Matt Henshaw Recommends ... Tapestry

These Market Harborough boys are currently quickly making a reputation for themselves as the best band, the best live act and thee band to see in Leicestershire, and with good reason.

I was lucky enough to catch them earlier in the year, at what I believe was only their second ever gig, and it instantly reminded of seeing Dog Is Dead for the first time in Nottingham at what was their first gig, and they're the only band I've seen in Leicester that I believe have the potential of emulating the successes of Leicester's leading troubadors - Kasabian.

And I've seen a lot of local bands over the last 8 or 9 months, and it's no detriment to any of them as there's a good lot of great little bands out there. It's just that Tapestry provide something different, something unique, and something more more tangible on a grander scale, the sound these three boys make is truly epic when the stars align and the notes fall into place.

I'm not particularly schooled or well-versed in electronic music, so forgive me if my references are a little far removed, but I was stood listening to the band play live, and subsequently listening to their demos, now circulating for free like the first batch of Arctic Monkeys recordings, and it evoked the pure freedom and pleasure of Paul McCartney's solo albums 'McCartney' and 'McCartney II', and when he really lets go on 'Chaos & Creation in the Backyard' and The Fireman records.

High praise indeed, anyone would agree who knows me, and it doesn't stop there, the elements of keys, synths and saxophone, there's some David Bowie in there, the Brian Eno / Berlin-era and 'Black Tie / White Noise' ... but it's almost by mistake that it sounds this good. Talking to the boys you'll quickly find out they're into mixing modern electronic music with something that everyone will surely know floats my boat ...

Soul Music, in particularly, Motown and the sound of young black America. You can tell that whilst they've grown up and are still learning in the digital age of music a school and college, in a world where everything you hear on the radio and TV and been synthesised, harmonised, autotuned and processed into oblivion. And although they like to jam, and as fans of house music, experimental electronica, containing as they do, Taylor Burton aka. New Walk, one of the best DJs around, and at 16, only going to get better, they know how to craft a heartfelt and soulful pop song too.

You don't listen to any Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye or Smokey Robinson not learn how to to put that kind of thing together, I know from experience, and I always wonder how people stumble across these greats, especially when they're 10 years my junior ! So if you like soul music and you're a bit adventurous, I suggest you get into Tapestry now, and equally if you like electronic music but you like to feel the people behind the beats and hear the rhythms are the hearts that produced it, then Tapestry is the band for you !

And for locality's sake, you can hear a little bit of that Chris Karloff-era early Kasabian, when they were playing in toilet venues around the country with Chikinki and getting more love from Mixmag and DJ magazine than the NME, it starts somewhere, and for these boys too, it seems like it's gonna be the Soundhouse, The Shed and The Musician in Leicester, no doubt I'll invite them to The Cookie when the time feels right.

After all that, I'm just annoyed that I leant their CD to my brother who's only gone and lost it !! It's a good job I stuck it on my iPod before I did that ... and we're living in the age of Soundcloud now and any great artists will be sharing most of their output online for free anyways !! Check out Tapestry, and you won't be disappointed ... Peace, Love & Tea, MHx

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Matt Henshaw Biography 2013

Matt Henshaw’s biography is already complex at the age of 26, which gives his song-writing a depth and maturity that could only have come with experience; suffering for his art and travelling a journey that has shaped and honed his skills – and it shows. Having paid his dues, he is still on his way up…and the best is yet to come.

This soul-loving, tea-drinking gardener is a singer/songwriter of some repute from Ilkeston, between Nottingham and Derby, who is now living in Leicester and taking the local music scene there by storm. His penchant for acoustic sets and original songs showcases his love of guitar and vocal – based soul & blues, demonstrating his influences of Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, Steve Marriott and Sam Cooke, and earning him the description of ‘an old soul in a young body’. He has named his unique sound Acoustic Rhythm and Gospel, creating a new music genre and inspiring his audiences to follow the man and his music. Widely respected by his peers and well known to the gig-going audiences in the Midlands, he is now travelling the length and breadth of the UK looking to broaden his appeal, continue the journey that has taken him this far, make his mark on the national music scene, and see where the ride takes him.

His recent decision to perform as a solo artist, stripping back his unique sound to just an acoustic guitar and his superbly mellifluous voice, has already generated much interest and he can be found most evenings on a stage doing what he was born to do, guitar in hand, working his particular brand of magic; his beautiful soulful voice and ethereal guitar weaving a spell over a gathering with self-penned songs so resonant with emotion and meaning they would cause an angel to weep, leaving his audience spellbound and wanting more. This rapidly growing interest has strengthened his resolve to make himself prominent on the UK music scene, and his web-based activities on popular social networking sites such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter growing his following to promote himself and his music are now paying dividends, with fans across the globe wanting more.

His superlative voice and stage presence has already won him critical acclaim from respected publications such as the NME and The Guardian; he has been featured on BBC Introducing numerous times, appears regularly on independent radio stations throughout the Midlands, and opened the main stage for Dizzy Rascal at Lovebox Festival in London after winning the NME Breakthrough Act in 2010. He was previously a founder member of Censored, a band who garnered much critical acclaim and fame throughout the Midlands, and who supported Snow Patrol, Ocean Colour Scene and We Are Scientists, also playing the Isle Of Wight & Reading and Leeds Festivals. More recently, he has collaborated with numerous artists in and around his home patch to create a unique sound with the Derby-based MC Reggiimental, which has been dubbed B-Boy Soul and which generated the widely-acclaimed album ‘Coming Around’- the most under-rated album release of this year. He has also teamed up with a former bandmate, under the name of Satsuma Elephants, to generate psychedelic rock with soulful undertones; an eclectic mix which demonstrates how successfully he can slip from genre to genre, and even create new ones, without losing integrity and which showcases his appeal to his many appreciative fans.

'My Week' by Matt Henshaw (2/10/11-8/10/11)

Passed my driving test !

Saw Sheffield Wednesday lurch up the second in League 1 (I still think that makes it sound half OK, like "league one" means the top division)

Wished my brother a happy birthday on the other side of the world
(he's in Bangkok and all he wants is a nice cup of tea ... but apparently his Mrs. was going to get him a lady boy for his birthday!)

Played poker with the boys ... won ... obviously ... the prize? Dinner bought for on the following night as we went out and watch England draw in spectacular style in a European Qualifier against Montenegro ... (for my North American readers - I know you're out there - a draw is when both teams have the same number of goals/points at the end of a game, and we consider this OK) ...

Today ... did a couple of talks at the University of Leicester about how going to University after you're twenty one is a good idea ie. as a mature student ie. an old codger (I am considered old and mature in certain facets of society ... as my mate Mark said "when I first met you and you was wearing a dressing gown, slippers and sipping a cup of tea I thought you was going to be posh ... but it turns out you're just a little old man" ... the best review I've ever had!!!)

NOW?! Hibernation, reading, Ealing Comedies ... and my next two musical projects are taking shape nicely.

Sit tight for a Ringo Starr style headshot et cheesy grin... peace and love, Peace & Love ...

#nowplaying Marvin Gaye, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Miles Kane, Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian and Lee Perry ...
buy my records <--- subliminal advertising !