Tom Rose & The Heathen Orchestra

Self-proclaimed as forming out of playing in other bands badly, the macabre charm of Tom Rose & The Heathen Orchestra first caught my eye when performing at Woodfest last year. I have since had the pleasure of seeing them perform at Twinfest and I highly recommend that you do too. With their unique instruments and irregular tunings they are a musical treat to chase the demons from your life in short rhythmic bursts. If you like Nick Cave and Tom Waits, you’ll love these. Watch out for Trouble’s What You Get. Listen to the interview and a live acoustic performance at mixcloud.com/shoetownsounds

 

 

Kenneth J Nash

Kenneth J Nash is a well known face on the Northampton music circuit, often appearing at most local music festivals, as well as curating his own, Woodfest, held at Irchester Country Park, every August. Kenneth also has his own recording label, Old Town Records, affiliated with lots of familair local artists such as Humblebee, Andy Hawkins, Stevie Jones & The Wildfires, HazeyJane, Oddity Island and many more. Kenneth writes and produces his own music and has just released an EP , titled The Explorer. The title track explores themes of depression and addiction and other issues experienced by people affected by homelessness. The video, featuring the faces of local people, was shot by the guys down at Audiostage and is a touching tribute to the track. You can find that on most of Ken’s social media platforms. With Ken’s music receiving a lot of attention from the BBC, it is nice to see folk music being appreciated on the mainstream channels. Listen to an interview and live acoustic performance from Kenneth at mixcloud.com/shoetownsounds

 

 

L30 Robinson

L30 Robinson has been making waves locally recently. L30 can often be seeing performing as part of creative collective Lay it Down, who get together to perform and collaborate once a month at The Lab. I saw L30 doing a solo performance at Twinfest, in the barn of The Pomfret last month. L30’s music is a quick, off the cuff response to his daily experiences and the local goings on of the town, epitomised in the lyrics of latest track Ichus. Grime and its overlaps with spoken word is fast becoming a raw avenue in which to express yourself, not regulated by the capitalist paymasters and censored by mainstream media policing talent.