Blues Roots

The Age

Saturday June 25, 2005

LILY BRAGGE

Title: C.W.Q.

Where: Manchester Lane, 234 Flinders Lane, city

When: Tomorrow from 7pm

Details: Entry $10 or $22 with album. For inquiries, phone: 9663 0630 or go to: manchesterlane.com.au

WITH a sound steeped in dirty, swampy blues, roots and folk, C.W.Q. boast many influences but are impossible to categorise. Think Weddings Parties Anything, the Pogues, Billy Bragg and Goanna hooking up with Duelling Banjos from the movie Deliverance and you'll get some idea of the wily hybrid beast that is at play here.

Fronted by singer-songwriter Chris Winterton, the Melbourne-based quartet has been together for just on a year. All in their early to mid-20s, each member plays several instruments including guitar, mandolin, saxophone, harmonica, drums, banjo, slide and piano accordion.

Tomorrow night's gig celebrates the launch of their eclectic new album Old Trees and New Branches. The band prides itself on its tight live performances and the CD, although a considered studio production, is reflective of that. Just like their shows, pleasing contradictions abound.

Slick and smooth one song, rough and jagged the next. Delicate jazz-based instrumentals sit comfortably alongside hardcore blues. The tunes (all penned by Winterton) range from the jaunty and folksy to the melancholic, personal and political.

Check out their website, where you can download a couple of their tunes for free, at cwq.com.au

© 2005 The Age

Back to News Index | Back to Home