Reading that fetid poetry made me think about which poems I might use to woo a girl, should I decide to take the Byronic approach rather than my default moronic one. I love Hugo Williams, his poems including a few beautiful lines that sum up what it is to really give yourself to someone – ‘what we make of ourselves, we take from one another’s hearts’ – but my favourite of his collections are Billy’s Rain and Dear Room – both often about heartbreak rather than heartmake. Ditto my favourite Sylvia, I Thought That I Could Not Be Hurt, with that gorgeous refrain:

(How frail the human heart must be-
a mirrored pool of thought. So deep
and tremulous an instrument
of glass that it can either sing,
or weep).

And the good Earl of Rochester was an adolescent idiot, if an articulate one. Love and Life is simply an excuse for infidelity:

Then talk not of inconstancy,
False hearts, and broken vows;
If I by miracle can be
This live-long minute true to thee,
‘Tis all that Heaven allows.

And I Cannot Change as Others Do can be summed as such: I wish I was dead – then you’d be sorry! Andrew Marvell is not much better, suggesting that if his lady doesn’t let him have his way with her, the only things that would ever get in her bits would be maggots. Charming, no?

So I guess I’m in the unusual position of having to ask for suggestions for a proper love poem. Any recommendations?

Ian Mark Burzio held a fantastic launch party for his new album. Picture (C) Peter Williams

Tuesday night at Audio Club saw the official launch party for the release of the new album by Ian Mark Burzio, a talented young chap from Brighton. The album has by Ian’s own admission been a few years in the making, so the first question is, has it been worth the wait?

I rolled up to the Audio Club to check out a live showcase of songs from Along These Lines, along with a couple of covers and support from some of Ian’s friends, including Matt Bonner, Bernice Macdonald, Holly O’Callaghan and Nicola from La Lunalight. Having allowed the gorilla a day off, I wasn’t lonely as I found myself sitting with Ian’s lovely mum and cousin.

Ian was full of thanks and praise for all the family and friends who supported him through the long process of making the album. One of those friends was up first as Matt Bonner opened the show.

Matt (who was keen to point out he has his own album out too, called Songs To Live By) kicked off with a cover of Winter Hibernation by Dave McPherson, “my favourite ever singer”.

Launching into a number of his own songs, Matt ended up dedicating most of them to Ian (I’m not one to speculate, but I imagine this happens at most of their shows, as it was the same last time I saw the pair at Ali-Cats Acoustic Club).

Matt has a powerful voice and combines it with some sweet guitar playing – best shown off I think in one of my favourite songs, I Sail To You, which is soft, gentle and lovely. He finished off with the more rocking The Same, which you can hear on his Facebook page.

After a short break, Ian took to the stage and introduced another Matthew – Matthew Saunders this time, who was playing guitar.

Ian himself was on keys and vocals (and as anyone who knows me will tell you, it takes little more than a sweetly played piano and some decent songs to seduce these ears).

Ian opened his set with Careless, with Matthew on acoustic guitar, and promised afterwards not to “warble on” too much between sets – I’m not quite sure he managed that too well! However, he still had enough voice left for singing and it was, as expected, a night of beautiful and lovingly-crafted music.

Matthew switched to an electric guitar for Morning Light, the opening track to Along These Lines and a song which Ian claims is very special to him. The crowd was gathering now and looking around it was good to see so many people enjoying the music.

His third song, Chasing Trains, was apparently inspired by a text from his mum (how very modern!). She looked a little embarrassed but very proud when he name-checked her, and this was a sweet little song. Enchanted, his next song, was dedicated to his whole family for their support, while Harbour Lights was for his friend Stephen Blades.

Ian was joined on stage by the talented singer Holly O'Callaghan. (C) Peter Williams

The final song of this segment was a lament to the people of American Express, after he says he left work for the day and felt himself being drawn back inside and trapped in the revolving doors (which was also the song’s title).

Another short break later and Ian was joined by a series of friends. Bernice Macdonald, who is also a singer-songwriter and inspired him to write an album after making her own, was up first and sings with him on the album. Skyline is her favourite on the album, and they harmonised beautifully on this track.

Ian left the keyboard for the next song, to rest his fingers, and sang my absolute favourite of his songs, Find My Own Way Home, about getting lost in the desert in Israel. It features a great guitar and voice combination and should be sought out and listened to by everyone, in my humble opinion.

More thank yous followed, to Fabian who helped put the record together, before joining forces with Matt Bonner once again to sing first one of his songs – Every Night – a harmonious number with Ian back on keys, and then one of his own – For The Right Reasons.

Next to join Ian on the stage was Holly O’Callaghan, who is just starting out in the music industry but has a lot of talent and a strong voice. They sang High Tides, the final number on Ian’s album, and a cover of Someone Like You by Adele (who is, apparently, following Ian on Twitter). You could see people swaying all the way back to the strange electric fishtank at the back of the Audio Club to this one.

Matt Bonner dedicated some songs to Ian, and sang with him too. (C) Peter Williams

Finally Ian was joined by Nicola, part of electronic number La Lunalight, who is multi-talented and is also going to make Ian’s music video. They sang Satellite, before Ian finished with a cover of Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol (he clearly likes running after vehicles!) and the lovely Hard To Breathe.

It was a great night showcasing Ian’s talents, along with those of several other Brighton musicians. The digital version of Along These Lines is available now – go download it! And if you’d rather have the physical CD, that is available from the end of the month.

Ian and Matt are having a musical duel at the end of July in the Acoustic Music Showdown at the Latest Bar – something not to be missed!

Oh, and to answer that question I asked at the start of this, has the album been worth the wait? I would say if Tuesday is anything to go by, most definitely. Get yourself over to iTunes – you’ll be glad you did!

All pictures (C) Peter Williams.

Limited to a short-run of only 200 copies this is Steve Barsotti at his most minimal and intimate. The Seattle-based composer has dreamt up some extremely subtle music as heard on the breezy effort Boundaries. Snail-paced, poker-faced, it plays on something suspicious lurking behind a door, something lifelike gently squirming, perhaps inebriated. Barsotti appropriates instruments to build new tools that scope, draw wind and stretch his soundscapes, often built on field recordings. The manipulation of tartly clomping horse hooves is paired with the corroded zap of vintage LP grooves creating a timewarp on Bridges. The flare of highly amped strings, the repetition of strumming and fierce rummaging make for a fresh blend of mismatched sounds that somehow come together despite the lack of harmony. In fact, it is going in and out of a formula that makes this record stand out. On Terraces (which began as a collaboration with Perri Lynch) there are inflections of Maeror Tri and early Kapotte Muziek. It’s dizzying, repetitious, filled with rough scuffs and percussive mishigas. We experience a close-up from the perspective of a lifeline, a breathing tube connected to a polluted city. It’s pretty dark stuff, and tough as nails! While the ambience throughout could quiet a beast, it is when the noisy activity flows into cacophony that turns this whole into bliss, where loose ends meet.

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