Valerie June

Organic Moonshine Roots Music she calls it, and while this does evoke Old Timey music, relatively new kid on the block Valerie June is right here, right now, capturing the zeitgeist for all things authentic and ‘real’. I say relatively, as June has been round for a while, her recent album Pushin’ Against A Stone being her fourth release, but the first one to make any impact beyond her Tennessee comfort zone. And what a twang her spoken voice possesses, immediately dispelling, albeit superficially at first, any notions of fraud, as she begins her set, a combination of solo efforts and band tracks, excellently supported by her two cohorts on bass, drums and various other paraphenalia. Live, her voice is more whiny and perhaps a little less certain than on record, but here it is captured in all its unadulterated rawness, imparting a wonderfully undistilled authority over proceedings. Thanks to her original approach to guitar playing, and a collection of well-crafted and memorable songs, and an engaging presence on the stage, Valerie June is indeed the Real Deal.

Sunday 24 November, The Haunt

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