Elles Bailey – Can’t Take My Story Away

I love it when an album lays down a statement of intent with the opening track. A declaration of where the artist is at both emotionally and spiritually, a let the music do the talking wakeup call that announces the beginning of a potent experience to follow. The kind of track that George Martin used to call a ‘pot boiler,’ and that is the very thing that launches the music on this superb latest album release from Elles Bailey. So, she begins with the title track, a song that has so much drama in its structure, such levitation in the horns and purpose in the chorus lines that you instantly think of words like ‘strength’ and ‘survival.’ These are exactly what this song is telling us about, the southern soul heft that resonates with the washes of organ, the Stax style brass and restless rhythm that accompanies the acoustic strumming launching the tune all screaming of a passion that will not be denied. She is coming out fighting, not just from the personal traumas that lacerate our living experiences but also in defence of her very place in the cauldron that is the lot of an expressive, performing musician. “Here’s to every song that never made the stage” she sings, an honest confession that even after inspiration comes knocking there are still battles ahead. Then she testifies, maybe by falling to her knees – it certainly sound like she might have – at the finale, with a cry of “God knows you’ve tried, but you can’t take my story away.”

I will not be denying you that story here either, for Elles is not a singer arriving at this, her sixth full length studio album, without some baggage and lineage. The authentic Americana Bailey delivers today has, in some ways, been there from the start. An early musical influence was her fathers Chess Records collection which gives a clue to the roots of this Bristol born artists ear for the gritty, rough textures in authentic early US R&B and electric blues. But more than that, it was a severe bout of illness at the age of three when bacterial pneumonia saw her intubated for seventeen days which affected her voice from there on in, giving it that smoky husk that feels so at home tackling the real down and dirty music she favours. She first cut her teeth in an indie band before finding a natural home in the blues‑and‑roots world; a sound that’s been pulling Elles an ever‑growing following. Over the past decade she’s released a steady run of records while her live reputation has surged, thanks to high‑profile support slots with musical heavyweights like Van Morrison and Jools Holland, and the electric, communal charge she brings to every stage she steps onto. This latest release however has seen Elles take a little longer, electing to afford the time the material needed while she both played and worked her way out of a self-confessed dark place.

Bailey may have felt some disconnection, going through a period where she questioned her sense of place and identity, an all too typical phase for a creative thinker to encounter on their journey, but the flipside of that coin is how the light she saw at the end of the tunnel is also visible in this music’s DNA. The clear message at the centre of the animated ‘Growing Roots’ is that, away from life on the road, Elles has found comfort in the simple pleasures of building her own nest. An early album highlight is the bouncing ‘Better Days,’ but there is a tragic association for Elles indelibly tied to this track. It was written by her late friend, Matt Long, the singer, guitarist, and songwriter for the award-winning band Catfish. Matt tragically passed away in October last year, 18 months after being diagnosed with bowel cancer. He and Bailey emerged onto the UK blues scene around the same time, crossing paths at festivals and on tour. “It felt like we were climbing this wild musical ladder together,” she said, “and then he got diagnosed with cancer.” During that time the whole community came together to help raise funds for his treatment. When he died, his parents showed her this song he had written, which Elles honours with the full-on conviction it deserves.

On other tracks, the introspective pull is unmistakable. ‘Blessed,’ a heavy‑hearted soul ballad, turns past hardship into something purposeful, finding its strength in the good people who step forward when life hits its roughest patches. The minimal guitar decoration that punctuates this tune is exceptional I must say, adding a dynamic edge that sharpens the whole arrangement. ‘Constant Need To Keep Going’ articulates the search for motivation in the face of obstacles and fatigue with a steady, relentless pulse that gains power in endurance. A strong soulful surge is never too far away, like ‘Take A Step Back’ celebrating the relief of turning away via an explosive chorus or ‘Angel,’ which has the most authentic Motown stomp you could hope to hear outside of Detroit in the sixties. Originally written as a ballad three ago with Aaron Lee Tasjan, it was a time when Elles mood was low and her mind fearful that vocal damage experienced back then might be permanent. When coming across the lyrics some time later however, she re-worked the song with producer Luke Potashnick into the classy floor filler we hear today. From start to finish, ‘Can’t Take My Story Away’ is stitched together skilfully as an ode to resilience and survival. So thoroughly does it identify reasons to be positive, sprinkling feelings that can lift a person out of the doldrums and insert reminders to take life’s simple pleasures for the gift that they are, that I would steer this record toward anyone who could use a little light in their day; but it deserves far more than that narrow framing. This is a collection built to be cherished by anyone who values musicians who can turn feeling into fire, and who understand just how transformative great playing and great songwriting can be.

Danny Neill

You can buy the album right here: https://amzn.to/477Be9M

Music Mixes

New Mix: Fruit Tree Records – Folkelectric Vol. 1

This is the opening chapter in our series exploring the moment folk and singer‑songwriter traditions were—much to the horror of purists—wired straight into the mains. The uproar didn’t last. In the six decades since that first electric jolt, we’ve been flooded with extraordinary songs, fearless reinterpretations, and music built for deep, attentive listening. These shows trace that current as it continues to spark, shimmer, and surprise right up to today.

Tracks – Fruit Tree Records – Folkelectric Vol. 1

The Burning Of Auchindoun – The Magpie Arc https://themagpiearc.bandcamp.com/

Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then) – The Decemberists https://amzn.to/4rICo2P

Anyone But Me – Josienne Clarke https://amzn.to/4uEwi6e

Lady Margaret – Trees https://amzn.to/4smuAVC

Twisted Hemlock – Echolalia https://amzn.to/3Ntz8u8

Dirt Road Blues – Bob Dylan https://amzn.to/4dvDxqW

Tape From California – Phil Ochs https://amzn.to/4bT3C1W

Come A Long Way – Michelle Shocked https://www.discogs.com/release/1346399-Michelle-Shocked-Arkansas-Traveler

Fisher Of Men – M Ward https://amzn.to/4sonkZk

Little Sun – Charlie Parr https://amzn.to/3NNscYQ

Something On Your Mind – Karen Dalton https://amzn.to/3PaDG9n

Open The Door – Carolanne Pegg https://amzn.to/3PkK6CH

From The Ashes – Laura Cortese & The Dance Cards https://amzn.to/4sfcaG8

Fresh As A Sweet Sunday Morning – Bert Jansch https://amzn.to/4rERPsQ

Lay Down Your Weary Tune – The Byrds https://amzn.to/40BWZuF

Fresh Juice

Fresh Juice 16th March 2026

Elles Bailey – Better Days

This rousing slice of modern Americana is taken from Elles latest album ‘Can’t Take My Story Away,’ an album that oozes a sense of catharsis and healing. It was written by her late friend, Matt Long, the singer, guitarist and songwriter for the award-winning band Catfish. Matt tragically passed away in October last year, 18 months after being diagnosed with bowel cancer. He and Bailey emerged onto the UK blues scene around the same time, crossing paths at festivals and on tour. “It felt like we were climbing this wild musical ladder together,” she said, “and then he got diagnosed with cancer.” During that time the whole community came together to help raise funds for his treatment. When he died, his parents showed her a song he’d written, ‘Better Days,’ which Elles gives the full on conviction the song deserves. As well as finding the tune on our latest ‘Fresh Juice’ Mixcloud show https://www.mixcloud.com/dannyneill714/fruit-tree-records-fresh-juice-2026-vol-2/ you can also grab yourself a physical copy of the album here: https://amzn.to/4brtznX

Howling Bells – Sweet Relief

When this band originally appeared on the scene with their self-titled debut in 2006, they had plenty of stiff competition for attention within the guitar pop world. This was, lest we forget, the time of ‘Landfill Indie,’ as wave upon wave of edgy, arch, angsty and sardonic four or five piece groups with second hand attitude filled the declining CD store racks with miles and miles of mostly uninspired, generic yelping produce. But Howling Bells always had a little something that pushed them above the general pack, a music that their singer Juanita calls a “kind of narcotic, bluesy, dreampop.” The band had a good initial run of nearly a decade before life and other projects took them quietly, although not permanently, out of view. Now they return with new music in 2026 and are clearly still as tight a unit as before, especially on ‘Sweet Relief’ which, in its own way, passionately resurrects all the energy and fire they first broke out with twenty years ago. This too features on the latest ‘Fresh Juice’ Mixcloud show https://www.mixcloud.com/dannyneill714/fruit-tree-records-fresh-juice-2026-vol-2/ and you can get a physical copy of the album here: https://amzn.to/4rx7FWo

Pokey LaFarge – Arkansas

I hope Pokey LaFarge enjoys the kind of national treasure status he deserves in the US because he certainly can make you long for a country that, in other ways these days, can come across like a place to avoid. He remains a prolific and dependably authentic purveyor of Americana roots music played with a style and swagger that has been time vortexed from around 100 years ago. His latest release is a six track EP on Boxer Boy Records entitled ‘Travelin’ With Poley LaFarge: Voice And Guitar Vol.1.’ As well as ‘Arkansas’ it also features intimate performances with his wife Addie Hamilton adding to the overall shift towards some more personally reflective sounds after 2024 album ‘Rhumba Country.’ You can get yourself a copy of the EP via this link: https://amzn.to/4bbjOeK

Josienne Clarke – Katie Cruel

Josienne is back on the road right now reviving her successful Sandy Denny show from 2025. It is that same Denny-like pure yearning in her voice that she brings to this bold re-interpretation of a traditional arrangement possibly best known, to me at least, via Karen Dalton’s recording. Playing to her strengths, Josienne takes an already heavy‑hearted song and drags it into even darker, more turbulent waters, drawing out every last drop of the lyrics’ harsh, irreconcilable truths. Not only that but she also honours the folk tradition of re-interpretation by writing some new verses of her own. Of the accompanying film, director Alec Bowman-Clarke says he “explores how time distorts our sense of self. We see the ‘young’ and ‘old’ Katie existing in the same physical spaces, separated by a veil of memory. This symmetry suggests that the song is not just a linear journey of decline, but a circular trap where the ghost of who she was constantly haunts the reality of who she has become.” You can get yourself a copy of the new ‘Katie Cruel’ single here: https://josienneclarke.bandcamp.com/

Melissa Aldana – La Sentencia

This easy and sumptuous, soulful jazz is the lead track from Melissa’s latest release on Blue Note Records entitled ‘Filin.’ The whole record is a study in the style of the records title; a romantic, harmonically rich Cuban song form that bridges bolero, trova, and jazz. Playing alongside pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, she shines with a simmering, minimalist intensity that pushes melody and subtle textures into the foreground. Aldana is a Chilean-born, Grammy-nominated tenor saxophonist known for her deep tone, introspective improvisation, and lineage‑driven approach to jazz. She grew up in a family of saxophonists, studied at Berklee, moved to New York, and has since become one of the most respected modern voices on the instrument. The album is available to buy here: https://amzn.to/40uwKpU

ESYA – Heaven

I am concluding this weeks ‘Fresh Juice’ feature with another stylistic jump, this time into some dense electronic shades built on percussive momentum that conjure bleak industrial landscapes of the mind. ESYA is a brand new musical direction for Savages bass player Ayse Hassan who has a debut album on the way in April called ‘Chasing Desire,’ out on AOK Records. It features appearances from Sharon Van Etten, Laura-Mary Carter, Jessy Lanza, Algiers’ Lee Tesche and more. This track is a rousing, uplifting and propulsive piece of dance-floor ready music but lyrically is rooted in anxiety and retreating from a difficult situation. Ahead of the albums release the title track is available here: https://amzn.to/3P9UMEe

New Release Reviews

Various – Little Bangers From Richard Hawley’s Jukebox Volume 2

Another superb compilation from Ace Records, who over the past five decades have deep dived into multiple crates of rare and wonderful fifties and sixties bounty so extensively it is a wonder they can still put sets out of this high standard. One ingenious way of keeping the releases fresh and interesting in 2026 is the personally curated collections by a genuine connoisseur record collector, of which the vintage rockabilly styled Richard Hawley is one of the best. It all comes down to whether the headline name has a good ear and, having previously shown his credentials with volume one, you can be reassured our host is a safe bet. No surprise really, that kind of faithful mid-century sound only comes from someone with a real, heartfelt appreciation of the originals. And to give the project even more a stamp of authenticity, it is clear from Richard’s detailed accompanying anecdotes to each track that these really were 45s he listened to on his jukebox. There is even one track (‘Man From Nowhere’ by Jet Harris) that was only available on a compilation album so Richard went to the trouble of getting one copy pressed on seven inch so it could be fed into the record machine.

What I do love about this collection and Richard’s personable text is how relatable it all feels to those who crate dug around charity shops, record fairs, and boot sales all their lives. Hawley reminisces about being on tour in the US during the nineties and coming across boxes of singles selling for next to nothing in the most unlikely of places, like the forecourt of a garage. But wherever he was finding his hidden treasure, the thrill of the hunt and the joy in the payoff is pretty universal. That buzz of finding something interesting looking, on a funky unknown record label or with a curious title, taking a punt on it then getting back home and lowering the needle for the first time to discover a B-side with garage-rock gold or a freakbeat frenzy is among the highest highs you can attain as a music lover. Or thinking you have one thing that turns out to be something entirely different but equally sensational; this happened to Richard as he quite reasonably expected The Surf Riders ‘I’m Out’ to be a Dick Dale style waverider only to get a boppin’ hillbilly lament about a man with a violent girlfriend.

A theme of music beloved of Richard Hawley does not necessarily limit us to one genre or era but nevertheless, he has managed to compile a journey in sound that makes sense from start to finish. Certain tracks offer a compelling case for the rich, overlooked creativity of the post rock ’n’ roll, pre‑Beatles years. People like Chet Atkins, Duane Eddy and Link Wray all have a plentiful supply of three-minute gold dust sprinkled in their catalogues, but we are also taken down far less explored corridors too. A little-known singer called Frank Minion comes on like a New Orleans street seller in 1958, and the listener is also enlightened to the unexpected garage band vibe heard in an Elvis Presley track from 1962. The structure of the album sees it front loaded with six instrumental tunes as our narrator rightly points out how massive music without words was in the early sixties, observing that it “makes your brain think and respond in a very different way.” For me, the greatest revelations were in some garage and psych golden rarities uncovered on his travels. The Blue Rondos ‘Baby I Go For You’ is an out-and-out nugget, as is the rocking horse obscure ‘Gotta Find A New Love’ by The Yo Yo’s on the Goldwax label from 1966. And you are extremely unlikely to find one of only fifty copies pressed of Sunshine Theatre’s ‘Mountain’ from 1971, a record that defies categorization, so you might as well experience it here, as part of a dizzying 28 track re-enactment of a night round Richard Hawley’s house, listening to his most treasured audio discoveries.

Danny Neill

Order a copy of this deeply enjoyable CD here: https://amzn.to/4ruR45k

New Release Reviews

Squeeze – Trixies

A question that is often asked of the great songwriters is, why do they write the most in enduring material in their early years? Whilst there can be much to enjoy and explore in the mature, later offerings of a legend, how is it that Paul McCartney cannot write another ‘Eleanor Rigby’ today, or Bob Dylan compose another ‘Like A Rolling Stone’? My guess is that those blessed with the gift of musical composition, especially song-based writers, have a lot of quite low hanging fruit in their head during those early years that they are uninhibited about taking and using, especially as they learn the finer points of their craft. Often these unrefined ideas have power in their melodic directness and neophyte vigour that inevitably gets chipped away at as the years advance. A writer in their fifth decade, as ridiculous as it sounds, almost knows too much by then. If McCartney were to dream up a song like ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ today, maybe he would back away from it, not trusting its clarity or over-evolve it to the point where the purity of the idea is lost? I say all this because the new Squeeze album ‘Trixies,’ built, as ever, around the songs of Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, possesses a youthful simplicity in spades. But there is a slightly unusual reason for that.

It may feel like a contradiction to use a word like ‘simplicity’ when describing an album that is closer to a concept piece than any band emerging in the punk years would dare to admit at the time. It is a thirteen-track collection of stories all set in a fictional night club called ‘Trixies.’ Many of the classic concept‑album tropes are at least nodded to, if not fully embraced: scene‑setters, breakaway vignettes, and recurring motifs, all shaped to fit the colourful club world the record inhabits. The trick in the tale however is that these songs were written by Difford and Tilbrook way back in 1974, a long time before the classic hit singles this band are still celebrated for. In fact, ‘Trixies’ was the very beginning of the duo’s partnership, written whilst they were both still teenagers. Upon learning this suddenly the simple pop purity of so many songs here makes sense. Yes, they were reaching for a grander scheme, the influence of The Who’s ‘Tommy’ does not need to be examined for fingerprints to know its presence, but the actual writing was at a level of blissful, wide-eyed hunger for the form. These tunes wear Beatles‑style major/minor pop frameworks on their sleeves, displaying them without inhibition. The incredible thing is, at the ages of 19 and 16 respectively, Difford and Tilbrook were already showing a sophistication in their music way beyond their years.

So why is it only now that we are finally getting to hear this newly recorded album? Well Difford puts it down to a lack of technical know-how whilst still three or four years away from their first record. “Long story short” he explains, “these were songs that we just didn’t have enough musical experience to record properly.” Tilbrook feels similarly relieved not only that the songs finally got recorded, but also that they did it as late as this. “These are very much the same songs we wrote then. The only difference is that now I can teach the songs to the rest of the band. Back then, I didn’t even know what the names of the chords were.” That fact alone will stop you in your tracks when coming across a song like the albums second, the scene setting ‘You Get The Feeling.’ It seems like the work of a master, flowing from intro to verse to bridge to chorus with the ease of an artist fluent in theory, not someone who might mistake a treble clef for a cauliflower. No wonder when rediscovering and playing the original cassette some fifty years later, they felt inspired to give the project an overdue revival.

It is revealing just how at home Chris and Glenn were with this form of expression. The popular rock operas of the day are clear in the structure, the curtain raising ‘What More Can I Say’ vividly dropping us in a nightclub scenario at the end of a long-storied night, the sun beginning to rise outside. That the time of day can be sensed in the key changes of the music alone is impressive. The leering punch-drunk lull in the vocal of ‘The Dancer’ suits the sinister texture of the portrait within the lyric. And then there are touches like the countdown that closes ‘The Place We Call Mars,’ the kind of cheesy flourish they would possibly never write today, but one you cannot help admiring for how perfectly it suits the album’s breezy spirit. Another real stand out is the lusting come-on and suggestive thrust that is ‘Why Don’t You.’ The chorus is a pure delight and here more than anywhere the band Squeeze became, the hit makers of ‘Another Nail In My Heart’ and ‘Cool For Cats,’ are in full view and it is absolutely thrilling. So yes, there are obvious stand outs but all the same, this is a record that remains strong from start to finish. After the curtain comes down with parts 1 and 2 of the title track, Squeeze sound so fully energised that you are left wondering if this is the beginning of something more. It would appear the answer is yes, an album of all new songs recorded alongside ‘Trixies’ is already completed and waiting in the wings. Watch this space, on this form it could well be another valuable addition to the bands classy catalogue.

Danny Neill

‘Trixies’ is out now and available for purchase here: https://amzn.to/3NdLDKf

The Band Squeeze in 2025 photographed by Dean Chalkley

Live Reviews

The Crystal Teardrop / Scott Hepple & The Sun Band / Lassie – Voodoo Daddy’s, Norwich, 7th March 2026

Norwich is a city with a deep undercurrent of cool musical culture, especially if you dig around in the undergrowth, and this early spring Saturday evening certainly produced the goods for these hungry ears. The streets were fizzing with sound as hen parties and revellers spilled out onto the pavements from previously rustic pubs now pumping out four to the floor electronic dance music for the masses. But that is just the lacquered surface, the market‑tested throb designed for anyone itching to torch their disposable income on a lukewarm slurry of booze, uppers, decibels, and collective delusion—an environment where musical discernment peaks at a sweaty, unexamined “tune!” But fear not, just step past the pizza serving mask of Voodoo Daddy’s, toward the bar where the air hums with vintage rock ’n’ roll or sandpaper‑rough nineties grunge, and suddenly you are certain you’ve found the place where the night actually begins. Explore the downward steps behind an unassuming side door and you step into a room that, tonight, sparkles with the kaleidoscopic colour and swirling sound of music that has its roots among the audio space cadets of the twentieth century whilst firmly planting a flag in our 2026 soil.

First up with the live thrills are a female duo with a bold, iconic look. Lassie are Emily Winng, whose thick mop of electric red hair glows like a fire under the stage lighting and Camille Davila, who fuses post‑punk sharpness with gothic elegance and a cool, Lennox‑like femininity. Their stage presence is a combination of mysterious and daring with a welcome dose of the personable thrown in; Emily turning a sound man directed request for less echo on her vocal into almost farcical slapstick. However, it is musically where these two are a serious proposition. Their harmonious vocals recall the dark angelic tones that Leonard Cohen used to appreciate so much in his backing singers, whilst Camille’s trebly guitar textures are both ethereal and the sound of an atmospheric vintage b-movie. Add to that Emily’s Bow Wow Wow referencing tribal drumming, which her partner occasionally doubles up on, with an inescapable mix of raw immediacy and deep song-based concepts and Lassie are a ridiculously enjoyable opening act. I later find out that they are currently preparing a debut album which, I confidently predict, will result in the number of voices singing their praises growing dramatically.

I loved the contrasts in the acts tonight and the most seismic shift was felt with the departure of Lassie and the arrival of Scott Hepple And The Sun Band. They are a four piece down from the north of England who in 2025 released their third album ‘English Mustard,’ produced by the analogue supremo of the recording studio, Liam Watson. Maybe it is this connection that sees Scott Hepple’s group described as a psychedelic, garage rock band but that terminology alone will not prepare you for the amplified assault this band unleash on their audience. They open their set like a demolition crew on double time, almost like they need to clear the decks of all residues before they can truly begin to build and concoct their magic. And magic there certainly is with these boys; they are playing music that stretches over valleys way beyond the three-minute garage template you might expect. This band play a hard-edged blues rock that has progressive threads and plenty of space for wild, stimulated instrumental wigging out. There is more than a touch of Free’s Paul Rodgers phrasing to Scott’s fronting of this band, that long haired, booze-soaked swagger is evident too but there is a voltage enhanced joy in expression with the Sun Band that is all their own. This kind of conviction can only come from a group with serious intent and, above all, talent.

Tonight’s third and final band, The Crystal Teardrop, also released an album in 2025, and they too worked with producer Liam Watson to make ‘The Crystal Teardrop Is Forming.’ Everything about this group screams UK psych, from the Beatles Hofner violin bass guitar to the Brian Jones Vox Teardrop plectrum shaped axe of singer Alexandra Rose marrying perfectly with her go-go girl stylings, even the keyboard player looks like he has walked in from the set of an open university programme lecturing on chemistry. But do they have the music to back up the direction their fashion sense points them in? Well indeed they do, in fact, where their album hones their psych-pop vision into sharp focus, in this live setting they can see for miles and miles. I have not caught The Crystal Teardrop before so maybe this is normal for them, but it felt to me like they reacted to the volcanic eruptions of the previous band and took to the stage determined to tap into that same energy and passion. Evidently motivated as well as revelling in what was a fun-packed Saturday night for all of us, they lobbed their sixties‑psych glow straight into 2026, finding eager believers ready to carve out a place for it in the modern musical wilds. With the horrors of war in the backdrop to all our lives today, it felt apt too that they chose to climax their set with a motherlode of psychedelic freaking out. Somehow, the final sonic collapse of all the wondrousness that had preceded it, from all three acts, felt like a nailed-on representation of the moment we live in. It also reminded me that, no matter what else we are contending with in the outside world, brilliant music can frequently make it better. Look deeper, great things are always happening.

Words: Danny Neill Photos: Sophie Reichert

*The Crystal Teardrop bring the psych to an explosive conclusion*

Music Mixes

New Mix: Fruit Tree Records – Fresh Juice 2026 Vol. 2

Welcome to this new music mix, the second of the year in our ongoing series highlighting the latest brand new releases being spun today at Fruit Tree Records. Get straight into the sounds with this Mixcloud link, then check out the purchase and pre-order information in the tracklisting that follows:

Tracks – Fruit Tree Records – Fresh Juice 2026 Vol. 2

You Gotta Understand – Carmy Love https://amzn.to/3P6zXJI

Stuck In My Head – Skaracha https://tipatop.bandcamp.com/album/stuck-in-my-head

One Of Us – Lady Nade https://amzn.to/4bF2K0E

Site Unseen – Courtney Barnett https://amzn.to/4s876n9

Alice – The Wave Pictures https://amzn.to/4rrSgXq

Man’s World – Cat Clyde https://amzn.to/4s4qfpH

All Bad Parts – Lime Garden https://amzn.to/4cD0jwJ

Sweet Relief – Howling Bells https://amzn.to/4lq7haN

Better Days – Elles Bailey https://amzn.to/4bmvLgk (Amazon exclusive signed edition)

It’s Been Too Long – Ringo Starr https://amzn.to/3PfWPqa

Tripping Out On Love – Muck And The Mires https://amzn.to/4lp9zqB

Powder Keg – Clementine March https://amzn.to/3MWii72

Scales Will Fall – Hen Ogledd https://amzn.to/4lmu1Z3

Memories Of Home – John Scofield / Dave Holland https://amzn.to/4b4JSIp

The Boatman – Lucy Kitchen https://amzn.to/4rCpN1e

New Release Reviews

The Wave Pictures – Gained / Lost

When a cult band has been around as long as The Wave Pictures, and they have been bringing us music for nearly three decades now, you can be sure that the lack of wider acclaim they experience in the present moment will be counterbalanced by the cult longevity retained long after they are gone. They might even receive some Nick Drake-esque posthumous elevation, making good on my theory that the good stuff does rise to the top eventually. They belong to a very small but, in its own way, enviable club; like The Fall whose legend has only grown after Mark E Smith’s passing or Half Man Half Biscuit, who are never in nor out of vogue but maintain an audience and a special niche with their idiosyncratic writing style. It is harder to pinpoint exactly what sets The Wave Pictures apart. They make infectious, often catchy, songs built around introspective urban kitchen sink drama without the grandeur of Morrissey; they play dirty garage rock but appear like sensibly attired young men beloved of their partners mothers; they have a guitar hero lead who could riff most of his peers into the ground but would rather boil a kettle than pose like a rock god; they give an on stage impression of being the lads gang you would want to belong to and yet are, in every way, the antithesis of laddism. Whatever it is about them, and no matter how appealing their modest stature might appear, they absolutely deserve to be a lot more successful than they have been thus far; this latest album release puts even more weight behind that claim.

Still with the core trio of David Tattersall on guitar and vocals, Franic Rozycki on bass and Jonny Helm on drums, they laid this record down in early 2024 at Rochester’s Ranscombe Studios with their old collaborator Jim Riley at the controls, capturing that live in the room sound they prefer. Launching with some instantly inviting pot-boiling guitar licks on ‘Alice’ which, despite its immediacy and an instrumental break both melodically progressive and threatening to push the dial into the red, has a very dreamy refrain. This is surely deliberate, for the song was inspired by the William Burroughs book ‘My Education’ and we are dazed by imaginings of a kind of antechamber between life and death, a place where it is said that there would be ice cream. This band can work on both a basic and a deeper level, which is beyond doubt and so it is with the lolling ‘Sure And Steady.’ This one is at first glance a song about memories, as Tattersall sings “I don’t remember yesterday but I remember when I was eight years old” things feel relatable and yet, as the memories home in on finer feelings, the space between the past and present blurs. That said, if you asked The Wave Pictures what this is about, I suspect they would say it is about flapjacks. That same timelessness and weightlessness is felt vividly in ‘Past The House Painted Blue,’ here it is a peak into the ever-changing watercolour inside Tattersall’s head while musically, he treats us to some of his finest West African sounding guitar sorcery.

‘You’re My Patient Now’ plugs into the scuzzy, growling electric prowl that decorates this band with a whole other, far darker dimension. Here there is, and elsewhere across the record, another female voice heard in the mix which gives the piece a mild horror texture, although the song is actually prompted by the detective fiction of Raymond Chandler. ‘Sparklers’ returns to the domestic, inspired partially by the poetic wording on a tin of golden syrup. Themes of memory and passing time are an ever present across ‘Gained Lost,’ the title track evoking thoughts musically of the Rolling Stones ‘Exile On Main Street,’ which is a reference point also signposted by the cover art design. For all those comparisons, the Stones could never have been this ingloriously winsome. ‘Faded Wave Pictures T-Shirt’ tugs on many key elements of this bands appeal; indie-culture sartorial references, a sense of longing and nostalgia inflected reverie, thoughts of beaches blessed by a surf tremolo sound and some beautifully expressive guitars that chart a direct path back to the Velvet Underground at their most beautiful.

‘Samuel’ has a burst of instrumental colour with some keys and a scraping violin entering the mix. If experiencing this album is like walking through an art exhibition, this one would have you rooted to the spot a little longer, scratching your head trying to work out what is going on as the nightmarish refrain repeats “even the phone is dead, do you hear that, Samuel?” ‘The Past Comes Back To Haunt Me’ revisits a chugging, conveyor belt-like revolving sound that resonates like the Modern Lovers; long term Wave Pictures fans might remember them locking this groove on ‘The Woods’ earlier last decade. In a rare drop of pace, the penultimate tune ‘Orange Fire’ meditates on the idea of photographs and the notion of catching a ghost in the frame. This is another one where David expresses freely on a stunning guitar solo, playing the track to its end, it shows the pay back achievable when capturing this band in a comfortable situation and just letting them play. ‘Worry Anymore’ closes a glorious set with an overwhelming downpouring of feelings and thoughts that have been amassed along the way, even the ice cream sung about at the beginning makes a re-appearance. The Wave Pictures may not break any new ground with this album, but they do better than that. ‘Gained Lost’ is the work of a band at peace with all their strengths, including the ability to write a cohesive suite of compatible songs, and playing to those abilities with confidence, conviction, and flare. What more can I say? It is another brilliant Wave Pictures album.

The Wave Pictures album ‘Gained / Lost’ is out now and can be purchased here: https://amzn.to/4120AlD

Danny Neill

New Release Reviews

Various – Highway Of Diamonds: Black America Sings Bob Dylan

Some compilation albums are speedily compiled cash ins, born out of a half-baked idea and fleshed out with track padding, often an attempt to capitalise on a current trend or hit and not designed to last beyond the marketing campaign that accompanies them. Then there are other compilations that are curated works of art put together with care and consideration by musical connoisseurs inspired by the desire to promote and share records, often obscure, that have not received the love and attention their quality merits. Any record collecting veterans reading this will not need me to tell them that Ace Records, the label behind this collection, belong in the latter category and in fact, are arguably the market leaders in these kinds of themed archival digs. Not only do their track selections cast a very wide net indeed and almost always throw up some wonderful surprises, but also, they pay special attention to the sound quality. So many Ace Records releases in my collection are head and shoulders above their peers in terms of audio depth. They really get this stuff right, not to mention the packaging, which is detailed and in depth, inviting the opportunity for a proper sit-down and immerse yourself album listening experience.

This is the second of an occasional series in which Ace have collected black American artists covering the songs of Bob Dylan. He is not quite the surprising choice of composer for this type of project that some might believe. As the sleeve notes highlight, he has written and published more than 600 songs and there is a little shy of 9,000 versions of his songs in circulation by over 5,000 artists. That said, ever since he first appeared on the scene with his 1962 self-titled debut album, Dylan has been a divisive figure, someone just as likely to inspire howls of derision for his unconventional voice as he is to be lavished with praise for his lyrical genius. For my money I have always believed him to be a great singer, a character voice unafraid to emote and push the boundaries with his imperfections but there remain many who fail to arrive at a proper appreciation because the Dylan voice is too much of a barrier. Maybe then, this kind of release is the very thing they need to experience and enjoy the writing of Bob Dylan. Undoubtedly, there is a deep well from which to take a tasty range of selections to stitch together as a cohesive whole. Bob was highly regarded for his early political songs that enriched the repertoire of civil rights movement, and it is clear black US singers kept him in the mix when looking for material. There can surely be no greater endorsement than Nina Simone’s including three Dylan originals on her 1969 LP ‘To Love Somebody,’ it is her delicate reading of ‘Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues’ that graces this album.

During a 1965 US press conference Dylan famously drew laughter when describing himself to a journalist as “a song and dance man.” They might have realised he was not entirely joking if they had heard the Odetta album ‘Odetta Sings Dylan’ from earlier that year, especially her version of ‘Baby, I’m In The Mood For You’ which appears here in all its jaunty carefree splendour. Mind you, that is nothing compared to the stonking soul work out Solomon Burke inflicts upon ‘The Mighty Quinn’ in 1969. It is incredible how many of these tunes wear a soul dressing so comfortably. Jazz singer Sarah Vaughan gives ‘If Not For You’ (perhaps most famously sung by George Harrison) a proper shake down in 1971 then only four years later Merry Clayton successfully finds the funk in ‘Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35.’ Not only that but the gospel transformation The Staples Singers cast upon ‘A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall’ in 1968 is sensational. As is often the case though, it is the less obvious tunes that reveal the greatest delights. Bettye Lavette captures the levelling desolation at the core of Bob’s 1989 song ‘Everything Is Broken,’ a 2012 cover that would later lead to the under-rated singer making a double LP of Dylan’s music in 2018. However, it is a pair of jazzers who point to a limitless potential still untapped in this music; firstly, Cassandra Wilson whose 2002 recording of ‘Shelter From The Storm’ drapes the song in some stylish attire but even that is modest compared to Jimmy Scott’s deconstruction of ‘When He Returns.’ Recorded in 1996, he takes the closing number from 1979’s maligned Christian ‘Slow Train Coming’ album and transforms it into a piano-jazz, be-bop adjacent hymn. Quite remarkable and a real jewel in this absolutely essential twenty-track collection which, typically for Ace, does not have a single weak selection.

This Ace Records album is available to buy here: https://amzn.to/3ORY2nE

Danny Neill

Fresh Juice

Fresh Juice 9th March 2026

Tiwayo – Up For Soul

To get things going on the good foot this week how about a killer tune with some seriously sharp edged playing and a rough, lived in soul voice taking it out for delivery? This one is from Tiwayo’s latest album ‘Outsider’ which is set for release next month on the Record Kicks label. It is produced by the Black Pumas Adrian Quesada and promises to push this Paris born singer firmly into the spotlight, which he has slowly moved away from in recent years since his 2023 debut on Blue Note. It really is a welcome return from an artist with an incredible voice; even some of the all time greats in soul, blues and gospel did not come as close to a sound so authentically aged and fresh as this. No wonder Tiwayo was once bestowed with the nickname “The Young Old”. Get yourself on the pre-order list for the album via this link: https://amzn.to/4dau3RK

White Rose Motor Oil – Hit In The Face

Of this song, soon to be featured on their long anticipated debut album ‘Spider,’ the band say it is “for all of us who feel the need to punch-dance out our rage right now.” This is a rollin’ and tumblin’ rockin’ rockabilly thunder crack of a tune that revs its engine delightfully with every repeat of the “you’re gonna get hit in the face” chorus line. They are a red hot duo from Denver with a fire lighting zipper of a female vocalist and a love of playing fast and loud. Together they surf the waves between cowpunk and garage rock which is a pretty exhilarating place to be if you can manage to catch it. Find out more about the band this way https://whiterosemotoroil.bandcamp.com/track/hateland-2 and hear them included as part of our first Fresh Juice mix of the year here: https://www.mixcloud.com/dannyneill714/fruit-tree-records-fresh-juice-2026-vol-1/

Hannah Lew – Sunday

You can almost feel the sun rising on the springtime with the gorgeous hazy electro textures on a new track by Hannah Lew. It can also be heard on her self titled debut album due to be released on 10th April via Night School Records. She has a deep background in the US alt-rock underground with Grass Widow and Cold Beat but a new solo project is leaning more into her pop sensibilities, albeit with the sheen of a Numanoid post-punk production aesthetic. She says of this video that it is “a re-enactment of a dream I had, that the song is also based on. It was surreal to embody the subconscious and only then did I divine the meaning of the dream. The whole experience was very ritualistic.” Get the album on pre-order here: https://amzn.to/3NbTR5m

Anna Calvi (feat. Iggy Pop) – God’s Lonely Man

Anna’s latest EP project is titled ‘Is This All There Is?’ in which she purposefully sought out vocal collaborators who would fit perfectly for the role playing task required in each song. She approached Iggy Pop, feeling he would be the ideal personality to recite the destructive inner monologue of the title character in this piece. As you would expect he rises to the occasion and then some, reviving the same energy he pumped into classics like ‘Lust For Life’ and ‘The Passenger.’ The four track EP also features Perfume Genius, Laurie Anderson and Matt Berninger and is available here: https://amzn.to/3NdqwYq

Midnight Rodeo – Desert On The Run (Jenny)

Not exactly a brand new release but this is a relatively new live performance and the band are well worth a heads up for any who have not come across them yet. The song was originally available on their Bandcamp release ‘Thank You For Your Time’ and both that release and subsequent live outings show what a hot proposition this Nottingham based collective are. Their sound sits somewhere in the neo-psych garden although you can hear shimmering influences of Americana and surf rock in there too, all front loaded with a swooning vocalist and a band environment that feels like a proper gang. The vinyl may be long sold out but you can still get hold of the tracks here: https://midnightrodeo.bandcamp.com/album/thank-you-for-your-time

https://youtu.be/h8kRuAN_N7o?si=FELsNatnl7RSlt_Q

Julian Lage – Something More

And finally for this week some superb, masterful musicianship on one of the best Jazz album releases of the year so far. As well as leader Julian on guitar it also features his new quartet of John Medeski on Hammond organ, Jorge Roeder on bass and Kenny Wollesen on drums. It is taken from a new album ‘Scenes From Above,’ which happens to be his fifth record for Blue Note records, which came out in January. Produced by Joe Henry it is a record that feels like a balm amidst the turbulent world we are living in right now, it never hurts to remember that people can still create something beautiful in a time of destruction, division and conflict. You can buy the album via this link: https://amzn.to/4aY9KFN