David McAlmont is blessed with one of the finest and most distinctive voices of the last couple of decades. I say this not as a debating point…just a statement of fact. His soaring falsetto is equally at home on any style from bond themes, indie or dance through to the jazz standards on his latest album “Set One - You Go to My Head” which this gig promotes. He is quite simply something special.
The audience appears to made up of a mixture of die hard McAlmont fans, and a large contingent of McAlmont AND Butler devotees tempted along by the promise of the worst kept secret “guest” in gigging history, Bernard Butler. Bernard is however kept under wraps for the encore, with the main show featuring David’s take on a range of classic songs almost all of which were originally penned from a female perspective.
“Its great covering tracks originally recorded by people like Ella Fitzgerald or Billie Holiday, because you’ve got nothing to lose” says McAlmont introducing a classic but ignoring the evidence of jazz hobbit Jamie Cullam, and Robbie Williams who’s own crooned covers album caused many to swing while they were listening. If youre going to cover the greats… you’d better not be ordinary.
The first track of the evening “Night & Day” has in recent years been sullied by Bono and co, but tonight its exquisite. A fantastic laid back double bass groove allows McAlmont to deliver the lyrics as if they were his own.
Made famous by Whitney “Saving All My Love For You” is also delivered with panache, where a more mundane voice would run the risk of sounding karaoke like, here you momentarily forget the originals.
Theres even time for a bit of root vegetable and sweetmeat based innuendo courtesy of Bessie Smiths 1929 saucefest “Kitchen Man“. McAlmont takes great delight in the hilariously suggestive lyrics, “When I eat his donuts” he winks “all I leave is the hole, anytime he wants to, why, he can use my sugar bowl.” A little bit too much detail you might say but the pinker section of the crowd love it, and everyone else myself included creases up in laughter. Fantastic stuff.
So confident and assured is McAlmont that at one point he mistakenly sings the lyrics to one song over the top of another, realising his mistake he laughingly concedes that it was all going so well he was getting a little cocky. “I always do that, just as things look fantastic, I get carried away and it all goes wrong… right David modest, humble“.
And so for the encore and the evenings “surprise” guest… Bernard Butler takes to the stage for a timely reuniting, with the pair having just released a limited edition single “Speed“. It was was originally recorded in 2003, one of two tracks that EMI agreed to pay them to do, even though they were about to drop them. Listening to it tonight even stripped back and acoustic its difficult not to wonder exactly how a track as sumptuous as this can find itself unwanted by any label.
To an ecstatic response the pair play four songs, including “Falling“, and “Tonight” a classic from their 1995 debut album. David introduces the never recorded “Goodbye” as one of the songs EMI said they didn’t want. He mutters about how terribly they were treated, particularly by one person who he best be quiet about… Butler by his side more succinctly declares that “the guy was a total wanker”.
Predictably the night ends with a new version of their most famous track “Yes“, played in a more languid style, with bluesy guitar from Bernard. There isn’t even a drummer until mid song when Andy Gangadeen sits down at the kit, and the song launches off into its full majesty.
However unlikely a full time return seems you can only hope that this isn’t the last time we see the pair on stage together. They may have endured quarrels, and record company bullshit but both must know that together they make a glorious glorious sound, and that must be hard to close the door on forever.
So said Neil Hannon and new album “Victory for the comic muse” certainly finds him in rude health, sounding confident and relaxed. Free from record company hassles The Divine Comedy appear happy in their own skin once more. “Diva Lady“, “To Die A Virgin“, and “A Lady of A Certain Age” are at least the equal of anything they’ve done so far.
Unsurprisingly then I jumped at the chance to loiter around in the background as Neil, accompanied by John Evans on guitar recorded a session in the BBC 6 music hub. The grand sounding “Hub” is actually a couple of sofas and a coffee machine with probably room for a dozen at most, and due to paranoia about not getting in I turned up ridiculously early to find Neil and John still setting up. With a good forty minutes before they were due to go on air I sat with a couple of 6 music staff while they sound checked, chatted and recorded a couple of prerecords for broadcast at a later date. Neil also wanted to find out if he could actually get home that evening due to the 40 or so short hall flights that were being cancelled… Ireland seemed like fairly likely cancellation candidate.
There was some debate over whether they should try “Light of day” as the second prerecord or go for the apparently safer option of “If” a favourite of mine including the immortal line “If you were a horse I’d clean the crap out of your stable… Never once complain“.They finally opted for “Light of day” on the basis that if it didn’t work they still had time to do “If“, however barely mid way through the track a guitar string abruptly snapped. “Its such a thrash of a song, a real string killer!” quipped John.
With on air time approaching they spent some time trying to get the balance right on new single “To Die A Virgin“, Johns slide guitar was almost deafening, leaving Neil’s keyboards barely audible. Right on cue around 10 people turned up just in time to go live, and Nemone introduced what turned out to be a flawless rendition.
Hannon swiftly moved seats from keyboard to guitar before having a brief chat with Nemone. A rumoured cover version of the Vapours “Turning Japanese” was discussed with Neil saying it was “a little bit drum and bass”, and that people would have to wait until it was included as part a desperate attempt to shift a best of. The Divine Comedy had apparently considered a covers album but after trying five or six arrangements abandoned the idea, perhaps wisely given the sales of The Beautiful South’s covers collection.
“The new album came out simply because of the weight of material I’d built up. Songs have a sell by date and go off if left, you kind of forget what you were thinking about when you wrote it… So I had no choice I had to do a new record“. Neil Hannon
After the forthcoming V festival he said was taking a short break to see his daughter through the rocky first weeks of primary school, but declared 8am starts were really “not very rock and roll”.
Next up was “A Lady Of A Certain Age” my personal favourite of the new songs, and it turned out to be the highlight of the session, with the acoustic arrangement and slightly slower pace focusing the mind on its beautifully observed lyrics.
“Your son’s in stocks and bonds and lives back in Surrey
Flies down once in a while and leaves in a hurry
Your daughter never finished her finishing school
Married a strange young man of whom you don’t approve
Your husband’s hollow heart gave out one Christmas Day
He left the villa to his mistress in Marseilles“
It’s a fantastic, and sadly rare moment when a gig takes you by surprise and from nowhere you get tingles down the spine. There was something about Hannon sat five foot away delivering the lines above with such clarity that did just that. Call me a soppy old sod if you like but goosebumps there were. At the end of the song there was a moment of silence as Neil remained hunched over his guitar, and the audience suffered a collective fear of applauding too soon on live radio, “finished!” Neil jokingly prompted.
The audience left as quickly as they had arrived, leaving Neil and John to return to the abandoned “Light of day” prerecord which went smoothly save for a frog in Neil’s throat on a particularly high note. “You can edit that right???” he asked before continuing.
And that was that, I had time to quickly ask Hannon about the St.James Church gig a few months ago, which he said was a lovely place to play, but the sound had been terrible. It was worth it he said just for the chance to ask the audience to “All rise” in a church.
Thanks go to 6music, Neil Hannon and John Evans for kindly allowing me to hover in the background, and here’s hoping he managed to find a flight home.
Fifteen years ago a friend and I made a pact..I’ll go to your gigs if you go to mine. And so it was that I found myself watching the ample charms but weak voice of Belinda Carlisle, while he ended up crammed into a london venue that now escapes me watching political hip-hop courtesy of The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy.
The performance of Michael Franti and Rono Tse that night remains one of the best things I’ve ever seen, powerful hip hop mixed up with chain saws on stage and polemic lyrics covering everything from mass media bias to racial equality, not to forget a punk hip hop go-go cover of The Dead Kennedy’s. One of those gigs where you come out slightly dazed and delirious, but my friend didn’t share my joy, bemoaning it with a glum faced grumble… “its a bit political!“.
Never mind the pact broke down shortly afterwards when the Quo were the next of his want to see suggestions, but I’ve followed Franti’s career ever since (it would be churlish of me not to come clean and admit that the Belinda gig was actually ok too).
Fast forward fifteen years to Brixton Academy for my second Michael Franti gig, and a most bizarre audience. Approaching the gig it slowly became more and more apparent that every single person there was Australian, and on the tube home my carriage was 100% Aussie… No exaggeration.
Unfortunately I was cornered in the queue by a sanctimonious pair who proceeded to lecture me on Palestine, GM foods, and Tony Blair… despite agreeing with most of what they were saying I was overcome by a sudden urge to screach up in a 4X4, jump out in Nike’s, clutching a McDonalds, and furiously pelt them with Israeli grapes freshly purchased from M&S. A friendly Aussie guy on the tube later informed me that Franti plays loads of gigs in Aus, and that support act Xavier Rudd is a bit of a homegrown star.
Rudd was certainly different, escaping from the clutches of the righteous in time to catch a good half hour of his support slot I was initially confused at seeing one man behind a huge drum kit with no less than four didgeridoos strapped on, and a backdrop of three massive tie-dye kaleidoscope cloths. For a moment confused I thought someone had spiked Phil Collins drink, and in a tripped out state he’d recorded a Yothu Yindi covers album.
It was then a very world music stoner set-up, but his songs varied from long trancy dance pieces (think kind of Aphex Twin “Didgeridoo”) to more mellow slide guitar blues. Despite being surrounded with every percussion instrument known to man his strongest attribute was perhaps his voice, which had elements of a more vocally powerful Paul Simon with a heady dollop of David Gray (albeit a David Gray who’s less “Woh Woh Woh Wohhhhh Babylon” and more “Chant down Babylon Jah Rastafari“). The crowd were probably there as much for Xavier as Spearhead, and they duly went mental to sing along favourite “Let Me Be” especially when Franti himself bounded out to join Budd for a few rhymes, and a few bursts of the very catchy “Freeeeeeee…eeee.eee.eeee” chorus. While I don’t think I’ll be buying any Budd LP’s some of it was very nice indeed, while other bits saw me drifting off a bit.
MP3: Visit Burning Oak for Xavier Budd “Let Me Be” (MP3)
“…Television, the drug of the nation, Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation…
T.V. is the reason why less than ten percent of our nation reads books daily
why most people think Central America means Kansas
socialism means unamerican, and apartheid is a new headache remedy… “ Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy “Television - The Drug Of the Nation” (1991)
“TV commercials for a popping pill culture
Drug companies circling like a vulture
An Iraqi babies with a G.I. Joe father
Ten years from now is anyboby gonna bother” - Spearhead - “Yell Fire” (2006)
The music and the band name may change but Michael Franti will always be a political performer, and thank god for that there are few enough of those around, especially ones with the charisma and like-ability of Franti. Seeming to tower over the rest of his band he bounds out barefooted to the title track of the latest Spearhead album “Yell Fire“, and within a couple of minutes has three thousand people chanting “Tell all the children in the arms of their mommas… The F-15 is a homicide bomber“, and dancing while they sing it. His delivery is less rapid fire than it was in the Beatnigs or Disposable days, but he’s learnt how best to use his baritone voice as well as his rap.
The show was mostly made up of songs from his new LP “Yell Fire“, almost played in track order with a sprinkling of old tunes. While Spearhead were always less hip hop than the Disposables each album still mashed up Rap, Soul, Reggae, and perhaps a little Rock. On “Yell Fire” the balance has on some tracks sadly tilted firmly to Pop Rock. There are a couple of songs that wouldn’t sound out of place on a U2 LP, and frankly one Bono is more than enough for anyone. That’s not to say I dislike them, but good as stuff like the Latin tinged “Hello Bonjour” or “Not Alone” are I did on numerous occasions think “oh for christ sake not another guitar solo”. Dave Shul may be a very good guitarist but every time he stepped forward my heart sank.
Franti is the master of the clever trick of getting his political points across without sounding preachy. Its a party with meaning, so the bouncy reggae tune “Time To Go Home” is sing-along Iraq critique, with a Jah Wobbleseque bassline. Highlights of which there were many included the wonderful “Bomb The World” from “Everyone Deserves Music”. The lyrics “We can chase down all our enemies, bring them to their knees, we can bomb the world to pieces, but we can’t bomb it into peace” may sound simplistic even trite when written down but in times when Israel “defensively” butchers a thousand Lebanese there’s something moving if admittedly pointless about the whole of Brixton Academy singing it back accapella.
The acoustic “Sweet Little Lies” which Franti said he got his girlfriend to sing when he couldn’t sleep was charming, and “East To The West’s” reggae meets honky tonk piano had everyone dancing while the lyrics couldn’t be less pop, as “Plummet Onions” observed “Not many gigs can you hear the lyrics, “And one for the Lorax, who speaks for the trees.“
The party hip hop funk of final song “Everybody Ona Move“, was a joyous set closer with Franti rapping (which he does too little of) and dancing as if he had just this one last chance to move everyone. Thankfully free of rock influences it brought the consistently fantastic bass of Carl Young to centre stage, responding to Franti’s “I like my bass loudy..loudy ..louder” with seriously funky bass work outs. He clambered into the crowd to join them in a dance, and even once the music had stopped he hung around at the front untill well after I’d given up and left just chatting to his charmed fans.
As a student my Disposable Heroes “I can express more emotions than laughter, anger and let’s fuck” t-shirt was practically worn out, but after much pondering I managed to go home without buying a similar new slogan”
“Life is too big to make just One Decision
Music is too large for just One Station
Love is too big for just One Nation
God is too big for just One Religion“
I’m no longer a student, and although my ideals and beliefs are largely the same, much like Franti’s music the way they are expressed has changed over time.
It certainly wont be fifteen years before I see Franti again, even if I do wish he’d “rock” just a little bit less.
“I Know I’m Not Alone” - a film by Michael Franti (DVD) - £12.99 from HMV
Two years ago Michael Franti decided to walk his talk and traveled to the war zones of Iraq, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This wasnt a USO green zone sponsored visit Franti and his team organized a trip that would take him to the core of the red-zoned, war torn neighborhoods of Baghdad, the West Bank and Gaza Strip with his guitar, video cameras and the intent to experience first hand the human cost of war.
Two years on from their debut LP, and with album number two soon to come on new label, Domino, The Junior Boys made their live UK debut. The Luminaire, not the largest of venues was an odd choice, especially with a weighty guest list in action and they could have sold out it out several times over.
Its the first time I’ve actually made it to The Luminaire despite hearing rave reviews and it getting London venue of the year last year, but I’ll definitely be returning for more. As a lanky sod I especially appreciated the fact that in front of the dancefloor area just before the stage they have a mini pit. A guilt free front row position, without ruining the gig for the poor unfortunate 5ft lass that invariably stands behind me kicking my shins.
A trip to the gents (or ladies for that matter) also reveals another quirk… the stage is completely open to the audience at one side. If you came out of the toilet and turned right to the dancefloor too early you’d literally walk out on stage..no steps, no barrier, no security. “Tonight we have a very special guest with us..erm no we’ve no idea who this is… but he appears to have pee’d on his shoes“.
It was from stage side that I watched the slightly deranged but superbly entertaining support, Metronomy. Joseph Mount aka Metronomy along with backing band “The Food Groups” have been gathering plaudits since last years “Pip Paine (Pay Back The £5000 You Owe)” coupled with some excellent nob twiddling remix work. Their slightly eccentric geeky presentation is endearing, and put a broad smile on most of the crowd. Lined up behind their technology they each sport a large round white light in the middle of their chests, which can be hit to turn on and off. Somewhere in the depths of my cupboard is a tshirt with an equaliser on the front that bounces up and down in response to sound. Its so painfully geeky I’ve barely worn it, if I’d know I’d be amongst friends I’d have dragged it out specially!
With more choreographed moves than a Pipettes gig, each number sees a variety of flailing limbs usually revolving around switching their chest lights on and off. For one track all three grab guitars building up a fantastic riff while simultaneously showing what the Shadows might have looked like had Hank Marvin grown up listening to Kraftwerk, at the same time as frantically flicking their chest lights. All I can say is don’t ever challenge Metronomy to a game of Simon Says!
The low down dirty Stooges style guitar riff and cymbal crashes of “You Could Easily Have Me” gets the crowd moving while the wobbly synth melody has the ones not moving humming along. Some of the tracks sound like they are crying out for a vocal to finish them off, but most dont hang around long enough to notice this. They even survive the curse of many a “leftfield” group, a melodica led track with aplomb. The mental off kilter marching sound of “Black Eye, Burnt Thumb” turning out to be one of the highlights with a sound like Ryuichi Sakamoto being held up by a Mariachi band. With sax’s thrown over glitch style beats, synchronised dance moves, wobbly hook lines, and at one point bizarre pigeon noises. I could just imagine The Junior Boys sat off stage thinking “how the fuck do we follow that!”
Video: Metronomy’s Oscar Cash doing an Air Geetar Dance (YouTube).
Newly signed to Domino Records, The Junior Boys have upped the lushness and pop quota from their debut album, Domino have taken to calling them “pioneers of New MOR” in press releases… which to me makes them sound like a bad thing! As far as pigeon holes for their sound, its more Hall & Oates meets house than as the Guardian put it “Talk Talk produced by Timbaland” (well I cant hear a trace of Mr Mosley anyway).
Their set almost succumbed to terrible sound problems, taking an age to get started and then finally getting underway accompanied by a loud humming, which Jeremy attempted to root out before declaring “Oh fuck it who gives a shit, lets go“. They also seemed to be being deafened by the bass throughout, and when the equipment wasn’t failing fellow Junior, Matt Didemus cued up the wrong song on his Macbook with “Like A Child” almost getting a double airing. The final straw came when Jeremy’s guitar suddenly stopped working altogether leaving him to sardonically quip “Hey, no worries - guitars are shit anyway!”
Its a real shame that all the technical hitches never quite allowed them to get into any rhythm, and the drummer occasionally seemed to get out of time with the backing tracks. Good pop songs do however remain just that, and by the last few numbers they were starting to build up a head of steam that hints better may be to come when they support Hot Chip in November. Jeremy resplendent in a Martin Bell white suit also warmed up as the night went on, and his rich vocals moved up a notch when he dispensed with his jacket, and started to deliver lines with a bit more welly.
The encore of “Under the Sun” was gorgeous, with the epic sound punctuated by bursts of guitar not present on the recorded version or as K-punk more eloquently put it… “it was never one of my favourite tracks on Last Exit, but live it has a driving, widescreen sweep that recalls Simple Minds’ New Gold Dream at its most epic…“.
Browsing through blogs and forums its seems that the reaction to the show was generally good, with the exception of the affore mentioned sound problems, and what posters on the dissensus forum referred to as “Luminaires disease”… i.e. Liggers, and idiots talking throughout the show despite prominent signs stating this is a music venue not a pub please shut up. Stelfox summed it up best:
“had to tell the guy behind me yammering on about his coke dealer very loudly right the way through the first song to shut the fuck up or leave the room, then when i went to the bar you could hardly hear the jbeez for all the self-important waffle going on.“
Apologies to the majority of visitors to this site who don’t live in the UK capital, but as someone who lives in London i’m fascinated by its musical history. Almost every street has a story to tell, some well known, and some less so. With the advent of Google Maps I thought why not collect together as many London musical locations as possible.
Its a huge task, and this is a very very rough early attempt which I hope to develop (call it version 0.1). It’s only got a few locations so far but its a start (and will be updated soon).
I need your help - please leave a comment with any address’s, tales, birthplaces, drug busts, recording studios…anything really that should be included on the map. Also if anyone with coding skills or ideas has any advice on how I could better present the map (being able to search would be nice).
Back from the Royal Welsh Show with a couple of tunes that soundtracked my drive to and from mid Wales. How was the show? Massive, 200,000 people over four days, although I only had lunch breaks to explore. “The Welsh Sheeptacular” a presentation of 20 breeds of sheep was surprisingly engaging - proof perhaps that you can take the boy out of Cumbria but you cant take Cumbria out of the boy.
Another highlight was the very happy and exceedingly posh woman careering around the show ground with her horse and trap. If she ever had the inclination she could have a great career dubbing “niche” movies as her running commentary sounded “just a shade too excited”
“Now, then Jasper’s really breaking into it… oh good Jasper! Jasper! Oh a little faster! You too, Starlight! Really go for it! There we are! Yes!”
Oh yes this is a music blog isnt it sorry! With a five hour journey each way I had plenty of time to listen to music, and its interesting how certain tracks come to life on the car stereo. So as Jeremy Clarkson might say here’s Boston with “More Than A Feeling“….
Actually my driving song features Antony of “and the Johnsons” fame guesting on a My Robot Friend track. I’d listened to it a few times before but after it popped up on shuffle while driving I clicked back to listen to it again, and again, and again. Clocking in at 2′45″ its criminally short, but superbly references 80’s classics like Soft Cell with an added hint of disco. Over the top of this Antony is powerful and emotional in the role of scorned lover “You looked the part but you let me down / And from the start you just messed around“.
Fantastic stuff, and I’m sure I looked a picture of masculinity charging through Wales at the wheel of a 998cc Nissan Micra while belting out my best Antony singalong vocals.
Next up the overdue and very welcome return of Jarvis Cocker. Featuring a few dozen “C words” its unlikely to be popping up on Chris Moyles anytime soon, but its Jarvis back with the Pulp sound as opposed to his more electronic Relaxed Muscle material. Originally inspired by Live8 and Iraq, the lyrics are wonderfully acerbic and witty but at the same time very catchy. Its good to have you back Jarvis
“Well did you hear, theres a natural order
Those most deserving will end up with the most
That the cream cannot help but always rise up to the top
but the pinker section of the crowd love it, and everyone else myself included creases up in laughter. Fantastic stuff.
Fifteen years ago a friend and I made a pact..I’ll go to your gigs if you go to mine. And so it was that I found myself watching the ample charms but weak voice of 
