Sunday, May 26, 2019
Saturday, May 25, 2019
Melancholia
It's funny how listening to music can trigger nostalgia to such a deep extent. I'm listening to Phoenix, a group whose music I first heard in Urban Outfitters (great music in there, and in New Look too).
Long time ago, and such a dreadful time in my life; but listening to music from another continent was a transcendent experience like a living dream or a self-administered drug, a powerful distraction and the trigger for a sense of hope.
I used to clutch at music to stop me from drowning, firstly music made by other artists and later, the songs that I wrote myself, that I didn't even realise where telling me things about my life that I was completely in denial of.
Almost everything in my life has been mapped by music, even the years of no-music when crying babies threw into relief the beauty of silence!
There is so much catching up to do, still; I missed most of the 1990s, and feel like I'm walking about with a radar helmet trying to detect what's going on all the time. And for the last three years, music has held me even more in its spell, pulling my entire soul into its world in a way that it used to when I went out dancing every night in my teenage years and twenties.
It's sound: it's adjustments in sound waves, pulses travelling through the air. Yet it's so much more than this... a relentless puzzle.
Maybe I've been doing too much reading. I am trying to shape the article on Oh Bondage! Up Yours, finding myself in s really different world to the reviewers back then who seem to absolutely detest music, relentlessly trying to slay it like St George killing the dragon.
Someone should have told them that the dragon always wins.
Long time ago, and such a dreadful time in my life; but listening to music from another continent was a transcendent experience like a living dream or a self-administered drug, a powerful distraction and the trigger for a sense of hope.
I used to clutch at music to stop me from drowning, firstly music made by other artists and later, the songs that I wrote myself, that I didn't even realise where telling me things about my life that I was completely in denial of.
Almost everything in my life has been mapped by music, even the years of no-music when crying babies threw into relief the beauty of silence!
There is so much catching up to do, still; I missed most of the 1990s, and feel like I'm walking about with a radar helmet trying to detect what's going on all the time. And for the last three years, music has held me even more in its spell, pulling my entire soul into its world in a way that it used to when I went out dancing every night in my teenage years and twenties.
It's sound: it's adjustments in sound waves, pulses travelling through the air. Yet it's so much more than this... a relentless puzzle.
Maybe I've been doing too much reading. I am trying to shape the article on Oh Bondage! Up Yours, finding myself in s really different world to the reviewers back then who seem to absolutely detest music, relentlessly trying to slay it like St George killing the dragon.
Someone should have told them that the dragon always wins.
The Lexington, Sunday Night
Oldfield Youth Club! Arrest! Charlie Tipper! Me! The Band of Holy Joy!
All playing for Pop! Not Hate!
And of course I will be taking the song Saturday Night with The London Set home to where it was first dreamed up, at a gig at the Lexington on a Saturday night several moons ago.
So come on, all you puntaz, all you party animals with conscience buried somewhere in that hangover, all you bored-on-Sunday-nighters, you ruffty-tuffy leather jacketeers, you nerdy vinyl tooters, you shall-I/shan't-Is, and please some girl power (lots of men have bought tickets: please can I see some smiley female faces down the front, like in Newcastle?)
We will have records, CDs, badges, t-shirts and luv!
Here is the ticket link: https://www.wegottickets.com/event/459915
And here is the poster:
All playing for Pop! Not Hate!
And of course I will be taking the song Saturday Night with The London Set home to where it was first dreamed up, at a gig at the Lexington on a Saturday night several moons ago.
So come on, all you puntaz, all you party animals with conscience buried somewhere in that hangover, all you bored-on-Sunday-nighters, you ruffty-tuffy leather jacketeers, you nerdy vinyl tooters, you shall-I/shan't-Is, and please some girl power (lots of men have bought tickets: please can I see some smiley female faces down the front, like in Newcastle?)
We will have records, CDs, badges, t-shirts and luv!
Here is the ticket link: https://www.wegottickets.com/event/459915
And here is the poster:
Friday, May 24, 2019
Politix
I despair. I feel powerless until I write a song that explains things to myself, as much as to anyone else.
This is a year of benefit gigs; it feels like the only way to do things at the moment (but of course, I vote, sign things and march too. And I'm a lecturer, so everything that I teach is informed by what I believe pitted against what other people believe that I don't believe in, for balance, you understand).
This is a year of benefit gigs; it feels like the only way to do things at the moment (but of course, I vote, sign things and march too. And I'm a lecturer, so everything that I teach is informed by what I believe pitted against what other people believe that I don't believe in, for balance, you understand).
Big Hair
During the course of today, I have developed Big Hair.
I wonder if it will last till tomorrow?
I look like Bobby Gentry, except with my tired old tour face poking out from between the curtains.
I have poor eyesight, so of course this perception may be entirely wrong, and it may be the actual curtains that I can see in the mirror.
The illusion is extremely enjoyable, anyway.
I wonder if it will last till tomorrow?
I look like Bobby Gentry, except with my tired old tour face poking out from between the curtains.
I have poor eyesight, so of course this perception may be entirely wrong, and it may be the actual curtains that I can see in the mirror.
The illusion is extremely enjoyable, anyway.
Time
Yum yum! This delicious thing called time! I can wash the dishes (or not).
(who guessed that I would spend so much of it sleeping? Still in tour recovery mode, and gearing up for the next thing....)
(who guessed that I would spend so much of it sleeping? Still in tour recovery mode, and gearing up for the next thing....)
Thursday, May 23, 2019
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
Monday, May 20, 2019
At the Bathing Pond
Just for a few days... here is a preview, because there's a TV documentary about the Hampstead Bathing Ponds on this evening.
The Day After
Every so often I have such a brilliant time that I forget all the convolutions and upsets that have happened in my life and feel like the luckiest person alive.
The Bristol musician Tim Rippington started up Pop! Not Hate several months ago and has put a massive amount of energy into organising gigs all over the place; there are different combinations of bands playing these gigs in different parts of England (there's even one coming up in Wales, but due to the size of Arrest! Charlie Tipper, not Scotland yet: finding places of seven people to sleep is not easy).
Johny Brown, the force behind The Band of Holy Joy, more or less donated his gig at The Star and Shadow in Newcastle, to Pop! Not Hate, and Saturday's gig had collection buckets which I gather were pretty full by the end of the evening.
The Oldfield Youth Club travelled up from London and so did I; the opening band was Hector Gannett, a group of predominantly guitarists who played slow and moving songs over hurdy-gurdy like sounds, accompanied by black and white archive footage of 1950s and 1960s shipbuilders, fish smokers and other dead industries that had previously thrived in the northeast. The show was a riveting storytelling experience that pulled you into the magical world of the past. The fact that we were experiencing this in a new co-op arts centre literally built by its users, underlined the survival of the human spirit against those who wish to control and destroy people's autonomy. It was an intense start to the evening but everyone was completely pulled in by the experience.
Next up were Oldfield Youth Club. They play tight, energetic and upbeat songs with a good deal of positive energy. It's great to see a female bass player up there (go Kim!!!) and they soon created mood of celebration and a really good Saturday night vibe.
Bit difficult for a solo artists to follow that but big up the girls in the crowd- they came to the front and started dancing and made my job easy, Actually it was a real blast to have to rise to the challenge! We sang happy birthday to Margi who was waltzing with her mates down in the (dare I say it) mosh pit and it was REALLY GOOD FUN!
And of course the main attraction, Band of Holy Joy, were on fire. This was a homecoming gig for Johny, and you could feel the love in the room. There have been different versions of the band over the years: I went to some of their very early gigs, but always at the centre of it all is Johny and his vision: committed, spiritual, songs evolving out of deep emotional thought. Accompanied by Inge's visuals, this was a rowdy, boisterous, cathartic climax to the night with terrific songs. Johny is in fine voice and commands the room with authority: he holds the audience in the palm of his hands and they got two encores from their delighted fans.
It was just such a good night, it really was. It could not have been better. Huge thanks to the Star and Shadow for making us all dinner too; after the travelling, sitting and eating together, well that was lovely social experience.
And Pauline and Rob from Penetration came too!
The next day BOHJ picked me up from Newcastle Central Station and we drove to Leicester's The Musician. It couldn't have been more different, but oddly it was just as good. The sound at The Musician is as clear as a bell, and Andy, who drives the band around, made some recordings. This night was promoted by the musician Kevin Hewick, whose songs are acoustic and verging on the 'outsider' in their subject matter. One is about a racehorse with a skin condition that necessitated it wearing a cover at all times; this was hard to visualise. The horse could have been Jesus, Kevin said. They were good songs, with some very intricate guitar picking. Later, after my set, he came over and said to me 'You know all the secret chords!' I had felt the same about him, so that was rather flattering! I enjoyed the BOHJ's set even more on Sunday than I had the day before- I felt like I really knew the songs and I could work out how they fitted together (nerdy musician stuff) and the clarity of the sound made it like watching a CD come to life, or listening to a CD come to life, whichever and whatever.
Part of it all was the van bantz and listening to mellow songs on the radio on the way there and the way back. I had no idea I knew all the words to Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines! We listened to Doris Day, and Carol King's version of You've Got a Friend (another song I didn't realise I knew all the words to) which resonated with me very strongly, and all sort of other stuff.
I so appreciate all this, all this musical life, these people, and friendships from way back; three years ago, I felt like the most lonely and dejected person on the planet and I am hugely grateful to the people who helped me back then, and to the people that share their musical journey with each other. We are all so different from each other, but we share the desire to create and make social connections through that. What a lovely thing.
(I wonder whether I'll delete this post tomorrow on the grounds of post-tour emotional over-wroughtness!)
The Bristol musician Tim Rippington started up Pop! Not Hate several months ago and has put a massive amount of energy into organising gigs all over the place; there are different combinations of bands playing these gigs in different parts of England (there's even one coming up in Wales, but due to the size of Arrest! Charlie Tipper, not Scotland yet: finding places of seven people to sleep is not easy).
Johny Brown, the force behind The Band of Holy Joy, more or less donated his gig at The Star and Shadow in Newcastle, to Pop! Not Hate, and Saturday's gig had collection buckets which I gather were pretty full by the end of the evening.
The Oldfield Youth Club travelled up from London and so did I; the opening band was Hector Gannett, a group of predominantly guitarists who played slow and moving songs over hurdy-gurdy like sounds, accompanied by black and white archive footage of 1950s and 1960s shipbuilders, fish smokers and other dead industries that had previously thrived in the northeast. The show was a riveting storytelling experience that pulled you into the magical world of the past. The fact that we were experiencing this in a new co-op arts centre literally built by its users, underlined the survival of the human spirit against those who wish to control and destroy people's autonomy. It was an intense start to the evening but everyone was completely pulled in by the experience.
Next up were Oldfield Youth Club. They play tight, energetic and upbeat songs with a good deal of positive energy. It's great to see a female bass player up there (go Kim!!!) and they soon created mood of celebration and a really good Saturday night vibe.
Bit difficult for a solo artists to follow that but big up the girls in the crowd- they came to the front and started dancing and made my job easy, Actually it was a real blast to have to rise to the challenge! We sang happy birthday to Margi who was waltzing with her mates down in the (dare I say it) mosh pit and it was REALLY GOOD FUN!
And of course the main attraction, Band of Holy Joy, were on fire. This was a homecoming gig for Johny, and you could feel the love in the room. There have been different versions of the band over the years: I went to some of their very early gigs, but always at the centre of it all is Johny and his vision: committed, spiritual, songs evolving out of deep emotional thought. Accompanied by Inge's visuals, this was a rowdy, boisterous, cathartic climax to the night with terrific songs. Johny is in fine voice and commands the room with authority: he holds the audience in the palm of his hands and they got two encores from their delighted fans.
It was just such a good night, it really was. It could not have been better. Huge thanks to the Star and Shadow for making us all dinner too; after the travelling, sitting and eating together, well that was lovely social experience.
And Pauline and Rob from Penetration came too!
The next day BOHJ picked me up from Newcastle Central Station and we drove to Leicester's The Musician. It couldn't have been more different, but oddly it was just as good. The sound at The Musician is as clear as a bell, and Andy, who drives the band around, made some recordings. This night was promoted by the musician Kevin Hewick, whose songs are acoustic and verging on the 'outsider' in their subject matter. One is about a racehorse with a skin condition that necessitated it wearing a cover at all times; this was hard to visualise. The horse could have been Jesus, Kevin said. They were good songs, with some very intricate guitar picking. Later, after my set, he came over and said to me 'You know all the secret chords!' I had felt the same about him, so that was rather flattering! I enjoyed the BOHJ's set even more on Sunday than I had the day before- I felt like I really knew the songs and I could work out how they fitted together (nerdy musician stuff) and the clarity of the sound made it like watching a CD come to life, or listening to a CD come to life, whichever and whatever.
Part of it all was the van bantz and listening to mellow songs on the radio on the way there and the way back. I had no idea I knew all the words to Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines! We listened to Doris Day, and Carol King's version of You've Got a Friend (another song I didn't realise I knew all the words to) which resonated with me very strongly, and all sort of other stuff.
I so appreciate all this, all this musical life, these people, and friendships from way back; three years ago, I felt like the most lonely and dejected person on the planet and I am hugely grateful to the people who helped me back then, and to the people that share their musical journey with each other. We are all so different from each other, but we share the desire to create and make social connections through that. What a lovely thing.
(I wonder whether I'll delete this post tomorrow on the grounds of post-tour emotional over-wroughtness!)
Photos
After gig.
The Band of Holy Joy sporting the 'Hawaii the Lads' look.
Hector Gannett.
Dinner with most of BOHJ in Leicester last night.
Saturday, May 18, 2019
Weekend's Gigs
Went to see Wreckless Eric last night; very good songs, great performance. Ian Button who has recently recorded my songs was playing bass/drums, and Amy Rigby got up and sang too. Life is hectic: no proper reviews at the minute- sorry!
Nice to see Gina and Mike, nice to see Robert; Pete Astor was in the distance. It was very full.
Tonight: Pop! Not Hate at the Star and Shadow, Newcastle with Oldfield Youth Club and Hector Gannett, all supporting the amazing Band of Holy Joy.
Tomorrow, Leicester Musicians with Band of Holy Joy.
Marking almost finished apart from stragglers; moderation halfway there.
Then the dreaded data inputting.
I am training up the squirrel in the back yard to do that.
Nice to see Gina and Mike, nice to see Robert; Pete Astor was in the distance. It was very full.
Tonight: Pop! Not Hate at the Star and Shadow, Newcastle with Oldfield Youth Club and Hector Gannett, all supporting the amazing Band of Holy Joy.
Tomorrow, Leicester Musicians with Band of Holy Joy.
Marking almost finished apart from stragglers; moderation halfway there.
Then the dreaded data inputting.
I am training up the squirrel in the back yard to do that.
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