The sharpest dressed teenager in Notts launches brand new music...
Some friends and I arrived a little before seven at Rough Trade and lounged around in the bar as the hustle of the stage getting set up began. Before long it felt like a proper country saloon bar with the support acts starting to play a steady country twang. A bunch of people even turned up with old western style hats. Notts had been replaced with Tennessee and I didn’t even mind.
The gig kicked off with some stellar acts including Lucille and Ryan Farmer. Inspired by the bluesy rhythm of America, Lucille threw out tunes with a rock n’ roll twist. With a full set of instruments, the mix included sounds from guitar, drums, double bass and vocals. Another watcher commented that they “remind me of a vintage time”.
Ryan Farmer is another Nottingham singer inspired by the times of Americana. His songs channeled a real feel of the old south and brought the image of a man, sitting in a bar with a cowboy hat, drinking whisky while mulling over something sombre. That or riding around in a big pickup truck. His classic country ballads really smashed it.
Tom McCartney himself lived up to the name of his debut EP, Well Dressed Man, when he arrived at his launch wearing a suit and red tie. By the time he took the stage the atmosphere was chill and the crowd was split between sitting around the tables and gathering in the music space. The seventeen-year-old singer had such serious Johnny Cash meets Elvis Presley feels that you would hardly believe he’s from our generation.
Everything was spot on. The music. The vibe. The launch. You would never think that this is only the debut EP since Tom’s voice sounds like one with so much experience. If the night was any indication of what’s to come, I’d say we’ve got a country blues uprising on the way.
Tom McCartney’s EP Launch was at Rough Trade on Friday 27 January 2017.
Well Dressed Man EP is released on Wednesday 1 February 2017.
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