Showing posts with label badly drawn boy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label badly drawn boy. Show all posts

Saturday 1 September 2018

The Spirit of '68 (2) - The Byline Festival 2018

Eddy Bamyasi

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending the second Byline Festival held in the beautiful pine-tree-lined (and has to be said superbly drained, given the weather) surroundings of Pippingford Park, Sussex. What a joyous, stimulating and thought provoking experience it proved to be (despite the largely depressing headline subject matter of the news!).

Byline bring together the bold and courageous, the truth seekers, the clear voices in the darkest of times and those that stand up and speak out for injustice.
Selena Godden 

Fundamentally a current affairs/literary/journalists gathering the Festival had something for all including circus, workshops, poetry, comedy, film and theatre, and an array of interesting music, which is mainly where I come in of course.

Pussy Riot

Chief headliners were Pussy Riot. I had no idea what to expect - rubbish or brilliant? Performance art or punk band?

They turned out to be brilliant. Three stage performers in lime green balaclavas and someone behind a deck controlling fast techno punk beats - a sort of Kraftwerk on heat. The main singer removed her mask at one stage but it was too dark to see her face. Someone told me there are up to 12 members in total that rotate depending on who's in jail! The omnipresent and charming event organisers promised at various times that 7, 8 or 9 Pussy Rioters would be back next year. We shall see.

The visuals were excellent - so many times I've seen bands with irrelevant backdrops carelessly thrown together apparently randomly - not here with the Pussys - the political messages were displayed on screen as were the lyrics or translations (where sung in Russian). This aided some great crowd singalongs to songs... about vaginas and pimples. The crowd lapped it up and one over excited reveller climbed the marquee rigging.



Would I buy one of their records? No, not really. It's all in the live experience and the visuals.

An amusing aside - a friend went back to her off site cottage earlier in the day for a lie down only to find Pussy Riot next door practising their routines.

Badly Drawn Boy

Friday's headliner was a very different affair - the talented and prize winning (although I get the impression the feted Mercury Prize* may have come too soon for this recipient) singer Damon Gough, aka Badly Drawn Boy.

* Wasn't the prize once considered something of a poisoned chalice? Ed. 
Not so much since the Arctic Monkeys won it.

His intimate solo gig was well received by the expectant crowd but unfortunately, although the voice was strong, the guitar fingers were live rusty and unwilling on the abandonned All Possibilities. His big hit, the wonderful You Were Right reached No. 9 in 2002 which he told the crowd was a disappointment at the time but he'd give anything to repeat that success now. I wished he'd had a band behind him.

Badly Drawn Boy: married to the Queen with Madonna next door

BDB was followed by The Jam Tarts Choir who sing an intriguing set of songs by Arcade Fire, Tom Waits, Radiohead, Nick Cave and Lambchop. Come again? Yes, a choir singing Tom Waits and Lambchop? Whoever heard such a thing? Opener was Waits' brilliant Telephone Call From Istanbul, and the usually very sleepy Lambchop's most upbeat song Up With People was turned into a marquee filling anthem. Much kudos to their musical director for the repertoire choices.

During last number Nick Cave's There She Goes My Beautiful World the choir overlapped with the beginnings of some daring acrobatics and trapeze work from the Fly Circus of New Orleans who combined death defying stunts and inhuman strength with hilarious silliness involving balloons, hoops and err... spaghetti (you had to be there).

The Blow Monkeys

I knew absolutely nothing about the Blow Monkeys before this weekend but what another lovely surprise. They were superb - funky and bluesy. Leader Dr. Robert was in fine voice and displayed impressive Nile Rodgers / David Gilmour chops on his Fender, the band even sounding a bit Pink Floyd in places especially when the keyboardist switched to sax.

Alexi, where the hell are you?

Hopes of a rumoured cameo from Alexi Sayle never materialised. But no worry - I'd seen him earlier at the beautiful Forest Forum stage...

...And Now For Something Completely Different

Both comedy headliners Alexi Sayle and John Cleese were effortlessly hilarious. Sayle (the self proclaimed inventor of alternative comedy) was philishopical about his start stop (mostly stop) Hollywood career:

...when one door shut, another would open - I used to have a Vauxhall Astra like that.

John Cleese bemoaned fellow Python Michael Palin's "dreadfully boring travel programmes" but gave him credit for throwing him off script one night during a New York show when he replaced the famous non talking dead parrott with a slug that was "muttering slightly today".

Cleese took a call from his daughter during the interview and hatched a plan to turn up to the spoof Fawlty Towers Dining Experience the next night (he bemoaned he had had no royalties from this very successful show). Imagine that. Wouldn't that be delicious to be a fellow diner when the real Basil walks in.

Refreshingly un-PC he asked if anyone could strangle a screaming child in the audience:

Do it humanely, no-one will mind... as long as it's white and middle class.

Exciting moments continued with the very popular Gary Lineker who revealed some interesting insights into his playing and post playing career. In fact he replied to one young fan that he enjoyed his broadcasting career more than playing - the pressure of scoring goals was too intense and only provided one moment of euphoria, on average, every 3 hours! The rest was just being kicked or offside.

A seasoned live anchor of course he held the talk together well considering the tent was showing signs of distracting stress under the wind and the rain.

Gary Lineker: "Footballers are not paid too much"

Most amusing question came from a Cameroonian festival goer who said his family were still traumatised by their team's 3 v 2 loss to England in the 1990 World Cup quarter finals. He asked if some sort of voodoo had been placed on his team's goalkeeper? Lineker didn't know anything about that but told a funny story about practising penalties the day before the game trying to double bluff a Cameroonian spy. It worked, he scored two.

Also Ran

With so much going on across four main stages, and much of it unknown to me beforehand, it was (like all the best festivals) a case of pitching up and taking your chances.

So I pitched up and took a chance on Modulus Quartet who channelled Philip Glass and Arvo Part sensibilities with a strong Indian flavour enhanced by Talvin Singh or Nitin Sawhney like backing tracks - lovely footage of Himalayan mountains and the Ganges as a back drop too. I was also mesmerised by their logo which was static apart from when it rotated, occasionally. Their debut album 12 Seconds Of Light is out now.

Arcade Hearts are a young band displaying a remarkable talent and a spot on 80s sound reminiscent of Flock of Seagulls, Talk Talk, Teardrop Explodes... that sort of thing. Plenty of clever changes within songs and very tight. They also have the piece of the jigsaw so hard to find in young bands, in fact any bands, a strong vocalist.

And also a shout out for Cult With No Name - a very assured electronica duo with more than a passing resemblance to the Pet Shop Boys.

Poetry Punk

In keeping with the anti-establishment character of the festival there were appearances from old punk/old new wave legends The Members, Department S and The Vapors (Turning Japanese).  Not really my usual cup of tea but they seemed to have aged well and are all apparently riding a bit of a punk revival at the moment. That was just three bands I vaguely recognised but there were literally scores littering the outer stages of the festival until late into the night (not to mention impromptu DJ sets in a smoke filled old London No. 38 bus which was literally bouncing on its suspension).

I'm not one, as far as I was previously aware, for listening to (or reading) poetry but late on the very wet Sunday night I was mesmerised by festival poet laureate Salena Godden and her talented crew of young poets. Equally mesmerising was guitar legend Jimmy Page who was in the audience thoroughly enjoying the intimate show (and probably a night out in relative anonymity save for a few old rockers recognising him). I shyly said hello and then skipped off to the Forest Forum for some late night acoustic loveliness from Don Mescall (I wonder if Jimmy hears distant guitar at such an event, and is ever tempted to collect his guitar from the Bentley and throw an impromptu jam - probably not, he seemed a very charming and modest chap).

Whistleblowers Of The World Unite

Headlining panel on the Monday was the Whistleblowers forum featuring the now very famous Cambridge Analytica/Facebook outer Chris Wylie who, as someone with my own digitally obsessed teenage children, left this quote ringing in my ears:

There is no distinction between the digital and the so-called real world. The digital world is the real world now.

The panel all seemed traumatised by their experience but spoke eloquently and passionately receiving a standing ovation. Such brave people.

We also had the chance to hear a group of MPs across all parties who came, said their pieces on stage, and then stayed on site attending the other talks and music and generally mixing with the crowds. It's not every day you queue for a toilet with a member of the House of Lords. I left with a renewed admiration for some of these public figures who seem genuine caring people - a characteristic rarely bestowed upon politicians.

One more Brexit debate and a moving finale from the Citizens of the World Choir and we left the Pippingford bubble but with a renewed determination to go back to our parishes and, in the words of the choir's final song, speak out.

2019 Tickets

If you are super quick, ridiculously cheap (shhh) early (or "ahead of the curve") bird tickets are available here for the 2019 event scheduled once again for the August bank holiday.







Sunday 19 August 2018

Log #99 - Old Wave From The Bush

Eddy Bamyasi


1. Echo And The Bunnymen - Killing Moon The Best Of
2. Cast - All Change
3. Curtis Mayfield - Love's Sweet Sensation
4. Badly Drawn Boy - Have You Fed The Fish?
5. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
6. John Surman - Coruscating

A bit of an odd week this one (after such a storming selection last week). Why? Well, the first two CDs in the magazine I actually found, in a bush, on my walk home from work (along with REM and Gang of Four). Who chucks their unwanted CDs into a bush (rather than car booting them, leaving them on the wall, or simply throwing them in the bin)? 

They aren't ones I would have otherwise. Certainly not the first one. Why not? Well, I saw Echo And The Bunnymen once live at Glastonbury and they were rubbish (and even worse, rude to the crowd calling us a bunch of hippies - was anyone else there?). 

Is it fair to damn a band on one brief appearance? Maybe not, but you do remember. Another band I saw live once which had a similar effect on me was Florence And The Machine. I know Florence is quite cool and popular these days but frankly she couldn't sing in tune. Maybe she was just having an off day, and Echo and the boys were likewise just having a bad day at the office. It's perfectly acceptable - we all have them, Van Morrison famously has a lot of them (although he doesn't let this affect his voice!).

Ok, so it is with trepidation that I slot the first half of this monumental 36 track Echo greatest hits compilation into the player (I had similar trepidation with a Bruce Springsteen anthology a few weeks back). It's all new to me. I have no idea what the Echo hits were.

It's better than I expected but obviously the singing is monotone, the songs sound the same, and the music is unsurprisingly stuck in the 80s. Why is it that 80s and 90s music seems to sound more dated than the 60s or the 70s? I imagine that is just an illusion and perception or maybe merely a personal preference. Or maybe there was just more variety then (and now) so giving you more opportunity to find what you like.

I liked The Puppet though and Over The Wall has a Tangerine Dream pulse beat - eh?

I don't know the music that well from the period but am fairly confident in stating that it is similar to a number of other bands in fashion at the time - Flock of Seagulls, The Cure, Teardrop Explodes etc. Perhaps being kind I'd say they sound a bit more on the Smiths / Joy Division edge of the genre but lacking the originality or impact of either of those bands.

I know I should give more time to this but unfortunately when you get older you realise life is too short to invest too much energy into stuff you aren't that interested in (or reading a book that doesn't grab you in the first 50 pages or so). 

Back to the bush for you my Echo (or the back of the filing cabinet for a few years).

Cast is another band I saw at Glastonbury - most likely the same year (1996 or thereabouts?). They rode in on the Britpop coat tails of Oasis and Blur with their retro rock fundamentals and scored some singles hits including Alright and Fine Time from this album. Based on the 90s guitar rock blueprint Cast did nevertheless have a 60s feel and even sound like very early Who in places, and a lot like fellow post Brit poppers Suede.




Sunday 12 August 2018

Log #98 - The Spirit of '68 (1) and My Favourite Record of All Time

Eddy Bamyasi


The stories about the recording of Astral Weeks are well known and I don't need to add a lengthy analysis to the numerous reviews and articles already out there about Van Morrison's seminal album suffice to say it is, and has been for many years, my favourite record of all time and one that has truly enriched my life.

The gentle jazz tinged music ebbs and flows and meanders like a mountain stream, the lyrics are simultaneously fantastic and down to earth recalling places and feelings many of us have experienced.

I can't listen to this album as background music, it demands my full attention and it makes me feel things very few other records do... think green, earthy, organic, wet, lush, celtic, spring, sunshine, dewdrops, rain, rainbows, walks in the woods, trees, stone circles, nature, rivers, childhood, family, the past, the future, in the beginning and afterwards... and ultimately life and death



And I will stroll the merry way
And jump the hedges first
And I will drink the clear
Clean water for to quench my thirst
And I shall watch the ferry-boats
And they'll get high
On a bluer ocean
Against tomorrow's sky
And I will never grow so old again
And I will walk and talk
In gardens all wet with rain

Is there a more evocative lyric than the oft quoted "gardens wet with rain" from Sweet Thing. Look at the cover too, it's all perfect.

Van produced a lot of great music in the late 60s and early 70s and several albums do approach this greatness. For many Moondance is it's equal although it has quite a different flavour being more brass based than string backed. Personally I think Saint Dominic's Review and Veedon Fleece come closest to Astral Weeks but just don't quite capture it's atmosphere.

Greil Marcus's Listening to Van Morrison is a personal account about how he feels when err... listening to Van Morrison. As such it does exactly as it says on the tin and in leaning heavily on Astral Weeks does not pretend to offer another autobiography or comprehensive review of the whole of Morrison's output. I thoroughly enjoyed this short book and find such accounts enhance my enjoyment of the music.



1. Midlake - The Courage of Others
2. Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther
3. Rokia Traore - Beautiful Africa
4. Badly Drawn Boy - Have You Fed The Fish
5. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
6. Van Morrison - Astral Weeks


And this week Astral Weeks is in good company with 5 excellent albums including the gorgeous americana folk rock of Midlake, the bluesy afro rock of Rokia Traore, the perfect pop of Badly Drawn Boy at his peak, and a classic Floyd which was also once my favourite album before I moved on. What a great week!



Sunday 2 October 2016

Log #1 - Bret Anderson is Alive and Well (and He Knows It)

Eddy Bamyasi


Not one for mp3s and digital downloads I've always preferred my music physical and tangible. Not only for the feel and look but also I feel the art form of an album presents a sum greater than its parts. Would we have had a "Sgt. Pepper's" or "Astral Weeks" without the concept of an album?

But I can see the advantages of having an endless stream of music. Several years ago when my CD player expired I replaced it with a 6-CD magazine changer I found on ebay for around £30. Providing not an endless stream of music but a good 5 hours worth, plenty enough for a weekend. It has been one of my best ever purchases.

This weekend I was shuffling through my 6 CDs and realised my current choices were what I would consider atypical of my usual tastes. How did I get here I thought to myself? Would this be symptomatic of a permanent change in taste or were there good temporary reasons for my choices?

So here the idea of a journal of listening was born. I aim to log the 6 CDs each week with comments and thoughts, perhaps justifications and reasons, even reviews.

The 6-CD changer log #1:
Paulo Nutini-Sunny Side Up
Suede-Suede
Badly Drawn Boy-Have You Fed the Fish?
Sufjan Stevens-Carrie and Lowell
Carole King-Tapestry
Afro Celts-Seed


Mesmerising Suede front man Brett Anderson (Yui Mok/PA )

I don’t have the same out of control lifestyle that I used to have but I’m able to find these pockets of interest within everyday life.
Record of the Week: I love the Paulo Nutini, a lovely new discovery, but I was even more surprised at how much I liked previously unheard Suede when I saw them headlining the recent TTP festival here in Brighton - their debut eponymous album wins it this week. Suede contains many of their anthemic songs that were performed with enthusiastic swagger on stage with singer Bret Anderson channelling his best Bowie/Jagger.
Powered by Blogger.

Leading Artists (by appearance)

neil young (26) van morrison (22) john martyn (18) tangerine dream (18) felice brothers (16) pink floyd (14) led zeppelin (13) black sabbath (12) brian eno (12) whitest boy alive (12) bonnie prince billy (11) can (11) david sylvian (11) radiohead (11) talk talk (11) beatles (10) cluster (10) cocteau twins (10) laura marling (10) nick cave (10) afro celts (9) beck (9) bob dylan (9) fennesz (9) genesis (9) iron and wine (8) loscil (8) midlake (8) paolo nutini (8) tom waits (8) autechre (7) foals (7) nucleus (7) richard hawley (7) stars of the lid (7) camel (6) david bowie (6) dj vadim (6) efterklang (6) elo (6) fairport convention (6) harmonia (6) holger czukay (6) kings of convenience (6) low (6) luke vibert (6) matthew e white (6) miles davis (6) sahb (6) the doobie brothers (6) tord gustavsen (6) war on drugs (6) william basinski (6) arovane (5) bear's den (5) black keys (5) boards of canada (5) bob marley (5) calexico (5) edgar froese (5) father john misty (5) hawkwind (5) jan jelinek (5) king crimson (5) mouse on mars (5) nils frahm (5) public service broadcasting (5) robert plant (5) sigur ros (5) takemitsu (5) arbouretum (4) badly drawn boy (4) budgie (4) carly simon (4) carole king (4) decemberists (4) emeralds (4) four tet (4) handsome family (4) hidden orchestra (4) jethro tull (4) jj cale (4) john legend (4) klaus schulze (4) kruder and dorfmeister (4) manuel gottsching (4) opeth (4) penguin cafe orchestra (4) ravi shankar (4) soft hair (4) steely dan (4) the unthanks (4) tim hecker (4) trees (4) ulrich schnauss (4) KLF (3) alan parsons project (3) alex harvey (3) alison krauss (3) alva noto (3) barclay james harvest (3) bon iver (3) bonobo (3) caitlin canty (3) caribou (3) chicago (3) coldplay (3) curtis mayfield (3) david crosby (3) deep purple (3) depeche mode (3) eilen jewell (3) enid (3) fleetwood mac (3) floating points (3) free (3) gorillaz (3) gram parsons (3) grateful dead (3) grobschnitt (3) incredible string band (3) james morrison (3) jill scott (3) john grant (3) john surman (3) keith jarrett (3) kraftwerk (3) lal waterson (3) last shadow puppets (3) lift to experience (3) lynyrd skynyrd (3) mahavishnu orchestra (3) manitoba (3) mike oldfield (3) mike waterson (3) monolake (3) neu! (3) palace brothers (3) philip glass (3) popol vuh (3) quantic (3) rodriguez (3) rokia traore (3) rolling stones (3) rory gallagher (3) roxy music (3) rush (3) simon and garfunkel (3) sly and the family stone (3) steve hillage (3) suede (3) sufjan stevens (3) the comet is coming (3) tim buckley (3) wagon christ (3) wilco (3) 4hero (2) abc (2) ac/dc (2) al stewart (2) amon duul II (2) aphex twin (2) arctic monkeys (2) baka beyond (2) band of horses (2) belle and sebastian (2) blue oyster cult (2) blue states (2) bonzo dog band (2) boris salchow (2) burial (2) cardigans (2) carlos barbosa-lima (2) charles mingus (2) chemical brothers (2) chris rea (2) cinematic orchestra (2) compilations (2) crosby stills nash (2) david darling (2) death in vegas (2) debussy (2) dj shadow (2) doors (2) earl sweatshirt (2) eloy (2) emilie simon (2) erik satie (2) farben (2) festivals (2) fleet foxes (2) francois and the atlas mountains (2) fripp and eno (2) gas (2) gong (2) granados (2) green on red (2) griffin anthony (2) jazzland (2) jean sibelius (2) jeff buckley (2) john coltrane (2) johnny flynn (2) josh t pearson (2) julian cope (2) kamasi washington (2) kanye west (2) kate bush (2) ketil bjornstad (2) la dusseldorf (2) lambchop (2) larkin poe (2) little feat (2) ludovico einaudi (2) magma (2) marianne faithfull (2) marvin gaye (2) mike lazarev (2) money mark (2) morton feldman (2) nektar (2) nightmares on wax (2) ninja (2) nirvana (2) nitin sawhney (2) peace (2) porya hatami (2) prefuse 73 (2) prem joshua (2) randy newman (2) robert fripp (2) ryan adams (2) scorpions (2) scott and maria (2) scott matthews (2) servants of science (2) soft machine (2) steve miller (2) susumu yokota (2) talvin singh (2) the who (2) thievery corporation (2) traffic (2) truckstop honeymoon (2) ufo (2) up bustle and out (2) weather report (2) wiley (2) willard grant conspiracy (2) wishbone ash (2) wyclef jean (2) yes (2) abba (1) acid mothers temple and the cosmic inferno (1) aimee mann (1) air (1) alabama 3 (1) alice coltrane (1) amadou and mariam (1) andy shauf (1) anthony hamilton (1) april wine (1) arcade fire (1) ashra (1) asia (1) badger (1) barber (1) beach boys (1) bee gees (1) beirut (1) bert jansch (1) beuno vista social club (1) bill laswell (1) biosphere (1) bjork (1) blow monkeys (1) bob geldof (1) bob holroyd (1) bob seger (1) bombay bicycle club (1) boubacar traore (1) broken social scene (1) bruce springsteen (1) bruch (1) byline (1) captain beefheart (1) cardi b (1) cast (1) cat stevens (1) catfish and the bottlemen (1) charles and eddie (1) chopin (1) chris child (1) christine and the queens (1) chuck prophet (1) climax blues band (1) cosmic jokers (1) crowded house (1) d'angelo (1) daft punk (1) david goodrich (1) davy graham (1) dexy's midnight runners (1) dolly collins (1) donald fagen (1) dreadzone (1) dub pistols (1) eagles (1) echo and the bunnymen (1) eden espinosa (1) eels (1) elbow (1) electric ape (1) emerson lake and palmer (1) erlend oye (1) erukah badu (1) essays (1) euphony in electronics (1) faust (1) feist (1) flaming lips (1) future days (1) gamma (1) gang of four (1) gentle giant (1) goat roper rodeo band (1) godspeed you black emperor (1) gorecki (1) groove armada (1) grover washington jr. (1) gun (1) guru guru (1) hatfield and the north (1) hats off gentlemen it's adequate (1) heron (1) hiss golden messenger (1) hozier (1) human league (1) idles (1) india arie (1) iron and wire (1) isaac hayes (1) james brown (1) james joys (1) jamie t (1) janelle monae (1) jayhawks (1) jean-michel jarre (1) jerry paper (1) jim croce (1) jimi hendrix (1) jjcale (1) john cale (1) john mclaughlin (1) jon hassell (1) jurassic 5 (1) kacey musgraves (1) keith berry (1) kid loco (1) king tubby (1) king's consort (1) kings of leon (1) kirk degiorgio (1) kodomo (1) lenny kravitz (1) lighthouse (1) love supreme (1) luc vanlaere (1) lumineers (1) mark pritchard (1) mark ronson (1) me'shell ndegeocello (1) messiaen (1) metallica (1) micah frank (1) michael hedges (1) michael jackson (1) mike west (1) mitski (1) modest mouse (1) moody blues (1) morte macabre (1) motorhead (1) national health (1) nick drake (1) nusrat fateh ali khan (1) oasis (1) omd (1) orb (1) orquesta reve (1) other lives (1) oval (1) paco pena (1) paladin (1) panda bear (1) pat metheny (1) paulo nutini (1) pentangle (1) pierre bensusan (1) portishead (1) proprio (1) protoje (1) purcell (1) pussy riot (1) queen (1) rainbow (1) ramsay midwood (1) rautavaara (1) rem (1) rhythm kings (1) richard strauss (1) robyn (1) roni size (1) ryuichi sakamoto (1) sada sat kaur (1) saga (1) sam jordan (1) sammy hagar (1) santana (1) scaramanga silk (1) shakti (1) shirley collins (1) shostakovich (1) snafu (1) snatam kaur (1) sparks (1) st germain (1) stanford (1) steeleye span (1) stereolab (1) steve reich (1) styx (1) supertramp (1) susumo yokota (1) t bone walker (1) terry riley (1) the band (1) the clash (1) the jayhawks (1) the streets (1) the wreks (1) tricky (1) tycho (1) uriah heep (1) velvet underground (1) venetian snares (1) vladislav delay (1) whiskeytown (1) whitesnake (1) william ackerman (1) yngwie j malmsteen (1) zhou yu (1) μ-Ziq (1)