Preview: Norwich full gig guide April 19-25

FOSSIL COLLECTIVE

Norwich Arts Centre, April 24

Leeds duo Fossil Collective, whose music is an intoxicating blend of exquisitely structured songs and glorious, rich and lilting harmonies, return to Norwich.

Jonny Hooker and David Fendick met on the Leeds music scene, playing in different bands but both feeling restricted they decided to make music together.

'What separated Jonny from the other people I'd met was his total commitment to music,' said Dave. 'Whereas other people we were around were in bands for somewhat clichéd reasons, our focus was the music and the songs and for that reason we gravitated towards each other.'

The pair are multi-instrumentalists, swelling to a five-piece for live performances. This is a collective by name and nature: 'we are always looking for people to come on board,' say the duo.

Their two 2012 EPs Let It Go and On and On set out their stall with beautiful melodic music, with rich glorious harmonies and meticulous attention to detail. Layer upon layer of harmony mixed with delicate uplifting sounds recalls Neil Young, Simon & Garfunkel or Midlake but this music is no mere imitation.

Having toured with US grammy award winning duo The Civil Wars, soul singer Ren Harvieu and Benjamin Francis Leftwich, they arrive in Norwich as part of a UK tour to celebrate the release of their debut album.

Support comes from Joe Banfi and Thomas J Speight.

t Further listening: www.fossilcollective.com

LAISH

Bicycle Shop, April 23

Touring to support the release of their latest album, Obituaries, indie folk heroes Laish feature the finest that the Willkommen Collective of Brighton has to offer.

They have Danny Green writing and singing songs with a delicate grit. His voice is like no other, from a deep and warm brogue to a soaring falsetto. The band also features Emma Gatrill and Martha Rose who provide the angelic voices and organic instrumentation of violin, clarinet and accordion; and Patrick Lawrence and Dan Harding lay down a solid rhythm foundation of bass and drums.

Lyrically the songs are honest – brutal even, and yet full of humour, distilling all from the joyful pleasures of life through to the slow demise of relationships and indeed humanity.

The band has toured relentlessly throughout the UK and Europe over the last three years, cementing their reputation as a tight, professional unit but with a touch of the unexpected.

They are now comfortably headlining larger shows and have supported the likes of Sons of Noel & Adrian, Peggy Sue, David Thomas Broughton and even one night with Grizzly Bear and Beach House at The Roundhouse.

This then is a fantastic opportunity to see them in the intimate surroundings of the Bicycle Shop, the acoustic venue on St Benedict's.

t Further listening: www.laishmusic.com

PUBLIC ENEMY

UEA, April 24

Last year, Public Enemy kicked off their 25th anniversary by staging a free concert in downtown Los Angeles' notorious Skid Row. It was just a few blocks away from the Grammy Museum, where a special exhibit was being installed in their honour. But even basking in the glow of industry priase, they couldn't resist making a political statement. No other group could possibly mark a career milestone quite like this.

Right from their startling first single, Public Enemy #1, released in 1987, Public Enemy have never been afraid to mix politics and music or break the boundaries of hip hop.

Their debut album Yo! Bum Rush The Show broke the rap mould in crossing over to rock audiences, being named album of the year in the NME's critic's poll.

It's follow-up It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back remains one of the most important records ever made — and still sounds sonically like nothing else.

They also turned the then concert unfriendly hip hop format on its head becoming a proper touring band. Public Enemy concerts are electrifying, with Chuck and Flav and DJ Lord underpinned by a band that makes you forget that hip hop started with only two turntables and a microphone. They so far played to crowds in over 83 countries, during almost 2,500 concerts. They arrive back in Norwich on their latest tour as vibrant as ever. Muiscally they're back in a good place too having enjoyed a UK Top 5 single last year with Harder Than You Think.

t Further listening: www.publicenemy.com

SAM CARTER

Norwich Arts Centre, April 25

Since Sam Carter released his debut album, Keepsakes, in 2009, there has been a mounting excitement about this songwriter, guitarist and singer.

At the time he was an Emerging Artist In Residence at London's Southbank Centre but has since supported Bellowhead, performed in the Middle East and UK with the British Council's Shifting Sands project, played to thousands as part of the all-star line-up for the tour The Lady: A Homage To Sandy Denny. He has also performed on major venue and festival stages and walked away with Horizon Award for best newcomer at the 2010 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

And his arrival hasn't gone unnoticed by some of folk's finest either. He has performed alongside the likes of Nic Jones, Martin Carthy, Chris Wood and Martin Simpson. He also enjoys a mentor in finger-picker supremo Richard Thompson. After three years of waiting, there was great anticipation about what he will deliver next. The result was last year's follow-up album, The No Testament, which took his fluid, finger-picking folk and gave it a raw and gutsy sounding edge, complete with apocalyptical lyrics.

'After the release of Keepsakes I found myself becoming more and more interested in American spirituals, gospel, and in particular the shapenote hymn singing tradition,' he says. 'The resulting songs tackle themes like the recession, work and money, marriage and divorce, a collection of songs expressing belief from a humanitarian rather than religious perspective.'

t Further listening: www.samcartermusic.co.uk

SOUNDS IN THE CITY

APRIL 19

Jaguar Skills + Decibel + Matrix + Futurebound (hip hop/dance) — Waterfront

Army Of Freshmen + Call It Reckless + Lights Over London (rock) — Waterfront Studio

Fearless Vampire Killers + Fort Hope + Depth (rock) — Arts Centre

The Vagaband + Feral Mouth + Das Fenster & The Alibis (Americana) — Epic

The Drop + Killamonjambo + Solko (reggae/ska/hip hop) — Open

Southport + Future Of Music + Broken Window Effect (punk/hradcore) — Marquee

The Collective (pop/soul/funk) — Brickmakers

Truescape (rock) — King Edward VII

National Image (rock/indie) — Hog In Armour

Norwich Folk Club: feat. June Thaine (folk/love songs) — Christ Church Centre

Hot Smoke & Danger (blues/rock) — Walnut Tree Shades

Dan Walsh (banjo) — Brewery Tap

Hard Rain (rock) — Silver Road Cottage

Music House: feat. Fire Stations + Woodland Creatures + Duncan Brown + Zoe Thiessen (acoustic) — Wensum Lodge

Wooden Arms (classical/indie/folk) — The Birdcage

Super Action Heroes (rock) — Blueberry

Norwich Guitar Academy Showcase — B2

Parkhouse — The Otter

APRIL 20

Fun + Miniture Tigers (pop) — UEA

The Staves (folk/rock) — Arts Centre

I Am Kloot + Ralfe Band (indie/rock) — Waterfront

Mexico + Sancho Blanco + The Crates + The Mondegreens (indie) — Waterfront Studio

Pure Floyd (rock/tribute) — Brickmakers

Thrasher Sounds: feat. Kemikil + Terebos + Sanity Burns + Killer Hurts + Shrapnel + more (metal all-dayer) — King Edward VII

Cream Horns (blues/funk) — Blueberry

A13 Allstars (blues/Americana) — Micawbers Tavern

Kenny & The Motives (60s) — Arkwrights

Emma Hall Band (soul) — Trowel & Hammer

Nighttrain (funk/soul) — Woolpack Inn

DJ Goldsmith + bands (punk) — The Stanley

The Jacks — Old Catton Maids Head

Doozoot — Angel Gardens

Dav — The Champion

G — The Farmhouse

Shannan — Quebec Tavern

Graham Johns — Keir Hardie Hall

Janey K — Robin Hood

Rockin TJ — Boundary

Rob Charles — Heath House

Alan Ley — Bread & Cheese

Daaron — Union St Coach & Horses

Tony Cann — The Windmill

APRIL 21

Michael Schenker + Karelia (rock) — Waterfront

Them Beatles (tribute) — Waterfront Studio

Gravy Presents: feat. The Physics House Band + Olympians (indie) — Hog In Armour

The Vagaband (Americana/5pm) — Silver Road Cottage

Dove & Boweevil (soul/blues/3pm) — Brewery Tap

Hannah (4pm) — Old Catton Maids Head

Lee Vasey Big Band (12pm) — Brickmakers

APRIL 22

Ryan Keen + Sam Bradley + Joel Baker (singer-songwriter) — Waterfront Studio

Die You Know + The Atoms + D.R.A.G. + The Scutches (post-punk) — Blueberry

Brickie Session (open mic) — Brickmakers

Jazz Jam: feat. Rich Buddie — Walnut Tree Shades

Jazz Jam: feat. Brendan Young + Lee Vasey + Ian Hireson + Mark Jolley + Matt Furness (jazz) — Silver Road Cottage

APRIL 23

Lower Than Atlantis + The Xerts + Blitz Kids (rock) — Waterfront

Laish + Emma Gatrill & Martha Rose (folk/rock) — Bicycle Shop

Breaking Belief (indie/rock) — Brickmakers

Norwich Jazz Club: feat. Joanna Eden + Simon Brown Trio (jazz) — Thunder Lane Cottage

Phab Club: feat. Roger Dowe (pop) — Vauxhall Centre

Traditional Folk Night — Beehive

Jam Night — Rumsey Wells

APRIL 24

Public Enemy (hip hop) — UEA

Fossil Collective (indie) — Arts Centre

We Are The In Crowd + Never Shout Never (pop-punk) — Waterfront

Gagadilo + Dumbfoundus + Labasheeda + Someday Soon (reggae/ska/jazz) — Open

Science & Magic + Differential + Jessica Bartlett + The Final Chorus (indie/alternative) — The Birdcage

Norfolk Blues Society (jam) — Walnut Tree Shades

Pure Acoustic (open mic) — Brickmakers

Traditional Irish — Gatehouse

Open Mic — Garden House

APRIL 25

Sam Carter (indie) — Arts Centre

Big Country + Simon Townsend (rock) — Waterfront

Assess To Music (local showcase) — Brickmakers

Honeydripper (blues) — Walnut Tree Shades

The Murderburgers + The Doughy Geecans + Old Vs New (punk-pop) — B2

Jet 8 + The Junk (pop/funk) — Blueberry

Some Day Soon (indie/acoustic) — Ten Bells

Ghostriders Western Club: feat.Spur (country) — TA Centre

Albert Cooper's Jazz Life — Rumsey Wells

Johnny Jump Band (country/blues) — Micawbers Tavern

Phil Roe — Rose Tavern

Open Jam — King Edward VII

Open Mic — Lounge

Open Mic — Union Street Coach & Horses