Music Reviews 2009
For all the obvious reasons - largely to do with studying - we have not been to a vast number of gigs this year, but we have certainly been to some quality ones. This past few months has been particularly interesting for me as it has included gigs from three of my all-time favourite bands - Spiritualized, Archive and Wilco. Interestingly there is some stylistic connection between these bands which is perhaps not immediately obvious. All of them are unpredictable in where they might go; without too much hyperbole you could say dangerous. Wilco are the most mainstream, writing simple and melodic country tunes which often - but not always - are corrupted by searing guitar licks. Indeed, when flying they feature some fantastic piercing and discordant sections... but usually the initial simple melody returns for the end. The Spiritualized paradigm is similar. Again a simple, often repetitive mantra-like melody is smashed to pieces by a wall of metal and only when the searing attack has exhausted itself do you realise the initial riff is still going. Cop shoot Cop is a classic example. Archive are quite different preferring to build up layers of sounds. Nonetheless there is a similar dynamic at work. In their classic track Lights a single repeated piano note serves as the intro. From this the song builds and swells to a complex, loud insistent screaming cry before collapsing back and ending with the same single note.
We saw Wilco at the Troxy in East London on Jeff Tweedy's birthday. They performed the most conventional set of the three, appearing on stage as a bunch of rock 'n' roll musicians who proceeded to have a stormingly good time. It was simply a very, very good gig with wit and humour ('We are the Champions' indeed!) as well as stunning virtuosity. Archive we saw at Zenith in Paris and couldn't have been more different. As a collective they seem to have successfully negated ego, so there is little engagement from the band. At this gig the band was in silhouette most of the time under the massive video footage which dominated the arena as they performed their concept album Controlling Crowds. A stunning set, very clever but not personal. Spiritualized topped all by putting 35 people on stage and performing their classic album in the style of a piece of revered classical music. Jason (Pierce/Spaceman) again is not one to engage with his fans and the spectacle, as you can see below, I felt was both magnificent and preposterous in equal measure.
If you add to these two great sets at the 100 Club from Pretty Things and Jefferson Starship and Oysterband's fantastic Big Session festival I think you can see just what a good musical year we have had.
Ladies and Gentlemen we are floating in Space
Spiritualized at the Barbican
Back
30-odd years ago I recall spending much time when working at the bakery
imagining a day when rock music would be played like classical music - specific
pieces performed at a given concert. Clearly this was in the days when the
concept album was king so it did make some sense. It took Brian Wilson to make
this concept a reality and this experience with Spiritualized was my
first opportunity to see if reality lived up to my daydream. I am not sure it
did and would be really interested to know if the other Spirtualized
fans amongst you (Phil, Geoff?) managed to see this classically staged
performance of Jason's concept album. Some of the evening was quite wonderful,
but other things I struggled with.
Ladies and Gentlemen.... was the first Spiritualized album I bought (can it really be 12 years ago?) and one of my favourite albums of all time. I was quite nervous about how it would sound.
The stage was amazing. The ten strong gospel choir (plus conductor) six strong brass section and another ten for the strings, plus of course the actual rock band. Jason was very insignificant, sitting on a stool with his guitar apparently letting it all happen around him. With well over thirty people on stage you might expect lush layers of sound - which is exactly what we got. And when things went loud, they were very loud. Walls of heavy metal sound crashed across the hall accompanied by a deeply disconcerting strobe show. All in all quite an ordeal for the audience. I was much more aware of some of the instrumentation that I had been when just listening; the importance of the brass section - saxophones in particular - and I had never consciously realised how much harmonica is in the mix. Another plus which I didn't expect was how clear the 'story' was. It really was a journey from start to finish. And Broken Heart was just.... well, just fabulous.
On the other hand.... I mean it was preposterous wasn't it? A thirty strong band ranging from violins to brain-destroying electric guitars? Jason never spoke, simply walked on (to thunderous applause) and took his place. It really was like an orchestral concert, but not in the way I ever imagined. It was ludicrously self-indulgent and I have no idea how Jason has the ego to do these things. Amanda was very critical of the sound - which I wasn't since the very idea of live-mixing this mad collection of acoustic and electric instruments was surely impossible. But it was too loud. Or to put it another way, it wasn't quiet enough. I am not too old yet to worry about Electricity or Cop versus Cop descending into howling, screaming madness, but the quiet was not quiet enough. The strings were over amplified and at one stage the entire mix seemed to be drenched in unnecessary reverb. It lacked the dynamic range of the studio and was worse for it. And finally, while we know Jason is not the most talkative of stage performers, they played like an orchestra; they were hired musicians following a score playing the notes on paper. It lacked soul (aside from the choir - ludicrously dressed as all-white angels) it lacked humanity and finally I thought it lacked atmosphere.
I am very pleased we went and certainly didn't not enjoy the event. But I just couldn't quite take it seriously. It was ambitious - possibly too ambitious - and when it worked it was stunning. It has hopefully brought a new audience to one of the best albums of the 90s and it was good to hear Jason with slightly more than the choir and the string quartet. But despite those past daydreams I am not sure sitting in a concert hall listened to rock music played like a classic rendition is quite as great a feeling as I thought it might be. In the end I prefer the dirtier intimacy of 100 Club!
Quicksilver Messenger Service/Jefferson Starship
Heroes of Woodstock
100 Club
It was
quite a late decision to get tickets for this gig. There were other things
which, to be honest, were higher up the list, but for various reasons we just
haven't had time. The 100 Club is our favourite venue, it was a Friday night
and there wasn't a lot else on over the weekend, we had enjoyed Starship
at Rhythm last year... so why not? We followed our usual pattern of getting to
the venue before the doors opened. In this way we could claim two of the few
seats available and indeed decide where to sit for the show! There is no
drawback to this since the beer at the 100 Club is as good as any of the nearby
pubs (Flowers) and no more expensive! As it happens, we didn't have long to
wait since Quicksilver Messenger Service started at just after 8.00. In
all honesty, this is not two bands at all, but a bunch of 60s West Coast
survivors. David Freiberg, Chris Smith and Donny Baldwin played in both
line ups, and half way through the Jefferson set the Grateful Dead keyboards
player Tom Constanten joined the band. Some of the set list seemed
interchangeable. I'm sure last time we saw them Starship played Fresh
Air, QMSs opening track here. But no quibbling - the band stormed
through Mona, Fresh Air, Pride of Man....Gary Duncan's
guitar licks were slick and the (rather younger) bluesy singer Linda Imperial
supplied full-on gutsy vocals. The sound was brilliant and it was simply a
great set. We rather liked the fact that as soon as he got off stage, the
rather elderly Duncan sat by us to take his boots off before bothering to get
to the dressing room.
Not many minutes later a rather bad tempered Paul Kantner led his band on, with startling singer Cathy Richardson (she is awesome, both in sound and looks!) and guitarist Slick Aguilar joining Frieberg, Smith and Baldwin. They immediately hit you with a wall of sound. They are loud. They are good. The setlist was full of classics - the idea was they were doing their Woodstock sets, but I don't' know how accurate this was. A stunning version of White Rabbit, .... When Tom Constanten joined the stage, they did US Blues, one of the real highpoints. We were sat very close to Kantner, his half dozen guitars and his roadie. For the first half of the set he seemed to be remorselessly getting at the exasperated roadie, complaining and demanding. We did wonder, however given his features if it was his son (grandson?) which might explain it! Nonetheless in comparison to the smiling and happy looking Friedberg, Kantner did seem the bad tempered one. Despite the presence of men (largely) who had been fans for decades there was a fascinating respect for the band. you really are close at the 100 club, and the band were assailed by requests for handshakes rather than being mobbed! Amanda ran into Cathy in the toilet - there is no special status for bands down here. Despite starting at high tempo, Jefferson somehow managed to ratchet things even higher, and finished with a storming Somebody to Love. The encore was Imagine and Volunteers of America. And finally, a second encore (not expected as young Roadie was putting the guitars away and had to get one out again) of A Little Help From My Friends.
From start to finish this was a fabulous evening, hugely enjoyable and technically superb. We both really enjoyed it.
Tinariwen
Koko, Camden
A
Sunday night in Camden rather than a Saturday night in Paris, and a rather more
low key event, but nice to see some fine African music again; I really haven't
been to much of late. The Koko is yet another former BBC studio, and as with
Shepherd's Bush empire a pleasantly intimate atmosphere. One of the great
things about World Music is that there is invariably something to watch even if
you can't get into the music. Support band BZ, a bunch of
Ethiopians, had three musicians and four dancers. And quite how the chap with
the amplified 'harp' made all that noise I don't know. But the music was just a
back-drop for the stunning dancing. There was hair/head dancing, Boob dancing
and finally full body shimmer dancing. It all looked deeply unpleasant to do
but was mesmerising nonetheless.
Tinariwen were a more serious bunch altogether. Wearing their
desert Tuareg costume (think Bedouin and you are not far off) they covered
their faces in woollen scarves and played jangling guitars with occasional
panache. At full strength, they were nine, four guitarists, two drummers and a
selection of singers and dancers. Clearly everything was quite formal, though
it was not a form of Malian music I was familiar
with
so I don't know, but the dancing, singing (with so many singers, almost a
choir) all seemed to break in a set manner. The lead singer varied between a
high pitched singer in blue and the Jesus-like figure in white who did not wear
all the scarves and who had a deep and profound voice (I now discover he was
Ibrahim ag Alhabib). The most entertaining musician (apart form the dancers -
how I would love that job!) was the bassist who in his gold robes and
occasional high kicking exuberance and individualistic style was never
uninteresting.
The story of Tinariwen is quite amazing, and I will not retell it here. Suffice it to say they are a band who stretch back forty years, to rebellions, terrorism, liberation and war. Many of them were brought up in refugee camps in Algeria and most were trained as soldiers by Ghadafi. They were part of a rebel movement that tried to overthrow the regime in Mali in 1990. But as well as being rebels they are musicians and poets, fusing traditional Tuareg melodies with other African influences, such as the apparent blues style of Ali Farka Toure (whom I once interviewed back in the day) the Islamic pop of Rai, but were also fans of the likes of Led Zeppelin and Western blues/rock. Their Western success is relatively recent, but their roots are long, and very deep. They play music for reasons we cannot really comprehend and in ways which go largely over our heads. Music is not an entertainment for men like this, but a reason for living.
They have played WoMAD and Glastonbury and this was their second visit to Koko this year, so do look them out. It is intriguing stuff, but to write coherently I really need to know more. I have to rather tritely say, a thoroughly enjoyable evening.
Archive
Le Zenith, Paris
I
really wasn't at all sure we had done the right thing when we decided to go and
see Archive in Paris. As you may recall from previous reviews, Archive
are one of my favourite bands and although virtually unknown in the UK they are
very popular in Europe. The current tour, coinciding with their new album Controlling
Crowds sways across Europe from Greece through Italy, Spain, France,
Austria, Germany Poland and Switzerland.... but never comes to the UK. So why
not go to Paris and find out what a French rock gig is like?
Booking tickets went OK - though I still don't know what the certificate that was emailed out was - insurance? So with Eurostar and a small hotel (and indeed the Louvre) all booked on the internet we set off last Saturday on this little adventure. The venue was Le Zenith, out near the Peripherique and I had ensured we stayed on the right Metro line for getting there. I had assumed from the map that it was a wasteland, but how wrong can you be? Le Zenith is part of the multi-arts compound Parc de Villette, which includes a orchestral concert Hall, a theatre and the Grande Halle – the converted meat market. A fabulous site. We found the venue, walked through the very relaxed security and found ourselves in a huge auditorium. All very clean and civilized with hawkers selling drinks and baguettes. I got drink from the guys with beer tanks on their back selling beer by the 40cl cup. The seats were OK and sight lines fabulous. The support band, Birdpen (from reading the forum, I gather Birdpen are an Archive spin-off of some form) came on at 7.45 and were listened to with enthusiastic silence by the crowd! Quite amazing; not something you would ever expect from a British crowd. Archive hit the stage just before 9.00 and played virtually all of Controlling Crowds under a barrage of video, rather like the Chemical Brothers we saw a few years ago. This was a concept performance like the old prog-rock bands could only dream of. Very clever stuff technically too, with one song led by Maria Q (the female singer) on video. Also quite disturbing, a bass sound that shook the building and everyone in it. It was intense, largely uninterrupted, energetic, amazing. And the crowd delirious. Even when Controlling Crowds finished they played new material through until the last couple of numbers, , the vast majority of the set being new material since we last saw them.. The band left the stage on the dot of 11.00 and I can only imagine they were exhausted (though again the forum tells me they partied until 5.00am). Even though it was October 10th and 11.00 at night it was a balmy evening as we strolled back for the metro We stopped off for a coffee at the end of the road and were in the hotel by midnight.
So yes, if you see a gig in Paris and think it might be worth a go I really would recommend it. We thoroughly enjoyed pretty much everything about the experience. As for Archive playing in the UK, why should they bother? If they can fill a 6000+ venue with adoring fans who listen with enthusiasm and respect (no constant chat, no constant up and down to the bar, the toilet or whatever) then they should stick to the continent. I think we'll do this again.
Wilco
at The Troxy
By the time I discovered that Wilco were
playing a one-off concert at The Troxy there were just a handful of ‘restricted
view’ tickets left. Given that I regard Wilco as one of the best
live bands around today, and one that appears in the UK infrequently, I thought
we had to go for it.
Firstly, a few words on The
Troxy, a new venue for us. It is a beautifully converted cinema on the
Commercial Road, five minutes from Limehouse DLR. Clearly an art deco
masterpiece it is quite a venue. It also had the most staff I have ever seen –
enough to actually show you to your seat and an attendant in the toilets. Very
clean, beautifully restored and some cracking sound. Really impressive.
Our view, unfortunately, really was restricted – behind art deco railings and
lamps! Bizarrely there seemed no hassle from security for standing up, but
disapproval from the fans behind. What has happened to rock and roll – 'I
say, my man, could you sit down so we can see the band please?’ There
are times when I really do wonder what has happened to rock music. When we
moved across a block for the encore and I have to say the view was excellent
.
Things started with a decent support band, Blitzen Trapper who seemed to be a basic Crosby, Stills and Nash outfit, great harmonies and highly competent soft rock.
So to Wilco. They really are a band to see live. Some of their albums are excellent, but in the studio they are too clean, neat and easy, live they are so much dirtier. Their default song is a gentle country-tinged ballad which at some point degenerates into a howling guitar solo or perhaps white-noise mayhem. On CD the mayhem is often restrained, but not live. They are a phenomenal set of musicians, most notably drummer Glenn Kotche and guitarist Nels Cline. There is surely no better destructive guitarist than Cline; when let off the leash he transforms his instrument in to a howling, screaming, discordant explosion of noise. Electrifying and stunning. Kotche clearly has a jazz background, and decorates the slower numbers with extraordinary virtuoso, but he is happy to create one hell of a noise when necessary.
Jeff Tweedy is not noted for talking a lot, but when after half an hour he stopped to say hello, the audience responded by singing Happy Birthday – for it was. A rather more touching tribute than the cake which came out later. It all contributed to a party atmosphere. Tweedy is a very interesting man. As well as his work with Wilco, Billy Bragg was talking about their working together with the Woodie Guthrie archives. Wilco stormed through 90 high octane minutes, much of it from the new album (imaginatively, Wilco (the album)) - which I had felt was too light, but need now to reconsider - then returned for another 35 minutes of even higher octane encore (including a bizarre moment when the audience sang along to 'We are the Champions' for reasons that don't seem too obvious now!). Far too many highs to single out one, but suffice it to say that even though they didn’t play my own favourite, there was no let up in excitement. Jeff says they return in November, so look out for them.
Reader Response
The review
of The Pretty Things below produced this response from Cynthia
Lorne:
Francis has forwarded me your blog containing a review of The Pretty Things as I have been talking about going to see them. I'm so glad you enjoyed them. Dick Taylor and I went to the same primary school - as did my later boyfriend, Robert Beckwith, often mentioned in the early histories of The Rolling Stones. They all played music together at Dartford Grammar School. Only Dick went on to art school, while Bob and Mick went to the LSE. Mick studied economics and political science. There never was a falling out, just an amicable parting of the ways as Little Boy Blue and The Blue Boys metamorphosed into The Rolling Stones. There were so many things happening at that time, so many opportunities opening up and all three chose different paths. Armed with an old school photo, I'm hoping to catch up with The Pretty Things sometime soon!
I'm afraid I can't compete with that!
But is it Folk?
Big Session Festival
Looking
through the listings this year there was no doubt that Oysterband's Big
Session offered one of the best line-ups. But I didn't really quite get
it. How could you have a real festival at the De Montford Hall in
Leicester? And how did it work with there being no car parking? But the
line-up was good, it was not expensive and the timing was right for us, so we
thought we'd give it a go. A good decision.
These days we prefer the smaller festivals for a number of reasons,
including the lighter touch security, the more personal attitude, less
'selling' from Corporates and the generally more mellow approach. Big
Session certainly scores on all those points. Last year it won an award
for being the most Green festival and you can see why. Everywhere there were
multi-coloured bins for recycling, and people (from the splendidly named
'Complete Wasters') on hand to guide you. The result was something that will
amaze gig goers - walking across the site at the end of the weekend and not a
single plastic beer glass to scrunch through. Lots of lessons there, I think. 
But back to the beginning. We arrived at De Montford Hall about 2.30 and unloaded our camping stuff onto a van which took it the couple of hundred yards to the camp site. We then went off to park the car. Leicester is not a great place for signage! We could see the car park we were aiming for, but never found our way into it, instead parking on a grotty bit of wasteland outside the football ground. My nice new car abandoned in this scruffy space.... Hard to walk away! So back up to the campsite (Regent College) to find our stuff and pitch tent. Then it was out of the back gate, across the road and into the festival - 5 minutes away. The festival uses the Hall itself (which is a respectable music venue, and quite sizeable) the 'Big Top' and the beer tent also had a small stage (the Orange Tree Stage). So, three venues, all under cover, and a festival 'village' to link them. Excellent food - really excellent - and none I had ever seen before and a few stalls. All very non-commercial!
But a word on the beer. 23 real ales from 11 breweries, and a further
selection of ciders and perries. Alongside the festival programme the
most important piece of paper was the 'Tasting notes' describing all the
beers. Our favourites? Guzzler (York Brewery), Hooray Henley (Brakespear)
and JHB (Oakham Brewery). I think putting the smallest venue in the bar
is a seriously good idea. Even though the least well known acts were on there,
there was always an appreciative audience, and I am sure I would have missed
some gems had I had to go and seek them out. 
Once the novelty wore off, the big hall for the main acts worked
brilliantly. The crowd swarmed in minutes before the start creating a series of
set piece concerts one after another. The acts were universally excellent. Not
since my days of going to Womad have I had three days listening
to such superb array of talent. But more than just good acts, the audience was
even better. Wandering into the Big Top on Saturday morning to see an unknown
woman playing her solo acoustic numbers it was a shock to listen in complete
silence. Every artist, known or otherwise was treated to a degree of respect
which I haven't witnessed in decades. And when the audience liked
something they let them know! Will Kaufman, the Woody Guthrie
obsessed Professor of US studies we saw a the British Library earlier this year
was genuinely amazed when the beer tent exploded at the end of his act
(lecture?) refusing to let him go. The Miserable Rich ('we thought
there's be about 6 people in a corner somewhere...') were cheered to the
rafters and sold out of CDs in five minutes. 
Everywhere there was such a brilliant atmosphere. It has to be said that as the weekend progressed the advantages of the hall became clear - good toilets, fixed information centres, somewhere to sit, somewhere to shelter. It really works!
The event ended with the Oysterband playing the hall and it was a very emotional end. We had, by then, already packed the car and so it was an appreciative last look round the 'village' and back down the M1 (or the A1 to be pedantic, to avoid the Silverstone crowds) after one of the best weekends I can remember in a long, long time.
A Quick Run Through of acts seen:
John Jones and the Reluctant Ramblers: John is the Oysterband lead
singer, and he walked to the festival from his home in Wales. Allegedly this
scratch band joined him for at least part of the way and they essentially
played his new solo album, plus one or two other gems (like the song about
Facebook). An excellent start to proceedings. 
Peatbog Fairies: We have noticed this name appearing at a lot of festivals this year, but knew nothing about them. They are a Bagpipe Rock band, 9 strong including a funk section! No words, just high octane bagpipe/rock/funk fusion! They featured two ludicrously young fiddle players who were out of this world. Not sure I would listen to an album of them, but as a live act hard to beat.
The Levellers: Top of their game and a great set. Lay in bed all night with 'It's a Beautiful Day....' going round and round and round....
Alan Prosser and the Ranelagh Renegades: Another Oysterband spin-off, this claims to be the pub band for a trendy ale house in Brighton. if so, it is pretty impressive bunch of regulars. This was a wonderful set of original and other songs, featuring a superb version of the Band's The Weight. Great, great fun.
Blyth Power: I seem to recall that the games hobby fell for Blyth
Power one summer around 1985.... Well, they are still there and what great
fun. They play sort of Kinks-type English music but very much post-punk, with a
lead singer who is also an energetic drummer - and train enthusiast. Where have
they been for the past 20-odd years? 
Otis Gibbs: We saw Otis supporting Billy Bragg last Christmas, but he was even better in his own right. A good song writer, but a better story teller and general entertainer. Good stories, good politics great voice and a great act. Catch him if you can, arguably one of the highlights of the weekend.
The She: At last, an act we didn't fall in love with. This all-girl Scottish band were clearly very proficient but a bit too cold and technical for us.
Baskery: Another all-girl band, but this time from Sweden, and much more to my taste. Loud, raucous, experimental and the drummer/banjo player (I know, how?) did things to a banjo that shouldn't be allowed. One to find out more about.
The Blues Demons: No idea who these people are, where they came from and whether they ware famous. But there was no way I was moving from the beer tent until this Elmore James based set finished.
Oyster Ceilidh Band: The Oysterband but you all dance to them - has to be seen....
Eliza Carthy Band: You know what I think about Eliza - one of the great musicians of her generation. She has a mesmerically brilliant band and they are essentially playing a wonderful album which is still yielding more depths months after repeated playing. Eliza isn't the queen of folk - she's bigger than that.
Billy Bragg: On top form. Singing, banter, politics, diatribe, and hysterically funny. And right on the mark. Very funny, very angry. Not that I agree on everything, but he asks the right questions.
Klak Tik: Another Scandinavian band playing excellent mellow music in the beer tent. Quite hippy-ish music, added trumpet and bugle (to the festival standard line up cello, violin, mandolin and guitars) and complex arrangements. Happily they gave us a free EP so we can explore further at our leisure.
Fatima Spar & the Freedom Fries: Cabaret music from Austria. Very good I am sure, but not at 2.00pm on a Sunday afternoon!
Ella Edmondson: I was a bit cynical about Ade's daughter, expecting overblown ballads with some pros doing the work. How wrong could I be. She is very young and as Amanda commented, need a song not about boyfriends, but a good voice, good musician, fine band and decent songs. Well worth catching if you get the opportunity.
Spiro: Another hugely competent set of musicians (from Brighton I think) but again, just a bit too controlled. However they have had rave reviews form the Financial Times of all places, so worth having a listen!
Kathryn Tickell: The greatest living Northumbrian pipes player lived up to her name, smiling happily as she bashed out some splendid reels with her band (which I a sure included one of the youngsters form Peatbog Fairies). However her 'Lament' brought tears to the eyes, a sudden jolt of raw emotion between the dances.
Adrian Edmondson & the Bad Shepherds: Not the novelty act you might expect. Ade's folk rendering of punk classics actually works! They opened with a superb version of 'I fought the law and the law won' with full-on fiddle solo. Genius. And they have ex-Fairport Maartin Alcock in the line up. We really want to see them again.
Oysterband: Surprisingly, I thought they started slowly, not sure what the vibe was. The sound (ironically for the first time) was all over the shop and John Jones saying how odd it was to be playing at 5.00 in the afternoon. But suddenly it caught fire, and that was it. The tricks were in evidence - John and Chopper singing from the midst of the audience, and giving us lots of singing to do. Playing a track I didn't know from 15 years ago ('we wanted something relevant to the miseries we see now, and remembered we'd written it years ago') the chorus 'The more I hear, the less I know' was picked up with such enthusiasm John declared - 'It's your song now' - and the band just stopped and left the crowd singing. Several songs were the best I've ever herd them and the final trick, singing Put out the Lights of London City without any microphones, with the audience singing so gently was a tear jerking finale for a wonderful event.
Congratulations to the Oysterband, De Montford Hall and the 'Complete Wasters' for a fabulous weekend.
The Yardbirds
The Live Room, Twickenham
We
do some strange gigs, and this is well along the weird spectrum. As far as we
can tell, the gig was at the end of a ‘musical heritage’ day in Richmond, where
the borough launched its attempt to market its musical heritage to the world.
They do have much to shout about – The Who, Rolling Stones, Rod
Stewart and many others originated from the area and centred around Eel Pie
Island. The Yardbirds gig was clearly the end of a corporate day,
hence the mayoral chains of a number of South West London boroughs were in
evidence on the floor. It was also the first ever music gig at Twickenham
stadium’s ‘Live Room’. It was all rather gentile. The bar was the same size as
the mu
sic
room, with thick carpet and chairs along the wall. The people behind us in the
bar queue (and it was a very orderly queue) asked for champagne… Oh and a
painting was auctioned off between acts for the Mayor’s fund.
The room itself was just too clean, neat and pristine for a rock gig, though it was clean enough to sit on the floor – not something one is tempted to do at the Forum or Academy! They had some rudimentary lighting, but overall it reminded me of watching my mate Rod in the local parish rooms when we were at school. Having said that, it was a small venue, we were really close up to the stage and the sound was excellent.
The gig was actually organised by the Eel Pie Club, and first up was a scratch band of old-timers – Tom Nolan, the musical director of the club on lead, Lonnie Donnigan’s drummer and I missed where the bassist came from. They stormed through some blues classics with attack and volume. They could all play. It was wonderful. I would have happily listened to them all night. I should really disdain The Yardbirds who do what I claim to dislike in old bands. This set was identical to the last time we saw them and indeed to their live CD. But it is one hell of a set and their version of Dazed and Confused is fantastic. They are good musicians (though this was the final appearance of their lead vocalist. After 15 years of doing the same set, possibly he needs to move on!) and both lead guitarist and harmonica players were exceptional. So they are a joy to listen to, and it was a storming set. Nonetheless, that probably is it for them, I think. I really do respect The Pretty Things more for recording good new music as well as their old time hits. But if you like this sort of stuff, you should try them at least once!
I also thought I would be modern and use my camera phone to capture the occasion. Crap, aren't they. Back to the proper camera unless I forget it!
Teenage Cancer Trust
Folk night
We may know how many holes it
takes to fill the Albert hall, courtesy of the Beatles, but not how many folk
bands to fill it with an audience. Clearly a month in which to advertise a
stellar folk line up of Eliza Carthy, Kate Rusby, Seth Lakeman and Fairport
Convention was not sufficient. The lower (more expensive) areas were
probably 75% full, but up in the cheap seats the tumbleweed was blowing. Very
relaxing and comfortable, perhaps but rather lacking in atmosphere.
The event was the first ever folk night in the week-long Teenage Cancer Trust concerts at the Hall. Apparently it came about after Roger Daltrey had said on the Chris Moyles show that he had an empty night. A listener said what about Fairport, Daltrey said they were in Australia and Simon Nicoll emailed to say they weren’t!
I haven’t been to a non-classical concert at the RAH. When at a Proms concert you really don’t realise how big and cavernous it is. It was certainly a challenge for the folk world to occupy this space, and all the artists made a creditable stab at it.
The last time we saw Eliza Carthy (the foyer of the British Library) she was
heavily pregnant. Rather neatly this evening was her first return to the stage
after giving birth to Flo. Her set was dominated by her latest CD Dreams
of Breathing Underwater and she was accompanied by four other musicians
playing bass, cello, drums, guitar, violin, accordion, etc. Although I know the
album pretty well, the live performance opened up a new depth and made me
realise these songs are more complex than I had realised. These are
self-consciously not folk songs, but live it became clear how ’world music’
influenced they were. The playing and singing was awesomely good and if, as I
assume it was,
this was a first run out for the band, they are going to be extraordinarily
good some time soon. Amanda felt that Eliza’s voice was not as rich as last
time, but she certainly had no difficulty reaching the furthest edges of the
hall.
Kate Rusby I have never actually seen before, though she is always mentioned
as one of the best of current female folk artists. Despite including a complete
string orchestra I felt her songs failed to fill the hall. She has an open,
impish personality and good voice, but somehow I never felt she was anything
other than pleasantly entertaining. Difficult to say if this is down to the
venue; I suspect that back in Claygate Folk Club I'd be blown away by her.
After a very un-R&R break (even though the beer was in plastic cups you
couldn't tae it into the auditorium) Seth Lakeman, one of the most prodigious
of festival performers in recent years, showed just how loud an acoustic band
can be. With his shock of black hair, over-amplified guitar and violin he
stormed through a set of hard folk that set the crowd alight. Some of his
fiddle work was fantastic, his voice is excellent and the show played at
express speed. We will be seeing Seth again!
And so it was, rather bizarrely, left to Fairport to actually play some folk music! And no tired repetition here; it was 6 numbers before I really knew anything, and then it was Lord Marlborough which I have never seen them perform before. Then just time for the Sandy Denny slot, Matty Groves and for Seth to join them for Meet on the Ledge. Kellie While sang one of my favourite Fairport tracks, Who Knows Where the Time Goes? sublimely as ever. We have often seen her Mum, Chris While and I have Kellie singing on a couple of Albion Band albums. However, on this night Kellie was actually working as a producer for the BBC and was singing as an added extra... multitasking of the highest degree!
So, a hugely enjoyable night, but not a great one. Perhaps interesting is the better word, since we had a varied range of sets, all interesting in their own ways. But the lack of atmosphere and intimidating size of stage (often the band members looked like thy had fallen out, so far away from each other were they) and the hall mean it was all a bit like watching TV. And I am sure the concert will appear on the BBC (a Friday night BBC4 slot I would guess) and possibly that is a better place to see it.
The Pretty Things
100 Club
One of the best acts we saw at the Rhythm Festival in the summer was The Pretty Things, a 60s pop band that had rather passed from memory. They were stunning, and I had tried to explain to others how good they were, but to no avail. It was just Amanda and I who were queuing to get into the 100 club on (yet another) bitterly cold January night. From the moment we got inside, it was just a great evening, Firstly, there was the DJ. he played 60s blues based pop, most of which I didn't know, but all of it very good. Secondly, the support band, The Malchicks a young duo who played blues and American folk, superbly sung and wonderfully played guitar. Admittedly the singers voice was probably too pure for the songs she was doing, but her choice of material was fabulous. And thirdly, it just goes to show that however good a band is at a festival, even an intimate one like Rhythm, there is no substitution for a small, dirty sweaty venue. They were devastatingly good.
The story is simple really. Phil may and Dick Taylor were at art college
with Mick Jagger. They had a band, fell out and formed the Pretty Things,
while Jagger formed the Stones. But you just feel that they are not
spending life worrying about it. The two oldies - and they must be knocking on
a bit, have got some talented youngsters to do the hard work, and put
across a brilliant blend of old blues standards, former hits (This was No 1
in New Zealand...) and new tracks that are
blues heavy, contemporary commentary. The set
started out at a furious pace, and simply got faster, ending on an
extraordinary high with LSD and Passion of Love.
Nonetheless, my own favourite section was Phil may and Dick Taylor (looking
more like a professor than a rock god) doing their blues duo with slide guitar
and harp - 60s or naughties? Timeless, I would suggest.
The audience loved every second, and was surprisingly mixed, in gender and age. The band seemed equally ecstatic to be playing and as in the best positive feedback loops the atmosphere just got better and better. The first music gig of the year will take some beating - but we have already booked for the Yardbirds in April, so we shall see! And please, listen to me out there. If the Pretty Things come anywhere near me and you have any love of blues music, get out there and see them. they will blow you away!
· Music 08