The Overload - Yard Act

 

Another top track from Yard Act, one of those rare bands these days that you can identify even if you've never heard the song before. And the vid's set at a car boot sale too, what more could you want eh? Actually after snapping up another carrier bag stuffed full of CDs at a car boot sale last weekend I'd better stay away from them for a while. Ahem. 

The Mauritian Badminton Doubles Champion, 1973 - Hamish Hawk

Another strong contender for single of the year Hamish Hawk's latest is like a glorious mash up of Morrissey and The Divine Comedy...and that's a very great thing indeed. If you need a musical balm for the impending breakdown of what's left of our society you could do a lot worse than to listen to this on repeat for the next six months. PS: Anyone know what the title's all about? Answers on a shuttlecock. 

Let's Rock Exeter - September 11th 2021

 

Spent 11 or so very happy hours reliving my youth (now that was a looooooooooooooooooooong time ago) at Let's Rock Exeter, a positive orgy of 80's-tastic acts including the divine Kim Wilde, Spandau Ballet crooner Mr Tony Hadley and ABC's Martin Fry. Some of the early acts only played a track or two (step forward Fiction Factory, Wang Chung, The Lotus Eater's Peter Coyle and one of the stars of the day Angie Brown) but as the day progressed everyone else pretty much played all of their big hits. At under £40 (if you manage to grab an early bird ticket) it's an absolute bargain, leaving you just enough cash to buy a pint of £6.50 cider. Thankfully there were more loos for the men this year, even if they were located 20 miles away from the stage but the exercise is good for us middle aged folk isn't it eh?    

System Addict - Five Star

Off to Lets Rock Exeter this weekend to see, amongst others, Five Star (although I think there's only one of them now). I wonder if Denise still makes all the costumes? Part of me wants to really hate these 80s festivals, short sets, punters in cheesy costumes, overpriced 'cider' but the 13 year old me would have gone nuts to have seen ABC, Adam Ant, Kim Wilde, Toyah, Howard Jones and Tony Hadley on the same bill and...well...the 51 year old me is pretty excited too. 

Moseley Folk and Arts Festival, September 3rd - 5th

Soooooooooo good to be back at MoFo (or maybe that should be MoFAF now they've added the 'Arts' bit) after 6 years away. Regular readers (both of you) will know that we went to every single MoFo and MoJaFuSo when we were living in Bearwood but our move to Devon coupled with various financial and logistical issues...ahem...made it impossible for us to attend for the past few years. Of course no bugger could attend in 2020 but we'll gloss over that. 

I'm pleased to report that MoFAF's just as lovely as ever, a little bigger than when we were last there thanks to Folk On The Slope and Speakers Corner but all the better for it. We knew we'd enjoy old favourites (deep breath) The Wonderstuff, 

The Nightingales, 

Gruff Rhys, Frank Turner, Katherine Priddy, 

Pete Williams and Richard Hawley but there were plenty of new (to us at least) artists including Keeley Forsyth, Sinead O'Brien, Christie Reeves 

and Jade Bird 

that whet our musical whistles. 

Speakers Corner dished up Roy, Joe Lycett in conversation with Cold War Steve, Foka Wolf, 

Jess Phillips (the place was rammed for her appearance...time to step aside eh Kier?), Pete Paphides (with Brum cultural ambassador Lyle Bignon  and Boat To Row's Michael King) and Rich Hall and it could almost have been a festival on its own. Sadly Barbara Nice clashed with Pete Williams, one of a number of clashes that's just part of the deal with festivals. I'm sure the two of 'em would've made a great double act...hmmmm. 

Aside from the music and chat it was wonderful to catch up with so many dear old (and not so old) friends again and to make a few new ones too. Poignantly a couple were missing this time though, Brian Travers and Gaz Owen, but they both received the traditional MoFAF graffiti treatment (I spotted part of Paul Murphy's tribute image from waaaay back on the reverse of one of the walls of The Black Swan pop up pub too). 

Who knows what the next 12 months will bring (aren't we due a plague of frogs and the four horseman of the apocalypse next?) but I'm already counting down the days to MoFAF 2022. Suggestions? Oh go on then...try PJ Harvey, Nick Cave, Marc Almond, Black Midi, Dexys, Jeffrey Lewis, Elvis Costello, Robert Plant, The Lovely Eggs, Richard Dawson, Courtney Barnett, Sleaford Mods, Wildwood Kin, Du Blonde, Kae Tempest, Ezra Furman and Billy Nomates. That'll do for starters. 

PS: Huge thanks to all involved in organising, running and appearing at MoFAF, you made a middle aged man very happy.