Kid British / The Anomalies / Tempting Rosie @ The Rainbow, Monday 20th July 2009

40 years ago today man first walked on the moon (or did he…). I achieved a similar feat by getting to the gig on time, which, after last week’s bus journey from hell, is every bit as miraculous. That’s one small step for me, one giant leap for West Midlands Travel (or whatever they’re called now).

First up the 7 headed ska machine, Tempting Rosie. With a strong brass section firmly in place this lot can’t go wrong as a live act and, like the last time I saw them back in May, they went down a storm with the audience. As with the headliners Kid British they unashamedly take their influences from previous ska classics, ‘Fear’ for example I’m pretty sure takes its lead from The Beat’s Mirror in the Bathroom, but it’s all done with so much energy and passion that they neatly avoid sounding anything but fresh. A stonking cover of ‘A Message to You Rudy’ really proved the point.

Next The Anomalies, a band I’ve been banging on about for some time now. There’s little I’ve not said about them before, once again tonight they fused rap, rock, humour and social commentary together with a bucketload of poptastic tunes. Another great set but I get the feeling that the audience wasn’t quite right for them tonight – they kind of stood out as being the only non ska band on the bill and, whilst the applause was there, the crowd didn’t go as mental as I’ve seen them go before. It was nice to hear the BBC using some of their stuff a while back (advertising some programme about breakdancing crabs or hip hop antelope…something like that) and, were Top Of The Pops still around they’d be regulars. Speaking of which there’s a growing call to bring back TOTP, with Auntie Neil from the Pet Shop Boys accusing the BBC of failing to have the balls to bring it back. Quite right too. It may have turned into a shadow of its former self, and sure, it was as naff as hell half the time, but that was part of the fun. You only have to see what happens to bands who appear on Later…to realise that, even in this Twitter infested world, the telly can still have a pretty big impact on sales and careers.

Finally headliners Kid British, who, in a curious marketing tactic, released HALF their debut album today. I blame the credit crunch. Whatever next? Half a film? Half a Big Mac? Half a sixpence (one for the Tommy Steele fans out there…)? You could look at Kid British as a kind of 21^st century Specials, in other words a socially aware, multi-cultural band that takes its musical influences from 60’s ska, although in the case of Kid British there’s much more of a highly polished pop sensibility going on. A kind of boy band Specials then. They’re currently making a pretty big dent on the minds and ears of the yoot thanks to their sampling of the Madness classic ‘Our House’, in their 21^st century version ‘Our House is Dadless’, which predictably got the biggest cheer of the night. They’re far from one tune ponies though. The set was sprinkled with party ska a plenty leading to a mass skank and good natured stage invasion at the end that swamped the entire band, who, as far as I know could still be there beneath a sweaty pile of bodies…

Radio 4...Rainbow Nil

Not sure if you caught this (as it was on Friday, midday) when most folk were working (I remember that…), but the fight to save The Rainbow (the picture above currently adorns one of the courtyard walls) reached Radio 4's You and Yours. It’s a great little feature, again starring your friend and mine Martin Mullany, Birmingham’s Cabinet member for Leisure, Sport and Culture. That’s a joke right? Will he not rest until the place is another nice little apartment block? Clearly not. Anyway, have a listen, it’s about 15minutes in.

D’espairsRay / Heaven’s Basement @ The Rainbow, Thursday 16th July 2009

Well, no Rainbow gigs for weeks then I manage to make two in 72 hours. They’re like buses. Actually, scrap that. Thanks to buses…namely one bus (and a little mistiming on my part) we pretty much missed the entire set from the first band, Heaven’s Basement. Despite having 20 years gig going experience under my belt (I was only 2 when I started…honest) I sometimes cock it up. Tuesday night we arrived at 7.40 and the first band came on at 8.45. Three bands played that night. Last night we arrived at 8.20 and the first band had nearly finished but only two bands were playing that night. Pish. Had the bus driver not sat at a bus stop reading the paper for 15 minutes (it seems he was ‘early’…he could’ve mentioned this when we got on the bloody thing… “excuse me I hope you’re not in a hurry ‘cos I’m going to take 40minutes to drive into Birmingham. Okay?” That would’ve done the trick) we would only have missed the first couple of songs. Oh well. C’est la vie.

Anyway tonight saw a rare UK gig for J-Rock (as in Japanese…they’re Japanese you see) legends D’espairsRay. I knew little about them but I’m a bugger for Japanese music. Call it a fetish or J-Fet if you must. First up though, some Y-Rock (Yorkshire…see what I did there?) in the form of Heaven’s Basement. I’m guessing Heaven’s Basement would be hell right, which is dead rock n’roll isn’t it? Grrrrr. Actually The Basement seem to be making a bit of a rock n’roll name for themselves having landed a support slot with non other than Bon Giovanni…Jovinni…Jovi. Clearly they were ‘wanted dead or alive’ (oh my aching sides). Musically (from the one track that I heard) they’re classic rock in the vein of Guns n’Roses, Aerosmith…that kind of thang. They actually sounded quite good and had whipped the black clad audience into a sweaty mess.

Headliners D’espairsRay just look the part – cute but a little scary at the same time. Like a kitten with a flick knife. Japanese Goth Rock might not be big in the UK…and maybe I didn’t understand a single word they were singing…but since when has music been all about understanding stuff. It’s the feeling, right? From the off there were a hardcore band of headbangers who valiantly attempted to remove their noggins by furiously nodding away like that Churchill dog on speed. I, being an older gentlemen, nodded along in the manner of a kindly vicar at a tea party whilst supping a perfectly agreeable Cabernet Sauvignon (now that’s rock n’roll). Surprisingly (I’m guessing few of the audience actually spoke Japanese) a load of people seemed to know all the words and the atmosphere was one of fevered worship. D’espairsRay certainly put their heart of souls into it, pulling loads of rock god poses along the way and leaning out so that the adoring masses could have a stroke (of the band…not some kind of embolism…although I’m guessing that headbanging could do that to you). One thing that did stand out as being a little unusual was the band’s attitude towards their fans taking pictures of their idols. I understand how bloody annoying it must be having flashes going off in your eyes but clearly a few fans wanted a record of this gig (even without using a flash). The band’s security dudes made a beeline for every single one and made it quite clear that this wasn’t on (although, as you can see, I snuck a cheeky one in). Speaking of fan treatment, £30 for a CD? Really? Hmmmm. £25 for a t-shirt? I have no doubt that the band are megastars in their native country but over here (as the humble venue proved) they’re clearly just starting out. I also heard a couple of hardcore fans discussing the chance of meeting their heroes. Once again it seemed that the band were strictly off limits. Gig finished, their work was done. Like I say, it’s the real fans I felt a little sorry for. I was just there to enjoy the show. And I did. Cop a listen to Kamikaze (how appropriate given the promoters) and Redeemer and you’ll get a good sense of the energy that the band put into it all. The bass player did a neat thing at the end too. Taking a large glug of water he sprayed it over the crowd from his mouth. I copped a faceful myself. Maybe it’s a Japanese thing? Mata ne!

The Temper Trap / I Thee Lothario / Black Market Empire @ The Rainbow, Tuesday 14th July 2009

Mon dieu, it’s been a while. Yep I’ve been AWOL from The Rainbow since May, missing (amongst other things) the great noise abatement gathering. But surely the old place would be the same right? After all The Rainbow’s like an old friend, reliable and solid, full of familiar faces and…hang on…this isn’t Oz Toto…what’s happened here…oh my lord…they’ve moved the stage. Agggghhhhhhhh! Okay, don’t panic now. Breathe deeply. Go to your happy place. Ohmmm. Yes, in typically undramatic fashion I can reveal that The Rainbow stage, for years located by the ‘back’ wall of the courtyard is now firmly plonked against the side wall. Why? Search me. Maybe it’s a noise thing. I’m not convinced it’s the right move but time will tell…that’s if the bloody place has any time left.

Casting aside any thoughts of a Rainbowless world (what would George, Bungle and Zippy do eh?) first up tonight were Black Market Empire who I’d last spied in April. More polished this time (showing the benefits of plenty of gigs no doubt) the echoes of Cast/La’s are still there but joined with a little more Ocean Colour Scene/Weller influence. I mentally greeted the jaunty ‘Get Up, Get Down’ like an old friend, which is always a good sign and the crowd, featuring a particularly enthusiastic dancer at the front (nice moves there my friend), seemed to enjoy the performance too. Fans of that classic ‘60’s tinged British Mod rock beloved by Mr Weller and OCS will love these guys.

Next up, I Thee Lothario. Oh yes. Third time I’ve seen this band and, whilst I’ve been impressed on both occasions, this time they blew me away. I have to admit to being a little prejudiced as I have a real thing for the ‘80’s. I think last time I made comparisons to Icicle Works, Simple Minds and Killing Joke. Those influences are still there but I was struck with a big wedge of early Spandeau Ballet tonight too especially when the band were joined by Sax god Byron. This is genius. Sax + keyboards + guitars = 80’s pop heaven. And, as we all know, 80’s pop heaven is pretty cool right now. The lead Lothario did loads of posing, arms outstretched (see picture above) as though summoning the gods of Top Of The Pops to come down from heaven (17) and pluck up the entire band for superstardom. There’s loads of pomp, deep and meaningful lyrics (and some pretty silly ones too…that’s the joy of it all) and a vocal that makes every word seem crucial. Next time I want to see the entire band in matching outfits, preferably white suits with the sleeves rolled up. Then my joy will be complete. Seriously though, this was a stadium worthy performance.

With Ashes rivalry gripping the nation (well, 5 old men and an ailing parrot called Colin) could the Aussies, in the form of headline act The Temper Trap, bowl a ‘googly’ and see off the mighty Lothario? It was a close run thing with plenty of fours, a couple of sixes and very few ducks. Okay, I’ll ditch the cricket bollocks now and report that The Temper Trap are worth all the hype that they’re currently attracting from tastemakers across the world. Mining a similar musical seam to TV On The Radio (drummy, disco, soul, funkiness…er…that kind of stuff) they’re blessed with the fine vocal talents of Doughy who reaches for the kind of high notes that few men with tackle would dare tackle. Add in some of those Afrobeat guitar stylings that Foals and Vampire Weekend have made achingly cool, oodles of sweaty energy and some moments of pure musical sunshine and you’ve got something pretty magical. In fact, you could say that they’re the…oh dear…dare I…oh yes…why not…no one reads this anyway…THE WIZARDS OF OZ.

Cornbury Festival, Charlbury, Oxfordshire Saturday July10th – Sunday July 12th 2009 (the music bit)

Being a relatively new festival there aren’t dozens of stages vying for your attention at Cornbury. In fact there’s just three – The Main Stage (good name there fellas), The Word Stage (sponsored by the magazine…although I saw no presence from them whatsoever) and The Riverside Stage. This makes planning your viewing pretty easy, in turn making the festival a lot more chilled out. The line up was suited to the target audience too, featuring a good wedge of well known, well established artists together with some up and coming talent on the smaller Riverside Stage. The weekend had more than enough musical highlights for me though – some from unexpected quarters. I’d kind of heard The Boy Least Likely To before (their ‘Be Gentle With Me’ track’s used on a TV ad of some sort…can’t remember what…that’s the power of advertising for you eh?), I might even have an album somewhere in my leaning towers of CD’s but they were a real treat. I guess you’d call them tweecore, musically there’s a touch of Too Rye Aye era Dexy’s to their sound these days plus the inevitable nod to the gods of twee, Belle and Sebastian. The banjo-tastic Saddle Up and When Life Gives Me Lemons I Make Lemonades were particular highlights. Perfect music for the English summer…which takes me nicely on to Dodgy…writers of arguably one of the greatest summer songs of all time, ‘Staying Out For The Summer’. I’ve been a fan of Dodgy since the early days and was chuffed when they made it big. I don’t hold with this current sniffiness about ‘Brit Pop’. Like all eras there were some great groups around then and some cracking tunes released. Dodgy were responsible for more than their fair share of them so it’s great to see the band back in their natural environment – on stage at a festival. They delivered a perfect greatest hits set together with a couple of lesser known tracks including ‘UK RIP’ and a new song, ‘New Deal’ about unemployment – both pretty timely these days. Lead singer Nigel also made a plea for people to remember our troops even if we don’t agree with the current war. It was pretty much the only political statement made during the entire festival but it underpins the fact that Dodgy always have made a stand for things that they believe in – from being arrested years ago for playing an Anti-Poll Tax show through to playing a shed load of benefit gigs over the years (including one for Crisis just a few weeks ago). Perhaps if more artists had as much integrity we wouldn’t be in the mess we are now eh? Perhaps the next generation would have more interest in engaging with the political system? Oh good grief I’m turning into Question Time…but you get the point. Anyway, a great set as ever. In fact I’d go as far to say that it was bostin.

Next up we enjoyed another summery set from The Magic Numbers featuring those blissful 60’s tinged harmonies that made the band’s name. Enjoyed a rare backstage view of the whole show courtesy of our Artists passes too (see the non-music bit for details).

Sharleen Spiteri anyone? I must admit I wasn’t really sure myself, Texas did some good tracks but I couldn’t remember that many of them after the first hit ‘I Don’t Want A Lover’ (which I actually bought back in…good lord…1989). She won me over pretty quickly though thanks to a cracking vocal. Great lords a mercy the girl can sing, she’s got a belting voice but with a real soulfulness. One by one I began to remember the hits too, her current band seemed to do them better. Plenty of brass and oomph. I could kind of see her doing a Dusty and releasing something classic pretty soon. Colour me surprised.

The final highlight of the day for me was seeing The Damned. From punk originals through to goth tinged covers they’ve always been an entertaining band and their set covered all bases, Captain Sensible even managed to slip a cheeky ‘Happy Talk’ into the set. Lead singer Dave Vanian still looks cool, now featuring a rather dapper ‘tache he could pass for a gothic Errol Flynn, and the crowd loved every minute of it. One or two even made a desperate attempt to get on to the stage at the end only to be taken down by the security guards. Who say punk’s dead eh? After catching some of Scouting For Girls we ended up dancing outside the Disco Shed having consumed our own weight in Pimms. Game over.

Day Two couldn’t quite compete with Day One but Cornwall’s 3 Daft Monkeys got things off to a fine start with a frantic set that would put The Levellers in a spin. Imelda May proved to be a real treat too, a jazzy, swingy 50’s style sexbomb featuring one of the dudes from Birmingham’s own King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boy (latterly of the awesome Palookaville) in her band. The strangest moment of the entire festival was seeing The New Forbidden (pictured) featuring vowel stretching pasta sauce king Loyd Grossman. Yes…I know. Incredibly he plays a pretty mean guitar and the band played a pop punk set that kept me interested enough to stick around for the whole show. Pretty catchy actually. Looking into this strange event it seems that our Loyd has some previous form here. In the last 70’s he was the lead singer of a punk band called Jet Bronx And The Forbidden who had a number 49 ‘hit’ single with a song called ‘Ain’t Doin’ Nothing’. Loyd no longer sings and the band now has a vocalist called Valentine. I have no idea what his background is...maybe he makes pasta? Ohhh hang on…the surname gives the game away…Guinness…yes that Guinness. The black stuff. Lawks a mercy. Maybe they should do a cover version of ‘Money, Money, Money’? Next up another blast from the past with The Lightning Seeds. Ian Broudie’s got a real knack for catchy pop songs like The Life of Riley, Pure and Sense but, predictably, the crowd wouldn’t let him escape without playing THAT tune. Let’s keep Three Lions under wraps until the England squad bloody win something now. Please.

Irish jazz folk legend Mary Couglan delivered an eclectic, rabble rousing set, liberally scattered (Father Ted style) with lot’s of ‘feck it’s’. She did a pretty haunting version of ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ that only someone who’s lived a bit could really pull off. I don’t know a great deal about her back catalogue but I’ve marked her down for investigation. Continuing the Celtic flava Peatbog Faeries (pictured) combined electronica, bagpipes, fiddles, whistles and (probably) a kitchen sink too. On paper it sound like a bit of a hippy dippy mess but live it’s immensely enjoyable and I could swear I could feel the stirrings of my Scottish ancestry deep within. Finally, The Sugababes, although only one of the original band now remains – it probably doesn’t matter as you could replace any of them without doing much damage to ‘the brand’. I’m not being sniffy here but polished pop like this leaves little to chance. You can’t knock planet Sugababe, it’s clever stuff, accessible enough to appeal to a pretty wide demographic. Some of the tunes aren’t bad either – Overload, the Gary Numan sampling Freak Like Me, Round Round and Hole In The Head – all perfect pop. With Suga (and more than a little vodka) coursing through our veins we were on our way back to our tent when we got talking to a couple of mental health nurses just next to us. After talking bollocks in that festival way and polishing off a box of red followed by some hot chocolate and whiskey we finally made our damp £7.50 Tesco tent for 3am. Ouch. I have to say that I enjoyed Cornbury far more than I expected to. Whilst you don’t get the kind of diversity of Glasto or the cool of The Big Chill what you do get in spades is a really well organised event, a beautiful location and plenty of safe hands, musically speaking. It’s the perfect family fest, replete with tea and cake tents, a fun fair and a delicious hog roast in aid of the local school. What’s not to love about that eh? Now, I'm off to bed...oh bugger...no I'm not I'm off to see The Temper Trap at The Rainbow instead. Ah well, who needs sleep...or a liver.

PS: My thanks go to Math and Dodgy for putting us on their guestlist and the lovely folk at The Cornbury Festival for having us.

Cornbury Festival, Charlbury, Oxfordshire Saturday July10th – Sunday July 12th 2009 (the non-music bit)

Way back in May (well it seems way back to me) we met up with Math (the drummer from Dodgy) at The Great Escape Festival in Brighton. As long time fans of the band (ahhhh who can forget The Hibernian in 1993?) we got chatting and – being officially the nicest bloke in music – he offered to put us on the guestlist for one of Dodgy’s festival dates this year. As good as his word we found ourselves in possession of a pair of weekend camping wristbands for Cornbury plus the Willy Wonka golden ticket of festivals – a backstage ‘Artists’ pass for the first day. I’ve never been backstage at a Festival before. The beauty of VIP tickets and backstage passes for fests is that you get a rare chance to sit down on something other than mud and cigarette butts, which, when you’re getting on a bit, is a hell of a bonus. You also get a chance to mix with the bands. I’m always a little wary of this one. I’m sure most artists don’t really want all kinds of random souls coming up to them when they’re trying to chillax with their crew or caning their rider. I generally limit myself to a ‘hi’, ‘nice to meet you’, ‘great gig’…that sort of thing…enough to show your appreciation without being a pain in the ass. Having an ‘Artists’ pass gives you an even rarer privilege though. You actually get to go on the stage whilst a band’s performing. Obviously you have to be sensible and stand in the wings out of sight but it does give you a pretty unique view on the whole thing. We only did it once (see below) but I can now report that, from an ‘enjoying the show perspective’ it’s actually better out front with the masses. For a start you’re not looking at the arses of the band, the sound’s being projected out to the audience too and there’s something a little bit Wizard of Oz about being backstage – some of the mystery goes when you can see how it’s all done. But, that being said, it was a real treat to experience it all and – on top of mingling with the ever lovely Dodgy we got to natter with punk legends The Damned after their set too.

Anyway, enough of my showbiz life, what was Cornbury actually like? Well it’s in a beautiful spot just outside a little village called Charlbury. Getting there – even by train – was a bit of a doddle and the facilities were head and shoulders above any other festival I’ve been to. The loos were clean, they had a fair supply of showers and plenty of food on offer (including an organic, locally sourced food market thingy). Nicknamed ‘Poshfest’ by some the crowd were a pretty well to do bunch. Some of their tents were bigger than our house and I’m sure I saw one or two butlers preparing tiffin but the friendly festival spirit remained firmly in place. My only gripe – and it’s a pretty major one – is to do with Magners. I’m not a fan of Magners. Ice? In cider? Are you nuts? A few years ago you’d be sectioned for lobbing a chunk of frozen water in your pint but now – no matter what brand of cider you ask for – the bar staff look at you like some kind of freak if you refuse their request to ram your glass with half an iceberg. The iceification of cider is not all I dislike about Magners though. It’s just a pretty sickly artificial imitation of cider sold at a huge premium to people who aren’t given much choice. This market intimidation reached a pretty vile conclusion this weekend. I’d noticed a small stand (Benson’s) selling local apple juice and ‘proper’ cider on the first day of the festival. Very nice it was too. £3.00 a pint and clearly made just from apples. Yum. I had a couple of pints during the Saturday then returned later in the day for another to be told that the Magners people had forced the festival organisers to shut them down. It appears that Magners had signed some kind of exclusivity deal on cider and saw a tiny fraction of their potential profit going to someone else. Now, I’m not a hippy. I (sadly) know all about the commercial realities of the world. But this was a real case of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Whilst Bensons were selling cider to a few of us, many people preferred the alchopop taste of Magners. That’s their choice. Good luck to them. At £3.70 for a very small bottle (I’m guessing less than half a pint) they need all the luck in the world. I happen to prefer a more natural taste. Clearly the folk at Magners would like to eliminate personal choice and force their sugary muck down our throats, wiping out independent producers and putting local people out of work in the process. This stinks. I’m sure the festival organisers had their hands tied (I’m guessing the money from the exclusivity deal paid for some of those loos) but I’d rather put up with a bit of other people’s shit than a whole load of the corporate variety. I’m sure it won’t make a jot of difference but I've set up a blog to rid the world of this evil.

If you drink Magners I urge you to try something else…anything else…preferably proper cider from a local producer. On the more mass market front Westons do some really good stuff (Old Rosie is awesome), Scrumpy Jack ain’t bad, I’ll drink Strongbow and Blackthorn in an emergency too...

Missill-ing in Action

Cramming a frankly mind melting 40 tracks (mash ups, remixes and rarities from some of the cream of the dancefloor crop) into 50 minutes can’t be an easy trick. Stopping it all from sounding like a dog’s dinner must be even harder but Missill (from la belle Francais) has pulled it off with her latest release MixShake. As the title suggests it’s a booty shakin’ dancefloor filler featuring (amongst many others) the queen of dirty dancing herself, Kelis, Mr Oizo and Sinden and Count (the dudes behind the frankly classic 'Beeper'). Take a look at the track listing and she’s not the only one getting her freak on…'Android Porn’ and ‘Hardcore Girls’ anyone? Sounds like a perfect night in to me. In fact the whole album’s pure dancefloor filth, with as Old MacDonald might put it ‘a muthafucker here, a muthafucker there everywhere a muthafucker’. It’s mixed to perfection though. Like Jordon’s cleavage there’s not a millimetre of dead air between any of the tracks and, just like Jordon’s cleavage, it’s pretty much guaranteed to…ahem…get you up. Full marks for the Zombie Disco Squad track, ‘Eurovision’, featuring back to the old skool foghorns and DJ Funk’s insanely catchy ‘Bang Da Floor’. ‘Shake that ass round and round’ indeed...

Missill’s ‘Mix Shake’ is out on Discograph on 27^th July. Remember kids…always practice safe decks.

Coin operated girl...or how Amanda Palmer's reinventing the music biz and sticking it to ‘the man’.

I love Amanda Palmer. On top of writing some awesome tunes, beating seven flavours of holy crap out of her piano and getting naked on a fairly regular basis (see her recent ‘write your question to me on part of your body and I’ll write the reply on mine’ act), she’s busy reinventing the music business (or, to be more accurate, how you actually make a living out of it) on her own terms. Every so often I’ll drop into her lengthy, day enhancing blog and lately it seems that she’s been taking more of a homespun approach to the whole career thang, playing impromptu all ages gigs for people on beaches (the video above is from a recent beach gig) and in parks and collecting donations (totally at the discretion of the audience) in return. Of course busking’s nothing new but you don’t generally get well known artists doing it. A few weeks back she hit on another idea. Sitting at home on a Friday night she sent out a Twitter message to her 30,000 or so followers and started a virtual online party. This in turn generated a t-shirt featuring the legend ‘Don’t stand up for what’s right, stay in for what’s wrong’. A few hours and many orders for said shirt later she’d grossed $11,000. Then she held an online auction, selling all sorts of random shit that was just laying around her apartment. Raised another $6,000. A few days after that she held an online gig and asked for donations from her viewers…raising a neat $2,000 in the process. I’m no Carol Vorderman but I make that a rather tasty $19,000 in just a few nights. Amanda noted that the sales of her last album (currently standing at 30,000 copies), funded by a major label who need to shift a hell of a lot of units just to recoup their investment, had netted her exactly $0. Zip. Zero. Bugger all.

Individually none of her actions are revolutionary but Amanda’s seemingly putting this quirky approach to financing her lifestyle right at the heart of her career and having a hell of a lot of fun with it too. Along the way she’s directly (and that’s an important point – Amanda to fan without the middle man is a lot more powerful than being marketed to by a faceless corporation) building herself a loyal fanbase of folk who are happy to fork out whatever they can afford, whenever they can afford it, in order to spend some quality online time with their heroin(e). And she’s doing it all without...’the man’. Of course she is Amanda fucking Palmer. She already had a decent fanbase, developed through the more traditional music biz model…album…tour…album…repeat to fade. I accept that it’s not going to be as easy for new groups to suddenly start selling the contents of their knicker drawer for cash. But, if you’re in a band and you’re struggling to make a buck, maybe her ‘what the hell, let’s just try it’ (or, as the corporate clones would put it ‘hey, let’s think outside the box’) approach might help…

Elektralux - Missing Out

With a name that sounds like a brand of electrical goods it’s perhaps no surprise that this little ditty about finding someone to poke (I’m not normally this base…blame the sunshine) whilst being broke quickly plugs itself into yer lugholes. Our hero (vocalist Nik Walker…who sounds a little like Keith Flint’s younger bro) is trying to impress a lady who has loadsamoney, whilst he’s as broke as an MP with some serious moat cleaning to be done. It’s a kind of reverse Common People for the credit crunch…he’s trying to get her to see beyond his lack of Benjamins, she’s all about the bling. Backed by a certain MC Erl Grey (classy name there fella) it’s a timely reminder that whilst money can’t buy you love a lack of it ain’t much cop either, especially if you’re after a certain kind of lady. You’re better off without her Mr Walker. Get yourself down Wetherspoons and find yourself a real lady…someone’s who’s quite happy with a bag of chips and a pint of Old Rosie. Musically the band's debut single is an upbeat, light garagey kinda track that bounces along nicely whilst somehow managing to reference both Madonna and Dire Straits – now there’s a collaboration I wouldn’t mind seeing. No doubt Michael Eavis has ‘em both booked for Glasto 2010 already. As is the way with singles the lead track comes with a brace of remixes. Out of the two the broken beat version (remixed by Slugabed) works best, the stuttering bass reflecting the sheer hard slog of working for your money and your ‘lady’…probably...who says I overanalyse things eh?

Missing Out by Elektralux is out on August 3rd 2009 on Naim Edge. You can choose between 12inch vinyl (old skool stylee) or digital download (if you’re down with the yoot).

Michael Jackson 1958-2009

Michael Jackson’s been on my musical radar for my whole life. First with the Jackson 5, then on through Off The Wall, Thriller and BAD (let’s gloss over Dangerous okay?). Whilst I’d never describe myself as massive fan, for my generation he really was ‘the king of pop’. At a time when record releases and video premiers were real events, millions of us around the world would turn on, tune in and attempt to moonwalk across the living room carpet (not the easiest thing to do). Of course the last decade or so has pretty much been a write off and I really couldn’t see that O2 comeback happening (surely it would have done more damage to his reputation than anything else that’s dogged his later years?), but strip that away and you’ve got an impressive body of work that stands up to anything in pop history. I’ve picked ‘Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough’ as the best way to pay my respects - a video that looked like it cost $50 and Jacko looking like happier and more full of life than he ever had done…and, sadly, was ever likely to again. RIP.

Cllr Martin Mullaney...genius.

Nice to hear Martin Mullaney (who seems to be some sort of Councillor in Birmingham) on TV adding his invaluable contribution to The Rainbow debate. He witters on about The Rainbow playing loud music in the courtyard until '2 or 4am' and suggests that they just 'turn the volume down', clearly oblivious to the fact that this has already been done, or that the latest complaint was about music being played at 11pm or that the very cultural fabric of the entire City is in danger of being torn to pieces by just one individual...

Shouldn't our Councillors be trying to make our City a better, more vibrant and attractive place to live, work and visit? Shouldn't they be standing up for a local business that helps some of our best new bands, DJ's and promoters make a living? Shouldn't they make the effort to find out the facts before making a lame ass appearance on local TV? I forward a motion to abate Cllr Mullaney.

On a more positive note there's now an e-petition thingy that you can sign and send to the Council, although if our Martin has anything to do with it he'll probably just stick his fingers in his ears and start singing 'la la la I can't hear you' (either that or he'll be sat in his garden muttering about young folk and plotting ways to get us all in bed by 8.30 with a good book...nothing too stimulating mind you...and careful how loudly you turn the pages).

Rainbow warriors

I'm painfully aware that I've not been to The Rainbow for weeks now...after being a regular for years and just as the place faces the biggest challenge to its survival ever I've been AWOL. A combination of funerals, parties and holidays has kept me away and meant I missed last Friday's mass gathering. It was, by all accounts, stirring stuff and happily both Pete Ashton (of Pete Ashton fame) and Nicky Getgood (of Digbeth is Good fame) have captured the highlights on their respective sites. Here's the biggie though, Kent's (the Rainbow landlord) speech about the whole bloody mess and what he intends to do about it.

Rainbow Meeting - Kent Davis from Pete Ashton on Vimeo.

It strikes me that Birmingham City Council and the environmental health bods ain't exactly covering themselves in glory here. In fact, with 20,000 plus Save The Rainbow group members on Facebook and coverage in the local press, it's nothing short of a PR nightmare. Hopefully the powers that be will see sense and allow the Rainbow to continue doing its thang until they're able to fit a new roof that should...that's SHOULD...solve the problem. My big fear is that they go to the expense of fitting the new roof and then mystery protester makes yet another spurious complaint. What then? Wrap the whole bloody place in bubble wrap? Watching John Tighe's (the landlord of the already silenced Spotted Dog) piece it seems as if the Council's planning team has been, let's say, a little lax when it came to the Abacus development that's at the heart of all this. Some would call it downright sloppy. I think Mr T (I pity da fool who messes with him) could well press for some kind of enquiry into the whole debacle, especially as his request for document's under the Freedom of Info Act seems to have uncovered some dubious tactics. Suffice to say that, if I were in Planning for BCC - and had anything to do with this matter - I would start looking for another career if I were you.

Anyway, enough of dodgy dealings for now, The Rainbow is holding a ruddy great street festival thingy on August 1st to raise dosh for the new roof. Nicky G is also celebrating the 1st birthday of Digbeth is Good this Friday - muchos congratulations and a big thank you for all your hard work on this blog...it's ruddy good - at The Spotted Dog 7.30-ish where she'll be gathering donations too.

In the words of Karen and Richard Carpenter 'It's only just begun...'

The Flyover Show…under a flyover in Hockley, Saturday 13th June 2009

‘Where’s the BBC, ITV or MTV eh?’ asks Ty. It’s a good question. Where were they? Why wasn’t there more support for this event from the ‘mainstream’ media? Mind you I just can’t see Nick Owen in a baseball cap and pair of MC Hammer trousers bustin’ some moves with his homies can you? Throbbing with positivity this brainchild of jazz supremo and local boy Soweto Kinch saw an impressive line up of local and international talent play the distinctly unusual venue of a flyover in Hockley. Its aim is pretty simple. The area perhaps doesn’t have the best reputation and by putting on a show like this Soweto’s clearly hoping to change perceptions, with or without the more traditional media’s help. I have to admit that I rarely venture down the Hockley and Handsworth way myself. I think even the most positive resident of the area would have to agree that, to the outside world, the place seems a little ‘edgy’ but, having spent 6 or 7 happy hours chilling out with a good natured bunch of people from the ‘hood I’d happily go back there. So job done in my case Soweto.

The organisation was brilliant. Barely any gaps between sets, enough loos to go round (oh so important) and surprisingly good sound (even more remarkable considering we were standing underneath several tonnes of fast moving traffic). There was a decent enough crowd too, which grew steadily as headliner Bashy’s set drew closer, but I can’t help feeling that more people should’ve seen this. Still it’s only the second year and Hockley (and its reputation) wasn’t built in a day eh?

Plenty of highlights to report, from local rapper Tan to Jonzi D (an MC/poet and hip hop choreographer with a rich CV dating back to the 80’s - a true old skool original), Tumi (a darn fine rapper all the way from South Africa) to Spokinn Movement (Spearhead-ish rap rock from Noo Yawk) and Natty (ina reggae stylee) to grime MC Bashy, not forgetting Ty (who, together with Soweto, did an excellent job of hosting the event). I really enjoyed the poem written and recited by Gemma Weeks too. Can’t remember what it was called but I can remember thinking that it had some lines of pure genius. Oh the jazz duo of Robert Mitchell and Corey Mwamba were good as well…balls…everyone was good. The fact that (presumably…as this was a free show) they got paid little or nothing at all somehow made it all even more impressive.

Soweto was all over the place (in a good way), guesting on loads of sets, meeting and greeting the crowd, sorting out the running order, co-hosting with Ty…I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d built the stage, wired up the PA and prepared the fried chicken too. It was one of those events that made you feel proud to come from Birmingham - hell, scratch that - the human race. And there aren’t enough times these days when I feel like saying that.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Supper(club) man…

…or DJ Marcello in this, the fifth in the Supperclub series (bugger…looks like I missed the first four…wonder what they had…I always like a nice bit of cheese on toast…either that or a chicken kebab). It seems that this double album is designed to act as something of a ‘post dinner, pre-dancing soundtrack’. Sounds very posh. It is too. In fact it’s the kind of music that you imagine being played in beach bars full of beautiful people with all over tans, bods to die for and a 60ft yacht anchored just outside Monte Carlo. For us lesser mortals (I’m not so much a yacht man…more of a rubber duck dude) it’s actually a pretty fine Sunday morning CD too - you know the deal, Sunday papers, cup of tea and hot buttered muffins in bed...nothing but a mild hangover on your mind.

Amongst the 30 tracks that make up the album you’ve got some big names, Bebel Gilberto, Ennio Morricone (both neatly remixed) and Trentemoller, but it’s some of the lesser known tunes that distracts me from my muffins (and it takes something pretty special to separate me from my muffins). ‘Magpie’ by Abraham lays some nifty 80’s sounds onto a bed of chilled out beats with some lush female vocals (like a happier Beth from Portishead). ‘Baaaby’ by Ta’raach samples some 70’s soul funk which is just right if you fancy getting a little jiggy, especially as it morphs into the breathy ‘Swim (With The Dolphins)’ featuring the soft as silk voice of a certain Victoria Wilson James. ‘First Transmission’ by Al-Pha- X is another highlight from Disc 1, a string soaked Arabian adventure, followed a few tracks later by Marzebian’s ‘Let It Ride’, 5 minutes and 45 seconds of chilled down salsa flavoured heaven. Why bother exploring the world when you can lie in bed and let it come to you eh?

Disc 2 can also be safely filed in the ‘Chilled Out Beats’ section of your music collection (actually my filing system just consists of piles and piles of CD’s on the floor…under the floor…in the bath…everywhere…it’s like a large branch of HMV has thrown up all over my house). In fact, if anything it’s even more chilled…perhaps a degree or two. I can personally vouch for the gypsy tinged Taxi To War by DJ Disse which gets the old head nodding and Je T’taime by Kerri Chandler, a tribute to the trials and tribulations of lurrrrve. If your man/woman done you wrong stick it on and dance around the garden in your pants. It might not help but it’ll give the neighbours yet another reason to blank you in Tesco Metro. Seriously though (shit, I have to be serious?) this album’s a pretty perfect soundtrack for just sitting back and letting the world wash over you, whether you’re in bed with the Sunday papers (and your muffins, don't forget the muffins) or fully i-podded up on the beach (muffins optional here I guess). Ciao.

Supperclub Naivety, mixed by DJ Marcello, is out on United Recordings on July 13^th 2009.

Some care over The Rainbow...

Okay. This is serious. It seems that the threat to shut down The Rainbow (one of the UK's best venues for new music) is now rather too close for comfort. ONE PERSON has complained about noise from the venue. ONE PERSON who, may I add, chose to live near the bloody place. In my book it's a case of 'first come, first preserved' and The Rainbow was there long before they were...we can all start by signing up to the Facebook group set up to keep The Rainbow open. They want to get 15,000 names ASAP. It's here. Click. Join. Simples. There are plans afoot to arrange a march of some sort and details should be posted there too. I was going to write a long rant about the whole situation but the words on the Facebook page do the job better than I could. No matter where you live if you love music just sign up.


Thank you so much for your support so far.

We are looking for 15'000 names. Please help make a difference.

Please invite all of your friends to join this group.

Thank you x
***********************************

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Birmingham's Environmental Taliban Sit In Judgement On Rainbow.

Birmingham City Council EPU (Environmental Protection Unit), are today sat in session considering the serving of a noise abatement order against The Rainbow.

This is the latest move in their wish to see a once vibrant Digbeth transformed into a souless artistic wasteland populated by Stepford wives and cultural pygmies, and where the only entertainment is watching tumbleweeds race down deserted back streets.

This latest outrage is yet again the result of one - yes that is right ONE- resident of the Abacus flats complaining about a noise nuisance.

This resident since occupying the flats has seen off the Spotted Dog (its nearest and most immediate target), is now close to achieving the same with The Rainbow, and will no doubt soon be turning their sights on The Rainbow Warehosue and The Custard Factory.

Just how much devastation are they allowed to cause before someone has the wit to halt this senseless slaughter? Many of the council's own departments vaunt the vibrancy of Digbeth, and indeed the Planning office makes much reference to Digbeth's unique 'jewel in the crown' potential as part of its big city plan. Just how much vibrancy will soon be left - perhaps just the vibarting echo of a hollow vaccum? Anyone who has followed this issue online is aware of the strength of feeling it arouses, and the sheer frustration of how Birmingham seems determined to always be the ugly sister/poodle next to far more dynamic cities like Manchester, London and Liverpool who provide their cultural spaces with oxygen to breath and prosper as opposed to smothering them.

No-one can underestimate the significance of art and cultutre on the desirability of a city to live and work in - and it is generally a city's youth that are best placed to take a city's cultural pulse. Increasingly Birmingham's is flatlining. Just think how different it could be if institutions and organisations like The Rainbow were given support, and how much change they could effect in other people's perception of the City.


THE FACTS ARE THESE
Noise nuisnace is a totally subjective matter - it is not measured - it is all about a council officers 'trained human ear'. There have been instances where even the EPU's own officers have failed to detect a nuisance following a complaint against The Rainbow - but different day and different officer - different result..

There are residents on the same facade and elevation facing the Rainbow that maintain there is absolutely no nuisance at all and that far from having a problem with the Rainbow - the reason they moved in was to be close to such ammenities (this is similarly the overwhelming view of Digbeth's Residents Association).

The Rainbow's own research from the Abacus rooftops indicates that yes a bass beat can be heard when there is a lull in background traffic noise - but would struggle to see how this was a noise nuisnace behind closed windows and doors and should certainly cause no problem when trying to sleep within a bedroom.

Nevertheless accepting the views of the Council and having had a number of 'noise nuisances' subjectively witnessed againt them from one resident's flat, the Rainbow has agreed to erect a roof on it's courtyard area to prevent sound leakage.

This in itself is a highly sensitive subject as the Rainbow is being made to pay the price of the council's own negligence over the construction of the Abacus flats (which failed to comply with thier own rules on noise surveys). The Rainbow agreed to do this as soon as plans could be steered through the planning department - so completion would be around August.

Meantime The Rainbow has regularly asked to negotiate/discuss with EPU/complainant its events over the ensuing 3 months, to try and ensure that everyone keeps a cool head, as we cannot afford to close for the period, and any suggestion of us playing music at an ambient level is just naive. This has included giving them details of what times events will start and finish, planning noisier events around times when they may not be in reidence (on holiday), offering to put them up at our expense in a hotel for the night if needed - even very simply getting them to phone us if the levels creep too high. REMEMBER this is just over a 3 month period until a roof prevents any further issues.

Unfortunately EPU and the tenant refused to countenance such an initiative and have decided to simply stick to - 'if you make what we consider to be a nuisnace meantime, we will act' - this was even when informed we would need to hold some fundraising events meantime to ensure we could provide for the very solution to their problems.

Anyhow following another subjectively witnessed noise nuisance committed before 11.30pm on Monday (hardly the middle of the night) we now are now awaiting a decision on an abatement order. Knowing what a ridiculous injustice this is and what the wider implications are for the area - we will fight it should we get it - to the bitter end if necessary - to the point we are physically ejected and the pub is boarded up. But we would like your help - sign up to the facebook group so we can present it to the council.

Thank you

Love
The Rainbow Team

Yo da Cologne…Ancient Astronauts touch bass.

If you like your hip hop tripped out then you’ll do your nut for Cologne’s Ancient Astronauts. The opening tracks in particular (‘From The Sky’ and ‘I Came Running’) are just designed for kicking back in the Summer sun and cracking open a bottle of Weston’s Organic or, as the Press Release has it here ‘…sinking into the sofa and blazing another fat one’. Oh what a wonderful world it would be if everyone did just that. Maybe our MP’s could claim for a bit of ‘erb…on second thoughts I wouldn’t be surprised if half of them already have…Duck Island! WTF. You gotta be whacked off your bonce to come up with that one. Anyway, back to the music. Things get a little livelier with the appearance of hip hop heroes The Pharcyde on the flutetastic ‘Classic’ then you’re straight into drum n’bass territory (albeit a squiffy version of d n’b) with ‘Dark Green Rod’. Fast forward a couple of tracks and the legendary Tippa Irie makes a guest appearance (presumably fresh from sitting on his sofa, blazing a fat one) with the Jah toasting ‘All of the Things You Do’. I defy you not to have a crafty skank to that one...

As a lover of the darker side of hip hop too (Dalek, MF Doom…that kind of snizzle) ‘Oblivion’ is probably the highlight for me though. Featuring DJ Zeph and Azeem it’s an ominous bass heavy cut with some particularly neat word play. The album ends where we came in, back with the trippy spaced out grooves of ‘Surfing The Silvatide’ and ‘Crescent Moon’. Astronautical…but nice.

‘We Are To Answer’ by Ancient Astronauts is out on ESL Music on 29^th June 2009…or, if you happen to be visiting Venus, I believe Bob’s Record Store has a really good hip hop section.

Dan Smith / LP45 / Get Frank @ The Rainbow, Friday 29th May 2009

The world just looks better in the summertime don’t it? Looking back at my calendar I was surprised to discover that I was made redundant 15 whole weeks ago. Tempus fugit. The first few weeks were a little odd, after that I picked up a nice freelance project that keeps me pretty busy and pays the bills. One of the great joys of working this way is that you can, within reason, just decide to pack it all in for an afternoon and sit in the garden…chillaxin as the young folk might put it. That’s just what I did before tonight’s gig. Me. A garden. A good book…and just the gentle parping of traffic horns as commuters make their sticky way home. Bliss.

Against this backdrop of inner city reverie up popped Get Frank. I’ve been wanting to see Frankie Ward (lead singer of Get Frank…seemingly more of a collective than a band…sometimes it’s just her, tonight it was half a dozen people) for a while now after dipping in and out of her blog (which features a shed load of musical works in progress). She’s a busy bee. On top of acting in zombie films, producing radio shows, reviewing bands, appearing onstage with the Mystery Jets and discovering a cure for the common cold Frankie also writes, sings and plays the Uke. When I was her age I could barely be arsed to breath…hmmm…I’ve not really progressed much…still, know thy place that’s what I say. Or, as Quentin Crisp once put it, ‘If at first you don’t succeed, failure may be your style’. Anyway, the music…there’s some of the wit and verve of Regina Spektor in there, perhaps even a touch of Sandy Denny (I’m going though another one of my folk phases) and shades of another local star, the lovely Gemma Quarterman’s lush tones. Lyrically she’s as raw and honest as they come, check out ‘It’s Not You’…where she rails against soppy men and yearns for a bit of rough (she should try Bearwood…the place is full of ‘em) or 'Cautionary Tale'…a world weary lament on failed relationships that, along with a rousing ‘Nature Boy’ was one of the standout numbers tonight. This was the first time that Get Frank had performed as a six piece and, naturally enough, it was a bit ramshackle in places but that was part of the charm of it all. Frankie’s got a cracking voice and a charming stage presence, there was a good blast of sax (I do love a good blast of sax) and, given a few more gigs under their belts, the new six piece Get Frank experience will iron out any little niggles. I get a strong feeling that our Frank has just the right mix of talent and chutzpah (yes, chutzpah…I’m going through a bit of a Yiddish phase too alright already) to really get somewhere…one to watch.

Next up…and another one to watch…in fact I’ve already watched them once before and loved ‘em…LP45. These boys are sharp. The ghost of St Jeff of Buckley may loom over many artists but LP45 breath new life into his, by now, iconic sound. Adding an upbeat jazzy feel to the music lifts it out of the bedsit and into the sunlight and it just sounds bloody great (I’m sorry…that’s as eloquent as I get sometimes…’bloody great’…is it any surprise Rolling Stone magazine hasn’t come calling?). Frontman Simon is as charming and loveable as a dozen puppy dogs and seems incredibly modest and self effacing. This is a great band. Just go and listen to them. I can personally recommend the instrumental mentalism of ‘Asian Persuasion’, the scat jazz-tastic ‘Next Door’ and their jewel in da crown ‘All We Know’…the first single off their debut album…just as soon as someone signs ‘em. Why the hell haven’t they been snapped up label? You’re all fools…fools I tells ya…

Finally, Dan Smith. His recorded output features lush orchestral arrangements but tonight was more of a sparse affair (just him, a drummer and a bass player). He’s got a neat line in clever lyrical twists and that thing that Regina Spektor does when she draaawaaawwwaaaaawwwwsss out words. There’s a bit of Queen pomp here and there and the sort of catchy piano bits that Dame Elton used to do so well. Highlight of the set, 'Alchemy', starts off as Dan’s Muse song before taking a detour into dubby territory. Hell, why not? I particularly liked the bit where he recorded all sorts of instruments live, then looped them back. It’s not a new trick but few artists have pulled it off so well. A fitting end to an evening of musical loveliness…

PS: Britain’s got talent (this is the topical bit…unless you’re reading this in 2026…in which case Britain will probably have been rebranded…maybe Avivaland or Santanderville or some such nonsense...sigh) but it ain’t on the telly. It’s in the backrooms of our pubs and clubs (oooh...this is getting a bit Churchillian), in those little venues where people perform for the love of it all. Birmingham’s got a pretty vibrant live music scene right now (despite the best efforts of Birmingham City ‘Council’ and those fools who move into city centre apartments then moan about a little noise)…get yourselves out there and let’s keep it that way.

Enjoy the sunshine y’all.

Like a Midi in a candy store...

The beauty of so many releases these days, particularly those from the dancey side of the tracks, is that artists aren’t afraid to mix it up a bit. General Midi’s (a close relative of Corporal Dolby and Lieutenant 5.1 Surround Sound…possibly) Operation Overdrive’s a classic example, coming off more like a compilation than the production of just one man (albeit with a little help from his friends). Take the first couple of tracks for example. Opener, 4 Million Ways could get Dizzee Rascal’s head spinning, then you’ve got the poppier Absinth featuring some naggingly catchy old skool synth pop keyboards in the chorus. ‘I’m like a fat kid in a candy store’ sings Sean Gill on the latter track. You get the impression that Midi feels much the same way when it comes to gathering together the ingredients for his tunes.

What runs throughout the whole album though is the joyful spirit of the dancefloor…these are tracks just made for working up a bit of a sweat (or a lot of a sweat in my case…I’m not as fit as I was back in the day). Of course whilst the strength of an album like this lies in the many influences it takes from all over the shop there’s a flipside too. To my (admittedly music drenched brain) it’s not easy to distinguish one dance orientated artist from another (Milton nods towards Justice territory for instance). It’s not really an issue, this album’s as good as any in the genre (the Whale-like Hobo Humpin Slobo Babe guitar driven ‘Back For More’ is a particular favourite), but there’s room out there for someone to do something truly groundbreaking too and, judging by this release, I reckon Midi’s got the tools to make it happen…

All in all though, a mightily successful Operation.

General Midi’s Operation Overdrive is out on Distinctive on June 29^th

Mr Hudson / MPHO / Alan Pownall @ The Rainbow, Digbeth, Saturday 23rd May 2009

Yet another Rainbow gig to sell out and proof that this humble little Digbeth boozer continues to go from strength to strength. Tonight it revealed another of its nifty little tricks and took its top off (it has a ‘roll back’ roof…making it possibly the UK’s only convertible gig venue).

First up…and basking in the lovely late evening sunshine…Alan Pownall who’s got a nice laid back vocal delivery and a picnic basket full of perfect Summery ditties – kind of like Jack Johnson, but with a bit more oomph and a lot less surf.

Next up the electro-ragga-sampledelic MPHO (pronounced ‘Empo’…she was very keen to point that out, even getting us to repeat it back to her until we all got it right). As I’ve said many times before I’m loving these sassy 80’s tinged popsters…step forward GaGa, La Roux, Ladyhawke, Little Boots, Florance and the Machine, Bat For Lashes et al. I particularly enjoyed MPHO’s Martha and the Muffins (hmmm muffins) ‘Echo Beach’ inspired Box N Locks. In the days when such things mattered it would’ve been a ‘smash hit’...

Finally the man himself, local boy made good (oh so good), Mr Hudson…now without his library…but with the full backing of a certain Mr Kanye West. Not the most obvious of partnerships perhaps (although he has been remixed by Bizzle before now) but I’m all for mixing shit up a bit. Judging by his current MySpace tracks Mr H might be going a little bit more electro than in his previous incarnations (perhaps inspired by his new buddy’s last offering, 808 Heartbreak) but tonight’s gig was pretty much classic Hudson (it might even have been the same band that made up his ‘Library’). Watching him it’s not hard to see his appeal which (thanks partly to the Kanye endorsement) could see him go global. I was reminded in places of The Police (bear with me here), he’s got that kind of reggae lite feel that Sting made so much of…subtle, but there nonetheless. His songs have that same kind of instant appeal too. Cop a listen to ‘Too Late, Too Late’ or ‘One Specific Thing’ for instance. But (just like Sting) there’s something very English about him too…extending to calling one of his new songs ‘Stiff Upper Lip’. If none of this works out you can almost see him ending his days playing piano in up market hotel bars. Not much chance of that happening though, especially if the ecstatic sing along atmosphere of tonight’s jolly enjoyable gig (yes readers, I am Enid Blyton) was anything to go by – ‘Ask The DJ’ in particular was rapturously greeted by the crowd. I’m intrigued to see how the new album turns out. It’s been a while since Birmingham gave birth to a really big musical name and it would be nice to add a star to the Broad Street Walk of Fame for someone wasn’t in Sabbath…

PS: One thing that keeps bugging me every time I see Mr Hudson is whether he’s the same Hudson who had a band called The Hudson Sound. I can remember seeing them (and being impressed) at Ronnie Scott’s and The Flapper way back but I’m useless with faces. Is it the same guy?

Antony & The Johnsons @ The Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Friday 22nd May 2009

I’ve been in awe of Antony and his music pretty much from the moment I first became aware of him when he made the Mercury short list a few years back. ‘Hope There’s Someone’ is a simply stunning song delivered in that tremulous and unique voice of his – part Bessie Smith, part Yma Sumac. Musically, as in the rest of life I guess, I’m drawn to the outsider. They’re the people that make the world bearable…and they’re a dying breed. I blame the internets intermess. It’s turning us into a vacuous bunch of self obsessed morons who’ll end up posting images of our own faeces before too much longer and gibbering like gibbons on AudioBoo or whatever else some spotty 18 year old dreams up in Ohio. Still I suppose it keeps everyone occupied while the real world goes down the tubes. Truly the internet is the opium of the people (and yes, I’m aware of the ‘pot calling the kettle black-ness’ of putting all this down on a blog but, hell, I’m as vacuous as the next man).

By a strange quirk of fate the intermess prevented me from getting tickets for this show when they came on sale, then enabled me to get a pair just a day before the gig. I’m not a fan of buying stuff online, not too keen on my credit card being used by a bunch of crims in some far off land. So I did it the old skool way originally and went in to the Symph Hall box office on the day the tickets came on sale. There were tickets left…the seats were around 14,000ft from the stage, just outside Acocks Green I think. Naturally they were the same price as all the other seats. Bargain. So I left it…cursing the evil scum who had no doubt bought hundreds just to flog on ebay. Sure enough, when I checked, there they were. Dozens of ‘em. They ranged from the cheeky £40 per ticket (based on a face value of £25) to the downright sick £100 a ticket…EVIL SCUM. I had kind of resigned myself to missing the gig but thought I’d check back on ebay the day beforehand to see if any genuine sales had come up (people who really couldn’t go). Lo…a miracle! A pair of tickets…ROW C…for £40 quid…the pair. Met the seller in a pub car park the same afternoon (dodgy? moi?), paid in cash. Deal done.

Anyway, enough with the techno-ranting, we still have the music and, if it’s real emotion you’re after (not the e-variety) Antony is in a world of his own. Like Baby Dee he’s one of those artists that you either do or don’t ‘get’. For the believers he turned the Symph Hall into an alternative universe for the night…a place to just float in…enveloped by that voice, those twisted fairy tale style lyrics yearning for transformation, freedom, someone to love and be loved by. It’s strong stuff and, in the hands (and voice) of a lesser man, it could prove too cheesy, too weird or just too darn depressing. For me it’s the physicality of the man, balanced with his voice that makes it all work though. Like that episode of the Simpsons (when Michael Jackson is a big white guy) the two component parts don’t seem to go together - all too aware of this, much of Antony’s lyrics hint at wanting to be someone or something else. Just listen to ‘For Today I Am A Boy’ for example. Someone put that voice in that body for a reason and I’m damn glad they did. But, and this was kind of the big surprise of the evening, he’s a jolly funny chap too, a sort of cross between a dotty maiden aunt and Julian Clary. I got the sense he’d be quite happy just sitting there chatting with the audience, which is just what he did on more than one occasion prompting a couple of heckles to ‘just sing another song’. ‘Oh right’ he replied ‘yes some people do get a bit nervous during these bits’ hinting at the fact that people might like the voice but perhaps don’t want to be confronted by the man behind it? Could be. We got treated to a story of his dreams too, in which Jesus returns to the earth as an Afghan girl who lives in a cave (cos the rest of the earth is underwater)...then she walks on water to prove she's Jesus. At this stage in the development of the human race I wouldn't rule anything out. He's quite keen on the idea of a matriachal society too and reckons we'll all be better off if the world was ruled by women. It's an interesting idea but I get the feeling that ladies are just as capable of fucking up the planet as men are...in other words it's the individual not the gender that makes all the difference. But that's a whole new can of worms. Song wise we were treated to all the hits together with a healthy dose of tracks from the new album. No Beyonce 'Crazy In Love' cover though (he was asked to do it but gently refused...although he was impressed when the audience told him Beyonce was in Brum on Saturday night...don't be surprised if you see him there on the front row). Anyway, he was charming, even if he did hold his nose to simulate diving into despair during the intro of ‘Hope There’s Someone’ and moan about how depressing it was (sacrilege!). Fast forward a few years and I half expect to see Antony fronting Scissor Sisters…it could just be me but I think she’s ready to party - maybe that’s the real transformation that Antony’s been seeking all these years.

NB: Photo's were banned during the performance (but I snuck a cheeky one in right at the end...flashless) and the stage was a dark as a very dark place...hence the poorer than normal image. That's my excuse anyway.