MBV AT ROLLERCOASTER 1992

My Bloody Valentine play Manchester Apollo tonight as their comeback tour continues. I'm not there tonight but I did see them as part of the Rollercoaster tour at Brixton Academy in 1992.

At the time this created quite a stir: The Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine and Dinosaur Jr, three of the loudest bands around at that time, plus young upstarts Blur sharing a bill on equal footing. And the running order of the bands would be drawn each night. Well that's what they said. When Jesus and Mary Chain came on last and a huge lighting rig descended no-one was in doubt about who was headlining. JAMC and Dinosaur Jr can be pretty terrifyingly LOUD at the best of times. But MBV was something else.

I seem to remember the band emerged from four plastic pods - just like in Spinal Tap. I might have this wrong, memory has failed me many times before. But what I have no doubt about was the noise. Now this wasn't just loud. I watched MBV from the very back of the Academy under the overhang from the first floor. And my diaphragm was vibrating painfully. All my internal organs were being shaken up by the waves of sound hitting me. And I was at the back.

This seems to be borne out by reports of their recent London gigs with ear-protectors given out on the way in (here and here). The mystique of MBV is about more than noise but if you are going tonight, I'd advise body protection as well as ear protection.

SOON
OFF YOUR FACE

My Bloody Valentine
Glider EP [BUY]

KILL SURF CITY

HEAD

The Jesus and Mary Chain

Barbed Wire Kisses [BUY]

FREAK SCENE

JUST LIKE HEAVEN
Dinosaur Jr.

Fossils [BUY]

Also tonight The Fall plus John Cooper Clarke and Bobby Peru at Manchester Academy. Spoilt for choice! Tickets here.

BRITISH SEA POWER @ MORECAMBE DOME 18 JUNE 2008

A one-off British Sea Power gig sandwiched after 50+ date US tour and before Festival summer appearances PLUS happening in the North West of England PLUS on my birthday EQUALLED a road-trip from Manchester to sunny Morecambe.

Unfortunately it wasn't sunny. It was pouring with rain. And it was very windy on the promenade. However did manage find some shelter in Sam's Fish Bar for a spot of warmth and a large plate of good ol' British sustenance before the gig:

First visit to Morecambe and boy does it need it regeneration. I thought it would be 'quaint', 'neglected', all faded grandeur and hidden charms. Nope, it was just a dump. A depressed seaside town that could have been Hastings or Rhyl or Blackpool.

So Morecambe Dome. Well if you look at the venue's listing (here) this is clearly a case of a "credible" band playing an 'ironic' venue. Surely. Or maybe being so close the Lake District the Dome was a source of early inspiration for the band growing up. Childhood Memories anyone?

And guess what? It is a DOME. From the outside it is definitely a faded/neglected relic (from the 70s?) looking suspiciously like a roller-disco. Inside it is slightly better. Mainly because it is dark and beer is available to buy. There is a stage formed at one 'side' of the Dome with a level floor in front, tiered seating at the opposite side, and then a bar to one side. The ceiling of the Dome is transparent plastic that appears to be filled with corrugated cardboard. Capacity of about 800-1000 at a guess.

BSP were on at 9.30pm and played a pretty similar set to those on UK dates in January mixing lots from new album Do You Like Rock Music? with some older songs. Competent but a little lack-lustre in terms of atmsophere; not helped by a fairly sparse crowd. Did pick up towards the end but overall enjoyable rather than exceptional.

Only surprises were finishing with Lately/Rock in A and also a rendition of Happy Birthday Ronald played apparently for Yan's Dad who was 84 last week. But come on people! We know whose birthday it was today don't we?

During Rock in A, Noble went walkabout over the heads of the crowd (fairly brave given the large gaps) and took the air raid siren with him. Not sure if this was the intended rock 'n' roll pose he was aiming for:

Set-list:

Atom

Lights Out For Darker Skies
Waving Flags
Down on the Ground
Blackout
Happy Birthday Ronald
Remember Me
Canvey Island
The Great Skua
Larsen B
A Trip Out
No Lucifer
The Spirit of St Louis
Carrion
Lately/Rock in A

LIGHTS OUT FOR DARKER SKIES
A TRIP OUT

British Sea Power
Do You Like Rock Music? [BUY]

CHILDHOOD MEMORIES
British Sea Power
Childhood Memories single [SEEK]

I would write about support band Djune but it would be a waste of effort beyond saying I hated them: competent musicians but bland songs. Third-rate metal played by indie rock kids. Except when they brought on the acoustic guitar (then it was third rate stadium rock played by etc. etc.). And then they MURDERED New Order's Blue Monday. And they had dire banter. Get the picture? All of which means they will be huge this time next year.

Finally thanks to Mr P for the driving, the ticket and arranging the sing-song.

LEONARD COHEN @ MANCHESTER OPERA HOUSE 17 JUNE 2008

Managed at short-notice and unexpectedly to get a ticket for this gig. Leonard Cohen is not one of the artists I'd previously list in my most admired or favourites but great to get a ticket for these sell-out theatre shows in Manchester (rest of summer tour is stadia or festivals) and even better to see a legendary artist and understand why he is a legend.

Leonard was backed by a nine-piece band - three singers, keyboards, drums, bass, saxophone/'instrument of wind' and two guitarists - all suited and booted in black (good to see a drummer with a tie and waistcoat). They were clearly exceptional musicians but their role was to provide a subtle backdrop to his voice and to the lyrics. Some of Leonard's backing music, particularly on latter career albums, does tend towards the muzak/smooth end of the spectrum; and this was reproduced (with class) here. But purposely to foreground Leonard's rich voice and those distinctive lyrics. Dressed in a charcoal grey suit and with a brimmed hat, he appeared humbled by the rapturous reception he met - his entrance, after an absence from the UK of 15 years, was of course met with a standing ovation.


The revelation that followed (to me) was then what a performer he is and just how funny he is. In a set that lasted three hours (including a "fifteen to seventeen minute" break), he was witty, self-deprecating and humble in his banter, and truly delivered his songs. Most were performed with his body tensed, slightly hunched, knees bent and cupping his hands around the microphone intently. Despite his years, the voice was captivating.

Obviously he was playing to a crowd on his side - standing ovations at every stage exit/entrance, shouts of encouragement and love throughout - but he appeared genuinely moved by this. To me the highlights were when he kept it simple like Tower of Song: just him, a drum machine, some swirls on the Hammond B3 and the three backing singers. I overheard conversations in the interval about memories of seeing him "in Croydon in 1972". This was another performance that people will be remembering in 36 years' time. Worth going out of your way to see on his summer travels if you have deep pockets.

Set-list:

Dance Me To the End of Love

The Future

Ain't No Cure For Love
Bird on a Wire
Everybody Knows
In My Secret Life
Who By Fire
Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye
Anthem
- interval -
Tower of Song
Susanne
The Gypsy's Wife
Boogie Street
Halleujah
Democracy
I'm Your Man
A Thousand Kisses Deep
Take This Waltz

-----
So Long, Marianne
First We Take Manhattan
That Don't Make It Junk
If It Be Your Will
Closing Time
I Tried To Leave You

FAMOUS BLUE RAINCOAT
Leonard Cohen
Songs of Love and Hate [BUY]

AIN'T NO CURE FOR LOVE
Leonard Cohen
I'm Your Man [BUY]

DEMOCRACY
Leonard Cohen
The Future [BUY]

DARREN & JACK PLAY HEFNER SONGS @ RUBY LOUNGE 11 JUNE 2008

The Ruby Lounge was temporarily converted into a small shrine tonight; a holy place for all those who worship Hefner. This included Darren Hayman, accompanied by old band mate Jack Hayter. Darren arrived on stage frazzled, clutching T-shirts and CDs and reflecting on how in the business of rock 'n' roll, musicians also end up running clothes stores. He pointed out tonight's gig was NOT Hefner ("that's four people; and there's only two of us") but that he and Jack were, like us, Hefner fans. And you couldn't get better affirmation of that than the first song A Hymn For The Alcohol. Not only was it lovingly sung and played (Darren on electric guitar, Jack playing electric pedal steel), the audience were word-perfect in singing too. This set the tone for the evening - touching renditions of Hefner songs with every word sung back to Darren by a devoted following.
After the first song the calls for favourites from Hefner's back catalogue began. Darren pointed out they would be starting gently but would pick up speed and get to cover those requests. He was true to his word about the former but despite a set that covered all five albums including a few from final 'experimental' album Dead Media, there were many of those classics they simply couldn't fit in. Most noticeably Pull Yourself Together. But plenty of others - including some inspired requests from the crowd (Painting and Kissing and The Baggage Reclaim Song being the best).

By the final part of the set Darren, Jack and crowd were truly in their element. The final songs they played, finishing the main set with The Day That Thatcher Dies, were pure joy to hear live - even with Darren starting to lose his voice. This was a relatively short evening (on stage for about for 75 minutes or so) but also one bathed in affection, warmth and the simple pleasure of hearing great songs played in such intimacy. A night to treasure.

The set-list:
The Hymn For The Alcohol
The Librarian
The Weight of The Stars
Junk
China Crisis
The Greedy Ugly People
Don't Go
As Soon As You're Ready
Half A Life
Hello Kitten
The Sad Witch
The Hymn For The Cigarettes
The Day That Thatcher Dies
-----
The Hymn To The Postal Service

Arrived to catch the last two songs from Pierre Hall. Next support band was Amida: five blokes who if you saw them drinking together would look an odd mix but put them in an indiepop band and they all 'fit'. They subscribe to the narrow definition of 'indiepop' - short, jangly, unpolished pop songs played fast including some 'whoa-a-hoos' and lines like "I will kiss you in a month of Sundays". Interested in hearing more on record.

THE SAD WITCH
Hefner
Breaking God's Heart [BUY]

THE GREEDY UGLY PEOPLE
PAINTING AND KISSING
Hefner
We Love The City [BUY]

THE BAGGAGE RECLAIM SONG

Hefner
The Hefner Brain EP [BUY]

THE HYMN FOR THE CIGARETTES

Hefner
The Fidelity Wars [BUY]

Tonight to Sunday Darren and Jack play shows in Leeds, London and Cardiff. More here.

UNCLEVER BARGAIN

Keith John Adams' new album UNCLEVER is officially available in the UK this month. "Officially available" however appears to mean the same as before - order it via kja's website or MySpace page and once paid he'll post you one. I did this earlier this year (when saw it was released in the USA on Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records) and got this little note:

Whether you will get a note or not now, I cannot say. However if you do order a copy (and I really would recommend it) you get a fine record of infectiously good indie guitar pop and all for the unbelievably good value of £5. Including post and packaging. Beat that major labels.

The album is in the same vein as kja's 2005 release PIP - but with more guitars. The kiddie piano/toy box percussion moves aside to make way for lots of stomping guitar riffs - every song has it's own big hook. It's not lofi (recorded in Athens GA with Jason Nesmith) but has an intimacy and charm of someone playing at home with friends for fun. And as well as the catchy hooks it has bags of wide-eyed exuberance as it stomps through 12 tracks in a breezy 35 minutes. A real winner.

BED
ELIZABETH HODGKINSON WARZONE
Keith John Adams
Unclever [BUY - and you really should]

Keith with band is playing in London this Thursday at The Gramaphone, Commercial Street, London E1 - book tickets HERE

BAND ON THE WALL - "A LONG PLAYER"

Band on the Wall is a Manchester institution that has played host to a dizzying array of bands and artists (if you don’t know the full story go here or here).

More than simply a live music venue, it has sadly been closed for the last three years but should be re-opening in Spring 2009, on the same site in the Northern Quarter but with expanded facilities.
Tonight a celebration event was held at Manchester’s Town Hall in advance of that opening to which yours truly blagged an invitation. The event was aimed at sponsors and those with influence or deep pockets. Sadly I possess none of these. But I did enjoy the free Tuborg and came away with a BOTW mouse mat.

However if you have spare cash or bags of influence please consider BOTW and go here.

I last went to BOTW in.....and this is why ticket stubs are so important. Without them you rely on memory. Hmmmm. 2004? 2005?

Anyway The Earlies were headlining and Working For a Nuclear Free City and The Longcut were supporting. Came in mid-set for WFANFC and remember being annoyed at missing out - excellent stuff, only topped by an impassioned performance by The Longcut. A shouting drummer-singer! He drums, he shouts, they play loudly. Unfortunately next came The Earlies. This was around the time their first album came out - and their performance was greeted as a combination of album launch party-cum-homecoming ticker tape parade.

Sorry - but I hated it. I thought they were dull, the material was poor (the 'best' song by a mile was a cover of Rachel Stevens' Sweet Dreams My LA-ex) and the sound a mess. Yet the crowd lapped it up - clearly their families were in that night. I was so shocked I stopped Stuart from The Longcut and told him they were ten times - no a hundred times better. He agreed. Some old tracks from both bands.

THE KISS OFF (Demo)

THE LAST ACT OF A DESPERATE MAN

The Longcut

A Call and Response [BUY]

OVER

Working For a Nuclear Free City

Working For a Nuclear Free City [BUY]

WFANFC are playing The Irish Club in Chorlton, Manchester tomorrow 6 June [INFO] and The Longcut are playing The Deaf Institute, Manchester on Friday 20 June [BUY TICKETS].

We've Got Photographs Of Men On The Moon

A form of currency when I was young was the C90 cassette - either home-made compilations or with the John Peel show taped on them. This was the very early 80s when indie music meant 'independent'. Cherished amongst my tapes was the one with Red Guitars on. And in particular their first single Good Technology.

Red Guitars had many good songs but this was the stand-out. There's a good history of the first incarnation of the band here. If you want to finish the story best to read this too but the second album/second incarnation of the band just didn't measure up. I saw them (first incarnation) live in spring 84 at Liverpool Uni. They were meant to be supporting The Smiths but Morrissey's voice gave out so Red Guitars got the headline slot. My memory is pretty hazy but I remember how good they were and how powerful Good Technology was live. It's a great song that somehow manages to be prophetic and retro, optimistic and apocalyptic all at same time.

I kept that tape for an awful long time but managed to get hold of the 12" version of Good Technology in the early 90s in (of all places) Hull at Golden Oldies second gand shop on Princes Avenue. By this point I had the album Slow To Fade on CD but without that great first single. Good to see there is an re-issue (still self-released) that covers both - see below.

And for a hilarious thread about the crapness of record shops in Hull go here.

GOOD TECHNOLOGY (12" Vinyl rip)

Red Guitars

Self Drive Records SD008

DIVE
MARIMBA JIVE
Red Guitars

Slow To Fade

All re-released with the singles included on GOOD TECHNOLOGY [BUY] and, I quote, "Get a free natural cleaning solutions chart with every order"

Dissolve in Scottish Rain

Late to the party as ever, I just started listening to Frightened Rabbit's The Midnight Organ Fight. Hearing they were on FatCat records I found a bit intimidating - I was expecting two laptops and lots of bleeps, clicks and whirrs. But no. This is a proper rock band. From Selkirk. And they play proper rock songs. I was hooked from the first listen.

Now if you wanted to make a crass and lazy comparison you could say FR are a Caledonian The National (listen to Fast Blood especially the first 40 seconds before the vocals come in and tell me it wouldn't fit in on Boxer). But who would make such a crass and lazy comparison?

There are the three things that draw me to this record, other than the consistent quality of all the songs. They are proper rock songs: spare, slow-building but also anthemic (hey a bit like The National). They also draw on a great Scottish tradition of self-deprecation and vulgar humour (Arab Strap comes to mind) - listen to Keep Warm below. Then what helps them stand out is Grant Hutchinson's voice. His delivery veers from bitter growl to plaintive despair. The songs are great depictions of anguish, rejection, illness and suicide with Grant centre-stage but almost wishing he wasn't there. A bit like that Matt Berninger from that other band...

It's an intense listen but well worth the admission price. Annoyed to miss them playing Night and Day last month (The Indie Credential has a write-up here) but good to see them back in Manchester for this. Roll on August.

KEEP YOURSELF WARM
THE TWIST
Frightened Rabbit
The Midnight Organ Fight[BUY] or [BUY]

THE YOUNG KNIVES @ MANCHESTER ACADEMY 3 18 MAY 2008

You know those free CDs you get with music magazines? Well as I am constantly reminded, they are not 'free' because you have had to pay for the magazine. There's no such thing as a free CD or a free lunch.

But somehow I ended up with free tickets for The Young Knives which was not a bad thing. I've missed them on previous visits to Manchester and was keen to see them live. Slightly worried that thus far I hadn't enjoyed the latest album as much as the previous one - they seemed to have abandoned the earlier wit and invention and concentrated on a catchy riff and a shouty chorus over and over again. Which wears after a bit.

But live? What more do you want - catchy riffs and shouty choruses?! So free of the polished but flat production of Superabundance, songs like Terra Firma, Up All Night and Light Switch had the 'mixed' (age/dress sense/sobriety) crowd shouting along enthusiastically.

In person they are a mix of self-deprecating but cocky, they have terrible dress sense (“he’s wearing slacks!” said Ms L with horror) but an air of confident coolness. And live the songs are excellent, played with conviction and punch. Not bad for a free ticket.

Set List:
Part-Timer
Fit 4 U
Counters
Terra Firma
Light Switch
I Can Hardly See Them
Loughborough Suicide
Turn Tail
Up All Night
Weekends and Bleak Days
The Current of the River
-----
The Decision
She's Attracted To

Support was not announced in advance. First up was Mon Ouisch (me neither) who were a four piece who played The Undertones song book with aggressive shouting over the top. Sounded pretty good if a little blunt until the song with the chorus “Hey you fucking fashionistas, you’re all fucking cunts” (honestly) when the bluntness outweighed anything else. Back to the drawing board…


And second support was Pete and the Pirates (see here and here). Much as I enjoy them live I still am looking forward to a set from them breaks 40 minutes (what would an hour be like?!). They played all the singles from the album (finishing with C’Mon Feet) plus some new songs: one about a cat, another a nautical tune. Excellent stuff – although playing to a small’ish crowd.

FIT 4 U
I CAN HARDLY SEE THEM
The Young Knives

Superabundance [BUY]

LOUGHBOROUGH SUICIDE

The Young Knives
Voices Of Animals And Men [BUY]

Sunshine on Pilgrim Road

Damn this fine, sunny weather we are enjoying in the UK at the moment. It doesn't really suit the sombre mood I was looking forward to listening to the new Willard Grant Conspiracy album in. Surely based on past performances, Pilgrim Road was going to be a long wallow in dark misery? Well....

I first heard WGC's The Work Song on a compliation (What Young Kids In London Are Listening To) from Mr N. I loved the song, bought the album but didn't fall in love with this straight away. It took several months, if not years, for the whole album to work its way into the brain. But I kept buying WGC, particularly their masterpiece Regard The End.

And so the new album released this Monday just gone. But it's something different; for starters the song-writing is a collaboration with Scottish composer Malcolm Lindsay, who also provides the arrangements - more chamber orchestra than rock band.

So after a couple of listens the thing that stands out is the small differences; rather than the usual deep-voiced growl, Robert Fisher's voice is almost a stately croon (and probably why a cover of American Music Club's Miracle on Eighth Street works so well. Wouldn't have thought it but ruminative Mark Eitzel rather than fire and brimtone preacher Nick Cave vocal style works here). Rather than brooding misery of the past what strikes me is the refined, delicate settings: the strings don't suggest loneliness or despair as previously but grace, even redemption. The whole thing is more graceful baroque than noir gothic. And certainly different from some of the last album Let It Roll where the guitars were definitely set to 'rock' on songs like Crush.

Two listens in it is early days and this not a review (I don't do reviews, just uninformed, biased, opinion) just some initial observations but so far I think it works. I suspect Pilgrim Road will be a slow burn but hopefully will be listening to it long after the warm weather has gone.

And will be interesting to see how this album but also older songs fare when played by The Pilgrim Chamber Orchestra. The UK dates are:
May 14 Manchester, Academy 2
15 Edinburgh, Queens Hall
16 Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
17 Bristol, Trinity
18 London, Bloomsbury Theatre

THE WORK SONG
Willard Grant Conspiracy
Mojave [BUY]

THE GREAT DECEIVER
PAINTER BLUE
Willard Grant Conspiracy
Pilgrim Road [BUY]

MIRACLE ON 8TH STREET
American Music Club
Everclear [BUY]

THE WAVE PICTURES @ NIGHT & DAY 3 MAY 2008

You can't go wrong with four bands for six quid. Well you can if a) the band you are going to see only gets a 30 minute slot and b) one of the other bands is Wild Beasts.

Arrived to catch the last few minutes of the final song by Spokes. Does exactly what it says on the post-rock tin. Sounded great - shame to miss them. Next up was Eyes Wide - noisy, punky, guitar thrash. None too subtle but this is where a 30 minute set works: similar but unfamiliar songs knocked out one after the other. Their roadie Tony tried to act as cheerleader/pied piper of pogo at several points but no-one was joining in. Again, none too subtle....

And then The Wave Pictures: in an eight song set they only played three from the new album which is out on Monday. Jonny the drummer claimed afterwards this is because "we have so many good songs". And he's right.

The three piece come across as unassuming even timid at first glance. And the first two songs felt a bit tentative. But they then nailed that chugging Modern Lovers rhythm perfectly for the rest of the set, only slowing it down for a ballad.


A sixty minute slot would have felt too short I reckon. And though the songs I didn't know (from the first album, future B-sides, new songs? Please enlighten me) were good, where was "Friday Night in Loughborough" or "Now We Are Pregnant"? In the end though, sheer enjoyment outweighs any frustration. So please come back to Manchester soon and stay a little longer next time.

Very rough set-list:

Swim

I Love You Like A Madman

Kittens

Feels

Leave The Scene Behind
Baby It's Alright

We Dress Up Like Snowmen
Strange Fruit For David

LEAVE THE SCENE BEHIND

The Wave Pictures

Instant Coffee Baby [BUY]

Which leaves Wild Beasts. Had previously seen them here and hadn't enjoyed it but prepared to give them a second chance. After all, they are signed to Domino who don't many mistakes do they? However they were terrible - again. A horrid mix of music hall, math-rock and Freddie Mercury. With braces. Got an appreciative response from the small-ish crowd but they lost me after the second song.

THE BAD REVIEW(S) & THE FOURTH ESTATE

Photo credit: Mark Mawston

Pere Ubu premiered its musical adaptation of the theater of Ubu Roi, Alfred Jarry's groundbreaking 1896 play and the theatrical precursor to the Absurdist, Dada and Surrealist art movements, at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, on April 24 and 25. The adaptation, written by David Thomas, features 10 new songs as well as various musical "interludes." Independent film-makers The Brothers Quay have devised a unique visual staging in the form of animated projections. Sarah-Jane Morris (ex-Communards, Happy End, etc) features as Mere Ubu, partnering David Thomas as Pere Ubu. Gagarin adds an atmospheric soundtrack by means of electronica. Band members perform various minor roles.

Last week's gig/event "Bring Me The Head of Ubu Roi" by Pere Ubu attracted less than favourable reviews. See here and here.

With a show like this and with a band like Pere Ubu press reviews are rarely going to be kind. They are hardly media darlings. My first reaction of reading some of these reviews of a concert I really wanted to see but failed to was one of relief. But the press rarely tell the full story....

Reports on the Pere Ubu forum were kinder (naturally) and more informative:
It was absurd, grotesque ... wonderful ... ubuesque! It was not a representation of the Alfred Jarry's play, it was a Pere Ubu (the band) show playing a "strange set-list" based on the play !The ten new songs are great, familiar and innovative too

Good stuff, I enjoyed it - always difficult to tell how much of the slapdash-ness is staged and how much genuine :-) The new music was good, too.

Report from David Thomas posted on ubuprojex.net:
Thursday night, opening night, was a bit of a shambles. For various reasons, it was the first time we were able to run thru the piece from beginning to end. And a number of structural and technical problems were exposed. The most disruptive problems were (1) on stage we were unable to identify fade to blacks at the end of scenes (the stage was dark to start with and a fade to black on an already dark stage, we discovered, is hard to determine. Confusion amongst on-stage cast and musicians ensued); and (2) since the play's narrative is driven by song lyrics the audience had a hard time making out what was supposed to be going on. (I have subsequently discovered that the narrative of a musical is not usually carried by song lyrics. Hey! Who's to know these things? I thought that was the deal.) In any case, I inserted brief narrative interludes between scenes for the Friday performance and this seemed to fix the principal issues. Friday went relatively smoothly though some noted that they missed the tension and chaos of Thursday's performance during which I tried to cover clunky bits by throwing "rages," which had always been the backup plan.

All of which makes me REALLY wish I had seen the concert. I'd rather see a brave experiment - with rages and slap-dashness - than miss it. And I'd much rather trust the opinion of a punter than a pundit.

THE BAD REVIEW
Bongwater
Too Much Sleep [BUY]

"All of our songs sound the same"

Well you could have treated yourselves to the new albums from Portishead, Tindersticks or The Fall today but surely there's only one album release today that matters (to those of a certain age....)

Probe 61 is "CSI: Ambleside" by Half Man Half Biscuit.

"Half Man Half Biscuit's 'nth album offers no departure whatsoever from their rather formulaic brand of tuneless caterwaul and whilst this 'mostly filler no killer' approach might appease the already committed fan, it is unlikely to attract any new friends. Somewhat inevitably, there is no myspace page to 'check out'".

On first listen, not as 'rocking' as Achtung Bono but all is relative. Every trademark HMHB component is present correct - if it ain't broke etc. And the last track - 'National Shite Day' - is one of their best. Even, if as they say on this track below, all their songs sound the same..

LORD HEREFORD'S KNOB

Half Man Half Biscuit

CSI Ambleside [BUY] or [BUY]

RADAR BROS NOT @ MUSIC BOX 16 APRIL 2008

You wait years for your favourite Californian slo-core band to turn up. Then they announce they are playing your home town on their UK tour. And then minutes before you leave on the night of the gig you get this message:

We're really sorry to have to tell you at such short notice but we're afraid that the Radar Bros. gig at the Music Box tonight has been cancelled. We're raging about the whole thing to be honest and the band are really disappointed - it's the promoter that's decided to pull the gig and there's nothing we've been able to do to convince him to change his mind. The band are coming to Manchester anyway, in order to do a live Marc Riley session this evening on 6 Music but we're afraid that the gig won't be going ahead as planned.

What a pisser. Not only really looking forward to this gig, I was downright intrigued what Radar Bros would be like live. I haven't followed them closely since The Singing Hatchet in 1999 until this year's album Auditorium - but have always enjoyed their dreamy almost soporific melodic songs. And that's part of the problem - sometimes listening to an album I lost track of the music and couldn't recall the last three songs at all. But Auditorium has proved different so far. Ah well just will have to imagine what it would have been like - and hang on for another five years.


SHOVELING SONS
Radar Bros
The Singing Hatchet [BUY]

HEARTS OF CROWS
Radar Bros
Auditorium [BUY]

MAVIS STAPLES @ BRIDGEWATER HALL 14 APRIL 2008

Well how did this happen? I often go to gigs and don't come back with any photographs (and the size of the Bridgewater Hall - 2000 seat concert hall - means a camera phone from the first circle just ain't gonna do the job) but I somehow managed to come back without my ticket stub. Despite the still-missing-box of from the 80s and early 90s I have managed to 'archive' all of my ticket stubs. Except this one. Damn.

Memory, as faulty as it is, will have to do. This was a fine concert. I was blown away by last year's We'll Never Turn Back album, but what would Mavis be like live? In the end, the style was close to that of the album but the selection of songs was much broader.

Mavis had a six piece band - guitar, bass and drums plus three backing singers. They stayed closer to the spare, gritty, almost bluesy sound of WNTB rather than a slick or more soulful take. This worked less well for the Staple Singers songs towards the end of the set but for songs from the album like Down in Mississippi or Eyes on The Prize or even some of the covers like Wade in the Water or the Buffalo Springfield cover, it worked just a treat. There was also a great instrumental section were the band were let loose on a medley of tunes including a raucous instrumental of Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues.

However what really made this concert was two things. The first Mavis's voice - deep, throaty and guttural rather than as soulful as in earlier years but still with a soaring range. The second was Mavis herself. In addition to the songs she told stories on the civil rights struggle, of MLK (Why Am I Treated So Bad was his favourite song), of her father and family's fight against injustice that reinforced that Mavis not only sung it she had lived it. Her presence and her stature as a campaigner shone out along side her singing. It was a privilege to be in the company of such a woman. Long may she continue to sing and to campaign.

For What It's Worth
Eyes on The Prize
Down in Mississippi
Wade in the Water
The Weight
Why Am I Treated So Bad?
I'm So Lonely I Could Cry opening bars/instrumental slide guitar blues/Folsom Prison Blues
Marching on Freedom's Highway
Respect Yourself
I'll Take You There
----
We Shall Not Be Moved
Turn Me Around


DOWN IN MISSISSIPPI
TURN ME AROUND
Mavis Staples
We'll Never Turn Back [BUY]

MALCOLM MIDDLETON @ NIGHT & DAY 6 APRIL 2008

After seeing Malcolm before (here and here) knew what to expect but forgot just how good this would be. Malcolm claimed that the evening would be "indifferent" but he was just plain wrong.

Performing seated with acoustic guitar accompanied by Stevie on double bass and Jenny on violin/backing vocals (no fancy equipment changes here), he played songs from all four albums, a B-side or two plus several new ones. Including "Red Travelling Socks" (Bright-Eyes-meets-Billy-Bragg?) that he claims "should mark a new turn in my career"

I much prefer this setting for Malcolm's songs that the polished full-band production on parts of A Brighter Beat and Into The Woods. And the final songs played solo - especially Choir and Devil and The Angel were just heart-breakingly good. For someone so self-deprecating and almost at unease with the notion of performing, he puts on a bloody good show.

And managed to pick up a copy of the web/gig only release Live At The Bush Hall and get it signed too.
All in all an excellent evening - suitably aided by Night and Day's new Polish beer of choice Tyskie

The set-list (with a couple of omissions and guesses at titles for new songs):

A Brighter Beat
Fuck It I Love You
Week Off
Follow Robin Down
Blue Plastic Bags
We're All Going To Die
Pick Me Up
Shadows
The Loneliest Night Of My Life Came Calling
Point of Life
Toasting The Bad Times?
Stay
Red Travelling Socks
Somebody Loves You

------
Total Belief
(another one here?)

Choir
The Devil and The Angel

Several acoustic demos available to download from Malcolm's website here - you're life will be better for it.

A NEW HEART

Malcolm Middleton
Into The Woods [BUY]

DEVIL AND THE ANGEL

Malcolm Middleton

Live At The Bush Hall [BUY]

Support was from De Rosa who performed as a two-piece (guitar/vocals plus electric piano) - definitely worth investigating.

HATTONRIGG PIT DISASTER
De Rosa

Mend [BUY]