Ally VenableGarret T. WillieWednesday 9th September, 7.30pmTickets are £20 (+ b/f) in advance and available from See Tickets.*This is a standing show*'Make no mistake, Ally Venable kicks ass.'Fireworks Magazine'Very few other female modern artists are playing blues rock music quite like this, and Venable is clearly at the forefront.'R’N’R Magazine, 5 Stars'Ally Venable’s new album is a bold, electrifying statement that cements her status as a blues rock powerhouse.'Blues Matters Magazine“Money & Power is such a strong statement, especially for women,” says the award-winning Texas gunslinger of her Nashville-recorded album, on which Ally’s crack-squad band is joined by A-listguests Shemekia Copelandand Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram. “All the songs on this album showcase the theme of what it truly means to be a force to be reckoned with. I want this record to wake people up,”continues Ally. Money and power make the world go round. But in the right hands, music can be every bit as potent. Right now, on the heels of 2023’s acclaimed Real Gone–an album that hit #1 on the Billboard Blues Charts and was still in contention a year later –Ally israted amongst the best young singer-songwriters in American roots, saluted by Total Guitar magazine in its poll of Top 100 Blues Guitarists. Photo by Denis Carpentier“With her heels, sequins and Les Paul growling on a leash, she’s one of Ruf’s most head-turning young artists,” wrote Classic Rock, “and while the instrumental prowess can be taken as read, Real Gone marks a growing maturity in the Texan’s songcraft.”In February 2024, with the dust still settling from Real Gone, the Money & Powersessions saw Ally and producer/drummer Tom Hambridgepush through the doors of Nashville’s famous Soundstage Studios. And while the studio band was strictly A-list, as always, Ally’s new songs are the real stars. That attitude is palpable on opener “BrownLiquor,”Ally’s battlecry decorated by a stinging guest guitar solo from the Mississippi hotshot Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram.“Money & Power shouts to the masses,” she explains, “that women are not to be doubted in their ability to thrive in the world.”Vital right to the end, Money & Powerplays out with “Stepping Stone’s”earthy roar of empowerment, the shuddering, spooky, tremolo-soaked groove of “Feel That Sting,”and the dustblown rocker “Unbreakable,”where Ally goes toe-to-toe with New York powerhouse Shemekia Copeland.“That song spreads a message of women that have been oppressed,” she says, “to rise to the occasion and break above it all.”Money & Poweris a modern roots record that plays by its own rules and marches to the beat of its own drum. The same could be said for Ally herself. “I’m thrilled to release this album,” she says. “For me, it’s a sonic embodiment of a woman’s unstoppable ambition, and showcases my musicality on all fronts. I’m looking forward to seeing where this one will take me.”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K_ag-d5ZoE
