SpideWriter

BRIGHTEN THE CORNERS – IPSWICH 9TH & 10TH JUNE 2023 Words and Pictures by Chris Perry 14 June 2023 This article was first published on Grapevone LIve! June 2023 Waking to find a heavy sun beating down on the ancient city, warmth in the air at last, I hauled my old limbs into the shower, steeling myself for a long day. I was to be travelling south to trudge around the old port of Ipswich trying to make sense of Brighten the Corners. This multi-venue festival, has a name that misleads aurally, (Brighten, or Brighton?). It has artists listed appearing at six venues, plus talks at a seventh. It attracts musicians from as far distant as Los Angeles, CA. The whole event brings together the resources of the local university, the post- 16 college, BBC Su ff olk and venues, of vastly di ff erent styles and a range of capacities. My initial impression was that this is an ambitious event, o ff ering stages for over forty bands and acts, several of them possibly only known to each other. But f...

Single Review Two Face by Gabby Rivers Release Date: 17th August 2023 It’s here at last!  Gabby Rivers latest single is out on all streaming services. Gabby Rivers: Opening the doors on shop talk. Pic: @ellenbphotography This song has been acclaimed at recent gigs, including a Latitudes appearance and Brighten the Corners.  Two Face is a cathartic number written in response to the tedium of working in retail and how shop-talk can turn toxic when shop-talk turns to cheap gossip, where a professional smile is part of the job description. Like shop work, the song has sharp changes of pace, before it’s end-of-day,  I must absolutely get out of this place , screaming escape.  It is a dramatically structured piece of pop-rock.  Rivers and her band stroll in the front door of this number and crash out the staff exit having covered a chaotic working day in a three-minute smash and grab. The richness of the Rivers’ voice and the energy of the band, wh...