Student Engineer Gave It up to Play Concertina
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36 Henley Standard, Fr i d a y ,April 26,2019 www.henleystandard.co.uk Editorial: (01491) 419444 Advertising: (01491) 419419 Entertainment & Leisure w w w. h e n l e y s t a n d a r d . c o . u k / e n t e r t a i n m e n t Telephone: (01491) 419419 Email: [email protected] Comic’s new show Student engineer gave is not to be missed Re v i e w Jack Dee it up to play concertina Kenton Theatre Tuesday, April 23 ONE of the very occasional By JANE BRACE bonuses of living in London (as I used to) was the ready availability of live comedy. IT ’S hard to think of a band that Venues like the Hen and has achieved so much and made Chickens pub-theatre in such an impact on the trad music Highbury specialised in scene in their first few years as “work in progress”shows Glasgow-based trio Talisk. by well known names One of the fastest rising folk looking to try out their new Heart of gold: Jack Dee bands in the UK, Mohsen Amini, material on an actual paying audience. returning to his first love — Hayley Keenan and Graeme TV adverts —he fantasised Armstrong are preparing to play The likes of Frankie Boyle about winning the lottery, Nettlebed village club on Monday would stand there like a sort gently mocking the slogan (April 29) as part of a spring tour of of clipboard comedian from “Who wins if you win?”for the UK to promote their latest the local council, ticking off its suggestion that the first album, Beyond. what worked (most of it) thing you would do on Nettlebed Folk Club organiser and what didn’t (not much winning a fortune is work Mike Sanderson said: “Ta l i s k ’s of it) on his notepad. out who to share it with. engaging and energetic It was cheap and cheerful “Who wins if you win? If I combination of duet concertina, fun and everyone got win ... I win,”he said to fiddle and guitar have landed them something out of the cascades of laughter. slots at festivals all over the world. experience. Like most comedians, Dee “They are winners of Band of the Jack Dee had a notepad has done his fair share of Year and the Belhaven Bursary for McArdle, but mostly I guess I’ve been teaching myself. Now my too, which he placed on a benefit gigs for good causes Innovation at the BBC Alba Scots little table next to his jug of over the years (“usually Trad Music Awards. concertina and me are inseparable —I take it everywhere with me so water. But in the course of some horrible disease that “Mohsen Amini also won it’s great that it’s not too big and just over an hour lighting you’re probably not going to Musician of the Year at the 2018 can go in hand luggage!” up the Kenton stage, he get anyway”). barely glanced at it. He BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards —the Everyone knows he’s got a folk music world’s Oscars.” Mohsen quit a chemical didn’t need to. engineering course at Strathclyde heart of gold underneath it That win, just over a year ago at University to devote himself to a The young and highly all, but that just makes his Belfast’s Waterfront Hall, put the music career and has no regrets. likeable support act Jake grumpy pose all the funnier. Glasgow concertina ace in seventh Lambert had warmed up Nothing is really off-limits heaven —coming as it did He says: “The concertina was my the audience with 30 passion, even though I realised I but he never feels like he’s moments after the dynamic Scottish minutes of confident chat being cruel either. five-piece instrumental band Imar, would earn a lot less playing music about meeting and then than working as an engineer! I just At 57, Dee is something of of which he is also a member, had moving in with his an elder statesman of won the Horizon Award for best love the whole folk music scene and Australian girlfriend. the camaraderie.” stand-up in his trademark emerging act. Then it was time for the sharp suit, though he noted Mohsen couldn’t have known Mohsen admits he quickly gets man the late Jeremy Hardy bored when the music stops —the that he’d now reached the that his reign as Musician of the called “a little ray of sleet”. stage in his life where if he Year was going to be probably the only thumb-twiddling he enjoys being on the concertina. People talk about happened to be wearing a longest ever in the history of the observational comedy, and vintage suit —as he was on annual BBC folk awards. Flying high: Ta l i s k ’s multi-award-winning concertina player Mohsen Amini “Seeing audiences clap along and Dee does his fair share of Tuesday night —people and, inset, with bandmates Hayley Keenan (fiddle) and Graeme Armstrong making people happy has to be the that —but what really would just think it was one The awards have since been best job in the world,”he says. rescheduled from their traditional (guitar). The band play Nettlebed village club at 8pm on Monday (April 29) powers his stand-up is his he’d owned from new. spring slot to autumn 2019, Having already achieved so much dry, deadpan and baseline With his four children meaning he will hold the title for and Underneath the Stars in the Glasgow’s Southside at a branch of in his chosen field at such a young grumpy attitude to things. now all of university age, he some 18 months. UK to others in Italy, Portugal and the Irish music organisation, age, what does the future hold? said he and his wife had Canada. Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. The point being that it’s Having previously been named “I just want to keep progressing an attitude nearly all of us found themselves “empty BBC Radio Scotland’s Young “In my opinion music is the best “I started playing the whistle my career and never stand still. We share, whether we would nesters”—something he’ll Traditional Musician of 2016, Amini job in the world, but it’s not as easy there —I thought I might go for a are tackling quite a lot of festivals I care to admit it or not. be talking more about when few months and then opt for karate have always wanted to play in he takes the show on tour. is today one of the most popular as it seems! Playing is great fun, but After joking that having musicians on the folk/acoustic the reality is that you only play for classes instead! countries I’ve always dreamt of Don’t miss. going, so I guess the next step done lots of sitcom work in circuit —a flamboyant force of about 90 minutes every day. The “Then one day the branch got a recent years he was now Matthew Wilson nature and a natural showman with rest of the time is spent driving to concertina and no one had a clue would be to figure out a way to eye-defying, quickfire concertina the venue, checking into the hotel, how to play it. They gave it to me headline those festivals! skills and a never-failing bonhomie. sound checking and drinking — and I managed to get a tune out of “I’m going to try my absolute best lemonade! —at night. You have to it so they said take it home and see to champion the concertina and “It’s been an unreal time,”he be ready to spend a lot of time away Set the controls for says. “Last year we travelled all over what happens —and here I am 15 take it as far as I possibly can. from home, so it’s not for years later!” the place, performed about 180 gigs everyone.” “Awards or not I’m happy playing and took 120 flights —it’s been When Mohsen won the BBC a concertina for a living, though I the heart of Henley incredible! I released albums with Born in Glasgow 25 years ago to Radio Scotland award, he was the still find it absolutely crazy from Talisk, Imar and the quartet Fourth an English mother and an Iranian first concertina player to do so. time to time that I’m actually doing FANS of legendary rockers Moon, but unfortunately had to father, Mohsen, who also had an “It’s an incredible but often it. But life doesn’t get much better Pink Floyd have a treat in stand down from Fourth Moon due Irish grandfather, first picked up overlooked instrument. I haven’ta than this.” store in the coming weeks, to having too many commitments.” the concertina when he was about clue why it struck a chord with me, Monday’s concert starts at 8pm, with not one but two tribute “This year I’ve already toured 10 years old and was immediately but it did —playing it came with doors opening at 7.45pm. bands coming to town. Denmark, Ireland and America hooked. naturally and once I started, I Tickets are £15 in advance or £16 First up tomorrow night with Imar, then we have this spring “My sister Sophia and I went to couldn’t stop. Over the years I’ve on the door.