Hip-hop is an American folk art, and it grew up together with punk rock, so for Jesse Dangerously to explore the living space between those traditions is not as unlikely as it may at first seem. Having arranged a selection of the most literary and personal material from his fourteen-year rap career for an ensemble featuring mandolin, glockenspiel, clarinet, violin, ukulele, kazoo and human beatbox, Jesse wants to test his theory that rap can be enjoyed in an intimate venue, where careful attention is paid to the lyrics, and everybody cries a little bit – but no-one harder than the purists. He is accompanied for the first time by a rag-tag band, consisting of English lit professor Nicolas Carrier, feminist icon Audra Williams, and his two sisters, Maggie and Rosie Dangerously.
Catriona Sturton is an obvious candidate for inviting into your home for tea, let alone a performance. Most notorious as the bassist from 1990s East Coast indie rock quartet Plumtree, with that group finding a resurgence in popularity due to their classic 7” “Scott Pilgrim” having lent its title to a sensationally popular comic book series, and that comic now having been adapted into a major motion picture, Catriona stands now on her own, playing electric guitar, bluesy harmonica or Japanese shamisen, and singing self-penned songs about pants-dialling your crush, opening up to your friends, how to cope with break-ups, and that perennial staple of songwriting: Wheel of Fortune. She is frankly adorable.
The dates:
