reviews

• Make Time to listen out for the distinct sound of Hivida, The Orcadian, 15/12/2005
• Self-belief sees Hivida through, The Orcadian, 06/05/2004
• A hit, however it's pronounced, The Orcadian, 11/12/2003
• Excerpt from 'The Orcadian' Newspaper, The Orcadian, 29/05/2003
• Local stars Hivida almost steal headliner's thunder, The Orcadian, No Date

Make Time to listen out for the distinct sound of Hivida

The album time to listen includes 12 original songs and looks set to be a smash. Made up of James Henry, Robbie Thomson, Charles Dearness and Chas Milne, this is a collaboration of Orkney's finest.

Hivida have been together for about three years and although live appearances are few and far between, there has obviously been a lot going on behind the scenes.

The sound of Hivida is unmistakeable - very acoustic, dreamy, crystal clear and extremely contemporary. Their originality is undoubtedly highlighted by trumpet player Charles Dearness, who really defines the songs.

It would not be any shock if Hivida went on to bigger things. They have a modern sound, infectious, uplifting songs to carry them, and the spirit of island life behind them - this is definitely a selling point.

James is not ruling this out, as the band are already concocting a plan of action. He said: "What we'll do is get into the New Year and then send it off to a few agents and see what kind of response we get. Let's see how people in Orkney and Shetland respond and use that as a foundation to build on".

Having seen the band a handful of times, I am already familiar with a lot of the songs on the album. The first time I saw them was in the Firelounge, and I gushed about them then. The second time was at Fusion's battle of the bands in 2004, and I found myself able to sing along to select songs - there were in my head!

Having now heard the album in all its glory, I would say it is the one CD that will reach and impress a younger audience this Christmas. But having said that, it is an album that will appeal to everyone who loves good music, and appreciates solid and heartfelt songs about life, love and memories, written in the most modern and tasteful way.

The other thing about time to listen is that while there are so many styles covered, the band never lose their originality or distinct sound.

The album opens with Mexico, which as you may imagine, has a very Mexican feel with guitar and trumpet. The second track Stampy incorporates delicate finger picking, complemented by soft bass tones and beautifully uplifting chord sequence. Fear is a darker and heavier sound for the band, but with a similarly styled catch chorus.

Trumpet counter-melodies in the slower paced Christine beautiful harmonies and piano make this another signature tune, and the title Track time to listen uses jazzy bass run and a shuffly drum beat to create character.

Country influences are evident in I come around - a must-hear for fan of the Waterboys or Levellers; and my favourite track Northern Lights is a breath-taking song, with an almighty crescendo at the chorus that will put you on top of the world.

Later in the album, E groove introduces a touch of the old James Brown into the collection - plenty of soul, funk and a fantastic trumpet solo.

This really is a set of anthemic songs and the album has something for everyone. Hivida have the talent to sell records in much bigger places, and no doubt some day, with enough determination, they will be doing just that.

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Self-belief sees Hivida through

Finalists Hivida had been tipped to go all the way from the moment they set foot on stage. They started their set with a Mexican flavour, and every song to follow was penned by the boys themselves. They proved themselves a band with a unique style - as someone said: "like nothing you've ever heard before."

Front man, James Henry, worked his charm, offering the audience kisses with red faced trumpet/guitar player Charles Dearness ("the bear on the trumpet") for £2. Drummer Robbie Thompson said: "It wasn't too bad. There were a few mistakes but it was good I think."

Bass player, Chris Milne, added: "It's good to see so many young folk getting into music. It has been really good."

James said: "I think we enjoyed the gig. We realise that most people have never heard our original material before but we perform our own stuff because we believe in it."

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A hit, however it's pronounced

Hivida. It's pronounced, as it is spelt, not Hiv-Aye-da, or Hiveeda - just Hivida. According to James Henry it is important to get that across.

He announced this as his opening line before playing in the Firelounge in Kirkwall last Thursday night, and surely it is important.

You need to know how to say it before you can watch it.

As for what it means, you'd be better not to ask.

James says it comes from fellow band members' jibing at his Shetland accent. Apparently it's a Shetland word.

What followed was an amazing set of original music, influenced by jazz, blues, rock and traditional styles, performed by four of Orkney's most talented.

Although front man James is originally from our neighbors to the north, we will have to claim him as our own if he ever makes it big. We may not deserve the credit, but it would be well worth it.

Hivida went down a storm in the Firelounge and they only played two cover songs, one being the Jungle Book classic, King Louis.

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Excerpt from 'The Orcadian' Newspaper

First up was local band 'Hivida', whose front man James Henry - ex lead with Shetland based 'Drop The Box' - started the proceedings with a very "groovy" 'Getting Harder'.Their songs, which were all written by James, had strong jazz influences, however in the second song which started with the moody trumpet of Charles Deerness, I would have not been surprised to have seen the legendry Jimmy Page strut on from the chorus lines.

Chas Milne on bass and Robbie Thompson on drums completed the line up of the band, who finished the set with a song entitled 'Merry Dancers'which was written by James when he was living temporarily in Holm. Anyone who attended the debut performance of Hivida in Quoyburray would probably

agree that the sound system did not do them justice, but well done the lads for a rousing performance.

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Local stars Hivida almost steal headliner's thunder

Falkirk rockers Arab Strap were the latest in the line of live music acts to visit Kirkwall's new Fusion nightclub, when they played a one-off performance recently.

The group didn't disappoint their Orkney-based fans with their alternative style of indie music, but it was local band Hivida - one of the two supporting acts - who contributed what was arguably the best performance of the night.

The newly formed four-piece wowed the surprisingly large crowd in the upstairs Firelounge section of the club before Arab Strap took to the stage for a much more mellow medley of music.

They followed a performance by occasional Arab Strap member Malcolm Middleton, who whetted the crowd's appetite with an impressive solo acoustic set - a preview of what will appear on his soon-to-be released solo album.

The gig provided the perfect warm up and confidence booster for Hivida before they set off on their summer tour of Scotland this month. The band are due perform gigs in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow during the tour.

The group were enjoying a good reception from the crowd until lead singer James Henry - former front man with Shetland band Drop the Box - announced that Shetland was better than Orkney, which needless to say did not go down well with the crowd.

The band displayed their full musical versatility, filling their play list with a superb mixture of rock, blues and country music, concluding the show with a little jazz for good measure.

Front man Henry showed why Drop the Box were such a big hit with his vocal talent, but the main stand out was Kirkwall musician Charles Dearness, whose moody trumpet tunes complemented the band's play list perfectly, particularly on the tracks Merry Dancers and the Murder Mystery song.

Arab Strap took to the stage about half an hour after Hivida, bringing with them the only criticism that could be levelled at the event.

As impressive as they were, Arab Strap proved to be a little bit too mellow - although they have been known to play music of a more grunge nature - and it took a while to adjust to their style following the energetic end to Hivida's performance.

But the band provided an acceptably different performance, and proved to be the perfect answer for bored music fans looking for an interesting way to spend a quiet Sunday evening.

Although the band made quite an unsociable entrance by simply setting up their equipment and tearing right into a track, they soon won the respect of the crowd with an impressive performance.

Performing a selection of tracks from their seven albums, the standouts on the evening proved to be Who Named the Days?, Act of War, Haunt Me and Toy Fights.

The mood of the evening was also helped with an advertisement announcing that Finley Quaye, who performed at this year's Glastonbury festival, is due to hold a gig at Fusion before the end of this month.

While the crowd for the event was larger than I had anticipated, the same number of people in the downstairs section would have surely resulted in a slightly duller atmosphere.

But Firelounge proved to be the perfect venue.

This has to be a breakthrough, proving that times are changing, and originality is getting its foot in the door at last.

Singer/guitarist James, trumpet player Charles Dearness, bass player Chas Milne and drummer Robbie Thomson played a concoction of fantastic, self-penned music and successfully impressed a bar full of thirsty Orcadians.

Not only were Hivida original, but also they were pro¬fessional. Having recently enjoyed the luxury and variety of nightlife in the city, I honestly felt that Hivida would look perfectly natural in a swanky jazz bar. I say the 'luxury' of city nightlife, because until recently, we were a community of mainly cover bands playing what we had to for the sake of winning over a pub crowd.

No disrespect to such bands (I'm in one!) or indeed their audiences, but for a long time, original music just didn't hit the spot.

Never let it be said that the arrival of Fusion has killed the music scene for local musicians - it's given those who want it the courage to be who they want to be. There is space for all kinds of acts now, and soon there will be enough of a music scene for people to pick and choose their evening's entertainment.

How refreshing to be able to go out and see some¬thing you've never seen or heard before - a band that isn't afraid to say what they want.

That is part of the attraction of Hivida, but the undeniable talents of all four musicians, and their ability to work together effortlessly is impressive.

Charles Dearness, who also plays bass in Big Muff, was the talking point for many in the club. An unusual addition to a modern outfit and especially here, the trumpet makes their sound unique. It makes it sound sophisticated where you would least expect it.

James Henry, formerly of Shetland band Drop the Box gave an excellent performance up front, chat¬tering away to folk over the mike, and being a funny man. Like all in the band, he is a natural performer and comes across as a total professional.

I spoke to James the next day, and he was pleased about the gig in the Firelounge the night before.

"We had some reservations about it - we had decided early on that we didn't really want to play in pubs. We were more keen on doing concerts -it's nice when people sit down and listen.

"This was a bit of both. There were people who were genuinely there to hear the band, and then there were others who were just out for a drink and a good time. It seemed to work pretty well," he said.

He explained that he has always had an idea that a trumpet would complement his music.

"I have always had an idea that I'd like to get a trumpet involved - then we met Charles and it all came together."

Hivida have successfully written 16 original songs to date, and have plans for more.

"We would like to keep that going, and get the stuff recorded. We're hoping to have an album recorded and released some time in the New Year," he said.

Basically, I could talk about Hivida all day. I'm smitten with this band, and as mushy as it may sound, I can't wait to see them again.

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