I have no
idea why Jake Bug decided to breath some life into a mix of Skiffle
and Mersey Beat, but that he has isn't something that I would feel
the need to snort in derision at.
For
everyone who wants to make some sort of big deal about it all having
been done before I would ask them what they would rather have, Jake's
interpretation of the past, or the plethora of chart acts that have
swamped the airways with their lowest common denominator ear cancer
crap?
It's not
a difficult question, and if the rose tinted music snobbery was set
aside I'm sure I could hazard a guess at the answer.
So now
that this is out of the way I suppose that I should argue that as
everything has been done before then what we should be really looking
for is a fresh take on the past, or a slightly different mix of
styles to give the illusion of originality.
If that
is the case then I can quite easily live with this his skillful
attempts of bringing a sound that was slowly gathering dust in the
past into the glare of the present.
That it
doesn't actually sound old, and instead sounds fresh and vibrant does
it no harm either.
It
doesn't seem to matter if he is looking to provide a burst of
rockabilly, or like on Green Man a vocal that resurrects the sound of
the jug as used by the 13th Floor Elevators it all sounds
cool as fuck, and isn't that what the bottom line should be anyway?
Does it
sound good?
Does it
make you want to dance?
Does it
make you feel something, anything?
If the
answer is yes to any of the above then just go and buy this ep, and
get his album as well.
In fact
if you can get a ticket to see him then do that to
Consider
it your own little rebellion.
A two
fingered salute at David Guetta, LMFAO and the like.
Have I
ever shared with everyone that I'm a bit of a Sherlock Holmes fan?
I don't
recall.
Anyway, I
don't wear a deerstalker, carry a pipe around with me or claim that
the game is afoot at every opportunity, neither do I play the violin
or dabble in narcotics.
So most
people who know me probably weren't aware of my fascination for
Doyle's most famous character.
I
actually own all the original books, and a fair smattering of the
novels that carry the legend on into the present day.
I also
have a rather sizeable collection of DVDs featuring the detectives
detective from cinema to television.
These
range from the 1954 US series with Ronald Howard to the more recent
BBC success that starred the excellent Benedict Cumberbatch in the
lead role (and for those who haven't seen the 1954 series, and laud
the originality of the more recent version, then you should have a
gander and wonder at the audacity of the virtually word by word lift
of certain scenes. Naughty, naughty to say the least for the lack of
a credit).
Of course
I also have the Jeremy Brett ITV series with the two Dr Watson's that
most fans will still accept as the definitive Holmes, and who am I to
argue the point.
Add in
all the Basil Rathbone films, the recent Guy Ritchie directed
blockbuster movies, some made for television feature length films,
the Hammer studios version of Hound of the Baskervilles and more, and
then bits and bobs such as the Murder Rooms series and such, and
while I don't have nearly the exhaustive collection that some fans
have I do seem to be able to claim to have a little more than a
passing interest.
This all
leads me to the new US series 'Elementary' that has had some fans
wringing their hands and uttering such strong words as sacrilege.
I mean a
female Holmes....well I never.
Apparently
they wanted to simply make a US version of 'Sherlock' in a similar
style to their versions of 'The Office' and more recently
'Shameless'.
Just a
straight remake with US stars in the roles, but when that idea was
knocked on the head for whatever reason, they still went ahead with a
show starring Jonny Lee Miller in the lead role, Lucy Liu as Watson
and Aidan Quinn as a sort of 'Lestrade' figure.
It's all
rather interesting as that's now three roles that Jonny Lee Miller
and Benedict Cumberbatch have shared.
Both
alternated between playing Doctor Frankenstein and his creation in
Danny Boyles adaptation of Mary Shelley's iconic creationist tale,
and now here they are playing the master detective.
This
mirroring of characters they have played has obviously lent itself to
some wanting to claim that ones interpretation is of course better
than the other, and in general as the BBC series does lean more
towards a modern take on Doyle's character, rather that the American
show using the character as a springboard to introduce a rather new,
and less conventionally recognizable Holmes, the fans are nailing
their colours to Cumberbatch's performance as the one that is
superior.
However
that's something that I would maybe question.
After
watching a couple of episodes of the new series it's like comparing
apples to oranges.
It isn't
really a case of one being better than the other, just different, and
isn't there room for both anyway?
What I
would say is that maybe they shouldn't have used Doyles characters at
all, and simply went for a detective series that people could claim
featured a lead character who was Holmes-esque.
In doing
that they could have avoided all the negative fan loathing and just
allowed the show to find it's own feet as one that pays homage to the
Holmes character.
They
didn't though, and instead kept with a tenuous link and what we get
is Jonny Lee Miller playing Holmes as a thoroughly modern character.
Sort of like a Derren Brown on steroids.
He's
flawed, he's had his problems with alcohol, and even seems to have had
past relationship issues, he's tattooed, he's edgier than expected,
and the loose cannon aspects seem less to do with the always held
belief that the character is operating in the autism range, and more
to do with a bit of psychosis maybe linked to his previous alcohol abuse paired with his level of intelligence.
It's a
strong take on a modern Holmes and could be described as the
dreaded re-imagining of the character, but I found him interesting
and thoroughly watchable.
In fact
I'll go as far as to say his portrayal of a Holmes grounded in the
present is rather fantastic.
Similarly
Lucy Liu isn't playing a Watson that has a strong link to the defined
character as we recognize him, but instead she's a Watson who is paid
by the father of Holmes to keep an eye on his wayward son and ensure
he doesn't have a relapse into addiction.
Apart
from her hanging about with Holmes as his sidekick and foil, the only
real link to the well known character is a surname and her previous
employment as a doctor (surgeon in this case).
This side
stepping of the heavily defined characters is really what the draw is
rather than it being a negative point.
That they
aren't aping the 'Sherlock' series is its saving grace.
So as Sky
have bought the rights to air the show here in the UK I would
recommend it as a very entertaining new serious.
Give it a
go and you may be surprised.
Just
remember to put any preconceived ideas to the side.
Oh and if
you do want a fix of a more traditional Holmes then read 'The House
of Silk' by Anthony Horowitz as that nails the spirit of the
originals with a nice twist.
Pop music
has lost any sense of individuality it would seem.
Or you
could be forgiven for thinking that if you were lending an ear to the
national charts.
A parade
of soundalike material that runs from r&b songs with a bit of
rap, to rap tunes with some r&b added, and then there's the
occasional boy/girl band, or solo boy/girl act, ploughing an equally
redundant furrow.
The days
of the singer songwriters making their mark in the public's
consciousness seems to be consigned to the past.
Of course
there are exceptions to the rule.
We have
Paulo Nutini for one, and Gary Barlow and Ray Lamontagne to mention
another two, but to paraphrase Ol' Blue Eyes they are 'then again too
few to mention'.
Hopefully
there's room for one more though, as Sean Kennedy has shows with his
debut ep that rather than reaching for the bottom rung and looking to
cling on, he has instead delivered material strong enough to ensure
himself a solid footing next to those who are already enjoying a
great deal of success.
Across
the breadth of the five songs he displays a knack for writing
material that immediately beds in, and even acts as a catalyst to
thinking who could sing the songs if he limited himself to the song
writing side.
From his
acoustic tracks to the lush orchestral arrangements on others there's
really no low points in the ep's totality.
Nothing
jars, and it's a very smooth listening experience with the song
writing and the musicianship maintaining a very high standard.
Someone
like Simon Cowell would sell a limb to sign Sean Kennedy, and that's
not to belittle what Sean is doing by mentioning his name in the same
breath as the music fans 'he who cannot be named', but instead to
draw attention to how the material is already perfectly formed and
very obviously ripe to be put out there for a large demographic of
the public to enjoy.
If this
ep serves to ease the door open a bit, then a full album of a similar
quality will kick it wide open and Sean's name could very well be
hanging over the doors of some major venues.
Like many
others I watched Felix Baumgartner make his leap of faith in science
yesterday.
From the
edge of space he plummeted towards earth with the world watching.
Or most
of the world.
Most
because I noticed on the social networking site facebook that hidden
in among all the very many comments about the jump, there was an
alarming amount of people asking who he was, and what had just
happened.
Even
although those ignorant of what had happened were in the vast
minority, there was enough of them for me to ask myself how they
couldn't know.
People
could be forgiven for not remembering his name, for failing to be
able to rattle off the facts and figures, and more.
Even
forgetting it was yesterday is fine.
No one
really expects the guy next to them on the train, or the woman
sitting in front of them on the bus, to be able to talk about how the
suit Felix wore was designed, but I did find myself wondering how
anyone in the western world who has the internet at the fingertips,
frequent news reports on their televisions, and a plethora of
newspapers and magazines at their disposal, could be unaware of what
had happened in its totality.
Apart
from the media informing them how could they have went through the
week prior to it without even hearing a friend, colleague, or member
of their family mention it?
To not
know what was happening must have taken some effort.
There's a
huge difference in not being interested in what this man was going to
do, and not knowing he was going to do it is my point.
How does
someone manage to get from day to day with this inability or
unwillingness, to process what is going on around them?
Is it
possible that they just lack enough intelligence to read, or hear,
about it and keep it in their noggins, or are they so narcissistic
that what colour they are going to dye their hair, or the complex
consideration required to decide if they need to top up their tan,
squeezes everything else out?
What's the worst of the two?
Obviously
if someone has just grasped onto consciousness after being in a coma
for a few weeks then we can let their ignorance of the event slide.
Likewise
those who have far more pressing issues to concentrate on.
It's a
fact that for some their lives are currently on hold as they deal
with serious issues of their own, or that of a family member.
If that
is the case then it's a bonafide reason, and not an excuse for them
being unaware of what's going on in the world around them, but what
about those who did post on facebook.
The
people asking what was happening after the fact, with their 'whose
this Felix guy' and 'what's everyone taking about' comments?
Are these
people the same ones who can tell you who is joining the cast of
Hollyoaks an hour after it's announced and insist that The Only Way
Is Essex is reality a television show, but can't tell us who the
current prime minister is?
I think
they might be.
I suppose
the thing that bothers me about this is that the total lack of
awareness from some begs the question what else are they ignorant
of.
If they
can fail to pick up on a the media circus surrounding the jump then how many other more newsworthy stories are failing to register with them?
I wonder
if they know that we are in the midst of a recession, that this
government are tearing apart the NHS, the welfare state, and anything
else that they can think of?
It's a
scary thought.
Then
again maybe they have the right attitude and I should just
concentrate on remembering the schedules for the television soap
operas and keep the real world outside.
My
eighteen year old son is semi stuck in the sixties when it comes to
music.
Occasionally
he will wander into the seventies, but apart from a very few
exceptions the eighties, nineties and the naughties hold little that
manages to hold onto his attention, and you can forget pretty much
anything from 2010 till now.
Give him
Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Creedence Clearwater
Revival, and pad out a record collection with some Howlin' Wolf and
his ilk and he's as happy as a pig in the proverbial.
Due to
this the last few years gig wise has seen him ticking off a sort of
bucket list of acts.
He's seen
Dylan a few times, went to Amsterdam to see Roger Waters perform The
Wall, and a bunch of other shows like that.
This week
it was the turn of The Kinks, or to be more specific Ray Davies of
The Kinks, who was playing in Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall.
Now I'm a
fan.
I like
the Beatles and The Stones as well, but both of these bands are so
huge that it often pisses me off that people forget about how good
The Kinks, The Animals, and more were, and in some cases still are if
they are playing.
So I was
looking forward to the gig as much as he was.
Before
Ray was to entertain us there was however the support to be
considered.
A young
Londoner called James Walbourne who fitted in well as an opening act.
As the
crowd were mainly of a certain age - with many of them obviously
there for nostalgia reasons - it wouldn't have worked if the act
supporting Ray Davies was an electro pop punk band with a transsexual
front person.
Even if
their name was Lola.
So it was
fitting that James plays blues, country and a bit of skiffle sounding
guitar. and accompanies it with a fine voice that wouldn't have
sounded out of place in the sixties.
It's
really exactly what the punters would have wanted, and it's what they
got.
I was
tempted to buy some of his Edwyn Collins produced CDs, but at six
quid for an ep and a tenner for a four track 10” that was there I
managed to keep my hands in my pockets.
While his
set was enjoyable, and he's a talented young man, for me it failed to
reach a point that I would want to invest money in any of his
releases, or even make that much of an effort to seek him out to see
him perform again.
That's
not to say I didn't enjoy what he does.
Just that
on this night, at that specific time, it didn't act as a catalyst to
me exploring more.
Ray of
course came on to a heroes welcome.
A much
deserved one in my opinion, and with just his guitarist by his side
went straight into a run of four Kinks songs semi acoustically.
It's not
just his interpretations of his own songs that impress, but also the
easy way he communicates with the crowd.
He's
quietly self deprecating and comfortable in chatting, and if you just
focus on him it would be easy to forget that he is performing in
front of a rather large audience.
It all
feels rather intimate when the surroundings fade into the background.
Anecdotes
sit shoulder to shoulder with little jokes - like his impression of
Johnny Cash singing Dedicated follower of fashion - and it all adds
to the experience.
I thought
I knew what was in store for us as I seen The Kinks play one year at
Glastonbury, but Ray solo is a completely different deal.
He's
better.
Or this
performance was better than the Glastonbury one I should say, and not
make grand claims that Ray solo is better than all the collected
Kinks performances.
When the
rest of the band join him to go full on electric the pace certainly
picks up and the set is really just a best of The Kinks.
If you
have a favourite song then there's a good chance he sung it.
This, for
me, was the only very minor downside to the show.
While I
do appreciate that he has a vast back catalogue of much loved
material to pick a set list from, and that the vast majority
attending want the classics, I wouldn't have minded a smattering of
his own solo material as it's of a comparable quality.
As I said
though, it's a minor downside and it would be churlish to make an
issue of it when basically every song was a highlight in its own
right.
Everyone
will have their favourites, but for me the stand outs were Waterloo
Sunset that went from acoustic to electric, the proto punk blast of
all day and all of the night and the finishing on You really got me
that included a full explanation of how it was originally written and
performed by him before his brother Dave got involved with the
iconic, and instantly recognisable, guitar riff.
It's safe
to say that I'm hoping he honours his promise of coming back next
year, because if he does then I'll be hoping to get front and centre
for it.
Well
that's another gig promoted by the blog done and dusted.
It's all
been a bit of a whirlwind as there was only two weeks to sort out a
venue, secure support acts, get tickets printed, posters and flyers
distributed,,,,,,,,, and attract a crowd.
A bit of
a tall order, but one made easier by the welcoming and professional
attitude of the venue (13th Note), the speed that
printmytickets managed to supply the tickets, the ever reliable
Andrew in MBE for the printing of the posters and flyers, and the
efforts of both the supports (James Foley and Belle in the meadows)
in helping to spread the word.
Realistically
I fully expected maybe thirty people would attend, and anything above
that to be a bonus.
The
headlining band (The Wooden Sky) had in mind a possible twenty as
they were well aware of how difficult it is to promote a show in such
a short time frame.
So that
around eighty turned up (capacity one hundred) on a cold Wednesday
night was something that blew my mind, and equally warmed the hearts
of everyone involved.
The main
attraction, as with any gig, is the quality of the acts though.
No matter
how much work is done behind the scenes it is the entertainment
supplied on the night that brings people out to experience the
communal magic of a gig.
So I
guess I should have expected no less, as all the very talented
musicians playing are in my mind premier league performers.
Opening
the show was the excellent Belle in the Meadows, an international
trio who are based in Glasgow, and are quietly cementing a solid
reputation as a live act to watch out for.
The story
behind them coming to my attention isn't a complicated one.
What
happened was that a few months ago I seen the band play a short quasi
open mic set in a coffee shop in Ayr and immediately tucked the name
away as an act that I would have to see again.
Then when
I was approached to be involved in promoting The Wooden Sky gig it
just seemed obvious that their addition to the bill would be a
complementary one, and with a couple of messages online it was all
sorted.
It really
was that simple.
Prior to
sending that message requesting them to play we had never conversed
at all, so I was very happy to find that they were open to working
with me without actually having any prior knowledge of who I am, or
the little things that I dip my toes into.
On the
night itself their performance was beyond criticism.
I doubt
anyone would disagree.
The mix
of keyboard, violin, acoustic guitar and harmonized vocals is well
balanced and sounds richly weighty.
Regardless
of the tempo of the song, or whether it's tapping into a folk vibe or
getting a bit more funky, everything sounds as if it is sitting
perfectly just where it should be.
In
hindsight I would have to say that I couldn't have approached a
better act to fill the slot.
After
Belle in the meadows we had James Foley entertain us.
James is
usually fronting his band 'Fole' but tonight he was going solo and
while I have seen him play without being backed up by his band mates
I could argue that this performance eclipsed all the previous solo
ones that I have witnessed.
The
strength in his vocal approach just seemed to have been pushed to the
fore.
Maybe
it's some newly found confidence in his own abilities, or he's found
exactly how he wants to drive his material forward, but whatever it
is it works.
Songs
like Randoms and Shakespeare Says sounded as if they had been given a
boost of new life and highlighted how good a songwriter James is, and
equally showed his vocal skills off to.
In the
coming months his band are looking to change their name and release
some more original compositions, and it sounds like the second part
of their musical career is going to be a large step forward from the
debut ep that they released under the name of Fole.
Personally
I'm looking forward to hearing what they have been working on and I
suspect those who appreciated James on the night will be to.
Evening
Hymns, the band, is really just a collective of musicians surrounding
Jonas Bonnetta, and on this tour they are Sylvia Smith and The Wooden
Sky.
Did I
really say 'just'. I should take that back.
Augmented
by, supported by, assisted by.
That's
more like it.
He has
the ideas, and along with his friends they provide the expertise to
make the dream a reality.
Throughout
his set he punctuated the songs with how they came about, and this
sharing of personal experiences from simple things like the weather
conditions when they recorded, to the heart on sleeve emotionally raw
admittance of how much he misses his father who had recently passed
on, allowed us all to participate in the performance.
When
people say 'you had to be there' then this is the sort of night that
they are talking about.
The sort
that breaks down the divide between audience and artists and moves
into a shared experience that isn't something that can be reached by
repeating a formula.
When it
happens it's rooted in an organic sharing of respect between those
who are telling a story connect with those who are listening to it.
Jonas
just opens himself up and gives, but at the same time holds his arms
wide and welcomes us to step into his embrace and feel what he is
doing.
There's
people who have been playing for decades that don't have the ability,
or even bravery, to do that.
It
created a very special atmosphere.
Something
that went beyond the experience usually garnered from participating
in live performances as an audience member.
This
feeling of communal respect was passed on to The Wooden Sky like a
baton in a relay race and they ran with it.
Everything
that I have said about Evening Hymns equally applies to The Wooden
Sky.
Between
them all it's really a large collective of musicians who are all
travelling the same path.
They want
to make a connection and have the talent to do forge it between them
and their audience.
A few
times different people approached me during their set and said
roughly the same thing, and that was that they felt they were
watching a band who were going to be huge.
I knew
exactly what they were getting at.
If they
find themselves in the right place at the right time with a hit
single under their belts, then they could effortlessly step up to the
global festival circuit and from there stadiums.
No one in
the 13th Note watching them would be surprised if it
happened.
If it
does then I suspect the roughly eighty people who were there will
swell to the hundreds who will claim that they were there, but we
will know who is telling the truth as all we will have to do is ask
how it made them feel, and if it mirrors our own experience then yes,
they were there.
As the
evening ran closer to a natural end the band stepped out from behind
their mics and joined by Evening Hymns did a truly acoustic set from
the midst of the crowd.
With this
they created the second 'you had to be there' moment of the night and
all that is left for me to say is thank you.
Thank you
to everyone involved.
The
bands, the venue staff, those who attended, everyone who participated
in one way or another.
This was
a gig that I can honestly hand on heart say that we pulled off
together.
'A Working
Museum' shouldn't be treated simply as an album, a conventional
release of a gaggle of songs, but as an invite down the rabbit-hole
where in turn Wreckless Eric and Amy Rigby will take your hand and
guide you through their own DIY influenced magical mystery tour.
Raggedly
poetic punk and psychedelic pop float in and out with a cinematic
clarity that evokes eras that don't really exist outside of their
heads, and now ours as they provide themselves as the spirit guides
who will reveal all.
You don't
really listen to this in the conventional sense, but instead it's
more a collection of songs that you feel.
That you
soak up.
Close
your eyes and you're taking a ride in one of Bolan's white swans in a
phantasmagorical fairground.
Drifting
past is Luke Haines doing some disco moves, and then he gives way to
The Beatles and the Stones watching reruns of The Simpons.
With
headphones on you could imagine that you are standing arms
outstretched in the dark as snowflakes float down all
around you, but as each pass closely by you can see that instead of
them being snowflakes that they are all small photos from an anarchic
scrapbook.
Some are
family scenes and others are iconic images.
Decades
of peoples lives are landing on your hands, eyelashes and lips and
melting away.
Every
time you slip the disc in and press play it's a different experience
to participate in.
Different snowflake photographs.
An
unerring work of genius. Utterly stunning at every turn.
......after all the Victorian era is apparently back in vogue.
Oooooft.
Here we
are again.
It's Tory
party conference time and as usual the spin doctors are leaking
information on the hour every hour.
Add in
the pre-conference interviews with our illustrious leader and I would
suspect that by the time he takes to the stage to preach to the
perverted that we could all claim truthfully that we have heard it
all before.
It's
extremely doubtful that he will utter one unexpected sentence to the
assembled throng.
In fact
most of us could probably write his script for him.
Cut out
all the rousing 'we are all in this together' diatribe and to sum it
up he will say that Labour left us in a more dire financial state
than any of us could ever have imagined, and therefore to put the
great back into Great Britain we will all have to tighten our belts
even more, and count ourselves lucky that we aren't the Greeks, Irish
or anyone else whose economy has tanked.
That some
of us have tightened our belts to the extent that two size zero
models could neatly fit inside and do a synchronized hula hoop
display is neither here nor there apparently.
Of course
the money that will be required will have to come from somewhere, so
we can fully expect 'Call me Dave' to announce that it isn't going to
be found from the deep pocketed, and equally short armed wealthy, or
the continually profit making conglomerates who can well afford to
pay their tax, but instead from those who can least afford it.
We have
heard the song often enough now that we all know the words.
In fact
he has already said that it will 'have' to come from the benefits
pot.
Now today
his partner in crime, the arch villain Mr Osborne who is presiding
over financial genocide, is reiterating his masters 'cut and slash
the finances of the poor' comments like a ventriloquists dummy.
Only this
time there's some more nuggets of misery to think about as he has let
it be known that the cuts are to the tune of £10 billion, and that
they will be coming from housing benefit for the young and from child
support benefits
It's the
usually broad brush strokes announcement that relies on the
manipulation of peoples perceptions to make them sound reasonable.
The
unemployed young are shiftless.
Basically
verging on feral.
So why
should we assume any financial responsibility for them as they are
undeserving of it?
Who wants
one of these kids as their neighbour from hell?
The easy
solution is to withdraw their ability to claim housing benefit and
then they will have to stay at home with their parents.
Sounds
fine and dandy when put like that doesn't it?
It saves
us some hassle and cash.
Brilliant.
Only
let's look at some of the things that are never mentioned as it
doesn't suit their final solution.
First,
where are all these golden opportunities for the young?
How can
anyone apply for a non existent job?
Why
should they be demonised for not working when there is scant work
available.
How about
if you are a young man or woman who has sorted out a good job for
yourself.
Moved out and grabbed some independence with two hands and
are aspiring to get your foot on the property ladder.
Then find
yourself out of work, or if you were lucky enough to hang onto
employment found that your hours had been cut to the point that you
have more going out than going in financially.
Your
option to remain where you reside is to claim housing benefit, but
no, not now.
You've
been excluded.
Guess you
will just have to move back in with your parents.
Unfortunately
once you left the nest they decided that their home was too large for
them to rattle about in and downsized.
So where
are you going?
Don't
look at me for an answer. I don't know either.
Then
there's the harsh reality that some young people need to leave the
parental home as it's a dysfunctional and abusive environment.
Their
only hope for a happy future lies in leaving and severing ties with
their past, but under the new housing benefit rules that option has
been swept away from below their feet.
That's
great, and goes a long way towards encouraging anyone to be a solid
citizen.
Or how
about if you were in a relationship and were enjoying the little
house and the 2.4 kids life.
That is
until your partner lost his or her job, or buggered off with someone
they worked with, or sadly died.
The
safety net for you is partially housing benefit.
Not for
long though.
What
happens if you also fall under the new rules for child benefit and
are excluded from some of them depending on how many kids you have.
It never
rains, but it pours eh?
There you
were living the life one day, and the next you're plunging from the
tightrope and plummeting headlong to the cold hard ground as a
statistically acceptable loss in the deficit war.
Bit shit
really, but don't worry. Everyone knows the young are resilient and
you will bounce back.
Of course
we are all in this together though.
Unless of
course if you are under a certain age, or have too many kids.
It's not
sounding so good now is it?
None of
the scenarios laid out there fit in with how we should be perceiving
those targeted.
Similarly
the reduction in child support benefits that they claim will be aimed
at those who have large families, and are unemployed, is mired in a
skewed perception of the recipients.
Are they
all the largely stereotypical benefit sponging families that are
depicted in the press and so perfectly portrayed in the television
show 'Shameless'?
Or as we
are all aware, are many of them just victims of circumstances.
Should
the family whose main breadwinner has just been made redundant with
no pay out be treated the same as the habitually unemployed baby
making machines that a very small minority are?
Should
the recently widowed be targeted?
Many of
us have had to deal with changes in circumstances that have
necessitated a reliance of the state through no fault of our own.
Should a
portion of us be left out in the cold now?
Apparently
so.
In the
next few days read what has been getting promoted as solutions from
the Conservatives, and then consider what they really mean.
Put
yourself in the shows of those who are about to lose out and try and
think about how you would feel if you were to find yourself
struggling and no lifeline was available to you.
It really
is time for a change.
Time for
people to start questioning who is really benefiting from the
solutions to the global financial woes that are being broached.
So how are
things with you guys? What are you all up to today?
We’re good thanks! We’ve been in the studio for the past couple
of days working on some brand new demos, so today we’re just
chilling out, rehearsal tonight though!
As usual there's going to be people reading
this who don't know who you are, so lets get that out of the way and
in your own words fill us in on how you all met and the origins of
Altered Sky?
I suppose it started because Ana (vocals) had been writing her own
material for years but had no band to record/play with. We were all
friends of friends I suppose. Ana knew Amy (drums+vocals) and Ross
(bass) and Ross knew Rich and Neil (guitarists). Then we got together
for an initial rehearsal, ended up hitting it off, wrote more songs
together that we enjoyed and took it from there!
I'm just listening to your 'In This World'
mini album and you must be very pleased with it?
After having been gigging/writing for a year or so, it was great to
have a nice, polished record to give to our fans at the time. Bruce
(Rintoul, producer at LoFi Studios) was great to work with and we
really learned a lot from him: from the process of tracking different
instruments and vocals to his unhealthy obsession with Sainsbury’s…
You are all pretty young and the
musicianship, song-writing and production is all very accomplished.
Has it been a steep learning curve for you
from forming to getting to this stage? How much help, if any have you
had along the way?
I feel we’re constantly learning and growing as a band. I can look
back and see a definite improvement today from previous gigs and
recording sessions. There’s still lots to learn, but I think we’re
heading in the right direction. We’re entirely self-managed so any
help we’ve had I think has come from the people we directly work
with while gigging/recording. There’s nothing better than
surrounding yourself with professional people and absorbing their
knowledge and experience.
I was
looking at your very professional website, and unlike a lot of bands
who are at the level of being unsigned and trying to make a mark on
the world you seem to be trying hard to cover all the angles with a
solid approach to promoting yourselves.
It's as if
from the word go you are emulating bands who are already successful
with your own solid videos, a wide range of merch and a similar
internet presence. Is this deliberate? Is the idea to act like a
successful band and therefore you will be perceived as one? (That's a
sound move if it is the intent)
We decided a long time ago that if we wanted to be treated
professionally (i.e. paid!), we’d need to look and act as
professionally as we could. This doesn’t mean wearing suits and
being boring, more that we always make sure we’re organised, arrive
to gigs on time, generally treat people with respect and try and make
friends wherever we can.
It sounds cynical but the merch stall is our best way of making
money, so we aim to make it as attractive as possible, with lots of
things for sale in lots of bright colours! It’s also where we hang
out at the show, the best place for us to meet fans in person.
As for the website, I (Rich) built it myself after realising how much
it would cost to pay a professional web designer, so kind of making
virtue of necessity!
In my experience there's a great deal of
young bands who put a lot of effort into writing and recording, and
then sit back and lose some momentum as they consider the job is
done. So what's your next step now that the mini album is out?
How are you going to keep the ball rolling?
Currently dreams of rock stardom are being
eroded away by a number of factors. The main issue being the ongoing
demise of the major labels and their lack of faith in investing in
anything that hasn't got a guaranteed financial return on it.
Gone are the days when a label would hang in
their supporting an act until people caught up on how good they are.
With that being considered what are your dreams for the band, and how
do you think that you can achieve them?
Our next step is to play to as many different people as possible!
That means touring as much as we can and also finding ways of getting
our music heard online by as many people as possible.
We’re constantly working on new material as well so hopefully if we
play somewhere twice, we’ll have something new for people as well
as the songs on the EP.
We like to test out new songs on a live crowd: nothing like a bit of
pressure for us and we get instant feedback on whether the song is a
good one.
We’re also in the early stages of putting together a new EP,
recording in early 2013 and releasing soon after. Our dream is to be
able to make music our career.
At the moment we all have day jobs: juggling tours, recording and
video shoots around work schedules is a nightmare! From what we’ve
heard, labels want you to show that you can already make your own
music, arrange your own shows and advertise yourselves before they’ll
offer to step in and take you to the next level.
Normally in interviews the question of who
it was that creatively influences a band normally makes an
appearance, but instead of that why don't you each tell us who you
are listening to just now that may well influence others in the years
to come?
[Ross] At the moment I’m listening to a lot of Panic! At The Disco.
I only recently got into them and I fell in love with Brendan’s
voice; his vocal melodies are so catchy! Also a massive fan of Dream
Theater and Paramore, bit of an odd pairing, but hey it works for me!
[Rich] My music taste has gone nuts in the last couple of years: I
used to be very much into technical shred metal stuff, but now I find
myself listening to all kinds of things: enjoying the tunes more than
any virtuosity, though anyone that can combine the two is incredible!
(check out Marco Sfogli and Andy McKee!). I’m also a big Dream
Theater fan.
My favourite band at the moment is Muse – really loving their
latest album The Second Law – if you haven’t already, give it a
listen: it’s sort of like Queen meets dubstep (that sounds like a
horrific description, but believe me, it’s amazing!)
[Neil] Since my iPhone is broken it’s all about CDs just now! Which
is kinda cool because riding in the car, you tend to listen to whole
albums instead of just your favourite song. I kind of like that
because it lets you hear where the artist was at when they made the
album! But at the moment I’m listening to a fair bit of Linkin
Park, LostProphets, James Brown, Herb Hancock, Deep Purple, G’n’R
and Coheed & Cambria!
Oh and now I think of it, I dug Ascendancy by Trivium out from under
a car seat the other day! That record has some major riffage,
crushing!
Generally though I’m in love with Classic rock, Blues and Funk.
Rhythm and groove make a song for me!
[Ana] I’ve got Lost Prophets, Crush40 and lots of videogame music
(Sonic, Final Fantasy, Silent Hill…) on my iPod just now. I just
stick it on shuffle.
[Amy] Very much into my pop punk! Love Yellowcard, Paramore and Blink
182, I feel a lot of my playing is influenced by those guys.
I grew up listening to Fleetwood Mac, Dire Straits and The Eagles so
all of those bands still have a massive hold on me! Love a bit of
Prog Rock as well Rush, Dream Theater are AMAZING!!
......and I'm jumping on it.
The very first 'real' gigs I went to way back when dinosaurs roamed the earth were all in the legendary 'Glasgow Apollo', and the opportunity to grab a tee-shirt is one that I'll not be passing up on.
You can get them here.
GLASGOW APOLLO RETRO SHIRTS. Excellent quality FOTL Heavys and professionally screen printed. All sizes available - Sm/M/Lge/Xl/XXl £10 each with p&p inc` UK/£12 EU/£14 ROTW Reduced postage on multiple items. Paypal - info@ink-clan-nation.co.uk
and apart from the Apollo t-shirt there are more designs available that would warm the heart of most old punks.
You can ask about them here and if you are in a band then custom jobs can be accommodated.
Well the
whole Jimmy Savile kiddie fiddler (alleged at the moment) story seems
to continue to be big news, and pretty much every seventies
television/radio star is stepping out of the shadows to claim that
they either heard rumours about it, or suspected it, but the one
thing they all have in common is that none of them did anything about
it.
Unsurprisingly here we are in 2012 and the backlash against their
silence is building up rapidly.
So
rapidly that every discussion about the specific allegations has to
have Esther Rantzen, Paul Gambaccini, and the rest, considered as
co-conspirators to the alleged abuse.
Is that
very fair on them though?
My first
thoughts were that it was the seventies.
The era
of The Sweeney and Love thy neighbour.
When men
were men, and women were to be good housewives and enjoy their second
class citizenship.
That's
not to excuse the behaviour of sexual predators who preyed on
children though.
Far from
it.
All I am
doing is pointing out that this alleged abuse happened to the
backdrop of an era when sexist, and even racist behaviour, was pretty
much the norm, and that does make a difference.
An era
when women were still finding their feet and fighting for real
emancipation.
A time
when the battle to be considered as equal to males in society was
barely out of the gates.
It's a
bald fact that allegations of abuse against females, regardless of
age, were not given the credence that they would be given now.
This was
decades before the war cry was zero tolerance.
In the
seventies men could in general do as they damn well pleased, and rich
men who enjoyed a famous profile could manage to go a step further
again and be virtually untouchable.
Taken in
the context of the era I'm not surprised that the people who heard
whispers didn't speak out.
Especially
as they claim it was rumours that reached their ears. Not that they
had actually witnessed the abuse.
It's all
so very easy to point the finger at these individuals safe from the
comfort of the couch, and claim that we would all do different, but
how many really would?
How many
people see things on a daily basis that they should have a moral
obligation to question yet don't?
Not even
hearing idle gossip, but situations that we see happening?
Not
necessarily child abuse of course.
Maybe we
should cut these celebrities of the seventies - a woman and a gay man
- some slack.
Without
definitive proof they were never going to get anywhere.
Maybe
instead we should be happy that off the back of the allegations from
the actual victims that they are willing to now voice their concerns
rather than maintain the silence that so many others probably are.
Of course
it shouldn't really need to be said, but if anyone actually seen a
child being abused then if they remained silent they are morally on
very shaky ground.
I
personally wouldn't feel the need to make any argument on their
behalf to absolve them of their responsibilities.
They are
in fact co-conspirators by proxy.
The
people who are more deserving of our loathing are those who worked in
the care homes and were told directly by the young girls what had
happened.
They had
a duty to act, and didn't
These are
the people who chose to ignore abuse claims from the victims to
maintain the flow of cash and the patronage of a famous man.
Their
refusal to act at the time sickens me far more than the silence of
the celebrities who had only heard rumours.
Mumford
and Sons are one of those bands who do very well.
They sell
a great deal of records and can fill some good sized venues without
breaking a sweat, yet it's hard to find anyone that I know who will
admit to liking them.
For some
reason that I can't fathom they are the band whose name must never be
spoken.
It's as
if it's rather fashionable in some circles to look down noses on
their efforts without having to explain, or even justify why, they
draw this passive aggressive loathing.
No matter
how many awards they have picked up, nor how much critical acclaim
they have attracted, or how large their fan-base is, I struggle to
find anyone I know who will give them the time of day.
It's all
rather strange.
When
their debut arrived I felt it was a rather refreshing take on the
indie folk sound.
It didn't
bowl me over, but I could see the appeal, and to be frank anything
that was going to disrupt the stranglehold of dross that is the
charts is always welcomed by my ears.
Now here
they are with Babel, their follow up to Sigh No More - an album that
is creeping ever closer to having sold 3 million copies I may add -
and while some bands would buckle under the pressure of having to deliver an equally successful album they have instead created a release that has shot straight in at the
number one spot in the US and is currently the fastest selling
release in the UK.
Apart
from the populist support it has received from the public, it would
appear that the mainstream media are loving it to.
Yet will
this success be enough to break down the walls and encourage those
who dislike them to lend the band a fresh ear?
Probably
doubtful, but when I listen to Babel I honestly can't dredge up
enough of a fuck within me to make the effort to get those who would willfully dismiss the band to listen.
After all
it's their loss as Babel is an album that will push the band to
deserved stadium stardom with or without the patronage of the cool
kids and the music snobs.
It's huge
in every sense.
It's
anthemic, but falls short of being bombastic. It's got heart and it's
got soul.
It's
effortlessly, and touchingly, introspective at times, and at others
it's equally a rousing soundtrack to a singalong party that could
exist in a corner bar, or even reach the back row of a football
stadium.
It's
quite possibly the every-man album of this generation.
There's
really no reason to dislike it at all, unless you want to be a
contrary cunt and claim that it's shite while arguing that the grass
isn't green and the sky isn't blue.
Fashionistas
be damned. It's a great album. Simple as that.
This painting was found in the basement of No10 Downing Street post peoples revolution.
It currently hangs in the rogues gallery section of the Tate Modern alongside portraits of Mussolini, George W Bush, Pol Pot and other illustrious dictators.
The name of the original artist is unknown.
Also found was a collection of hand carved wooden dildos with each having the glans resembling the head of a coalition cabinet minister of the time.
These are all currently in private collections with Tom Cruise allegedly very near to claiming ownership of the whole set.
Visiting times for the Tate Modern can be found on their website here.
Also worth checking is their 'death of a thousand cuts' exhibition that features an interactive Atos review.
It is worth noting that the interactive section is for those who are over eighteen as the lack of humanity involved is considered damaging to the psychological development of those below that age.
