Matt Henshaw Recommends ... The Strangler Figs

Recommending again, for the third time this week, and this one is extra special. I love this band, their music, their songs, the people and the family that surrounds them. Only in their considerably infancy they have definitely carved themselves a place as a "must-see" live band on their travels. And I'm so excited to tell you that they'll be playing at my birthday party at The Cookie, Leicester on Saturday 20th September. It's going to be one hell of show.

The Strangler Figs remind me of so much, and so many things that I like, yet their tunes strike up that perfect balance of being esoteric without being too leftfield, catchy without being in any way cheesy and timeless whilst seemingly effortlessly fresh. From the opening notes, bass rumbles, organ rolls and lyrics of 'The Attack of the Strangler Figs' you'll be hooked, or moreover, caught in their grip.

To me, this band symbolises and signifies everything that is and has ever been quality about good music and good bands, seemingly they would slot into any era and movement or scene that has ever been considered cool in the annuls of rock history, so timeless is their oeuvre. From the early days of Reefer Jazz and Blues in juice bars, through the Cavern club, Warhol's Factory, the Whiskey A Go-Go, every alternative rock scene, even BritPop, and the Deltasonic boom out Liverpool that birthed The Coral in the last decade.

Every base is covered, from whizz-kid Joel Hanson on the bass and backing vocals, James on the drums, the ship's captain Joe on guitar, vocals and songwriting duties, and he's enlisted brother Freddie on the organ and girlfriend Rosie on backing vocals, subscribing to the Jarvis Cocker theory that every band is better with at least one girl in the mix, from The Velvet Underground through to The Pixies, indeed Pulp and The Zutons.

And as well as the minor driven songs, excellence of eaches playing, mesmerising lyrics and vocals delivery, the presence of an organ sound in any band, for me has always been a key ingredient, the Matt Henshaw theory runs through, Jimmy Winston, Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames, Booker T. & The MGs, the 60s British Invasion had The Animals and the Spencer Davis Group, plus my favourite the Small Faces, who in turn influenced The Turtles and The Doors - the latter even forgoing a bass player - my first love were Deep Purple who rode on Leicester boy Jon Lord's Hammond, and even in some of Led Zeppelin's more tender and musical moments, John Paul Jones' organ is to credit, and in the 90s two of my biggest BritPop loves Kula Shaker and The Charlatans, all revolving round the Leslie speaker of a rolling hammond organ.

And most engaging to me is that Freddie Pickering is effortlessly cool, the licks are subtle and not overbearing, and even when he doesn't play in any section of the set, like all good bands, even just sitting, or standing there, in Rosie's case, and doing nothing, if removed the balance would be lost. They're great, just great, all 5 of them ! Come out and catch them live ... Peace, Love & Tea, MHx

Sky Valley Mistress
Jesse Wright
Siobhan Mazzei
Georgie Rose
Tapestry
The De Montfort University Gospel Choir
By The Rivers
Martin Luke Brown
Joy Mumford
Three Girl Rhumba
MotorMouf
Samuel Idwal
Abandon Her
Stef Baker
Emily Carr
Becky Edwards
Mahalia
Mia & The Moon
Rosa-Leigh
AJA
Kate Rendell
Esther Van Leuven
East Midlands Girls
Ones to Watch for 2014
The Bobcats
Savanna Bones
Mattayoux
Matt Zara
The Simpletones
Charlotte Carpenter
Leah Sinead
Matt Henshaw Recommends ...

---===DOWNLOAD LINKS===---
DOWNLOAD & STREAM 'ALWAYS IN THE WAY' NOW !!
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/always-in-the-way-ep/id875188981
http://matthenshaw.bandcamp.com/album/always-in-the-way-ep
https://play.spotify.com/user/ilsonowl/playlist/2tHGjyz7EpEZpvgc8HpuRm
DEBUT 'IT AIN'T EASY/MY LIFE - EP' !!!
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep/id814589358
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Aint-Easy-My-Life-EP/dp/B00I8ZDJZC/
https://play.spotify.com/album/733AAcf7c2KcZ75SUFlpi3
http://matthenshaw.bandcamp.com/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep
http://www.emusic.com/album/matt-henshaw/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep/14753983/
http://www.7digital.com/artist/matt-henshaw/release/it-aint-easy-my-life
http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/matt-henshaw/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep
http://www.napster.co.uk/artist/matt-henshaw/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep

Matt Henshaw Recommends ... Sky Valley Mistress

Feel like I've been a bit neglectful with the blog of late, and it feels like I've been neglecting a child. So, this week I think I'm gonna bring you a whole load of recommendations. And I hope you've seen I've been busy as a worker bee in the meantime. But let's get on with it, I hope you're ready to get some groovy rockin' on with ... Sky Valley Mistress.

These just might be the heaviest thing I've recommended, but I gotta tell ya, I saw them live and they blew me away. And they might just be the furthest afield band I've written about. Hailing from Lancashire this female fronted rockin' four-piece have been down the East Midlands a few times, and are seriously putting the work in getting around the country and spreading their wings, flying out of the little Northern town of Darwen, Blackburn's little sister.

Maximum respect to them for grafting, writing proper tunes, and packin' some groove in with rockin'. Talented musicians, and a vocal punch, and they're seriously cool. As anyone who might know me would tell you that when music gets any heavier than Led Zeppelin, I'm out. This lot get it just right, just for me and the competent nods towards Jack White's erstwhile output gives you an indicator of their musical influence, above all they're damn good.

I saw them first at The Shed in Leicester and drummer Max handed me a card with a kind of QR code on it that I took home, scanned and it linked me to their video, 'The Day of the Lion', and it is cool as the proverbial f-word, and stars, as it turned out my almost sister-in-law, just highlighting how serendpitously beautiful 2014 has been so far. We're all connected, us beautiful and positive people.

So, here you go, get some Dirty Blonde Blues down yer neck and enjoy ... talk tomorrow, Peace, Love & Tea, MHx



Jesse Wright
Siobhan Mazzei
Georgie Rose
Tapestry
The De Montfort University Gospel Choir
By The Rivers
Martin Luke Brown
Joy Mumford
Three Girl Rhumba
MotorMouf
Samuel Idwal
Abandon Her
Stef Baker
Emily Carr
Becky Edwards
Mahalia
Mia & The Moon
Rosa-Leigh
AJA
Kate Rendell
Esther Van Leuven
East Midlands Girls
Ones to Watch for 2014
The Bobcats
Savanna Bones
Mattayoux
Matt Zara
The Simpletones
Charlotte Carpenter
Leah Sinead
Matt Henshaw Recommends ...

---===DOWNLOAD LINKS===---
DOWNLOAD & STREAM 'ALWAYS IN THE WAY' NOW !!
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/always-in-the-way-ep/id875188981
http://matthenshaw.bandcamp.com/album/always-in-the-way-ep
https://play.spotify.com/user/ilsonowl/playlist/2tHGjyz7EpEZpvgc8HpuRm
DEBUT 'IT AIN'T EASY/MY LIFE - EP' !!!
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep/id814589358
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Aint-Easy-My-Life-EP/dp/B00I8ZDJZC/
https://play.spotify.com/album/733AAcf7c2KcZ75SUFlpi3
http://matthenshaw.bandcamp.com/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep
http://www.emusic.com/album/matt-henshaw/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep/14753983/
http://www.7digital.com/artist/matt-henshaw/release/it-aint-easy-my-life
http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/matt-henshaw/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep
http://www.napster.co.uk/artist/matt-henshaw/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep

Matt Henshaw Recommends ... Jesse Wright

Well, yesterday I went on a little road trip with this beautiful soul. Jesse's first time out of Leicester, and in the big city, "London Baby" as she quoted the cast from Friends. Safe to say it was a wonderful day and with everything she does, Jesse put in her big heart and soul.

Down on Brick Lane Miss Wright put in a great account of herself, and more and more shows outside the city of Leicester will come I'm sure. Jesse has the voice for it, whether churning out a carefully crafted original song or breezing through old standards like 'Summertime' or Nina Simone's 'Feeling Good', it's a husky, soulful, throbbing powerhouse, emotive and yearning, you can't help but feel every word.

An ardent collaborator and a genuinely good natured soul, you might see Jesse singing with, one of my previous 'Matt Henshaw Recommends ... and one of my favourite boys in the East Midlands, James Byron, or Rhett Barrow and The Dedbeats amongst countless others, and for our roadtrip Jesse made some fabulous vegetarian sandwiches and a little packed lunch, it's these wonderful little things that make life on the road so much easier.

And the company and conversation, you couldn't really ask for more, get out and see Jesse perform, in Leicester and/or beyond, and have a chat, she'll never fail to entertain. On the way home she told me that her new favourite band is the one and only, up and coming, The Strangler Figs, and who can blame her, but there'll be loads more to come on those guys and gals later.

Peace, Love & Tea, MHx

Siobhan Mazzei
Georgie Rose
Tapestry
The De Montfort University Gospel Choir
By The Rivers
Martin Luke Brown
Joy Mumford
Three Girl Rhumba
MotorMouf
Samuel Idwal
Abandon Her
Stef Baker
Emily Carr
Becky Edwards
Mahalia
Mia & The Moon
Rosa-Leigh
AJA
Kate Rendell
Esther Van Leuven
East Midlands Girls
Ones to Watch for 2014
The Bobcats
Savanna Bones
Mattayoux
Matt Zara
The Simpletones
Charlotte Carpenter
Leah Sinead
Matt Henshaw Recommends ...

---===DOWNLOAD LINKS===---
DOWNLOAD & STREAM 'ALWAYS IN THE WAY' NOW !!
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/always-in-the-way-ep/id875188981
http://matthenshaw.bandcamp.com/album/always-in-the-way-ep
https://play.spotify.com/user/ilsonowl/playlist/2tHGjyz7EpEZpvgc8HpuRm
DEBUT 'IT AIN'T EASY/MY LIFE - EP' !!!
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep/id814589358
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Aint-Easy-My-Life-EP/dp/B00I8ZDJZC/
https://play.spotify.com/album/733AAcf7c2KcZ75SUFlpi3
http://matthenshaw.bandcamp.com/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep
http://www.emusic.com/album/matt-henshaw/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep/14753983/
http://www.7digital.com/artist/matt-henshaw/release/it-aint-easy-my-life
http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/matt-henshaw/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep
http://www.napster.co.uk/artist/matt-henshaw/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep