Moscow Drug Club - Gig at the Corsham Pound

We are very lucky to have the Corsham Pound Arts Centre right on Audiotown's doorstep, which is a vibrant music venue and community arts space. It regularly hosts concerts by a wide range of interesting bands, artists and performers, showcasing the thriving music scene in the South West and beyond.

We recently managed to catch a show by one such talented group, Bristol's own Moscow Drug Club. Their style is a heady mix of New Orleans swing, French musette, folk and musical theatre. The influence of Tom Waits' storytelling ouvre and Louis Armstrong's melodic sensibility was never far below the surface, although they have inflected it with their own unique style. More a journey than a gig, there was a sense that we had just stumbled into a basement speakeasy full of gin soaked bohemians, where tall tales were being narrated by charismatic Canadian / British songstress Katya Gorrie.

The musicianship was top flight, and each player was given plenty of space to build captivating instrumentals. Trumpeter Jonny Bruce showcased his fiery style and treated the audience to his impressive post-bop jazz vocabulary. Daryl Kellie handled the guitar duties admirably, supporting the band rhythmically and delivering plenty of tasty jazz guitar lines. Perhaps the highlight was Mirek Salmon on accordian, who brought an elegant European flavour, and whose twisty, dissonant chord voicings added a delightfully astringent dimension to the sound.

The set was comprised mostly of the band's take on works from the Great American Songbook and lesser known hidden gems from the last century. We were particularly fond of their version of Softly, as In a Morning Sunrise, as we had enjoyed learning the solo on that tune by jazz guitar great Emily Remler some years ago. The set closed with a climactic take on Big Spender from the musical Sweet Charity, which had a very unusual and creative rhythmic approach.

The music scene in Corsham and Neston is really exciting! Hopefully these shows will inspire others to want to pick up a instrument and build their own musical skills.

If you are interested in learning the guitar or taking the next step in your musicianship, consider taking guitar lessons in Corsham, Neston or Bradford on Avon with Audiotown Music Academy.