FEATURE: Bridie Jackson And The Arbour

*Originally published for The Tipping Point (11/2/13)

It’s one thing when a band comes forward with a ‘new’ genre of music; it’s another when a band offers something timeless. Newcastle’s Bridie Jackson And The Arbour may not be serving up the hottest dish of hipster tunes, but they do know how to pen songs of a refined and classical nature – duly recognised by BBC 3, national press and beyond. No song could better demonstrate this talent than the 4-piece’s latest single, ‘Scarecrow’ (released as a double A-side).


Bridie Jackson has a voice of crystalline quality not unlike that of Feist’s and, if truth be told, her arresting vocal is the song’s centrepiece. Armoured with Leonard Cohen-style lyrics, Jackson sings from the grave about dying just before her wedding day. With the mischievous piano loop, rumbling cello and dark, Celtic strings, ‘Scarecrow’ emits a black humour that creeps into your every fibre and doesn’t leave.

Chamber-pop harmonies ring out unaccompanied at the end and, although the track is over, the drama is residual. An ominous and beautiful single that will haunt many others to come.

*Tip courtesy of Joe Sparrow from A New Band A Day

FEATURE: MAUSI

*Originally published for The Tipping Point (in association with The Generator) (14/1/13)

In the words of the American writer Henry David Thoreau: “one must maintain a little bit of summer, even in the middle of winter.” Newcastle’s Mausi are no strangers to this philosophy, with the sun-bleached electro-pop  of ‘sol.’ wearing record needles thin over the course of 2012. Now the quartet are welcoming in the new year with ‘Move’ and still have every intention of overdosing on the Sunny-D.

‘Move’ already feels like an established Saturday night floor filler with its beefy 90s piano hooks and fluttering high hat taps. Darting synths bring Calvin Harris’ ‘Sweet Nothing’ to mind, but the organic harmonies of Italian-born siblings Daisy and Thomas Finetto results in its more carefree disposition. 

Your mother may fail to describe what the kids get down to nowadays, but the words “groovy” and “funky” do have their place here. ‘Move’ is to-the-point, feel-good dance music – a breath of fresh air in the stale furrows of January.

Mausi play The Tipping Point's Roundhouse Rising Showcase at The Sage Gateshead on Sunday 17th February.

*Tip courtesy of Bob Allan at The Generator.