Mick Travis - Wilmington Arms, London, 20/7/2010

  by Anthony Strutt

published: 29 / 7 / 2010

intro

Anthony Strutt watches former Tompaulin songwriter and vocalist, Jamie Holman, who now plays solo under the moniker of Mick Travis, provide a night of Northern grit at the Wilmington Arms in his first London show in two years

Mick Travis is now the name that former Tompaulin songwriter and vocalist, Jamie Holman, goes under. It has been about two years since he last played in London. Tonight he is playing solo with just an acoustic guitar. In just over thirty minutes he delivers his tales which have lost now of their Northern grit. 'Architects' is a song about the state of his hometown of Blackburn. 'Cleopatra Only' is a love song for the women of different generations and 'You Can Not Play At Love' is about the diffrent colours and shades that love falls within. 'Speak No More' is well delivered, while 'I'll Break His Fucking Fingers, No Bother' is a well told tale of life up North. 'Call Yourself Alive' is about working in a factory in Rochdale. 'A Little Bird Told Me' has a Sweet Jane swagger to it. 'This Town is Full of Young Men Who are Cunts At Best' is about Blackburn's youth and how Jamie is not one of them. The whole set comes to a close with the classy oldie, 'Car Crash', a Tompaulin song that goes down a treat. Jamie has lost now none of his charm or sense of humour and he tells it straight and as it is. It is fucking hard up North.

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