BRISTOL: The Thunderbolt

Friday 15th March, 2024

7:30pm

Event information

JOHNNY DOWD
An all-American original, Johnny Dowd combines a sound that suggests roots rock from the Twilight Zone, writing steeped in film noir, and a craggy voice that raves more than it croons. Typical of his style are experimental, noisy breaks in his songs and strong gothic (in the sense of dark and gloomy) elements in the lyrics as well as in the music. There is also a strong undercurrent of black humor and the absurd in his work. Although his early albums were most celebrated in the alternative country community, he has never quite fit into any particular genre. As a singer-songwriter, his music is most often compared to that of Tom Waits, Nick Cave and Captain Beefheart.
Over the last thirty years, Johnny Dowd has been creating records that defy trends, a unique catalog of work that stands head and shoulders above many of his lauded contemporaries. Now in his seventy-fifth year on God’s good earth, Dowd has lost none of the vigor, enthusiasm, and attitude that has seen him forge his position as one of America’s most inquisitive artistic minds, a musical explorer who has charted expeditions to genre-defying destinations that, at their heart, question, challenge, and dissect notions of the American Dream.

LYNDON MORGANS (SONGDOG)
Lyndon Morgans latest album, "Of Gods And Men" is the first to be released under his own name, having put out his previous 8 albums under the ‘Songdog’ identity. Over the course of the latest record’s 15 tracks, Lyndon continues his exploration of his favourite themes – the passing of time, lost love, sex, death, ageing and psychic overload. Lyndon is joined on stage by fellow Songdog regular Karl ‘Pod’ Woodward (who provides the distinctive keyboard sound that peppers the new album and also designed the cover art) and violinist Bethan Frieze.

Previous albums as ‘Songdog’ include 2020’s ‘A Happy Ending, ‘Joy Street’, ‘Last Orders at Harry’s Bar’, ‘A Life Eroding’, ‘A Wretched Sinner’s Song’, ‘The Time Of Summer Lightning’, ‘Haiku’ and ‘The Way Of The World’ and were released to great reviews from the likes of Uncut, Mojo, The Mirror, Maverick, RnR and Americana UK amongst others. Lyndon’s tracks have been featured on BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6Music plus other regional and international shows, he has recorded a session for Tom Robinson’s show and had his music praised by the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Robert Wyatt.