It’s been quite a while since I sat down and opened up the reliable old WordPress. I’d nearly got so far as thinking that these days were totally behind me as sad as it sounds : when you are in the heat of battle with life and navigating the ups and downs of the music sphere (stressy), it’s hard to sit and write. It’s hard to even sit and think. Haven’t had a moment to reflect for so long it seems like.
This week has been a weird one but probably a blessing in the long run. This year in general has been a huge learning curve and we’ve had some seriously beautiful concerts along the way — our winter series of shows at St Pancras Old Church have been the highlight — with two shows still to come there before the year’s out and in addition to that we’ve got two beautiful Community Sessions gigs upcoming too.
Here I’ll begin to go through our top songs of 2023 – this is episode 1 and will focus on the folk-y, more melancholic releases that have been played constantly — let’s bring the blog back for a minute!
Darkstates – Daughter
Simon Evans (Darkstates) touched the soul with his 2023 release ‘Daughter’ – Can’t stress enough how bloody beautiful this song is. Pained and honest beauty. Dark tones and heart-wrenching topics expressed perfectly against the backdrop of delicate downtempo beat and synth-work.
D. Inver – Landing
A magically talented individual, Derek Inver has a tendency to churn out the pieces of music that get caught on a loop again and again and again. I don’t think this piece was intended to be a standout release judging by a short conversation we had recently, but woah — the song has stuck on me.
Esme White – Mother’s Ugly Angels
London-based New Yorker Esme White is such a talented music maker and her St Pancras Old Church performance alongside the brill Lady Sybil was one of the highlights of our musical year. Esme has a huge future ahead – looking forward to the next release already. Mother’s Ugly Angels is a top rate offering.
Sam Vano – Going Nowhere (Slowly)
Dutch singer Sam Vano came to London recently and had to battle the off-beat church bells of St Pancras Old Church as he performed his solo set. A breath of fresh air is this guy. Can write a good tune too. Going Nowhere (Slowly) showcases just how good Sam Vano is.
Neev – The House
Not a year goes by without a Neev track being featured on this blog. There are so many songs of her’s that I love by now and this year’s release ‘The House’ is a tremendous one! Neev has been grafting for years and her musical output has always remained of the highest grade.
Bojockey – The Water
Ah here. I can’t begin to describe how good this band are. Whether it’s a sold out Windmill or sold out St Pancras Old Church, this group shine immeasurably. I could select five or six tracks from their debut self-titled 2023 album, but The Water just does the business for me. I knew all the words by heart on first listen.
Will Pope – Punchline
Don’t know if this is cheating or not because it’s possible Punchline came out in 2022, but there’s no way I’m writing a piece on this website and not including Will Pope. Punchline — oh man —- what a depthy track from a good friend.
The New Eves – Mother
I tried to see The New Eves play at a festival in Brighton a couple of weeks ago. In a rush as to not miss them, I loaded the venue name into google maps and walked towards it (or so I thought) – I ended up at an industrial estate unit with the same name 3 miles from the event instead. I wanted to hear this song live before the year was out but that didn’t work out. Props to Dominic Rose for playing this on a Boogaloo Radio show earlier in the year and intro-ing me.
Samuel Nicholson – God Loves a Trier
For the fiftieth time, Samuel Nicholson lands some love on The Sound Sniffer website. 2023 saw the imposing Scotsman break-out a little bit as they say. Another album surfaced (Birthday Suit) and shows were sold out in London. Ferociously good live and God Loves a Trier is my pick from the record.
Lily Lyons – Spectre
Saw Lily Lyons perform live for the first, second and third time down in Borough for the quite brilliant Sam Bowcher (BARK) — she always had the crowd silent. It’s 2023 now and the same applies around the city but she’s playing venues like Union Chapel instead. The impressive and tranquil track ‘Spectre’ is out now – one of those songs that just keeps things calm.
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