Turrentine Jones

The rivetingly brilliant three man band Turrentine Jones were one of the highlights of the day, previously described as ‘Animalistic, thrilling and utterly unconfined,’ they definitely live up to their name.

The band purposefully create something incredibly unique with their combination of guitar, keyboard, vocals and drums. Their sound is as addictive as it is professional; mixing instrumental solos with toe-tapping choruses they keep their audiences lively and enthused from start to finish.

Turrentine Jones have the ability to completely change the tone of a piece at a split seconds notice, one moment the band are playing laid back Johnny Cash style blues, and the next they are giving off devilish-organ-sound-induced- feel-good-vibes that would put the likes of Toploader’s ”Dancing in the Moonlight” to shame.

Their ability to diversify their music and create such a developed sound with so few instruments is impressive, and although some of the songs are considerably stronger than others, I’m convinced that this band is a magnificent work in progress. Comfortable to listen to, and resoundingly entertaining, a sublime addition to the festival- this band comes with the highest recommendations to any music lover. - Music For Rainy Skies

It’s not hard to see why Jude Neville – the Australia-born, Manchester-based singer/songwriter of guitar trio Turrentine Jones – is so passionately drawn to the sound of the blues.

A man who is never short of a frank, usually brutal opinion of his musical peers, for whom no conversational topic is off limits, the 26-year-old songwriter wouldn’t know the meaning of ‘self-censorship’ even if you tried to sew his mouth shut with a £100,000 super injunction.

This most expressive of musicians has, rather fittingly, found a musical vernacular which suits this candour to a tee.

“The thing about blues music is that it’s ultimate expression,” Neville begins. “There’s nothing to hide behind with blues music – look at all the great blues artists, and you’ll find people musically expressing themselves without any limits.

“I find it really hard to listen to new guitar bands; they’re all so structured and sticking to a formula ’cause they know that’s what sells and sounds good on radio. I hate that sort of mentality.

“The thing about the blues is that I can say what I want and play how I want – you might break a guitar string and be playing out of time, but you can
always get your point across with blues music. It’s complete expression.”

On this rain-soaked afternoon in a Northern Quarter bar, it is clearly Neville who does most of that expressing on behalf of his group: his band-mates Thomas Scotson (organ) and Chris Carcamo (drums) barely getting a word in during CityLife’s hour-long interview as Neville outlines the Turrentine Jones manifesto in breathless, vociferous fashion.

Away from the trials of the interview scenario, however, Turrentine Jones are clearly much more of a creative democracy. Taking Neville’s love of the trad blues as their starting point, the Manchester trio channel those influences through swirling organ parts, rapid-fire percussion and rousing pop harmonies: the end result sounding akin to The Black Keys working their way through a psychedelic Sixties pop songbook.

Moreover, in an age when we’re used to musicians telling us that they listen to a bit of everything, Turrentine Jones’ list of influences feels bracingly rigorous. They struggle to name even one Manchester artist who they feel an affinity with (Neville: “It’s so predictable out there – no one is taking any risks”); preferring instead to extol the genius of long-gone blues icons such as Lightnin’ Hopkins, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and Junior Kimbrough.

Not that Turrentine Jones are willing to be drawn into a debate on the merits of blues authenticity, however. “Blues might be a fashion to some bands right now,” Neville defends. “But for us, it’s about taking those real blues influences and making them work within your own music.

“I love the blues, but I don’t think there’s any point in bashing people over the head and making out like we’re authentic Mississippi blues. I’ve heard a few people say to us, ‘You’re not real blues music ’cause you don’t have a bass player’. Well, that’s rubbish – you can make blues whatever you want it to be if you are true to the expression of it.”

Born in the Hunter Valley, in New South Wales, Neville paints a childhood portrait of enviable rural bliss. Raised on his parent’s farm with one older brother, if Neville wasn’t chipping in with regular farm chores he would enjoy his time, “horse-riding or playing sports with my mates. I was a typical country kid”.

Predictably, it was the onset of adolescence which instilled a sense of restlessness in that typical country kid.

With an ever-increasing love of folk and blues music (“My dad gave me my first album when I was seven – a Van Morrison album”) kick-starting his own creative instincts, the teenage Neville was already craving big city escape.

He wasn’t the only one. Neville recalls: “The first opportunity you had, you got away. Every kid at school was itching to move away. To get to civilisation.”

For the 18-year-old Neville, fresh out of high school, civilisation meant the bright lights of Aussie capital, Canberra, where he moved and secured a job working in a record store by day, while performing gigs in the city’s dive bars by night.

It was at one of those shows that led to the remarkable turn of events which led Neville to move to England.

Spotted by the management of Mark Knopfler, who was touring Australia at the time, Neville managed to blag a few support dates with the former Dire Straits guitar legend.

Backstage at one of those support shows, Neville found himself speaking one-to-one to Knopfler, who recommended he should re-locate to England.

“A life-changing moment,” he declares. “If it wasn’t for that experience, I wouldn’t be where I am now. Mark Knopfler was really encouraging – he just said ‘why don’t you give it a go in England – you’d be good over there’.

“When someone like him gives you advice, you have to take it on board.”

Take it on board he certainly did. Arriving here in 2008 (he says it was “a toss-up between Leeds and Manchester – and Manchester won”), Neville wasted no time in realising his musical ambitions.

Recruiting keyboardist Thomas Scotson and drummer Chris Carcamo (the latter formerly of Manc indie contenders The Children), a box-fresh Turrentine Jones line-up played one of their first live shows at music convention In The City, eliciting rave reviews and much music biz interest.

That interest has now led to the recording of a debut single, the blistering Candy Snake, due for release in August on a (as-yet-unnamed) new independent record label. A perfect introduction to the band’s rambunctious, free-form blues-rock, the track further highlights Neville as a lyricist for whom no subject matter is ever too macabre.

“That track is my way of describing a fever – the power a woman can have over a man,” Neville says, rather enigmatically. “It’s about how a man feels about a woman before she’s even arrived in the room: like he’s anticipating her presence and he knows what kind of effect she’ll have on him. It grips you like a fever and just takes control of you. The song is a sort of heavy blues take on what goes on between men and women.”

It’s a fitting metaphor for the effect Turrentine Jones will have on Manc audiences. Animalistic, thrilling and utterly unconfined – Turrentine Jones will leave you in the grip of a most unshakable blues fever. - City Life