On Stage: The Proclaimers @ Paradiso

Thirty years ago Scottish twins Charlie and Craig Reid had a huge hit as The Proclaimers with 'I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)', which is kind of an unusual song to have such success with. They never were able to match that success but are still recording and performing. I've never been a big fan, but a friend of mine is and was dying to see them (no, really). I decided to join him to see his idols, just because it could be fun.

The Proclaimers at Paradiso Amsterdam, July 25 2019

And so we find ourselves in a hot Paradiso on this tropical day, waiting for The Proclaimers. The main hall isn't sold out, but it has filled up nicely. Originally the band was scheduled for the smaller Paradiso Noord venue, but due to a big demand for tickets it was moved here. I guess even the programmers were surprised by the twins' popularity. I was expecting maybe to see many English fans, but this doesn't seem to be the case.

This is not really the music I normally listen to, because I'm not a big fan of folk music. I notice I don't know too many songs and only the couple of hit songs that received air play back then sound familiar. The fans know all the songs by heart and are singing along out loud, including our friend. It is apparent the brothers have a loyal fanbase, that keep showing up for their concerts. These are longtime fans although the number of young people isn't bad at all.

Even though the fans are enjoying the show, not much is happening on stage. Although the band are clearly enjoying it themselves, especially bass player Garry John Kane and drummer Clive Jenner, they are kind of routinely playing the songs. The Reid brothers aren't exactly putting down an explosive show either. Their vocals are clear and strong though and their voices are harmonizing beautifully. In the end I think this show was alright, but a bit boring for me. I was hoping maybe they would surprise me, but instead it met my expectations which weren't very high. They are of course professional musicians that can play at a high level, but they were not able to convince me. When we head home I still hear "I will walk 500 miles...' ringing in my head which is still hooked into my brain even today. Thanks guys...



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Setlist:
01. Angry Cyclist
02. There's a Touch
03. Over and Done With
04. Letter From America
05. Should Have Been Loved
06. Stretch
07. Let's Get Married
08. Spinning Around in the Air
09. Streets of Edinburgh
10. Sean
11. What Makes You Cry?
12. Information
13. Born Innocent
14. Sky Takes the Soul
15. The Light
16. Sunshine on Leith
17. Rainbows & Happy Regrets
18. Life With You
19. I'm on My Way
20. And Then I Met You
21. I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)
Encore:
22. Cap in Hand
23. Make My Heart Fly
24. The Joyful Kilmarnock Blues


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New Sounds: Daniel Norgren - Wooh Dang

Swedish singer songwriter Daniel Norgren recently added another gorgeous album Wooh Dang to his growing list of records filled with the most beautiful music.

He's currently touring around clubs, but sadly I couldn't make it to his show in Paradiso last Monday. Fortunately for me he's visiting Vlieland during Into The Great Wide Open festival in September, the same spot I got introduced to his music a few years back and instantly became a fan.

Check out to Wooh Dang:



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On Stage: Daniel Norgren @ Caprera Bloemendaal

One of the nicest things about live music is to see a show you were not even planning on seeing and get completely blown away. This is what happened to me when I saw Swedish artist Daniel Norgren four years ago at the Into The Great Wide Open festival. Now I own almost all of his records and try to make it to his show whenever he is playing in the neighbourhood.

Daniel Norgren at Caprera Bloemendaal, August 5 2017

This time the modest Swede is playing at the beautiful open air theater Caprera in Bloemendaal, a small village at the coast of The Netherlands. The first time I was here six years ago, I saw The National play a stunning show while the rain kept pouring down. Today it is raining as well, where I was hoping for a nice summer evening. It doesn't matter too much and it certainly won't get me down.

The first couple of albums showed Norgren as a blues musician with gritty blues songs in the style of Tom Waits. He slowly moved more into Americana, country and folk territory and now seems to have found a style that really fits him. I'm not even a big fan of country and folk but there's simply something about his genuine and heartfelt music that I find irresistible. The last few albums are drop dead gorgeous with beautiful atmosperic songs that he mostly recorded with a four-track recorder all by himself. On stage he is playing solo once and while as well, or with a few friends.

Today he's playing with drummer Erik Berndtsson and his long time steady force, bass player Anders Grahn. But first they start out by just the two of them, where Grahn is playing the organ. All three musicians are versatile artists who will be playing several instruments throughout the show. While the rain has stopped, it's a very strong start of the evening where Norgren is showing his sensitive side with a few of his most captivating and breath taking songs. Slowly the music unfolds while the evening progresses and the band is cutting deep through Norgren's catalogue.

He's showing what makes him so good, which besides the wonderful songs are his way of patiently crafting his music, bringing lots of dynamics into it by using small pauses and putting a lot of variation in it. It means we hear a lovely folk song like 'Waiting For You' and later on the always amazing 'Moonshine' that sounds like a long blues jam with shredding guitar solos and wild drums, and everything in between. Norgren's voice can be soothingly soulful and gritty, adding to the variation.

At the end of the night once again he impressed me and has won people over who came here without knowing who was playing. A well deserved standing ovation leaves him with no other choice than to come back twice for a few more songs. The tree musicians watch the crowd and receive the applause with a shy smile on their faces. I simply cannot get enough of this wonderful artist and will definitely see him next time he comes around again.



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On Stage: Daniel Norgren @ Paradiso

Ever since seeing Daniel Norgren play at the Into The Great Wide Open festival a few years back, I've been hooked on his music. The atmospheric and genuine music played from the heart, patiently crafted from lush songs, is simply irresistible. So every chance I get to see him play, I try to grab on to.

Daniel Norgren at Paradiso Amsterdam, October 31 2016

He's playing in the same setup I saw him play a few months ago at the Amsterdam Woods festival, accompanied by drummer Tim Grundtman and bass player Anders Grahn. Seated behind the piano he opens quietly with 'Putting My Tomorrows Behind'. A few more songs follow on piano and the quiet start totally fits Norgren's music and personality. The friendly and modest musician never uses big gestures or a lot of fireworks. He doesn't need it and lets his music speak for itself. Even nowadays when apparently it's hard for people to be quiet during a concert, the big hall of Paradiso goes totally quiet as if everyone's holding their breath.

Now and then the trio picks it up a bit and Norgren shows how a versatile musician he is, playing several instruments and even going into a bluesy jam in 'Moonshine Got Me', shredding his guitar. Every record he makes, his music seems to get better and better. Tonight he focuses mostly on his last three and most successful records. The last two Alabursy and The Green Stone both came out in 2015, proving he is not lacking any ideas for new songs. Of course it's quality over quantity but in this case both albums are full of wonderful music.

As the show progresses the audience is getting more impressed with every song. The cheers and applause get bigger and bigger and Norgren and his band mates look genuinely surprised and pleased with the response. After 'Whatever Turns You On' they leave the stage but of course this crowd won't let them go that easily. They return for two more songs and close the show with 'Everlasting Friend', a wonderful and melancholic song that takes everyone's breath away. At the beginning a few people are still talking but are hushed to stay quiet. By the end of it the whole of Paradiso is stunned by the gorgeous music. When the last note of the song dies out, a big roar rises. It's a fitting end to an amazing and unforgettable Monday night.



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Setlist:
01. Putting My Tomorrows Behind
02. People Are Good
03. I Waited for You
04. Though It Aches
05. Black Vultures
06. Moonshine Got Me
07. I'm a Welder
08. The Fox Chase
09. Everything You Know Melts Away Like Snow
10. Howling Around My Happy Home
11. Why May I Not Go Out And Climb The Trees?
12. My Rock Is Crumbling
13. Are We Running Out of Love?
14. Whatever Turns You On
Encore:
15. Stuck in the Bones
16. Everlasting Friend


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The Low Anthem Make A Tasty Pasta

Why book an expensive studio when there's an empty pasta sauce factory around the corner? This must have been on the minds of The Low Anthem quartet. And so they put their recording equipment for their new album 'Smart Flesh' in an old factory hall somewhere in their home state Rhode Island. This resulted in a record with eleven country and folk songs that got an extra dimension from it. They experimented with mic placement which is clearly audible. The tracks sound warm and rich and the quiet songs are tiny and modest.

The Low Anthem - Smart Flesh (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
The songs themselves aren't that special to be honest. They are solid country songs that don't really stick out because of extraordinary compositions or lyrics. However the multi-instrumentalists of The Low Anthem did go wild on all kinds of instruments and this leads to lush arrangements now and then. And so one of the best songs on the album, 'Boeing 737', is accompanied by exuberant horns and you can hear different percussion instruments, all kinds of stringed instruments and sometimes a singing saw. In the more straightforward and singer-songwriter tracks singer Ben Knox Miller sounds a lot like Bob Dylan. The band is compared to him a lot but this isn't always completely true.

They sometimes fall back to the very basics. 'I'll Take Out Your Ashes' is only accompanied by banjo plucking and the sound of a radio program on the background including the old fashioned interference. What's striking like for example in 'Matter Of Time', is that every note played and sung has been placed and chosen carefully. It never sounds too much or rushed but are the songs breathing serenity. This makes the record crawl by like a simmering hot day in a dusty American town. Or it almost comes to a complete stop halfway in the instrumental 'Wire'.

The fourth album of The Low Anthem maybe won't go down as their master piece or a classic. It's a lot more accessible than its predecessor 'Oh My God, Charlie Darwin' and therefore less exciting to some. They do however deliver a solid record that excels in production, sound and the use of exotic instruments. There's plenty to enjoy by all means for people that fancy this genre.

This review has been published on ROAR E-Zine in Dutch over here.

Listen to 'Smart Flesh' on Spotify

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