Katey Brooks

The Polish Club in Clifton is an unpretentious venue that relies on an honesty of sentiment to create the ambience, providing a sympathetic backdrop to Katey Brook’s sell-out ‘True Speaker’ EP Launch.

Hosted by the eminently likeable Gary Smith and Richard Pitt, (Bristol Introducing, BBC Radio Bristol), the night unfurled effortlessly in a relaxed and seamless manner.

Early birds were treated to an engaging performance from Bella Gibbons, who is similar in many respects to Tori Amos, but differentiates herself with her sardonic lyrical wit. Furlined also put in a guest appearance, but apart from some excellent and unusual percussive flurries, which promised fleetingly to take us to new and exotic realms, the spell was soon broken, returning us back to a more parochial reality that was pleasant enough, but felt pedestrian by comparison.

When Katey took to the stage a distinct air of composed anticipation and deference palpably shrouded the room. The entire audience was seated and silent, gently gazing in her direction. Katey Brooks deserves this kind of respect.Opening her set, as she does her EP, with the profoundly soulful a capella ‘Hear Me Now’, it’s clear that her courage is as copious as her talent. Derived from the French words coeur and rage, meaning rage of the heart, the word courage is an entirely appropriate adjective for this 21 year old, who fearlessly tackles epic and weighty themes within her songs. ‘Hear Me Now’ is a beseeching cry to the Lord to ease her burdens, as she navigates her way toward personal fulfilment via shattered dreams, self recriminations and broken relationship. As mournful as a slaving song, it’s as haunting as it is beautiful. Drawing from the purest of gospel tradition, her delivery is pitch perfect and as emotively stirring as any negro spiritual chant that ever emanated from the cotton fields of the American deep south.

There’s an intensely intimate autobiographical vein to all of Katey Brook’s songs that reveals an essential yearning. True Speaker, the title track of the EP, accompanied by springy African-style guitar, has Katey praying again, this time to assist her to express the love that she feels. There’s more resolve to her petition than in ‘Hear Me Now’, as her prayers inspire the revelation that love is spoken from the heart and not the mind. Emboldened by this knowledge she dismisses those that have attempted to inhibit her feelings with caution and censure, declaring that they lack freedom and soul.

The similarities between Katey Brooks and Tracey Chapman are evident and well documented. But Katey possesses a diversity of range, and draws inspiration from such a vast wealth of musical genres, that it is equally appropriate to liken her to Joni Mitchell, June Tabor, Joan Armatrading and Kris Delmhorst. Thematically there are many similarities too. Personal revelation, emotional rollercoaster rides, heartbreak, the discovery of inner strength, the expression of forthright opinion and a strong storey telling tradition are all elements present in her songs.“Love is what inspires me the most” she explained, prior to going on stage. And with songs like ‘I Don’t Want No Other’ and ‘Grateful Rain’ on her new EP, it seems that her present focus for this is the exploration of love via relationship. But with all of her experiences informing her spiritual evolution, there seems to be a deeper drive to discover a love that cannot be personified and knows no fear.Spiritually she is not following a prescriptive path; “I’m not singing about God in a religious context, I’m singing about God from a Universal perspective”. For Katey, God is the creative force behind all things, and like many truly estimable artists, she acknowledges that this is the source of her own personal creativity. “My music is organic; I do what feels right… something takes over that is more powerful than me, and I try and move out of the way and let it happen… I’m a channel for the Universe”.

Guided by such profound inspiration she is clearly on a path that will lead her to the understanding that Love, Truth, and God all meet as one in the mind. And with this kind of impetus informing her work, Katey Brooks will inevitably continue to produce entirely remarkable work.

Katey Brooks is a guest artist with the new label Jelli Records, that was recently formed by Steve Parkhouse and the singer songwriter Jhassi Elliot. A low key launch in October 2006, featuring Roger Tarry, Rosie Garrard, Benita Johnson and Jhassi Elliot herself, and again hosted by the seemingly ubiquitous Gary Smith and Richard Pitt, placed Jelli Records on the map and gave some suggestion of its ultimate intent… which is clearly the production and promotion of exceptionally good music.

Jelli has already picked up quite a momentum. Promotional nights organised by the label are increasing brand awareness, and also providing a useful source of income. “Once the name is established, and there’s money in the bank, we will be in a position to sign up new acts” explained Steve. “The promotional nights definitely serve this purpose, but they’re also bloody good fun” added Jhassi. “We want people to associate Jelli Records with a good night out. And we are really going to be mixing it up with different kinds of music on offer, like Hip Hop and Dance… and there’ll be a Rock night before too long. We are even planning to do a really big night with a lot of stuff going on… lots of bands, VJ’s… it’ll have a real festival feel. We are out scouting new bands every week, and we are working with promoters from other cities, like London and Manchester, and arranging ‘exchange’ events as well. We have already put on nights at the Bedford in Balham. It’s a great way of getting Bristol artists out there, and also provides a means of bringing other artists in from out of town”.

Jelli Records are also co-promoting the ‘Cascade Steps’ stage at the Bristol Harbour Festival with Tony Hutton’s Tin Hut Promotions, as well as working together at the Keynsham Music Festival. They are also helping out with the Acoustic Tent at Ashton Court Festival. It’s clearly going to be a busy year for all concerned.

The essential impetus of Jimmy Galvin and System Vertigo

System Vertigo is an apposite title for this particular ensemble of musical talent, all of whom have surveyed the world from the heady heights of soaring critical acclaim. Comprised of three members of Portishead, the rhythm section of Reprazent, and fronted by the prolific, diversely talented, Jimmy Galvin; contemplating their collective creative output is likely to promote a somewhat vertiginous response in even the most grounded amongst us.

I first saw Jimmy Galvin and System Vertigo perform live at the cavernous Bocobar at Paintworks in April. It was a compelling performance: Jimmy Galvin is nothing if not intense. His demeanour is edgy, but not necessarily anxious. Like so many gifted people who possess a strong sense of creative integrity, his appearance is that of someone who is still trying to figure out how to contain so much ability, and desire to create, within just one man.Meeting new people must present a challenge to someone of Galvin’s personality type.

You get the impression that he possesses a profound take on existence, and is probably often misunderstood. Eyeing me quizzically, it seemed as though he was trying to evaluate whether I would get where he was coming from or not. “Some say you are the natural born heirs of the Bristol music scene” I postulated, trying to make in-roads to his apparently labyrinthine world. “No”, he replied with a sense of urgency, intensifying the enquiring look in his eyes. “It’s about doing my own thing” he confirmed; “I love the Bristol thing. Don’t get me wrong. But I need to make my own mark, and do something different.” A smile had emerged on my face as I listened, nodding, allowing the tension to release from my shoulders as I moved in closer. I liked this man. I appreciated what he was saying. His conviction reached into me, and was met with approbation. In my experience it is rare to meet someone with such sincerity and courage, and I felt enthused by the fundamental drive that informs his work.In some ways it felt irrelevant to pose more questions and elicit more answers. What seemed important, was to allow the music, and the delivery of it, to speak for itself.

Nevertheless, the question of who inspires him was too irresistible. “John Adams”, was his immediate response. But ” America’s most esteemed composer” was not the answer I was expecting, even though it’s not so difficult to see why Galvin would cite this man as being influential. Adam’s music is written mainly for piano and strings, and is often dramatically emotive, oscillating between the evocation of baleful urgency and alarm, to bathos and melancholy, suffused with a sense of hope. All these things are to be found in Galvin’s music as well, but are presented to us in a contemporary, rather than a classical or an abstracted experimental style. The use of vocals and lyric add another dimension, personalising this spectrum of emotion, making it auto biographical and ultimately more relevant. In Galvin’s work there’s a context. He is willing to bare his soul so that we can witness the origin of the torments that he has faced, the revelations he’s experienced, and the redemption that he knows exists, but hasn’t quite experienced in it’s entirety.

Some of Galvin’s compositions are nothing short of dedications to a tortured soul, but his more recent output is permeated with hope, gratitude and acceptance, even though there is still a sense of exigency present in much of what he writes. Instrumentally, intro’s often sound like someone urgently raising the alarm, demanding that we pay heed to the words, which convey a timeless and essential theme. There is an underlying spiritual craving in much of what he writes; “Is it asking too much, for something to save us?”, is the question repeated throughout one of his earlier, more haunting pieces, infused by the backing vocals of “Lord have mercy; Lord have mercy”. Lyrics written more recently show an evolution in thinking and understanding… “You are the one who saved me from being blind. You know it’s time to move into the light”.There’s a ‘coming home’ feel to much of Jimmy’s words, and the music corresponds. Ethereal arrangements and uplifting phrases sweep like waves of absolution throughout his more recent work. The use of strings, deeply resonant, sympathetically earth these delicate flutterings, gently emphasised by the deft percussive infusions. This music is commanding, and demands the attention of your mind, your heart and your soul.For me the sound and accent of System Vertigo is some kind of distillation of Philip Glass, Tori Amos, Goldie (Saturn Returnz), Joni Mitchell, Mike Scott (Waterboys), JK and Keith Jarrett. But it is just as likely that you would have an entirely different take on this enigmatic sound. Notwithstanding, there is one thing that I’m sure that we could all agree on. Jimmy Galvin and System Vertigo are eminently worth listing to, but are not for the faint-hearted.