REVIEWS THROUGH THE YEARS.
PAUL TILLEY – LIVE AT THE EASTFIELD HOTEL 18/12/99
Paul Deyes – The Performing Rights Society
Very rarely does being a Performing Rights Society Researcher turn out to be so pleasantly entertaining. You are not usually told what act you will be reviewing on any given evening, so I was initially elated, then petrified when, on walking into the Eastfield, I was confronted by the sight of an unassuming young man setting up his gear. My apprehension was sparked by the knowledge that Paul Tilley’s musical memory is legendary, and I wondered what an earth he would shoe-horn into his set in order to baffle me. I needn’t have worried.
The Eastfield’s patrons this evening seemed to be largely made up of local scooter enthusiasts and Paul did not disappoint. Kicking off with ‘Dignity’ and a superb version of Robbie Williams’ ‘She’s The One’ would suggest otherwise but Paul rewarded their patience with back-to-back renditions of three Who classics (‘I Can See For Miles’, ‘Substitute’ and ‘Pinball Wizard’). We were then treated to ‘I Don’t Like Mondays’, before easing into Modfather territory with ‘Changingman’, ‘My Ever Changing Moods’ and ‘You’re The Best Thing’. The Jam were next up for suitably reverential treatment, with the high point being a blistering version of ‘Town Called Malice’, before rounding off our mod-tinged section with ‘Wildwood’.
Paul’s own compositions were then served up. His voice, especially on his own songs, is very reminiscent of Squeeze in their heyday. Indeed, the lyrical sincerity and intelligence of his ’Tilleytunes’ lend themselves favourably to such comparison. Sadly, we were rationed to only three self-penned songs tonight (although the crowd wanted more). ‘A Smile on My Face’ is a very uplifting acoustic number and, being a sucker for acoustic guitar, I particularly enjoyed this one. ‘Bobby Moore’ (a song written with his friend Greg Palmer on the eve of the great man’s demise) is a firm favourite wherever Paul plays, and the simplicity of the lyrics gives an ambiguity to the song, being respectful to the ex-England captain, while retaining a very tongue-in-cheek approach. ‘Walking Home Drunk Again’ brought the tempo back up a little, and has probably the most telling lyrical content having witnessed Paul deal (musically) with drunken hecklers.
Paul has a talent for comedy (to complement his musical expertise), and after completing ‘Waterloo Sunset’, ‘Itchycoo Park’ and ‘In The City’ he then embarked on a mish-mash of tunes (designed to test my PRS credentials no doubt) which can only be described as the Animals having tea with Don McLean in a Led Zeppelin.
After faithful (but personal) renditions of ‘Imagine’, ‘My Girl’ and ‘Hey Jude’ a suitably touching ‘Let it Be’ climaxed the evening’s entertainment, and what better way to complete your last PRS Scarborough review of this last thousand years? Next year go and see the ‘Human Juke-Box’ and maybe you could persuade him to sing a few more of his own excellent songs. Better still, buy his CD!
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TILLEY AND TOWNSEND - LIVE AT THE TAP.
Published on Wed Dec 22 11:09:52 GMT 2010 by Clarke Ellison.
IF you haven't yet caught any Wednesday evenings in December at the Tap & Spile, get yourself down there tonight for a pre-Christmas treat.
Tom Townsend has been the 'up and coming and arrived' star on the local music scene for about eight years, playing to residents and visitors alike in a number of different bands and settings.
Paul Tilley is one of those rare individuals who is not only oozing with talent, but through his personal qualities can engage an audience and create an intimate atmosphere everywhere he plays, every time. An experienced solo performer and musical educator, Paul also has the ability to bring out the best in other musicians with whom he plays.
Through tasteful covers of Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan, James Taylor, Police, Joe Jackson and many more, as well as some of Paul's compositions such as Alfie Boy and He's Calling for You from his latest album, you are truly entertained. Throw in some marvelous improvisation, drum duets and fabulous harmonies, and you have an evening not to be missed.
Due to popular demand, their Wednesday residency will now continue into January. Live music at its best.
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Diverse music from talented musician Paul Tilley
Published on Tue May 13 11:23:27 BST 2008 – John Richie for Scarborough Evening News.
PAUL TILLEY is a musician's musician in a town which seems to have more than its fair share of musical talent.
Recently he has taken on the role of wandering minstrel, as a peripatetic music teacher, visiting schools in the area to give students the benefit of his 25 years' experience in the music trade as a professional drummer; they couldn't wish for a better teacher to learn from.
My extended family are big fans of Paul, primarily through my little brother Stephen, who has been singing his praises for many years. Paul is a multi-instrumentalist who plays guitar and piano as well as drums. He's not in the slightest bit pretentious and is always more than keen to give people what they want, musically speaking – which is generally a good night out.
You could ask Paul to play your favourite number from artists as diverse as Bob Dylan, Lionel Richie and Boney M and he'll do just that.
My favourite Tilley songs are two of his own compositions, Bobby Moore and She's Just Like Me, which after a few beers are great songs to sing along to. Paul is a wonderful musician and I would recommend him to anyone who is thinking about booking an entertainer for their function.
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Andy Reece for The Link' magazine, Sept '04. (www.cultfound.org)
PAUL TILLEY - A MONTH OF SUNDAYS AT DOCTOR BROWN'S, MIDDLESBROUGH
If you want to see and hear singing, guitaring, keyboard playing and drumming at it's best go and see Paul Tilley either solo or with his musical friends (in the third gig of this run Paul was joined by his musically accomplished friends Mark Gordon on keyboards and Aiden Lawrence on Bass). I have caught Paul on many occasions now and am yet to see anything even approaching the same show twice from this talented songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.
Despite playing in a covers band myself (Under The Influence) it is Paul's own compositions which appeal to me most, with beautifully crafted melodies and lyrics ranging from side splittingly humorous to tear jerkingly emotional. But if it is covers you want, Paul delivers Squeeze to Sex Pistols, Jam to Jazz and so much more.
As if being this talented wasn't enough, Paul is also a really nice bloke, always taking time to chat before, after and even during his shows. I haven't met anyone who has seen Paul live who hasn't left the gig with a smile on their face (for the rest of the day Paul?). But don't take my word for it, go and witness this human juke-box for yourself and do it soon. Andy (Under The Influence).
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Dave Barry, Scarborough Evening News - Jan 2004.
PAUL'S MUCH IN DEMAND.
What started as a month's booking has now stretched out to a year for Paul Tilley. Initially Paul wasn't sure if it would work for more than one month, but Tap and Spile landlord Ian Kilpatrick had no doubts.
" I always knew it would work. Sometimes residencies can get a bit boring, especially if people play the same songs all the time, but Paul doesn't. He has a huge repertoire and his own material is wonderful," Ian said. "He has the ability to change his songs so there's always something new."
Paul, who is working on a new CD said, " It's been a great year and it's always well attended."
The first anniversary of Paul's weekly sessions at the Tap is next Tuesday when a growing band of regulars will probably be out in force. He plays everything from jazz standards to punk covers and mostly performs solo on guitar and keyboards. He also has a trio with Bob Scott and Andy Crossland that plays several of Paul's songs plus covers by The Jam, XTC, The Undertones, and The Beach Boys.
Paul is in much demand on the live circuit and won the best musician award in last year's 'Up For It' poll.
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This is a recent review from www.thisisrevolution.com It's a really good site. Many thanks Andrew.
Paul Tilley at Doctor Browns Middlesbrough Sunday 25 July 2003.
By Andrew Cummins
Teesside's own Paul Tilley completed his month long residency at a packed Doctor Browns in Middlesbrough on Sunday night.
Unlike last week's Paul Weller fest this performance showcased Tilley's wide ranging musical taste with tracks as diverse as the Temptations 'My Girl' to a brilliant take on REM's 'The one I love' being played.
Highlights of the set included an energetic version of The Jam's 'That's Entertainment' and David Gray's 'Say Hello Wave Goodbye' that the Manc legend would have been proud of.
Anybody who has come across Paul Tilley before will know that he is far more than just a cover artist and he didn't disappoint in this set with the stunning 'A Beautiful Surprise' and 'A Smile on My Face' being amongst the most welcome songs of the evening.
It is a measure of his ability that his own songs blend in perfectly along side more familiar established tracks.
All in all this was a highly successful end to an equally successful residency displaying Paul Tilley's significant live talent and showed just what one man with a guitar and keyboard can do and left both artist and audience content and entertained.
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