Men Diamler at The Adelphi, Hull by Michelle Dee

It would be a crying shame if I wasn't to tell you about the artist I saw playing at Adelphi in Hull the other week. Really? Do tell me, who did you see? The poster said Men Diamlerso I was thinking, something group-based, slightly Germanic maybe, and electro possibly? So I was pleasantly surprised when a disheveled youngish chap with dark curly locks picked up a weather-beaten guitar and began playing.

At times he played a sort of blue grass folk that was upbeat, jangly and fun, other times he sang in an altogether different style. He would launch into something without the mic or guitar, which sounded older; more traditional fare, telling stories with repeating motifs and a powerful resonant voice that filled the space width-ways. So what made him so special, what makes his performance stand out from any other?

I'll tell you I've never seen a performance quite like this one. To begin with after the first few numbers he wasn't happy with where everyone was sitting so; he cajoled the small but select crowd to take seats at the empty tables in the middle of the club. He left the stage, singing all the while, and proceeded to connect with each and every one of us. Sitting on laps or leaning in to sing directly to one randomly chosen person. A sort of dance evolved with odd gestures and a fondness for rearranging the furniture and everyone's glasses.

He went on these impish little forays a number of times during the set, each one more beguiling than the last I couldn't take my eyes off him.

A puzzling twenty-something singer songwriter with a penchant for crowd interaction with songs in a big voiced bluegrass folksy style yeah? So much more. He has the ability to connect with you. He talked and joked with us, open and friendly-like as if we were family. Not only that but I'm sure I drifted somewhere else transfixed by otherness, for a while during one of the songs. He controls the mood, to reveal the tragedy and wrench the heartstrings from your chest. I swear the young man sat next to me was crying during Jenny One. A more well-crafted, beautifully sung, darkly disturbing song I\u2018m not likely to witness for quite some time I'm sure.

So, is Men Diamlergoing to be like the next big thing? He's probably a little too niche for mass consumption. I think he's as good as Paulo Nutini if not better. I said as much afterwards. He remarked to me that it was the second time he'd been likened to Paulo during the current tour.

He's highly recommended then, when is he coming back? He has played the Adelphi a good number of times before and seems to love coming back, so no doubt you'll get the chance to see him before the year ends. In the meantime there are tracks and some good vids of him online, so get clicking and uncover another one of those acts that should feature highly on any Adelphi fan's top twenty.

I got a copy of his current EP and have played it repeatedly over the last few weeks. I love the simple humour and wordplay in the quirky number, Sagging Pets. I can't help but join in the infectious chorus on, Circus of Sin. And finally, on the sleeve notes, I heed the sage like advice," Avoid plague and mussels". Thanks to Espen Jensen for pointing me toward Men Diamler! Find Men Diamlerat: www.myspace.com/mendiamler'

Copyright © 2010  Michelle Dee

thisisUll.com Featured Writer Michelle Dee
Click for Home Page	Click for Index Page

Music Reviews - Monday 4th January 2010 - Antiproduct, Psychobabylon and Chris Catalyst at Fibbers, York By Steve Rudd
	Boldly deciding to stage a gig on what is purported to be the worst day of any given year to put on live music full-stop, Mister Martyn of Screaming Tarts fame thankfully managed to book cult-rockers Antiproduct for a date on their scandalously short but undeniably thrilling tour of the UK. With Paul Miro unable to perform due to illness, the stage times of the acts were redrafted, allowing The Eureka Machines front man Chris May (AKA Chris Catalyst) to extend his solo acoustic set accordingly. Read more...

Music Reviews - Tuesday 28 December 09 - Late Night Fiction, Turismo, The Holy Orders, Fudgey and The Acrobats at The Sesh By Katie Ashworth
	Wandering towards Linnet and Lark at 10.30pm and I was impressed. I'd never been to The Sesh before, for some strange reason, so I had no idea what to expect. First impression: the place is packed; the people smoking outside are spilling from the terrace into the car park. Inside, the bar is busy, people filling the dance floor in front of the stage. I could barely move without having to push past someone, but I finally located my friends. Read more...

Music Reviews - The Yards at York Duchess, Saturday 28th November 2009 By Steve Rudd
	Appropriately dubbed The Last High by the band, this gig in York sadly constituted the final-ever gig to be performed by The Yards. However, it wasn't a sad affair in the least. To the contrary, it provided scant excuse to mourn the band's passing, instead being the perfect opportunity to celebrate all that the York-based outfit achieved in seven years of writing, recording and playing as a unit. Read more...

Music Reviews - Saturday 25th July 09 - The Talks, Counting Coins and The Bron-Yr-Aurs at The Adelphi Club, Hull By Dick Spring Photos By Cilla
	This was a most eagerly anticipated show by hotly tipped Hull band, The Talks following a couple of low key impromtu local gigs including closing the Springboard festival in Cottingham, and a once more packed Sesh at the Linnet and Lark, where they tore the hot sweaty roof off the place. They have also been playing some high profile shows opening up for two-tone ska legends, The Specials. This was their first headline show back in Hull for some time and with the numbers that were packing into the Adelphi, it did not disappoint. Read more...

Music Reviews - Friday 29th May 09 - Moonbeams Acoustic Evening at the Bell Hotel, Driffield By Steve Rudd
	In light of the fact that it was the final Moonbeams before summer, organiser Leila Slater had gone all out to arrange the greatest line-up imaginable, managing to replace Hayley Gaftarnick with Edwina Hayes at the last minute when Hayley unfortunately came down with tonsillitis. Opening proceedings, resident barman at The Bell, Joe Pickering, Read more...

Music Reviews -Monday 19th May 09 Musicians Night featuring Disaster Radio New Zealand, By Michelle Dee
	Annie, budding stand-up comic from The Willows women's centre begins a night where it seems the strange and the stranger have come to congregate in the Adelphi. Annie has an old style ghetto blaster on which she is attempting to record her homework. Was she funny? Yes, but it wasn't easy to pin down why. A bizarre opening to a night that was to get steadily more fantastical. Read more...

Music Reviews - Tuesday 12th May 09 - Silent Revolution Magazine Presents 59 Violets, The Shadow Cops and Kill Youth Culture at New Adelphi Club, Hull By Michelle Dee
	Barton's 59 Violets have been busy writing and recording new material for their forthcoming album. The band remain a four piece with Lee Drinkall on vocals/guitar and Matt Cade on drums alongside Digsy vocals/guitar, and John Amos (known as Bill to his friends) on bass. The new material sounds more considered with Lee taking on some of the vocals from Digsy; on one number Digsy was just doing backing vocals and chorus. Read more...

Music Reviews - Wednesday March 25th 09 The New Beautiful South At Nottingham Rescue Rooms By Julia Grant Live Pictures By Dave Cowan
	I wasn't planning on going to see The New Beautiful South. From the moment I heard about the band reforming without guitarist/co-songwriter Dave Rotheray, bassist Sean Welch and most importantly, without lead singer/songwriter/band leader Paul Heaton, I thought that it was an awful idea. As much as I liked the remaining band members, I just didn't ever think they'd be able to pull it off. I have to Read more...

Music Reviews - Saturday 21st March 09 - Jody McKenna And Friends At Adelphi Club By Michelle Dee
	Jody has just headlined a fine musical programme watched by a spirited crowd numbering fifty or so. Tonight was to be reggae artist, Finley Quaye's second gig at the Adelphi club but he has cancelled last minute and left Jody somewhat in the lurch. However, his friends and supporters rallied to put together a varied programme, featuring some of the artists that I'm sure will benefit Read more...

Music Reviews - Thursday 26th March 09 - Daisy Riots And GST Cardinals At Kick Out The Jams Nags Head Hull By Michelle Dee
	I hear you went to Kick Out the Jams at the Nags Head on Newland Avenue how was it? It was good; loads of people there. Saw Marv and Rachel, Alfie, Carlos and Uncle Dave, Flo, Maddy, Laura and Brum too ... Brum bought me an NBA, he is a good egg. So who was playing, were they any good? It was GST Cardinals with a bunch of new songs and a new band member called Ryan. Read more...

Music Reviews - Saturday 7th March 09 - The Kings Of Lyon At The New Tower Nightclub, Hull By Michelle Dee
	After the success of The Beards (2nd HDM Talent Trail 07) and multiple successes with The Riffs (Global Icon TV Winners!, Channel 4's 4unsigned, Radio 1's One Music, Tune Tribe, UK Undiscovered Radio and Live and Unsigned UK) Newly formed Kings Of Lyon KOL tribute band were ready to rock the Saturday night Hull crowd. Described as..."the most astounding, vibrant tribute to the Kings Of Leon, playing the best music Read more...

Music Reviews - Tuesday 24th February Silent Revolution Magazine Presents New York Alcoholic Anxiety Attack Plus Special Guest Joolz Denby With Support from 5-7-5 At Adelphi Club By Michelle Dee
	Tonight's event by dissident fanzine Silent Revolution run by local artist and performer Karl Whiting is another example of a artistic venture that remains unsupported, unfunded and ignored by the established creative sector in the city. Adelphi Club on De Grey Street provides the perfect setting to host this auspicious convergence of spoken word and live music, seeing that the club and Proprietor Paul Jackson Read more...

Music Reviews - Saturday 6th December 08 - Love Music Hate Racism at Hull City Hall By Michelle Dee
	Saturday was going to be a busy day. I had offered my services to Arts Development Worker Stewart Baxter the driving force and helmsman behind the Hull LMHR event at the City Hall. Through hard work he had gathered support from many different groups including the local City Council to stage the LMHR event in the town centre. Read more...

Music Reviews - Friday 28th November 08 - Flossie Malavialle and Dave Dave & Zoe Bottomley at Moonbeams, The Bell Hotel, Driffield By Steve Rudd
	For the final Moonbeams of 2008, Leila Slater - the organizer and promoter of the Acoustic nights - had pulled out all the stops to ensure it was an unforgettable night of superb music. First up, a local lad called Jeremy wowed the crowd with two delicately finger-picked numbers which were both rapturously received. Having previously performed at this summer's Kelk-Fest Read more...

Music Reviews - Saturday 29th November 08 - Scouting for Girls at Bridlington Spa By Caitlin Middleton
	There's a cinematic countdown and blinding strobe lights as Roy and co. take to the stage assuming god-like status to the sea of screaming teenyboppers. After two long hours, a somewhat confused Sam Beeton and relatively generic The Days and Scouting for Girls are finally on stage warbling on about being James Bond. Read more...

Music Reviews - Tuesday 25th November 08 - DVA Studios Showcase featuring Timmy D, Frank Johnson, Alex Stork, Jamie Gray, Telenovela, Great Northern Hotel, Day In The City At Sharkeys George Street By Michelle Dee
	Last night Dave Abbot of DVA Studios held his second showcase of artists he has been working with supporting and recording in his home studio. Dave set up DVA in order to support new musicians give them access to a studio do early demo recordings in order to give them something solid to market themselves with. Look out for a DVA Sampler CD from DVA Studios featuring some of the musicians from tonight's showcase event. Read more...

Music Reviews - Sunday 16th November 08 - Guillemots at The Plug, Sheffield By James Marsters
	The venue was small, the crowd was quiet and the songs were surprisingly new but that didn't stop The Guillemots from rocking out Plug in Sheffield on a freezing cold Sunday night. Opening with a new song may seem like a daring thing to do to a rather sedate crowd but it definitely set the tone for the rest of the night. Playing many fresh tracks interspersed amongst several from their first album, Read more...

Music Reviews - Tuesday 11th November 2008 ... HYRMC01 at The Sesh. By Michelle Dee
	The live music in the evening of HYRMC 01 came from a high spirited GST Cardinals and possibly the hardest working band in the city right now namely The Cliques. Also on the swollen bill down at the Sesh hosted by DJ Mak were singer songwriter Jody McKenna, Jesus Stole My Girlfriend and The Gang. Jody opened proceedings with some highly listenable Read more...

Music Reviews - Thursday 23rd October 08 - Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip With Supports Kid Carpet And Mr. Beasley By Michelle Dee Scroobius Pip Photographs by James Rogers Others by Michelle Dee
	An hour after interviewing Mr Scroobius Pip (coming soon on thisisUll.com) I was ready for the live stuff, Mr. Beasley with Bob doing some wicked things with beats and Sarah snaking and shimmering on the stage, her sonorous voice so entrancing. Some people say that the childlike quality or tone defers from the enjoyment, but I'm a fan for sure. Shame they opened the set with Right as Rain the new single released digitally Read more...

Music Reviews - Friday July 25th 08 - Thisisull Live with Alison Angus The Clauberg Opera Santa's Buggerboyz. By Michelle Dee
	In July we had a thisisull live gig but as yet no report on what happened. So here it is... Alison Angus were first up promoting new tracks from their Satis E.P. Unusually the two piece band set their kit up on the floor of the Adelphi in front of the stage, this was due to the fact the headliners had all but filled the stage with their equipment. They played their unconventional style of hard edged sculpted metal escapism, with drums, Read more...

Music Reviews - Thursday 7th August 08 - Glen Williams and the Ullbillies at The Square Spring Bank Hull By Michelle Dee
	The Square although still much in its infancy, has been a venue for Spoken Word, lounge style Alt Piano and other assorted DJ and Alt music nights including the upcoming Tegleg Records Night 9th October. Tonight however The Square played host to an altogether different sound, the critically acclaimed Country and Bluegrass artist Glenn Williams Read more...

Music Reviews - Friday 29th August ThisisUll Live Featuring The Last People On Earth, The Bad Apples and Matt Thompson by Michelle Dee Bad Apples Photos by Dean Wilkinson, others by Michelle and Cilla
	Quite simply the best band I've ever booked. The Bad Apples, just a hard working rockabilly group from Grimsby. Tonight is to be our last thisisull live show. After sixteen gigs down the Adelphi with different bands every month we are calling it a day with the live nights. Thanks to everyone who has played for us, who has paid their three quid at the door, who has mentioned our nights on a website or forum. Read more...