| Author | Message | ||
     Austin Member Username: Bruegelpie Post Number: 235 Registered: 09-2004 |
Saw a few concerts over the last few weeks, including the amazing Adam Granduciel-led The War on Drugs. Their newest album, I Don’t Live Here Anymore, is just terrific. I remember reading that the band has elements of Dylan, Dire Straits, and Kraftwerk, and listening to them live, I could hear those various elements. The live show had lots of texture, given the many players on stage, while usually keeping guitars front and center. It was great to see such a wide variety of ages at the show, with older and younger standing side by side. This is definitely a band in its prime. Seem them if you can! The Wombats had a decidedly younger demographic, but after skipping Detroit on its last tour, had a nearly sold-out audience in the palm of its hands. Their latest album Fix Yourself, Not the World, has some great songs (and a few not so great songs). Among the great are “If you ever leave me, I’m coming with you,” which was embraced by the audience. We were standing next to some people who had come from Minnesota – an impressive drive. The venue turned the basement into a socially-distanced merch stand, which makes sense in these time. Hopefully I’m going to be seeing Manchester Orchestra and Parquet Courts over the next few days….. | ||
| Austin Member Username: Bruegelpie Post Number: 236 Registered: 09-2004 |
Saw Firefall, Orleans and the Babys last night..... OK, as you can see my musical taste didn't come fully formed. I really went to see the Babys, whose proto power pop really got into my head as a kid. There were 2 of the original Babys in the band. If I wait a week and then go to see John Waite who is also coming to Detroit, I can see 3 original members in about 8 days. I bet the set list will overlap by 90% - it makes me laugh that they are coming to the same city so quickly after one another. They rolled out all the hits and the new singer sounded great - very John Waite-like. Orleans sounded good too, getting the biggest reaction with "Dance With Me" and "Still The One." Firefall were the headliners, and seemed to have the largest number of original members. I wasn't sure why they headlined until I heard them play "You are the Woman" and "Just Remember I Love You," which the audience went nuts for when those songs were played. Since Michigan lifted the vax requirement for indoor events recently, this was the first show that I didn't need to show my vax card. It was very strange, after showing my card all the time for shows for the last 6 or 7 months (when shows started again). | ||
| Austin Member Username: Bruegelpie Post Number: 237 Registered: 09-2004 |
Manchester Orchestra, Foxing and Michigander I was really excited to see Manchester Orchestra last night, having never seen them and liking their music for many years. Sadly, their sound didn't translate well to the stage, at least for tonight's show. The interesting instrumentation just wasn't there, with many of the songs sounding similar. The second band to play, Foxing, had a lot of crowd interest, and a few good songs, but didn't leave me impressed. The highlight of the night was the opening band, Michigander. They have some really catchy songs, and the fact that they spent a lot of time in Detroit made it sort of a homecoming for them. (Maybe a real homecoming - not sure where they live now.) The closing song, complete with singalong, "Let Down," was simply joyous! | ||
| Austin Member Username: Bruegelpie Post Number: 238 Registered: 09-2004 |
Parquet Courts were in fine form when I saw them about a week ago. I don’t like the new album as much as I liked the previous one, but a trip through their back catalog and the singles from the new album made for a satisfying show. I fondly remember Robert playing a festival a few years ago. His slot was in the early evening and then Parquet Courts headlined later that night. Saw Inhaler from Dublin a few nights later. (Pádraig, are they a thumbs down or thumbs up for you?). The crowd was primarily female and quite young. Almost like a “boy band”- type of reception. however, Inhaler had one of my favorite albums from last year, and the band sounded great playing those anthemic songs live. It is so much fun to see a young band, excited by their music, play their first show and be embraced by the audience. The show moved venues at the last minute because St. Andrews Hall in Detroit had their floor “buckle” and is it closed for urgent repairs. Lastly, saw Mitski, and she and her band played a fantastic set to an adoring crowd. Her band played lots of songs from her great new album. The musicians were on fire as she simultaneously did her now well-known unique performance dance-type movies for each song. There were many audience sing-alongs during the show. I find this sometimes annoying but in this case it was charming, as Mitski’s music clearly means so much to the 5 thousand or so people in the audience. The show ended on a high note, with Mitski playing my favorite song “Two Slow Dancers.” | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 10253 Registered: 05-2005 |
Austin, I haven't heard much of Inhaler. A couple of tracks only, I think. I'll check them out. The floor of the Enmore Theatre in Sydney collapsed recently too. Lack of use during the lockdown probably didn't help. | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 2046 Registered: 08-2006 |
Austin, you are the live-music king. The Parquet Courts are just terrific live. I've seen 'em three or four times. Never seen Mitski - I'm jealous. | ||
| Austin Member Username: Bruegelpie Post Number: 239 Registered: 09-2004 |
Pádraig, I do think that you will like them! They are on the rock side of indie rock. Rob, yes there have been so many good shows coming through lately. I feel very lucky to see them! I think it is a great confluence of shows that were postponed finally happening and the regular rotation of bands coming through. Many of the bands, including Parquet Courts and Mitski, are playing Pitchfork later in the summer, so you still have a chance to see them! | ||
| Mark Leydon Member Username: Mark_leydon Post Number: 358 Registered: 05-2005 |
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever at the Factory Theatre Sydney. My first time seeing them live and was impressed. The band were obviously delighted to be back on stage after more than a year of covid-related delays. I do hear a Go-Betweens influence in their lyrics and vocal lines. But they also put me in mind of War on Drugs, particularly during their extended motorik/jangly guitar outros. 'Your Not Talking Straight' is an absolute banger live. | ||
| TROU Member Username: Trou Post Number: 545 Registered: 05-2005 |
Saw a phenomenal concert of Fontaines D.C. in Luxemburg yesterday. They played most of the songs from the first two albums, already classics. I have to say they are the most exciting band to see on stage right now. What's great is that it brings together an audience of different generations and great that there is still such a group in 2022! | ||
| Fred Tadrowski Member Username: Ftadrowski Post Number: 136 Registered: 03-2015 |
Thanks for the review, I have tickets to see Fontaines D.C. next month. | ||
| Andrew Kerr Member Username: Andrew_k Post Number: 1478 Registered: 04-2005 |
At last my first experience(s) of Big Thief on stage ! 2 nights in Paris at La Cigale, a beautiful venue (from 1887) in Pigalle. The support was « ambient » artist KMRU, which was interesting but not really suitable for this type of concert. Absolutely no visual side to it. And no real rhythms. The Sunday evening Big Thief appeared on stage as a trio. Without Buck Meek (guitarist). What was strange was that no-one else seemed in the crowd seemed perturbed by this and also there was no announcement from singer Adrianne Lenker until after 5 or 6 songs. I had already asked around me if anyone knew where he was ? Ill ? Quit ? but no-one knew anything. Eventually we learnt that his travel plans had gone astray and that they hoped he would make it for Monday’s gig. It must be said that while the sold-out crowd seemed very responsive and upbeat I felt that there was a strange (flat ?) atomsphere to the performance, which is not to say that it didn’t spark a few times. Lenker’s vocal on « Sparrow » was almost terrifying towards the end. There were very few new songs played and maybe the choice had been made with the absence of Meek in mind ? There were only perhaps 3 or 4 in common with the Monday evening. The Monday, with Meek back in place, was like seeing a completely different group ! Radiating energy they played for a good half hour longer than the evening before. The atomsphere was wonderful with the crowd very respectful of the quieter moments in the set. During the guitar freak-out of « Not » Lenker sat on the monitor at the front. It seemed almost like an « exorcism », letting something out. But you wonder how much longer they can continue to play that song without it turning into something of an expected ritual ? A newie « Sadness as a Gift » was played, which is simply beautiful. The band’s versions of a couple of songs from Lenker’s solo « Songs » were stunning with Meek conjuring up waves of sound. Such an unusual guitarist. Wednesday was Bordeaux, in a much smaller venue (Rock School Barbey) with a very low stage. The best of the 3 ! We had the added bonus of Meek opening as support. But it seems that Lenker wears her emotions on the surface and during « Masterpiece » something cracked and she moved away from her mic tears rolling down her face and left Meek to sing. A quick hug from bassist Max at the end and she pulled it together for « Sparrow ». The new song « Happiness » led to an elongated dialogue with the crowd about the French translation of various key-words. And a brief philosophical debate about the difference between joy and happiness. By this time Lenker was back to smiling. The rapport with the crowd was heart-warming. You wonder how (particularly) Lenker can operate at that level of energy and emotion. Their tour schedule seems pretty brutal. Very few days off with some long hauls betweens gigs. | ||
| TROU Member Username: Trou Post Number: 547 Registered: 05-2005 |
I'll look for Wilco in Koln next week and a And Also The Trees concert few days after. | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 2108 Registered: 10-2006 |
Thanks for the fun reviews, Andrew. Great to have that obsessive passion for a band. I can listen to BT, but for some reason remain fairly unmoved. I do find Buck fascinatingly twitchy but I can never work out what the hell he’s playing most of the time, especially in the Dylan videos. Live is probably another matter. I tried to listen to some of his solo stuff and it is absolutely godawful, thank goodness he’s got Lenker to write songs for them. | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Hugh_nimmo Post Number: 1440 Registered: 03-2007 |
The Bathers at Frets which is situated within the Strathaven Hotel, Strathaven, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, on Friday 17th June, 2022. An intimate ( all seated ) music venue with a capacity of around 200 / 250 people which has a very nice sound system installed. The band performed as a trio on this occasion ( Chris Thomson on acoustic guitar and vocals, Callum McNair on lead acoustic guitar and Hazel Morrison on drums, percussion, vocals and backing vocals.) A seventeen song set which commenced with ‘Thrive’ and concluded with ‘Honey At The Core.’ This is the third time I have seen them play live and each performance has been distinctly different as a result of the varying line-ups. They were ably supported on the night by Sugartown and Cowboy Mouth. Members of both these Scottish bands ( Douglas MacIntyre; Gwen Stewart and Grahame Skinner ) together with Rick Maymi ( Brian Jonestown Massacre ) joined The Bathers on stage for the final three songs of their set. | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 2112 Registered: 10-2006 |
Wasn't Robert F booked to play there at one point? It had a sort of dismal ring to it, I thought, the Strathaven Hotel in South Lanarkshire, like one of those places where, if outsiders happen to wander in, the locals all stop drinking and talking till they get the message and leave. Hugh makes it sound a rather good place for a gig, though. Did you actually enjoy the band, Hugh? You don't really say! | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Hugh_nimmo Post Number: 1441 Registered: 03-2007 |
Stuart, The Strathaven Hotel was originally an 18th century country house. It is situated in its own grounds on the edge of the historic market town of Strathaven and has been nicely modernised over the years in order to function as a hotel. The Staff were lovely and a lot of the clientele on Friday night were there to see The Bathers. A few of us dined in the hotel before the show and then stayed overnight rather than drive home. The Hotel has 22 bedrooms and the Frets music venue is situated within same. Frets Concerts is part of Frets Creative which was formed some years ago by the musician Douglas MacIntyre who has been a member of several Scottish groups over the years ( Sugartown, Cowboy Mouth, Jazzateers and Love & Money.) Frets is a really nice intimate venue. Due to the small stage it is best suited to acoustic sets by solo performers / small groups as you will see from the following photograph. https://fretscreative.files.wordpress.co m/2019/10/frets-watermark-6919.jpg?strip =info&w=2000 I knew when I purchased the tickets that there was no chance of a full band gig. I actually thought C.T. would perform solo or perhaps with one other on acoustic guitar so I was surprised when Hazel appeared on stage. I am glad she was there as she is such an integral part of The Bathers sound these days. I enjoyed the night very much but my favourite Bathers gig remains the one at Queens Cross Church ( Mackintosh Church ) in Glasgow some years ago where it was the full band ( including James Grant on electric guitar; Paul McGeechan on keyboards ) plus a four piece string section. I was unaware that Sugartown and Cowboy Mouth were performing on Friday night until I arrived at the hotel late on Friday afternoon. Robert Forster was indeed listed to appear at the venue back in May, 2020, but the show was cancelled and rescheduled for March, 2021. I honestly don’t know if this one went ahead but I would be surprised if it did given all that was happening at the time. | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Hugh_nimmo Post Number: 1442 Registered: 03-2007 |
The Bathers and friends covering the song 'New Age' by the Velvet Underground at Frets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9j0AmL6 liY | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 2113 Registered: 10-2006 |
Well, thanks for the info, Hugh. I'm overdue for a genealogical trip to Lanark, where my father's family originated in a variety of doleful ruins around Wilsontown. Maybe if RF reschedules one day I can fit him in too. | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Hugh_nimmo Post Number: 1443 Registered: 03-2007 |
Stuart, I only learned of the following concert on my arrival at the Strathaven Hotel on Friday afternoon. The tickets, which had gone on sale at 1000 hours that morning, were all gone. Michael Head ( The Pale Fountains & Shack ) - Friday 2nd September, 2022, at Frets. I have joined a waiting list in the hope that some additional tickets become available. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UvJy_6H yMo&list=PLvsYXqtYjMYeQSyX7-b44zDvDuolCj JH6&index=4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDnGW1rQ YdM | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Hugh_nimmo Post Number: 1446 Registered: 03-2007 |
It has just been announced that Michael Head will be performing a second acoustic set at Frets on Saturday 3rd September, 2022. Tickets go on sale at 1000 hours tomorrow morning but those of us on the waiting list have been afforded the opportunity to purchase same before they go on general sale. Two tickets ordered and hotel room booked. | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 2114 Registered: 10-2006 |
Be a shame to miss it! A pint or two, dinner, a good concert, then upstairs to bed, a very civilised way to spend a weekend! Quite a neat idea the hotel had, actually. | ||
| Simon Withers Member Username: Sfwithers Post Number: 706 Registered: 08-2005 |
Finally getting into the swing of gigs again. A very impressive Crowded House at the Utilita Arena, Birmingham. I think that's the biggest venue and the largest attendance of any gig I've been to - bar Glastonbury's main stage and possibly REM at the Wembley Arena in 1989. It's easy to forget just what a fine body of songs Crowded House and Neil Finn have put together. And last week I saw Laura Veirs at the Thekla (an old boat) in Bristol. A very intimate solo gig from one of my favourite artists. I also had an email from the Cheese and Grain in Frome on Friday informing me of a gig by some old geezer by the name of,er, McCartney or something like that. Sadly I didn't see my emails until later when there was another one telling me it had sold out in about 80 minutes. Had I been in I might have made it - it's about a 30-minute drive to Frome, and if I'd put my bike in the back I'd have been able to beat the traffic tailback. But it wasn't to be... | ||
| david Unregistered guest |
Thanks Hugh - Michael Head tickets bought. id have missed that! New album is great as yould expect | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 10271 Registered: 05-2005 |
Simon, I wish you’d got to see McCartney. I saw him in an enormodome in Sydney a few years back and he was amazing, but to see him in a pub would have been incredible. | ||
| Andrew Kerr Member Username: Andrew_k Post Number: 1479 Registered: 04-2005 |
McCartney (& Wings) was my first ever gig in 1975 in the Glasgow Apollo. I can tell you seeing him at the age of 13 surrounded by 4000 Glaswegians was pretty incredible. In fact it's all been pretty downhill since  At that time he did very few Beatles songs, but at the end of a solo "Yesterday" you could have heard a pin drop. The silence was broken by a shout of "F*****' magic Paul, go yersel' Big Man" !!! Watching the 9 hours of "Get Back" recently and listening to "Revolver" on headphones only last night, I realise what an utterly amazing bass-player he is. He practically invented that melodic type of bass-playing. It's like a lead instrument, but never showy. | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 2047 Registered: 08-2006 |
Saw X opening for the Psychedelic Furs on the Saturday. The Furs were a little bit of a let down for reasons I can't quite explain. I saw them maybe six-seven years ago and they were great. This go-around they just seemed kinda cheesy, even though Butler sounded great and the set list was solid. But X blew the roof off the joint. Billy Zoom plays seated these days but he's still the fastest gun in the West, and John and Exene are as great as ever. Most of the crowd didn't arrive until toward the end of their set, which made me further doubt the future of our species. | ||
| Austin Member Username: Bruegelpie Post Number: 242 Registered: 09-2004 |
Rob, I was trying to see the same show the following night, but I didn't get back in time. When I first saw the double bill being advertised, I thought it was a strange pairing of bands. Every time that I've seen the Furs I've had a fine time and they have put on a great show, so I'm sorry to read that it was a let down. Their new album seems a little too full of mid-tempo songs, so I'm curious how the new songs sounded live (it seems that they played a lot of them). | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 2048 Registered: 08-2006 |
Austin: I wonder if the new songs weren't the problem. The momentum stalled every time they played one. They're certainly entitled to play new stuff - I don't begrudge a band that doesn't want to be a pure nostalgia act - but coming off X's blistering set, the Furs seemed hit-and-miss. | ||
| Simon Withers Member Username: Sfwithers Post Number: 707 Registered: 08-2005 |
Just bought tickets for two more gigs. Aussie singer-songwriter Emily Barker at the Trowbridge Pump pub next week, and reformed 80s jangly-guitar indie band the Chesterfields (or Chesterf!elds, if you prefer) who I last saw in the mid-1980s. Will probably get tickets for the House of Love in September, who I never came across at their peak, but only discovered them thanks to this very forum. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 4771 Registered: 03-2005 |
Wow, the Chesterfields. C86-o-rama. I'm deeply jealous. They're much more than "Ask Johnny Dee." They did a lot of oddball numbers that stick in the mind for me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_BmYJXV fK0 I was also directed by HoL by this board. | ||
| Simon Withers Member Username: Sfwithers Post Number: 708 Registered: 08-2005 |
The Chesterfields have also released (or are about to release) a new album. It is very much a rave from the grave but I've been listening to their Electric Guitars in their Hearts compilation CD a lot recently, and it's great. I shall take my copy of Kettle to be signed, of course! The 1980s were a very good time for me personally - and I saw a lot of live music - so I'm looking forward to this a lot. | ||
| Burgers Member Username: Burgers Post Number: 197 Registered: 05-2005 |
Kettle was so-named because in the soap opera Coronation Street Rita Fairclough would tell her assistant in her newsagent shop to: “put (t’) kettle on.” Lancastrian vernacular meaning brew some tea. The Chesterf!elds thought that one day Mavis would respond by playing their album. | ||
| Burgers Member Username: Burgers Post Number: 198 Registered: 05-2005 |
And, of course, The Chesterf!elds were from Yeovil, as were The Becketts. The Becketts’ Me and Robert Forster was chosen by Paddy “Pantsdown” Ashdown on Desert Island Discs. His son was in the band. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 4779 Registered: 03-2005 |
I can't consider it a full-on gig but I've bought tickets for L. A. Salami's in-store at Rough Trade East on October 20. £13.50 gets me in the door AND a CD copy of the new album. I can hang around to get it signed if I have the time. There's also a more expensive option for the vinyl version. This is a crazy dramatic demonstration of the U.K.'s vastly more affordable performance tickets. Attending will involve some fancy footwork for a mere visitor to London as I and my companion have a dinner reservation at 22:00 a half hour walk away. The main challenges will be our not getting turned around when trying to find our way from Brick Lane to Smithfield on foot after dark and also the stamina of my travel companion who is still digging his way out from under the legacy of a case of Covid in February of this year. He's determined to walk, but we'll see. Concerning getting lost or not getting lost, I've been to London probably about 10 times or so and I always stay in E2 so I have a certain amount of mental map for the place but the relatively simplistic street grids of Los Angeles do not train a person well for urban exploration. | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 2136 Registered: 10-2006 |
Just heard a new Salami track, he seems to be moving in a rap direction, but I don't know whether this suits the kind of talent he displayed early on - it's not easy cramming his naturally expansive lyrical style into a rap beat. And I loved his guitar work on the first albums. Be good to see him live, though. Have a great trip, Randy! Hope to get back to London next year, though the over-a fiver pub pint is a bit of a chiller and my favourite Bloomsbury hotel, a cosy nook for the murmuring elderly, has fallen victim to Covid. Any other plans while you're there? | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 4781 Registered: 03-2005 |
Yes, Stuart, I think Salami has nodded to the dictates of commercial fashion. People have their expectations, you know! How many are looking for a man of Nigerian descent raised at least half in Kent "with a tattoo of Bob Dylan on [his] arm"? It's very unlikely that requests will be solicited but if so I intend to ask for "The Scene." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5U7NTpd Lbw I definitely wouldn't intend it as any sort of rebuke to Salami but rather as a "so there!" to any of the clueless in the store and mostly because I love the song. Unfortunately it's so old he probably doesn't remember all the words. We'll be hitting a few of the usuals, the V&A for its mens fashion exhibit and the newly reopened Leighton House, the British Museum for its afternoon tea almost as much as its current stolen artifacts from Egypt show, and probably the Tate Modern because I always go there. I'm thinking of pushing for the National Gallery where I've never been. I've long told people that my travels are an elaborate ruse to go out for a meal and indeed we have them lined up at some favorite places. But I also intend to meet some friends who live there and I always like to simply wander around some. We'll see! You aren't by any chance speaking of the Penn Club? They've supposedly relocated somewhere. I stayed there once some years back. It was a well managed and located place with exceptional value. | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 2138 Registered: 10-2006 |
Yes, Randy, it was indeed the Penn! After hopping around various hotels over the years in London, we were very pleased to find this place: Right, this solves our annual visit, back here from now on! Good for some decent pubs, bookshops, curry houses, the Wigmore Hall, leafy strolls and of course Virginia’s ghost striding through various squares. It has now moved to somewhere near the Isle of Dogs, a bit far out, I think. So back to hotel hunting again, not that that’s been a problem recently. | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 2139 Registered: 10-2006 |
Oh, the National Gallery's a must. I don't know if it's a trick of memory, but I don't recall it as unduly huge, so it doesn't art you into a coma like the Louvre. Maybe I just skipped some rooms, though. I've always meant to try the Wallace Collection, which looks like a nice size of place. | ||
| Simon Withers Member Username: Sfwithers Post Number: 712 Registered: 08-2005 |
Randy, Stuart's right, the National is a must. And just around the corner is the National Portrait Gallery - more of a mixed bag but definitely worth a visit. Happy travelling! | ||
| TROU Member Username: Trou Post Number: 551 Registered: 05-2005 |
Françoiz Breut tomorrow 10 km from my town. Luckily a friend informed me yesterday... | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 4785 Registered: 03-2005 |
Damn. I’ve wanted to see Francoiz Breut for years! Lucky man, Jean. | ||
| Austin Member Username: Bruegelpie Post Number: 243 Registered: 09-2004 |
First Iggy cancels because he can't get his band into the USA from France, then last week Regina Spektor cancels due to COVID and then last night the Chills cancel because Martin has some kind of case of exhaustion! Rob, supposedly the Chicago Chills show is still on! Now I'm left with seeing a Robert Plant (!) tribute band on Friday at the VFW hall! Of course that hasn't been canceled! Yikes I've got some bad mojo happening! | ||
| Fred Tadrowski Member Username: Ftadrowski Post Number: 143 Registered: 03-2015 |
Austin, I am so looking forward to The Chills tomorrow night, so I hope it happens. | ||
| Austin Member Username: Bruegelpie Post Number: 244 Registered: 09-2004 |
Fred, that's right, you are a Chills fan too! I hope it is a great show! He cancelled Toronto and Detroit, so hopefully Chicago will be spectacular! | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 4786 Registered: 03-2005 |
Last night I saw a piece of LA Salami’s in-store performance at Rough Trade East on Brick Lane. I assumed he’d do the new album but he actually played a number of songs from his previous albums and only got to two new ones before I had to leave for a dinner reservation. Stuart, he may make some concessions to contemporary demands on his records but onstage he had one or another acoustic guitar strapped on and the harmonica frame was in use most of the time. He hasn’t changed fundamentally. One of the new songs which comes across a bit hip hoppish on the recording showed itself to be regular LA Salami word picture work on stage and the strumming guitar let you know that it started out like almost all of his work. He’s still one of the important voices of a younger London generation trying to make sense of the bizarre cross currents buffeting them. I would have like to have stayed for the whole set. It was a big deal to see him in person and in such a casual setting. | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 2143 Registered: 10-2006 |
Sounds good, Randy! Shame you couldn't have stayed and maybe said hello. Any Tripadvisor-type info relating to accommodation & eating appreciated, by the way! Especially if you happen to see any interesting-looking veggie dishes on the menu! | ||
| Mark Leydon Member Username: Mark_leydon Post Number: 364 Registered: 05-2005 |
Aldous Harding on Saturday night in Sydney. A unique talent. Very unusual stage presence - awkward, almost menacing - but totally compelling. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 4787 Registered: 03-2005 |
Stuart, I probably don't have any Tripadvisor type recommendations of use for you. I stayed in the same hotel I have stayed in for years. It's not exactly a bargain though I think it quite reasonable for what is provided, which is a small apartment in a former town hall building in Zone 2 east London. One change they've made that reduces the future appeal of the hotel is that they've decided to discontinue the provision of a clothes washer/dryer. I've counted on that feature many times. They do have a nice small restaurant for breakfast on the first floor which also serves at other times of the day for most days of the week. (There is also a big fancy expensive restaurant on the ground floor that I've never used because I'm not that fancy.) Sadly, as a carnivore I can't give any useful restaurant recommendations unless you want to know where to get excellent venison at this time of year (Harwood Arms). That was my standout meal on this particular visit. For a neighborhood type place that I'm sure does include some decent vegetarian dishes I can recommend the Bistrotheque in Bethnal Green. It's quite tricky to find on a side street with no visible sign but is popular with people who live in the general area. | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 2146 Registered: 10-2006 |
Thanks, Randy. Often my experience is that if people know how to cook then they know how to cook, whether meat or veg or whatever. Some of my best veggie meals have been in places where meat & fish figure heavily on the menu. Even in a Brussels joint where the waitress was so appalling ("That is not our type of cooking!! We are not vegetarian here!!"...when I'd already told them when I booked...) I almost walked out, the chef turned in one of the best dishes I've ever had. Meanwhile, I've had more than a few lousy meals in veg-only places. Did you make it to the National Gallery? | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 4788 Registered: 03-2005 |
That's a great story Stuart and you're probably right about people who know how to cook. A late lamented restaurant here in Los Angeles (The Park) used to offer excellent vegan dishes as a normal part of their seasonally rotating menu. The owner/chef understood flavors. My carnivorous tendencies notwithstanding I'd order his vegan dishes from time to time because they were always rewarding. No National Gallery as it turned out. I was daunted by the warning on the website that advance tickets were recommended to control attendance and the only day I had free was Saturday, a promise of lines for those without advance tickets. So I opted to go to the newly opened Leighton House instead. I credit the Guardian for the suggestion. I had no idea Holland Park had been such an artists' colony in the Victorian era. The attached gallery of works by various contemporaneous neighbors was a highlight. I tend to be a lazy tourist, meaning that I'll usually only plan one visit in a day plus a self-indulgent meal somewhere. Then if I have the inclination to do something else on the fly, I can do so and avoid being overwhelmed. And there's the pleasure of simply walking the streets. | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 2147 Registered: 10-2006 |
Well, that’s Leighton House anyway pencilled in usefully for an as yet unspecified future time. Just reading about Virginia Woolf’s childhood in Kensington, when it was still more or less a sort of separate village from London itself. Harwood Arms is almost aggressively dead animal in their menu stance, making the “If you have any special dietary requirements… “ text tucked into a corner sound like a glove slap across the face. Bistrotheque has more variety, if I’m ever out in Bethnal green! | ||
| Simon Withers Member Username: Sfwithers Post Number: 713 Registered: 08-2005 |
Keeping up with my going to gigs by up-to-date acts - when I say up-to-date I mean, er, historic - I have a ticket to see the Chameleons perform 'What Does Anything Mean, Basically?' in December. And I may go and see the Flatmates in Bristol on Thursday, who I last saw so long ago that I can't remember when...! | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 4789 Registered: 03-2005 |
Simon, as far as I'm concerned anything with Tim Rippington involved is "up-to-date" regardless of how old he is. If in Bristol I'd be looking for performances by his Charlie Tipper band or by any band on his Breaking Down Records label, such as The Lovely Basement or one of the Jonny Kinkaid (ex-Groove Farm) assemblies if he ever does anything live. My sense is that Bristol has a definite music scene so I'm sure there are also other labels centered around younger artists to explore there. Hugh will almost certainly know of them. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 4790 Registered: 03-2005 |
I forgot Davey Woodward, ex-Brilliant Corners and Experimental Pop Machine. He's another denizen of the Bristol music scene, again not young but definitely still at it. He has a new album that was stocked at Rough Trade when I visited but the album cover looked familiar and I didn't buy it thinking I already have it. I don't. Oops. | ||
| Burgers Member Username: Burgers Post Number: 203 Registered: 05-2005 |
I think The Chameleons’ debut album is the greatest of all time. What Does Anything Mean Basically? was a big disappointment to me when it came out. The version of Perfume(d) Garden on WDAMB? is massively inferior to the Peel session version from 1983, which was the best thing they ever recorded. I saw them live I think four times between 1983 and 1986. They only played about 70 UK dates before they split. I haven’t seen any of the reformed dates but have bought some of the records. An ex-colleague of mine, who’s probably about 5 or 10 years too young to know the Chameleons saw Chameleons Vox supporting Mercury Rev playing Deserters’ Songs at the Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh in 2011. He was underwhelmed. When Mercury came on stage Jonathan Donahue said what an influence they had been to him and what a great set. Someone stood near my ex-colleague shouted back: “you’re fooking joking, man”. Good luck. | ||
| Simon Withers Member Username: Sfwithers Post Number: 714 Registered: 08-2005 |
Randy, I saw the Lovely Basement in October supporting the Chesterfields - and indeed, they were good. Much better than a support act at a gig costing £6.50 has any right to be! I saw the Brilliant Corners many times in the 80s - Glastonbury, Ashton Court festival - along with the likes of the Chesterfields and the Blue Aeroplanes. The latter supported REM on the UK leg of the Green World Tour, following on from the Go-Betweens in Australia. The Blue Aeroplanes/REM at the Newport Centre is one of all-time favourite gigs, with both bands in top form and the venue smaller than REM would go on to play. The Blue Aeroplanes still play most Christmases at the Fleece in Bristol, and I've just seen they're on this year: Dec 2nd. Not sure if I can make it... And at a few gigs recently I've bumped into a former colleague and squash partner (back in the 1990s) and while I knew he was in a band, I didn't realise he was in the Shoegaze band Secret Shine, another Bristol act. Burgers: Re the Chameleons, I think Script of the Bridge is stronger than What Does...? But I saw ChameleonsVox at the same venue a few years ago and they put out a great wall of noise! | ||
| Andrew Kerr Member Username: Andrew_k Post Number: 1490 Registered: 04-2005 |
Dominique A was absolument magnifique in Bordeaux on Friday! Backed by double-bass, drums (lots of brushes used), 2 keyboard players and someone on various wind instruments, we got the new album with various old favourites interspersed, all reinvented and with radically different arrangements. He used his guitar very sparingly, and for maybe half of the set didn’t even have it on. His dancing style is very much his own. And he sent himself up telling us that he had learnt some hand movements from YouTube. « Immortels » was an absolute joy with a rolling drum (beaters?) pattern way up-front. He dedicated it to Vanessa and Bruno, who had come all the way from Bilbao to the book shop signing that he had done in the afternoon. Apparently, the couple had danced to the song at their wedding. « Corps de ferme à l'abandon » was particularly striking. Some wonderful discordant moments and frightening in its intensity. A great artist still at the height of his abilities. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 4794 Registered: 03-2005 |
Andrew, thank you for that report. It makes total sense to me that Dom A is still challenging his audiences by re-arranging old favorites for the stage. At this point I suspect he's much better live than in the studio. I envy you being able to see him! |