Tony Steele and The Massacre

Needless to say, it's nice to be on the guest-list for a Cast gig however, Ralph's primary mission was to check out the support act on the evening Tony Steele and The Massacre whose new single was previewed on the blog late last year. let's face it, Cast are hardly going to be struggling for reviews.

They are currently embarking on a 20th-anniversary tour and this evening they were taking The Citadel Theatre in St Helens by storm. Not too difficult a task that being said as the audience was mainly made up of gentlemen of a certain age who were long time fans (some probably from John Power's Las' days) and had spent most of the evening previously in the bar. 



To their detriment as it happens, as Tony Steele and The Massacre played an immaculate set of well-crafted songs, some Americana-esque some just plain rockin' it out. Whilst the pre-Cast crowd was relatively small they quickly warmed to the band and Tony in particular, as he put every ounce of his energy into the set.

Kicking off with the slightly psychedelic Americana-style Feel Love they showed that they'd formed a well drilled, tight unit. Tony's rough-edged vocal bringing the song to life. It was quickly followed by a slightly countrified track called A Ballad Of Dead Love which bounced into a skiffle vibe that Lonnie Donnegan would have been proud of.

With thanks to @BazzaMills for the photograph

I'm Back Home was reminiscent of early Faces tracks around the time of the classic Long Player album and again Tony's vocal carried it to a higher level and that was carried through into the more upbeat, crowd-pleasing One More Chance with its folky, rebel song vibe.

Next up, Along The Right Track had a feel of The Animals to it before turning into a real foot-stomper and the band proving they were committed to their craft with solid musicality throughout. 





Penultimate track Fake Love had a cross-over Americana feel again, with shades of The Eagles brought up to date by being infused with Daughtry-like guitar and drums.

Finishing with a bit of a rock 'n' rolla Tony's strong, individual vocalising brought Bound to Collide to life and left me wondering how long it will be before Tony Steele and The Massacre take their rightful place as the headline act on a bigger stage.

Lost Podenco aka Phil Dobie

When Ralph heard his man in Scotland Malcolm Parry was heading to Ibiza for a holiday he couldn't resist getting him to interview Liverpool born singer/songwriter Phil Dobie aka Lost Podenco who's been kenneled on 'The White Island' these last six years. 




Kennel I hear you say, well the official definition is - Po_den’ço: (sp.) Ibizan hound; intelligent, active and engaging by nature (something like myself), though somewhat independent and stubborn at times (yep me too); unruly, they will resist punitive training methods (I think I may be Spanish); they do not make good kennel dogs and have a strong prey drive, therefore cannot be trusted off the leash unless in a safely enclosed area (paws up to that too).

So I'll let Malc take up the story ...

The very talented and perfectionist Liverpool born singer/songwriter Lost Podenco ( Phil Dobie ) has been very kind in showing us around his home of 6 years, Ibiza.  He came over with just 2 guitars, a suitcase and is now a successful music teacher at a local school.

His plan for the day was to show us the mysterious beach of Atlantis just across from the huge, spiritual and mesmerizing spectacle of Es Vedre.  He hasn't actually been to this beach before and is armed only with a few cryptic Facebook directions from friends.  Though we enjoyed the day and walking, after nearly two hours we were very sceptical of him leading us to Atlantis. This Podenco was well and truly lost!

Previous to that fateful day I'd arranged to meet him in the gorgeous location of Maritina Beach on the east coast of the island at the hippy bar 'Chirincana'. Luckily for us he has been here before, so we manage to have a fun and informative chat over a beer to the chilled out vibes floating out from the bar.

We chat about how I first came to his music through me following Ade Harris @blogibiza. He tells me how much of a perfectionist and over critical he his about his music.  Recording all the parts with over dubs.  The following week he plans to start work on his upcoming album 'Military Spec Melodies' but only with the limited time due to his day job.  He's currently looking for people to collaborate with and he would love to produce pieces of music like the recent King Creosote - John Hopkins album 'Diamond Mine' (Ralph had that for his pick in last years SAY Award).





As an aside...as Ralph's typing this up he's trying to set up a collaboration through Twitter with Ambrose Chappel and Wullae Wright...blog writing doesn't get any more 'live' than this!

@LostPodenco @fruitbatwalton @wullaewright yer man.
— Ambrose Chappel (@ambrose_chappel) July 15, 2013

@ambrose_chappel @fruitbatwalton @LostPodenco haha here I am. What have I missed? :) W
— Wullae Wright (@wullaewright) July 15, 2013

Malc: What's your name , where do you come from? 
Lost: Philip Edward Dobie just near Penny Lane in Liverpool.

Malc: How did you end up in Ibiza? 
Lost: I started looking for jobs in England and then decided to look further abroad, and everything fell into place, It was meant to be! He goes on to say “ I was a narrow minded indie snob and this island has made a fool of me”

Malc: How much do you actually get to play live on the island? 
Lost: Not much at all.  A couple of times before only as a guitarist in another project, not as Lost Podenco.  I am confirmed to play the White Island Music Festival first week of September -  all the effect pedals will be coming out, testing the patience of the electronic fraternity.

Malc: No plans for an E.P? 
Lost: I'm going straight for the album. Recording in next 6 weeks, hopefully a single before the album. It'll be available digital and would love to release a limited vinyl version with me growing up listening to records.  I'll invent some silly label to release it myself like 'Wirral Records'

Malc: Why the name Lost Podenco? 
Lost: I have had many a night coming back on the dark roads of Ibiza where the Ibizan Hound dog ( podenco ) walks out into the road playing chicken with me, it embodies Ibiza and I was a little bit lost (some would argue he still is) when I arrived on the island.

Malc : If you could right a 'Sonnet ' or a 'Bittersweet Symphony' ? 
Lost: Bittersweet symphony.

Malc: Dream band to support? 
Lost: I'll pass and come back to this one later (taking his time to get this one right, (but finally decides on) Bob Dylan – Free Trade Hall 1966 tour when he went electric. (Though doing my research Dylan first went electric at The Newport Folk festival in '65) but he goes on to say “When everyone was calling him 'Judas' and I would have to play an acoustic set to steal Bob's thunder” he says laughing.

Malc: Any other Ibizan artists we should check out? 
Lost: Superlogic who loves the ambient John Hopkins stuff and who I hope to collaborate with in the coming weeks.

Malc: Lennon or McCartney? 
Lost: Lennon

Malc: The Coral or Cast? 
Lost: Cast

Malc: Liverpool Academy or The Cavern Club? 
Lost: I haven't played the Academy so...

Though he may not be Getting a call from The White Island tour guides offering him a job any time soon, maybe like the podenco he can't be trusted off the leash, but with a solid job and a promising musical side-line ahead this Lost  Podenco is certainly not lost.

The Varese's

The resurgence in the Liverpool Indie music scene seems to be bringing an almost constant stream of new bands with a strong songwriting and musical ability and The Varese's from the city's Old Swan area are certainly in that mould.

The Varese's are Jonny Andrew on Vocals, Danny Hayden on Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Paul Tallant on Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Adam Murray on Bass Guitar and Bob Gaul - Drums and Percussion.  Currently sticking to the local music scene where they have a strong fanbase (they're  No 2 on Reverbnation Indie Chart for Liverpool), however recent radio play should see them getting some attention from further afield.  






They were voted No 1 unsigned band worldwide for 3 weeks on the Forkster Rocks Out Review which boasts over 300,000 hits weekly and were selected for the MTV short-list for best unsigned bands for 2013 and been picked to play on BBCIntroducing (where I first heard them on Dave Monks show).





Gig updates:    


21st February 2013 - Studio2, Parr Street, Liverpool


2nd March 2013 - The Roadhouse, Birmingham


21st April 2013 - Zanzibar, Liverpool (Supporting Slydigs)

'Strangers' seems to be an attempt at creating a 'Poptastic' track with jangly guitar and Morrisyesque vocals.  It tinkles along nicely but doesn't quite stick in your head.


'Weary Dream' on the other hand is a moodier more rock orientated track making better use of Jonny's vocals and the twin guitar sound of Danny and Paul.

'Spotlight' is The Varese's strongest track, great melody, sincere lyrics with a strong vocal all tipping their collective hat to the bands influences (usual suspects of The Beatles, Oasis, Cast and not necessarily in that order) which is no bad thing as it's got radio hit written all over it.

The Cornerstones

Last time I brought you news of The Cornerstones they were getting some great radio plays for their singles 'Stand In Line' and 'Smack Me In The Face' and had landed a major gig supporting former Stone Roses and Ian Brown guitarist Aziz Ibrahim back in September of last year.  'Smack Me On The Face' is currently a favourite on the playlist of French radio station Radio KC.

Well latest news is, they've done it again!  This time they supported Liverpudlian John Power who is a singer songwriter and musician who has been at the top of his game since he stepped onto the scene with The La's in second half of the 80's. During his 5 years with them, not only did he prove himself as an excellent musician, he also emerged as an excellent songwriter, something that would truly be realised following his departure from the band in 1991, as the following year he formed Cast where he was frontman.






They went on to have four excellent albums and a string of hit singles over a ten year period until they split in 2002. Following this split, he embarked on a solo career which has seen him deliver three further solo albums.  In 2010, it was announced they would reform and in March of last year released their fifth album 'Troubled Times' to the delight of fans and critics alike. 







This was a show not to be missed and a chance to see the supreme talents and musicianship of John Power up close and personal.  The opportunity to support John shows the pedigree The Cornerstones have achieved now and I'm certain it wont be long before they're headlining their own shows.

The Cornerstones have had several different line ups over the last seven years but feel they've now reached the final blend of musical niceness.  One constant over the years has been the partnership between singer/songwriter Richard Ruth and lead guitarist and co-writer Dan Bennion.  They've been joined by drummer Ryan Pincott and Kyle Radbone on bass to give the band a fuller more current sound.







They're playing The Sallynoggin Inn, Dublin on the 5th Oct on a Charity night that includes Starsailor.  So if you're over in Ireland check out 'Stand In Line' and get your tickets for the 5th Oct!