A Heady Posting

Large vegetable heads in the garden at Dulwich Picture Gallery this week; and Harry Hill's Heads, painted on coconuts, upstairs at 39 George Street, Edinburgh, last week and continuing.

Morse Code

Postings will be intermittent for the next ten days: songwriting and preparation for the new University term!

Voxpop Puella

Coming soon- pop electronica from 2001... watch the side panel for details of how to get hold of this limited edition digipack. I'll post the details there with information on how to order it as soon as it's ready (in about a month).
There are still some places left on The Premises songwriting course with a masterclass from the wonderful Green Gartside; click on the link below the CD cover for more information.
The course includes a session in the studio to record your song with a mystery session band (wink, wink), industry advice from Paulette, and of course, song writing workshops with yours truly. See link for more info:
http://www.premisesstudios.com/blog/songwriting-and-recording-course/

Mojo

Well, I'm glad I didn't cancel my subscription to Mojo (sulking cos they haven't reviewed The Chefs CD) because they have Crocodile Cryer on their CD this month. And the Nightingales, Billy Bragg and Blue Aeroplanes too.
About time they interviewed Mr Martin Stephenson, isn't it?

The Quiet Coach

Ah, coach 'B', the quiet coach on the train (second class).

My baby will be able to sleep peacefully in the quiet coach, once she's stopped screaming.

I'll be able to take and make those important business calls without being interrupted by others taking and making important business calls.

I'll be able to describe every single railway journey I've made in mt eighty years of travelling in a loud clear voice without interruption, to the passenger sitting next to me.

I'll be able to talk through my serious health issues with a stranger in a focused and direct way.

THIS IS  YOUR TRAIN MANAGER SPEAKING.......

The Daintees at Stirling Tollbooth

Stirling Tollbooth is a beautiful venue with raked seating and crystal clear sound. It was lovely to be together again, Willie the tour manager as well; first time we've all been together since the tour in April. The band was on top form; Kenny Brady the fiddle player joined them, and they put in a fine set that included the tracks California Star and Streets of San Sebastian from the latest album (being played by Tom Robinson and Bob Harris) which fitted seamlessly into the set alongside old favourites wether rockin' (Running Water) or mellow (Rain).
Jill Hepburn supported and was fresh-voiced and charming, playing her banjo with aplomb.

Stress

The definition of stress... discovering that daughter is renting a property from the worst estate agent in Brighton (and having a conversation with the exceptionally rude and facetious manager this morning :(

The Barry Sisters

According to Wikipedia The Barry Sisters were Yiddish Jazz singers. Somehow in the wilds of Northumberland (the radio, I'm sure) they caught my attention when I was little, as did the Andrews Sisters and the Beverley Sisters (big heads, one blonde/blue eyed, one brunette/brown eyed, one red-haired/green eyed, although they didn't have to share a lazy scribbled dress like the Barry Sisters).

Girl groups were just about all I drew for a year, apart from 'Little Girl Crying Because She Doesn't Want Her Hair Cut'.

Tall Poppies and Acton Bell (and The Magnetic Mind) at Paper Dress Vintage

It was time to meet up with my Champagne Friend, who is a reporter for the Deptford Mercury and who therefore has been very busy with the Equestrian Sports in Greenwich Park. We were both tired, and missed the headline band but we did see their soundcheck, which I thought was wonderful: The Magnetic Mind are psychedelic in sound and have a magnicicently screaming Flying V guitar; I will definitely go to see them properly at some time and Magnetic Paul is going to play at Club Artyfartle in October (see future postings for details) alongside Acton Bell, myself and Lucie Sieger.
When she came round for tea'n'recording last Monday, Acton Bell said that she was playing at this rather fine vintage shop that Friday. So Champagne Friend and myself met early for ginger beer (having both outgrown even champagne) and watched as the staff rolled away the racks of clothes to reveal the Alice in Wonderland floor (as Acton Bell's friend Steve remarked), making way for an Alice in Wonderland evening.
It was still light when Acton Bell took to the stage, playing a solid bodied guitar (we've all gone Chrissie Hynde recently!) and singing  a combination of Gerry and the Pacemakers, Searchers, Beatles and original compositions. Her own songs fit in very well with her choice of covers and I have a feeling that if we have enough tea afternoons together there will soon be an album on its way.
She creates her own world, and the audience, at first baffled, started listening intently and were soon happily rolling along the Acton Bell Road. By not being cooler-than-thou, Acton Bell is cooler than anyone and she has a lovely high, clear voice and a refreshingly down to earth way of presenting herself. Three cheers for her originality!
Tall Poppies played next; the core of the band is two sisters from Perth, Australia who both play guitar and bass; they are augmented by a fiddle player and a female drummer. I thought their songs were so good I bought their album which I'm listening to now; I also like their sound, which reminds me a little of A Bird and a Bee, one of the best pop bands of the last few years. I think Greg Kurstin should take a listen! One of the things I liked best was their slightly shambolic (although oddly enough, they were extremely well-rehearsed) John Peel-ness. It is this that gets ironed out on the route to commercial success but it is also what makes watching live music so enjoyable at this level. I remember their songs from the gig as I listen- this is good music!
There is a debate ongoing at the moment about whether festivals have lost their authenticity.
Fie to your festivals! In most towns in the UK there are thriving music scenes across ages, genres, you name it. Friday night was absolutely magical. A gig in a dress shop! What a fabulous, camp, bonkers idea. We're going back soon for their monthly rockabilly night. And the clothes were fab too.

Premises Songwriting Course with Green Gartside (and Self)

5-Day Songwriting and Recording Course with Helen Reddington, Green Gartside and Paulette Long

We’ve just received confirmation of a great Masterclass tutor for our next Songwriting and Recording Workshop, the wonderful GREEN GARTSIDE. Green is the founder member and songwriter of Scritti Politti and has worked with Miles Davis, Elvis Costello and Kylie Minogue and is regarded by many as “the Songwriter’s Songwriter”.  We’ll also be bringing in the Vice Chair of the PRS, Paulette Long, for a special session on “Making Money from your Song” – an important part of any songwriter’s knowledge.

The dates for the 4 day course are September 20th – 23rd 2012. As well as the masterclass sessions with Green Gartside and Paulette Long the course will be made up of 3 days of intensive tuition with Helen Reddington, one of the most experienced songwriting tutors in the UK today. On the 4th day you will haveindividual recording slots in Studio A with a top session band where you will record a track you’ve written during the course.

The cost is just £395 including the recording sessions. Places are limited to 10 and we expect this to sell out fast.

To book contact Julia Craik on 020  7729 7593 or info@premisesstudios.com.

The Premises Studios, 209 Hackney Rd, London, E2 8JL.

Marvellous Trousers

An evening of serious song writing, I had thought. What came out was a one-minute ukulele song called Marvellous Trousers. Is that the best the muse can offer?

Helen and the Horns

We seem to be getting a few plays on Myspace, of all things...
http://www.myspace.com/helenandthehorns
Time to sort out the release of a compilation, perhaps?

Kate Bush Tribute Night, September

Is Feminism a Mortal Sin? No It Feminisn't!

I am pleased to see Pussy Riot getting some column inches. Yes, there are other political protests in Russia, but because of their youth and their colourful vitality, the voice they are adding to the anti-Putin movement is different because it articulates the feelings of young people who are engaged with popular culture and who might prefer to look the other way rather than involve themselves in any sort of politics.
They certainly got me off my back burner! The politics of punk meant a lot to me in the 1070s and endless TV documentaries about the lads and the music don't tell the exact story as I remember it; but then I am looking at it from a personal perspective, which is what I thought it was all about at the time. Instead, a subculture/music story is told and re-told until it becomes as turgid as any his-story of pop and rock.
What was heartening about the demonstration in support of Pussy Riot was the all-ages, all-genders-all-cultures nature of the people who went along. It's easy to forget, when looking at our own parliament (especially the cabinet) that there are people in Britain who are not billionaire white men in suits that have political opinions. When reading about what the legal system in Russia has done to the three women who were in court last week I wondered what would happen here as our rights are eroded away in front of our eyes. If you make a population desperately poor, you disempower them and their voices become ever weaker.
Let's not get distracted by Julian Assange, whose 'noble' expression masks a desire to escape the Swedish justice system. Can he have a fair trial after all this publicity? Perhaps not, and perhaps that was the general intention. I seriously doubt that Sweden will send him to the USA.

The Society of the Spectacles: Pussy Riot, Kitten Riot and More

Caroline Coon and a pink lady; a gentleman supporter; an elegant Italian-style supporter; three kitten supporters; my mask; a pink-haired devil supporter; rabbit riot supporter; red dress supporter;  rent-a-riot or dial-a-demo?
There were lots of different people standing opposite the Russian Embassy yesterday showing support for Pussy Riot, a collective punk band who put the spirit of punk to work in a dangerous semi-dictatorship. They are brave girls, and I salute them.