Just - wow!
I've been a fan of Cirque du Soleil since seeing Simon Groom (I think) cleaning Le Grand Chapiteau on Blue Peter many moons ago.
The advent of the interweb and my subsequent discovery of the "Cirque Club" has meant I have been able to secure ringside seats for the last two visits to Manchester; an extravagence I don't feel guilty about.
Their latest show, Delirium, is a departure from the usual format. Instead of their own big top, this show is performed on stage and is consequently touring the country's Arenas (are they all ice rinks?) at the moment.
Delirium is a light, dance and performance spectacle which is very much driven by the music - a selection of pieces from other Cirque shows which have been extensively reinterpreted (read: lots of drumming added!)
The story is of a man's dream - he's glad it's a dream because "it's really wierd". Not 'arf!
Performance highlights are;
the bizarre ball-girl whose elasticity would scare off all but the most determined suitor
the four amazing (really, "amazing" doesn't come close to it) male acrobats (example - two guys support a foot each of the third while the fourth does a one-handed handstand on the head of number three)
the hula-hoop girl - Princess and Izzie - you have no idea just what can be done with hoops! (example - stands on one leg with hoop going round knee, second leg perfectly vertical with two hoops going round ankle above head, two hoops on each arm - and she moves around the stage!)
The light show is amazing - all projections and stuff. One particularly special effect is the "ticker tape" release; we were right at the front waiting for the bits of paper to land on us - couldn't understand how it wasn't landing on us. It took a while to realise that it wasn't actually there! Absolutely fascinating.
The athleticism and skill of the performers is absolutely remarkable - there's not an ounce of fat on any of them.
Right, I'll stop raving now - I'm starting to sound like a press release.
If you get a chance, see it.
Tuesday, 9 October 2007
Saturday, 6 October 2007
LiveWired - Slaithwaite, Huddersfield - October 2007
"Man With Guitar" is one of the more enduring motifs of pop music. From Leadbelly and Robert Johnson through Elvis (-ish) and Buddy Holly to Bob Dylan and James Blunt, all some people need is a acoustic six string and a bit of self belief.
Ben Brown started without us and I was a bit surprised to arrive to him singing to an essentially empty hall. Everyone brings their own little clique to these shows, so where was his? Turns out they were hiding near the back; can't've made it easy for him as he turned out a mixed set of covers and his own compositions.
I've already mentioned James Blunt and I'll do it again. Ben Brown is every bit as good as James Blunt. Ben Brown is, if anything, a better singer than James Blunt. Ben Brown has a far less-punchable face than James Blunt. In short, Ben Brown could be the next James Blunt, BUT, do we need another James Blunt? Do we, for that matter, need the one we've already got?
If he got nothing else from this performance, I hope Ben learned a little about hooking his audience. The version of Nothing Compares 2U which closed his set grabbed the sparse crowd like nothing before; slotting it in earlier in the set might've got him more of the attention he deserved.
Oh, and top marks for getting narked at an apple juice container - that's quality Grumpy Old Man fodder.
Project Sunset were, in a previous existence, Pinstripe - one of the bands recommended by Huddstock noise merchants Ridgevex. At the time, this did not inspire us to hang around; it felt a bit like an invitation to a pool party from Michael Barrymore.
They bill themselves as a dance group, but the first couple of tracks betrayed influence from The Clash and Japan which was too stong to ignore. A few white-boy-rap and heavy riffs spread on top couldn't disguise the fact that there were definitely tunes in there trying to get out.
The third song sounded like a DJ Notalent remix of something that already sounded cheesy when it was first played in Ibiza 20 years ago and then the show went a bit "meh!" to these ears - recycled Orb/Orbital/EMF signatures which drifted into late-night chatshow theme tune territory on more than one occassion. Thankfully, the last song pulled it back and the set finished on a high.
On the whole, these guys are more talented than their material demonstrates. Granted, it's not easy stuff to play in a live environment (well, not at eight-o'clock where the punters are sober, anyway) but a bit more effort on the sound rather than the mood might just take them to another level; definitely one to watch.
Extra comment from the good lady - Noah, the people on the floor are the ones who have paid to see you. You can see your bandmates any time, so face front!
Still Buzzin had a stand-in drummer for the night having carelessly mislaid Martin.
(Can I tell my drummer jokes, please?)
Those of you who have been paying attention will already know that, like Project Sunset before them, SB played Huddstock, but what a transformation.
(They're really good, promise!)
This set was streets ahead of the field in June - vocals more polished, instrumental breaks more confident, harmonies tighter; an altogether much improved performance.
(What do you mean, "Alan's bigger than me"? EVERYBODY'S bigger than me!)
They say the pen is mightier than the sword, well this geek on the internet is a firm believer in the power of the keyboard and will flag up any flimsy piece of evidence which might just support his point of view so, ahem...
QUOTE:
thought about having a go at any Annie Lennox numbers?
Was I right or was I right? Thorn In My Side was fab - a really strong showcase for Natz with not-to-be-overlooked harmony work from Paul.
(Did you hear about the drummer who locked the keys in the van?)
They slipped in a few songs I wasn't familiar with (damn these pesky kids and their modern beat combos!) before Let Me Entertain You brought out the night's obligatory mad dancer. I would have given him credit (and abuse), but Jason beat me to it.
(It took him half an hour to get the bassist out.)
Dave B's got a new jacket which makes him look like one of the slightly-camp gladiators from Arnie's film The Running Man. It's as well he took it off onstage; I was sweating cobs just watching.
The sadly truncated Jagged Edge set galloped along from It's My Life and Runaway through ...Miss A Thing (Dave B in particularly good voice), Wanted and Blue Collar Man to Comfortably Numb which sat uncomfortably (did you see what I did there?) in the middle of the break-less set.
Sweet Child... filled the dancefloor then - is it fair to say that Dave R's vocal on Separate Ways was smokin'? Yep, the dry ice machine set off the sport centre's alarms and we were evacuated!
The fire brigade (when they finally arrived - I'm glad it wasn't a real emergency) were relieved to be applauded (and wolf-whistled) onto the scene. Well, it is Slawit - they're used to being greeted by half bricks and empty beer bottles in these parts.
The all-clear given and now pushed for time, the boys closed out the night with Prayer/Bad Name/Rosie and Don't Stop Believing.
On a Bon Jovi-heavy occassion, I think we can put this down as One Wild Night?
Ben Brown started without us and I was a bit surprised to arrive to him singing to an essentially empty hall. Everyone brings their own little clique to these shows, so where was his? Turns out they were hiding near the back; can't've made it easy for him as he turned out a mixed set of covers and his own compositions.
I've already mentioned James Blunt and I'll do it again. Ben Brown is every bit as good as James Blunt. Ben Brown is, if anything, a better singer than James Blunt. Ben Brown has a far less-punchable face than James Blunt. In short, Ben Brown could be the next James Blunt, BUT, do we need another James Blunt? Do we, for that matter, need the one we've already got?
If he got nothing else from this performance, I hope Ben learned a little about hooking his audience. The version of Nothing Compares 2U which closed his set grabbed the sparse crowd like nothing before; slotting it in earlier in the set might've got him more of the attention he deserved.
Oh, and top marks for getting narked at an apple juice container - that's quality Grumpy Old Man fodder.
Project Sunset were, in a previous existence, Pinstripe - one of the bands recommended by Huddstock noise merchants Ridgevex. At the time, this did not inspire us to hang around; it felt a bit like an invitation to a pool party from Michael Barrymore.
They bill themselves as a dance group, but the first couple of tracks betrayed influence from The Clash and Japan which was too stong to ignore. A few white-boy-rap and heavy riffs spread on top couldn't disguise the fact that there were definitely tunes in there trying to get out.
The third song sounded like a DJ Notalent remix of something that already sounded cheesy when it was first played in Ibiza 20 years ago and then the show went a bit "meh!" to these ears - recycled Orb/Orbital/EMF signatures which drifted into late-night chatshow theme tune territory on more than one occassion. Thankfully, the last song pulled it back and the set finished on a high.
On the whole, these guys are more talented than their material demonstrates. Granted, it's not easy stuff to play in a live environment (well, not at eight-o'clock where the punters are sober, anyway) but a bit more effort on the sound rather than the mood might just take them to another level; definitely one to watch.
Extra comment from the good lady - Noah, the people on the floor are the ones who have paid to see you. You can see your bandmates any time, so face front!
Still Buzzin had a stand-in drummer for the night having carelessly mislaid Martin.
(Can I tell my drummer jokes, please?)
Those of you who have been paying attention will already know that, like Project Sunset before them, SB played Huddstock, but what a transformation.
(They're really good, promise!)
This set was streets ahead of the field in June - vocals more polished, instrumental breaks more confident, harmonies tighter; an altogether much improved performance.
(What do you mean, "Alan's bigger than me"? EVERYBODY'S bigger than me!)
They say the pen is mightier than the sword, well this geek on the internet is a firm believer in the power of the keyboard and will flag up any flimsy piece of evidence which might just support his point of view so, ahem...
QUOTE:
thought about having a go at any Annie Lennox numbers?
Was I right or was I right? Thorn In My Side was fab - a really strong showcase for Natz with not-to-be-overlooked harmony work from Paul.
(Did you hear about the drummer who locked the keys in the van?)
They slipped in a few songs I wasn't familiar with (damn these pesky kids and their modern beat combos!) before Let Me Entertain You brought out the night's obligatory mad dancer. I would have given him credit (and abuse), but Jason beat me to it.
(It took him half an hour to get the bassist out.)
Dave B's got a new jacket which makes him look like one of the slightly-camp gladiators from Arnie's film The Running Man. It's as well he took it off onstage; I was sweating cobs just watching.
The sadly truncated Jagged Edge set galloped along from It's My Life and Runaway through ...Miss A Thing (Dave B in particularly good voice), Wanted and Blue Collar Man to Comfortably Numb which sat uncomfortably (did you see what I did there?) in the middle of the break-less set.
Sweet Child... filled the dancefloor then - is it fair to say that Dave R's vocal on Separate Ways was smokin'? Yep, the dry ice machine set off the sport centre's alarms and we were evacuated!
The fire brigade (when they finally arrived - I'm glad it wasn't a real emergency) were relieved to be applauded (and wolf-whistled) onto the scene. Well, it is Slawit - they're used to being greeted by half bricks and empty beer bottles in these parts.
The all-clear given and now pushed for time, the boys closed out the night with Prayer/Bad Name/Rosie and Don't Stop Believing.
On a Bon Jovi-heavy occassion, I think we can put this down as One Wild Night?
Sunday, 23 September 2007
Jagged Edge - Waterloo, Huddersfield - September 2007
The incredible shrinking venue.
Sunday 23 September; back to the Waterloo and we watched this show from the middle of the hall instead of our customary back corner. What a difference! The place is tiny!
The Brothers flicked my geek switch (again) with a snatch of Discovery from 2112 during the warm-up. I wish they’d stop doing that because I can’t help but sing along and I’m no Geddy Lee.
The boys opened old-school stylee with It’s My Life but, halfway into the first chorus, silence.
Yep, complaints from the neighbours have resulted in a decibel meter being installed at the Waterloo. 90dB and you’re out.
Assorted wire-jiggling later and we restarted; Alan reduced to one bass drum, Dave S playing bassless (or at least less-bass) keyboards, the others just grooving gently. Did it sound good? Of course it did.
Talkers. I loathe talkers but I had them right in my line of sight. Dan was rolling out his …Miss A Thing solo and some muppet decided this would be a good time to try chatting up the lassie on the other side of the table. Made me want to grab him by his sticky-out ears and repeatedly bang his head on the table while shouting “this guy’s got more talent in his split ends than you’ve got in your entire miserable body so watch and marvel you fu…………………”
(Rant interrupted by decibel meter. Normal service will resume shortly.)
Right, sorry about that. Blue Collar Man went down well and the Be Good To Yourself/Anyway You Want It double made up for the absence of Higher Place . Throw in some more Bon Jovi, a bit of REO and, before you knew it, we were into Comfortably Numb and break time.
Manchester United vs José-less Chelsea on the telly. It’s hard to decide who to boo more. It speaks volumes for the boys that there was absolutely no dissent whatsoever when the screens were switched off for the second half; one of the biggest games of the season reduced to mere filler between sets – not many bands could claim that.
Second half saw Ian Roper from Storm guesting on Summer of ’69 then the usual party pieces kept the dancefloor jumping; G’n’R, Boston, Free (complete with extended funky intro as Danny took a comfort break), Whitesnake, Bon Jovi, Journey – you know the score by now.
Rock'n'Roll was sacrificed to make room for Bed of Roses (probably a good move given the decibel meter) but to complain about this would just be picky.
Pick. Pick. Pick. Been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time.
Sunday 23 September; back to the Waterloo and we watched this show from the middle of the hall instead of our customary back corner. What a difference! The place is tiny!
The Brothers flicked my geek switch (again) with a snatch of Discovery from 2112 during the warm-up. I wish they’d stop doing that because I can’t help but sing along and I’m no Geddy Lee.
The boys opened old-school stylee with It’s My Life but, halfway into the first chorus, silence.
Yep, complaints from the neighbours have resulted in a decibel meter being installed at the Waterloo. 90dB and you’re out.
Assorted wire-jiggling later and we restarted; Alan reduced to one bass drum, Dave S playing bassless (or at least less-bass) keyboards, the others just grooving gently. Did it sound good? Of course it did.
Talkers. I loathe talkers but I had them right in my line of sight. Dan was rolling out his …Miss A Thing solo and some muppet decided this would be a good time to try chatting up the lassie on the other side of the table. Made me want to grab him by his sticky-out ears and repeatedly bang his head on the table while shouting “this guy’s got more talent in his split ends than you’ve got in your entire miserable body so watch and marvel you fu…………………”
Manchester United vs José-less Chelsea on the telly. It’s hard to decide who to boo more. It speaks volumes for the boys that there was absolutely no dissent whatsoever when the screens were switched off for the second half; one of the biggest games of the season reduced to mere filler between sets – not many bands could claim that.
Second half saw Ian Roper from Storm guesting on Summer of ’69 then the usual party pieces kept the dancefloor jumping; G’n’R, Boston, Free (complete with extended funky intro as Danny took a comfort break), Whitesnake, Bon Jovi, Journey – you know the score by now.
Rock'n'Roll was sacrificed to make room for
Pick. Pick. Pick. Been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time.
Friday, 31 August 2007
Jagged Edge - Royal Oak, Blackpool - September 2007
Decisions, decisions.
You know what it's like - sometimes circumstances conspire and you're presented with a choice. What to do?
The chance of a night away in St Anne's combined with a Jaggies show in Blackpool seemed like a good idea but we arrived just in time to catch the local news telling us that the illuminations were being switched on by Dr Who and that there was an open-air gig on the prom by Natalie Imbrunpronouncable, G-g-g-gareth Gates, Daniel Beddingfield's slightly-less-annoying sister and McFly.
Blimey. Four chart-toppers (OK, Natalie's never had a number one, but she's had two number twos*) PLUS David Tennant for free, or pay a quid to see Jagged Edge?
No contest, really. Until the day the Rosinganas split to join Gareth's backing band (cover of My Generation, maybe?).
Faced with a Blackpool full, not only of pissed-up stag/hen parties but of families there to see the lights being switched on, we were slightly stunned to land an empty parking space about 25 yards from the Royal Oak. The pub is a big, imposing building in what would once have been quite a prestigious location in Blackpool's heyday. These days it's just a great big town centre pub on a major junction with very little convenient parking, so the evening looked like it was starting well.
Greetings and salutations were exchanged and the boys hit the stage in front of a medium-sized crowd. Dave B had been enthusing before the show about his new, more portable PA kit. The sound tonight was marvellous, so he's quite entitled to be pleased with both kit and crew.
After Journey, Jovi etc, the first treat of the night was an absolutely storming version of Styx's Blue Collar Man. In this country, Styx (along with REO, Journey and Foreigner) tend to be best-known for their gentler numbers, but they were a sensational pomp-rock band and BCM is possibly one of their finest moments. A great choice (those of you who don't know it will pick up on it very quickly indeed) and a song destined to become a Jaggie favourite, I feel.
A surpise airing of Poison's Every Rose Has Its Thorn brought the tempo down nicely for Comfortably Numb and a sizable chunk of the crowd went ape for Dan's guitar work.
That was noticible; the crowd were very into the music. There was none of the stand-offish "too cool to bop" nonsense I've seen at other venues - these guys were enjoying themselves and were very appreciative of the talent on display.
The second half featured (I've finally seen it and, boy, was it worth the wait!) Carry On, Wayward Son and then a guest performance by young Jo Shorten. Now, I'd been warned about this. In fact, dear reader, a lesser man might've been intimidated by the massed ranks of the Shorten family who confronted your reviewer at the interval. He would be fair, wouldn't he? He wouldn't be too harsh? Please?
I'm going to upset someone, aren't I?
Sweet Child o' Mine isn't one of my favourites, but Jo nailed it. Just as well for Dave B that she only performs in Blackpool.
The seventies stuff led into the linga-longa-Jovi spot and Dan's solo then the new-look Dave Rosingana took centre stage for his lung-busters. I won't spoil the surprise for those who haven't seen him yet, but think "Gary Moore's better looking younger brother".
The crowd were pretty rabid by now and another, really well-deserved, encore was demanded.
In summary; excellent set, great sound, fab crowd. A really, really good show. And we had the golden mile pretty much to ourselves to see the illuminations on the way back. Only downer is I think I've caught Dave B's lurgy.
See you all at the Waterloo...
* Yes, I looked this up. I might be a bit of a music geek, but I have no knowledge of the charts post-Duran Duran-ish.
You know what it's like - sometimes circumstances conspire and you're presented with a choice. What to do?
The chance of a night away in St Anne's combined with a Jaggies show in Blackpool seemed like a good idea but we arrived just in time to catch the local news telling us that the illuminations were being switched on by Dr Who and that there was an open-air gig on the prom by Natalie Imbrunpronouncable, G-g-g-gareth Gates, Daniel Beddingfield's slightly-less-annoying sister and McFly.
Blimey. Four chart-toppers (OK, Natalie's never had a number one, but she's had two number twos*) PLUS David Tennant for free, or pay a quid to see Jagged Edge?
No contest, really. Until the day the Rosinganas split to join Gareth's backing band (cover of My Generation, maybe?).
Faced with a Blackpool full, not only of pissed-up stag/hen parties but of families there to see the lights being switched on, we were slightly stunned to land an empty parking space about 25 yards from the Royal Oak. The pub is a big, imposing building in what would once have been quite a prestigious location in Blackpool's heyday. These days it's just a great big town centre pub on a major junction with very little convenient parking, so the evening looked like it was starting well.
Greetings and salutations were exchanged and the boys hit the stage in front of a medium-sized crowd. Dave B had been enthusing before the show about his new, more portable PA kit. The sound tonight was marvellous, so he's quite entitled to be pleased with both kit and crew.
After Journey, Jovi etc, the first treat of the night was an absolutely storming version of Styx's Blue Collar Man. In this country, Styx (along with REO, Journey and Foreigner) tend to be best-known for their gentler numbers, but they were a sensational pomp-rock band and BCM is possibly one of their finest moments. A great choice (those of you who don't know it will pick up on it very quickly indeed) and a song destined to become a Jaggie favourite, I feel.
A surpise airing of Poison's Every Rose Has Its Thorn brought the tempo down nicely for Comfortably Numb and a sizable chunk of the crowd went ape for Dan's guitar work.
That was noticible; the crowd were very into the music. There was none of the stand-offish "too cool to bop" nonsense I've seen at other venues - these guys were enjoying themselves and were very appreciative of the talent on display.
The second half featured (I've finally seen it and, boy, was it worth the wait!) Carry On, Wayward Son and then a guest performance by young Jo Shorten. Now, I'd been warned about this. In fact, dear reader, a lesser man might've been intimidated by the massed ranks of the Shorten family who confronted your reviewer at the interval. He would be fair, wouldn't he? He wouldn't be too harsh? Please?
I'm going to upset someone, aren't I?
Sweet Child o' Mine isn't one of my favourites, but Jo nailed it. Just as well for Dave B that she only performs in Blackpool.
The seventies stuff led into the linga-longa-Jovi spot and Dan's solo then the new-look Dave Rosingana took centre stage for his lung-busters. I won't spoil the surprise for those who haven't seen him yet, but think "Gary Moore's better looking younger brother".
The crowd were pretty rabid by now and another, really well-deserved, encore was demanded.
In summary; excellent set, great sound, fab crowd. A really, really good show. And we had the golden mile pretty much to ourselves to see the illuminations on the way back. Only downer is I think I've caught Dave B's lurgy.
See you all at the Waterloo...
* Yes, I looked this up. I might be a bit of a music geek, but I have no knowledge of the charts post-Duran Duran-ish.
Friday, 6 July 2007
Jagged Edge - Queensbury, Bradford, July 2007
Remember Wurzel Gummidge? Well I've got my grumpy head on today.
"If it's too loud, you're too old!"
That was the slogan on the back of a Kiss t-shirt I used to own (Creatures of the Night-era, I think).
I felt positively ancient this morning, my ears still ringing from last night's onslaught.
Queensbury Conservative Club is a small venue and has the potential to host a very enjoyable, intimate club-show, but last night's wasn't it; as I say about 16 times a day to our darling daughter, "turn it DOWN!"
Volume aside, there were other problems;
* It's slightly ironic that the boys' first show in a smoke-free venue (OK, Slawit sports centre excepted; you know what I mean) was the first time I've seen Dave B's voice dry up on him.
* The stage ceiling was just too low for Dave R who looked fearful of banging his head on it at times.
* Strange crowd.
It was a fairly standard set, so I'll skip on the play-by-play. The sound balance (especially on the vocal harmonies) on Higher Place was absolutely spot on and had me really excited for a great show but, by the time Danny had solo-ed out ...Miss A Thing the problems had kicked in and it was all a bit muddy.
Then Mr Bamforth put himself on my hitlist.
"This is the point in the show where we do a cheesy number like Boston, or this one by REO Speedwagon".
Cheesy.
Cheesy?
CHEESY???
Look, I try not to take my music too seriously. Back in the day I had a perm and even appeared in public wearing spandex trousers, so I'm in no position to take my music seriously. But, you do not, ever, call Boston "cheesy". Not when you play Thunder covers.
Not without terrible retribution being exacted.
Sweet Child O'Mine was accompanied by a young lady channelling mad-dancer-Gordon from Huddstock. If you're reading - yes, we did notice you almost go A-o-T. I laughed. Sorry.
Faithfully is really coming together musically - it gets better with each performance - but Dave's voice was starting to go by this point and the vocal sounded a bit forced. I know you don't want to do a straight copy of the original, but just a little gentler?
Biggest surprise of the night was the crowd suddenly waking up after ...Rosie and demanding another encore - they'd been pretty unresponsive for the rest of the night, but it gave the guys the opportunity to give us another.
They chose More Than a Feeling.
Cheesy, huh?
Next home gig isn't for about 10 weeks - I suspect we'll squeeze in an awayday before then!
An edam sings Thunder. Yesterday.
Saturday, 2 June 2007
Huddstock Festival - Castle Hill, Huddersfield, June 2007
By the time we got to Woodstock, we were half a million strong...
Well, maybe not, but the Huddstock crowd was into three figures when we arrived, and half of them seemed to be the Still Buzzin' entourage!
First band, 10 Floors Below Society were well into their set and my first thought was, "Oh god, I hope we're not in for an afternoon of Coldplay wannabes".
Actually, TFBS didn't make me want to kill anyone; decent tunes, well played. The singer looked a bit uncomfortable stuck behind his keyboard, mind. Or maybe it was just that he looks uncannily like William'n'Harry's locked-in-the-attic secret brother?
Next were Still Buzzin'; our reason for being there early. This lot have been heavily plugged on these boards, haven't they? A good, fun set which led to the invention of our pastime for the afternoon – Edge Bingo, or the "what songs won't the Jaggies be playing?" game.
Very good covers of When September Ends and I Predict A Riot were overshadowed by a storming version of Hanging On he Telephone. Guys, you have no idea how close you came to being burned inside a giant wicker Debbie Harry. Covering Blondie is dangerously close to sacrilege in my book, but you pulled it off – back of the net!
Singer Nat has a fabulous set of pipes - thought about having a go at any Annie Lennox numbers?
Oh, yeah - scratch Jaggie song number 1 - It's My Life
With all due respect to those who'd already played, Red Star were the first act of he day who looked like a rock band. The singer, Will, prowls the stage like the bastard offspring of Johnny Lydon and Joey Ramone and sports the best sideburns since Charlie George. His attitude is love-me-or-loathe-me-you-will-not-ignore-me and, on top of all of this, he can actually sing! The acapella introduction to the set was almost prog rock-like and the music, although obviously heavily influenced by punk, Oasis and assorted other Manchester bands, owes more to Sunshine of Your Love than Wonderwall.
Me likey!
Oh, Red Star also gave us our first mad dancer of the day, a borderline-anorexic named Gordon.
Next up were Chasing Amy, a band popular at the YorkVic, apparently.
They opened with Teenage Kicks which, I have to say, was a bit creepy coming from a bloke on the wrong side of forty. Among unusual covers (I have never heard anyone play a Cult cover - Li’l Devil was pretty damned good), the Amy boys went overboard in helping us chalk off songs from the Jaggie set as favourites like Sweet Child o' Mine and Whole Lotta Rosie were "borrowed". The vocalist sounded a lot like Feargal Sharkey on the higher-pitched numbers and a bit like Larry the Lamb on more than one occasion.
Now, here's a confession; I likes me a bit of well-executed soul/ska. The whole Two Tone thing blew up when I was at high school and, much to the wife's dismay, I know all the words to Too Much Too Young to this day.
I had high hopes for Northern Beats, but they didn't quite scratch me where it itched. "Best dancers of the day" to their little group of followers, though, and their guitarist wins the "least rock'n'roll name at the festival" award. Cecil, mate, you need a nickname.
Remember that first time you bumped into one of your old schoolteachers in the pub and it took a few seconds to recognise them in unusual surroundings? Top marks to whoever lifted Give Me What’s Mine for interval music – it sounded fabulous through the big PA! Give me a shout if you want the rest of the album – a real overlooked 80s gem.
But then…
Aaargh! My ears! Bleeding! The noise! Make it stop!
It's official. I am Getting Old. It is the duty of youth to produce music which their elders do not understand. When they fail to do this, we end up with a hundred Coldplay soundalikes.
Ridgevex fulfil their duty admirably and I salute them for that.
But can they do it somewhere else in future?
Oh, mad Gordon had a dance partner by now – a somewhat larger chap the sun was slowly turning into a pink Tellytubby. I’ll bet he suffered come Sunday morning.
Bongos and a trumpet made an appearance on-stage and my heart sank just a little.
From what I could gather, Steam Powered are a sort of local blues/jazz/funk supergroup. Sounding like Robert Johnson meets Carlos Santana this is not normally my idea of fun but, given the weather and the vibe of the day (man!), a perfect fit.
Anyone get a full house in Edge Bingo? I was waiting for More Than A Feeling for my fourth corner.
Jagged Edge opened with the Higher Place/Runaway/Don't Want To Miss A Thing trifecta and, for the first time all afternoon, Dave B was looking chilled (stressful day behind the desks, eh?).
I don't know how well it fed back to the stage, so I'll tell you - that bloody Aerosmith song got the biggest, most overwhelmingly positive reception of anything, by anyone, all afternoon.
Danny's solo was awesome. I think he got The Bumper Book Of Guitar Hero Poses for Christmas as he made use of the extra stage space to throw all the shapes from Aldo Nova to Zakk Wylde.
Love Walked In led to Separate Ways (top vocal from Dave R) and Don't Stop Believing before Comfortably Numb inspired all the stoners to light up (again). Danny owned the stage.
Way too short a set, but that's the nature of festivals.
Modeliste were nex...
Oh who cares? The headliners have left the building...
Footnote:
Anyone else been watching Any Dream Will Do? We got home in time to see Lee doing a damned fine Living On A Prayer and it got me thinking; that Will from Red Star? He could be Joseph.
Well, maybe not, but the Huddstock crowd was into three figures when we arrived, and half of them seemed to be the Still Buzzin' entourage!
First band, 10 Floors Below Society were well into their set and my first thought was, "Oh god, I hope we're not in for an afternoon of Coldplay wannabes".
Actually, TFBS didn't make me want to kill anyone; decent tunes, well played. The singer looked a bit uncomfortable stuck behind his keyboard, mind. Or maybe it was just that he looks uncannily like William'n'Harry's locked-in-the-attic secret brother?
Next were Still Buzzin'; our reason for being there early. This lot have been heavily plugged on these boards, haven't they? A good, fun set which led to the invention of our pastime for the afternoon – Edge Bingo, or the "what songs won't the Jaggies be playing?" game.
Very good covers of When September Ends and I Predict A Riot were overshadowed by a storming version of Hanging On he Telephone. Guys, you have no idea how close you came to being burned inside a giant wicker Debbie Harry. Covering Blondie is dangerously close to sacrilege in my book, but you pulled it off – back of the net!
Singer Nat has a fabulous set of pipes - thought about having a go at any Annie Lennox numbers?
Oh, yeah - scratch Jaggie song number 1 - It's My Life
With all due respect to those who'd already played, Red Star were the first act of he day who looked like a rock band. The singer, Will, prowls the stage like the bastard offspring of Johnny Lydon and Joey Ramone and sports the best sideburns since Charlie George. His attitude is love-me-or-loathe-me-you-will-not-ignore-me and, on top of all of this, he can actually sing! The acapella introduction to the set was almost prog rock-like and the music, although obviously heavily influenced by punk, Oasis and assorted other Manchester bands, owes more to Sunshine of Your Love than Wonderwall.
Me likey!
Oh, Red Star also gave us our first mad dancer of the day, a borderline-anorexic named Gordon.
Next up were Chasing Amy, a band popular at the YorkVic, apparently.
They opened with Teenage Kicks which, I have to say, was a bit creepy coming from a bloke on the wrong side of forty. Among unusual covers (I have never heard anyone play a Cult cover - Li’l Devil was pretty damned good), the Amy boys went overboard in helping us chalk off songs from the Jaggie set as favourites like Sweet Child o' Mine and Whole Lotta Rosie were "borrowed". The vocalist sounded a lot like Feargal Sharkey on the higher-pitched numbers and a bit like Larry the Lamb on more than one occasion.
Now, here's a confession; I likes me a bit of well-executed soul/ska. The whole Two Tone thing blew up when I was at high school and, much to the wife's dismay, I know all the words to Too Much Too Young to this day.
I had high hopes for Northern Beats, but they didn't quite scratch me where it itched. "Best dancers of the day" to their little group of followers, though, and their guitarist wins the "least rock'n'roll name at the festival" award. Cecil, mate, you need a nickname.
Remember that first time you bumped into one of your old schoolteachers in the pub and it took a few seconds to recognise them in unusual surroundings? Top marks to whoever lifted Give Me What’s Mine for interval music – it sounded fabulous through the big PA! Give me a shout if you want the rest of the album – a real overlooked 80s gem.
But then…
Aaargh! My ears! Bleeding! The noise! Make it stop!
It's official. I am Getting Old. It is the duty of youth to produce music which their elders do not understand. When they fail to do this, we end up with a hundred Coldplay soundalikes.
Ridgevex fulfil their duty admirably and I salute them for that.
But can they do it somewhere else in future?
Oh, mad Gordon had a dance partner by now – a somewhat larger chap the sun was slowly turning into a pink Tellytubby. I’ll bet he suffered come Sunday morning.
Bongos and a trumpet made an appearance on-stage and my heart sank just a little.
From what I could gather, Steam Powered are a sort of local blues/jazz/funk supergroup. Sounding like Robert Johnson meets Carlos Santana this is not normally my idea of fun but, given the weather and the vibe of the day (man!), a perfect fit.
Anyone get a full house in Edge Bingo? I was waiting for More Than A Feeling for my fourth corner.
Jagged Edge opened with the Higher Place/Runaway/Don't Want To Miss A Thing trifecta and, for the first time all afternoon, Dave B was looking chilled (stressful day behind the desks, eh?).
I don't know how well it fed back to the stage, so I'll tell you - that bloody Aerosmith song got the biggest, most overwhelmingly positive reception of anything, by anyone, all afternoon.
Danny's solo was awesome. I think he got The Bumper Book Of Guitar Hero Poses for Christmas as he made use of the extra stage space to throw all the shapes from Aldo Nova to Zakk Wylde.
Love Walked In led to Separate Ways (top vocal from Dave R) and Don't Stop Believing before Comfortably Numb inspired all the stoners to light up (again). Danny owned the stage.
Way too short a set, but that's the nature of festivals.
Modeliste were nex...
Oh who cares? The headliners have left the building...
Footnote:
Anyone else been watching Any Dream Will Do? We got home in time to see Lee doing a damned fine Living On A Prayer and it got me thinking; that Will from Red Star? He could be Joseph.
Saturday, 12 May 2007
Jagged Edge - Hartlepool WMC - May 2007
Once upon a time, in those happy, clappy carefree years BM (before marriage) we all used to have season tickets at Leeds Road. Part of the masochistic ritual of being a Town fan was to take in at least one away game per season. These occassions, awaydays to near-neighbours (Bradford, Sheffield, Barnsley), journeys into the unknown (Bristol, Stoke) or expeditions into deepest, darkest Lancashire (Oldham, Rochdale) were all unique experiences; exciting and terrifying in equal measures and never, ever disappointing.
It was the spirit of these old times which took us to
Hartlepool Working Men's Club, 12 May 2007
We approached the venue with trepidation; it resembles those "secure facilities" the BBC reporters in Baghdad broadcast from - thick, brick-proof glazing and surrounded by an 8-foot high steel fence; "Toto, I don't think we're in Gledholt anymore."
Fortunately, we found some familiar, friendly faces in the hall and settled down for a night of high jinx and laughter.
"Eyes down for a full house!"
Oh dear. Albert Haller the Bingo Caller has been booked as support act.
Someone cracked a joke.
Someone laughed.
"A little order, please!"
The command was issued in the same tone of voice (albeit different accent) I last heard about 20 years ago when a 7'6" biker in a Glasgow eastend pub told me I'd spilled his pint. I didn't argue then and I'm considerably slower and less pissed these days.
We shut up.
The band played their first set to a generally receptive if not exactly enthusiastic audience. Old Albert, doing his best impression of that guy in the Wheeltappers' and Shunters' Social Club (I'm not the only one who remembers that, right?) had said that they'd be playing for 30 minutes, but thankfully, that message hadn't reached the guys who gave us a normal-length mix of Journey, Jovi, Aerosmith and Boston before a really good and appropriately-spaced-out-feeling Comfortably Numb.
As soon as the stage was clear, Albert was at it again.
How long? Half an hour? I don't know, I'd lost the will to live.
They do take their bingo seriously in Hartlepool.
The second set opened and I was surprised at the number of unlikely-looking people who were word-perfect in Journey-ese; don't judge a rocker by her floral-patterned Etam dress, I guess.
The dance floor was kept full with G'n'R, Free, Bad Company and Bon Jovi numbers and a number of requests were being passed to Dave B by now; happy birthdays, happy anniversaries etc. I must confess, I wanted one of them to say "Can you play The Crystal Chandeliers" but the only surprise was the jammed version of Smoke On The Water the boys knocked out.
Special credit to Dave R here - his, erm, improvised lyric probably went un-noticed among the drinking hoards. How can someone with so much hair not know the words to Smoke...?
A somewhat curtailed Adagio led into Rock'n'Roll and ...Rosie as usual; a rockin' good end to an interesting night.
Nice to know away matches are still fun.
It was the spirit of these old times which took us to
Hartlepool Working Men's Club, 12 May 2007
We approached the venue with trepidation; it resembles those "secure facilities" the BBC reporters in Baghdad broadcast from - thick, brick-proof glazing and surrounded by an 8-foot high steel fence; "Toto, I don't think we're in Gledholt anymore."
Fortunately, we found some familiar, friendly faces in the hall and settled down for a night of high jinx and laughter.
"Eyes down for a full house!"
Oh dear. Albert Haller the Bingo Caller has been booked as support act.
Someone cracked a joke.
Someone laughed.
"A little order, please!"
The command was issued in the same tone of voice (albeit different accent) I last heard about 20 years ago when a 7'6" biker in a Glasgow eastend pub told me I'd spilled his pint. I didn't argue then and I'm considerably slower and less pissed these days.
We shut up.
The band played their first set to a generally receptive if not exactly enthusiastic audience. Old Albert, doing his best impression of that guy in the Wheeltappers' and Shunters' Social Club (I'm not the only one who remembers that, right?) had said that they'd be playing for 30 minutes, but thankfully, that message hadn't reached the guys who gave us a normal-length mix of Journey, Jovi, Aerosmith and Boston before a really good and appropriately-spaced-out-feeling Comfortably Numb.
As soon as the stage was clear, Albert was at it again.
How long? Half an hour? I don't know, I'd lost the will to live.
They do take their bingo seriously in Hartlepool.
The second set opened and I was surprised at the number of unlikely-looking people who were word-perfect in Journey-ese; don't judge a rocker by her floral-patterned Etam dress, I guess.
The dance floor was kept full with G'n'R, Free, Bad Company and Bon Jovi numbers and a number of requests were being passed to Dave B by now; happy birthdays, happy anniversaries etc. I must confess, I wanted one of them to say "Can you play The Crystal Chandeliers" but the only surprise was the jammed version of Smoke On The Water the boys knocked out.
Special credit to Dave R here - his, erm, improvised lyric probably went un-noticed among the drinking hoards. How can someone with so much hair not know the words to Smoke...?
A somewhat curtailed Adagio led into Rock'n'Roll and ...Rosie as usual; a rockin' good end to an interesting night.
Nice to know away matches are still fun.
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