Tuesday, 25 August 2009
Monday, 24 August 2009
Crawling under the hedge into the '80s
This Saturday my sister, Ali, and I were having a "quiet night in" when one of our great friends, Big Ali, called us to ask if we wanted to go to a '80s revival festival that was going on in the neighbouring town.
The festival, called Rewind, was a new and surprising initiative for the stuffy upper-middle class town of Henley-on-Thames. I am sure that in the wake of this festival there will be plenty of letters to the Henley Standard complaining about the noise and signing off as appalled of Church Street. I feckin' can't stand that sort of Henley person.
Now the line up of this festival wasn't one that appealed to me: The likes of Kim Wilde, Rick Astley, Bananarama and Belinda Carlisle, but I was pretty tanked up and the venture sounded like a laugh so we bundled into Big Ali's car.
There was never any mention of the cost and in her savvy way Big Ali had struck gold finding a hole in the hedge we could squeeze under. We crawled from the dim quiet of the car park into a world of tents, lights and excitable people in their fourties.
We were just in time to see Kim Wilde on the main stage. I was surprised at how big this festival was. The camps were full and the main stage was massive with huge screens flanking the sides. The crowd was pretty stagnant. There were some keen men with "Marry me Kim!" plaques. I tried to edge my way to the front of the audience but the bodies were unyielding. I had to keep apologising to lots of middle-aged women who thought I was being pushy.
Meanwhile Kim was doing her thing, addressing the crowd in her warmly enthusiastic voice. The menfolk were looking thrilled by her. She was striding around in a sort of all leather get up with a diamante looking garter round her upper thigh. She looked like she was having a great time and was giving a polished and buoyant performance. She sang some of her classics like Kids in America and a pretty cool cover of Depeche Mode's Enjoy the silence. The audience, escaping the confines of their average Saturday night in watching Casualty on BBC1, were appreciative and walked away at the end of the set murmuring in disbelief "Nearly fifty? How can she be? I hope I look like that at fifty!".
So '80s pop is not really my thing and I did get a bit billigerent with that crowd of stiffs but still it's good to see older people getting out and investing in their passion for music. Writing this blog entry has made me realise I should probably address the fairly strong ageism I foster. Oh dear; not very PC. Will try to improve.
The festival, called Rewind, was a new and surprising initiative for the stuffy upper-middle class town of Henley-on-Thames. I am sure that in the wake of this festival there will be plenty of letters to the Henley Standard complaining about the noise and signing off as appalled of Church Street. I feckin' can't stand that sort of Henley person.
Now the line up of this festival wasn't one that appealed to me: The likes of Kim Wilde, Rick Astley, Bananarama and Belinda Carlisle, but I was pretty tanked up and the venture sounded like a laugh so we bundled into Big Ali's car.
There was never any mention of the cost and in her savvy way Big Ali had struck gold finding a hole in the hedge we could squeeze under. We crawled from the dim quiet of the car park into a world of tents, lights and excitable people in their fourties.
We were just in time to see Kim Wilde on the main stage. I was surprised at how big this festival was. The camps were full and the main stage was massive with huge screens flanking the sides. The crowd was pretty stagnant. There were some keen men with "Marry me Kim!" plaques. I tried to edge my way to the front of the audience but the bodies were unyielding. I had to keep apologising to lots of middle-aged women who thought I was being pushy.
Meanwhile Kim was doing her thing, addressing the crowd in her warmly enthusiastic voice. The menfolk were looking thrilled by her. She was striding around in a sort of all leather get up with a diamante looking garter round her upper thigh. She looked like she was having a great time and was giving a polished and buoyant performance. She sang some of her classics like Kids in America and a pretty cool cover of Depeche Mode's Enjoy the silence. The audience, escaping the confines of their average Saturday night in watching Casualty on BBC1, were appreciative and walked away at the end of the set murmuring in disbelief "Nearly fifty? How can she be? I hope I look like that at fifty!".
So '80s pop is not really my thing and I did get a bit billigerent with that crowd of stiffs but still it's good to see older people getting out and investing in their passion for music. Writing this blog entry has made me realise I should probably address the fairly strong ageism I foster. Oh dear; not very PC. Will try to improve.
Sunday, 23 August 2009
Audio.Video.Disco at the Dublin Castle
The Dublin Castle in Camden is one of my favourite London venues. I love the dim grottyness of it with the weight of its musical significance practically dripping down the red walls.
Summer drinks in the garden of the Edinboro Castle followed by a gig in the Dublin Castle is an absolute winner of a night. You can't go wrong.
On Friday 21 August it was Ben Larson's Night: Headlining were Dead on TV with Audio.Video.Disco, Ash Node and Ray Dar Vees supporting.
Now if I was a bit more of an edgy type I might have been into Dead on TV but they didn't really grab me when I was doing my homework listening to my space pages. Their sound is way too avant-guarde for me! Also, by the time they came on I was a wee bit too worse for wear to pay attention if you get my meaning. (An excellent journalist - always on the ball!) I also somehow managed to miss Ray Dar Vees who sounded absolutely class on their my space but there's plenty more time to get to know them in future.
Audio.Video.Disco have an strong background of gigs behind them, having played alongside Alphabeat at the Clapham Grand and headlining at the Astoria 2. They are unashamedly poppy, and "not afraid of writing catchy melodies". They're the sort of band that many journalists would turn their noses up at for not being cool enough. I think that they're an extremely marketable band with a tight sound. However, the music industry is saturated with bands with a similar sound so they would have to do something else to grab our attention.
But for the unsigned circuit they put on a damn good show. I loved their set (yes I was buzzing on a vodka induced high) and found it especially good music to bounce up and down to - always a good sign in my books! The rest of the audience were rather more restrained, athough I could tell they were enjoying the music. It was the time of night before people are loose enough to dance and there was a big gap in front of the stage that the audience were too tentative to enter.
Richard Berkshire's vocals are sweet - he's got good pitch and tone and there's a gorgeous clarity to his voice. The band make a great team and their song writing skills are excellent. I think there could be big things ahead if they just evolve that little bit further.
Thursday, 20 August 2009
The Gentleman's Dub Club
The Gentleman's Dub Club are a band that I stumbled upon on the Saturday night of this year's Secret Garden Party. We were barreling around in our costumes, happily-go-lucky following the sounds towards different tents. We hadn't really planned our time so when we found ourselves in this particular tent we picked up on the air of anticipation and knew something good was about to happen.
The tent was absolutely packed and everyone was buzzing. Somehow we managed to get ourselves to the front of the crowd. Within a few minutes The Gentleman's Dub Club were introduced and a striking young man wearing a black vest and black cap took to the mic.
Dub isn't music I listen to on a regular basis but GDC's sound gripped me and I was powerless to resist their concoction of vocals, drums, trumpets and truly sensual sax. The crowd were going mental, all swept away on the same euphoric high. Their performance was life-affirming and none of us wanted it to end. Really I would say you would have to be there to know what I'm talking about but if you listen to their my space page you will get some idea of how powerful and original their sound is.
Tracks like No Misery and EST somehow seem to capture the way the world works. Sometimes GDC's message is political and in other tracks the lyrics can be more introverted. The nine piece band make enough volume for even the hungriest listener. Their style is an original blend of ska, reggae and dub. The front man, known simply as Jila, is prodigiously talented. GDC are actually signed with Ranking Records and have an EP out called Member's Only.
Their next London gig is on Friday 28 August at the Rhythm Factory and I will be there with bells on.
The tent was absolutely packed and everyone was buzzing. Somehow we managed to get ourselves to the front of the crowd. Within a few minutes The Gentleman's Dub Club were introduced and a striking young man wearing a black vest and black cap took to the mic.
Dub isn't music I listen to on a regular basis but GDC's sound gripped me and I was powerless to resist their concoction of vocals, drums, trumpets and truly sensual sax. The crowd were going mental, all swept away on the same euphoric high. Their performance was life-affirming and none of us wanted it to end. Really I would say you would have to be there to know what I'm talking about but if you listen to their my space page you will get some idea of how powerful and original their sound is.
Tracks like No Misery and EST somehow seem to capture the way the world works. Sometimes GDC's message is political and in other tracks the lyrics can be more introverted. The nine piece band make enough volume for even the hungriest listener. Their style is an original blend of ska, reggae and dub. The front man, known simply as Jila, is prodigiously talented. GDC are actually signed with Ranking Records and have an EP out called Member's Only.
Their next London gig is on Friday 28 August at the Rhythm Factory and I will be there with bells on.
Blabbermouth: a total NUT
Blabbermouth is by no means your average folky singer-songwriter type. My sister, Ali and I, came across him at a gig where we had gone to see Tim Kay. We loved Kay's uplifting, My World, track that had been used on one of Jamie Oliver's TV cookery programmes and had made contact with him through Facebook.
Tim Kay was alright but nothing to write home about and we haven't been to watch him since, although have occasionally indulged in playing his poppy tune. Blabbermouth, however, was a true spectacle who we've developed a bit of a friendship with.
Blabsy is a very troubled, dark and tormented man but he is also dryly funny and his performances are punctuated with impromptu black comedy as he mercilessly heckles his audience. It's obvious the guy has chronic self-esteem issues and if a member of the audience gets up to leave he savagely attacks them. A bundle of laughs you're thinking. I know he doesn't sound like a palatable prospect for a gig but somehow Blabsy has crept into our hearts and Ali and I accept him for the flawed, knarled little package he is.
He's a great songwriter and lyricist (although quite a few of his tracks are unhealthily preoccupied with his own death). He's got a good eye for the depressing details of modern life. Yet, despite all this, a couple of his songs, like My Dancing Heart cut through the prozac saturated tone and unexpectedly lift the listener up. Ali and I have been known to do some backing vocals for Blabsy - always a good excuse to shake things up with a few harmonies.
Verdict: a unique and shadowy little folk-puppet man, sitting on his stool intermittently spitting insults and singing charming little ditties.
Tim Kay was alright but nothing to write home about and we haven't been to watch him since, although have occasionally indulged in playing his poppy tune. Blabbermouth, however, was a true spectacle who we've developed a bit of a friendship with.
Blabsy is a very troubled, dark and tormented man but he is also dryly funny and his performances are punctuated with impromptu black comedy as he mercilessly heckles his audience. It's obvious the guy has chronic self-esteem issues and if a member of the audience gets up to leave he savagely attacks them. A bundle of laughs you're thinking. I know he doesn't sound like a palatable prospect for a gig but somehow Blabsy has crept into our hearts and Ali and I accept him for the flawed, knarled little package he is.
He's a great songwriter and lyricist (although quite a few of his tracks are unhealthily preoccupied with his own death). He's got a good eye for the depressing details of modern life. Yet, despite all this, a couple of his songs, like My Dancing Heart cut through the prozac saturated tone and unexpectedly lift the listener up. Ali and I have been known to do some backing vocals for Blabsy - always a good excuse to shake things up with a few harmonies.
Verdict: a unique and shadowy little folk-puppet man, sitting on his stool intermittently spitting insults and singing charming little ditties.
Foreward
To me music is life. Slowly and steadily I have been gaining more and more momentum in my passion for music until this summer I've reached a sort of fever pitch. I'm at a gig every week, sometimes several a week. I thought to myself why don't I start reviewing these gigs and providing a blog that reflects what the musicians on the unsigned circuit are doing?
I'm not officially a music journalist although my day job is as a writer and deputy editor on a yachting magazine. I'd love to write more about music although I appreciate that it is extremely difficult - you have to really know your shit and write in an imaginative and lyrical way. It's totally different to the kind of journalism I'm used to so the blog will be a way to explore this new style of word-smithery.
Having spoken to some friends who's bands are really taking off several of them told me they were none too keen on mainstream music journalism. They explained that many of these journalists are failed and embittered musicians dishing out savage criticism from ivory towers. They also mentioned that these journalists often think as a herd unwilling to accept a band that might be considered uncool.
I am not a failed musician although I do have a pretty good musical ear (god bless that middle class upbringing with the forced upon violin and piano lessons). I've also been known to belt out a few numbers in various musicals although I'm pretty loathe to admit this now. So I do have some concept of music with which to guide me on my new mission.
I want to let all the musicians I review know that whatever I may write about you I admire you immensely and wish I had the courage to perform like you do; with guts, determination and brio. I know you're all working so hard and it seems spectacularly unfair that there just aren't enough record deals to go around. This blog is dedicated to all of you. You rock my world.
Jude Benning, August 2009
I'm not officially a music journalist although my day job is as a writer and deputy editor on a yachting magazine. I'd love to write more about music although I appreciate that it is extremely difficult - you have to really know your shit and write in an imaginative and lyrical way. It's totally different to the kind of journalism I'm used to so the blog will be a way to explore this new style of word-smithery.
Having spoken to some friends who's bands are really taking off several of them told me they were none too keen on mainstream music journalism. They explained that many of these journalists are failed and embittered musicians dishing out savage criticism from ivory towers. They also mentioned that these journalists often think as a herd unwilling to accept a band that might be considered uncool.
I am not a failed musician although I do have a pretty good musical ear (god bless that middle class upbringing with the forced upon violin and piano lessons). I've also been known to belt out a few numbers in various musicals although I'm pretty loathe to admit this now. So I do have some concept of music with which to guide me on my new mission.
I want to let all the musicians I review know that whatever I may write about you I admire you immensely and wish I had the courage to perform like you do; with guts, determination and brio. I know you're all working so hard and it seems spectacularly unfair that there just aren't enough record deals to go around. This blog is dedicated to all of you. You rock my world.
Jude Benning, August 2009
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