Our musical year started in January, this time with an exhibition. Goole Museum and Gallery hosted Syd Young’s Relics and Rails, a lifetime retrospective of paintings, photographs and music memorabilia. The launch included a sonic landscape provide by Jeff Parsons and a duet with Syd of one of his own compositions from 1977. Later that month we travelled to Leeds Holy Trinity for a performance by Liam Byrne – Reconstructing Resonances – baroque and new works for viol-da-gamba and live electronics. In February we witnessed the incredible Manchester Collective’s Bag of Bones at the opening of the Warehouse in Holbeck, a fantastic new community music, theatre and art space.
March saw the first Loudhailer Electric Company gig of the year supporting the return of the legendary Wasted Youth at Hull’s O’Riley’s with Dexter on violin facing off with Jeff on Underneath the Underground. We travelled to Leeds to see Gina Birch from the equally legendary Raincoats perform at the Brudenell Social Club, touring with a new band and a hit single, ‘I Play My Bass Loud’. The end of the month saw a new addition to the family: a short scale orange Mustang bass with red go faster stripes.
In April Bob Log III played at the Old Woollen and Mike Greaves launched his new album at the Wrecking Ball Arts Centre in Hull but we managed to catch the tuning of the organ at Lincoln Cathedral, plenty of bass notes played very loud. Dexter performed a duet with jazz pianist Sean Miller for Hull Music Recital Club in Cottingham and Lou released ‘Lemon Bells’ – Train Track #2 which included church bells recorded in Copenhagen by Asa when Asa and Annie were married. Agent Starling published the video for La Sansonette, the opening track from their fourth release ‘Clandestine’.
In May, Agent Starling’s Clandestine was awarded ‘Best World Music Album’ in the 10th Annual One World Music Awards and Loudhailer Electric Company were back at O’Rileys with friends, the Last Bastions of Bohemia. We travelled back to Leeds and Mill Hill Chapel for the Solem Quartet’s rendition of Steve Reich’s Different Trains, plus Johnny Greenwood’s Suite from There will be Blood and 20th-century Dutch composer Henriëtte Bosman’s String Quartet.
June and O’Rileys in Hull was the stage for the launch of the 40th Anniversary of Red Guitars’ Good Technology. The band issued a special red vinyl extended remix limited edition 12” single to celebrate the anniversary and a brand new video interspersing the original Channel 4 Tube film from 1984 with new footage from filmmaker Simon Baxter of Factor Fifty Films along with poignant and disturbing intro and outro mixed by John Rowley. A sold-out gig on the hottest day of the year, Red Guitars were brilliantly supported by Terra Fin – with Jonas travelling from Lithuania, especially for the show.
July. A welcome festival return for Celtarabia at Out to Play at Lime Tree Farm near Ripon. A fabulous setting complete with stone circle and Iron-age roundhouse. Dexter was due to guest on a couple of tracks, but unfortunately Mandi couldn’t make it at the last minute so Dexter stepped up to the plate and played for the full set, loads of great vibes and all night wild dancing. Dexter was back in bluegrass mode at Hessle Feast with his Work in Progress buddies, Cowboy and Kelvin and played two gigs as part of the Anneka Shelley band first at Northern Guitars, Leeds and then as a trio at the Lending Room, Hyde Park.
A great start to August with Celtarabia back to full strength at the Inspired Gathering under lengthening shadows of Sentry stone circle with stunning views from the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors over the vale with the sun setting behind the Yorkshire Dales in the distance. Then to Huddersfield’s Northern Quarter to watch the fabulous Robert Sharp with Dexter on violin and Corey on bass. What we didn’t expect was an introduction to the songwriting talent of Leo Brazil, and from America a brilliant mix of L.A. punk bluegrass from Water Tower: banjo, mandolin, bass, guitar and violin all around one microphone, and everyone invited on stage for the encore. What a night.
At the end of August Loudhailer Electric Company played O’Riley’s with Jackson D and Lou made an unexpected collaboration with Nashville based, country hip-hop pioneer (and drummer Matt’s nephew) Jake Angel with a new Red Guitars x Jake Angel Good Technology Cowboy Remix released on 1st September ahead of the UK tour, to critical acclaim and BBC radio airplay.
The month finished with Folk Night Live at the Ship, Low Newton-by-the-Sea with a great sing around and lovely folk/jazz from Corey and Dext, me and Lou performed American Dust and the evening was finished off with an impromptu a cappella cameo sung by Alexander Armstrong.
September. Here at last and four weeks off to drive the van with Lou on the Red Guitars 2023 UK tour. It is an incredible experience, days dissolve and morph into journeys and cities. The tour, and every gig, is well documented on www.red-guitars.com – so this is not about the gigs.
We started at Manchester’s Night and Day Café, central Manchester is a fast and heady mix of posh shopping and everyone rushing around with purpose but in a festival, circus type vibe and with a heavy scent in the air. A great gig and grerat to meet Charlie from Cape Town, but also great that Newcastle Cluny was next in a more familiar and homely east coast sort of setting – rivers, bridges, estuary. The Newcastle gig involved driving the minibus from Hull for logistical reasons, JR and Matt drove the van up the coast from Brid with Jerry. So me and Lou were accompanied by the constant stories, joking, and laughing of Jos, Hal and Doug including Doug finding an app on his phone which enabled Pavarotti to sing Good Technology, before a much needed pit-stop at Thirsk on the A19 for coffee and snacks. After the Cluny we’re back in the van and a wondrous drive up the centre of the country to Glasgow Attic followed, with a ‘Welcome to Scotland’ and great view into Alba from a lay-by on the A68. We met Andrew and Peter Holmes of Selkirk Glass on the way up and had a delicious next day breakfast at the Single-End, if you’re ever in Glasgow…
The way back down took us through Dumfries and Galloway on the M74 in Scotland that becomes the M6 (no ‘Welcome to England’ sign) before turning left and into the Dales, with coffee and scones on Church Street in Ilkley, negotiating a single track road in a long wheel base over the moors at rush hour and then down to the Old Woollen in Farsley, with old chum Choque at the helm. The next was a day off at home, spent downloading, processing and uploading and posting the photos of the gigs so far to keep a rolling record of the tour, and to promote the next part, by showing what a great time we were all having. Then on to the unique Dorothy Pax in Sheffield’s Victoria Quays and being introduced to a 2.5% Grapefruit Radler in unfathomably tall glasses with half a grapefruit in each (thanks to Richard), before a quick breather and then the long journey south, over the bridge and back on the road to Bristol.
Bristol Exchange kicked off the southern leg and it was great to catch up with our friend Nick Harper who came over for the show. We stayed in a converted coal shed in Bedlington, and spent the morning, exploring East Street, and discovering the Art Collective and Emporium on the corner of Church Road. Back in the van with Lou and the Southampton Joiners followed, steeped in musical history and one of the oldest and best grass roots venues on the circuit. The merch stand and gallery were generating lots of discussion, meeting people and sharing stories and good times, old and new.
Next up Brum and the Birmingham O2 via a compulsory stop at West Kennett long barrow for an informative and enlightening missive from JR and to soak up lots of whatever it is as we drove on through the beautiful megalithic landscape surrounding Avebury with the Ridgeway to the right, heading north towards the anthropocenic Bull Ring. Birmingham was great, getting the van from a side street in the small hours and a loud and close voice – “hey man, who are you, what are you doing, where are you from? …What you say? …Hull? …Hull? …Aah, (with a broad smile) welcome to Birmingham man, Birmingham’s beautiful!”
We woke early to head east, Norwich bound and looking forward to a day off and an all-in Air BnB. Strolling through Norwich, the Lanes and Market by day and in the evening Hal made an amazing smoked salmon cream cheese pasta for everyone. After the gig we breakfasted in the Lanes and I came away from Norwich with a neat haircut and me and Lou made off with a tub of complementary sweets (called Dexter’s) from the BnB, motoring south-west to Oxford Street’s famous 100 Club. The 100 Club was packed and it was great to meet up again with Michel Faber and my old mate Chris from the shop. We left Oxford Street late and headed to the next Travelodge along the Westway in the midst of an incessant lightning storm.
The next morning was a relatively short trip to Oxford along the A40, Western Avenue passing the famous Hoover Building before dropping down into the Colne Valley with skies full of red kites above. The Bullingdon, not the infamous Club, but an equally well known venue for another reason on the Cowley Road was the penultimate gig of the tour. The BnB turned out to be the most famous on tour, Christchurch College, with breakfast served in the Great Hall, home to Hogwarts and Harry Potter.
Finally, the last gig approached and we chose the scenic drive south and through the South Downs and on to Hove and Brighton Chalk. We had a day off to explore Brighton’s Lanes and in the evening Jerry and Jacqui took us on a night-time sea-front walk along Kemptown and Marine Parade to Brighton Marina and a regular haunt and delicious meal with a high tide and huge waves from the remnants of Storm Ciarán crashing on its West Arm. Every gig was a celebration, meeting so many people and filled with so much joy and friendship, starting 2023 live at O’Riley’s in Hull and with Brighton being the last and Jerry’s home town seemed a fitting end to the tour. A privilege to be a part of. Thanks guys. Here’s to more to come.
October followed that. Whilst Red Guitars were filming for the Good Technology video, I was able to photograph the alien landscapes of scrap metal waste and recycling. Some of the images led to a small exhibition at the anniversary show, two for the cover of the 12” (and t-shirt) and others made the individual gig posters for the tour. These were put together to form an exhibition at the St Johns Hotel in Hull – as part of Humber Eco Fest – which has been running since October 11th. We worked with Docks Beers in Grimsby to produce a vegan bitter called ‘Good Technology’ especially for the exhibition. The musical element of the exhibition was a QR code that led directly to the new video so you could watch the film at the exhibition whilst enjoying a pint of Good Technology. Hic.
October opened with the ever amazing Nick Harper at the Ropery Hall, Barton-on-Humber, performing songs from his new album ‘Tempus Fugitive’ and continued back on now familiar ground at Huddersfield’s Northern Quarter for Robert Sharp and the Anneka Shelley Band. Anneka and Rob were supporting Benny Jones and Daisy Dorothy opened the show. Our last gig of the month was our second visit to the renowned Blues Café Bar in Harrogate with the house band following fantastic pizza and beer at Major Tom’s Social.
November’s up next and three brilliant gigs and two in two days. A first for Celtarabia at the Old Parcels Office in Scarborough – a fabulous community and volunteer led arts space and gallery right next to the railway station. A full house and a seated room couldn’t stop the dancing and it’s always great to meet old friends and make new ones. Unfortunately Dexter couldn’t make it but on the plus side he was travelling with Corey to Lithuania to meet Jonas for a Terra Fin gig in Vilnius. The next night and Wreckless Eric played at Wrecking Ball Arts Centre in Hull. Eric played to a packed crowd with a set full of great new tracks, old favourites, exploratory improv and constant irreverent humour, a favourite being “what’s the point of the Humber Bridge? It goes from nowhere in particular to a place where no-one wants to go”. Brilliant. To complete the trio Work in Progress performed an absolutely fantastic feel good sing-along and dance-along country bluegrass set at the Green Bricks (Humber Dock) on Hull’s Marina as part of Trinity Festival, they just get better and it’s what live music’s all about.
December always finishes the year off nicely, this time starting with an amazing and powerful performance from the Anneka Shelley Band to a packed Hyde Park Book Club. The last gig of the year for us Hull Jazz Christmas Special at the William Gemmell Club. All the boys were back home for Christmas, and formed an impromptu Howard brothers trio and played the Ukrainian/Russian folk tune Dark Eyes. Dexter played All of Me and Just Friends with the house band, and Dexter and Corey were joined by Adam Scott on drums for Django’s Noto Swing. The evening finished off with all up on stage for a Blues Jam in F and Corey broke his duck on the raffle, a great way to end 2023.
Coming up in 2024
So far looking forward to the first Loudhailer Electric Company gig of the year at the Adelphi in January, an exhibition from February, details of both coming soon… the Royal Philharmonic also in February at the City Hall Hull in a programme that includes Dvořák’s ‘New World’ Symphony… Lou’s two Train Tracks videos released in 2023 are part of a series of 10, so more of those to come in ‘24, including two as part of a second exhibition currently being planned… the few new Red Guitars tracks I’ve heard are sounding amazing in their various stages, and they’ve at least an album’s worth, so fingers crossed… SNUBA are set to release their debut EP, Have My Head, on DHM Records on 26th January. SNUBA is a British indie pop duo based in Hamburg. The EP contains “all the big feelings of moving countries, missing friends, and trying to figure out your brain. Be a cool girl and listen to it”. Eurovision Song Contest Winners 2025, you heard it here first…
Here’s to 2024, Rich & Lou
All photographs by Richard Duffy-Howard except Loudhailer Electric Company and Terra Fin by Mike Hood, Wasted Youth by Syd Young, Lemon Bells by Lou and SNUBA by SNUBA.