The Hanwell Hootie 2018

Posted on May 13, 2018 by John S

Saturday 12 May. Hanwell Hootie 2018 already! This is the music festival in West London where a lot of the local pubs open their doors to a variety of bands, some local, some quite young, others much-travelled and well-established. It seems to get bigger and better every year; it was helped last year by the establishment of two outdoor venues at Sandy Park and the Viaduct Meadows. And the weather was dry. This year it bucketed down until about 9 o’clock, which meant there weren’t so many people outdoors, and all the pubs were rammed again.

The programme of bands looked really interesting – there were so many I fancied seeing; and, of course, it meant choices had to be made. I went with Jon G and a few his friends: Chris, Richard and Andy. Kath decided the weather didn’t justify subjecting herself to a variety of mostly punky sounds, which is what Jon and I were favouring.

We started at the Viaduct meadow at 4.15, to see Rews make a triumphant return after playing an excellent set last year in one of the pubs. The tent was full. Jon and his mates stood at the back; I went round the side and got pretty much to the front, but right by the speakers! My ear was ringing for a while afterwards. Rews are Shauna Tohill on vocals and guitar and Collette Williams on drums and backing vocals. They make a great rock’n’roll noise, with plenty of catchy riffs and choruses. And they play like they are absolutely loving it. They got an afternoon crowd going, and did it with smiles on their faces. Highlights, as always, included “Shake Shake” and “Miss You in the Dark”, but the whole set was a lot of fun. Catch them if you can.

Next up was an all-woman local punk band called The Tuts. They were playing in a pub called the Prince of Wales. It was packed by the time we got there, half an hour before the show. It was hot. We stood up the end of the pub where it was a bit more airy and watched the Middlesborough/Villa Championship play off semi. When the band started we moved closer, but couldn’t see them at all. So we moved back and listened while watching the football. Chris decided to push to the front. He came out at the end waxing lyrical. From where we were they sounded pretty good – very much in the 70s punk mould, with a pop sensibility. I could have sworn that I heard the riff to T.Rex’s “Solid Gold Easy Action” at one point! Chris said that the singer was a bit like Poly Styrene, which is a pretty good recommendation. Will have to find out more.

Then it was over to the Grosvenor, which is an excellent pub at any time. Good range of beers. It is a bit more spacious than the Prince of Wales, and wasn’t so stifling. We got there in good time for a young band called My First Moustache. They are all old school friends of Jon’s son, Louis. There were quite a few of them – three guitars, bass and drums, keyboards. Very clearly led, though, by singer and guitarist Ffion Murphy, in retro Arsenal shirt. They started with some speedy choppy riffing and Ffion’s echoey vocals (a bit low in the mix) and I thought Duds must be an inspiration. But then they went into a long ambling passage of music, with some interesting soloing from Ffion, and I thought, hey, this lot have really got something going here. And so it went on throughout the show. One minute high speed punk; the next, something that could have been off Roxy Music’s first two albums, when Eno was manipulating the synthesisers. Intriguing and really engaging sounds. I thought they were seriously good. If they can team up with a decent producer, they could make some pretty amazing music. And I don’t just say that because they were Louis’ mates. They were seriously good. Excitingly different. They got a fantastic reception (admittedly from quite a few friends and relatives!) and came back for an encore when they played a weird Spanish punk thing, which was like nothing else they’d done and a lot of fun. Great stuff.

We had a real buzz about us after that, even as we trudged through the rain to the Kings Arms, on Hanwell Broadway, to see Hollowstar. This was a choice of Chris’s, and veered from our template for the evening. They had a more traditional rock sound – in fact it was straight from the early 70s. Think Free, Deep Purple, Budgie even. Now this was the music I loved before punk blew most things away in 1976-77, and I still have a soft spot for it, especially Free and Bad Company. But I found the sound a bit too formulaic on the night, even though the band were very good and got a rousing reception from a capacity crowd. I withdrew to the bar to avoid the jostling and just enjoyed it, in a rather non-commital way. There was no surprise when they did a cover of Free’s “Wishing Well” – and they did that great song justice. So, if you still love a good bit of 70s blues-rock, check out Hollowstar. They won’t let you down.

The tempo was upped for the next band, Fizzy Blood, from Leeds, in the Viaduct Meadow. It had stopped raining, but was pretty damp. We got there in time to catch the end of the previous set, by Desert Mountain Tribe, described in the Hootie blurb as alternative rock, a heavy trance sound, psychedelic. Well, the last track sounded pretty good, and soared as the guitars got going. Think I might have enjoyed them, so more exploring to do. As for Fizzy Blood, well they just rocked hard. In your face, hard core riffing, shouty punk, aggressive and incredibly energetic. It was brilliant! A comparable band, who are doing well at the moment, is Idles – certainly in terms of the sound. This is music made for moshing, and there was a bit of that. We all tried to avoid this rather mad-looking hulk as he started bouncing around, but it was all good natured. An energising show. I checked a bit of Fizzy Blood on Spotify today. Inevitably it’s not quite as raucous as when played live. But I’d happily go to see them again.

At 10.30 and quite a few beers through the evening, that was enough for me. Jon and Chris went back to the Price of Wales to see a punk band called Blackwaters, whose photo looked like they could be like another up-and-coming band, Shame. Put I was all punked out after Fizzy Blood, and got home just in time to see the voting for the Eurovision song contest. What a contrast!

Give me the Hanwell Hootie any day. A great event, and a huge credit to all the organisers, venues, sponsors and bands. It has become an essential part of the London music scene, and is a celebration of an area which, squeezed in between Ealing and Southall, is normally in the shadow of both. But it has always been a home of good music, and is the base of Marshall amps. That is pedigree.

My highlight was undoubtedly My First Moustache, but Rews and Fizzy Blood were also, in their different ways, both uplifting expressions of the spirit of rock’n’roll.

Rock on, Hootie!

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lovelondonscenes 144 – The London Eye from the Tattershall Castle

Posted on May 12, 2018 by John S

Like the proverbial London bus, you wait for ages for a lovelondonscenes – I’m sure you’ve been getting desperate – and then two turn up at once. This one is from Thursday evening. Taken through a window at the Tattershall Castle, a floating pub on The Thames alongside Victoria Embankment. Popular with the tourists, but also locals. It’s big, has a nice outside top deck and plenty of bars. And spectacular views, especially at night.

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lovelondonscenes 143 – Notting Hill Gate station

Posted on May 12, 2018 by John S

Ended up here by accident here a couple of weeks ago. Heading to Victoria on the District Line. They changed the destination to Edgware Road, but I was too engrossed in my book and music to notice! Until I looked up…

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Catherine McGrath at Bush Hall, Gengahr at Koko: 2/3 May 2018

Posted on May 6, 2018 by John S

I went to a couple of concerts last week. Two of my favourite artists of recent years; both making their way, and getting better all the time. First, on Wednesday 2 May, was Catherine McGrath at Bush Hall, Shepherds Bush. Second, on Thursday 3 May, it was the turn of Gengahr at Koko, Camden. Bush Hall sold out; Koko close to it.

I’ve seen Catherine McGrath a few times since coming across her at Latitude last year. The most recent was her first headline show in London, at Camden Assembly in March this year. Bush Hall was a step up on that. And I’d say that this was the most confident I’ve seen her, and the band. Success begets success. Her debut album is due at the end of July, and there’s a promotional tour in September. That could be the real breakthrough moment – she certainly has the songs, the voice, the persona. One of the highlights of Wednesday’s show was the new single “Wild”. It’s a song that she was singing back in Latitude, but it has now been beefed up with Taylor Swift-style pop sheen. And she has now dropped the preamble – the story of the bloke who took her to a Coldplay and spent all his time texting his ex-girlfriend. It’s all there in the song anyway. Her introductions have always been endearing, but there were far fewer on Tuesday. The only two that survived were for “Cinderella”, her first Nashville song, and one of her loveliest tunes; and “Ellsworth”, a cover of a song by the country band Rascall Flatts. It’s a beautiful ballad, and one of the songs that got her into country music back in Northern Ireland. I found it the most moving moment of the concert on Tuesday.

She played all the top songs. “Just in Case” and “Starting from Now” were the openers. Hell Would Have to Freeze Over” was introduced with a smile as a “classic” (it is!), and the set closed with the celebratory and defiant “Talk of this Town”. She has reached the point now when she can ask the audience to sing the chorus – she is developing a real fanbase, and it is youthful. This augurs well for her future success.

Catherine was was fulsome in her thanks to the audience for this being a sell-out show. She is still pinching herself about her success. But this, I think, is just he beginning. She is going to be big.

Gengahr have just released their second album, “Where Wildness Grows”. I made their debut album, “A Dream Outside”, my top album of 2015. It was the best indie guitar album I’d heard since The Strokes’ first two albums in the early 2000s. And “Where Wildness Grows” may be even better.  It has a layered, incredibly melodic sound, with those bursts of wild guitar from John Victor, which work so brilliantly live. And of course, there are Felix Bushe’s distinctive falsetto vocals, which add a fragility to the melodies; and, with some of the guitar, give the music a psychedelic feel at times. The outstanding tune, on the first few listens, is “Carrion”, and live, it was awesome, the set closer. Pulsing beats and some magnificent guitar.

The concert on Wednesday had a great mix of both albums – they almost alternated between the two. I liked that: they weren’t just promoting the new album. And the band played with a real elan. They know they have made a superb second album, and are proud to be playing it. The crowd were really enthusiastic: again I sensed that they are developing a strong and dedicated following. Mostly people in their twenties, I’d say. I did feel rather in a minority age-wise, but was happy to be so.

So many highlights, but standouts included: “I’ll be Waiting”, “Mallory” and “Before Sunrise” from the new album, and “Heroine”, “She’s a Witch” (of course – still the singalong song) and a lovely “Lonely as a Shark” in the encore from the first – before the mighty “Carrion”.  There was also an interesting take on “Dark Star” from “A Dream Outside”. An instrumental normally, Felix now added vocals, and it worked well. A kind of breather, amid the euphoria. My only disappointment was that they didn’t play “Powder”, which has always been my favourite song. The best guitar wig-out of all. But you can’t have everything. This was a powerful, uplifting show. Gengahr are a very, very good band. And “Where Wildness Grows” will be vying for No 1 slot in my 2018 albums of the year.

So two very different concerts, but one thing in common: they have great futures ahead of them. They must!

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Girl Ray at Heaven, Charing Cross, 18 April 2018

Posted on April 28, 2018 by John S

The week before last I went to Heaven, under the railway arches at Charing Cross station, to see Girl Ray. Heaven is best known for being a gay club, but it also hosts music gigs –  Idles were playing there the night after Girl Ray –  and it’s a great space for it. Holds about a thousand, I believe. It wasn’t sold out, but it felt quite close, with a nice bit of breathing space.

Girl Ray are Poppy Hankin on vocals and guitar, Sophie Moss on bass and Iris McConnell on drums. Live they are supplemented by a guitarist/key board player, and a few people who come on briefly with violins and sax (I think – I’ve left it too long to write this review!). It was Marc Riley on BBC 6 Music who introduced me to the band last year, and I saw them at Latitude too – where I thought they were excellent, though a little nervous at first (but hey, playing at Latitude when you are making your way…). We missed them at End of the Road, as they played on washout Sunday. But I really enjoyed their debut album “Earl Grey”, and made it No 8 in my Top Ten of 2017.

So I was looking forward to this show, especially as the show I had planned for the night before – Goat Girl at The Garage in Islington – had to be cancelled when the drummer, Rosie, got scalded by boiling water on a ferry coming back from Dublin. Hope she recovers soon. Obviously terrible for her, but also for the band, as they have just released their debut album, “Goat Girl”.

Girl Ray’s sound is wistful and jangly, in the way that Velvet Underground were sometimes wistful and jangly, especially when Nico was with them. I keep on thinking it has a 60s French jazzy pop feel, though I couldn’t actually give you an example of that sort of thing. But there is also a funkiness to some of the riffs, which really comes to the fore on the guitar workout on a song called “A Few Months” on debut album “Earl Grey”. That immediately makes you think of the Isley Brothers in full flow on “Summer Breeze” or “That Lady”. Great songs.

The show at Heaven was really good. I thought I could see and feel a real step up in confidence in the band, developed through the classic experience of playing lots of live shows. Poppy sang well and played some excellent guitar. It is her choppy riffs which give so many of the songs a jaunty feel live, even if most of the lyrics are pretty miserable. And she let rip with the solos, not only on “A Few Months”, but a new song, which I think was “Rock 2”. As I heard those two, I thought, this is a band that actually draw a lot of inspiration from early 70s rock and funk. In an interview with the Guardian a while back they talked of their love for the music of Todd Rundgren. That could take them anywhere.

They played all the best songs, like “Just Like That”, “Stupid Things”,  “Trouble”, “Mondays Tuesdays”, “Don’t Go Back at Ten”, “Ghosty”. Or at least I think they did! My problem is that I liked the first three in that list so much that they got on a couple of favourites playlists, which I play all the time, and I never quite got around to putting name to tune with the others. Something I am prone to doing. It even happens with Radiohead!

So, Girl Ray are already very good, but I got a real sense that the band will fill out their lo-fi sound as they develop, and become a pretty sophisticated rock band. But with that feminine sensibility – so they won’t be strutting around the stage, legs astride, guitars thrust who knows where. The second album is going to be very interesting.

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My novel: “The Decision”

Posted on April 28, 2018 by John S

I’ve written a novel. It’s called “The Decision”. It’s now available for sale – direct from me at the moment. Like to know what it’s about? Here’s a summary;

“The Decision” is a novel about politics, the environment, relationships and the conflict of loyalty between family and cause. It is set in 2027, in a post-Brexit, post-UK England, in which an authoritarian government has taken power in a parliamentary coup supported by the establishment, after three chaotic years of socialist rule. The environment has taken a significant turn for the worse, and rising sea levels have led to a decision to flood the Fenlands – a return to its marshy origins. A war between NATO and Russia staggers on in the heartlands of the Ukraine, a useful tipping ground for refugees and the unemployed.

The narrative revolves around a kidnap attempt at Wembley before a major football final. The would-be perpetrators are an underground group which goes by the name of HOPE – the Holistic Organisation for the People and the Environment. They are led by Charlie Mowbray: in his early thirties; a late starter in the world of left wing protest, but charismatic enough to rise quickly to the top. “The Decision” is his story, and the story of his family: parents James Arnold and Olivia Mowbray, siblings Will and Susan. Will is a journalist, stuck near the frontline of the war in Ukraine. Susan is a civil servant, torn between her distaste for the Authority and her sense of duty. She, like all of her family, becomes embroiled in Charlie’s adventure.

Charlie regards himself first and foremost as an actor, not a political leader. He is inspired, at school, by Henry V, and his leadership journey follows a similar pattern. It is he who must take The Decision.

I’m charging £6 in sterling plus £2 postage in the UK; £5 postage for the rest of Europe. Elsewhere will depend on the country. Dollar equivalent: $8.35 for the book, based on the 25 April exchange rate in the Economist. Euro equivalent: €6.85.

If you’re interested in buying a copy, just email me with your address, at johnsills808@gmail.com. I’ll reply, confirming the cost and with details of the account to which you can send the money. Once I’ve got the money, I’ll send you a signed copy. Afterwards I will delete your address from my emails and will not retain it anywhere. The book is professionally printed and bound.

It will available online at some point, but I’m just going to see if I can find a regular publisher first. So this is the first edition – the Director’s cut!

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Belfast Part Three: To the Coast

Posted on April 22, 2018 by John S

In this third part of my Belfast blog, I’d like to share some of the photos I took on the stunning North East coast, Co Antrim. The location for many a “Games of Thrones” scene and (a bit further west than we went) Luke Skywalker’s desolate home in the last couple of “Star Wars” films.

The absolute highlight was, of course, the Giant’s Causeway. An incredible geological phenomenon. The outcome of a cooling lava flow millions of years ago. The myth behind the place is a story of two giants: one in Ireland, the other in Scotland. They would hurl insults at each other across the sea. The Scots giant was bigger and threatened to come over and kill the Irishman. He built the causeway to do so. As he made his way to the Irish giant’s home, the latter hid in his child’s room, dressed as a baby. His wife let the Scotsman in, and offered him tea. As the giant supped, he heard snoring in the baby’s room. He went in to look and saw the giant baby-like, asleep in the bed, red beard and all.  “If the baby is that big, then how large must the Irishman be?” the Scotsman cried, as he fled from the house. He ran back over the causeway to Scotland, destroying it with each retreating step. Which is why all that is left is what we, today, call the Giant’s Causeway.  Well, it is a myth…

 

This looks to be where the causeway stopped after the Scottish giant trampled it to bits!

Dunluce Castle. May have been used for “Game of Thrones”. Should be!

 

Next stop, Bushmills distillery for a spot of lunch and whiskey tasting!

Not hiding – the seats were very low! Top malt was a twelve year old single malt matured in port casks and available only at the distillery.

Next, heading back to Belfast now, along the coast road, was Carrick-a-Rede, famous for its Rope Bridge. I have a terrible head for heights where sheer drops are involved, so I declined the walk across it. Kath wasn’t that keen either. But there was lots of other amazing scenery to enjoy – and a “Game of Thrones” moment.

Actually, on zooming the camera in for this picture of the rope bridge, it didn’t look that bad… or did it?

There’s a disused quarry, which doubles up as a relief car park, which was the scene of some “Game of Thrones” action.

Another “Game of Thrones” scene, in the coastal town of Carnlough. The mist had come down by then.

Finally, a brief stop in Carrickfergus, which I associate with the beautiful folk song, sung by Van Morrison, amongst others. There’s a castle, and inevitably there is a statue of King William of Orange. Next to the funfair.

The coast road was amazing, often right next to the sea, We went through some beautiful glens too. The mist made taking photos from the bus window pointless, but it made me want to go back soon – when the sun is shining!

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Belfast Part Two: The City in Pictures

Posted on April 16, 2018 by John S

Part two of my Belfast trilogy. Mainly photos, but putting them together reminded me how much I loved this city. Even though I’d never looked properly around it before, I felt it was part of me. My second city – after London, of course.

This is St George’s market. A great place – and the Belfast Bap, below, was particularly awesome. Four slices of bacon, two sausages and a runny fried egg, between some lovely soda bread. Oh wow! Didn’t eat again until the evening.

The City Hall.

The Ulster Hall – a music venue amongst other things. Led Zeppelin played “Stairway to Heaven” live here in 1972 for the first time!

The Europa Hotel – most bombed hotel in Europe. Apparently there are plaques in the hotel telling you this. Stay cool if you go there – things have moved on!

Belfast’s Albert memorial.

Guess what this is called. Yes, the Big Fish.

Footbridge over the River Langan.

There’s a lock by the footbridge. It makes the river a bit frothy on the other side.

Unite the Union got a bit carried away with socialist realism art here. The Belfast mural tradition, I guess.

The MAC arts/drama centre, in the Cathedral quarter, looking down on one of the cafe spaces. Great place.

There was a Gilbert and George exhibition on there. Strange thing to be viewing in Belfast!

A view out of our hotel window over East Belfast in the morning.

We went on an open top bus trip – real tourists. First couple of things I have better photos of later. But this is Stormont, where the Northern Ireland Assembly would be sitting, except it hasn’t done so for over a year, as a result of intractable disagreements between Sinn Fein and the DUP. Which means they get British rule instead. Tragic.

Best mural in Belfast. A celebration rather than sectarian. Georgie Best and Van Morrison, amongst others.

Another great mural – and on Newtonards Road, East Belfast too. Defiantly cool and celebratory, just ahead of the hard line stuff.

OK, here goes. A taster for the Shankill and the Falls. Newtonards Road still.

Queen’s University. A place of peace.

Can’t quite remember, but I think this is a peace monument – before we enter the heavy zones.

Before the murals, I think you need to read this piece in the Ulster Museum, on a floor exploring the “The Troubles”. The last sentence especially.

And so into the Falls Road, a Catholic/Nationalist zone.

This one I like – it must have involved all religions.

When Berlin shook off Communism, they tore down the Wall. In Belfast, when peace arrived, they kept it – apparently because the local people wanted it.

Into the Shankill Road. Protestant/Unionist.

As the Sex Pistols sang in “God Save the Queen”, We love our Queen!

This is where the Orange marches start in July. King Billy on his horse on the top. A King of England who is hardly known in England, but revered by half of the Northern Irish population.

Light relief as we got back into central Belfast. Lenin! It was a dance club, I think.

And back to the High Street. Consumerism today trumps sectarianism.

Later that day we crossed the footbridge, on the way to the Titanic Centre,

Hey, another West Five! This one a science and discovery centre.

The SS Nomadic. Started as a boat taking people from Cherbourg (France) out to big liners that couldn’t get into the port  – including the ill-fated Titanic. Involved in World Wars 1 and 2. Almost scrapped. Became a trendy club venue on the Seine in Paris. Almost scrapped again. But returned to Belfast and is now something of a museum piece. But it has survived the ups and downs of decades.

The Titanic Centre. Tells the story of that ship. A really interesting museum if you ever go to Belfast. The Titantic was built and launched in Belfast. As they say here: It was fine when it left.

Architecturally, I found it fascinating.

 

Titanic Studios is owned by HBO and is where they film much of “Game of Thrones”. I referred to the dynamic effect of it in Part One and will revisit in Part Three.

The Harland and Wolff cranes remain iconic. They are named Samson and Goliath. This is one of them.

I mentioned the Ulster Museum earlier. It is great. The floor on the Troubles is very moving, as was a temporary exhibition by the artist Colin Davidson, called “Silent Testimony”. A series of amazing portraits of people who were affected by the Troubles, losing loved ones, or injured themselves. Sombre and very powerful. Just made you want to cry out Why?!

Note the rather odd architecture too. A neo-classical Victorian building with a bit of what looks like 60s brutalism tacked on.

10 April. It was the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday agreement. I wrote about it in Part One. Great and good here – or maybe just some university people – hanging around, I assume, for even greater and good.

So, some pretty heavy stuff in the preceding photos. But let us not forget that Belfast has some truly great pubs (and restuarants). Here are a few pubs I sampled.

White’s Tavern. I don’t think I’ve ever had a smoother pint of Guinness than I did in this place.

The Dirty Onion was rocking on Saturday night.

The Crown is a famous old pub, take over by tourists now, but still really good.

Kelly’s Cellars was a hoot! On a Monday night too.

So cheers y’all. Belfast is a wonderful place. Hurt by the past, but vibrant and a pleasure to be in right now.

Crown.

White’s Tavern, second visit at lunchtime after the open top bus. Just had to sample the steak and Guinness pie!

 

 

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Belfast Part One: A Driver’s Story

Posted on April 10, 2018 by John S

My wife, Kath, and I have just been to Belfast and environs for a few days. It was a brilliant trip. For me, the first proper visit to the the place that my mother is from – I’ve had a few work trips to Stormont in the past. Not exactly a return to my roots – more a discovery of them. Better late than never, I guess.

There will be a couple of photo blogs – one of the city, the other of the the stunning coastline north and east of Belfast. But I want start with a story. It’s the story of modern Northern Ireland, as told by our coach driver on Sunday, as we went up to the Giant’s Causeway and Bushmill’s whiskey distillery and then back along the stunning coastal road to Belfast. He was a true raconteur, and very funny at times. He had the timing of a comedian, and an irresistible laugh. He gave an interesting potted history of Northern Ireland, going back to Celtic times. As ever, it was a sobering reminder of how much England has messed up things in the past for the people of Ireland. That’s not to say they haven’t also messed things up themselves, but the blundering, murderous, discriminatory, cruel, exploitative attitude and actions of the English over the centuries is truly shameful. And I say that as a proud Englishman.

But our driver’s exposition of the last forty years, through “The Troubles” to the peace process and on to today, when Belfast, in many ways, is booming, was the most memorable thing. Early on in his general banter, as we drove out of Belfast, he said “You need three words to understand Northern Ireland: priorities, confusion…and idiots.” The latter was reserved mostly for politicians, especially the modern day ones, who are so unable to compromise with each other that the Northern Ireland Assembly hasn’t been able to sit for over a year. Throughout his patter, he’d come back to one of those themes, whether it was about road traffic signs or Irish history.

Quite a lot of his stories were well-rehearsed, I’m sure. I heard versions of the same from the guide at the Giant’s Causeway, and from the man on the open top bus, on a trip round Belfast, the next day (yes, we were real tourists on this trip). But on the journey back into Belfast, he began to speak straight from the heart. He was born in 1974: a child of the Troubles. He grew up in the Falls Road area, a Catholic/Nationalist area. He spoke of how his childhood and adolescence was “scarred” by the Troubles. He will, no doubt, have memories that he didn’t share with us. But he did talk of how police helicopters flew over his home every night, shining the searchlights into their windows; how getting into Belfast city centre meant crossing through a ring of steel. How you could be searched countless times while you went in and out of shops. How kids going to school could be shot because of the colour of their blazers. How all of this was normal. Just part of daily life. And, therefore, how incredibly important the Good Friday agreement (20 years old today) was, even if it wasn’t perfect for anyone. How could it be? But it set Northern Ireland on the path of peace and prosperity. On a transformation to the vibrant city of today.

A short digression. By chance, Kath and I walked south to the Ulster Museum today (10 April). That is well worth a visit by the way, and I’ll cover it in a later blog. It’s in the Botanic Gardens, close to Queen’s University. The 20th anniversary of the Good Friday agreement was being commemorated at Queen’s. We stopped to look – lots of dignitaries were hanging around outside one of the buildings. We spotted Gerry Adams, looking dapper. Inside were probably the likes of Bill and Hillary Clinton, Tony Blair, George Mitchell, the senator who played such a crucial role in the negotiations. Or maybe they had already left. Anyway, there were plenty of people on the pavement of University Road, looking into the university, waiting for something to happen. Way less security than you would get in London these days for a similar event. I overheard a Japanese tourist asking some young women what was happening. One of them said, “They are celebrating the Good Friday agreement. It ended the Troubles and brought peace to our country.” What more do you need to know?

But back to our driver, who did tell us more. Two more stories, the first a personal experience of his. He works for a charity that takes children from different communities up to a residential centre on the north-east coast. His job is to drive them there and back. He described how, when they went up there, the Catholic kids sat at the back of the bus, the Protestants at the front. He could overhear kids saying, “I’m not going to sit with them.” And then, how, when he went to pick them up a couple of days later, they were all mixed up: friends, sitting together, sharing pictures and messages on their phones. Having discovered that they were all the same, just kids growing up in different bits of the same city. I think that is a wonderful, simple, salutary story. The hope for the future is, as always, with our youth.

The second story concerns that mega-hit series, “Game of Thrones”. Confession: I have never seen it. My son, Kieran, declares that it is the greatest TV series ever made. I do want to see it, but I will have to start at the beginning. The series is filmed in Northern Ireland. When on location, it’s on the same north-east coast that we took a trip around. We saw a few of the spots. Disused quarries seem to be a favourite. But the point is that the popularity of the programme has contributed both to a huge boost in tourism, and in the film industry in Northern Ireland. These are now two of the three biggest industries in country, according to our driver. Top is agriculture, and heavy engineering must still be up there. HBO, the makers of “Game of Thrones”, have built a huge studio in the Titanic Quarter of Belfast, near the port, and you can see a cluster effect developing. These are exciting times for Belfast, and none of it could have happened without the peace process.

So, I guess our driver’s message to the local politicians is: get your priorities right, don’t sow seeds of confusion, and stop being idiots. Put the benefits of peace before your own selfish concerns.

And my message to English politicians obsessed with Brexit is: don’t f*** with the peace in Northern Ireland. It’s still a fragile thing. For once, put Ireland at the forefront of your thinking. Don’t dismiss concerns about the border; don’t regard the Good Friday agreement as a nuisance, a fly to be swatted away. You have a responsibility to safeguard the interests of all the people of the UK, not just your faction of the English. You can’t recreate the Empire. It’s gone. We are friends with our neighbours now. Keep it that way. And the most important neighbour is Ireland. Put it first. Please.

 

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Have you Heard? – (87) “Golden Hour” by Kacey Musgraves

Posted on April 2, 2018 by John S

Kacey Musgraves has just released her album “Golden Hour”. It’s her third album, not counting a compilation of Christmas songs in 2016 (let’s not go there). The first was the breakthrough “Same Trailer, Different Park” in 2013. It was an album which, it is said, set her apart from the typical female country singer. More challenging to the norms, more willing to deal with the social issues affecting the USA. It was a portrait of small town America, a documentary of the struggles that people face. It was honest about people’s drug use, for example. I was a bit late to it. My friend Steve recommended it to me. And when I listened, I really liked what she was doing. Not that she was that different to the country singers I do like – Lindi Ortega to the fore. None of them are the supposedly typical mainstream types. I’m not even sure who the mainstream ones are.

My favourite songs on “Same Trailer, Different Park” were “Merry Go-round” and “It Is What It Is”. “Merry Go-round” articulates the pressures people are under to conform to the small town conventions, even as they grapple with love affairs, drug habits, depression.  Grim subject matter, set to quite an upbeat tune. “It Is What It Is” is a classic country love song, really: two people who are mixed up, not right for each other, but can’t really do without each other. Sung so beautifully. Definitely one to weep into your Jack Daniels to.

I didn’t ever explore the follow up, “Pageant Material” properly. Truth is, I’m not a massive country fan. The songs and artists I end up liking almost find me, rather than me looking hard for them. A decent review from someone I respect, a chance viewing on Facebook, that sort of thing. But when I like them, I love them!

I recently booked tickets to see Kacey at Wembley Arena this autumn. So I was attuned to the new album, “Golden Hour”. I read some glowing reviews on Facebook and then the Guardian gave it five stars last Friday. Alex Petridis, no less, a great music journalist, and someone whose approval is always worth taking seriously. So I listened to the album on Friday, and then I listened to it again – and again. It is a wonderful album. It’s not really a country album at all. The country influences are there – in the first song “Slow Burn”, for example. It is a consummate pop album. Not in a Taylor Swift style, but in a more subtle way. Alex Petridis describes the songs as effortless, and I think that’s right. Not throwaway – just so right. Beautiful melodies, sometimes wistful, sometimes hard hitting, and other times just celebrating life. This is an album where Kacey has moved from the observations of other lives in “Same Trailer” to something a lot more personal. And some of that is happy. A country artist happy! Now there’s something different.

So “Golden Hour” is an upbeat, joyous album for the most part. Not corny, but feelgood. My favourite songs right now, along with “Slow Burn”, are “Butterflies”, “What a World” and “Golden Hour”. And the best of all is “What a World”. That could be a resigned cry at the way of the world. But it isn’t – it’s a celebrations of the wonders of the world, enhanced by a new love. It starts with a bit of vocoder – that’s definitely a bit Taylor – and then is just anthemic, in the way that Coldplay are anthemic. Except Coldplay wouldn’t introduce a banjo motif to the song. And Chris Martin can’t sing in the way that Kacey Musgraves sings. Just beautiful. This one is going to be awesome live.

“High Horse” is the one song that seems like a blatant attempt to move into the Taylor Swift market, with its dance beat (although the lyrics are still pretty countryish). I’d say it’s more like Kylie Minogue – and that’s not a bad thing in my book. But again, it’s just a good song, really. As is the short paean to her mother, called “Mother”. Incredibly sentimental, but lovely. You can’t knock it.

So throw away your doubts, your cynicism – yes, I’m sure this is an attempt to get a more “mainstream” audience –  and your loyalties to certain types of music. And just listen to “Golden Hour” for what it is: a rather wonderful pop album.

 

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