TOM BLISS SOLO Tom & Barbara Brown. Broadstairs Folk Week Singaround. 'Having had some doubts about what sort of performance a single Tom might give us, everyone was spellbound by his introductions, his songs and his accompaniments. Tom B. on his own brought an intimacy which is only possible with a single performer giving of himself to an audience.' Sue Dewsbury. Gainsborough Folk Club and Festival "Tom Bliss solo somehow manages to add an extra dimension to the music we have come to know and love. A combination of great musicianship and witty repartee makes for a memorable evening that the audience goes home feeling it has been a part of" Steve Ramm. Hoy at Anchor Folk Club, Leigh on Sea “Tom is of course one of the best contemporary song writers, combining passion and wit to hold the interest of his audience. His superb voice, masterful musicianship and refreshingly different approach to the folk scene make his solo performances something not to be missed.” Graham Dixon, Gregson Lane Folk Club, Preston "I feel I must say what an absolutely brilliant show Tom gave us - we chose not to use the PA (unusual for us on Guest Nights) but it really wasn't needed - you could have heard a pin drop as the audience sat quietly - totally enthralled by Tom's entire performance. By way of introducing himself he immediately interacted with the audience by conducting a 'Show of hands' survey asking them to indicate whether they would like 'Original,' 'Traditional' or 'Covers.' This was a masterstroke that straight away grabbed the attention and the affection of the crowd. We had songs, tunes and poems - linked by anecdotes often amusing, occasionally sad, but always thought-provoking. I was also very impressed that after the show (and the well deserved encore) when most artistes would be busy either making a dash to pack up their instruments and leave or stand by the door pointing their merchandise out to the departing crowd, Mr Bliss spent some quality time with one of our young resident duos giving them the benefit of his experience re the best way to produce/market/distribute their recently recorded (not yet released) CD." (This was a spontaneous post to the Folk Club Organisers Forum) Simon Goodfellow (Festival Organiser) (in response to Graham above) "Certainly one of the best nights I've had. Tom Bliss was brilliant, great songs, great performance, superb stories. I was enthralled and so was everyone else -- we need more like Tom Bliss. Tom's youtube videos and even his CDs don't do him justice, this man has to be seen live. The Ken Dodd of folk music perhaps! " Darren Beech. Folking.com at The Maltings "I have been a huge fan of Tom Bliss's style of songwriting since the Silverlode was first reviewed on Folking.com in 2003. When I heard that the follow up album The Kelping was due to be released I made plans to incorporate the two Toms (Tom Napper and Tom Bliss) into my plans for folking live at the Farnham Maltings in Surrey (incidentally there are some great memories of that night in the folking.com video section). I recently heard that Tom Bliss was now undertaking a solo project with some new solo tour dates so I was keen to find out how it would compare to the previous performace with the duo. I headed down to the Green Man Folk Club in North Warnborough in Hampshire to a club was packed to the gills. The night was a huge success and TB gave it his all which was a more intermit performace than I had seen him do before. Being the songwritter, all the classic Two Tom numbers were there from Silverlode and Kelping with all the stories as well as hand picked gems from his solo album Mixed Moss. The show flowed so well that the interval appeared as a rude interuption. The intire concert was a delight and my advice is that if you see Mr Bliss playing near you go out and see the show, it's fantastic." Roger and Patti Pitt. St Neots Club and Festival It is a pleasure to hear Tom's narrative songs which are written and sung in a way that develops the English folk tradition. Tom has not lost sight of the need to entertain and involve his audience, setting his songs in personal context, delivering them with a strong voice and multi-instrumental accompaniments. Altogether Tom gave us an entertaining and memorable evening. Terry Ferdinand - Bishop FM The main act was Tom Bliss whose voice, playing and both real and anecdotal stories were a pleasure to listen to. Never have i heard such tales played and sung with such humour and skill, a spellbinding couple of hours in two halves, that just made time disappear, where did the night go to? TOM NAPPER TOM BLISS DUO Hedley Jones. Organiser - Wombwell Folk Club and Festival: “Tom Napper Tom Bliss played Wombwell Folk Club on the 18th September [2002] and what an eye-opener it turned out to be! Having seen them in various line-ups, and being impressed with their talents I wondered whether they'd gel as a duo, so took the plunge and invited them for what was their first full outing. I needn't have worried. From the first note to the last they provided first class entertainment. With their undoubted ability as musicians and singers they also have the excellent self-penned songs of Tom Bliss, having that rare quality of sounding traditional although only written recently. No shortage of tunes either driven along by Tom Napper's stylish Mandolin and Banjo prowess. They displayed a maturity as a partnership that usually only comes after years of playing together regularly, and they kept us thoroughly immersed for the best part of 2 hours. Tom Napper Tom Bliss are a duo that deserves to prosper and surely will go on to bigger and better things. So don't wait until they become an established partnership on the folk scene, get in there now and book them. You definitely won’t regret it!” John Waller. Publicity Coordinator and Resident MC - The Topic Folk Club, Bradford: "Tom Bliss and Tom Napper provide a delightful mixture of new music (mostly written by Tom Bliss) and traditional material. Tom Bliss's compositions have a sharp musical edge that lifts them above folk's usual fare, and his multi-instrumental talents are beautifully complemented by Tom Napper's virtuosity and vocal abilities. Tom Bliss has appeared at the Bradford Topic a number of times: alone and with his quartet “Slide”, as well as with Tom Napper. We are greatly looking forward to their next full booking in July 2003." David Eyre. Artistic Director - Holmfirth Folk Festival 2003: “I have seen Tom Napper Tom Bliss perform a few times and I was impressed by their musicianship, singing quality and rapport with the audience. It is unusual in my experience of folk artists (which stretches back nearly forty years) to find artists whose performance manages to combine such a strong narrative aspect within the material from either self-penned or traditional music. This, together with their musical talent, makes for a special show which will appeal to a wide variety of audiences. On the strength of this I have booked them to play at Holmfirth in May 2003 and I am delighted to recommend them to others.” Ray Black. Organiser - Friday 13th Folk Club, Harrogate: “Tom Tom the pipers son... so the song goes. These two Toms haven't stolen any pigs, but away they will run once their act has been heard by a few more people. Musically they are very tight, their material is good and they both have years of experience when it comes to presentation. Tom Bliss possesses a fine voice and sings very well. And he’s written some very good songs - all his own, yet still informed by the folk tradition. He plays a variety of instruments which helps keep the duo from sounding samey. And Tom Napper is the bee's knees when it comes to playing tunes on banjo or mandolin. Anyone who has tried to keep up with him in a session will testify to this, but there is more: I was once at a large concert in Bradford and the main artists for the night were delayed by an hour. Tom was in the audience. Someone lent him an instrument, and he improvised a set which kept a very large audience very happy until the guests arrived. (versatile or wot?)” Jenny Scott. Bacca Pipes F.C Keighley: "Tom and Tom provide a lovely relaxing night of traditional and self-penned material. The mixture of instrumentals and vocals gives their performance variety and spotlights their individual talents beautifully." | ||||
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