Reviews
LIVE Reviews
“LIPSTICK & GUITAR TOUR With NELL BRYDEN, LANA & KAT FLINT”
Ginglik, London, 26/5/09
From Shout4music:
Gabby Young was a different metaphorical kettle of fish with bright red hair and a décolletage of pearls that provided their own percussive appeal. Her Amish-attired band sat in a circle, as if prepared for a rehearsed reading, while Young effortlessly spiralled the scales with her classical-trained vox, satirical lyrics and rambunctious backing surround of trombone, trumpet and banjo. Young blends Brighton kitsch with Cossack gusto. Where her quirky style belongs is anybody’s guess but it certainly deserves a headline slot in the Spiegel tent with a floor full of audience members linking arms and spinning like whirling dervishes.
From Glasswerk:
Gabby Young and Other Animals are altogether more out there, the eponymous frontwoman being something to behold; an art-school dervish of jazzy excitement. Accompanied by a little brass section, she wails her way through angular romps like “Snakebite”, and broods on more sombre affairs like upcoming single “We’re all in this together”. Their sound won’t be pinned down, but different and exciting feel like the appropriate adjectives.
From Red Hot Velvet:
Gabby Young immediately rouses the slumber of the former with a direct Jazzy intro and a soulful trill with a Moulin Rouge edge; muted brass accompaniments land one somewhere in the Mediterranean in the early 20th Century as feet feel it paramount to ballroom dance. Young states ‘This is a very special gig as a few of the band are missing’, as she introduces the trombonist on his debut appearance. Tracks move through circus fanfares, to the Egyptian and then onto the traditional hurdy-gurdy triumphant gestures of Eastern Europe. Rooted in folk covering thousands of miles, a seriously modern twist provides a perimeter and a difference that is difficult to find.
Notably, ‘We’re All In This Together’, discards the Polish mazurka stance previously adopted, for a sorrowful and gently-percussed chant. Tones of Annie Lennox blare in a form that feels borrowed from an American Speakeasy, while all is brass and clarinet clever. ‘Who’s House?’ vibrates operatic tragedy, a story-telling wallow and an A Capella choral section reminiscent of a Dickens adaptation; clever, however the track combines traditional European folk with Victorian England, and on this occasion it does not work.
Young completes the set with a tad more anarchy in her voice- racy and loud tones cast out Lloyd-Webber elements with a possibility that the trombonist is about to reveal himself in drag. Dynamics are creative, exceptionally intelligent jazz-phrasing spills from the vocal and the crowd clap rowdily. Wholly, Gabby Young has a very unique style with very exclusive talent, but seemingly this may be somewhat difficult to market.
The Maze, Nottingham 27/05/09
From Folk & Roots:
Lizzyspit was replaced at short notice by Gabby Young, who immediately won the hearts of those present with her infectious personality and a hell of an amazing voice to match. Appearing at The Maze, the small cavernous music venue located to the rear of the Forest Tavern along Mansfield Road near Nottingham city centre, the red headed songstress provided an excellent opening spot accompanied by her regular guitar player Stephen Ellis who she had brought along from her regular eight-piece band Other Animals.
Classically trained, but picking up a broad musical taste along the way, that includes rock, pop, folk, jazz, funk and experimental music, the seated Gabby refrained from sharing with the audience the details of her unfortunate knocks over the years, most notably the fact that she beat thyroid cancer at the age of 22, but instead cheerfully delivered a spellbinding opening set, which attracted a respectful silence from the audience throughout, interspersed with enthusiastic applause in all the right places. Kicking off with “Um”, Gabby presented a set of remarkable and memorable self-penned songs, each one with its own authentic sound utilising acoustic guitars and at one point the banjo, but it was Gabby’s voice that caught the attention of the audience from the start. Siting Jeff Buckley as a major influence, it has to be said that Gabby’s use of vocal pyrotechnics bears an astonishing resemblance to that of her late hero, whose real legacy was of an artist who used his voice to maximum effect. During “Ladies of the Lake”, Gabby hit an unfeasibly high note reminiscent of the highest pitch you might squeeze out of a musical saw, which had more than one jaw on the floor tonight.
Bear With Me EP reviews
From Stirling University:
In many senses, one would agree that Gabby Young is very much a jazzy counterpart of industrial gothic rocker Emilie Autumn. Besides the red hair and petite frame, both have mammoth vocal range with the power to melt marble. Gabby’s EP, ‘Bear With Me’, introduces her as a contemporary Liza Minnelli in the crazy cabaret sounds of ‘Snakebite’ while ‘Tiger’ is darker and more serious, revealing her influence of Fiona Apple. ‘Mole’ then sees Gabby reveal her vulnerability with bittersweet lyrics and melodies reminiscent of the late, great Jeff Buckley. However, jazzy closer ‘Down’ brings back the confidence we knew she had in the shape and form of a self-proclamation of newfound independence. Her swift recovery from thyroid cancer shows that nothing can stop this little lady from continuing to sing her heart out so expect to see a lot more of her and her band very soon. Rating: 
http://brig.susaonline.org.uk/music/index.php?r=509
From Exeter University Radio:
This new EP from Wiltshire-born Young showcases a young songwriter with
incredible vocal talents; upbeat and exciting on opener Snakebite, yet
tender and mournful on the stunning Mole. The instrumental
arrangement is also highly impressive, utilising many different instruments to create
a fantastic symphony.
From IS THIS MUSIC?:
This debut EP from now London-based Gabby Young is a truly unique mixture of musical styles. Starting with the big band sound of ‘Snakebite’ it sounds like a show song. A jazz style comes through that is prevalent in most of the songs here and you can hear the classical vocal training is Gabby’s amazing voice.
‘Tiger’ starts out as an acoustic folk number with Gabby sounding a little like Joni Mitchell in parts with her pitch-perfect falsetto vocals. When the band breaks in, the sound is that of an opening sequence from a Bond movie and it interplays well with the opening.
‘Mole’ really shows off the vocal brilliance, accompanied by just a piano and acoustic guitar. The shifts from major to minor are spot on and, forgive the sappy reference, but Gabby truly does have an angelic voice.
Finished of with the heavier Jazz influenced ‘Down’ this EP is a great intro to Gabby Young. A potential great and hopefully we’ll be hearing a lot more of her in the near future.
www.isthismusic.com/gabby-young-and-other-animals
From TOXIC PETE:
Outrageously original! Best description I could come up with for this fantastically diverse performer was - outrageously original!!
Young takes genre blurring to extremes here as she carefully throws together just about everything from swing to pop, visiting nu-folk, rock and jazz along the way - extremely extreme but amazingly absorbing, nothing more nothing less! Complete with her impressive and ‘big’ sounding Other Animals, Young blasts, croons and screams her way through four incredibly different tracks as she re-writes the definition of avant-garde and makes experimentation seem like second nature.
Young’s beautiful and versatile vocal talents are given an proper airing here - Young’s amazing range and dynamic depth are showcases superbly as she visits places vocally where most wouldn’t even try to go in their wildest dreams. Young’s songwriting is just as diverse and challenging as her delivery - from sweet and mournful to bright and breezy, she appears to be able to do just about anything with her God-given musical gifts. Stopping just short of the ‘cultish’, Gabby Young offers just enough commercialism to get a break just as long as the promoters, radio stations and the like find it in themselves to be flexible and open minded. Anyway, I believe it would be incredibly short-sighted, bordering on musical suicide, to deny this amazingly talented lady her chance to reach the millions. Let them to make their own minds up about whether she’s what the people want. My guess is that air-play would generate masses of interest. Let’s face it there’s not enough diversity out there and Gabby Young has it in abundance.
‘Bear With Me’ by Gabby Young is an experience that you just shouldn’t miss; Young is offering us a chance to partake of something vastly different from the norm. Gabby Young is as exciting as she is fresh so come on you influential types, give her a go - with different comes challenge, with diverse comes risk, with avant-garde comes possible rejection but, if Gabby Young is not given a decent ’suck of the old sauce bottle’ you’ll never know and neither will we!! Gabby Young is a special talent but needs help to achieve he just deserves - let the masses hear her for themselves - the world will be a better place with Gabby Young And Other Animals at its heart!! Breathtaking and compelling this!
www.toxicpete.co.uk
From UK MUSIC REVIEW:
Certainly proving herself an eclectic and multitalented individual with new release, the BEAR WITH ME EP, Gabby Young delivers a genre hopping quartet of songs here to at the very least intrigue.
Teaming up with the seven piece Other Animals line up, Young’s sound is bolstered by cinematic brass eruptions and big band bombast, a sound most notably heard on opening track SNAKEBITE, both the most dramatic and perhaps oddly the weakest moment here. An obvious big band jazz homage that plays to all the cliched you can imagine of the genre, it’s here that Gabby Young ultimately indulges all her quirky ticks in one place. The BEAR WITH ME title is fitting though, as get past this opening salvo and Gabby Young reveals her more intriguing, impressive colours; TIGER sounding like a James Bond theme song reinterpreted by a jazz/folk engenue whilst the tender MOLE lets Young’s vocals really shine through, soaring in places, brought to hushed silence in others, sublime, gorgeously realised stuff. DOWN ends things with a bang, the brass section unleashing jazzy exuberance beneath Gabby Young’s soaring croon, imagine Amy Winehouse briefly taken over by the spirit of Jeff Buckley.
Despite the initial cliché ridden amateur dramatics of the opener, the BEAR WITH ME EP introduces Gabby Young as an exciting new talent on the music scene; a singer/songwriter capable of veering between the bombastic and the tender in the blink of an eye, this is a definite artist to watch very closely.
www.ukmusicreview.com
From THE ROCKER:
Eh? What the hell? Mussorgsky meets The Sweet in a Suicide Girls / Stray Cats tribute band?
Can’t go wrong with that. Which makes opening number ‘Snakebite’ (not a tribute to Whitesnake or the NWOBHM band of the same name) a mad as a very mad hatter wearing a mad hat belter of a tune, more thirties music hall than anything else. Three minutes in its company is a good way to spend your time.
You won’t be surprised to learn that the other tracks don’t match its genius, but that’s kind of inevitable when your money shot is so damn good. ‘Tiger’ and ‘Mole’ slow things down, with the latter a fine modern day torch song, one for the Bad Seeds fans out there.
Ms Young has been on the go a wee while now, with her debut solo album coming out back in 2005, but now in the company of her band, The Other Animals, she seems to have taken a big step forward. She covers a lot of bases with some dark, atonal classical moods, a touch of jazz chanteuse, and a general bleakness that may throw some folks drawn in by the lead track. But if you make it far as the cracking, jazzy closer ‘Down’, you’ll have made a new best friend.
www.the-rocker.co.uk
From FATEA:
I first came across Gabby Young via her MySpace page and some interesting, but in development ideas. Well I’m pleased to report Gabby has fleshed those ideas, put a six piece band together to support them and turn them into really exciting songs. Gypsy pop is perhaps the easiest description with some swing thropwn in for good measure. Strings and wind instruments, both wood and brass, make up the core of the sound with the accordion and drums filling out the sound. “Bear With Me” is a vibrant and effervesent ep and a great showcase.
www.fatea-records.co.uk