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The Low Countries[Singer / Songwriter, 3 piece]
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New album 'hypericum perforatum' out now!!
Download it here
Buy It Here
"For a band that quotes fermented hops as their first influence can't be bad in my books...this one, The Low Countries, just keeps growing on me. Indie folk at it's best with a home-grown realism about it...I love it and yes I do recommend drinking fermented hops when you have a listen...just to get you into the mood! There are a lot of influences quoted in reviews I've read but there's no need, they have their own sound and can stand on their own, that's unique these days. We will be hearing more of them, I'm sure of it!"
ww.folkradio.co.uk
Read full article here
"shades of Ryan Adams...Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris...elsewhere Tell Her could be lifted from the Beatles' back catalogue..."
www.folking.com
Read full article here
"..The Low Countries: splendid melancholia which sounds like a North Country version of Golden Smog or Josh Rouse. Nigel Parrington is definitely onto something" Howard Byrom, The Guardian 4 05 07
"Really tasty stuff - a little beauty!!"
Peter J Brown aka toxic pete (www.toxicpete.co.uk)
"Beautiful South meets Richard Thompson...really fine mellow tunes" Fresh Air FM
Indie Music Lounge 'Artist of the Month'
'Outstandingly good..' the hairless heart herald
From the giddy remains of The High Ones, Nigel Parrington continues to whittle sharp pointy sticks out of the great musical log of life.
Magnificent songs...shimmering, blissed out odes to putty, wino strength beer and Roy Orbison (amongst other things). Tunes that wrap your soul in marshmallow and toast it over an open fire.
www.myspace.com/thelowcountries
Facebook here
Forthcoming gigs (2 of 2 total): Sat 24th May: Lost in the Woods, Windermere... Fri 20th Jun (+ The Evil Beat + Harvey Lord + Fallen Leaves + Turnstone): The Gregson Arts & Community Centre, Lancaster | |
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Original Demo 1 : Heartback [Alt Folk]12345678910 1 vote  average 10.00 Notes from The Low Countries: "live recording of The Low Countries' current line up... Nigel Parrington guitar/vocals, Wes Martin on banjo and Els D'hooge vocals"Get the Flash Player (and enable JavaScript) to listen to this MP3.
Original Demo 2 : Forever Comes [Folksy Pop]12345678910 1 vote average 10.00 Notes from The Low Countries: "recorded live at the Gregson Open Mic, 31st of March 2008" | |
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| 1. 'wino' artwork by Jonas P. 2. the bottomline 19/5/06 3. pic: Bruno Lestrade, www.flickr.com/photo/atryn 5. down in dog kennel lane 9. pic: Bruno Lestrade, www.flickr.com/photo/atryn |
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 [Wed 12th Mar 08] Our gig at Cafe Create amidst ... Our gig at Cafe Create amidst Saturday's Carnival of Culture went exceedingly well...never played a full set in a church before but it they'd done their damndest to cover up the church bits so we played on a hug stage, full lighting rig, 2 projection screens, backdrop...it was all very well done, down to bowls of nibbles on the tables. Even the beer came in huge bottles. we were told that the audience came to chat with music in the background but we had the opposite...a couple at the front hung on our every word at the end of 'forever comes' jumped into the air. Whatever they put in the holy water there I want some. To cap it off we even sold CDs on their Fairtrade stall, didn't tell them that it was recorded using unpaid labour in cramped airless conditions at ungodly hours...
2 brand spanking shiny new LIVE recording are now currently on this very lemony space for your listening pleasure, namely 'heartback' and 'wino'. Wes, Els and I knocked these out in a marathon 10 minute ballbusting-tea-fuelled bonkers session..spot the deliberate mistakes. These just give you a taste of the LCs current sound.
We're now headlining at the Spotlight Club on the 21st and are on stage at 10.30pm. The Fell Foot Wood Festival is also confirmed and we're on the main stage at 6pm, Saturday the 24th of May...more info to come etc |  [Thu 21st Sep 06] my work here is almost done. ... my work here is almost done. No more shall I play to an 89 year old (plus entourage) and assorted big knobs (so to speak) in a 16 century marriage hall. Weep not for that is not the way to the holy parchment of EMI...it was extremely well paid though. We impressed the throng so much (mind you, in that part of the world they're impressed by opposing thumbs) that we were immediately offered a follow up gig. Unfortunately I couldn't fit my guitar on my bike that day (I had to choose between guitar or son..hmmm) so I missed out. Money ain't the be all and end all...plus it was playing outside to punters in a park...had my fill of busking for one lifetime. It also led to my boss asking me to give a farewell concert for my colleagues next week which is the least I can do; flog 'em some CDs as well. Hardly any of them have made it to my gigs over the past year so it'll be a fitting farewell...also as Wednesday's unplugged concert is sold out (its not a big living room apparently). Saturday night I was working at a rather good fashion show (lots of young girls wearing body paint and Meccano)...in the early hours I found myself backstage carrying bouquets onstage...I followed my boss onto the catwalk (in front of 1000 people) and proceeded to watch him plunge off- straight on top of a drum kit..talk about landing with a crash. I'm amazed he carried on smiling/didn't ingest a cow bell/wasn't impaled by a hi-hat...dropped the flowers though.
Oh yeah, November the 11th (probably) we're giving a definitive farewell party to all our friends (both of 'em) in the low countries (literally)...probably in Borgerhout. Els and I are hoping to play a few songs as way of au revoir and it'd be nice to make a musical evening of it...no Narvik then! (cue cymbal crash). Only kidding of course...Johan our bassist will be away....so of course we're squeezing in gigs the first weeks of October...the 3rd is the Bottomline and should be fun though I have my fears (can seven peo |  [Thu 24th Aug 06] a rough guide as to how bored ... a rough guide as to how bored I've become lately is illustrated by me seriously considering an offer to play in a lift. A local collective are organising a happening in a (rather large) lift that transports sorry souls to a tunnel to the 'other side' (of the river). Entertaining (?) these people at very close quarters for all off 43 seconds quickly lost it's appeal so I've decided against it...a few years back I would have jumped at the chance but no more. "It's the weather man..."
Tonight Matthew I'm going to be a member of Lumberton...on the never never apparently...covert operations involves the increasingly arthritic members of Narvik passing themselves off as the twilight-combo Lumberton, in order to use their rehearsal shed. Wish us luck. Both of us are drummerless so it should be fun/chaotic/unbearable (delete as appropriate).
Looks like we've found a house in Lancaster...circumstances dictate that my nana (98!) has to sell and after a lot of umming and aahing we've decide to buy it...keep it in the family so to speak. It's one less worry which is something.
Back to the grind....
Bob: These streets are ugly, but they have a kind of beauty.
Terry Collier: Working class sentiment is the indulgence of working people created through football and rock-and-roll or people like you who moved out to the elm lodge housing estate at the earliest opportunity.
Bob: Well I didn't want my kids growing up in these streets. |  [Tue 22nd Aug 06] solo gigs are a wonderful oppo... solo gigs are a wonderful opportunity to delve deep & unfettered into one's repertoire and tease out undiscovered musical gems, to contemplate one's oeuvre and explore the untrodden highways of song, to surprise and delight sunny faced spectators with ruminations on the sheer joy of creating and being alive, to weave sprightly shards of glistening chordal mag...oh wait...s***, what do you mean NO PA, again?? How can that happen AGAIN???? What!? you ordered it but they didn't deliver it- this happened last time you s***, that's why we're stood here!!! What kind of city is this?? There's more to running a city than a nice logo you f***...don't you know who I am!!????????? er Nigel...no NIGEL...yeah, an English name...yeah, oh look it's raining rather hard....suppose I'd better wait in case anybody comes to see me (not) play...sod this for a game of soldiers...(not to be continued)
yes they bolloxed up again, what with dodgy electrics and incompetent city departments...how can an artist purge his misery in this town? Well, hopefully this Sunday in the Bottomline round 6pm...(they've wrung out the carpets and lagged the wiring) this time as a duo with other wonderful (I'm sure) acts on the day's bill (Simplesongs for one).
I'm hoping to get a pick up installed in my favourite acoustic..Lieven played it yesterday (a cheap and battered Hohner) and said it sounded the same as his friends Gibson...and it's true, it does sound and play wonderfully, just can't use it live...until now (or soon at any rate)....if anyone has any tips I'm all ears.
Saturday Els and I took part in the 'Boom-bal' (a Ceilidh) and had a great time treading on toes and generally getting dizzy...accompanied by half of 'Ambrozijn' who incidentally are performing in Hoboken on the 1st of september as openers for the Cultuurmaand...tickets? mail me!
JIM: "come on Barb, get your coat"
BARBARA: "oh, am I coming with you?"
JIM: "no, I'm going to turn | |
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| CDs | |
 | | the low countries ep
A six track EP by Nigel Parrington of The High Ones fame sees him taking a trip through The Low Countries (his home is in Belgium now) on this release.
Opening track, 'My Sorrow Won't Drown' gives the indication of a strong blues/country feel to the band. This song has a real laid back and lazy feel to it, with a languid sounding slide guitar that adds to the overall effect of the song. I suppose the best way I could describe the style of this song is Bob Dylan circa 'Bringing It All Back Home, or for a more recent reference, Gomez.
Thankfully, The Low Countries don't feature the backing vocalist from Gomez who sounds like a cross between a foghorn and the "Skuze beef aff anybody got any bottle of orange joove" character from The League Of Gentleman. It's a refreshing change to hear a song like 'My Sorrow Won't Drown' and gives the band something to help them stand out from the crowd.
Although the rest of the EP takes a slight change of direction in that the country and blues influences are toned down a bit, the remaining tracks are nevertheless just as strong as the opener. For a good local indication of The Low Countries sound, check out bands such as Steer and Last Night's TV.
One thing I really like about this band is that they actually write some damn fine love songs, and that's a real rarity in this day and age. How often do we hear an indie band writing a good old fashioned love song, or a pop act singing anything but twee and corny sentiments? Both 'Putty' and 'Hole In My Heart' show that this band can pen a good heart-felt lyric in the classic love song tradition. My particular favourite, and stand out track on this EP, is 'Putty'. The lyrics are simple, to the point, and effective… "I'm putty in your hands"..what more can you add to that? Coupled with a delicate backing, it works wonderfully.
'A Journey' shows a nice, dare I say, jovial, side to the band. This is a great camp fire type of song with carefree lyrics and country tinged guitar. It reminds me of 'The Two Of Us' from The Beatles' 'Let It Be'. Final track, 'Low Country' is the bands song of drinking and regret. It brings a nice twist to the traditional love song, as a song of drunken reasoning, "We're two wrongs trying to make a right". Like the ever popular with drunks, 'Show Me The Way To Go Home', it stays just the right side of maudlin, and as with the rest of this EP, it shows that The Low Countries can beautifully capture the right sentiment for any emotion that they wish to portray.
There are so many local bands that deserve the bigger audience, and like so many others, I'm not sure that the current national interest in Leeds indie scene will benefit The Low Countries, as they have more depth than the NME are currently looking for. That said, once the interest has moved onto another city, the quality bands like The Low Countries, Steer, Last Night's TV, Silverlode, etc will still be here, and I'm sure that they'll get their chance to shine. |
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 | | wino
Regular readers may recognise the name Nigel Parrington from his work on ZAAM's Nature Beyond album for brother-in-law Bert D'hooge. Originally from Lancaster in the north-west of England, but currently living in Belgium, singer-songwriter Nigel has cut this demo CD called Wino.
Consisting of eight songs, first impressions of Wino give recollections of Lindisfarne, gentle folk, acoustic guitar and smatterings of harmonica. Repeat spins of the disc open this impression to include elements of Pink Floyd to a certain degree vocally (Love's A Rumour and At The End Of The Day) and due to the inclusion of slide-guitar (My Sorrow Won't Drown).
All the songs here are worth hearing but two of the eight are outstandingly good; Hole In My Heart II has an Al Stewart flavour, great vocals and a bluesy feel. However, the highlight of the CD has to be the superb Wormwood Blues, the 'blues' in this instance referring to unhappiness and not a musical style.
Nigel may call this a 'demo', and it is a 'home produced' CD, but it is a quality recording worthy of attention. For those interested in obtaining a copy, email Nigel at the address below. |
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 | | hypericum perforatum
www.folkradio.co.uk:
"For a band that quotes fermented hops as their first influence can't be bad in my books...this one, The Low Countries, just keeps growing on me. Indie folk at it's best with a home-grown realism about it...I love it and yes I do recommend drinking fermented hops when you have a listen...just to get you into the mood! There are a lot of influences quoted in reviews I've read but there's no need, they have their own sound and can stand on their own, that's unique these days. We will be hearing more of them, I'm sure of it!
Favourite tracks: Leaning in the Ways of Love, Hole in my Heart, Drown"
"..The Low Countries: splendid melancholia which sounds like a North Country version of Golden Smog or Josh Rouse. Nigel Parrington is definitely onto something" Howard Byrom, The Guardian
'shades of Ryan Adams...Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris...elsewhere Tell Her could be lifted from the Beatles' back catalogue...' www.folking.com
Released on Nub Country Records
Available to buy via itunes, Amazon, Napster etc
New album 'hypericum perforatum' out now!!
Download it here
Buy It Here |
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| This band/artist page is jointly maintained by Lemonrock and nigel. If this is not you, but this page represents you or your band/artist, join Lemonrock and we'll swap ownership of this page over to you to update! |
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| Page last updated 9 May 08, gig/event details last updated 4 April 08. |
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| Page first created on Lemonrock 21 June 04. |  |
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