It has only taken us 13 years but if any one song/performance really 'broke' Jo Harman as a live act, it was the compelling, bone-deep sincerity of her reworking of the Citizen Cope song 'Sideways'
More often than not performed as the penultimate song of the set, over time the song morphed into a 10 minutes long or more epic. Not only did it serve to showcase Jo's unique vocal prowess, it was also a vehicle to demonstrate the fact that her musicians were amongst the very best on the circuit. All of which helped catapult her career and reputation in short order, leading to her V2 investing in her (initially self released) debut album 'Dirt On My Tongue' and the rest, as they say, is geography (sic).....
A shorter, more contained acoustic rearrangement of 'Sideways' was recorded around that time which was left off the debut album by dint of the fact that it was not an original song. That version was, however, released later as a bonus track in Europe and has subsequently been streamed over 2 million times, and rising, on Spotify alone.
But this is the full band live version in all its 8 minute 38 seconds glory. Recorded live in London with her oldest and closest bandmates, Carl Hudson on keys, Terry Lewis (moonlighting on bass), Martin Johnson drums and an impromptu soul fuelled and at times, screaming, guitar solo by Mike Mayfield (aka Davies), brought on stage from the audience by Jo and otherwise guitarist on the night, Nat Martin.
We will be doing a physical CD single version just for old times sake, but if ever one song was the Jo Harman and Company early trademark - this is it. 'These feelings won't go away...they keep knocking me sideways'
Jo Harman and her 7 piece band perform WEMSFEST on 18th January and MILKFEST (O2 Indigo) on 23rd February 2025
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