Mudlow - Mar 23 We’re back at one of my favourite small venues tonight, downstairs at the wonderful Aces n Eight in Tufnell Park. The combination of drapes and mirrored walls together with the mixture of chairs and tables gives the basement venue a decadent vibe that is perfect for tonight’s entertainment.

Promoters Runnin Blue have put together a cracking lineup as their first gig of the year and the room is full despite the national train strike threatening to derail the entire gig. Kudos to the Runnin Blue team for driving Tensheds back to Brighton after the gig in order to keep him on the bill.

Sadly Aces favourite, Boss Caine, was prevented from travelling down from York by various additional travel issues so at very short notice, The PHillbilly One Man Band stepped in to open the night. Boosting a fascinating collection of homemade box guitars and a suitcase foot drum, we were treated to a quality set of trashy hillbilly skiffle blues. Songs such as ‘Black Dog’, ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ and ‘My Drinking Days Are Over’ may have originated in deepest Suffolk but for a moment they transport you to a smoke ridden joint along the Mississippi Delta.

The PHillbilly One Man Band - Mar 23 Next up is a welcome return to Aces n Eights by Tensheds, Brighton’s finest piano playing dandy punk prince. Three years ago, Tensheds was on the verge of a huge tour to promote the brilliant ‘Deathrow Disco’ album when the country went into lockdown. After a short period of introspection, the essential Sunday punk palace sessions started online and with that came new material on an almost weekly basis. By the end of 2020, a new album ‘The Days of My Confinement’ had been released. Whereas ‘Deathrow Disco’ was a stomping blues boogie disco beast, the latter album contained a series of exquisite piano driven ballads.

Tensheds - Mar 23 Tonight’s set is a mixture of those thumping blues numbers where Matt’s gruff vocals mix with the pounding keys to produce a glorious cacophony of melodic noise, and the classically led ballads that bring tears to the eyes of my fellow audience members. Tensheds performing is a thrill to watch as he rolls his eyes back and lets the emotion of the songs flow over him. Watching Matt’s hands, to paraphrase Mudlow’s singer, is like seeing two huge spiders dancing across the keys in a frenzy of movement and is glorious to behold.

The inter song banter is always engaging as Matt gives the background on the origins of the songs, none more so than the introduction to ‘The Bridge Song’ – a song that is guaranteed to have a few people in the audience wiping away the tears at its denouement. Highlights tonight are the spinetingling ‘Mirrors’ and the bar room boogie of ‘City of Dreams’. A night with Tensheds is never a bad thing and hard to be beaten.

Tensheds - Mar 23

I first saw Mudlow at this very venue four years ago and was enthralled by their swampy delta blues. Their ‘Waiting for the Tide to Turn’ compilation is an essential collection of scuzzy blues driven Americana which belies the band’s Brighton roots. The horn infused ‘Down in the Snow’ is almost the perfect soundtrack to one of those sleazy 70s police detective films that dominated late night regional TV in my youth. Last year saw the release of the equally excellent ‘Bad Turn’ album although being finally stuck down by covid stopped me seeing them on the supporting tour.

Popeye endorsing singer Tobias has mastered the art of the Southern trucker with his nonchalant approach to his songs, before launching into impassioned gravelly vocals coupled with wonderous guitar playing (even playing one song in a ‘Drop C’ for the musicians amongst you). Matt and Paul’s rhythm section evokes memories of long night time drives along the back roads and truck stops of rural US. It’s addictive stuff with songs such as ‘Further Down the Road’ and ‘Red Rock’ drag you down those dusty roads.  

Mudlow - Mar 23 It's all over too soon, but the band come back for one last song and it’s a new one that is getting its first public airing. It’s an epic song that allows the band to keep the rhythm going almost indefinitely without outstaying its welcome. Departing to a very appreciative (and attentive crowd) the band have certainly won a few more fans over.

Tonight’s lineup has played to Aces n Eights’ strengths – a warm and cosy setting to watch musicians closeup without the trappings of over the top light shows and fog machines to distract from the music.

Another cracking night out in North London.

Mudlow - Mar 23