Archive for December 2011

Latest News – December 2011

Current News – As at 22nd December 2011

Three great performances at major festivals in August, where we really delivered at the Cambridge Rock Festival, Rythm Festival and Merton Abbey Mills. One great consequence of these performances is that expert and well known Publicist, James.H.Soars  http://jameshsoars.com/ picked up the promotion of Dark Angel, which had a complete launch to UK and some European press and radio over September – November. This has lead to many high street reviews and extensive radio play across the UK and Europe.

Thanks to all who came to our geat launch of the new limited edition DVD, Centre stage, at the Boom Boom Club Sutton FC on the 23rd October.  A great night and one of Roadhouse’s best ever performances. Special thanks to ace promoter Pete Feenstra…..

We have now completed our Xmas special gigs at the Bulls Head Barnes and the Bullingdon Oxford. and they were brilliant!

A slight set back is the news that we will not be on the main stage this year at the Skegness Festival in January. Apparently, some people have complained that we have been too favoured in our run of 8 years of big stage performances. We know a lot of you go to Skegeness primarily to see our big stage performance, so please complain to Butlins if you are unhappy about this.

In compensation we will do a set before (as usual running the jam ) on the Saturday afternoon and then will play a 90 minute set on the JAKS stage on Sunday evening at 20.00. This means that we will be performing the longest of any Band at the festival by a long chalk. We want to see our friends, so pop by say hello. Your support would be wonderful.

Danny and I are working on new material and (at least) two songs should be ready for Skeggy..

Keep the Faith

Gary

 

Dark Angel Review – Great New Review on www.fairhearing.co.uk Music Review Website

Roadhouse

Dark Angel
www.roadhousegb.co.uk

By now established as one of the most distinctive sounding outfits on the English roots scene and known for delivering great live performance sets wherever they play, Roadhouse album releases are renowned for the film noir tinge of Gary Boner’s lyrics, sharp band playing and the interplay of main writer Boner’s gruff vocal delivery with that of his current chanteuses. I say ‘current’ because there are usually changes from record to record – however to say that  a high standard of female singing is maintained would be an understatement.  This time around we get to hear the rasping passion of Mandie G, the ever improving clarity and appeal of Kelly Marie Hobbs plus the knowing sexiness of Suzi D…any of these ladies would be an asset to a musical outfit but moreover they work well together.

Never to be overlooked or underrated, bassist Bill Hobley and drummer Roger Hunt provide a rock solid but nonetheless nimble backdrop to the songs. Apart from the Roadhouse live sets, the rhythm section lend their skills at live shows to guest artists, including yours truly.

Firmly rooted in US Southern rock for dynamic inspiration, the two-guitar arrangements display light and shade, a cloudborne airiness at times and a grinding metallic clout at others. The axes don’t blur out the vocals – Gary is not going to bury his own wordsmithery! The ace in the pack is the difference in the guitar styles of Boner and Danny Gwylim – the former having a classic Mick Ralphs style with biting buzzy soloing but the latter perhaps more of a Wishbone Ash style player, fluid and soaring and by no means a blues purist or rock obsessive. In fact Danny will happily take in anything you lend to him, if  a Brad Paisley touch appears, blame me…..

Inside another classy cover design by band amigo Vaughan Oliver lurk more dark compositions. Fans of US rockers Drive By Truckers would be entranced with this material but bear in mind THIS group has been in existence over twenty years and delivering original numbers all that time.

Too Tired To Play has a purposeful attack and eerie slide to kick off the collection and a fine example of the vocal arrangement skills of this crew. Already alive classic, Rainmaker has a contagious country rock bounce and twanging key riff. Dark Angel is one of what Boner himself would tag a misery-incarnate piece but shows his saturnine leaning to great effect. Dig the arpeggio intro chords overlaid with a singing lead guitar line.  So Over You has – if memory serves – a Kelly Hobbs lyric and a springheeled vibe to offset the hellbound atmosphere of several of the other compositions included here…wonder how Danny gets such a perfect Les Dudek sound on the guitar here ? ‘Play With Fire’ has Mandie G capturing a Stevie Nicks sound over guitar harmonics and pumping Hunt drumwork, a song with great impact and perhaps the one you would play to an acquaintance to illustrate the Roadhouse approach. CloserTelling Lies is a past triumph dusted off the for the present personnel.

For this writer the urgency and insistence of ‘Tornado’ make it the pick of this set but you, dear listener, will find plenty to savour on this album

Pete Sargeant         www.fairhearing.co.uk

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