Last night was the first of this year's Acoustica Festival - the Exeter festival of alt-folk and Americana - although as ever this definition seems to have been stretched pretty widely. The event is that odd thing - an indoor festival that extends over a number of venues.
We managed to get along to the Phoenix venues for the start of the Festival from 6 to 9.30 on Friday but had to leave just as the number of visitors was starting to swell. In the early part of the evening there were a number of mainly young performers on at the garden stage and the cafe.
After that, we saw a bit of Ben Goddard (above) in the main auditorium and then Carnivala (below) in the Voodoo Lounge. They were true to their name, playing music with a good time vibe, and attracted quite a crowd.
The stars of the evening (or at least the part that we saw) were Saturday Sun and Aidan Simpson.
Saturday Sun are a duo from Dorset who combine wailing and picked guitar with mesmeric vocals. They transfixed the audience and filled the auditorium with soaring sound.
Aidan Simpson, also from Dorset, is a Dylanesque 'protest singer' but is in a class of his own. His songs are well crafted, his guitar technique perfectly matched and his vocals are uniquely flexible. It was a shame that he was on stage so early and had only a small audience - but his future looks good.
A few weeks ago we saw the current incarnation of the Christians at Exeter Corn Exchange. The original Christians were a trio of brothers who had a series of blue-eyed soul hits in the 1980s. Many of their songs were ahead of their time and dealt with social issues: Harvest for the world, Hooverville, Ideal World, Forgotten Town, etc.
Fast forward to today and unhappily one of the brothers is dead, while another no longer wishes to tour. Fortunately that leaves Garry Christian - the main voice of the original trio. The current tour sees him working in an unplugged format, supported by Joey Ankrah and Neil Griffiths. Ankrah looks like he's auditioning for Pirates of the Caribbean, while Griffiths resembles a chubby Jean Paul Gaultier. However, they do a great job filling in for the missing Christian brothers and provide accompaniment for all the songs, with Garry only picking up a guitar for one number.
Garry has an easy relaxed style and chats with the audience about the summer heat, about his mates Ian (McNab from The Icicle Works), the other Ian (McCulloch from Echo and the Bunnymen) and more. The Exchange audience are not your Phoenix audience - middle aged disco kids rather than old hippies.
Garry's voice has weathered well and they do unplugged versions of the old songs together with a few new ones. They talk about a new CD but don't seem to be selling anything. In fact the new single Inner City Blues is out later this month - on the 23rd September. Here is a reminder of the Christians at their peak in the 1980s (I Found Out) followed by the new single:
The Christians still have something to offer in 2013 - apart from some great memories, that is ...
A week ago we ventured out reluctantly (given the temperatures) to see Mike Heron and the Trembling Bells at Exeter Phoenix. It had been billed as a standing gig, so we were relieved to find that the venue had actually been laid out with tables & chairs and that the evening was not going to be a repeat of the Johnny Marr sweat-bath a week or so earlier. I must admit that I wasn't familiar with the Trembling Bells and that my knowledge of Mike Heron really dated from Changing Horses - an album recorded after Heron and Williamson had given up drugs and converted to scientology which, unsurprisingly, was not regarded as one of the Incredible String Band's best.
However, from the moment that they took the stage we could see that we were in for a good night. Although most of the Mike Heron songs predated my String Band days, his unique delivery was unmistakeable and the arrangement of the songs by the drummer, Alex Neilson, was appropriately hippyish, with plenty of percussive and other folky effects. As luck would have it we found ourselves sitting next to Deb and Jez Winship. Jez has done a brilliant review of the gig on his blog Sparks in Electrical Jelly which traces the origins of many of the songs to relevant String Band albums and also fills in with information about the Trembling Bells material. So rather than try to top that (as if I could) I have just posted below a selection of photographs from the evening:
I've just looked back at my blog and it was April 2012 when we saw John Renbourn & Robin Williamson at the Phoenix. That gig was a bit disappointing (although Renbourn's guitar playing was masterful) and as a result I never posted any photos - but I may get around to doing that soon. Suffice it to say that Mike Heron and the Trembling Bells provided a far more satisfying evening and I will be looking out some of those older String Band
albums that Jez mentions in his review, as well as investigating the
recorded output of the Bells. To finish up, here is a taste of Mike Heron and the Trembling Bells doing Log Cabin Home in the Sky at the Hyde Park Picture House:
The last time I saw Elvis Costello was the early 80s: In 1981 at the Hammersmith Odeon, on Xmas Eve 1981 at the Rainbow, and a couple of years later at Southend Cliffs Pavilion. To be honest, like Elvis, I liked a drink back then and I can't remember much about any of them (apart from the Xmas Eve gig - which was brilliant).
On the evidence of last Tuesday's performance by Elvis and the Imposters - essentially the Attractions with Bruce Thomas replaced - it is hard to believe that it is 30 years later. Elvis had a cold but his voice was still strong, especially compared with others of his vintage (stand up Ian Anderson of the Tull).
The band kicked off with I hope You're Happy Now, and three other upbeat favourites, culminating in Radio Radio. Elvis then adopted the role of cheery compere for the evening as he invited people up on stage to spin the wheel to select hits from his amazing back catalogue.
The band - especially Steve Nieve with his trademark farfisa-like organ sounds and versatile fills - worked hard and could not be faulted; and, apart from strong vocals, Elvis produced some excellent guitar work - including several songs where he delivered head-full-of-acid riffs on his Jazzmaster that resonated around the Colston Hall.
People dragged up on stage not only spun the wheel to select the tunes but also drank at the stage bar, danced in the dancers' cage, and took photos with Elvis. The Bristol audience were happy to join in with the repartee and a good time was had by all. Finally, after an impressive set of over 20 songs before the encores, Elvis and the band finished up with a couple of extended encores, including Ship Building and a brooding rendering of I want You (sorry, the visual quality of the following clip is not so good).
In my previous blog post I mentioned that that my enthusiasm for Costello had waned after his first seven albums - but on the night there were only a handful of songs I did not recognise. At the end of the evening I was reminded that Elvis Costello is one of the most talented composers and performers that we have seen in the past 30 years. I intend to go back to his later albums and investigate them further. There is a live CD and DVD available, recorded in May 2011 in the US and based upon the the Spectacular Singing Songbook - although the tracks included will only partly be similar to what was played at Bristol (by definition). Click to access the actual full Bristol set listing or to access a wealth of information about the Revolver tour.
Well, against all the odds, the blog has been going for a year now, with a total of 7,000 visitors; and is getting about 25 hits a day - Although to be honest only about a fifth of these actually involve reading the blog. Oddly, most of the hits come from Google Image searches - notably searches for Richard Hamilton's Just what is it that makes today’s homes so different, so appealing? which I used to illustrate an off-the-cuff post about nothing in particular. I had intended to do a piece on Richard Hamilton after his death last year but, as is often the case, felt that I could not do justice to someone who had contributed so much to the art world over 50 plus years.
Richard Hamilton - Swingeing London '67
I'm still not really sure why I'm blogging - especially as so many of my draft posts don't get finished or see the light of day. I do, however, like to share favorite blogs that I have stumbled across with others. Also, like Pinterest, blogging is addictive (and the blog has the continuing benefit of pissing-off my kids).
Tomorrow I'm off to see Elvis Costello at the Colston in Bristol and have high hopes. After his initial excellent seven albums I lost a bit of interest - especially when he started cropping up on US comedy and chat shows. But last year I rediscovered his 20th album - When I was cruel- in a charity shop and he was back on form (ten years ago). So maybe I'll post something about the gig, if it's any good. (See post about the gig and links to YouTube videos here). Meanwhile, thanks for reading this.
Last Saturday Ian Siegal and Wilko Johnson were on stage at the Phoenix. I didn't know Siegal previously but he has been around for a while and is very well-regarded. Earlier this year he won the British Blues Vocalist Award.
His website says that if Siegal been around in the sixties he would today be accorded the same reverence as artists such as Van Morrison, Joe Cocker and Eric Clapton and quotes Muddy Waters' son as saying that If my Daddy were alive today he'd say “That's my boy!".
He looks like a cross between a young Mickey Rourke and a shorn Alan Davies. His material is original but seems authentic without being hackneyed or derivative. On Saturday he was playing with drummer and bass support. I've seen a lot of blues guitarists and most succumb to self indulgence but Siegal played a flawless well-paced set supported by a tight rhythm section and the crowd loved it.
Ian is headlining the Torquay Blues Festival on 5th November - Get along there to see him playing solo.
After Siegal, Wilko Johnson seemed a bit of an anticlimax at first but once he got going, we soon got the point. Wilko is not subtle - he is raw. The Feelgoods at their best (when Wilko was with them) were raw - Every bit as raw as punk and in many cases rawer. The award-winning documentary about the band, Oil City Confidential, explores their origins as a primitive pub-rock band in Canvey Island, up to the death of Lee Brilleaux, and beyond.
Wilko looks much older now (it is 34 years later). Norman Watt-Roy, the bass player from the Blockheads, and Wilko together look like the Sopranos/Krays and are dressed in the all-black uniforms of your local coffee shop baristas.
Watt-Roy is like a demented goblin frenetically plucking his bass in a puddle of his own sweat. Wilko still has that manic look of old and periodically storms back and forward, machine-gunning the audience with his guitar. His voice is not strong like Lee Brilleaux but it is effective enough.
They produce a wall of noise and the audience love it - especially the old favourites: Back in the Night, Roxette, She Does it Right, and Bye Bye Johnny. We are in the presence of a legend ... Unfortunately I was standing in front of the speaker stack again and my video sound was badly distorted - but here are Wilko and Norman playing She Does it Right in the 1980s:
And here is the great Lee Brilleaux doing the vocal honours on the same number back in 1975:
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown were the first psychedelic soul spectacle, a memory that neither experience or drug could ever erase ... the cops busted Arthur because his music made people take drugs. They were right. It did.
Brown's life has been every bit as incident-packed as that of Marks. Arthur Brown was there when pretty much when everything important happened back in the sixties.
Fire is still the serious stoners' favourite anthem
Not only did he have huge success in America, but he played with all the big names, lived a life of excess, was arrested and jailed, and has generally had an incredible life (try reading the whole of Howard Marks' foreword on Google books - or better still buy a copy of Polly Marshall's book and be amazed).
Today's show is a pretty tame compared with those heady days, but is enjoyable and great nostalgia for an audience of a certain age. His band - The Crazy World - are all young. The keyboard player, Lucie Rejchrtova, acts as a foil to Arthur's antics on stage, along with Angela Fallon who dances with the band. They started the set with Dylan's Hard Rain and included an excellent version of Kites - the old hit for Simon Dupree and the Big Sound - who went on to become Gentle Giant.
Apologies for the sound quality- I was right in front of the speaker stack
The remainder of the set included I've Put a Spell on You and of course Fire! (with no combustion - although he was apparently performing with the flaming headdress as recently as 1997), as well as some numbers from his psychedelic repertoire. It was a good show - especially when you consider that Arthur is 69 years old. There was, disappointingly, no time for an encore as the stage had to then be reset for Focus.
Thijs van Leer, the sole remaining original member of Focus is 63, but the rock and roll lifestyle has not treated him well - He was barely recognisable as the guy from the 1970s as he shuffled on stage with a plastic carrier bag containing his stuff - his flute, melodica etc.
The artist as a young man
But once they got going it was clear that he has lost none of his passion for Dutch melodic rock, or his jocular approach to the full range of whistling, nonsensical vocals, falsetto singing, and yodelling that he is known for.
The hits were all there: Sylvia, Hall of the King, and Hocus Pocus.The guitarist,
Menno Gootjes, and the bass player, Bobby Jacobs are both talented players and at their best you could hear the roots of later work by the likes of Steely Dan (self-styled jazz-rock ambassadors to the galaxy). The veteran drummer Pierre van der Linden also put in a lot of effort and did the obligatory - and dull - drum solos.
The fans loved it but, honestly, I would have preferred more Arthur Brown. Nevertheless here's some vintage Focus, with Jan Akkerman doing the honours on guitar, while Thijs van Leer yodels ...
The annual Ship Inn Bank Holiday Music Festival took place this weekend in Teignmouth.
This is a great set-up: The stage is built on the beach just behind the pub and during the day and evening a mixture of locals and families on holiday pass through - enjoying the music, food from the barbeque and, of course, drinks.
The weather was ideal on Saturday, although when we got there at about five, the wind off the sea was starting to make it a bit chilly.
We were just in time to catch Axe - A four piece who played a bluesy set and reminded me of Dr Feelgood - but less manic than Lee and Wilko (who isn't?). Here are the band in rehearsal doing Teenage Kicks/ Born Under a Bad Sign:
Unfortunately we weren't able to stay longer but the festival carried on through to Monday evening.
By the way, the Ship stage was decorated by Arts Anonymous - A small street art gallery/shop a short distance from the pub. Well worth a look if you are in the area.
To finish, here are the legends themselves: Wilko Johnson and Lee Brilleaux - the Feelgoods - encoring on home ground at the Southend Kursaal:
Wilko Johnson is appearing at the Exeter Phoenix on 8th October - should be a good night.
