©Mike Nash

Gary Louris & Mark Olson Gary Louris & Mark Olson Union Chapel, Islington, November 26

Some people claim Mark Olson’s departure from the Jayhawks in 1995 saw the band go downhill. Gary Louris continued to front the influential alt.country band for another eight years, although the three albums put out in that time are in my opinion every bit as good as those which featured Olson. Mark Olson released his first solo recording THE SALVATION BLUES in 2007, and Gary Louris followed with his solo debut, VAGABONDS , in 2008. Both releases were well received by fans and critics alike, meanwhile both former Jayhawks had been rekindling their friendship and writing together for the first time in ten years. The pair’s appearance at London’s Union Chapel was to promote their new album READY

FOR THE FLOOD . For many British fans of the Jayhawks this was the first chance ever to hear the two men sing live together, and it was certainly worth the wait. The visually stunning Union Chapel was an inspired choice of venue for a very special night of music. The place was virtually full, and amid a definite atmosphere of excitement, Louris and Olson took to the stage. They were joined by Ingunn Ringvold on percussion and opened the night with a couple of early Jayhawks songs before playing songs from their new release. The haunting Bicycle was outstanding Bicycle was outstanding Bicycle and was certainly reminiscent of the early Jayhawks sound. The two voices sounded magnificent together, it was quite astonishing how two such distinctive and different voices at times seemed to combine to make a sound where you could not easily distinguish

either singer. The new songs were quite varied in style and went down well with an enthusiastic audience. Perhaps the high point of the night was their rendition of Sister Cry from Sister Cry from Sister Cry the HOLLYWOOD TOWN HALL album. This song certainly sent a shiver down the spine of many a Jayhawks fan in attendance, judging by the audience reaction. After the crowd demanded an encore, more was duly delivered culminating in the classic Jayhawks song Blue. As Louris and Olson left the stage for the final time the audience took to its feet. It had been a great night, and once again I’m sure left many wondering why these two men did not receive the recognition they deserved the first time round. After such a triumphant reunion—one wonders if the Jayhawks will regroup at some stage with Gary and Mark once again at the helm. The 1995 line-up has already played a ‘one off’ gig in Spain this summer, so it may not be as inconceivable as it seemed just a couple of years ago. Dan Turner Regulars at the Beehive in Swindon were given a real treat when not one but two local artists performed. Sam Holmes from Cheltenham and Phil King from Bristol literally blew the regular Beehive crowd away with their collection of songs. With her soft delicate voice, reminiscent of Jewel, Sam Holmes performed a number of self-penned songs some freshly written and hot off the press and others which feature on her self-titled demo album. She sang

Pickin’ & Grinnin’

Sam Holmes, Sam Holmes, Phil King The Beehive, Swindon, September 17

songs written about her parents as well as a song called Charlie about ‘a lady of the night’ and how unhappy she looked when Sam first came across her. Sam effortlessly weaves together a clever blend of folk, pop and modern country giving her a unique and quite beautiful sound. There was a rousing performance of a new song called Parade, a definite hit for the future as well as a superb rendition of a quirky number called Fool For Love. Sam’s voice has a wonderful dreamy quality about it yet she still manages to get the message contained in her songs across to the audience. She performed The Drowned Lover a fantastic folk song based on a Lover a fantastic folk song based on a Lover traditional playhouse song. Her singing talents really shone out whilst singing this sad yet rather lovely number. She gave the song plenty of emotion and a style all of her own. There were echoes of Kate Rusby or Bill Jones as Sam performed this song. As the evening wore on more and more people appeared at the Beehive all anxious to hear Sam and Phil. With both artists receiving plenty of rapturous applause. Phil King was outstanding vocally and in his ability to play the guitar. A truly wondrous man! Phil’s music is hard to pigeonhole as it covers such a vast array of styles. On his quieter, heart-felt numbers he sounded similar to James Morrison yet on his rowdy foot tapping numbers comparisons could be made to Hal Ketchum or Delbert McClinton and on his blues/jazz numbers I felt I was listening to a guitar wielding Jamie Cullum. It was this exciting mix of styles and sounds that made Phil’s music both thrilling to listen to and so memorable because you never knew what was coming next. Phil performed a number of tracks from his debut album, LEAVES , as well as some new material. He gave a brilliant performance of Orion, as well as a heartfelt performance of a slower number, entitled Smiling Eyes. Phil has real charisma and it oozes out of every pore when he is on stage performing. On completion of his second set of numbers the Beehive crowd begged wildly for more and more they got in the form of another loud foot taping

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