapes that scramble a range of influences: 1960s flower pop, 1970s easy listening, 1980s New Wave, 1990s alt-radio and 2000s indie rock. Also at Portland this month are John Smith on the 1st, Kris Barras on the 13th, Kulk on the 16th and Sean McGowan on the 20th. Always popular in Cambridge, John Grant Gig Guide JORDAN WORLAND FROM LOCAL MUSIC WEBSITE SLATE THE DISCO GIVES HIS TOP LIVE MUSIC PICKS FOR THE MONTH AHEAD

TR ANSATL ANT IC SESSIONS

A tonic for the bleak days of winter, Transatlantic Sessions is serving up a soul-warming evening of exquisite folk music on 6 February. Celebrating the unique connections between Celtic and US musical traditions, this touring concert features an ever-changing line-up of special guests playing together with back-porch informality. Nearly 25 years on from the original TV series, screened on the BBC, the live show has become an eagerly anticipated annual highlight of many folk fans’ musical calendar. The setlists are chosen by guest performers, with solo and ensemble instrumentals from the programme’s joint musical directors, Scottish fiddler Aly Bain and Nashville legend Jerry Douglas, and their long-serving eight-man house band featuring Russ Barenberg, Phil Cunningham, John Doyle, Michael McGoldrick, John McCusker, Donald Shaw, Danny Thompson and James Mackintosh. The guests for 2019 include AMA award-winning Gretchen Peters and the great TimO’Brien, whose new release, Where the River Meets the Road , covers songwriters from his native West Virginia. Also on the line-up is Californian wunderkind Molly Tuttle, who at 25 years old was crowned the first-ever female International Bluegrass Music Awards Guitar Player of the Year, plus won Song of the Year at the International Folk Music Awards 2018 – all before releasing her debut album. Celtic voices among the line-up include the peerless Cara Dillon and Scotland’s own Paul McKenna, considered to be one of the finest young singer-songwriters on the scene. Tickets for the show are £24-£32. cornex.co.uk

returns to the Corn Exchange on the 7th. Grant laces sumptuous soft-rock ballads with an array of spacey, wistful synthesiser sounds, increasingly adding taut, fizzing sequencers, nu-synth disco settings and icy soundscapes to the incredible sound mix.

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