The Coral Hot Club De Paris Neville Skelly Sound Of Guns Sean

Transcription

The Coral
Hot Club De Paris
Neville Skelly
Sound Of Guns
Sean Francis
Butler
Capac
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The Coral
Issue 3
August 2010
FREE
Bido Lito! August 2010
Editorial
Illustration: Michael Cottage
So, its over. A month of fun-filled-football-fodder comes to a close, 31 teams come home with pangs of
disappointment - some with pangs more pangy than others - and one set of players arrive home aboard a raft of
superlatives and with a pretty handsome pension packet to look forward to; creating history is always kind on the
bank balance. But what of our band of lions, our ‘Golden Generation’ - that moniker makes my blood boil, a Fleet
Street hack’s moment of epiphany - upon reflection, what did we take from all that? Pretty sodding awful wasn’t it...
granted. But, the most infuriating aspect of it was listening to the Chelsea and Arsenal fans who’d made the trek
to the other end of the earth to watch their national warriors
whinge and whine, in their curdling drawl, ‘They get paid
120 graaaaaand a week and they’re raaaabbish. We should
all get aaar maaaaney back...’ I don’t know about you, but
I find it hard to have much sympathy with a bloke who can
afford to take a month off work and jet to the other side of
the planet to watch a football tournament. Especially, when
its his soddin football club playing a part in bloating English
Football with dirty money and foreign stars thats leaves the
national team in the state its in. Deep breath, I’m starting to
sound like a really give much of a monkey’s here...roll on 7th
August and Tranmere v Oldham. Romantic, abject suffering,
thats what football is all about.
Which of you lucky lot where at Glasto? You swines.
Glastonbury is officially the worst weekend of the year...when
you haven’t got a ticket. Glorious sunshine, probably the best
line-up for years, an impromptu performance from Johnny
and Thom...it was depressingly good. When I go next year
Bono will have recovered, it’ll piss down and I’ll get trench
foot. For everybody’s sake, you want to wish Bido Lito! fails
miserably in our quest for press passes.
We went to see The Coral last night at The Philharmonic.
What an evening. Its fantastic to see them back, clearly enjoying what they’re doing and with a gorgeous new
record to boot. There will be a review in next month’s magazine of the show and I hope you enjoy the feature in
this month’s issue. Nick Power was a gent when we met up with him and extremely supportive of Bido Lito!. When
we chatted about Liverpool’s independent media he said “Its as if Tin ‘ed still rules the airwaves, we’re stuck in a
Brookie time warp man” and enthused about the need for an alternative voice. Well Nick, we’re here man and its
great to have The Coral aboard the fun bus.
Date for your diary listeners...over the weekend of 1st/2nd/3rd October we will be hosting ‘Inside Pages’ at
Static Gallery, the official launch event of your favorite pink monthly. As well as being a feast of Merseyside music,
featuring the cream of the bands from the early editions of these very pages, the event will include an exhibition
of photography and illustrations from the magazine. There will also be an array of stalls and retailers, featuring a
record shop stocking exclusively local acts - with all proceeds going to CALM - and loads more goings on. Full details
will be in next months mag. Keep peeled. Peace out.
Craig G Pennington
Editor
3
Bido Lito!
Volume One – Issue Three
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Static Gallery, 23 Roscoe Lane
Liverpool, L1 9JD
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Editor
Craig G Pennington - [email protected]
Reviews Editor
Christopher Torpey [email protected]
Designer
Luke Avery - [email protected]
Words
Craig G Pennington, Christopher Torpey,
David Lynch, Bethany Garrett, Richard
Lewis, Dan Wilson, Can Brannan, Floris
Stoter, John Still, Andy Hill, Alan O’Hare,
Nic Toupee, Leo Nikolaidis, Glass Pasty,
Nik Glover, Lee Boyle, Katy Long, Pete
Robinson, Sebastian Gahan, Sam Garlick,
Jack Breslin, Hugh O’Connell
Photographs
Jennifer Pellegrini, John Johnson, Tom
Roelefs, Simon Thelwell, Keith Ainsworth,
Paul Paton, Ben Thapa, Rosie Selman,
Luke Avery
Illustrations
John Biddle, Michael Cottage, Luke Avery
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Another Media: [email protected]
0151 708 2841
Features
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SHELLSUIT.
Meet the first victims of the new government’s austerity measures
NEVILLE SKELLY.
Neville Skelly is a shining example of the city’s broad musical shoulders and, fairly soon, he’ll be perched upon them
HOT CLUB DE PARIS.
I’m struck by a group for whom being in a band is a by-product of their love for music and making it
SOUND OF GUNS.
The locals are going to have to get used to it because these boys are going places
...AND NOW FOR THE SHIPPING FORECAST.
“There’s a lot of good local promoters in Liverpool at the minute. Breaking and supporting new bands is definitely important for us”
THE CORAL.
“Living in some big château, recording your album in the basement, taking your kids to school in an Aston Martin....I’d be up for that!”
FIVE ALFA FOR THE JOURNEY.
“We enjoyed a festive beer with two Easter Bunnies, sang a bizarre rendition of Rabbit Massacre classic Bright Eyes and fled Wageningen”
NORTH BY NORTHWEST.
So far NxNW has given airtime to diverse talents and there are few boundaries in place for what gets played
SEAN FRANCIS BUTLER.
A Scouse songwriter who looks beyond Seel Street and knows that great songs are the only currency that counts
CAPAC.
CAPAC are serious about their electronics and their love of the Warp back catalogue
KENDAL CALLING.
The most riveting thing to happen to the sleepy Lake District town of Kendal since the accidental invention of Kendal mint cake
EAT YOUR GREENS.
Eat Your Greens has steadily gained a following and has arguably contributed to the successful installation of a new scene in the city
Regulars
22 THE MIDDLE EIGHT
34 RANTS/COMMENT
37 REVIEWS
47 SPORTS
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6
Meet the first victims of the new
Government’s austerity measures.
Words: Christopher Torpey
Photography: John Johnson
All set for a slot on the BBC 6 Music stage at this year’s Glastonbury, SHELLSUIT were deprived of some much-warranted
national exposure at the last minute by Camerclegg’s cutbacks. “We were invited to play there by Tom Robinson from 6
Music, he’s been a real big help for us,” says singer Ed. “We were really looking forward to it, but then the cutbacks came
in and funding was cut. I’m not that arsed really: we’ll just come back next year as headliners!” You heard it here first.
While jumping from relative obscurity to major-leaguers may seem a bit pie in the sky at the moment, there is a definite
sentiment rumbling about these former postmen that they are about to go massive in the very near future. With debut
album Walton Prison Blues, they really have a gem of a record full of beguiling tunes that will have you hooked from
the very first chords of opener Just Like Everybody Else.
Else Moreover, they have a record that defies genre: “I’m happy to get
pigeon-holed, people can put me in pigeon-holes all day,” declares Ed. “But whatever label you give us, it just sounds
inadequate.” Scally-pop? City-beat-folk? What then Ed? “It’s soul music to me. Not like your Leona Lewis X Factor-warble: it’s
all about experience and emotion.” And so it is. Shellsuit’s sound is big on heart and low on complication. Every song is
engaging and heartfelt from the off, driven by the emotion that spawned it rather than being dressed up by fancy musical
trickery. But that’s not to say that it’s not accomplished: there are plenty of pop hooks in there to keep you dancing for
hours, and more than enough thoughtful lyrics to keep you wanting to come back time and again to delve in to the
depths of meaning. This is not a grower of a record: if you don’t get it the first time round, please pass the album on to
someone else who will, and get back to your Radiohead CDs.
There is a lyric from the insanely catchy track Split Brain And The Whole Mind that jumps out straight away, and
encapsulates Shellsuit perfectly: ‘typical and original at the same time.’ Lending lush and layered harmonies from The
La’s, and achingly real working-class-street social commentaries from fellow Scouser-rock luminaries Shack, Shellsuit
seem to be walking an oft-trodden path for bands from Liverpool: even their choice of name was designed to invite
every stereotype possible. But their resultant style and sound is subtly different, and seeks to debunk those stereotypes
at every turn. Based in Liverpool, lyricist Ed has always identified more with our city’s musicians, while Cheshire-based
bandmates Lee and Nathan have always sided more with the Manchester scene, with a lot of alt.country influence as well.
As multi-instrumentalist and music swot Lee is responsible for the mixing and production of the music, this is perhaps
why the band doesn’t fall firmly in to the jangly, scouse bracket. As a result, their crafted songs stand alongside those
of their influences, separate from them and unique, in a style all of their own fashioning. This is something that Ed is
acutely aware of: “You wanna see something that sticks in your mind, don’t you? That’s why we try and do something a
bit different, to make things interesting.”
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That is something that is evident even before you engage in the music. It is
hard to find any information out about this lot, and in most of their press shots
they are hidden behind an array of masks and wigs and false moustaches. While
Ed maintains that it’s because “we’re not handsome enough to be interesting,” it
sure does add an extra layer of mystery to the band that you wouldn’t recognise
them if you walked past them in the street. Seeing them live is a whole other
experience: the band often don high-visibility jackets for
their shows, and have their friend Farquhar (“a man who
lives behind a massive big hedge on a council estate”) read
a poem out before they come on, to set the mood for the
evening.
All in the name of crowd entertainment? “You do it for
yourself, you do it because you love it,” explains Ed. “If
no-one listens to it, or you only sell 10 records, it doesn’t
matter.” Surely you want to sell more than 10 though? “We
had this idea when we started the band, which has become
a bit of a catchphrase now, is that we were going to try and
get 10 people in to it. That’s an achievable number, and if
you can have 10 people’s lives affected by it, that’s a good
touch. And some times, at the early gigs, people would
say, ‘I’m one of the 10!’ And then, when things get bigger,
everyone’s claiming to be one of the 10, and it becomes like
a self-fulfilling prophecy: like Spartacus! That was then, 10
was just a good number. I can think of at least 12 now!” It is
this self-deprecating humour which, added to their natural
playfulness, gives them a charm that renders everything
they do in the name of their music genuine.
There is at least one song on Walton Prison Blues that
every person can relate to, from the careerist musings
of Postman, to the post-holiday blues of Bali, Thailand,
America and the prison cell lament of Decline Of
Sydney, America,
Manufacturing the album is a shining example of how
Manufacturing:
songs can be whittled out of the quotidian experiences of
real life, so long as there is genuine feeling at the heart of
it. And one can’t fail to identify with the random encounters
with the strange characters that pop up: the pep-talk from
Tony the vagrant on the Tunnel Bus; the Iraqis In Shellsuits
who ‘came over from seat of learning, with promises of the
dough he’d be earning,’ - even the inspiration behind Split
Brain And The Whole Mind has some wisdom to impart (‘my
brain’s got a brain of its own’), even though his nocturnal
flashing habit gained him some unflattering notoriety in his
native Birkenhead. Real life is anything but straightforward:
one person’s triviality may be another person’s hardships,
and these virtues are recognised by Ed’s lyrics, which gives
Shellsuit a wholesome edge that will keep you coming
back to them when all other music has drained you of
emotion.
This is a band that you really can’t afford to miss. Get the album and get
enriched by a genuinely heartfelt record. Go on the website and read the mission
statement. Get to the live show and behold Farquhar and the high-vis jackets.
Become one of The Ten and join in with something seismic. Get this band in your
life, before you end up on the bonnet of a Royal Mail van.
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9
NEVILLE SKELLY is not like the rest of them. Craig G Pennington meets up with him to find out
why...
What was Liverpool before Merseybeat? For that matter, what was Britain before rock n
roll?
You’d
be forgiven for thinking that pop music didn’t exist until Paul met John at the St Peter’s
Rose
Queen
Celebrations and Garden Fete, that nobody had ever whistled a tune. But before that day,
Britain was a land
of balladeers, dance halls and big bands and though he is still in his mid-20s, it was this, pre-mop-top era that had a deep
lasting impression on the young Neville Skelly, an impression that holds to this day.
“As a teenager, I wasn’t really into the music scene. I listened to singers like Tony Bennett and Nina Simone. It was the
period before rock n roll that I gravitated to.” Neville tells me, over a pint in the Cross Keys off Old Hall Street. Its roasting
outside and the cool beer is welcome and required. So, where did this interest come from? “When I was growing up, me
mum and dad listened to all those old records. My dad was always playing Dean Martin. I just immersed myself in that style
and eventually found myself walking round all the old record shops digging those records out.”
And, if you spend some time with Neville’s new EP, Child Of The Morning,
Morning you’ll see that the days he spent crate digging
have been put to great use. The record is a beautifully constructed collection of ballads, in the vein of Mel Torme, with a twist
of the blues, folk and country. But, how did he get here and what has Neville Skelly been up to before now?
During the early part of this decade, Neville was touring extensively across the UK and playing on cruise ships, trawling
across the world with his swing orchestra, releasing a collection of big band classics in 2004. “I was following a childhood
dream, in the tradition of all those classic, great singers of having my own big band. And I did it. But it became quite
nostalgic and i wanted to do something of my own, something more personal. I wanted to find that feeling with my own
music that you get when you discover something that just blows your mind.”
It was that drive to create his own future, that drove Neville to return to Liverpool and discover his own self, his own
musical expression, something that had been daunting up until that point, “because I listened to all those songs as a kid, I
felt inhibited in a way. The music I was listening to was some of the best ever written and I felt a pressure I suppose, it was
like ‘fuckin’ hell man, whats the point!’. Gladly I’m over that now!”
Gladly indeed. Neville’s songwriting was aided in the creation of Child Of The Morning by various members of Liverpool’s
music community, the sessions became kind of a drop in, collaborative, expressive environment, over at Ape Studios on
The Wirral, “We had the same rhythm section throughout, Scott Marmion played pedal steel and guitar, Ian Skelly played
drums and Bob Picken was on double bass and harmonica. After that people would drop in and add parts to songs that they
fancied. We did it on our own steam and there was no pressure, we just kicked back, had a few bevvies and took our time.”
The record was largely produced by Ian Skelly and Will She Hold Another was co-written with James Skelly, both brothers
of The Coral - its worth pointing out that Neville is not related to them, but just shares the same name - and the record most
definitely benefits hugely from the band’s input. In much the same way as Richard Hawley - the closest modern reference
point I can give to Neville - the band ensure that the songs arrangements are lush, diverse and creative. “I certainly don’t
want to become formulaic” Neville asserts, “that can be the problem sometime with big bands. But working like this, we
have our own nuances and a vibe thats our own. We’re definitely on more of a blues and folk tip also and there’s only four or
five instruments throughout. Its down to really strong arrangements, which is something we do share with Richard Hawley.”
Another aspect he also shares with Sheffield’s favorite son, is the ability to completely hold you entranced with his voice.
Particularly on Child Of The Morning,
Morning the EP’s title track, his warm, baritone, caramel croon washes over you, reminiscent of
Hawley on The Ocean, who Neville played with recently at The Jazz Cafe in London. “He’s from the same place man, a working
class background and not obsessed with cool. He loved our music at the show and was really complimentary...a top guy.”
Liverpool’s musical success, despite what is sold to tourists, has always been a result of the city’s diversity and the
breadth of its musical pallet. Neville Skelly is a shining example of the city’s broad musical shoulders and, fairly soon, he’ll
be perched upon them.
nevilleskelly.com
Neville Skelly launches Child Of The Morning EP at The Zanzibar on 31st July. He is currently on tour with The Coral
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10
An
Ironically
Lengthily
Titled
Interview
with
Merseyside
Band HOT
CLUB DE
PARIS
Words: David Lynch
“Sometimes it’s like ‘is that the only thing you’ve fucking
noticed about the entire record?’ Have you just thought
‘God, that’s a long title!’?” Finally, with the most enthusiastic
of exhortations, it’s time to put to bed a frankly boring and
overly used assertion about HOT CLUB DE PARIS. The band,
whose long song titles you hear about so often, are worth
so much more than that and perhaps it’s time everyone
noticed.
I met up with the lads just days after their return from
a UK tour which drummer Alistair Smith describes as “long
and sweaty” and thus I’m understandably keen for them to
regale me with fresh tales of drunken debauchery. Perhaps
surprisingly I’m informed by Matt, Alistair’s brother and the
group’s guitarist/vocalist, that their tours are not just quiet
but “super down the line.” Paul Rafferty, who contributes
vocals and bass, admits that because there are only the
three of them on tour (two of whom are designated drivers)
they “tend to spin more out of control when at home.”
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Though this doesn’t prevent them knocking out a humorous (these are one of the most quick-witted
bands around) tale about a 60 year old bus driver they met in Stirling who was originally from Old
Swan as Paul enthuses; “he told us all these stories about meeting The Beatles and we sat there
waiting for the punch line but they always just ended with him driving a bus.”
The tour was undertaken on the back of their unusual decision to release two EPs in the first half
of 2010. The first of these, With Days Like This as Cheap as Chewing Gum, Why Would Anyone Want
to Work?, which was released in February takes its name from a line by poet Matthew Welton. Paul
explains that they opted to record EPs when the group realised they didn’t have enough money to
go into the studio and thus recording duties fell to him. Working at the “digestible chunks” of 6 track
records seemed a less daunting task and when he came across the line from Welton’s poem he
thought it apt for the DIY nature of their newest work.
It was followed by The Rise and Inevitable Fall of the High School Suicide Cluster Band in May
(though the material was recorded quite a few months apart) another record which indicated that no
sacrifice to the group’s sound had been made with the decision to forgo expensive studio time. The
reason for this seamless transition becomes clear when Matt tells me “We’ve never been produced
really. On our first album there are no overdubs and the second there was a lot of input from the
producer Brian but the first thing he said was ‘I don’t want to fuck with the songs’.” It’s clear the liberty
the band have been granted in recording their own material is something they hugely appreciate
despite any previous assistance; “The freedom you get from recording yourself is exactly the same as
when you make the step up to having your own practice room. When you get 4 hour slots in a praccy
room you feel like you have to be creative. If you’re doing it every day you can say ‘this is shit, let’s
just listen to some records’ or ‘let’s go for a walk and come back. We can just stop and discuss the
pronunciation of words and the placement of things.”
This is set to continue into the group’s return to the LP format for which they tell me sessions
begin the day after our interview. Paul will again take the reins of recording and the lads inform me
they have 4 songs pretty much nailed down and, ahem, “a dickload of other ideas on tape.” Also,
if you didn’t catch the two EPs, they are set to be released in a bundled CD shortly having initially
been released on limited edition vinyl and digital downloads only the first time round. Paul smiles
as he tries to convince me that they sold out of the digital download but not the vinyl prints which,
as anyone who has seen Hot Club de Paris live will acknowledge, is their typically oddball humour
shining through yet again.
This humour is one of their most endearing qualities which doesn’t just come through in their
matter-of-fact lyrics but also marks them out as a genuinely down to earth bunch of people. They
continue to tell me of their disdain for “haircut bellends” as Alistair, on the topic of those who frequent
Liverpool’s bar scene, exclaims “what happened to jeans and a t-shirt being normal attire?” I’m struck
by a group for whom being in a band is a by-product of their love for music and making it, meaning
11
they’re disinterested in the bullshit that tends to attract
charlatans to any ‘scene’. Matt, as laconic as ever, gives
his thoughts; “this band’s not a machine to get your dick
sucked” quickly adding “and if it was it’d be doing a shit job
at that!” When we’ve stopped laughing, Paul tells me that
he couldn’t show his Gran a copy of NME the week they
topped the publication’s charts with ‘Fuck You, The Truth!’
because of the expletive in its title and I’m not even slightly
surprised. Hot Club de Paris are not too ‘rock and roll’ to be
nice to their Nan and this is why I can now happily believe
them when they say there’s no pretension in the length of
their EP names. So, surely a group of such ingenuity and
wit should now be appreciated for just those reasons and
no longer pigeonholed for their verbosity? They’ve taught
me to be a bit more inventive in my line of questioning if
nothing else.
hotclubdeparis.com
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Bethany Garrett stares down the barrel of Liverpool’s
pistol wielding anthemists and finds out that the people
of Wakefield have a problem with scousers talking guns in
their public houses... Photography by Jennifer Pellegrini
“I don’t think there’s been a better time for the amount
of bands coming out of Liverpool, like everyone you know
is either in a band or knows someone in a band.” SOUND
OF GUNS drummer Simon Finley affirms over half a pint
in a dimly lit Shipping Forecast on a somewhat overcast
July afternoon. He’s not wrong either; it’s how I got this
interview. The band’s guitarist Nathan Crowley can only
agree, “It’s great! It’s a good little scene like. As Si said,
you sort of know everyone through someone else, there’s
a nice little vibe.” Said vibe can be heard rampaging its
way through their commendable debut album What Came
From Fire which Simon and Nathan, with whom Bido Lito!
caught up with, inform us has just debuted at number six
on the independent albums chart. Not a bad start then.
With vocalist Andy Metcalfe and Simon’s previous
band Freemaker and Nathan’s band The Veras splitting
up roughly around the same time, things came together
when after a couple of months recuperation Simon and
Andy, in need of a guitarist put out an advert to which
Nathan responded, bringing along fellow guitarist Lee
Glynn. Being a bassist short of a band, the lads played their
first few gigs “with all the bass on a backing track.” That is,
until John Coley turned up at a show. With his former outfit
The Vagabonds wrapping things up themselves, Coley (as
he’s affectionately known) immediately wanted to get
involved and thus Sound Of Guns were able to cast aside
their “bass-on-tape” method of performing in exchange for
something much more authentic.
Despite each member having their own influences,
ranging from heavyweight rock legends AC/DC and Led
Zeppelin, to psychedelic gentry The Doors and some
good old-fashioned sweet soul music, the band willingly
acknowledge that as a whole, they are dedicated admirers
of anthemic rock. With songs like current single Architects
which incorporates a cacophony of testosterone-fueled
guitar sounds, rifle-like drum fills and vocals ripe with
swagger, they certainly could follow in their heroes
footsteps, going on to fill stadiums as Simon confesses,
“That’s one thing we always get when we play gigs people always say our sound it suited to playing bigger
things.” They’re certainly on their way, last November they
jetted off to Dubai Sound City (a sister festival of Liverpool’s
very own) where they played the main stage, though they
did feel a tad guilty afterwards as Nathan explains, “We
got there and we had a look round the stage and there
were all these ducks walking round so we were like ‘why
are all these ducks here?’ Apparently they’d concreted in a
full lake and built the stage there so these poor ducks had
no lake. It’s terrible but to be honest it sums up Dubai in a
nutshell.” The lads are soon being whisked off to Mallorca
for Mallorca Rocks where hopefully, the stage they’ll be
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Heavy
Artillery
sharing with The Courteeners won’t have left a sord of mallards of no
fixed abode.
The band recently signed with Distiller Records, an independent
label based in West London but due to their past stints in bands, the
boys were cautious about who they signed with to put their album
out for fear of “being swallowed by the big corporate machine.” Simon
elaborating on the topic explains, “It got to a period when we just
started getting loads of record companies coming up to see us and
I think that happens with most bands but Distiller were one of the
first ones who took a real, serious interest in the band, saw where we
wanted to go and understood us.”
Describing writing the album as a “painstaking process” as they
were used to writing songs simply to play them live, Nathan jokingly
admits “The amount of band discussions we had about the tracklist
was ridiculous. Forget writing and recording the songs, picking the
tracklist was definitely the hardest thing! I think that’s where Distiller
really helped us out, they could take an opinion outside of the band
and give us feedback otherwise it would’ve just been the five of us
going ‘I want this, I want that.’” I make a feeble remark about Distiller
acting as an uncle-like figure to the band to which Simon replies with
his best archetypal scouser rendition of “Listen kids calm down! Calm
down!” Talented and funny; these boys with the help of Distiller sure
made the right choices when it came to the tracklist, for the album
itself is a stunning debut full of earnest though never clichéd lyrics
and riffs to rival their heroes’ with the introduction to standout track
Collisions, epitomising the kind of perilous drumbeat that sticks in
your head in a good way.
Avoiding the fate of many musicians today who consciously try to fill
a gap in the market falling into the “we dress like this, we write songs
like this, the NME will love us and we’ll be on the front cover” category,
Sound Of Guns prefer to treat their music self-indulgently, “It comes
back to the music that we’re writing as a band. We all love that music
and the success that’s coming from it, I’d say is a by-product.” Nathan
expresses before Simon adds “You’ve gotta be doing it because you
love what you’re doing and take it from there.” Hear, hear! With such a
grounded mentality and cheery disposition it’s difficult to believe this
band were once arrested in Wakefield after locals overheard a gang
of scousers in a pub talking about guns and feared for an armed raid.
After clearing up what could have become a calamity, the boys kindly
put a couple of police officers on the guest list for their gig (Taggart +1,
naturally) with tourmates Detroit Social Club summing it up perfectly;
“Can’t take you scousers anywhere.” The locals are going to have to get
used to it though, because these boys are going places.
myspace.com/soundofguns
13
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15
…And Now The Shipping Forecast.
Words: Richard Lewis
Illustration: johnbiddle.co.uk
Given the rude health Liverpool’s music scene is in at
the present time and the explosion in new music in the
city, it seems only right we should have some new venues
to enjoy it in. Step forward then, The Kazimier, The Static
Gallery, Mello Mello and the most recent addition, The
Shipping Forecast. Opened in May this year, the ‘Forecast
is the only music venue in the city that can claim to serve
Sunday lunch as well as put on gigs. BIDO LITO dug the
waterproofs out of the locker, spliced the mainbrace and
set sail for number 15 Slater St to chat to co-manager
and co-founder Lewis Boardman about what the club’s
prospective patrons can expect.
Created and managed by Lewis and Rich McGinnis, the
duo behind the wildly successful Chibuku, the success the
night has brought them over the past ten years inspired
them to set up The Shipping Forecast. A radically different
proposition, existing as a live music venue and club as
opposed to an event, the club is part of the 580 network of
venues across the UK.
“The 580 have now got 12 bars that can host live music
so DJs and bands playing at The Shipping Forecast can go
on to play all of them” explains Lewis. New Young Pony
Club are one of the acts who have recently done this. The
circuit includes the splendidly named Spanky Van Dykes,
the ultra-hip Camden Lock Tavern, Sheffield’s Bungalows
and Bears, and the especially memorable A Nation of
Shopkeepers (Napoleon’s description of the English race),
in Leeds.
On the subject of the club’s decidedly different names
the origin of The Shipping Forecasts’ moniker is a matter
of some dispute. “Er, I can’t remember who came up with
the name actually”, states Lewis, looking momentarily
perplexed, “I told my parents what it was and they’re
reaction was ‘That’s so stupid’, and I thought ‘Yeah, but it’s
so stupid it’ll work’.’’
The name gave the Liverpool based arts collective Mercy,
the creative talent behind the venture plenty of scope for
the décor and overall theme of the venue. Given the ability
to create a space that chimes in with the venues’ name
you do wonder what the interior of Spanky Van Dykes
could look like. The nautical feel of the club including the
fixtures and fittings, even down to the menus and flyers
give the venue a uniformed sea-faring look.
Given the (hopefully temporary) loss of Korova, The
Shipping Forecast has stepped into that venue’s shoes to
some extent, albeit with a greater emphasis on live music.
As Lewis says, “Hopefully we’re filling
the gap where Korova was, breaking
new bands and new DJs.” In addition to
music, the venue also has affiliations
with other organisations in the city.
“In terms of art we’re working closely
with Bluecoat Chambers, and we’re
also working with FACT. We’re going to
have artists come in once every three
months to do installations that will
constantly changing throughout the
year.” In view of the artwork that is
displayed in the venue, The Shipping
Forecast is hoping to establish itself
as a creative hub, promoting the talent
the city has to offer.
Lewis states regarding the interiors
of the club, “The vibe of the venue
was to keep it pretty raw, we’ve been
working bars and clubs over the past
ten years with Chibuku and Circus.” The
design of the venue was partly drawn
up by the same team who oversaw
the re-design of the Magnet. The club’s
opening night featured a DJ set by
Gilles Peterson, a long-standing friend
of Rich McGinnis who gave the club his
seal of approval. On the live music side
the club hosted a brace of gigs for this
year’s Sound City, an event Lewis hopes
will return to the venue next year.
The focal point of the ‘Forecast is The
Hold. A cool subterranean basement
reminiscent of The Cavern (the original
one that is). The stage lies level with the
dancefloor, bringing the band and the
patrons eyeball to eyeball. The room
also harks back to the late 1980s and
the era of warehouse parties when the
likes of The Stone Roses began to play
venues markedly different to theatres
and Academies. Originally a “dirty,
stinking cellar”, according to Lewis,
the low ceilings and the Function One
Sound System make the noise from the
PA inescapable. This combined with
sweat running down the walls, (‘the sign of a good club’
reckons Lewis), makes The Hold a memorable location.
In terms of a grass-roots aesthetic the club will welcome
new and independent promoters to host events there. As
Lewis states, “If we can agree on the direction of where
they’re going, the music, the artwork, the clientele they’re
going for, then we’re all for independent promoters in the
venue.” He goes on, “There’s a lot of good local promoters
in Liverpool at the minute. Breaking new bands, supporting
new bands is definitely important for us, as well as DJs.”
The combination of dancefloor and mosh pit within the
same venue also physically demonstrates how the gulf
between dance and rock, once seemingly insurmountable
is now just a short hop. A journey that began in the mid
1980s when a bunch of rock fans attended some club in
Manchester called the Hacienda in search of cheap beer,
the sight of bands performing DJ sets is now totally
commonplace. Bands such as LCD Soundsystem on DFA,
cited as a favourite by Lewis further prove how this synergy
is alive and well.
As for the clientele the venue is hoping to attract Lewis
says, “The door policy’s pretty strict; we’re here for the arty
kids, and the music kids, but it’s a place where everyone
can feel comfortable.” Further to this he is at pains to
emphasise the importance of the ‘back door’ entrance to
the venue that opens out onto Fleet St, used of a weekend.
:The key thing when we started this was to have a secret
door.” Lewis nods, “Thursday through to Saturday, as soon
as the sun goes down we close the whole front of the
venue. The doors, the blinds the windows are all shut,
from the outside you can’t even see in, it’s a total blackout.
If you didn’t know you’d just walk past it, you wouldn’t
even know what it was.”
He continues, “The kids who are in the know come
straight in, it’s like a New York loft, Speakeasy-type secret
bar. The back door idea was a good touch, having the
secret door on the same street as the FACT and round
the corner from The Peacock, people’s perception of
the place changes.” A feature that was included in the
architects’ plans for the re-design of the club when they
originally acquired the building, it ensures that everyone
who attends the Shipping Forecast feels comfortable. The
chances of a Hen Night staggering in through the door at
1AM are highly unlikely!
The Shipping Forecast...outlook: sunny.
theshippingforecastliverpool.com
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16
Words: Craig G Pennington
When
THE
CORAL emerged in
2002, British guitar music
was awoken from a creative coma. They
instigated, along with The Music, a rediscovery of ideas out
of the prevailing post-Brit Pop banality. The early promise
of Oasis’s first two LPs, The Verve, Suede, Blur, Pulp et al
had been replaced by a succession of watered down
imitators and stadium-sized reincarnations (Menswear and
Stereophonics have much to answer for).
The Coral spearheaded a sea change and a re-thinking of
what it meant to create rock music in a new millennium and,
along with bands such as Franz Ferdinand, The Libertines
and latter day disciples The Arctic Monkeys (admittedly with
a Big Apple shaped dollop of help from across the pond
courtesy of The Strokes), they set about re-shaping rock n
roll. As a Merseyside publication, it’d be easy to apply too
heavy an
emphasis on
the group’s importance,
to over bloat their impact, yet, The
Coral are still loved far beyond these
shores and remain the eternal muso’s
band.
But, it has been three years since
Roots And Echoes, an age by The
Coral’s standards, and during that time
the group have experienced more
changes than
at any other
point during their
(almost) ten year career.
Bido Lito! caught up with The
Coral’s Nick Power to talk about
the band’s new LP Butterfly House released this month on Deltasonic
Records - and gain an insight into what
it means to be a member of still, one
of the UKs most forward thinking and
artistically revered groups in 2010.
“This is a new chapter and we want
to set the standard for the next passage
of the band...its the drawing of a new
map,” Nick Power tells me outside The
Coral’s practice room on a blustery
July afternoon. “The
The Singles Collection
17
was the ending point
of that first period of
the band. So much had
changed. We wanted to
do something different
and have a new start.”
And
if
anything
need stand as a
glowing endorsement
of that new start, the
beginning of the new
chapter, it is Butterfly
House; a shimmering
collection of West Coast
Pop-Psychedelia, the record
sees the band maneuver a
change of tack more acute
than at any point in their
career, even eclipsing that of
Nightfreak And The Son’s Of
Becker’s arrival in 2004.
The record was produced by
John Leckie, the man who extracted
one of the seminal works of rock
history from The Stone Roses, as well
as producing Radiohead’s ‘The Bends’,
The Verve’s classic ‘Storm In Heaven’ and
Spiritualized’s ‘Ladies And Gentlemen’. So,
was Leckie an influential figure in the creation
of the new record?
“Yeah, he definitely helped. We did some demos
with Ian Broudie first, who just helped us out and
steadied the ship with all the changes that were going on.
Both Ian and Deltasonic suggested working with John.”
In terms of producers, John Leckie is heavyweight, having
presided over some of the high watermarks in British music
over three decades. So did he get the red carpet treatment
over in Hoylake?
“Originally he just came down and watched us praccy,
said nothing and got bevied!” Laughs Nick, sort of hardly
believing what he’s saying...the guy who recorded The
Bends just sat, half-cut in your living room? “Ha! Yeah, it was
a bit weird having John Leckie pissed in ours, just sat there
with a case of Becks. But then he was the first to get into
the studio in the morning and always the last to leave.”
It is often a trait you come across with talented producers;
they’re obsessive. In the same way as a painter slaves over
their art, with a disregard for the outside world and a lack of
interest in concepts such as day and night or the passage
of time, an affected producer moulds their creations in a
closed, idiosyncratic manner.
“Thats how it was, he gave us like a schedule to work to.
It was Monday to Friday, we’d be in at this time and out at
that time. It was very structured and disciplined and it was
And from that work ethic has been born The Coral’s
most considered work to date. The intricacies of the
arrangements on songs such as the title track Butterfly
House and Roving Jewel and the blissful, baking sunset
harmonies evident throughout the LP, but particularly on
More Than A Lover,
Lover Walking In The Winter,
Winter and Falling All
Around You move The Coral into a new place. In 1000
Years, the band have crafted their most complete work yet;
harmonies so warm your skin will blister, a drum sound to
completely die for - especially evident when they first enter
at the start of the piece - a reverb washing throughout,
binding the music together sonically in a way that only
Leckie knows how. The song has a melody that could have
been taken straight from Brian Wilson’s scrapbook and,
clocking in at two minutes and fifty one seconds, the song
embodies perfect pop in a way that only The Coral know
how, and so good, only The Coral can get away with.
So, in 2010, what changed with this record? “We played
everything live, which was down to John as we’d been
playing around with tracking various different parts,” says
Nick. “He didn’t use Cubase or anything like that at all. There
was a lot of attention to detail and we demo’d everything
live a few times first, which we’ve not done before. It was
all very deliberate.”
With the band all being ten years older than when they
made their debut album, 2002’s self titled and Mercury
Prize nominated The Coral, has the passage of time and
House
experience aided them in the creation of Butterfly House?
Nick thinks so,
“When you’re a bit older you can stop everything,
slow down, relax and you can be a bit more patient. The
change in producer helped massively, but it is also down
to the attitude of the band, the standard of the writing and
everybody’s individual playing. I think everybody raised
their game on this record.”
Nick mentioned the changes the band have been
through since their last album; behind the scenes, the
set up of the band’s relationship with their label and their
relocation to a new rehearsal space all being amongst the
shifts, but the main difference being that Butterfly House
is The Coral’s first album without founder member and
guitarist Bill Ryder-Jones. It is natural, therefore, that the
spotlight will fall on the differences his absence makes
to the record. It would be completely fruitless to try and
assert if The Coral are ‘better or worse’ without Bill and it
would do the band and the man an utter disservice. But,
there certainly are differences.
I’ve mentioned that this is the band’s most considered
album to date, and it is in that where the distinction
between the periods pre and post-Bill’s departure lie. If you
listen to the guitar parts on Butterfly House and Sandhills
- the later being the point on the new LP at which the ‘new’
Coral really rear their head - there is a focus on the parts
arrangement and sonic context which is unique to the
really good for us. John used to be a tape op in Abbey Road
and he just has this amazing work ethic. The man doesn’t stop.”
group thus far. This is more Knopfler than Nightfreak, more
Neil Young than Bill McCai and the way that the guitar lines
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18
interweave with the arrangements - particularly on Falling
Falling
All Around You, Sandhills, and Roving Jewel,
Jewel the piano,
organ, guitar and vocals sharing the lead motifs with a
comfortable ease - gives credence to the assertion that
this is The Coral’s most wholesome work to date.
On Sandhills, James Skelly’s lead vocal is almost
unrecognisable from that of the youthful, energetic snarl
on Dreaming Of You.
You Here he plays the role of balladeer;
this is a Scott Walker track without the orchestra, its strings
being replaced by those ever present vocal harmonies.
When Nick says that everybody raised their game on this
record, we agree with him, completely.
The world has changed so much since the turn of
the new millennium. I’ve mentioned in previous article’s
that The Coral’s first EP pre-dated the first ipod, at the time
there was no myspace and bands still demo’d on Tascam
tape machines. The Coral have witnessed the technological
revolution and its effect on bands and the wider music
industry from the coal face. “I didn’t have a mobile phone
until we made the third album and computers were for
those lads in school who didn’t play footy at lunch. We are
living in the future now, its everything without the hover
boards.” But, in terms of the way the band’s releases are
structured, is todays climate much less restrictive? “When
we started it was single - single - album - a collection of B
sides for the singles. We came through from that change
to the ‘anything goes’ kind of way it is today. Maybe we’re
the last of the B side generation?...”
One thing thats not changed for The Coral is where they
base themselves and the obvious affinity they have with
The Wirral. The group all still live in Hoylake - well three of
them do, with one in West Kirby and another in Greasby, a
subtle yet important distinction for those of you who know
your Wirral geography, but for those of you who don’t, I
wouldn’t lose any sleep over it - and their proximity to the
sea remains a huge influence, “well yeah, we do live
right next to it. Its hard to get away from something
that big.”
And the new LP is brewing with influence
from the big blue and wider mother
nature, with constant lyrical themes
hung around the seasons and
landscape. ‘I hear her talking
with the leaves in the dark / The
crooked branches hanging
heavy in her heart,’ sings
James in Green Is The
Colour, a song which
Colour
starts with the sound of
the sea lapping at the
shore. But The Coral
have always been a
band in tune with
their geography,
“Where we live,
you walk down to
the prom and if you
look one way you can see Wales and the other way you can
see Liverpool. When we recorded the first album the whole
Welsh psych and low-fi scene was a big influence, we were
well into Gorkys and Super Furry’s at the time. Mwng is my
favorite Super Furry’s LP and we listened to that loads when
we made the first album. You can hear those big haunted
Welsh hills and feel the landscape. The scenery of the
record, it all contributes. Just like you can tell a band from a
city.” Like The Strokes just sound like NYC? “yeah man, and
Lou Reed is the same.”
The Coral’s combination of these Welsh, brooding
atmospherics, an affinity with their Wirral locality and the
influence of Liverpool’s age old trick of a melody, etched
with the bands deep love of the Bunnymen and Teardrop
all still hold strong on the new album. But then, it shouldn’t
come as a surprise, with the band all still residing on
these shores. When the early records kicked off, was it not
tempting to ‘do an Alex Turner’, and flit off to New York?
“Well I’d love to go and experience new places. When we
started it was just complete chaos, those first three albums,
I didn’t know what was going on. We were so young, maybe
if we were a bit older we’d have moved away, but we’re
skint now anyway! I saw that Stones in Exile film recently,
now that’d be alright. Living in some big château in the
south of France, recording your album in the basement,
Jagger getting married, taking your kids to school in an
Aston Martin....I’d be up for that!”
I missed my bus on St John Street a couple of weeks back
and to pass the time, stumbled into The Grapes for a pint,
to escape from the rain. They were hosting their usual faire
of middle aged pub singer with backing tracks, busting out
the Rod Stewart and
Bryan Adams
numbers. After settling down with my
IPA, the crooner went into a version of
Pass It On. It got me thinking about
where The Coral’s music is today and
how far its filtered into the mainstream
songbook. I wondered how that feels
for the band? I once read a quote
from Paul McCartney where he said
that once you write a song, you give
it away, you have to let it go, its not
yours for keeping...
“I like it man. You do give them away
and what would you do with them
if you kept them and were precious
anyway? Music is for sharing, I’d just
like people to do it justice. I walk
past Coopers by Central Station and
the karaoke is going, no matter what
time of the day, people singing Billy
Fury, Joe Meek ‘Johnny Remember Me’,
these amazing songs. It just seems to
be a natural thing in this city. People
criticise it and say the city should
change, its too sentimental, but its
just part of the place.”...as are The
Coral, they are of this place and part of
this place and, after almost ten years,
they are just as essential as ever.
thecoral.com
The Coral tour this summer and play
Kendal Calling on 1st August - Butterfly
House is out now
N o v e m b e r
2 0 1 0
Venues throughout Wirral
Martin Taylor . Steve Hackett
James Burton . Tom Paxton
Nick Harper . Wilko Johnson . Dr Feelgood
Joe Brown . Bellowhead . BJ Cole
Gary Murphy . Paul Balmer . Woody Mann . Catfish Keith
John Goldie . TJ & Murphy . Peter Price . Campbell Duo
www.bestguitarfest.com
0151 666 0000
20
five alfa
for the
journey
THE CUBICAL TOUR OF
THE NETHERLANDS
The Cubical’s frontman and Bido Lito! scribe, Dan
Wilson, fills us in on his band’s recent tour of the land of
the clog... Photography by Tom Roelofs
Landed, queued, checked, bagged, the usual waiting,
coffee, cigarettes, some dweeb needs another piss,
another cigarette, find a train to Utrecht, a can each. Brings
back memories... a toilet in Kensington. Soaked in the
scenery, many an allotment as far as the eye can see, big
arm burning and breathe.
We meet the Tour Manager Pieter Kwant, 6ft 1ins of genuine goodness. Begin.
Utrecht - Wednesday - Dead Mouse Walking
A cool little cafe serving up vegan food, walls decked out in anti-fascism and anti-globalisation
posters (never a bad thing) 50s flyers on each candle-lit table, a Monday night poetry night, Death
Metal every second Tuesday and then he took her for a drink on Friday.
More Alfa in the dressing room and met the lads from Dead Mouse Walking. Some of our lot
buggered off to a dodgy dive next door.
Both bands and sound engineers sat down to a bowl of Vegan gruel before sound check, blasted
pasta that would give Linford a run for his luncheon. Wash it down with Alfa. Did the trick.
Small midweek crowd, crazy sound but a decent gig from a dry run perspective. Dead Mouse,
hailing from Amsterdam, where a kind of Queens of the Stone Age meets Brit Pop act, with some
decent moments but still pretty much in their early stages. A guitarist who wanted to rock out amidst
a more sedentary bunch. Lines must be drawn. It must also be said that they possess perhaps one of
the most affable and quirky bassists in Christendom. We had a wonderful chat about time travel and
post modernism and not one of us mentioned Marty Mcfly and his fucking Delorian. It can be done.
We did what we do best, drank a little and caused minor offence. I particularly stuck in the craw of a
vehemently patriotic barfly smack head who kept insisting to me that “this wasn’t England” “it wasn’t
Germany... USA.., Russia...” “Turkey?” I chimed in, he wasn’t best pleased. A good game nonetheless
though readers. Try it yourselves. “This is not Just 17” This is not Newsweek” “Watchtower?”
We stayed at Ubika a famous squat within the anarchist movement, parts of the building dated back
to the fourteenth century and it had been squatted for the last eighteen years, although apparently
changes in squatters rights are being pushed through in a matter of months, so dark times ahead. For
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anyone
who remembers
The Kif fondly then this place
was for them.
Wageningen - Thursday - Automatic Sam
Al’s birthday. After dawdling away hours in Utrecht
we arrive in the unpronounceable Wageningen, begin
again. As we wait for common sense to dictate I chat to
an elderly Irish couple here visiting their son studying
in the middle of nowhere at the centre of life sciences,
I inquire about the town, “terrible, fuck all to do” proffers
the husband, “they’re a civilised people the Dutch” says
wife. We head on, cross over and then are flanked by
two budding academics on bicycles who kindly and
with certain exuberance lead us to the venue, our own
bespectacled motorcade. The Cubical at Hogwarts.
We arrive, a cool American style joint with free pool and
icy cold beer, also free. We soon become acquainted with
Holland’s best bar man and the softest drink available
“Jils.” Hospitality was at its optimum.
Automatic Sam (full throttle rock n roll foursome named
after a Beefheart song) opened with a Hendrix drenched
big riff orientated sound that showcased the talents of an
exceptional lead guitarist and a breath taking drummer.
We got to know this wonderful four-piece throughout
the tour and fine musicians and good fellows they are.
Good songs and a strong foundation in real musicality,
interesting time signatures and great stage presence.
Check em, myspace.com/automaticsam.
Our gig went incredibly well and included a dance with
a girl on crutches, an audience rendition of happy birthday
for Al, with the award of a ceremonial Jils, then ended with
a huge gay disco in a theatre.
For the back of beyond these people sure knew how
to let loose. Into the early hours when things tend to get
messy, a discussion regarding bizarre pock marked pop
sensation Seal took place and seemed to go on for hours.
And breathe.
Nijmegen - Friday - My Boot Heels
We enjoyed a festive beer with two Easter Bunnies,
sang a bizarre rendition of Rabbit Massacre classic Bright
Eyes and fled Wageningen to begin again in Nijmegen,
again. Accommodated beautifully at Pieter Holkenburg’s
flat (Automatic Sam frontman) we relaxed for a few hours
with too cool for school drummer Bob, then headed out
and ate a decent meal with Tour Manager Pieter Kwant
Kwant Kwant, discussed the fate of the Liverpool Music
Scene, the ongoing troubles at Vitesse Arnhem and made
merry.
My Boot Heels supported and played Dylan covers,
some old, some new and although it is never nice seeing
covers I did enjoy it this time especially the later Dylan
tracks from Modern Times and Time Out of Mind. I held
onto my super size Grolsch with infamous bottle top and
swayed along, not a sign of Brothers Goss anywhere. “I
was thinking bout Alicia Keys ...”
The rivets, canals, cobbles and back-alleys of
drunkenness were travailed with usual aplomb and the
audience joined us on stage for general knee shaking and
in the end wouldn’t let us off, so good work all round. I
recovered for a good twenty minutes like a human traffic
cone propped up by the coats whilst the rest of the band
enjoyed a little liquid libation.
We returned to Holkenburg’s gaff and stayed up real
late drinking and listening to records with Bob and Pieter
“The Human Being” Kwant. I vaguely recall an alternative
version of Dr John’s Gris Gris with testicle related lyrics
ushering us into the morning.
21
pleasant.
Me, John and Craig, had a stroll through Nijmegen in the drizzle then headed for an Irish Bar and
watched Utd lose, always nice even if it’s at £4.50 a pint.
Came back and watched a Johnny Cash DVD with The Automatic Sam boys, who at this point had
really started showing us just what great fellas they were - “I got my picks, I got my pills, I’m Johnny
Cash.”
Arrived in Helmond in the Kwantwagon and split up into various factions based on differing levels
of fatigue, at this point too much muchness had taken root. I dined alone in a little Arabic place and
watched Messi tear some poor sod a new arsehole.
Automatic Sam played admirably amidst the smoke machines and cloth-eared sound men and
getting a second chance to see them live really hammered home their excellent musicianship and
great potential. A shit hot drum solo finished off a superb gig.
We on the other hand operated at a lower level today and were pretty much dead on our feet,
energy ebbing, I for one was exhausted, however the audience seemed to enjoy it and we went
down really well. An encore was demanded but not tonight. I lay down for a good while, vomited
and then felt a little better.
A great conversation regarding Dutch rock legend Hermann Brood commenced and I learned of his
remarkable career and tragic suicidal end, jumping off the Amsterdam Hilton, this pill popping singer
and painter was a real one off. Check him.
Back in Nijmegen at Pieter’s fine abode - across from a famous park with a song attached, the
scene set by a balladeer out to change the ways of a drug addled prostitute. Where there’s a Wilson
there’s a way out. Bed, a two seat couch, a neck like a car crash, not to mention the headache but I
deserve that for past accumulative ills. Night.
Paaspop Festival - Sunday - Automatic Sam, DeWolff
Me and Percy drive out east with wonderful music photographer Tom Roelfes and then backstage
at hospitality central, apples, water, salami, cheese and good coffee. We stroll between the two
stages, two and half thousand making merry with music, a real good atmosphere and a wicker man
style bonfire up on the hill.
Automatic Sam play a stormer and the crowd go crazy, we watch on and I remember that famous
old adage “nerves and a build of mucus is an artist’s best friend.”
They join us on stage for Great White Lie and then we get the place moving, new personal bests in
perspiration are in the offing and the general populace of pop pickers don’t pass up the popportunity.
But hey that’s Paaspop.
Next on are a great band called DeWoolf, a three piece in their late teens that mix the organ led
groove of The Doors with the riff tastic show stopping energy of Deep Purple, there’s also a prog
element too. They can’t half play, they look great and the crowd lap it up. The Netherlands’ next big
export? they could well be. myspace.com/dewolff
We head backstage and enjoy hugs, kisses, beers and long goodbyes with all the great people that
made the tour happen, Pieter “the milk of human kindness” Kwant, and all the Automatic Sam crew,
Pieter, Harm, Rense Slings and Bob.
It ends at 5am in Utrecht with tired eyes, then the long climb home to an almighty hangover and
a few left over Easter Eggs.
myspace.com/thecubicalthecubical
Helmond - Saturday - Automatic Sam
“You took a good thing and you made it bad”
I awoke with the sound of Marlowe in my brain and felt
like a used cotton bud. The cramped sleeping position, the
orchestra of snores and nightly groans and the general
unwellness of a half a dozen men filled the room. Not
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22
Bido Lito! August 2010 Middle Eight
Ragz
Based in Liverpool now after moving here to study music at
university, Ragz has so far released two EPs, Little Stings and
Love You Still, that have sent the bloggers in to a frenzy. Love
You Still’s title track manages to grab you somewhere round
the navel and won’t let you go, and Run takes you tiptoeing
through an enchanted wood in a Hans Christian Andersen
fairy tale. If you fail to be moved by the haunting More and
Breathe, then I’m afraid you have no heart.
Laura Marling, Wild Beasts and Mumford & Sons have
all called upon her charms as tour support recently, and
witnessing the Ragz phenomenon live and in full-flow, it is
easy to see why: with a voice that can silence a crowd and
hold them under her spell, this Nordic princess is rightly
gaining the recognition she deserves.
myspace.com/ragzmusic
Art Nouveau
earlier this year was phenomenal and more recent gigs at the Academy
have been equally rich in quality. Even though Speech Debelle, who
they were due to support during Sound City, cancelled her Academy
gig, taking her audiences with her, the band decided to perform
and managed to seduce the remaining audience nonetheless.
Although their debut EP has yet to be finished, what has been
confirmed is that it’s a conceptual album, based on a story about
a child who was saved by a forest nymph to become nature’s
daughter. Recordings started earlier this year and it is expected
that I Left My Daughter In The Forest To Die will see the light of
day between October and November.
myspace.com/art_nouveau
Sensorites
particularly hard to get right. The project displays a real breadth of
ideas and creativity. The record is beautifully packed in recycled pulp
sleeves, with the CD version pressed up as a mini-vinyl, complete
with wax grooves. Lovely. The remixes - Two Ragged Soldiers,
Instrumental and A Cappella - all work in their own right and
come across as considered and complementary - if I’m honest, i
think I prefer the Two Ragged Soldiers Mix to the lead version Sensorites clearly lost themselves in the ideal of their batcave
on this; it sounds like the lamenting accompaniment to the
riddler as the ploughs across Gotham City committing his
heinous sins. The band’s next single is due out in September
with an extended EP in November. Get onto them now...
sensorites.com
The Trestles
hours kicking round in bars and sipping bourbon, hell no. With the
melodious Hard Faced Town EP already in their back pockets, The
Trestles have just released a single on iTunes (Sing On) in preparation
for their debut album, examples of which can be sampled on their
myspace page now. Drink Of Water and The Civilised maintain the pop
hooks of their predecessors, but also point to a move towards more
conventional rock sounds, sometimes even threatening to break
out in a folky, Irish jig. If you fancy shedding yourself of the daily
stresses and strains after a hard week at work then I suggest you
catch these ragged trousered philanthropists at work: the launch
for the single Sing On at the Zanzibar Club on August 30th might
be a great place to start.
myspace.com/thetrestles
It is hard to find anyone with a bad word to say about RAGZ
NORDSET, the Norwegian songstress with a captivating
voice who is causing jaws to drop at an alarming rate. With
her show-stopping vocals and her beautifully intimate
songs, this little lady is winning hearts and minds at every
juncture, and she shows no signs of stopping yet. As a
female singer-songwriter with an acoustic guitar in tow,
‘folk’ has been the obvious tag for Ragz’ music, with Joni
Mitchell the even more obvious reference point. This is not
a label that Miss Nordset herself agrees with, preferring
the term ‘acoustic pop/rock’, while I think ‘mesmeric vocal
magic’ is perhaps more apt.
Like their name suggests, ART NOUVEAU is more than just
music. Experimenting with song, sound and a love for fairytales,
a strong visual consciousness characterises this five piece
born in the classrooms of LIPA. Aimed to translate their selfwritten fairytales into musical stories, their gigs have been a
fantastical artistic happening, with songs continuing as long as
fifteen minutes and brass, violin and piano solo’s colouring the
different parts of the story.
So far Art Nouveau have only been in the spotlight of the
Liverpool scene a couple of times; their debut at the Zanzibar
Bido Lito! was first faced with SENSORITES a couple of months
back when the group opened up for The Crookes on a pretty quiet
mid-week night at Mojo. Two brothers - Natham and Gareth
Kirkham - base themselves in ‘The Batcave’, their own studio in
Liverpool where they recorded recently released debut single
Spacemen. Coming bundled with a selection of remixes, this is
Spacemen
the record that Richard Ashcroft was desperately trying to make
when he dreamt up United Nations Of Sound. What Ashcroft’s
latest project lacks in authenticity and soul, Spacemen has
in buckets. Its a combination of acoustic guitar led, genuine
songwriting, with electronic drum loops and bleeps which is
If you’re going to name your band after a lyric from a
Springsteen song, you’d better follow it up with the kind of music
that The Boss would be proud of: thankfully, THE TRESTLES do just
that. Purveyors of heart-on-your-sleeve pop-rock that seems to
come right out of the area of Liverpool called New New Jersey, this
3-piece specialise in bar-stool micro anthems that paint a sweatsoaked picture of the glamour of the 9-5 slog. With Irish-catholic
roots and working-class, socialist influences, it is no surprise that
The Trestles are mining the same rich stream of creativity that has
so benefited the career of America’s premier blue-collar rocker.
This is not the kind of band to spend all of their out-of-work
www.bidolito.co.uk
bidolito
bidolito.co.uk
Words - Ragz: Christopher Torpey // Art Nouveau: Floris Stoter // Sensorites: Can Brannan // The Trestles: Christopher Torpey
FOLD ME
PULL ME OUT
FOLD ME
the creative grass roots scene of Liverpool, featuring
live music and DJs, performance art, poetry and
audio-visual spectaculars - shedding a bit of light
on Liverpool’s cultural underground, all in a relaxed
festival-like atmosphere.
Moving to a new home at the Bluecoat for our third
annual event, Above The Beaten Track’s heart and
soul are beating stronger than ever.
Our philosophy is all about inclusion, not only
giving a platform for the oft-maligned marginal grass
roots musicians of our fair city; but letting our
friends and partners have a hand in running the festival
– take a look inside to see what they’ve got going
on at this year’s event, in addition to our own Above
The Beaten Track offerings...
this design is artyficial: artyfi[email protected]
FREE ENTRY•2pm -10pm
Above The Beaten Track is a festival celebrating
Commander in chief of local folk heroes The
15.40 - Joe Keelan
Since plying his wares with Triad, as a double act
with virtuoso Neil Campbell, and releasing a solo
album, Stuart has gone on to release the first long
player with his new band, ‘The Freebies’.
15.15 - Stuart Todd
Seal Cub Clubbing Club frontman and wordy git
Nik Glover takes a break from second album sessions
to present ‘Loved Ones’, with a little help from
some friends... expect lots of singing and droning
on, wordplay and a smattering of live electronica...
Loved Ones feat. Nik Glover
followed by a performance by
(see partners’ page for more details)
17.00 - 18.00 - BAGISM
hosted by Tom George
With his softer, acoustic oriented solo offerings,
Donnelly still provides the same emotional intensity
you expect from his band Strawhouses.
14.50 - Paul Donnelly (Strawhouses)
The Grande are a Liverpool band of real calibre,
renowned for their expert musicianship, electric
live shows and riotus ‘hoedowns.’ British
influenced Americana Folk Rock, their songs speak
for themselves.
14.25 - Avant Gardner
Avant Gardner was born out of numerous bands
over a period of 12 years, he now performs solo
acoustic gigs around the city offering an alternative
take on his recordings.
16.30 - The Grande
Lancashire troubadour Matt Swift writes about his
experiences of life, love, and loss. Matt performs
regularly in Liverpool, and has a plethora of heart
wrenching, thought- provoking, bitter-sweet songs.
20.20 - Carrie Hayden
With comparisons to the likes of Joni Mitchell, Carole
King, and Tracy Chapman, Carrie treads complex
emotional ground with a light-hearted step.
20.40 - SJ Downes
‘Soaring vocals and songs as soft as lullabies’. Laura
is a captivating and passionate performer with ‘the
voice of an angel and a deft stroke on her guitar
which brings the listener into her soul.’
18.40 - Jez Wing
Enter the ethereal world of Daniela Bove and her
belongings ... and get lost in the paradox of dark
21.25 - Daniela Bove and The Belongings
(Feat. Nicole Collarbone)
The only band in England that fits entirely into
a paper bag. Sometimes silly, never wacky. Can
be serious, but know it isn’t compulsory. Recently
adopted a pair of mice.
19.30 - The 10p Mixes
The combination of intricate finger picked guitars,
solid song writing and sincere delivery are the
hallmark of acoustic folk duo TJ & Murphy.
21.00 - TJ & Murphy
19.05 - Tony Kehoe
Usually prefers to stand up whilst performing but
is seriously considering sitting down for this one.
SJ Downes is a travelling bluesman who has laid his
roots in Liverpool, resplendent in untamed beard,
workman shirt and heavy boots, he’s a purveyor of
all things blues.
After working with numerous high profile names up,
down and out of the country, pianist Jez is returning
to Above The Beaten Track with a selection of his
solo offerings.
18.20 - Laura James
Acoustic Magazine “It’s about time the world woke
up to this man’s talents..” Rock N Reel R2 Magazine
“Can’t ignore, and that’s rare these days...” Stuart
Anthony’s original songwriting.
19.55 - Stuart Anthony
Channelling the spirit of his musical heroes, Rob
Clarke delivers understated, heartfelt and direct
acoustic introspectiveness.
18.00 - Rob Clarke
16.00 - We Walk In Straight Lines
An awkward, world-weary head-fuck of excess
baggage, mood swings and paranoia, their sound
is a furious smorgasbord of hollow vindication that
takes in echoes of the Walkmen, the National and
Husker Du.
Liverpool Acoustic & Guests
16.00 - 17.00 - Lazy Genius Hour
Beat, stomp and song – live, Atlantic Massey is a sight to behold, an energetic
ball of Irish filtered folk-rock. Dust in the face of a chief of a beast at dawn.
21.15 - Atlantic Massey
The sound of the coming together of 5 psychedelic infused country, folk and
beat obsessed minds. Dark, beguiling, at times abstract, but always special.
20.40 - The Wicked Whispers
14.00 - Matt Swift
(Feat guest vocalist Barry Briercliffe)
Having recently released their ‘More Human Than Human’ EP,
Misery Guts are a band hitting their stride built on a core of intricate
guitar and vocal melody.
19.10 - Misery Guts
Emily & The Faves brand of pop skilfully treads the balance between ethereal
psychedelia and the short sharp shock of direct post punk poppiness.
20.10 - Emily & the Faves
18.40 - Ragz
Ragz possesses a sweet, soaring voice known to captivate and move
her audiences. She weaves intricate melodies with her emotive vocal;
at times unconventional, yet rooted in the traditions of classic song-writing.
Jam packed full of luscious harmonies and hook-laden melodies, 15 Storeys are
exponents of classic scouse pop.
19.35 - 15 Storeys
Jeff Jepson is returning to Above The Beaten Track, armed with
acoustic guitar and an Americana-infused song book.
18.15 - Jeff Jepson
John is a legend on the Liverpool music scene. Whether playing in the pubs
of his home town or with the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, John shares
his infectious passion for life and music through his singing and spoon playing.
Back by popular and vociferous demand! Feat. DJ Jonnie O’Hare.
16.30 – John “The Man with the Silver Spoons” McGuirk
Lead singer of local legendary pysch-blues monsters The Cubical, Dan Wilson’s
solo material ranges from lyrically led dark acoustic ballads to stripped down
americana infused blues in the classic Cohen/Cash songwriting mould.
16.00 - Dan Wilson (The Cubical)
Liverpool Acoustic
GALLERY STAGE
Elegant soulful 60’s styled pop from the former Little Flame...
Eva Petersen hardly needs an introduction from us though, does she?
17.50 - Eva Petersen
Dave Owen never fails to impress, his accomplished guitar playing
complements his mix of original pop songs with folk and traditional
standards.
17.25 - Dave Owen
Having utilised the cream of Liverpool’s folk players – and more from
beyond on his latest album, Andy Steele offers intricate folk of the
highest pedigree.
17.00 - Andy Steele
17.00 - 22.00 - Mellowtone & Beaten Tracks presents
Paula Simms and Andy Frizell have been working and playing
together for many years and are now joining forces to play a classic
set of their favourite blues with special guests.
15.30 – Paula Simms & Andy Frizell
14.30 – Tom George
Tom George brings a range of pop and punky influences to his acousticbased music. Performing solo, his energy and instinctive melodies
usually entice audiences into massed singing...or whistling.
Patrick Dineen has written scores for many TV and theatre
productions; ran a nightclub; toured with his own band and written
a show that was staged at the Royal Opera House.
15.00 – Patrick Dineen
While you enjoy the music why not join us as we BBQ under the Sun with a selection of locally sourced great BBQ food?
Under the shade of a tree or in the heat of the Sun, the Bluecoat BBQ will set you up for a day of great entertainment.
Claire Mooney has been described as a ‘radical chanteuse’. Her
performances consist of self-penned political, passionate and playful
songs. She’s a regular contributor to BBC radio.
14.00 – Claire Mooney
14.00 - 17.00 - Culturepool’s 4th Birthday Party
DJs: Richie Vegas, Jonnie O’Hare, Bugsy, Monkey, Ian Knowlson
OUTDOOR STAGE
and light.
the Line
by Lianne Mellor, featuring quirky illustrations
of forest animals and British wildlife. The range
includes cake stands, teapots and sugar bowls.
Mellor Ware is a range of china designed
who works from a studio in a renovated flour mill
in the heart of Liverpool city centre. She draws her
inspiration from the eclectic mix of architecture,
people, and culture that radiates from Liverpool and
other cities that she has visited.
Brenda
Freida McKitrick is a fine artist and print maker
Baltic Arts: Jewellery with an edge! Unique pieces
of handmade jewellery – inspired by Victoriana and
steampunk.
a twist! Sportsmen, musicians, actors and many
more replace the stations. Gerrard at Huyton, Dixie
at Birkenhead, Tiger at Hoylake.
Graeme Currie: The Merseyrail diagram with
work is predominately
documentary photography with a strong interest
in capturing the beauty in the old, unloved, decaying
and decomposing.
Sharp’s
prefers felt tips to computers, preferring hand
drawn techniques to create elaborate patterns,
peculiar characters and original products for all
to delight in.
Laura Kate Draws is a freelance illustrator who
on designing and making vibrant and unusual pieces
of jewellery. Many of their designs incorporate the
ancient art of chain maille weaving with modern
materials and designs.
Angela & John Hinchcliffe work together
Landscape Photographer based in the North West,
supplying landscape imagery to various clients.
Pascall-Willis Photography: Eli is a professional
Sarah Jerath adds recycled glass, brick and stone
that she collects on her doorstep into her ceramic
pieces. It’s an organic process, with work that
includes pinched bowls and silver jewellery with
ceramic pebbles.
The Chocolate Cellar creates unique handmade
truffles, chocolates and cakes using real chocolate
and clean ingredients. The chocolates are all hand
crafted in Hanover Street in Liverpool City Centre.
creates unique interpretations of local architecture,
particularly those which are disappearing or are
significant to the lives of ordinary people.
plus Above The Beaten Track stall selling CDs and
merchandise of various performers from the day.
homeware such as vases, candlesticks and napkin
rings. Ella also compliments this work with a rangeof
elegant Pewter jewellery which uses the same
techniques.
Ella McIntosh creates contemporary Pewter
Jane Coyle Glass produces unique, elegant objects
for the modern interior. Handmade pieces include
a selection of tableware, wall art and jewellery.
Commissions welcome.
Dark Horse Jewellery: Dark Horse Origami
is handmade jewellery and other items using the
ancient Japanese technique of paper folding –
Origami. Every hand folded piece has been varnished
twice, becoming lasting and water resistant.
New to School Lane, the legendary Probe Records are set to bring music
to the Bluecoat; specialising in vinyl and small labels. They won’t quite
be open for Above The Beaten Track, but look out for them at the Bluecoat soon.
organisation promoting the finest contemporary craftwork by leading
designer/makers.
Diggin’ and spinnin’ dusty funk 45s, psychedelic
jazz, tropical disco and Soundsystem wobblers
Captain Beatstart (Wowie Mowie)
One third of reggae/dub/breakbeat/techno collective
and clubnight Eat Your Greens, Jonas brings his
mixed bag of dancefloor oriented grooves.
Jonas (Eat Your Greens)
A long time collector and compiler of seriously
fat and funky soul, expect a journey through the
rarest of grooves.
Chris McBride
(Fat City/ 45 Kings/ B-Music)
Mellowtone’s own compere without compare is also
a belting DJ in his own right. Expect dub, reggae,
heavy bass and a smattering of hip-hop.
Monkey
The Display Centre at the Bluecoat is a non-profit distributing
Jane Adams is an artist and printmaker who
Landbaby offer a wide range of handmade jewellery, accessories and
home wares, all with a unique craft-based influence.
Purlesque is a button, wool and yarn boutique, fit to burst with colourful
creative ideas and beautiful accessories and gifts.
CRAFTFAIR in association with LOACA ARTS
A veteran of the local folk scene, Stan has played with
countless musicians over the years with his Celtic Harp,
as well as presenting the longest running folk show on British
radio – 37 years and going strong.
Stan Ambrose
(see partners’ page for more details)
14.00 - 22.00 Draw
Bob Porter is a specialist traditional hand-engraver and silversmith who
can engrave on glass and metal with precision calligraphy and intricate imagery.
SHOPS
Paul McGuire is a wordsmith turned deck-smith.
His sets are fuelled by a passion for music,
encompassing soul, drum n bass, hip hop, jazz,
classic funk sounds and anything else that makes
people shake their thang.
Paul McGuire
DJs: Clutterfunk, Paul Maguire
& Eat Your Greens and a host of other DJs
Former musician (Wedding Present, Sonic Boom/
Spectrum) and one-time procurer of psychedelicised
tunes for the wigged-out youth of Leeds
(Kaleidoscope Pop), this will be a vinyl-only set
of Blues & Jazz from the Stout Collection.
Mike Stout
(C)-FuNKk in their own words DJ noisy righteous
beats deep, emotive, cut-up, jungle, dub, industrial,
funky, noisy beats, sounds and samples.
Clutterfunk
A soulful underground sound blending the old with
the new, taking inspiration from hip-hop, jazz, rare
groove, soul and funk.
Ian Knowlson
TakeOver juggle melodic and militant in a rub-a-dub
style: expect crisp lyrics, vocal harmonies, sweet
horns and the deepest riddims.
Take Over
HUB / FOYER
Taking a historical approach to the art of the DJ,
Lord Borthbury takes listeners on journey from ska
and rocksteady to the modern dancehall sounds
of Jamaica.
Lord Borthbury
(Magnet Liverpool; Krasnapolksy Copenhagen)
Expect dubbed up funk with plenty of bass.
K Marley
One of Liverpool’s best loved dub/reggae
soundsystems. As well as offering a range of quality
free gigs across the city, these boys have been
active in campaigning against racism and facism
in Liverpool.
Toxteth Rebel Alliance
The roots of funk run deep through his selections
of dusty grooves, basement jazz and world beats.
This aficionado fuses the sounds of blues and soul
though to latin & Afro-beat - expect an education.
Jonnie O’Hare (Beaten Tracks/ Mellowtone)
Colin Dilnot brings the music featured on his blog
In Dangerous Rhythm out of the ether and onto
the decks. One set of Memphis blues and a second
featuring a down home set of sides from the Deep
South of the United States.
In Dangerous Rhythm
Rich cut his DJing teeth at an early age playing
hip hop and breaks, before plundering his family’s
record collections and forging a sound built on soul,
funk, jazz and reggae.
Richie Vegas (Beaten Tracks/ Mellowtone)
DJs
Jonnie O’Hare: 14.00 - 15.00 • In Dangerous Rhythm: 15.00 - 16.30 • Mike Stout: 16.30 - 18.00 • Lord Borthbury: 18.00 - 19.00 • Toxeth Rebel Alliance 19.30 - 20.00 • K Marley 20.00 - 21.00
An installation, a journey, an exploration into the history of black music, curated by the Beaten Tracks DJs. Featuring documentaries, film footage and visuals created by DJs and artists, plus selected photographs from
Terry Cryer ‘the dean of UK jazz and blues photographers’ (MOJO magazine), accompanied by a sonic journey from the Delta to Detroit, starting with blues and jazz and moving through reggae, dub, soul and funk and more...
BEATEN TRACKS BAR AREA
Random Family, Joe is treating us with a rare solo
show – expect sweeping folk and roots.
MELLOWTONE
mellowtone.info
people of the city could gather and indulge in some
collective creativity, part social networking,
a bit of artistic therapy and all about a love
of doodles ... drop in and leave your mark!
drawtheonline.com
makers, including the best of the region’s up and
coming creative talent.
loacaart.co.uk
in young men, C.A.L.M. do great work across
Merseyside and nationally in raising awareness
and engaging with young men to remind
them that being silent isn’t being strong.
thecalmzone.net
new and existing art and cultural events with
a chance to meet artists and performers, often
with free or discounted tickets.
Celebrate with culturepool and a host of local
musical talent, and find out more about their new
project, ‘Building on What We’ve Got’, as part
of 2010 Year of Health and Wellbeing.
culturepool.org.uk
Above The Beaten Track in the way they know
best. Sound tracking some of the most laid back
nights to be found across Liverpool, including
a residency at Mellowtone, the Beaten Tracks
DJs are becoming renowned for framing some
of the most interesting and diverse live acts from
the city and beyond.
things in now and again. Mellowtone’s focus
is on showcasing the best music from a genrespanning selection in their own unique and intimate
style - you can find rootsy country blues on the
same bill as intricate and delicate folk and chilled
out reggae, all sandwiched together by the resident
DJs Richie Vegas and Jonnie O’Hare, spinning a laid
back selection of grooves taking in funk, soul, blues,
jazz, hiphop, reggae, afrobeat and anything else that
takes their fancy.
They have been quietly creating a stir for a while
now, but remain as fresh and inventive as ever an acoustic cornerstone of Liverpool’s music scene.
PARTNERS
Mellowtone is a collective of like-minded souls putting
on regular nights of music focusing on delivering the
very best acts from the city’s thriving music scene
to their faithful followers, in addition to bringing
performers from around the world for your listening
pleasure.
Their spiritual home is Mathew Street’s View Two
Gallery, but they’re nomadic by nature - with some
of the most intimate venues across and around
Liverpool playing host to their particular brand of party
in the past.
It’s a laid back affair, and though predominantly
acoustic in outlook, they’re also quite partial to plugging
Beaten Tracks is a Liverpool-based collective of DJs
and artists who champion the rare, the dusty and the
forgotten areas of music. Expect funk, soul, reggae,
afro-beat, Latin, blues and jazz nuggets, a mellow
vibe and soulful enlightenment.
With some of the most sought after vinyl on Merseyside
in tow, Beaten Tracks look to set the scene for
Culturepool, Liverpool’s largest (and free!) independent
art and culture network, is celebrating its 4th birthday.
Over the last four years culturepool has dipped into
the unique melting pot of creative originality that
is Liverpool: musically, artistically and culturally.
By creating a relaxed and informal environment
culturepool provides a space for people to discover
And now a word about our charity partner ... The
Campaign Against Living Miserably, is something
we’ve long supported. Tasking themselves with
battling the devastatingly high rates of suicide
Contemporary craft & art fairs in the courtyard at the
Bluecoat, providing a unique opportunity to see, buy
and commission work from selected local artists and
Draw the Line is a growing Liverpool art social event
aimed at the professional artist and everyman alike
to unite under one roof and enjoy a casual doodle
together. The aim is to provide a free event where
Lazy Genius is an all encompassing beast ...comprising
of a club night, promotions company, and artist
representation, coupled with a relentless work ethic
and ‘man about town’ attitude to life and work.
Rooted in a love of live music, Lazy Genius’ primary
lazy-genius.co.uk
focus is the promotion and facilitation of the
best new music in Liverpool and beyond.
Running regular club nights and band
showcases as well as collaborating with friends
old and new on lots of different projects.
a monthly newsletter on the first of each month.
Liverpool Acoustic Live is a monthly acoustic
music showcase. Each night features three or four
of the best acoustic performers, singer-songwriters,
bands and musicians on the local scene
today performing alongside highly-talented
performers from across the UK and overseas.
liverpoolacoustic.co.uk
Liverpool Acoustic is a central resource for Liverpool’s
vibrant and exciting acoustic music scene - the
only one of its kind in the UK. The website hosts
an extensive diary of acoustic events, from festivals,
theatre concerts and folk clubs to showcases and
open mic nights. The News and Reviews page
carries information about upcoming events, reviews
of CDs and gigs, interviews with local musicians, and
BAGISM
Inside a bag, the performer’s age, race, gender,
disability and ‘coolness’ are all irrelevant. Come
and take part - bring your own bag! (A duvet
cover will do).
whose poster for his first ever painting exhibition
(1972) was hand drawn when in town for a gig
at the Stadium. The music we presented is pretty
eclectic: John Zorn’s Naked City, Carla Bley,
Michael Nyman, David Murray, the Last Poets,
Nitin Sawhney, Jeremy Deller’s Acid Brass (brass
band versions of acid house anthems), Whirled
Music – so dangerous the audience sat behind
a safety net and the performers wore wicker
masks. And ‘world’ music of another kind from
Ali Farka Toure. The posters recall memorable
gigs: Jazz Jamaica, Linton Kwesi Johnson’s dub
poetry, or Pop Mechanica’s early Perestroika
outing in the West when the anarchic Leningrad
ensemble jammed with Liverpool’s finest indie
guitarists at St George’s Hall and pelted the
audience with raw sausages.“
Bryan Biggs, Artistic Director, the Bluecoat.
thebluecoat.org.uk
and improvised live VJing; accompanied
by examples of photography and live art multimedia performances with a host of short
film makers.
myspace.com/tvlux
The Liverpool Bag Consortium aim to promote
artistic experimentation, free speech and communal
love - in bags! Inspired by John and Yoko’s original
concept circa 1969, the performance will comprise
improvised music, poetry/dialogue and visuals.
We’re pleased to welcome back TV Lux to this
year’s Above The Beaten Track. Utilising a heady
blend of light graffiti images (light drawings
and sculptures with homemade LED wands and
brushes), the immediacy of mobile phone video-art
Situated in the oldest building in Liverpool’s
city centre, the Bluecoat hosts a contemporary
programme of exhibitions and events showcasing
talent across all creative disciplines including visual
art, music, literature, dance and live art. As well
as presenting work by internationally acclaimed
artists, the Bluecoat is a hub for new talent, providing
studio spaces for artists within a unique creative
community.
The poster display at the Bluecoat (on the historic
staircase which dates back nearly 300 years) reflects
some of the history of the building as an arts centre.
It was selected from their archive, which is by no
means complete, though posters and other print
from all exhibitions and many live events from the
late 1970s onwards are preserved.
“The posters reflect a history of music at the Bluecoat
over many years. Several artist/musicians are
represented: Yoko Ono (1967), Stuart Sutcliffe, John
Hyatt (the Three Johns) and Captain Beefheart,
Middle Eight Bido Lito! August 2010
GWYL GARDD GOLL - Y Faenol, 25th July
The beautiful parks of Y Faenol, North Wales, are the
setting for GWYL GARDD GOLL 2010. The award winning
event, translated as ‘The Lost Garden Festival’, is now in its
fourth year, and is set to once again offer people of all ages
a chance to enjoy contemporary Welsh music in the unique
open-air atmosphere of natural surroundings.
I have long been a fan of the Welsh underground music
scene. Historically Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci and Super Furry
Animals flew the flag, which is now being carried by groups
such as Yucatan, We Are Animal, Race Horses and Euros Childs.
After winning BBC Radio Cymru C2’s Best Festival in Wales
award, almost a thousand people attended last year’s event. The
27
festival is hoping to inspire people to come back this year
with its exciting new line-up and its stunning new setting.
This year’s line-up includes Derwyddon Dr Gonzo, Yr
Ods, Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog, Meic Stevens, Alun Gaffey
and many more. Labelled by many as the ‘highlight of
their summer’, Gwyl Gardd Goll delivers a shining array of
the best Welsh language music around. Organiser Dilwyn
Llwyd said this year’s festival will impress with something
very special, “Audiences will be treated to an affordable,
alternative afternoon experience where they can revel in
the music while immersing themselves in the atmosphere
of the park.” For fans of Finders Keepers’ Welsh Rare Beat
Compilations, this is a must.
gwylgarddgoll.com
Rebellion - Blackpool, 5th-8th August
in venues around the city, including the majestic Empress
Ballroom, Rebellion will be the biggest indoor punk festival
in the UK and has put together a rather dazzling array of
acts. Playing this year will be recent breakthrough acts such
as Gallows and Fucked Up lining up alongside seasoned
punk legends New York Dolls, UK Subs, The Dwarves, Stiff
Little Fingers and the illusive Bad Religion. As well as
the big names there will be a raft of lesser-known talent
including Streetlight Manifesto and Big D and the Kids Table
representing Household Name Records, ensuring a treat for
punk fans young and old alike.
rebellionfestivals.com
Kitty Daisy & Lewis - The Zanzibar, 5th August
trade in RnB, country, boogie woogie, doo wop and blues,
with a proficiency way, way beyond their tender years.
Their debut record, A - Z of Kitty, Daisy & Lewis - The Roots
Of Rock n Roll was given a straight 5/5 and named one of
the Guardian’s records of the year in 2007. They sound like
they’re from Alabama and its 1955...in reality its Kentish
Town and its 2010.
Bands such a Frankie And The Heartstrings and The
Crookes have been successful recently extracting elements
of the same aesthetic that KDL subscribe to, whilst mixing
it with a Dexys and New Romantic kitsch - to great effect whilst KDL, to their complete credit, remain purist and true.
myspace.com/kittydaisyandlewis
Creamfields - Daresbury, 28th & 29th August
luminaries as Ape, Chibuku and GoodGreef. On the Sunday, just
before headliner Paul Van Dyk takes to the stage, Welsh legend
Sasha will be playing. Bido Lito! recently bumped into Sasha and
asked what can we expect from his set at Creamfields this year?
“I have no idea yet! It’s a bit of a homecoming for me as all
my family are from up there and I’ve got such a long relationship
with Liverpool playing there and at the Cream events before
then. I still remember many nights at Quadrant Park, so coming
back to Liverpool and especially seeing everyone from Cream
is always special. I’m looking forward to it! It’s my last gig of
the Summer as well and a few days before my birthday so I’ll
definitely be ‘expressing’ myself on the Sunday!”
creamfields.com
Festival season is well and truly upon us, with the
usual suspects rolling out a familiar mixture of worldconquering acts and zeitgeist chasing flavours-of-themonth. If however, you should fancy something a little
off the well worn festival track, then a summer visit to
Blackpool could be just the ticket. Being renowned as the
home of the Big Dipper and stag-do town par excellence,
Blackpool’s’ reputation is founded more on Rock than, well,
rock. But from 5th-8th August, the town will play host to some
of the biggest names in punk at the REBELLION FESTIVAL. Set
When Bido Lito! up with The Company Store promoter
Danny Roberts a couple of months back, we asked him
which bands he’d really love to put on in the future and
amongst the names he rattled off was a blues combo from
London way, called KITTY DAISY AND LEWIS. Well, it seems
the cat has got the cream, because on 5th August, with a
helping hand from their friends at The Songbook Sessions,
The Company Store play host to the very band that Danny
pined for.
Kitty Daisy And Lewis is a family affair, three siblings - backed
up by the their dad on guitar on mum on stand-up bass - who
As we enter the festival season, one name features
heavier on the lips of the Merseyside public than any other...
CREAMFIELDS. After launching back in 1999, it has grown to
became the unofficial landlord of the August bank holiday
weekend by providing some of the biggest and best line ups in
the British festival calendar. Despite predominantly being a dance
music festival, in recent years headliners have included Kasabian,
Dizzee Rascal and Gnarls Barkley. However, in 2010 Creamfields
returns to its dance music roots with Superstar DJs Tiesto and David
Guetta headlining. Other DJs on the bill include Deadmau5, Rusko,
Switch and Calvin Harris, with twelve different arenas hosted by such
Words - Gwyl Gardd Goll: Can Brannan // Rebellion: John Still // Kitty Daisy & Lewis: Can Brannan // Creamfields: Andy Hill
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28
Words: John Still
It’s likely that over the past couple of
years that you will have come across the
word Podcast. In a culture which increasingly
demands convenience, they have become the ideal way
to enjoy radio shows, from mainstream BBC broadcasts
to smaller, niche market productions. In Liverpool in particular, the
NORTH BY NORTHWEST, or NxNW podcast has caught the attention. Run
principally by Deke Hardman and Emma Pollock, the show deals in unsigned
music from the north-west, providing a source of publicity for new bands. Deke
explains how it got started,
“We met on the Ariel Trust course, through which we learned how to use the
equipment, and I’ve had a long standing interest in Podcasts, so we decided
that we would give it a go. Podcasts are a great medium to work in. I love the
freedom they allow. We both had a pretty keen interest in the local music scene,
so it seemed natural to try to create a new resource for local unsigned bands. I
think that the fact that BBC 6music has been saved from closure highlights the
thirst that there is for new music across the board, as well as the continuing
popularity of radio. Hopefully we can tap into that spirit and do something for
the local music community.”
With the rise of digital culture, websites such as Myspace make it far easier than
ever before for new bands to grab attention. NxNW have used this new media
to their advantage, starting out by contacting bands through social networking
sites to ask permission to play their music on the show. But now heading
into their seventh edition, Emma tells us that the bands have now started to
approach them, “We’ve found recently that more and more bands have emailed
us regarding getting on the show, which hopefully means that there are some
listeners anyway! We’re basically here to provide publicity for the bands, so we’re
thrilled when people getting in touch. There’s such a diverse and really interesting
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local scene at
the moment,
it’s great to be
a part of it.”
NxNW is free of charge, a strictly notfor-profit concern which taps into the spirit
of independence that seems to be becoming
more prevalent in Liverpool at the moment. Given the
independent nature of the show, copyright issues mean
that it is only unsigned bands that can be played, but that has been
turned into the major strength of the show, serving to highlight the
breadth of talent that the region has to offer currently. Emma tells us, “We
were actually quite taken aback by the quality of the music we’ve come across,
there’s some fantastic stuff.” Deke agrees, “A lot of the pleasure is finding the
stuff, and getting excited about new music again. I’m a lifelong fan of John
Peel, I used to listen to all his shows, and it’s nice to get the same excitement
listening to some of the tracks we get sent as I did then.”
The show is currently published fortnightly, though given the swell of interest
from artists, and good reactions from listeners, NxNW may soon be a weekly
fixture, “We do have plans to do a weekly show, which would give us the scope
to be a bit more topical, a little fresher and to include more bands. We’re also
considering taking it to community radio, which would hopefully take us to a
bigger audience. I think we’ve still got the opportunity to expand our range a
little further, scouring more of the north-west for music!”
So far NxNW has given airtime to diverse talents such as Fly with Vampires,
Richard O’Flynn, Chrik and The Loud, and there are few boundaries in place for
what gets played. Deke continues, “We both have varied tastes in music, and
we don’t want to rule out any genres. It’s wide open to all comers.”
Shows 1-6 are available now through iTunes and Pod-o-Matic, and the group
can be found on Facebook.
myspace.com/nxnwshow
Sean
Francis
Butler
Words: Alan O’Hare
Photography: Simon Thelwell
SEAN FRANCIS BUTLER is a rare breed.
A Scouse songwriter who looks beyond Seel Street and knows that great
songs are the only currency that counts. Not your sound or your look. But your craft.
“Good songs man, that’s what I’m about. I’m more of a songwriter than a
musician… I dissect me songs and make sure no bad ones get out. You’ve gotta’
spend lots of time writing, practicing and getting your act together. It has to be
enjoyable too - a freedom of expression, deffo’, but don’t abuse it.”
Wise words. And refreshing ones too. Especially when you know Butler’s
history and how he’s been there and done it. His previous band The Sonic
Hearts were signed to EMI UK, released a couple of singles, toured like demons
and recorded a great pop album… only for it to be shelved before release.
“That was demoralising. It cost around £120,000 all that - our A&R man
taking it over to New York to have it mastered by the same fella’ who does
Springsteen’s records and where did it get us? The game has changed and we
toured too much and gave away too much control. Don’t get me wrong, we had
fun, but I wouldn’t do it the same way now.”
Butler may have made mistakes with The Sonic Hearts - although the band’s
supporters within EMI being sacked didn’t help either - but he’s got his mojo
back now and the songs are flowing.
With his band, The Stoonards - Kevin Ellison (drums) Ryan Wyatt (bass) John
Dalglish (guitar/mandolin) - his recent Sound City gig was a triumph and he’s
demo’d a new record all by himself: “I’ve been working at a mate’s studio in
Anfield… going in and playing everything myself. I’ve put some of them up on
MySpace and the response at gigs has been good. We haven’t done loads of
gigs - but the ones we have played, have been special.”
And the songs? “They’re well different live and it’s been great. The gigs and
the band’s playing have given me the idea to re-record the new songs with
more of a live sound and see where that takes us. The lads in the band make
me happy. They’re musical mad dogs and live the life… they’re all in abar’ ten
bands like Sparkwood & 21 and Dead Cities.”
Got the chops then? “Deffo’. With their playing, the tunes are rougher than
the demos people have heard and I’m loving it now… ideally, I’d like to get
them out soon.”
Listening to songs like Mona and Catherine Street, you sense that Butler has
turned a corner since the disappointing end of The Sonic Hearts and something
is stirring.
“I’ve got complete freedom now and I’m not too precious about it. I’ve got a
life outside of music too and that suits me and the songs are all the better for it.
With The Sonic Hearts, I’d try to accommodate and please all kinds of people…
now I’m making myself happy. I want to enjoy music again.”
Sean Francis Butler & The Stoonards will be playing The Company Store @
The Zanzibar very soon.
myspace.com/seanfrancisbutlermusic
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30
CAPAC are serious about their electronics and their love of the Warp back
catalogue, as Nic Toupee finds out when meeting Joshua, Gaz and Stu to find
out about their upcoming EP release Pastels, out on 23rd August on Off The
Shelf records.
This band are not only well trained musicians, but they are intensely
determined to ensure their music is perfectly executed. They cite Radiohead
with reverence, Aphex Twin and Burial as key influences to their ideas about
electronics, if not directly to their sound: these boys are not going the cheesy
presets, glowsticks and quick cash route to electronic success.
Exhibiting an unusual panoply of instruments for an electronic act, Capac
achieve their complex and understated sound through the careful layering of
affected guitar, added to the usual virtual and outboard synths. Stu, tech geek
for the band, explains:
“A lot of the things that sound like synths are actually guitars that Josh or
Gaz have played that we’ve recorded in and affected in some way. We want
them to sound less like a guitar and more like a sound we’ve got in our head.
It’s an elaborate and laborious approach, not entirely
different from that which their heroes Aphex Twin and
Burial would consider appropriate. But in these days of
soft synths, modular units, effects and such gimcrackery,
why bother with the blood sweat and tears and make it
easier on yourself?
“It’s for a pure sound, that real organic feel” Gaz explains,
before Josh reveals his pedantic streak:
“I’m very anal about this” he states emphatically, and not
for the last time in this interview. “I think that you should
bear a personal and emotional connection to where your
music comes from. You can approach music in so many
different ways: pleasing an audience or the other polar
opposite is writing music purely for yourself. We consider
the listener in what we do but not exclusively. We really
value the sound we want to make for our own musical
expression - without wanting to sound too pretentious
about it.”
“We haven’t achieved it yet” Gaz intones, “we’re still
developing the sound. I’d like to think we can listen to
the EP we’ve just finished and in 3 years time and think
it’s good, but that we’d also have progressed. All the new
ideas we’ve had are from the processes we’ve been using.
Not deliberately, but it just happened through trying to
change a guitar sound and make it sound interesting.
Experimenting and finding little sounds within that
expression.”
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CAPAC
Each of those sounds becomes its own unique sound, because it has gone
through that process: the guitar normally comes from an acoustic so just that
pure sound, and the kind of processes we’ll put it through differs from tune
to tune, depending on what sound we’re going for. It gives them a bit more
meaning than just tweaking together some parameters on a synth.”
Josh, classical guitarist, Howard Moon style Jazz enthusiast, composer and
chief philosopher for the group, gives a more technical view (we warned you this
was slightly eggheaded): “You can look at it slightly philosophically. You can
get your analogue synthesiser and spend a lot of time combining waveforms
in such a way to get something that equates to an acoustic sound, and end
up with an organic sound. We’re taking it from the reverse, taking an already
acoustic sound which in its nature is very complicated because its’ built around
the acoustic qualities of that instrument.”
“Most of the sounds we use, particularly around the mid-range in our tunes
come from a guitar. Not usually the bass and drum sounds which are usually soft
synths and samples” further elucidates Gaz, jazz guitarist and knob twiddler.
Despite the deep thought that goes into their tracks, Capac aren’t just inviting chinstrokers to spot
their techniques: they’re hoping that when you see their live show, you’re going to be able to parallel
process the dual arts of dancing and thinking.
“We try to make music that you can dance to in sections, but also there’s definitely stuff to listen
to” Stu asserts. “There are sections of our songs that a good DJ could drop and keep people happy
at a proper big club night, and then there are completely ambient sections. We want people to get
moving but we wouldn’t market ourselves to play at Chibuku because we wouldn’t give that crowd
exactly what they want. We wouldn’t take out an ambient section for fear that people weren’t going
to dance to it.”
“One of the problems I find with music is that if people are not satisfied in the first five seconds
of a tune then they’re not going to listen to it” Josh contributes. “That’s the opposite of my attitude
towards music. Those songs which you just start liking the fourth time you’ve heard them end up
being the best tunes. That influences the way we write: it’s got to do with an approach to listening.
And that’s why we’ve got Post-Rock links: you need to give a tune a go knowing you’ll have to
dedicate six or seven minutes not forty seconds to a post-rock track. We’ve got that in common.”
capacmusic.co.uk
31
Words: Bethany Garrett
Collage: Luke Avery
Undeniably the most riveting thing to happen to the
sleepy Lake District town of Kendal since the accidental
invention of Kendal mint cake (when a lackadaisical
confectioner diverted his eyes from the cooking pan),
KENDAL CALLING, though certainly not an accident like
the local speciality, has unintentionally developed into a
phenomena; “a mini Glastonbury in the Lake District” as
Liverpudlian DJ Craig Charles charmingly puts it. The annual
event organised by two of the country’s youngest festival
organisers, Andy Smith and Ben Robinson is now in its fifth
year and is fully thriving; this year bringing headliners Calvin
Harris, Doves and The Coral to the lakes for a three day
celebratory love-in (though the latter two being natives to
the North West needn’t worry about the travel expenses).
Established in 2006 when Pendulum brought raucous
drum and bass to the unwitting residents of the Lake
District and three quarters local outfit British Sea Power
(lead guitarist Noble was born in Bury, Greater Manchester,
the others in Kendal) headlined the second and final day
of the one thousand capacity event at Abbott Hall Park, the
festival’s trajectory over five years has seen it host local
and national artists alike. 2009 saw the festival upgrade to
larger settlement, Lowther Deer Park, extending its capacity
to six thousand and this year Kendal Calling will again be
hosted at the deer park though this time an audience of
eight thousand punters will be present, ready to lap up the
altruistic atmosphere.
For all our efforts in showcasing new artists, we can be
slightly parochial here at Bido Lito!, intent on retaining a
Merseyside-based focus which is why when reading the
Kendal Calling lineup tears of boundless pride well up and
I’m forced to hurriedly blink them away. The reason for
this surge of emotions? Simple, the sheer abundance of
Merseyside born and bred artists playing the festival. THE
CORAL will be headlining the main stage on the closing
day of the festival, the five piece are expected to showcase
songs from their latest album Butterfly House and a back
catalogue of their greatest hits, displaying their blend of
romantic yet pragmatic lyrics and whirling guitar sounds
which will surely end the festival on a wonderful high. Bido
Lito! favourites WAVE MACHINES will be playing the Riot
Jazz Café on the opening day and THE SEAL CUB CLUBBING
CLUB and SOUND OF GUNS will be sharing the Calling Out Stage on Saturday.
Sound Of Guns billed second from top will be playing their usual rousing
set, The Seal Cub Clubbing Club will baffle and delight festival goers in equal
measure while Wave Machines will get those who venture to see them
endlessly talking about the perfect pop that the quartet execute.
One half of the organising duo, and co-founder of the festival Ben Robinson
states that though the festival has expanded rapidly, it is still very much in
touch with its roots, “We always built the festival around what we would
like to see at an event, and as we all still go to a lot of festivals we are
constantly coming up with new ideas for how we do things. It’s a very hard
job to be an independent festival, it takes a huge amount of planning to
get all the elements of an event to come together and there is a big risk
too.” Forever gathering new ideas keeps the organisers on their toes and
their efforts have payed off - the festival has been nominated for the Grass
Roots Festival Award for the last two years and it would be a crime if their
endeavour didn’t go on to win it someday. Staying independent when the Big
Chill festival has recently been sold to Festival Republic and many festivals
have unfortunately been forced to cancel this year may seem like a burden to
others, but Robinson believes that their independence has enabled them to,
“really put care and attention into all aspects of the festival and give it heart
and soul that is missing at a lot of the corporate events.” It’s reassuring to see
that Northern sense of pride and independence still roars in both the music
and at the heart of the festival industry.
kendalcalling.co.uk
Kendal Calling takes place from 30th July - 1st August 2010 and is
completely sold out.
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32
Eat Your Greens
While flogging dubstep, reggae and jungle to students is
hardly groundbreaking, you could be forgiven for thinking
that something is going on in Liverpool’s dance music
scene at the moment.
Over the last few years, several new nights have sprouted
up through the pavement, all to peddle their various Rastaflavoured beats. Some of the credit for that has to go to
Dreadnought, where many locals and students had their
first dubstep experiences a few years ago but the real fresh
and ripe specimens at the moment are the boys from EAT
YOUR GREENS.
Since its conception in November 2007, Eat Your
Greens has steadily gained a following and has arguably
contributed to the successful installation of a new scene
in the city. As with most nights, it started off as a slightly
more professional version of a houseparty which relied on
the organisers themselves making a calculated loss in the
takings, as well as depending on all their friends turning up.
“We just couldn’t have done it if our mates hadn’t all
come and supported us for those first few,” reckons Joe
Myhill, (RAVE MEARS). “What’s good now though is the
way the night has built up. It’s a concentration of all these
circles of friends, which really helps with the atmosphere.
And now we’ve passed it on to a new generation.”
It’s this special atmosphere which they see as key to
the night’s reputation and it’s a vibe which all of the
acts seem to pick up on. Adam Aulaqui (BARRY WEST)
agrees, “Yeah, Remarc absolutely loved it. He said
it was more fun than anything he does in London.
Nucleus Roots too, they said it was one of the best
gigs they’ve ever played.”
One thing I’ve always picked up on is that when
you watch the dub or reggae bands play at around 11
o’clock, the crowd is already hyped up and climbing
the walls, eager for the onslaught of the faster music
to come later on. Whilst a lot of these guys are festival
regulars, and no strangers to excited fans, I’ve always
felt that the Eat Your Greens crowd can really spur them
on to some memorable sets.
The boys also have a certain ethos which they follow
when booking acts and running events. They insist
on having a variety of different tempos and styles
to the evening, so that the music never feels stale.
They also prefer to keep everyone together in the
same room, rather than split up the audience. This
careful planning and attention to detail has meant
that the night and scene has steadily grown over
the years, with other nights like Playdub and
Takeover picking up the excess.
But is there anything special about the dark
and wobbly dubstep monster which can account for
the scene’s surging popularity? “Not really,” thinks Sam
‘JONAS’ Wright, “Most scenes are the
same, I suppose. They swell up, then it
settles down and then they just exist.
Like drum and bass a few years ago. It’s
just taken it a while to filter up here. It’s
the local big producers who drive the
scenes down in Bristol and Brighton,
and we don’t really have any up here.”
It’s probably this local indifference
to reggae-inspired music which has
made these new nights stand out so
much and allowed them to flourish.
Your average Scouse clubber is more
than happy with house nights like
Circus, but there is nowhere to go if
you’re a Toxteth lad into your urban or
Caribbean music.
“It’s institutional prejudice on
Words: Leo Nikolaidis
the part of the police. They don’t let lads walk around town
freely so they don’t feel welcome at nights,” says Adam,
“This is a major cause of the lack of Reggae until now.”
Admittedly, some nights have had problems with violence
in the past and some venues have felt justified in installing
blanket bans on what they see as ‘rowdy’ music. But this
doesn’t mean that all attempts to integrate the student
and local populations are doomed to fail. Subdub in Leeds
for example, is based in a West Indian community centre,
and has built a reputation beyond the city of its birth.
The situation is something which Eat Your Greens is
seeking to remedy, by teaming up with the Toxteth Rebel
Alliance, they promoted the Africa OYÉ Afterparty on
Saturday 19th June at the Picket. Aba Shanti-i headlined
and all the proceeds went to the British Red Cross
myspace.com/
eatyourgreensuk
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FRIDAY 23RD JULY
Doors 7:30
Ô til 11pm
34
The Glass Pasty
Notes from the Cultural Abyss
Shearer. The latter asking in all monotone serious whether the apartheid
had “created resentment” amongst people whilst the former so inarticulate
and at a loss in key moments that he simply resorts to mime. But all and
sundry were in on the act, no one could mention the French without using the
words “revolution” and “guillotine” and the Germans were described as “cold
and calculating” despite their swashbuckling and eye catching results. The
Brazilians were “sexy and scintillating” despite being the most organised thing
since the Kennedy assassination and any team from Africa were treated with
such condescension and patronising affection that one couldn’t help rooting
for the other team. Yes it seems with every four years the clichés become more
entrenched and we revert to our lower brain and partake in our national sport
Sing Sing Africa!
For the last month it seems everything that has transpired both physically
and mentally in all echelons of society has had the Fifa logo stitched onto
it with the words World Cup, Africa and Vuvuzela emblazoned for all to see.
In fact the concept, meaning and phrase vuvuzela has been accepted with
such warmth by Geoff Public that Anthony Gormley is already moments from
unveiling 4000 five hundred metre high statues of the drone making trumpets
to replace Manchester’s intricate tram and canal system as his next public art
piece. It’s true to say gentle reader that the entire country has gone football
crazy. Even the pasty’s own subconscious thought and night terrors have been
accompanied by that rolling info bar from Sky Sports News. Dreams of both
a sexual and violent nature have been interrupted with vox-pops and instant
analysis by a handful of shirt wearing experts. If you awake with the gurning
face of sports goblin Jim Rosenthal at the foot of your bed describing blow by
blow accounts of a naked first day at school then don’t be alarmed citizen, it’s
quite normal, healthy even.
Yes it seems all areas of “the arts” have slid between the legs of this year
finals and jumped on the World Cup bandwagon. Not missing a chance to earn
shed loads of dough whilst simultaneously improving their profiles with added
moral kudos, artists have done anything to somehow equate the needs of their
bloated talentless egos with the systematic abuse and robbery of a continent
spanning back hundreds of years. Shakira’s single “I’m down with malaria”
featuring Sepp Blatter on scarf went straight in at number one, whilst JLS’
collaboration with the IMF in association with MFI “furnishing debt” wowed
fans at this years summer detestivals.
However it has been “Wave a Flag” which has captured the Fifa sponsored
imagination of earthlings and lit up the finals as a whole. A song which
although pugnacious in every note and elongated syllable did a universe of
good by preventing England’s official World Cup entry by urban cartoon rapper
Dizzie Rascal and podgy comedi-can’t James Cordon from gaining any form of
moronic credence.
And thus we fix our binoculars of bilge on the “coverage” of the festival
of football so far. From the cliché ridden tongue of Townsend to the sharp
investigative journalistic skills of that sensi of subtlety himself :- Alan “bloody”
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of prejudice and inaccuracy.
As for England despite complaints about the Jambalaya ball lacking flavour
they were simply shocking, even after the team meeting in which Robert Green
was hosed down with warm piss and Heskey’s deferential pet mouse Mr
Bojangles was sexually texted to death by Ashley Cole they couldn’t improve
and in the end when the vilification of Rooney and Terry wasn’t enough to
conjure up any fight they surrendered like a team of wet farts and left a nasty
stain in our imaginations.
“And then God created Corden.”
Misery heaped upon misery, perpetual laughter drought, if you didn’t switch
off quick enough you’d be treated to the excruciating squealing and guffawing
of a conveyer belt of celebrities all giving their “expert” advice in front of a
perpetually clapping and whooping studio audience. Who needs actual comedic
substance? Just shout, clap, bounce around the studio high fiving anything with
a pulse and in between adverts shove a fifty pence piece in Gordon Banks’ glass
eye and get him to regurgitate the score of England’s first group game in 66.
Just awful.
More news from the world of shite entertainment, it seems a new star is on
the rise, yes brace yourself for the comedic genius of Lee Mason the only man
in Britain it seems (along with The BBC Programming Commissioner) that didn’t
realise that Ali G happened too long ago and wasn’t really worth revisiting.
Mason’s half hour show consists of absolutely no original material and not a
single creative idea or joke, it is as funny as genetically modified murder and
represents another major success for the beeb, and there was me thinking all
our license fee was paying for Gary Lineker’s revolving studio.
Put on your ball gowns and tighten those tuxedos readers, it’s time to hand
out the gongs at this years 2010 Pasty Awards.
There has been some fine method acting on display this summer, Danny
Dyer continued to thrill in his role as “Danny Dyer in Britain’s Hardest Twats”
and Steven Segal delighted in “Lawman with Steven Segal” but it was Ray
Winstone’s portrayal of “Ray Winstone in Bet 365” that rightfully took all the
plaudits and it is he that scoops the major honours. How Winstone managed
to portray the pathos, conceit and east end skull-duggery of loveable hardman Ray Winstone whilst simultaneously offering us up to date odds on all the
World Cup matches was simply unfathomable. Hats of RW the glass encrusted
pasty is yours.
**Worst word of the month: - newby, denoting an unfamiliar person or entity,
there is no way of saying this without appearing like a twat, think on!
Join me again next month for more bad pennies from heaven!
35
Nik Glover
money and more time. Touring through complex
subjects, I fell prey to the mistake of persuading
myself that nothing was as good as the first fifty
or so books that really impressed me. I could write
a list of my favorite novels, and they would mostly
be made up of things I read before I was 21.
It may have been the search for an entirely new
genre to explore that set the idea in my head to
look at comic book history; alternatively, it may have
been the glut of comic-book movies that Marvel
and DC have begun to pump out at an alarming
And so, at the grand old age of 25,
I finally came to comic books.
After years of trying to read every ‘great’ book ever
written with the intention of coming to some broad
understanding of the key elements, themes and structural
changes of world literature, I only seemed to be unearthing
more essential reading at every turn.
Skimming genres, reading histories (Bernal Diaz’s
‘History of the Conquest of New Spain’) only opened up new
avenues (what about South America? How did the Spanish
conquest differ there?) and consequently drained more
rate (still to come; Thor, the Spiderman reboot, an
Avengers movie, Deadpool, Green Lantern, Captain
America and many, many more).
The success of The Dark Knight was undoubtedly a
key factor. The film was an extraordinary translation
of one genre to another, presenting characters that
I thought I knew in a way that actually made me
care how they had become the way they were.
Instead of just offering a human who could fly, or
fight, or stretch in impossible ways, it is the only
truly ‘grown-up’ superhero movie I have seen.
So, to the comics. I began with the Punisher,
which may have been a mistake. Pun isn’t the
kind of character who offers himself up to deep
psychological study, or for whom a Dark Knightstyle movie will ever work. Three Punisher movies
have already been made, with laughable results.
The problem, in this case, lies mostly with
the material. Punisher is a character whose sole
interest is firing miscellaneous automatic and
semi-automatic weapons at drug-runners, pushers
and religious fanatics in a revenge-fantasy story
arc that shifts him from failed state to gangland
empire, amassing impressively unaffecting body
counts in an insane quest for vengeance against
the thugs who killed his family. As a typical comic
book character he is two-dimensional and very fun
to read.
There are other comics though. Comics where
(whisper it) the main characters don’t wear skintight costumes or seek world domination. In some
comics, like in real life, very little happens at all.
There are comics devoted to plagues of monkeys
in fictional Central American towns, comics that
describe the only slightly odd goings-on in
American suburbia, alongside the big-house genre
spin-offs (Marvel Zombies is a particular favorite of
mine). Comics, like prose fiction, do not have to be
high-concept.
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36
Sound and Vision
Nic Toupee
In order to really pick the lint from
the celestial pockets where visual art, performance and
sound meet, it is essential to look first at the signposts:
to stand at the crossroads and survey how the landscape
shifts where media meets. It is no surprise to us, that
visual art and sound have a peculiarly symbiotic and fertile
relationship. After all, we need look no further than the
two essential accompaniments of any musical artefact’s
release: the CD artwork and the filmclip.
A twentieth century invention, with the first ‘album
covers’ being released for scratchy phonograph plates
way back when the Nutcracker was top twenty material,
many numerous and wondrous tomes have been released
documenting cover art. Arguably, the first attention
grabbing album covers, melding ideas current in visual art
with what is, ostensibly, a very creative form of advertising/
product display, came from the fifties, principally from
record labels fundamental to the Jazz movement, Blue
Notes Mondrianesque colour fields and typographic
adventurousness, designed by Reid Miles, representing
powerfully the intellectual and sonic adventures and rulebreaking involved in this daring movement, pioneered by a
largely African American stable of poster boys and girls - at
the time a far more radical idea than it should have been
in a perfect world. All in all, it was the daring of the Jazz
visionaries that led to the spectacular acid-fuelled album
cover renaissance of the sixties.
Of course, Liverpool’s own Trump card, The Beatles and
their art director Robert Fraser (and photographer Michael
Cooper), are credited with one of the greatest ever artistic
works accompanying a slab of wax in Sgt Peppers: a
phenomenal exercise in collage and allegory, metaphor
and melody. Perhaps it was the acid taking experiences
of these times and their synaesthetic phenomena that
convinced the psychedelic generation of the importance
of visuals to sound – not just the importance but some
fundamental, intrinsic harmony that those of us who
refused the spiked punch may struggle to truly appreciate.
Whilst we may not appreciate the synaptic backflips
of notes licking our eyeballs, we can thank the Byrds,
Beatles and Floyds of this world for putting the film clip
front and centre as a tool for provoking reaction to sound.
The previous standard clip comprising a bunch of skivvied
eggheads attempting the jive, or some coordinated girls
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having a smiling competition were old hat compared with kaleidoscopic effects
and absurd visual tales to accompany music with lyrics finally venturing far
beyond the three chord tale of heartbreak or lovemake previously accepted as
pop’s main game. Thank you acid. Thank you mushrooms. Thank you hippies for
your face paint and performance experiments. They may have been complete
crap in most cases but you certainly opened the portcullis to the fair castle
where sound and vision may marry and make fine iterations.
Of course, it wasn’t all the hippies and the lysergic at the helm of art’s
infiltration into the low-culture world of pop. Let’s also give a nod to Warhol
and his Factory: in his commercialisation of the notions of ‘fine art’, he kicked
against innumerable stuffed shirts, bruised some ideals and perhaps did more
for the bastard child of art and commerce that is Marketing than any other
creative figure until Peter Saville’s Eighties coup. Although his contribution is
so very recent and is in fact ongoing to this day, there is no getting around Peter
Saville as one of the finest nexus points we’ve ever been graced in facilitating
the ongoing conversation between sound and vision. It can possibly be argued
that through the DIY ethic of punk, the neon largesse of Disco and the pomp
of space rock, cover art had taken a significant dive in aesthetic quality during
the seventies (of course with some exceptions). While album covers like ‘Dark
Side Of The Moon’ and “Hawkwind’ were elaborate and suited the quality of
fantasy that was the hallmark of Progressive concept rock, it was sorely in need
of a taste reboot.
The Futurist mentality of the early eighties came thankfully to its’ rescue,
replacing the noble wizard and fearful troll with abstract ideas, bringing back
the idea of elegance in typography, design and bringing a welcome breathing
space for photography, new digital media and a re-rub of classical sculpture and
painting. Peter Saville and yet another Factory were centrally, boldly, defiantly
exercising their muscularly different aesthetic like a heavy weight boxer in the
ring with fifty featherweights.
And last but not least in admiring the nexus-directing signposts to our
contemporary comfort in mixing media, let us stop at the Eighties ‘concept
video’, in which the visual narrative was just as strong as the song it promoted
– sometimes more so. Throwing the epic clip to Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ and
Duran Duran’s ‘Wild Boys’ into the ring, and of course Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ as
extended video clip meets film, let’s focus on those who added something a
little grander to the idea – in particular avant-garde film maker Derek Jarman for
his iconic clips for The Smiths, including ‘The Queen Is Dead’, ‘Ask’ and ‘Panic’,
in addition to Throbbing Gristle’s groundbreaking ‘TG Psychic Rally In Heaven’
and teaming up with ‘Suede’ to produce mesmerising backing visuals for their
early concerts. What Jarman brought to the already quite crowded table was
a, like Saville, embrace of the non linear, of the anti-commercial, in his case a
diy jungian body politic, encased in dreamlike non sequence. His vision was
abundantly fruitful, seeding ideas of video collage, political metaphor and the
waking dream.
Of course we’ve jogged past many a moment of enlightenment, a swathe
of technological advancement and realms of Serious Ideas. But nowhere
are sound and vision more closely aligned than in presentation of our body
of popular music itself. If any particular omission enrages you, write to your
editor! Plant your metaphoric flag on our supersonic highway!
And now for homework: Christian Marclay, Coldcut and Alva Noto.
Reviews Bido Lito! August 2010
MARINA & THE
DIAMONDS
Spark
The Masque
One of the most successful of the
rock/pop groups to have emerged in
the past year, MARINA & THE DIAMONDS
emanate exactly the aura you’d expect
when the limelight is upon them – a
mixture of bolshy confidence that their
star has risen so far, and the remainder
of a slightly desperate desire to cater
to the masses and ensure that their
star stays high up there and won’t fade
quickly into oblivion. The combination
isn’t a bad one; Marina’s show at the
Masque is pumped with a glamorous
energy from start to finish.
Opening for the band is a group
called SPARK, an electro-pop outfit
with a bubbly lead singer whose
voice is reminiscent of The Cranberries’
Dolores O’Riordan. The music is
dancefloor-friendly keyboard produce
with a forgettable likeability. Before
she departs the stage, after half-adozen or so numbers, the singer chirps
in her Cockney tones that “Liverpool is
my home, really!” The audience seems
unswayed, but gives a polite cheer.
There is a more convincingly
deafening cheer as the Diamonds
finally take to the stage. Marina
appears last, launching herself under
the neon lights wrapped in a Bambipatterned kaftan, and with nary an
introduction she immediately rips into
Girls, tearing a chunk out of society’s
sexist outlook: “Girls are not meant to
fight dirty/Never look a day past thirty/
Not gonna bend over and curtsey for
you,” she bellows repeatedly in the
bridge.
Ms Diamandis’ presence onstage
is a fascinating one: her powerfully
haunting vocals and her swaying,
hypnotic, almost Kate Bush-esque
dance moves (‘mania in slow motion’
is the phrase that springs to mind),
combined with the manner in which
the wind-effect fans her long dark
hair and the flowing silk sheath
she is wearing, transform her into a
bewitching figure, a sorceress as well
as a songstress.
“How are you, my diamonds?”
the Welsh warbler booms at the
enraptured audience after Girls comes
to an end. “Tonight is down to you.”
At this, Marina discards the kaftan and
spends the remainder of the set in a
Topshop T-shirt-and-shorts combo. The
stage lighting becomes blacklight,
bathing the group in blue, from which
Marina’s pink UV lipstick stands out.
She picks up two matching pink
UV hearts as the opening piano
notes of one of the band’s two hit
singles, I Am Not A Robot!, play. She
reverts to a breathy, innocent warble
for this number, accompanied by
robotic dancing, jerkily bending and
waving her UV hearts around. The
track, a jaunty up-tempo number,
is recognised straightaway by the
assembled crowd and is met with an
enthusiastic response from the crowd,
which becomes a reverent hush to
accommodate the simplistic quiet of
the opening verse, before it explodes
into the electronic chorus.
Marina continues in this vein for
two further songs, before sitting
alone at a keyboard for a few lowertempo numbers. Like a child eager
to impress, she appears shier now
that the spotlight is focused directly
on her. “All of these songs are from
my album, The Family Jewels,”
Jewels she
half-whispers into her mic, her smile
discernible under the stage lights, as
though slightly embarrassed to be
promoting herself so.
The band saves the best showstopper till last: the boys reappear
onstage and Diamandis leaps to hear
feet, grabs her mic and falls back
into what comes more naturally to
her: dancing and shouting out loud,
specifically, to the band’s hit single,
Hollywood. Marina belts out the beatHollywood
heavy number while twirling around
to the breathy hooks; the audience
joins in the upbeat chorus of how
she’s “obsessed with the mess that’s
America!”
The singer’s vocals are pitch-perfect:
they have an elasticity that is similar
to the lead singers of the 80s pop era,
37
Marina & The Diamonds (Jennifer Pellegrini)
such as Kim Wilde and Debbie Harry.
She can snap from low, musing and
cynical to high-pitched and girly as
quickly as the drumbeats cease to
allow for the piano notes to take over.
The band is in a comfortable position,
being contemporary enough in style
to ease into the mainstream, but
peppered with enough uniqueness
to allow them to shine out amongst
some of their blander fellows of the
electro-pop variety. Marina is truly a
Diamond in the rough.
Lee Boyle
THE SUZUKIS
The Loud – The Real Kicks
The Masque
Sometimes, there’s nothing more
enjoyable than sitting back in a bar,
drink in hand, listening to the latest
group of modest, innocent children
play their brand new songs, hoping
for applause and approval so they
feel justified in having long hair,
pointy shoes and skinny jeans. On
the same level, sometimes there is
38
Bido Lito! August 2010 Reviews
nothing worse than being squashed
on a couch without a drink, next to a
drunken Scotsman and two drunken
Mancunians, listening to some arrogant
adults who like to pretend they’re all
going to be in Oasis when they grow
up. Unfortunately, THE REAL KICKS
relate to the latter. Their influences are
clear, mainly emulating Britpop bands,
such as Ocean Colour Scene, Oasis
and Cast – however the emulation
maybe goes a bit too far. Technically,
The Real Kicks are an excellent band
– the vocalist has complete control
over his voice, singing in a typical
Oasis style, complete with accent and
distortion, without straining at all.
The guitarist and bass player provide
clean, crisp sounds with obvious
melodies and riffs rather than relying
on a plethora of effects to make the
song interesting, while the drummer
is fluent and light, keeping the band
in perfect time. Sadly though, their
performance is hard to pay attention
to, just because it feels like it’s all
been done before. And it has – in the
90s. I’m partial to Britpop, I really am,
but even I can’t bring myself to find
anything new about The Real Kicks
that makes them stand out as a band,
or to justify making them the complete
focal point in a bar for half an hour. As
background music, yes, top marks, but
if I heard them as background music,
I’d put money on the song being a
forgotten Oasis B side. This emulation
though would actually be tolerable
if it stayed within the music, but on
stage The Real Kicks have that same
arrogance and pomposity as their
heroes, and until they can control
this they’re limiting themselves, and
alienating potential fans.
The drunken men I mentioned
earlier do their best to distract me
during THE LOUD’S performance, but
living up to their name, The Loud
drown out almost every word. (The
words they didn’t drown out aren’t
worth repeating.) The Loud have
structure, consistency and the useful
ability to completely hold their
audience. The vocalist especially is
striking, filling the air with warm, rich
vocals that dominate the performance.
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Your interest is held, you can’t help but
listen, but you find yourself listening
to the sound rather than the lyrics,
as parts of the song just pass you by.
The guitar is catchy, thick and almost
lethargic – in some songs it seems to
take a while to arrive, but it matches
the vocals perfectly. The drum beats
seem tuneful as well as rhythmical,
adding a certain brightness to the
otherwise heavy sounding songs.
Like The Real Kicks, The Loud’s style
is nothing new, taking influence from
Nirvana and Slade and numerous
garage bands – but they manage to
add their own unique slant to the
music. The sound in the Masque does
them no favors though, the crispness
and clarity needed to fully appreciate
them is lost to the amps. There is no
denying though, The Loud completely
overshadow The Real Kicks, and they
are without a doubt a band to see
before you get too old to deal with
your ears ringing for a few days after.
As the evening draws to a close,
THE SUZUKIS arrive on stage. As casual
as The Real Kicks were arrogant, they
seem to treat the stage as they would
a practice room or sound check, while
maintaining a level of maturity that
proves they aren’t taking this as a
joke. Even within the first few minutes,
it is easy to see The Suzukis are no
ordinary northern band, producing a
range of sounds, styles and screams
within one song, without being over
the top. The vocal styles vary greatly
throughout the performance too,
sometimes being calm and fluent,
sometimes they are nothing more
than screams - desperate, pleading
screams that are almost chilling to
listen to. Whichever style is used, the
quality of the vocals is outstanding,
retaining the clarity of a studio
recording, while still having the same
rich warmth of live music. Some of the
songs rely heavily on effects, more so
than the other bands, sometimes just
creeping past the border into overuse,
but beneath the haze of effects, the
melody is still clear, holding the songs
together at times when the vocal
levels drop.
Following suit, The Suzukis’
influences are clear – at any time in
the set they can turn into Echo and
the Bunnymen without the audience
batting an eyelid, but like The Loud,
their own ability and quirkiness
make them stand apart from their
influences. The phrase ‘save the best
‘til last’ is overused, but is apt, and as
The Suzukis leave the stage and the
audience begin to disperse, it feels as
if the evening has finished just when
it should have been starting. If fate is
ever kind enough to pair The Loud and
The Suzukis together again, take the
opportunity to see them. I promise
you, you’ll regret it if you don’t.
Katy Long
STEVE MASON
Static Gallery
Back to Bido HQ for a potential gem
of a night: STEVE MASON, the driving
force behind the Beta Band and surely
one the most distinguished and
accomplished songwriters Static has
ever opened its doors to. Entering the
stage to an appreciative crowd, Mason
kicked off the show with sparseness
and understatement, breaking the
momentary silence afforded to him
with the bareness of his voice alone.
In fact, for the entirety of the first two
songs this really was a solo effort, no
band in sight, just Mason, the stage
and the audience. The effect of this
ploy soon became clear however,
as by gradually integrating the band
into proceedings, Mason was able to
showcase the layering of his song
craft and emphasise the attention
to detail that has made his brand of
Steve Mason (John Johnson)
Electro-soul distinctive. Throughout
his song writing career, Mason has in
actuality been at his most poignant
and meaningful when this attention
to detail has been at its most acute.
Perhaps never one for sweeping epics
or contagious riffs, the beauty of the
Beta Band was also the nuance.
Early on he brought out the quite
brilliant (and one time Trigger Happy
TV mainstay) Dr Baker
Baker, a song still
sounding fresh and innovative over a
decade on - beautiful. Much of the rest
of the set though was comprised of his
newest material taken from spring’s
Boys Outside,
Outside an album steeped in
lyrical melancholy, stemming from
the turbulence in Mason’s own life
over the last couple of years. The
fact that pain and misery are never
entirely detached from inspiration and
creativity is evident here. Offerings
such as Understand My Heart are
not only close to the bone in terms
of their significance to their maker’s
personal life but also represent what
is without doubt some Mason’s finest
solo work. Title track Boys Outside
has the melodic piano and funky
beats of Beta Band numbers, offset by
hauntingly inward-looking lyrics, but it
works to great affect. Whilst there is a
decidedly dark theme to this album, it
still remains the closest he has come
to revisiting earlier work, but is also
something of a return to form after the
Black Affair project.
However, whilst this may not be
a huge departure in sound from the
Beta Band, Mason’s ability to pen
meaningful and innovative pop music
still remains; at the same time, there
is an inescapable feeling that the
formula hasn’t evolved enough, and
subsequently the music has lost a
little of the edge and forward-looking
perspective it once carried. Therefore
Mason’s difficulty may lie in attracting
new listeners to his music, without
them first being initiated into the Beta
Band back catalogue. For those that
have been with him all the way, seeing
Steve Mason back in Liverpool was
a more than welcome sight. Despite
bemoaning Static’s lack of lights, the
man himself actually reserved praise
39
for the ‘Do-It-Yourself ’ local music
scene. Highlight of the night? Mason
going to town on an unsuspecting
cowbell.
Pete Robinson
ELVIS COSTELLO
Philharmonic Hall
We’re two songs in and ELVIS
COSTELLO
is
singing
about
“Government burglars.”
That Blame It On Cain - a song from
My Aim Is True,
True his thirty-year-old debut
record - is now drenched in fiddle,
accordion and lap steel guitar is the
only real difference to when he first
performed the song at Eric’s back in
the day, is a testament to Costello the
musician. And the fact that, just like a
fine wine, he gets better with age.
With not an Attraction or an
Imposter in sight, Costello held the
sold-out crowd’s attention all night.
New songs, old songs and covers
(who predicted the Stones’ Keef-led
Happy being a big highlight?) were
all delivered with a battering-ram like
quality from the six-strong Sugarcanes
- the group who provide the righteous
Americana on his latest record, Secret,
Profane and Sugarcane.
Sugarcane
But this was no promotional
trip. The classics were reworked
too: Brilliant Mistake, Alison, New
Amsterdam (with a coda of You’ve Got
To Hide Your Love Away waltzing the
tune from New York to Liverpool and
The Angels Wanna’ Wear
back) and (The
My) Red Shoes were all rapturously
received by the crowd, revelling in
the singer’s obvious delight at how
great his voice was sounding in this
musical old venue. The big lights also
got an airing, with Shipbuilding and a
slowed-down (What’s So Funny ‘Bout)
Peace, Love And Understanding still
capturing the spirit of the times, all
these years after they were written.
Song of the night honours went to a
heart-stopping recreation of Everyday
I Write The Book, though; the MTV
hit from 1983, delivered as a tearstained lament, Ron Sexsmith-style.
Beautiful.
Africa Oyé (Keith Ainsworth)
Do me a favour: the next time
someone tells you rock ‘n roll is a
young person’s game, give ‘em a
smack, and a copy of Costello’s latest
work. It’s not, and thank God, because
Liverpool lives for concerts like this.
Complaints? I’m trying. A misfiring
Mystery Dance reminded us all that
we want him back with The Imposters
and his Fender Jazz shortly - but that’s
our problem, not his. Long live The King...
Alan O’Hare
AFRICA OYÉ 2010
Sefton Park
Under skies fit for an African voyage,
2010’s AFRICA OYE festival felt like
a fairy tale, far removed from any
experience usually possible in the
leafy surrounds of Sefton Park. Yes, the
crystal clear blue skies and almost too
good to be true weather conditions
helped make an always entertaining
June weekend festival one of the
highlights of the Summer. It really
was a shame that the oft-used epithet
about good things coming to an end
had to come into play.
These two beautiful days were
pregnant with possibility and so much
was happening from the sublime
to the ridiculous to the genuinely
worrying – witness the tall slide with
a gigantic Jesus Christ at the bottom
– it was almost impossible to stop
and rest. At one point our suitably
energetic host commented that the
view from the stage was one of the
most diverse he had seen thus far at
Africa Oyé, something that met with
wild cheers from the audience, and
quite rightly: many events needlessly
boast of a multinational clientele, but
Africa Oyé had no need of such boasts
as it really did feel like a worldwide
gathering of music loving people.
There was no sign of any mud,
traditional downpours of rain, or even
the toilets that make you curse the
human condition, but do we really
want that of anything, festival or not?
Personally, I found the sun coming
out to play for the whole festival was
the perfect touch to a pretty good
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40
weekend. Purely because it was plain
as the eye can see that a lot of people
were having fun, and doing things
they probably don’t do that often, with
a wonderful liberty. If no mud means
that the people can sit down, lie down,
roll around and generally look pretty
happy on the grass then that’s the way
I want it! But sunbathing on the grass
was not the only temptation available
on this weekend of weekends. No,
plenty of things were happening to
occupy even the most restless soul.
Events such as the Health, Learning
and Participation Tent, where the
boundlessly energetic people of
Movema were getting the crowd
moving with their dance workshops,
from African Dance to Caribbean and
beyond, were just the beginning. The
crowd weren’t shy to join in and if we
all had the enthusiasm of the Movema
team the world would be a better
place without doubt. Surrounding the
dance workshops was the opportunity
to make one of those essential ‘hey,
it’s a festival’ purchases in the Oyé
Village of various traditional stalls and
food and drink. Overall, there was a
good selection of items on offer and
the food was almost universally well
worth the festival prices charged. The
traditional African food particularly hit
the spot with this intrepid reviewer,
who has now become aware of the
fact that you can have too much
spice in your life. But chief among the
offerings of Africa Oyé is the sound
that was echoing around the park
constantly and defiantly, warning you
to ignore it at your peril. That’s right,
the live stage!
Africa Oyé has a rich history of great
music throughout its nearly twenty
year history, and 2010 was not the
year to be an exception. There was
a definite variety and flavour to this
year’s line up that was effortlessly
exotic, evocative and genuinely
different from your usual festival
vibe. The atmosphere was heated
at all times in the best possible way
and wherever you were in the crowd,
you could definitely feel it. You really
begin to notice how passionate artists
such as CARLOU D or TO’MEZCLAO
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are when you see the things they
make an audience do. World music is
often music of the heart, and it was
evident from the audience reaction
throughout, including a stage invader
during Carlou D’s set that played a bit
on the Djembe before being dragged
off screaming and kicking!
Impressive performances came
from the aforementioned To’Mezclao,
the only band to play both days, who
impressed with hip-hop and Latin
beats and some frankly great dancing,
and MODOU TOURE and Carlou D, both
from Senegal, who were inspired
performers and fascinating to watch
as the various traditional instruments
came into play. And with a stage
view so impressive who wouldn’t be
compelled to entertain and educate
the audience as much as all the
artists did this year? As I took my
place to get the all important pictures
it became clear what Africa Oyé is all
about: enjoying music, soaking up
the atmosphere and generally being
a shiny happy person, as the festival
has always been about, really.
I’ll be there next year. Will you?
Sebastian Gahan.
LAST WITNESS
himself, throwing his body around the
crowd and screaming at the top of his
lungs in true punk fashion.
Next up is another locally brewed
band, AMATEUR VIDEO. Closer to the
punk spectrum of hardcore than its
metallic counterpart, it wouldn’t be
abnormal to compare them to the
likes of Canada’s Fucked Up or Cursed.
This is one of the few contemporary
hardcore bands who certainly put
substance head and shoulders above
style, with the guitarist playing a
Telecaster and not one oversized ear
tunnel in sight. They hardly achieve a
life-defining reaction from the crowd,
but the purity of their music along
with the honesty of their performance
is enough to move the heart of this
venue, if not the body.
GWC are the next act on the bill,
their quasi-grind brand of hardcore
finally managing to crack the stiffbodied audience into a hardcoredancing frenzy, one that wouldn’t
be out of place in a martial arts film.
Albeit only consisting of a handful
of participators, but considering the
unforgiving attitude of the audiences
towards the previous acts, this is a
milestone in the gig.
The conundrum most hardcore
Almost Home – GWC
Amateur Video - Jamesxmay
Bar Samui
Another Liverpool hardcore gig
producing another under-populated
turnout, such is the nature of a scene
dedicated solely to its music, with
no interest of profit over legitimacy.
Despite there being only a smatter
of gig dwelling hardcore fanatics, this
did not herald the disaster it could so
easily have turned out to be. Stepping
up to the challenge first is Liverpoolbased JAMESXMAY. These guys should
be the perfect catalyst to get this
contingent of fans truly involved, with
their adrenaline burst songs and offthe-wall mannerisms; however, they
tackle a slightly resilient crowd who
fail to truly show their aggression. But
this matters not, as the singer seems to
be content with doing all the venting
bands face with having two guitarists
is not knowing how to adequately
utilise this added resource, often
resulting in a musical pallet of very
few colours. However, the next act,
ALMOST HOME, appears to not only
have solved this problem, but has
also implicated it into their music to
create a fresh and impressive sound.
Combining the power chord breaks
of Madball with the contrasting posthardcore atmospherics of Sights
& Sounds, songs such as Closure
perfectly represent this hybrid
between contemporary and classic
hardcore. Their set doesn’t provoke the
response it deserves, but the singer is
so in the moment, singing with such
conviction, that it doesn’t detract from
this fantastic performance at all.
‘Thinking outside the box is what
hardcore is really about’ exclaims
headline act LAST WITNESS’ singer
Theo Kindynis. This is certainly true in
terms of this band’s lyrics, however
musically, Last Witness are far from
pushing the envelope. It is apparent
that they are seasoned live musicians,
as their production and stage presence
is more than enough to channel the
audience’s collective participation.
Unfortunately,
their
talent
is
squandered by an insistence to closely
abide by pre-established metallichardcore conventions, stemming from
so many bands before them, such as
the likes of Bury Your Dead. And so,
the material on show may be one that
edges towards genericism, but the
confidence and belief of Last Witness’
live show is a shining example of why
hardcore has to be experienced and
not just witnessed.
Sam Garlick
THE OTHERS
SBTRKT - MELE
AbandonSilence @ The Magnet
Last Witness (Paul Paton)
After negotiating the rather
intimidating bouncers and rickety
staircase, I found myself waiting in
line to enter the downstairs capsule
of times-gone-by that is The Magnet’s
club room. With peeling walls, broken
floor tiles and a dampened ceiling,
the location appeared more likely to
be playing host to dungeon tortures
than a dubstep night, but the 200-plus
visitors packed in to Magnet’s
underbelly were here for thrills of a
different kind: Abandon Silence all ye
who enter…
To say that the opening night of
the AbandonSilence project had three
potential headliners in its festivallike eight act line up is something
that must be respected: recently
featured in these hallowed pages, 18
year old MELE will be painting more
salubrious venues than this with
his genre-spanning brush over the
months to come, and his crossover
set of house, grime and dubstep
marked an excellent starting point
of this fledgling event. The brainchild
of JMU student and blogger Andrew
Hill, AbandonSilence could not have
started with more of a bang, with the
promoter’s energy and enthusiasm
reflected by the crowd’s reaction to
Mele, bouncing along almost as much
as the man himself.
At the end of Mele’s set, a mystery
man stepped to into the DJ booth. A
short duck beneath the DJ booth later,
he was concealed behind an African
tribal mask. Despite SBTRKT not
being the headline name on the bill,
it is probably for the best that most
people’s enduring memories of the
night will be of the 6ft tribesman; his
distinctive percussive style came to
the fore as he mixed tracks with ease,
giving the listener the impression that
we were witnessing one continuous
track. The highlight of his set was most
certainly the exclusive airing of his
fantastic remix of MIA’s forthcoming
single, XXXO. This remix, as well as his
other adaptations of records by Goldie,
Gorillaz and Mark Ronson, show an
adept skill for the reimagining of
seemingly any genre.
Headliners THE OTHERS came the
stage at around 2.30 am, though it
appeared that most of the crowd were
unaware that the headline set was
about to be played; most had headed
home by the time the Dub Police
veterans came to the decks. Their
Abandon Scielence (Ben Thapa)
set was a step up on anything heard
previously, with latest single Gravity
and their timeless remix of Breakage
and Newham Generals’ Hard getting
particular cheers from the horde of
swaying dubsteppers.
With Liverpool’s electronic music
scene sliding towards a monotonous
Chibuku/Circus monopoly, it is
refreshing to see some young
promoters attempting to compete
with the big boys. Despite PlayDub’s
disastrous attempt to go head to head
with Chibuku last April, with some
key line-up choices and just sheer
luck, we could yet see a multitude of
great nights once again in Liverpool.
Despite these uncertain times, it can
easily be ascertained from this launch
that AbandonSilence will be with us
for some time longer.
Jack Breslin
crowd between songs . Oh, as if we
don’t know it. Eagulls, hailing from
Leeds, have all the stage presence and
the floppy hair a band could hope for,
though a couple of songs into their
41
set they make the dreaded mistake
of telling the already brimming crowd
that the previous night’s attendees
in Lincoln were a better audience. Oh
dear. Frontman Lesbian Eagull soon
rectifies this, putting on his best Shane
MacGowan-esque swagger (only more
sober and with a prettier face) which
gets the audience good and going.
Spewing out lyrics to Council Flat
Blues as if each heavy breath were his
last, the four instrumentalists behind
him build up momentum furiously in
a sea of frenzied cymbal crashes and
clamorous guitars.
If you’re wondering about the
name, the five-piece explained in a
recent interview that “it came from an
ongoing joke we had between us but
apparently there is some band from
America called Eagles that did alright
for themselves in the ‘70s, but we’d
never heard them. We decided to spell
ours differently incase the American
Eagles decided to take us to court to
cash in on our success.” It’s reassuring
to see that if the band doesn’t work
out for them, they can always venture
JAMIE T & THE
PACEMAKERS
Eagulls
O2 Academy
“Jamie T is on next you know,”
support act EAGULLS’ frontman,
nonchalant as anything, reminds the
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42
into the world of stand-up comedy.
Certainly no laughing stock playing
live, the band overcame the faux pas
of insulting a Liverpudlian crowd early
on in their set, leaving the audience
thoroughly warmed up for the
illustrious headline act.
“You’re that punk that I’ve been
waiting for. You’re it.” Here’s what
we’ve all been waiting for; the prodigal
son of, ahem, broken Britain strolls
on to the darkened stage during
the intriguing sample to set opener
The Man’s Machine. JAMIE T & THE
PACEMAKERS burst into song while
the ecstatic crowd simultaneously
does likewise. Tearing through a
fifteen song strong set, incorporating
a greatest hits setlist, old favourites
Back In The Game and If You Got The
Money have the crowd singing along
word for word while newer material
such as Earth, Wind & Fire sees the
Wimbledon-born Jamie Treays literally
bounce around the stage, covering
ground with such exuberance it’s a
wonder his skinny, laddish frame (now
sporting a rather fetching ‘tache) didn’t
topple over. His band The Pacemakers
put on an equally impressive show;
guitarist Luis Felber is on the floor
playing with his pearly whites while
bassist James Dunston is possibly the
coolest person I have ever seen in my
life, simply plucking away at his bass
without a care in the world.
Between songs Jamie T gives
Liverpool a special shout out, crediting
our local music scene, mentioning
artists like Hot Club de Paris and
Sound of Guns, encouraging his
audience to “get involved because
there are some fucking good bands
about.” A man after our own hearts.
Ending with British Intelligence,
Intelligence a
boisterous affair which with snarling,
topical lyric “taxed by a man that I’m
yet to meet” gets a rowdy reception,
his observational wordsmithery being
entirely relevant to recent budget
revelations. The band then walk off
stage, soon to return for their highly
anticipated four-song encore starting
with Spider’s Web.
We As lone guitarist
Felber sits in the far corner of the
stage, ukulele in tow, he prompts
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the audience to sing the backing
vocals until Jamie T and the rest of
his Pacemakers make an appearance.
Before concluding for good with the
coveted Sticks ‘n’ Stones, Jamie T gives
a heartrending speech, “I’d just like to
say there are a lot of mean people out
there, remember that so we all gotta
be nice to each other ... We gotta look
after each other and not be fucking
arseholes to each other.” There are
some things that only troubadour
Jamie T can say and still sound so
poignant and charming: that was one
of them.
Bethany Garrett
RODRIGO Y GABRIELA
Wallis Bird
O2 Academy
WALLIS BIRD, an Irish soundalike
of KT Tunstall, is onstage bashing
the life out of an acoustic guitar. As
Pete Townshend learned early on in
his career, the harder you smash the
guitar the more audiences seem to
appreciate it, and so it goes here. The
majority of her set sees her dealing out
a guitar-mangling worthy of Thurston
Moore. After so many worthy singersongwriters gently plucking acoustic
guitars it is refreshing to encounter
one who plays with so much
conviction that the set could possibly
have gone ahead minus amplification.
With songs ‘mostly about riding
somebody’ as she self-deprecatingly
puts it, the majority most of the lyrics
bear this out, including one track with
the key line, ‘I would do time for just
one more kiss’. After half an hour’s
worth of frantic guitar scrubbing she
exits the stage, presumably for a lie
down.
RODRIGO Y GABRIELA take to the
stage at the relatively early hour of
9pm following a deluge of vintage
metal played over the PA. A pair
of dyed-in-the-wool metallers who
relocated to Dublin, the duo busked
Metallica and Slayer songs on the
street where passers-by mistook their
material for flamenco. The presence
of so many metal T-shirts is slightly
incongruous to begin with, yet
begins to makes sense as the kinship
between the duo’s material and tracks
like Metallica’s One are clear.
The bulk of the set is drawn from
new LP 11:11, the first to be selfcomposed by the twosome. The only
gig I’ve attended where the playing of
acoustic guitars leads to an outbreak
of pogoing and people throwing devil
signs, Gabriela effectively provides
the rhythm section, her thumps
to her nylon strung guitar as loud
as any bass drum. While Gabriela
effectively lays the foundation of
the tracks, Rodrigo builds on this
with the melody lines that fit over
the top of it. As songwriters, the pair
don’t quite match the virtuoso skill
they display as musicians, preferring
rhythm, tone and texture to anthemic
choruses. When the playing is as good
as this however, such reservations are
academic. Taking turns at short solo
spots, even on their own each guitarist
is mesmerising. Gabriela’s frantic
chord vamping supplemented with
percussive slaps to the guitar makes
you wonder how so much sound can
come from one instrument. With the
addition of a few more FX pedals, and
Lars Ulrich behind the drumkit, much
of tonight’s set could pass for vintage
Metallica.
The string shredding solos the
duo mete out are the equal of Matt
Bellamy’s work in Muse, arguably
even more impressive, having to rely
on the actual guitar itself to provide
the effects, not FX units or synapse
twisting amplification. Indeed, some
of the quieter moments of the set
are so tranquil the thrum of the air
conditioning unit can be heard above
it. When they do utilise stomp boxes
however, as on the Hendrix-aping
Buster Voodoo, the effect is stunning.
One of their keynote tracks, the song
is played following a brief diversion
Rodrigo Y Gabriela (John Johnson)
into an audience pleasing rendition of
Radiohead’s High and Dry.
The Academy isn’t especially well
suited for a gig such as this, as when
either of the performers sit down the
majority of the audience start standing
on their toes, craning their necks to
see where they’ve gone. That doesn’t
appear to affect the mood of the crowd
however, as the duo leave the stage
to rapturous applause after ninety
minutes of dazzling musicianship.
Richard Lewis
DIAMOND RINGS
Picture Book – Organ Freeman
Mello Mello
Calling your band ORGAN FREEMAN
does denote a certain sense of fun
and perhaps a light-hearted outlook
on the world of music. Unless of
course this is pure coincidence and
these boys haven’t even heard of Andy
Dufresne and his pal ‘Red’, never mind
watched a mid-nineties crime-thriller
starring Brad Pitt. But no, it seems the
former is more accurate as the band
spend the ten minutes immediately
preceding the show blowing up loads
of those balloons with lights inside
them, before dispersing them into
the crowd. The all-male group then
marched on, sans-instruments, to
form an inward-facing triangle in front
of the stage. An honourable mention
should also go at this stage to the fact
that they were kitted-out in 80s Gary
Lineker/Alan Partridge shorts, white
sports socks and what can only be
described as crop-tops. So as far as
fun goes, they were setting the bar
pretty high and what’s remarkable
is that this energy and exuberance
actually carried over into the songs.
And what’s even more remarkable is
that nobody got hurt. A novelty act
they may be but what are live music
shows all about if not to entertain?
Entertain they certainly did.
Entering the stage next were
PICTURE BOOK, a three-piece of
unusual geographical origin, hailing
from Liverpool, New York and in the
case of lead singer Greta Svabo Bech,
The Faroe Islands. Seeming a touch
nervous to begin with, the band soon
found themselves and moved through
the gears of their homemade electropop repertoire. Like Organ Freeman
before them, they were also about the
visuals and almost managed to be as
busy to look at. Their brand of synth
groove is fairly sedate in essence
however, certainly containing more
of the ‘morning after’ than the ‘night
before’. The likes of Love Lane and All
The Way have a lot to offer by way of
chill-out, sunshine pop and through
some strong basslines combined with
Bech’s soothing vocals, they have
found themselves a musical identity.
Where they do come unstuck though
is when it comes to a ‘plan B’. There
is a feeling of the songs bleeding
into each other, particularly with the
penultimate and final songs Sunshine
and Explosions
Explosions, and this does leave
the performance feeling a little flat.
Talented musicians they undoubtedly
are though and it may simply be that
they are in need of direction, torn as
they seem at the moment between
their individual, varied musical loves.
Finally, and with much secret
special guest-bated breath, it was the
turn of Toronto’s DIAMOND RINGS
to take to the stage. This is one man
with a lot of energy and some very
tight clothes. Describing his own
music as ‘melodramatic popular
song’, you can add ‘self-aware’ to
this list of descriptors. With a musical
education sitting slap bang in the
1980s, Diamond Rings offers bouncy
and often joyous-sounding pop with a
slightly darker undertone. Interestingly
though, a couple of the tracks in the
middle of the set brought to mind
Room On Fire-era Strokes, both
vocally and in the lo-fi beats of John
O’s synthesiser. What Diamond Rings
does lack though is the strong vocals
to really carry the limited support
said synthesiser offers. On top of this
though, when there was melodrama it
came in the form of throwaway, often
flimsy choruses. If this sounds like it
was made in a bedroom at three in
the morning, that’s probably because
it was. John O has ambition, charisma
43
Jesse Malin (Jennifer Pellegrini)
and some degree of talent, but he is
sadly lacking in musical scope.
Pete Robinson
JESSE MALIN
O2 Academy 2
JESSE MALIN has been playing
in Liverpool for years. But he’s still
confused.
His tour manager told him he’s
playing in the Academy ... “Great,”
he says to himself. “We’ve done
that before, that’s the building Joe
(Strummer) played his last gig in.” Only
he arrives at the venue and doesn’t
recognise it. Cue the confusion.
We arrive and inform him that
Stanley Theatre is the building he
remembers and this is a different
venue. He looks crestfallen. And it was
nearly that sort of night ...
Nearly. With less than 100 people
downstairs at the O2 and David
Gray boring couples over 30 to tears
upstairs (and complaining about the
noise coming from below), this could
have been just another maudlin
Monday. That it wasn’t says everything
about Malin and his total belief in the
redemptive qualities of rock ‘n’ roll. He
tells us this - mid-song, from atop the
PA stack, as high as the ceiling - during
the powerful Solitaire.
Shaggy-dog,
Springsteen-esque
storytelling go hand-in-hand at Malin
concerts and he always captures
the crowd off-guard. Tonight was no
different. True, the biggest cheers came
for the best songs from his debut solo
album, The Fine Art of Self Destruction,
but the New Yorker is no nostalgia act.
Far from it. And when the songwriting
is this good, the singing this original
and the performances still vital, who’s
looking back?
Joe Strummer would have been proud.
Alan O’Hare
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44
THE BUFFALO RIOT
The Staves - Homestead
The Masque
Although you came for the alternative
country offerings of THE BUFFALO RIOT,
you left having been enchanted by
the spell-binding harmonies of THE
STAVES. With the most gorgeous,
angelic voices, perfect harmonies and
a-not-to-be-underestimated
finger
clicking technique, sisters Emily, Jess
and Camilla Staveley-Taylor leave the
audience at The Masque thoroughly
bewitched.
They are preceded by HOMESTEAD,
who are based in the North West but
hail from Norway. Their male-female
harmonies go down well in tight, welldrilled songs that benefit from a light
injection of bass and drums at certain
points. Homestead open to a sparse
crowd, but as it grows in numbers, so
too does their confidence: there are
songs about “bad men”, spliced with
a rather obscure reference to ‘Great
Balls of Fire’. Their opening song, a
chilled and alluring number called My
Darling Suzy, I Like You gives you an
idea of what this lot are about. This is
charming, chilled, acoustic-y, folk stuff
that is worth a listen if you are in that
lazy sort of mood.
Nothing, however, really prepares
you for the arrival of The Staves. They
take a while to get their act together,
between sound checking and mic
arranging, but you are caught instantly
in a trance by their beauty and their
beautiful music which captivates the
swelling audience numbers. At one
point they appeal to the audience for
a pleck for one of their mandolins;
needless to say, the men in the
crowd are practically tripping over
themselves to oblige. They probably
bought the EP they were pawning
afterwards as well.
One lyric refers to someone whose
“voice is like silver”, but these ladies’
voices are like silk - soft and lustrous,
delivering delicately crafted folk songs
in gorgeous harmonies you’ll struggle
to find anywhere else. Hailing from
Watford, The Staves amuse us and
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The Buffalo Riot (Rosie Selman)
themselves by singing about escaping
to far off lands in Mexico. There’s even
a song called Thursday which, given
it’s a Friday night, draws some cringey
laughter from the audience, but that’s
probably because we’re all stuck in
the daze that these three lovely ladies
had us in from the very moment they
stepped on stage. Top stuff.
The Buffalo Riot arrive on stage
and bring us all back to reality as
they unleash their no holds barred,
alternative country rock. By now
there’s a sizeable audience, made up
of the young groupies who came for
the earlier acts and the more mature
members of society who clearly enjoy
a bit of what The Riot has to offer.
With no less than three guitars, and
a pedal steel to boot, there’s plenty
of noise but there’s some wonderful
harmonies too with strong, gravelly
voices no doubt aided by the bottle
of Jack Daniels that rests on one
of the amps. You could be forgiven
for thinking you were in Nashville,
Tennessee whilst listening to this
band: there’s long hair, chequered
shirts, and leather jackets on show,
giving a feel of pure Americana magic.
Think Steve Earle, maybe even Bob
Dylan. Well, maybe we’re getting
ahead of ourselves here, but even
so, there are plenty in the audience
singing along, evidence of the band’s
growing popularity in Liverpool.
Whilst we expected good things
from The Buffalo Riot there were few
who expected great things from The
Staves, whose sumptuous voices are
not to be missed.
Hugh O’Connell
BEAT HERDER
FESTIVAL
Ribble Valley, Lancashire
We’re stood, under canvas, in a
mocked up working mens club. Ken
Dodd, Les Dennis & Bruce Forsyth
stare down from the walls, floral
dresses and bouffant wigs proliferate,
tweed jacketed men sip pints of the
aptly named ‘Bleat Gurdler’, florescent
eyeshadow is the order of the
day and by the amount of bunting
about you’d think we were celebrating
a royal wedding. Behind the bar at The
Beat-Herder & District Working Men’s
Social Club sits a sign proclaiming
that ‘We’re going to party like its 1975.’
Too right we are...welcome to BEAT
HERDER 2010.
Into this slightly mind bending
time warp step HULAFRAU, a threepiece, comprising stand-up electric
drum pads, synths, bass and...an
electric cricket bat. Specialising in a
interesting and unique (to put it kindly),
shambolic and confusing (to put it
mildly) blend of folk/polka, Hulafrau
have today found their hacienda.
With a subject pallet focussed on the
weekly shop in ASDA this band of mid
30s farmhands are clearly not in the
business of taking themselves at all
seriously. Thats definitely for the best.
The main Beat Herder Stage plays
host to the most high profile acts of
the weekend. The first of which we
catch is BLASTED MECHANISM. Ill
share with you what I’ve written in my
note book...’Blasted Mechanism, WTF,
Asian Dub Foundation & Stereo MCs
on a Hawaiian holiday with predator.’
After pondering it for a while, I can’t
really better that. This European,
and I quote from the festival’s press
bumph, ‘collective of artists, thinkers,
scientists and inventors’ come from the
same sci-fi fancy dress box that gave
us Lordi. If you spend your Saturday
afternoons in Games Workshop, you’ll
love ‘em.
DOES IT OFFEND YOU, YEAH? Well,
to be completely honest, it does really
(that was too easy). In all seriousness
DIOY,Y pull out all the stops for this
headline performance, with fantastic
production and a stunning light show.
But, their continued lack of weight
and any real songwriting craft beyond
that of the cheap thrill is present and
correct, especially within the crop of
new songs they premier tonight. They
seem as surprised as Bido Lito as to
their heightened billing this weekend,
and musically don’t live up to the
pomp of the production. Rabbits in
the headlights, Yeah?
So, underwhelmed by Reading’s
finest, we set off into the Beat Herder
night in search of musical morsels.
And, this is where this festival comes
into its own. We pop back into The BeatHerder & District Working Men’s Social
Club - I’m resisting the urge to use
the rather ugly acronym TBHDWMSC
- to catch proto-punk group FIFTEEN
STORIES, who seem slightly less
comfortable in their surroundings
than the cricket bat wielders
earlier, but impress nonetheless. We
take a jiggle to the dubstep wobble in
the Stumblefunk Soundsystem tent,
before landing in The Recovery Room,
which is tonight hosted by CHEEKY
BUDDHAS DJs, taking a day trip over
from their regular monthly club in
Blackpool. From Afrobeat to Greek
uummmpahhhhh - anyone who’s
been to Christakis Greek Restaurant
in town will know what I’m on about
- they provide the most eclectic and
interesting DJ set of the weekend.
Worth a trip to the lights.
Saturday morning and we’re greeted
by a priest and a butcher outside the
tent, apparently today is fancy dress at
Beat Herder. nice of them to tell us. I
feel like a real miserable swine now...I
could have dug my Ali G costume
out of the bottom of the wardrobe...
or maybe not. We rise and shine to
catch opening group BLOWJANGLES,
a community music group playing
drawn out, happy-times-jazz-pop on
the main stage. The matching bright
and florescent costumes are a sight
for sore eyes this morning, literally,
so we dive up to Smokey Tentacles a shisha and coffee hang out - in the
45
Beat Herder Crowdo (Luke Avery)
Lazy Meadow. This is more like it..
shisha, rugs, herbal tea and THE HANG
PROJECT - if you’ve not caught these
guys, check them out. Based around
the hang - an odd, flying saucer
shaped, kind of inside out steel pan
shaped instrument from Scandinavia
- they combine the instrument’s
hypnotic tones to great effect with
percussion, bass and guitar. Perfect
festival fodder. They are also joined by
MURMURS OF TENSION and later on
MISERY GUTS take to the stage. A real
northwestern love in...great stuff!
GIDEON CONN. Not to be confused
with the BBC 6Music DJ of a similar
name, this fun-time-Frankie and his
band of merry men are as wet as a
Takeshi’s Castle contestant. In part
Finley Quaye meets Liam Lynch United States Of Whatever anybody??
- before a tongue in cheek a cappella
poem about electricity takes over, this
is Pee Wee Herman for the Mumford
And
Sons
generation...Wheatus,
rocking the suburbs with Ben Folds,
you get the picture...
I fear IKEA/I won’t go there again/I
don’t want a bookcase called Billy/or
a table called Sven - Without sausages
and burgers I’m all forlorn/whats she
got me into?...hardcore Quorn - Kissed
me girl outside PC World/dropped
me crisps outside WH Smiths/in this
Lancashire town...THE LANCASHIRE
HOTPOTS say pretty much all that
needs to be said in their own words.
Add in matching burgundy waistcoats,
white bow ties and a tune about
selling your ex-wife’s Patrick Swayze
DVDs on Ebay and again, it writes itself.
Really, who buys their records?? (T?x)
89 Bold Street, Liverpool, L1 4HF
Telephone: 0151 707 0760
boldstreetcoffee.co.uk
The fancy dress get up really comes
into its own today when the selection
of delinquents plucked from the
crowd to back todays ‘special guest’
- non other than the original, leotard
clad, pest of daytime keep fit freak,
MR MOTIVATOR - include a tomato, a
soldier, a hooker and a banana. Poetry
on a stage....to left now y’all, slide to
the right...
Distressed, we stumble upon a
comedy set hosted by FAT CHRIS, and
featuring SILKY and DAN NIGHTINGALE.
Two rather unfortunate characters
have a publicly humiliating dance
off, with not many clothes on. Bido
Lito! giggles away inconspicuously
at the back. The comedy was so good
we almost missed DJANGO DJANGO,
who’s track Storm I fell in love with
after it was featured on Rough Trade’s
46
Counter Culture 09 compilation. The
best band of the weekend...hands down.
DAN LE SAC V SCROOBIUS PIP. I’ll be
honest, there’s something about white,
bearded, indie-crossover rappers that
just pisses me off. Probably because
they are, on the whole, shit. This was
god awful, we’ll leave it there.
At the center of the Beat Herder site
stands a large thicket of trees, within
which the Toiltrees Soundsystem
is set. This feels part Blair Witch, part
illegal early 90s rave, and plays host to
some of the finest DJ talent the UK has
to offer. Saturday night is headlined
by electro/indie crossover protagonist
EROL ALKAN, and he’s fantastic...it
completely goes off. Erol remains one
of the few men who can pull off some
quite progressive house in parts of
his set and whip out Michael Jackson
in others, without it sounding like a
custard sandwich. Admirable stuff.
We ease into Sunday morning with
a sandwich and a coffee in the aptly
named Recovery Room. Ambient
vibes compliment my reading of the
Observer, which is a cosy, welcome
distraction from the driving rain
outside. All very vegi-class. Tranquil
and chilled, until BLOWJANGLES turn
up and hurt my head again. Those
guys are too sodding happy. Into the
rain people....
“Sunday is swingers day” screams
the DJ in TBHDWMSC (gave in...) as a
justification for his lack of trousers. He
plays The Flies ‘I’m Not Your Stepping
Stone’...so we’ll let him off.
SON OF DAVE is an erratic genius.
After seeing the security at the side of
the stage let somebody through with
a pass, he throws a wobbler, citing
that “I want my friends onstage,” at
which point he fishes three waifs from
the crowd, sits them down to graze
on his rider at the side of the stage,
gives them rattles and tells them to
dance. Love it. He wears a black and
white jump suit, red velvet smoking
jacket, Wayfarers and a trilby. His mix
of harmonica looped blues is perfectly
accompanied by a parting of the
clouds and the day’s first stream of
sunshine. Even the lord is on his side.
Essential for anybody on a quest for a
non-guilty pleasure.
THE TRAVELLING BAND do what they
do extremely well. This is modern
folk inspired by the recent raft of US
imports, yet comparisons to Fleet
Foxes air on the side of simplistic
and a little lazy. Closer to ‘What We
Did On Our Holidays’ era Fairport, The
Travelling Band do need to ensure
they maintain an individuality in an
area of music currently in vogue and
en masse. Very enjoyable though.
I’ll be honest, I was really looking
forward to EASY STAR ALL-STARS, their
recorded takes on Dark Side Of The
Moon - Dub Side Of The Moon - and
more recently Sgt Peppers - Easy Stars
Lonely Hearts Dub Band - have cracked
a huge smile across my face on early
listens. Anticipating an inspired reworking of modern classics, their new
context breathing fresh life into the
works, what I witnessed was a music
college student’s wet dream; session
Erol Alkan (Luke Avery)
www.bidolito.co.uk
bidolito
bidolito.co.uk
Son of Dave (Luke Avery)
players running seminal records
through a mangle in the name of a
good time. A jumped up, bouncing,
jazz-hands re-work of ‘She’s Leaving
Home’ was not only misjudged but
distasteful. It was the lack of ideas with
arrangements and the standardised,
plastic session player delivery that
angered me. This was entertainment
by numbers, but when there’s 3,000
ketamined up dubsteppers - with
48 hours of chemistry inside them begging for it, they can do no wrong.
Jay Z’s ‘Black Album’ took a modern
classic, combined and remodeled it
into a piece of work that had relevance
and presence in its own right and was
a shining success of a classic record/
cross genre collaboration. Easy Star
All-Stars confirmed to me that session
reggae remains the last salvation
of the disillusioned music college
graduate.
But, let this not distract from the
fact that Beat Herder is a wonderful
festival, set in a stunning location,
put on for all the right reasons. With
the lack of a big name beer sponsor,
the prevalence of locally brewed ales
(you could also buy two cans of lager
for £3.50), the wealth of independent
food outlets, including the point
affirming Pizza Slut tent (we also
sampled Tibetan, Tai and local farmers
sausages), this is an event with the
old festival traditions of peace, love
and tranquility at its center, and with
independent and alternative culture at
its heart. Because of its strength in all
these areas, Beat Herder is a success. In
this, its fifth year, the festival sold out.
For an event of its size, and with much
more established festivals struggling,
this is a fine achievement. For me, the
line-up would have benefitted from
a greater abundance of bands of real
quality - I could certainly have done
with more of a rock n roll fix - though
on reflection that would probably
have missed the point of what the
festival is all about. The festival sold
out, everyone had a great time, and
no doubt Beat Herder will be back for
more next year. Hopefully they’ll just
remember to book some bands, to
keep me happy at least....
Craig G Pennington
47
D
DAWN
IN THE GARDEN
GARDEN
A light gilded in orange glow
Warm knives on heavy lids
Stirring in silence ‘cept the odd sparrow
A golden glimpse through net curtains
Unruffled ‘neath my cluttered glare
Bathed, blessed but woken
Idling the hours between shifts
Twirling for no leering gaze
Freely aware of the oncoming rift
Twittering voices chime in again
Recharged and ready for battle
Surrendering sweetly more luscious terrain
Richer, grateful but soiled
A victim the morning has caught
Bears witness where the angels have toiled.
Dan Wilson
Illustration: johnbiddle.co.uk
www.bidolito.co.uk
bidolito
bidolito.co.uk

The Coral Hot Club De Paris Neville Skelly Sound Of Guns Sean

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