Tensheds - Jul 22 Tufnell Park’s Aces n Eights is one of those unique venues that London does so well. The main bar trades on its decaying rock n roll aesthetic and its reputation for making some of the best pizzas in North London. Downstairs is a small venue which is decked out as a decadent cabaret club with its mirrored walls and red lighting. The stage is tiny with just enough room for a small drum kit and a couple of mike stands. It’s not uncommon for excess band members to perform off the side of the stage. It’s a perfect venue for tonight’s trio of artists.

First up we have former Role Model, Rich Ragany, having a day off from his normal role with the Digressions. If you need a Canadian raconteur with more rock n roll stories than you can shake a hand at, then Rags is your man.

Having been responsible for one of the best albums of 2021 with ‘Beyond Nostalgia and Heartache’ and currently working on both his debut solo album and the next Digressions album, Rags has plenty of material to fall back on.

Starting with one of his Role Models tunes, Rags is soon joined by fellow Digression, Kit Swing to sing on the main portion of the set. Kit’s voice is superb and nicely augments Rags emotionally raw vocals and takes the songs to a new level. Why ‘Heartbreakers Don’t Try’ isn’t playing on national daytime radio, I have no idea. It has more heart than most of the dross that permeates through the airwaves.

Mixing up new and old songs, Rags (and Kit) leave the audience wanting more and looking forward to those new releases.  

Boss Caine is no stranger to Aces n Eights and it good to see him back in London, especially as the venue is about as far as you can get from York Barbican where he played 6 days beforehand supporting George Thorogood and the Destroyers.

You’d think Boss Caine had grown up in the Deep South on a diet of bourbon and tobacco, and not the pleasant tourist friendly streets of York. His rich baritone voice enhances his tales of love and despair (and excess, of course) in his personal take on Americana. Having a big collection of songs, both released and unreleased, means that a Boss Caine set is rarely the same. Personal favourite ‘Ghosts and Drunks’ will never outstay its welcome no matter how many times I hear it played.

It would be good to see Boss Caine performing these songs with a full band one day, but in the meantime, a solo Boss Caine show is still better than most of the better known solo performers currently playing main stages across the festival season.

Like Boss Caine, Matt from Tensheds has one of those husky voices that you just weren’t expecting, in this case one being reminiscent of the lighter side of Tom Waits with echoes of latter period Nick Cave. Tensheds songs are a mixture of torch songs and thumping bar room boogies all sealed by Matt’s accomplished piano playing and of course that voice.

Playing solo without his drummer tonight, Matt controls the hushed room performing songs such as the exceptional ‘Mirrors’ (written during Lockdown as a result of the enforced end to touring and forming part of what would become ‘The Days of My Confinement’ album) and ‘Go Out On The Weekend’. Songs from ‘Deathrow Disco’ up the tempo before we hear the distressing background to ‘The Bridge Song’, one of the most emotional songs in the Tensheds repertoire.

Finishing with the upbeat ‘City of Dreams’ and the boogie of ‘Doghouse, Tensheds had captivated another audience with his musical and vocal prowess.

Three excellent and very varied artists in one night – further demonstrating why we need to fight to save smaller venues like Aces n Eights from the land developers and their ilk.

Rich Ragany - Jul 22 Rich Ragany - Jul 22 Boss Caine - Jul 22 Boss Caine - Jul 22 Tensheds - Jul 22 Tensheds - Jul 22