top of page

reviews and press

 

 

 

 

 

The Cornelius Crane EP Launch @ Tiger Lounge, Manchester 26/10/14

As the clocks loomed large to go back an hour, The Cornelius Crane’s fourth EP launch, ‘Soul in the Lightning’, was to turn the clocks back a little further from a musical standpoint as their fusion of Americana with British roots driven folk was once again the focal point of the evening’s entertainment at Tiger Lounge, Manchester.

Heavily inspired by the likes of Neil Young and The Band but to name a few, The Cornelius Crane are one of the most talented bands around at the moment. Hailing from Greater Manchester, they’ve individually been involved in several other music projects, but it’s in this particular line-up where they seem to be thriving and creating the sort of music that’s mellow, charming and carrying an enormous amount of character.

Before The Cornelius Crane we were treated to a sublime and fiery performance from blues roots singer guitarist Jim Adama. Despite having a cold, Adama was still a revelation in his several renditions of real original blues twang. The sound of his guitar had a dirty distorted grit to it, and there was an air of Howlin Wolf about his style.  The guitar itself looked like it was about to burst into flames during the final song with the combination of slides, the bending of strings, and ferocious strums it was subjected too, but it was a real resolute performance that had you reaching straight for the whisky. His wailing vocals paid homage to the old American blues legends, but mixed with a proper northern howl made it all the more closer to home. This is ‘deep southern’ original blues brought straight to 21st Century Manchester, and it’s never sounded more at home! A truly excellent performance! Jim Adama’s EP can be purchased right here.

Ahead of the release of their recently completed album, The Cornelius Crane take to the stage to showcase their mini three track EP, ‘Soul in the Lightning’. Any troubles or stresses you may have felt before the gig were instantly washed away as they opened with instrumental, â€˜The Difference Between You And Me’, which is almost like their ode to â€˜Albatross’ by Fleetwood Mac such is its smooth, melancholy mood.

The new single â€˜Soul in the Lightning’ follows, and is a continuation of the chilled tunes the band have a history of creating. Its dreamy and wistful tone with melodious guitar and dulcet vocals really hark back to the times of the golden age of Americana. I’ve said before how The Cornelius Crane’s pensive music and nostalgic rhythm sparks a reminiscence of sorts of great times gone by in whatever capacity you can imagine. The new song has exactly the same effect!

‘Cage’ and â€˜Isobella’ follow in much the same manner before personal favourite, â€˜The Needle and The Gun’ is performed, another example of a beautifully crafted song that invokes a reminiscence – so drawn out, cheery, mellow and cool.

‘Silver Tongue of an Actor’, taken from the EP of the bands name, has a country and western feel with its saloon style slow orientated organ and soft countrified guitar. â€˜So Long June’ is probably the rockiest track of the night, about as heavy as The Cornelius Crane like to get without breaking their core ethos. â€˜The River’ rounds off proceedings in typically unhurried and dreamy fashion, bringing a tremendous applause from the close supporters and friends that were specially invited for the launch.

‘View From Victoria’ and â€˜Another Day’ are the two other songs that are on the new EP that weren’t played, both possessing a typical class that’s expected from a Cornelius Crane song. You’ll have to buy the EP to uncover the delights within.

There’s something quite Beatles-esque about The Cornelius Crane at times with melodies reminding me of the way Beatles classic, â€˜Something’, is constructed. On the otherhand, a lot of their songs wouldn’t look out of place being performed at Woodstock.

They have this ability to quietly creep into your psyche and once you fully absorb it you realise that this is one of the finest bands in Greater Manchester at the moment. There’s a breeziness befitting of the American South, yet a coolness that’s equally befitting of the British North.

One of music’s greatest beauties is its ability to create an abstract wave of nostalgia and reminiscence at any given place and time. The Cornelius Crane have that quality in abundance and bring that magic to their brand of song writing. I personally cannot wait to hear and see more of these in the future. 

The Soul in the Lightning EP was released on 27th October.

Set List
The Difference Between You And Me
Soul In The Lightning
Cage
Isobella
Needle And The Gun
Silver Tongue Of An Actor
So Long June
The River

The Cornelius Crane are:
Steve Wilson – Guitars & lead Vocals
Mark Adams – Bass & backing Vocals
Dan Adams – Drums & backing Vocals
Jonathan Jackson – Organ
Jonny Roberts – Pedal  Steel , Guitars, backing Vocals
Paul Higham – banjo

Links:
http://www.thecorneliuscrane.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/thecornelius.crane
http://www.twitter.com/clubcornelius
www.stereokillrecordings.com

 

 

 

 

 

  •  

 

 

 

 

 

It has been absolutely ages since I have had the chance to review a record that sounds like this so I have to say that I have really enjoyed this one. The record in question is the new EP from The Cornelius Crane. I can’t say that I had really heard much from them before now but you’ve got to start somewhere right?

The Cornelius Crane are Steve Wilson (Guitar, vocals) Mark Adams (Bass, backing vocals) Dan Adams (Drums, backing vocals) Jonathan Jackson (Organ) Jonny Roberts (Pedal, steel, guitar, backing vocals) and Paul Higham. (Banjo)

Anyway… This record came out earlier on this week and it is an absolutely marvellous piece of music. The EP begins with title track Soul In The Lightning, and it’s a track with oh so much soul. It’s brilliantly laid back, the way that the vocals blend together give the song such a smooth feel it’s unreal. It’s a kind of soulful Americana, the like of which I haven’t heard for far too long. I must confess that I’m not sure whether this track has been a single but it would be absolutely ideal. This is probably my favourite track on the EP.

Until I heard View From Victoria I didn’t know that experimental Americana was even a thing. In fact it probably isn’t, there’s a fair chance that I have just completely made that up, but I really can’t think of any other way to describe it. For just under 3 minutes the song just wistfully winds along, floating like a butterfly in the summer breeze. Low on real depth but high on atmosphere it’s a nice fit and a perfect way to roll into the final track Another Day.

Here the band returns to more of the sound of the opener for another ridiculously easy going effort. The chorus has slight echoes of The Rolling Stones ‘Wild Horses.’ They don’t sound massively similar but it’s in that general ballpark. I am a big fan of the vocal and the whole style of this tune, it’s a really great way to finish.

Soul In The Lightning isn’t the longest record that you will hear this year but it will be one of the highest quality. The musicianship is fantastic, the production is simple and not overdone and the results are stunning. If you like your music on the acoustic side and laid back like a summer afternoon then this is without doubt the record for you.

 

 

Reviews by James Holder

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

oklahoma and me ep press and reviews 

 

 

review in the weekend sport                                                                                                                                                                

                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Article on the band by meds peterson of the               

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         manchester evening news

      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

review of the new ep from sounds xp magazine

http://soundsxp.com/artman2/publish/singles/The_Cornelius_Crane_-_Oklahoma_And_Me_EP.shtml

 

nice review from the lp project

http://lpproject.co.uk/the-cornelius-crane-20th-may-2014

 

gary lee at cool manchester reviews ep too.

http://www.coolmanchester.com/index.php/CM/music/music-reviews/the-cornelius-crane-ep-too

 

helen todner from with guitars review ep too

http://www.withguitars.com/the-cornelius-crane-ep-too/

 

retrophobic review ep too 

http://www.retrophobic.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1018:the-cornelius-crane-qep-

tooq&catid=13:new-stuff

 

manc review review ep too 

http://www.mancreview.com/2013/03/the-cornelius-crane/

 

jasons jukebox review  the cornelius crane ep

http://jasons-jukebox.com/2013/06/19/the-cornelius-crane-the-cornelius-crane-ep/

 

the sonic observer review the cornelius crane ep 

http://www.thesonicobserver.com/apps/blog/the-cornelius-crane-ep

 

carl stanley from louder than war reviews the cornelius crane ep.

http://louderthanwar.com/quality-4-track-release-from-the-cornelius-crane-with-new-self-titled-e-p/

 

nice interview with qro magazine 

http://www.qromag.com/interviews/the-cornelius-crane/

nice review in the national press

nice preview in the manchester metro

REVIEWS AND PRESS

bottom of page