Luxury Stranger - Spanky Van Dykes, Nottingham, 15/11/2013

  by Dave Goodwin

published: 14 / 12 / 2013

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Article

It is another cold night in Nottingham, but we venture out at the end of what has been a busy week. Tonight is something of a bonus night really. We climb the ample staircase into one of the city's lesser known venues, Spanky Van Dykes. The first thing to hit us is that it is dark. Very dark. But what a venue! Set partly in an old theatre, Spankys has a stage which is sideways to the crowd and a few feet above the bar, which is below to the left. At the back of the room is a painted caravan on top of what looks like an enormous goldfish bowl. The stage is even darker, and is overshadowed by a big round emblem above sporting the venue's name. We've been invited to an acoustic set from Simon York, the voice behind one of Nottingham's brightest and most rapidly developing acts, Luxury Stranger. Such is the ability and strong work ethic of Nottingham-born York that, while I have seen Luxury Stranger a few times now, I have been intrigued to hear what he sounds like on his own. In the band unit the strength of his vocals is plain to see, and he is totally at home in what the group are progressing on to. But what of the solo Simon York? His confidence knowing no boundaries, he wanders on the stage clutching a book of music sheets and a set list which he blindly ignores, opting to go with the flow in true York style. Looking totally at ease he cruises into 'Korruption', an older Luxury Stranger song from their 'Commitment and Discipline' album. It becomes clear straight from the off that he is just as at home on his own as he is with his band, and he slips in some dirty blues with a version of 'Nothing Holy', a single release from 2012. Next up he treats us to 'Pay the Price' which is a song he wrote for the first version of the third Luxury Stranger album, but has since been a staple of his prospering solo repertoire. Judging by his huge grin, he is enjoying himself as he tries out a new Luxury Stranger song 'A Triumph of the Heart' from his forthcoming third album,followed by a song from his solo album called 'The Path'. 'When the Lady Takes the Blame' is another York-penned Luxury Stranger song, which will again feature on the third album. He then triumphantly ends the set with something so new even the band themselves don't know it yet. A quick mention of the three other bands on the same bill. The night kicked off in proper Goth style with a duo from Leeds called the Witch Hunt, before Jordan Reyne, a solo female act from New Zealand, based in Birmingham followed. The headliners were the extraordinary Leeds-based March Violets. We caught up with Simon afterwards. "Looking back, it's actually quite surprising I hardly played much of my solo stuff - I did quite a bit of it at my last solo show the other night in Whitby." A statement that just compounds the fact that there is so much talent on show and so much more yet to be unleashed from York, who is one of Nottingham's best kept secrets with or without the Luxury of his Strangers.

Band Links:-

http://www.luxurystranger.net/index2.h
https://www.facebook.com/LuxuryStrange
https://twitter.com/luxury_stranger

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