Upcoming Gigs

I was treated to a short performance by Finn Peters last night at The Forge in Camden, a new venue and the main purpose of this blog. Music comes first, however, and the group were on fine form, with regular collaborators Al Cherry (guitar), Nick Ramm (piano) and Tom Skinner (drums) all impressive. Particularly worthy of note was bassist Jasper Hoiby; his own group Phronesis - http://www.myspace.com/phronesismusic - are well worth checking out (reminds me a little bit of some of Avashai Cohen's recent stuff). The set was mostly taken from last year's Butterflies album, with standout pieces including the lovely Mayday Ballad. Incidentally, Finn's recently put out a set of remixes of pieces from Butterflies, including versions by Matthew Yee-King, Two Banks Of Four and Matthew Herbert, which offers a really interesting fresh perspective on some of his original tunes.

The venue itself, The Forge, was very impressive. It's only been open about 6 weeks and by all accounts is the result of a real labour of love by owners Charlotte and Adam Caird. The main performance room features a high ceiling with great acoustics, with space for a good 50/60 or so chairs, more if standing, creating an intimate but open atmosphere that's perfect for live music. It's also a restaurant (Caponata, a family run Sicilian affair), and the side wall of the gig room can slide back to offer a much larger playing area.

It's on Delancey Street in Camden and is exactly what the area needs. Camden is well served by music venues, but Forge has settled very neatly into its niche - it's obviously great to have the Jazz Cafe, Koko and The Roundhouse just round the corner, and there are more dingy music pubs with a stage in the back room than you can shake an emo kid at, but the addition of a smaller, acoustic-focused "arts space" (with what smelled last night like a very appealing kitchen as well) is a very welcome one. The Forge's programme seems to be currently based around jazz, classical, folk and other acoustic, small group acts, but with the versatility of the space on offer, no doubt it can accomdate larger groups in the future as well.

We'll be watching The Forge with interest, as I think it'll really give a boost to the diversity of music available in Camden. Check out their website, www.forgevenue.org, and stop by next time you're in the area, you'll be pleasantly surprised...