More live moments in Alan Dearling’s life and camera lenses
Hazy Janes and Japanese Television
Hazy Janes
A two-bands-for-the-price-of-one at the upstairs room in the Golden Lion, Todmorden.
You’ll easily see why I think of Jack White and White Stripes when I see the Hazy Janes, a power-duo from Halifax. Shades of Led Zep too.
‘Yellow Belly Blues’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApUAjlVqdKY
Visceral and exciting. Very visual and pretty loud. Lots of showmanship and what used to be called ‘grand-standing’. Perhaps not quite as ‘out there’ as Prodigy or Rammstein (both of which I think have been totally awesome live!), but it may be the direction that the Hazy Janes go in the future.
A fairly recent live performance which nicely demonstrates the light and shade that they insert into their music – this is the Hazy Janes at the Imperial Music Venue – Mexborough – 02/05/22.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaLVvUgtYqo
I had previously seen Ellis Best, the singer/guitarist, in a solo show. Now I’ve been able to enjoy the dynamic duo including manic drummer, Bron Bury. As they enjoy telling us: “Stay Hazy!”
Japanese Television
London-based Japanese Television purveyed psych-oriental noodlings aplenty, musical interplay and connections. Lots going on – a complex melange. On display was a mixed-up mash-up of sounds at their recent live gig on the Yorkshire/Lancashire border. The sound: Instrumental punk-surf rock (apparently). Hard to categorise, but certainly something of a throw-back to late 1960s’ psychedelic-folk. The band experienced some techie-gremlins early in their set, including having to replace their snare drum, but were well received by the packed audience.
‘Snake Shake’ from their recently released first album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Pa0BRMcIxY
Here, Japanese Television provide mellower, highly melodic sounds, faintly reminiscent perhaps of French art-musos,‘Air’. This is ‘Moon Glider’:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI_GeHSIS0A
Between the Vines
Down at the Weavers Arms’ Monday Club it was time for Country-Rock, more twang and ‘hee-haw’, than the Americana variety. BTV (Between the Vines) have recently released their second album, ‘Ain’t Country Enough’. Powerful singing from Rebecca (Bex) Whitehead on lead vocals. Good songs too, well augmented by classy playing from all the members of this four-piece. Additionally, in fact, they have three vocalists! Drummer, Kev Whitehead is involved with a number of bands including Jon Lees’ Barclay James Harvest.
Title track video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlQS8ZpExJ0
‘Get a Little Drunk (Go a Little Wild)’ live from Oldham Festival: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1906760072822946
After their gig ended I asked Bex about the name of the band.
Alan: “I’m exactly the same age as the American singer, Janis Ian. She was 14 when she released her first album, ‘Society’s Child’. And quite a few years later, she was successful with her 1975 album which was titled: ‘Between the Lines’, and featured her major hit, ‘At Seventeen’. Was that your inspiration?”
Bex: “No. We like our wine and so that’s where the band name ‘Between the Vines’ came from.”
So, there, now we know!
