Album review: NOTHING CONCRETE – The Haberdasher’s Voyage

NOTHING CONCRETE – The Haberdasher’s Voyage

Round Flat Music [Release date 01.04.21]

Nothing Concrete are a six-piece international band (featuring two French members, one English, one Scot, one Italian and one Belgian) is based in the countryside of the French Pyrenees- sometimes compared to Ronnie Lane’ s ‘getting back to nature-gypsy, travelling circus’ Passing Show lifestyle. Nothing Concrete’s main man is Fergus McKay and the band playing a mix of folk, swing, jazz and Americana.

The songs are a wonderful jamboree of styles, covering vampires on ‘Sit Tight’; a fast folk flurry on ‘Provolone’ and some top notch bar room piano playing on ‘I Need Money’.

Nothing Concrete even rework the traditional nursery rhyme ‘There’s A Hole In My Bucket’ on ‘Dear Liza’ and it works really well. Interestingly the band steer clear of that folk staple ‘Trad. Arr.’, instead relying on the songwriting of Fergus McKay and it certainly pays off throughout the course of the album.

Swing is the thing on ‘Fine Desolation’. One thing about Nothing Concrete you can certainly not accuse them of recycling the same musical ideas over and over again.

Definitely a band to catch live when live music returns, as the majority of songs on the album have a lively way about them. They apparently even have a puppet who joins in with the audience at their shows!

A big top full of musical surprises and delights, Nothing Concrete will appeal to lovers of lively roots based music. ***1/2

Review by Jason Ritchie


Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.

In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Josh Taerk Sunday Sessions 2024

Latest session: Sunday 25 February
Next session: Sunday 14 April

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio



David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 25 February 2024.


UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 27 February 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com


Power Plays w/c 4 March 2024

COLLATERAL Glass Sky (Big Shot Records)
THE ZUTONS Pauline (ICEPOP)
THE GEORGIA THUNDERBOLTS Rise Above It All (Mascot)
MATT PEARCE & THE MUTINY From Here To The Moon (indie)
THE BLACK VULTURES Never Say (indie)

Featured Albums w/c 4 March 2024

09:00-12:00 LEE AARON Tattoo Me (Metalville)
12:00-13:00 THE END MACHINE The Quantum Phase (Frontiers)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023


To see our Tweets you need to be logged in to a Twitter account



Popular (last 10 days)


This entry was posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply