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Ross Stewart releases his debut single Land’s End Available online from 4th August, 2023  Ross Stewart has made quite a name for himself around East Anglia over the past couple of years.  He has cut his teeth as a guitarist playing blues, rock and soul, but everyone who has seen him perform on stage will have been knocked out by his singing too. The man can put on quite a show, whether solo or with his band, RSG . Land’s End is his debut, self-written single. It is being digitally released on Friday 4th August, 2023  with an accompanying video. The song is something fresh, lively and hopeful. Those who heard about this forthcoming release during his stunning set at Dereham Blues Festival 2023 , will be delighted by its uplifting and melodic feel. This song is a bright response to obstacles that life tends to throw at us. It will be enjoyed by anyone who has any spark of feel-good pop music in their soul. The track starts with a bright splash of jangling guitar and ...

The Annual Robin Evans Interview – July 2023 It’s another warm July Saturday and Robin Evans is up and out in the city, double-checking his preparations for the Lord Mayor’s Show, with annotated script to hand.  The event requires a light touch on the microphone and the city elders have turned again to Evans to navigate the crowds through this ever-popular event. Already with years of experience hosting and organising musical events and entertaining in his own right, Evans is aware that this is quite a responsibility for a man in his mid-twenties. “It’s looks like I have the role of Norwich City Council compere.” Evans confessed.  “I really enjoyed hosting the Christmas lights switch-on last winter and then I was asked back to do The Lord Mayor's Show for a second time, which is a great honour.”   What the city got when Evans was given the job of being public address voice to the people was someone with an eye for detail, an understanding of live performance and...

  Entrevista Diego Leon, músico y fundador del Colectivo de Artistas Perspectiva. The original article in English is available here. Norwich tiene una larga y orgullosa historia de dar la bienvenida a personas de lejanas tierras. El Strangers Hall, que fue el hogar de Thomas Southerton en el siglo XVI, recibió su apodo porque él atrajo y acogió a calvinistas holandeses que huían de perseguidores españoles hacia Inglaterra. Estos tejedores tuvieron una influencia de largo alcance en la ciudad al introducir los canarios (la fuente del apodo del club de fútbol local), nuevos estilos arquitectónicos y fortalecer la economía local mediante la aplicación de sus habilidades. Una mañana, a mediados del verano, tuve el placer de sentarme con Diego León, un músico y emprendedor cultural de múltiples talentos, para escuchar sus experiencias al mudarse a Norwich y sus ambiciones de construir conexiones entre músicos y artistas extranjeros que se encuentran viviendo en Norwich. Q...

  Album Review: I Inside The Old Year Dying by P J Harvey   Partisan Records 2023   Is it really seven years since  The Hope Six Demolition Project?  Did touring that album nearly do for PJ Harvey?  It seems that that the success of that tour turned out to be a double-edged sword. Yet, from within that draining experience, were drilled the seeds of this new album  I Inside The Old Year Dying. As Harvey's musical life began to crumble during this intense period, so closely entwined with the music biz, she had to ask herself “Do I want to carry on for the remainder of my life doing the same thing?” She realised that she had lost her spiritual connection with music and was “heartbroken.”   Heart-break is not a concept I tend to bandy about. Believe me, it is a condition that is not simply remedied and for an artist of such feeling as Harvey, if she says ‘heartbroken’ it is likely to be a pretty dark experience.   The years-long path ba...

Album Review:   Dear Departed by Sam Burton   Partisan Records Release date: 14 th  July, 2023   This is a beautiful sounding album.  The opening track firmly establishes the tenor for the ten-song collection.  The sound is of the deep sky, with the Sun’s summer glow thinning and the Evening Star piercing the heavens.  Are you at peace with your world?  Accepting of fate?  Ready to put your worries to bed? Well, this is an album for you. Sam Burton reflects on being back home in Utah on 'Dear Departed' Imagery of Laurel Canyon is suggested in the publicity for the album.  Listening to this album evokes the cool kiss of Forest bathing and gradual emotional unravelling, an imagery that permeates every track.   The ten songs here are about moments of loss, regret, anxious anticipation of the imminently possible, loneliness, but ending on a hopeful note.   Maria  is the standout song. Is that bec...

Danielle Nicole Band, Ross Stewart & The Shunters, Rockavox Dereham Blues Festival 2023, The Memorial Hall, Dereham   Wednesday, 5 th  July 2023   With an itinerary of Camden Town, Dereham, somewhere in Sweden (via Oslo to a destination that was not clear to the guitarist, Brandon Miller), the intrepid Danielle Nicole Band from Kansas City, have had to face up to some logistical challenges in the past few days.  Happily, such challenges were pushed aside by Nicole and her band and the evening ended with roars of appreciation and a standing ovation from the knowledgeable audience who had been totally engrossed in the show from the opening beats. Danielle Nicole Band, Ross Stewart with Doreen and Stewart Aitken of  The Dereham Blues Festival 2023 (Photo: Caroline Stewart) On the night, there were two other issues to address.  Firstly, where to get a drum kit from in Dereham, less than 24 hours before headlining the gig?  Award winning...