{"id":12448,"date":"2017-05-18T17:20:06","date_gmt":"2017-05-18T16:20:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/?p=12448"},"modified":"2017-05-18T17:20:06","modified_gmt":"2017-05-18T16:20:06","slug":"toby-leonard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/toby-leonard\/","title":{"rendered":"TobyJoeLeonard"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

14th May<\/p>\n

Toby Joe Leonard<\/h1>\n

at The Shed<\/p>\n

for his album launch of Pain Relief<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"
Toby Joe Leonard’s album Pain Relief, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

with Will Coles and Adam Robinson<\/p>\n

An audience gathered at the Shed today to mark the launch of singer Toby Joe Leonard’s album Pain Relief<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Will Coles at The Shed, 14th May 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Will Coles<\/strong> opened the show with a performance of Green Day’s Time of your Life. He followed this up with a song by Frank Turner.<\/p>\n

And if I knew anybody who played pedal steel guitar,<\/em>
\nI’d get them in my band and then my band would get real far,<\/em>
\nBut I was raised in middle England, and not in Nashville Tennessee,<\/em>
\nAnd the only person in my band is me.<\/em><\/p>\n

An amusing stage manner, Coles won over his audience and drew people into his set. Even though he kept messing up he turned it into part of his act. His guitar-playing was of a high standard. He kind of reminded me of Brandon Neal. I particularly liked his cover of The Libertine’s song Music when the Lights go Out<\/em>.<\/p>\n

but all the highs and the lows and the to’s and the fro’s they left me dizzy \/ oh wont you please<\/em>
\nforgive me. \/\u00a0<\/em>but i no longer hear the music oh no no no no<\/em><\/p>\n

An excellent set and a vibrant start to the show.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Adam Robinson at The Shed, 14th May 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So far so good. Adam Robinson<\/strong> kicked off his set with a revved-up version of Jeff Buckley’s Hallelujah<\/em>. I song I know really well, although not at that speed. Still, it’s about putting one’s own take on a number. A rousing start. He then announced \u201cA happy little tune about dying\u201d, which brought am amused reaction from the audience. I hear him say \u201cA lyrical ballad in e-minor.\u201d Plenty of delicate finger-picking (I am particular fond of that style of guitar-playing.) For the third time this week I hear a version of The House of the Rising Sun<\/em>. That was followed by a song about a dinosaur and a pterodactyl. Different. The audience was invited to join in by roaring like dinosaurs \u2013 which they did.<\/p>\n

And then it was time for the headline set of the show.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Toby Joe Leonard at The Shed, 14th May 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This might be a good time to reflect on what Leicester’s music scene has done before to support the cause of mental health.<\/p>\n

In 2012, Arts in Leicester magazine ran a feature article on Refuge: ‘Refuge is a Leicester band that stands out – both for its music and for its involvement in the work of an important mental health campaign.’ Reviewing the band’s launch of its album Time Together<\/em>, it said:<\/p>\n

‘Through the lyrics, Peter Hirst explores feelings, emotions and images of inner experience, as for example “choose your state of mind” from Chances, the third track on the CD. The expressive lyrics are laden with poetry and imagery that draws the listener into the contemplations and stories that Peter tells though the medium of song. The melodies perfectly bring alive the lyrics, capturing the poignancy of the song and highlighting its emotional depth.’<\/em><\/p>\n

In some respects that is a good introduction to tonight’s show in which Toby Joe Leonard launched his new album Pain Relief<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Toby Joe Leonard at The Shed, 14th May 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Before Toby came on stage, the screen at the back showed a film of Toby being interviewed in which he talked about the background to his album and the issues it gives a voice to, the issues concerning mental health.
\nDuring tonight’s performance, Toby sang songs from his album Pain Relief<\/em>.\u00a0Toby is a singer and songwriter. We have featured him before in our magazine.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Toby Joe Leonard at The Shed, 14th May 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt changed my perception of what I was writing about\u201d, he explained as he talked through the background to the story of how the album was developed. Bad Dream<\/em> is one of his songs that has strong and impactful lyrics.
\nIt was a moving experience. A set rich in messages and reflections, thoughtful and insightful. He came across as an article with a voice and a desire to share his experiences with his audience. His songs were delivered with real feeling and conviction and the audience was right behind him.<\/p>\n

As he worked through the set, Toby explained the background to his songs, explaining the stories behind the lyrics. At one point, Toby unplugged his guitar and came down on the floor to singer to the audience. Pitch perfect. The mark of truly able singer. His lyrics showed that he is also a fine songwriter and lyricist. A lot of what we heard was deeply personal, something that cannot be easy for an artist, but for us it was a very rewarding experience \u2013 engaging, compelling and captivating.\u00a0A brilliant night.<\/p>\n

What the Shed demonstrates is that live music venues no longer need to be places of darkness and gloom. This afternoon, the big window let in plenty of light and outside we could see a world lit by spring sunshine. The big window was the most brilliant innovation in the Shed’s conversion, bringing the place into the ethos of the twenty-first century. Even when it opened in 1994, the Shed’s decor was ten years out of date.<\/p>\n

You can show your support for Toby’s work and his album through going to the Digital album download<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some memories of Toby at previous performances<\/p>\n

\"\"
Toby Joe Leonard at the Jukebox December 2016. Photo by Kevin Gaughan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
Toby Leonard in November 2015 at the Oxjam festival.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Toby Leonard. Elisabeth Barker-Carley and Poetman in 2015See also<\/p>\n

Music for the month of May 2017<\/a><\/p>\n

Feature article on the band Not My God Arm<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Feature article about the singer Toby Joe Leonard<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":12445,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[176,142,54,143],"tags":[117],"class_list":["post-12448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-176","category-solo-artists-with-feature-articles","category-gigs-music-home-page","category-use-for-solo-artists","tag-shed-venue"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Toby-Leonard-3.jpg?fit=600%2C450&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p73uhX-3eM","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11700,"url":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/records-2017\/","url_meta":{"origin":12448,"position":0},"title":"Listening post 2017","author":"Trevor Locke","date":"04\/02\/2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Record reviews for 2017","rel":"","context":"In "2017"","block_context":{"text":"2017","link":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/Music\/2017\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/06-Jouska-TC.jpg?fit=600%2C411&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/06-Jouska-TC.jpg?fit=600%2C411&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/06-Jouska-TC.jpg?fit=600%2C411&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7861,"url":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/oxjam-2015-acts\/","url_meta":{"origin":12448,"position":1},"title":"Oxjam 2015 Acts","author":"Trevor Locke","date":"02\/11\/2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Acts that took part in the 2015 Oxjam festival","rel":"","context":"In "2015"","block_context":{"text":"2015","link":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/Music\/history-of-leicester-music\/the-year-2015\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/LToby-Joe-Leonard.jpg?fit=600%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/LToby-Joe-Leonard.jpg?fit=600%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/LToby-Joe-Leonard.jpg?fit=600%2C477&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4714,"url":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/thatwasaugust\/","url_meta":{"origin":12448,"position":2},"title":"ThatWasAugust","author":"Trevor Locke","date":"07\/09\/2014","format":false,"excerpt":"31st August 2014 That was August Live music in Leicester in August 2014 Sunday 31st Steve Faulkner plays at Sloanes Bar Singer Steve does a three hour non-stopper of popular songs. 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