GIG REVIEW: The Living Room
by Sadie Few
Daniel Rachel, from Solihull, is joined by his band Ragged Smile. A classy lady with the red violin and matching boots plays beautifully with occasional experimental violin which melts together with the lyrics and guitar as naturally as cheese on toast. Daniel is a friendly front-man who's songs tell playful tales. Tivoli Flicks a sultry, sleazy song, is about a cinema in his hometown which got converted into a porn cinema, he sings in his husky voice "wasting my days, out of the sunlight, sinking down into my raincoat" with a knowing glint in his eye. Songs like The Bucket and Broom Song has an American blues feel and makes the whole audience tap their foot/hand/other body part in time to the beat, and Hearts and Bones is a slightly demented musical mess-around which is still stuck in my head. Ragged Smile give a compelling performance fuelled by brilliant on-stage chemistry.
The
Living Room was at the basement of CB2 on Thursday 14th September.
