A walk from the source of the River Thames

Posted on January 1, 2017 by John S

img_1502

On 29 and 30 December, my wife Kath, our good friends Jon and Maggie, and I walked the Thames path, from its source in Gloucestershire, not far from Cirencester. We took a train to Kemble and got a cab to a lay-by not far from the source. We walked to Cricklade and stayed overnight there, at a hotel/pub called The White Hart. I’d recommend it.

Day one was beautifully sunny and freezing cold, with just a hint of mist in the air, which turned to fog as the evening drew in. Day two was full fog, which never really looked like clearing, until we came to the end of our walk, at Inglesham, a few miles from Lechlade. Thames path is a bit of a misnomer along the stretch we walked on day two, as you’re diverted away from the river for quite a few miles. Apparently you regain the river at Lechlade, where it is also starts to look more like the mighty river of Oxford, Reading and London.

It was a wonder to view the river in its infancy and the surrounding scenery was very beautiful. There’s a selection of photos here to give you a feel. If you can, try the walk yourself sometime.

img_1490

This is the source! That unprepossessing pile of stones marks the spot. Sometimes there’s water in a pool. But clearly the action is taking place underground.

img_1500

img_1499

First view of the river. The combination of the cold, the sun and the kinetic energy of the water led to the mist seeming to rise from the river. Should be in Iceland!

img_1506

img_1501

Version 2

img_1515

There is beauty in small things…

img_1519

img_1521

Near Ashton Keynes the river winds through a series of gravel pits. I loved the colours as the sun went down.

img_1526

img_1534

img_1539

The mist began to form again.

img_1541

img_1549

Day Two. St Mary’s church in Cricklade is the oldest Catholic church, still in use as a Catholic church, in England.

img_1553

img_1556

img_1557

img_1555

It was a little warmer, and everywhere the frost began to melt.

img_1565

img_1570

img_1571

I feel an Impressionist painting coming on…

img_1576

That’s all folks!

img_1495

 

 

 

Posted in Photos | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

A tribute to Rick Parfitt and George Michael

Posted on December 27, 2016 by John S

Either side of Christmas two more of our much-loved popsters died. It’s becoming a habit. It will probably continue, because if the likes of myself are in our late 50s a lot of our old favourites are going to be older. But let’s celebrate the joy they brought to us.

Rick Parfitt was in Status Quo. They were the ultimate three chord boogie band. But they did it better than anybody and they rocked hard in their heyday. They were the first band I saw live. So they have a special place in my heart.

George Michael made his name in Wham. I can’t claim to have been a massive fan, but you couldn’t resist the pop hits. As a solo artist he made some mature classics. But he gave up serious recording and performing too early. With his passing we are celebrating music that stopped before the 21st century.  That in itself is a small tragedy.

The best thing I thought I could do was to repeat the passages from my book. “I Was There – A Musical Journey“. They both featured, because they both mattered.

Rick Parfitt and Status Quo

Leicester de Montfort Hall introduced me to concert-going. My first was Status Quo (the source of my other letter to Sounds: proclaiming their greatness). This was an amazing concert. Quo had a golden period in the early-to-mid seventies, when they rocked hard. Dead simple, but hard. They had the hits, like “Caroline” and “Paper Plane”, but it was the seven minute rock-outs like “Roll Over Lay Down” that really did the business live. Relentless four-to-the-bar riffing; I read not so long ago that Rick Parfitt eventually got RSI from playing the same three chords so often. Could be a myth, but it feels right. The entire crowd moved as one. From the front row I looked back at the people on the balcony and feared for their safety, as the foundations moved up and down to the rhythm. I have never seen its like again. Quo really was a simple, denim clad pleasure, rock’n’roll at its purest. The dividing line between rock and cockney pub band was fine, and eventually they fell over into the latter. But circa ‘75, as we were head banging to “Down, Down”, they were the real thing.

George Michael and Wham

…Which brings us on to Wham. Or is that Wham! ? Now, calling them New Romantics in terms of musical influences would be pushing it – there wasn’t a trace of Bowie or Roxy, and not even that much of the girl-or-boy ambiguity that distinguished the look of the New Romantics. Glamour, yes, but wholesome: Bay City Rollers or Beach Boys would be closer to the mark, at least at the start. But the pop-soul trait was similar, and the big hair, and the celebratory videos. Modern, shiny pop, celebrating the important things in life, like clubbing. It was infectious and inescapable if you listened to the radio and watched TV. I enjoyed the early singles and bought a few of them, like “Wham Rap” and “Club Tropicana”, though only on seven inch – didn’t need the extended dance versions on twelve. I went off them a bit when they started having No 1s like “Wake Me up Before You Go Go” and “Freedom” which were just a bit too formulaic for me; but I did like the 1984 Christmas single, “Last Christmas”. I cannot defend this. It’s a cloying tune with a cloying video with happy people skiing and cavorting in the snow. But I love the tune, simple as that.

Wham continued into 1985 and 86 and had a couple more No 1s; but from 1984, the solo George Michael – the singer and songwriter – began to emerge. His was a more sophisticated, adult sound – not better, but different, and built to last. Through the rest of the eighties and into the nineties he made records from time to time that were hard to resist. “Careless Whisper” was the first and best. No 1 in 1984, a beautiful ballad. I have a memory from a bit later, when I lived in a flat – my first purchase – in Ealing, around 1986. When I was on my own, I used to leave the radio on as I went to bed, with a cassette also running. When the cassette clicked off, after 45 minutes, the radio would turn off as well. One night it didn’t work and the music stayed on. I half woke up at some point and dreamed I was listening to “Careless Whisper”. It sounded fantastic, the most moving song ever, in semi- dreamland. It seemed to last forever.

I was listening to it… it was on the radio. When it ended I stirred and turned the radio off. The end of the dream-but-not-dream. It was etched on my memory, the subconscious, forever a favourite tune: a tune from dreamland.

George Michael has made some great pop music over the years. Erring on the adult, the sophisticated, the sensitive cover, the quite-like-Elton-John. His encounters with the police, the drug issues, are well-documented. They are of no great interest to me. I’ve bought a fair few George Michael CDs for Kath, but I do like them myself. But, but, there’s a feeling that he could have done more, still could do. He’s got an amazing talent for melody, a great voice, an engaging presence. From time to time he has shown real flashes of originality. I’d love to see him – and hear him – break out of his current inertia and really show us all that the best is now and in the future. Let’s wait and see…

Well, we never got to see with George, but the outpouring of grief and affection on social media shows what he meant to a lot of people. Rick Parfitt was in a different world – the rock’n’roll world. And he and his band were one of the best.

RIP Rick Parfitt and George Michael.

Posted in Music - concerts, lists, reflections | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

2016 – The Year in Music

Posted on December 24, 2016 by John S

In such a politically traumatic year – the year of Brexit and Trump – and a year of many horrors, including Aleppo, the murder of Jo Cox MP here in England, the killings in Berlin just the other day, what place is there for music?

A bigger place than ever, I’d say. We need music to help express the feelings we find hard to articulate. Music brings joy, love, escape, discovery, celebration, reflection, togetherness. The good things about humankind.

And 2016 has been another wonderful year for music.

I accept my music world doesn’t really encompass the truly popular, with one or two exceptions. I got a post on Facebook from Spotify recently which listed the 40 most popular songs of the year. I was familiar with most of the artists, but had only heard two of the songs. That’s partly because my children, as they grow older, don’t force me to listen to Capital Radio in the car, and I don’t need to make playlists for youth club parties. And my staple listening is BBC 6 Music, which plays my kind of music. Latitude alerts me to one or two rising stars in the pop world, but I’m out of touch with the big sellers. It took long enough, but it had to happen.

But, but, there has been so much great music in my world too. My Top Ten of 2016 gives a flavour. I want to take three themes from that comment above about what music gives to us: discovery, celebration and reflection. And then a tribute to some of the departed. It has been quite a year for departing.

Discovery

Time was when I bought most of my music on the strength of written reviews. Now it’s much more either hearing it on 6 Music or experiencing it live at the festivals I go to. This year, as well as Latitude, I went to End of the Road.  Both were brilliant, highlights of the year.

Let me just list the performances at those two festivals that I absolutely loved.

Latitude in July

IMG_0033

Chvrches – The National – Slaves – Courtney Barnett – Let’s Eat Grandma – Pumarosa – Roots Manuva – Lonely the Brave – Mura Masa – New Order – Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats –  David Rodigan’s reggae show –  Adam Buxton’s tribute to David Bowie.

End of the Road in September

img_0237_2

The Shins, Teleman, Amber Arcades, Dilly Dally, Eleanor Friedburger, Margo Price, Blue House, Field Music, Younghusbands, Laura Gibson, Josienne Clarke and Ben Walker, The Big Moon, Savages, Jeffrey Lewis and Los Bolts, M.Ward, Bat for Lashes, Feels, The Blind Shake, Thee Oh Sees, Joanna Newsom, Teenage Fanclub.

Latitude pointed me to Pumarosa, who I saw at the Village Underground in Shoreditch in October. I’m sure they will be big, when they’ve released an album. It confirmed, too, the promise of Let’s Eat Grandma, two young women who mix prog and dance and all sorts of other things together in a bizarre but highly entertaining way. And Slaves confirmed the awesome power of their music in a rip-roaring show in the 6 Music tent. A highlight.

But it was End of the Road that really led to discovery. When Jon G and I decided to go, I remember looking at the line up and thinking, I hardly know anyone on this list. But there were so many good bands. It revived my indie muse, for sure – and pointed me towards some music of great beauty too. Amber Arcades were wonderful – and now have my top album of the year, “Fading Lines”. The voice of Josienne Clarke, echoing across the Garden Stage, was a truly moving experience. Dilly Dally and The Big Moon were raucous fun and I saw both of them at the Scala later in the year. They were both full of the essence of rock’n’roll. Savages were awesome as their set got going, and singer Jehnny Beth surfed the crowd magnificently. And maybe best of all were The Blind Shake and The Oh Sees who played wild rock’n’roll that was just out of this world. Go and see either of these bands if you can. You don’t need to know their music beforehand. They just overwhelm you with their riffs and energy there and then.

img_0360_2

Two bands who were at End of the Road that I didn’t see have become favourites since, helped by a great double CD compilation that Rough Trade put together of bands appearing at the festival. Julia Jacklin and Whitney. Jon and I saw them both at Koko in Camden in November. One of the gigs of the year.

Celebration

There’s nothing like coming together and seeing your favourite bands. Celebrating their music, singing along, even, dare I say it, shedding a tear from time to time.  Latitude gave us Chvrches, The National and New Order. I’ve followed Chvrches since they started. I love their sound. The voice of Lauren Mayberry is a wonder. I saw them at the Royal Albert Hall in March and they were awesome.  But they were even better at Latitude. They are now a brilliant live band. Lauren really gives it some. And the bass lines at Latitude… rib-crushingly powerful. The best. The National were wonderful, and singing along to “Pink Rabbits” was probably my next best moment after Chvrches. New Order took a while to get going, but when we got the hits, like “Blue Monday” and Joy Division’s “Love Will tear Us Apart” at the end – well, what can you say?

IMG_0099

Special mention has to go to David Rodigan’s history of reggae show in the early hours of Sunday morning too. A couple of hours of pure celebration, dancing and singing along to some of the greatest music ever. Just amazing.

End of the Road was mostly about discovery, but the very last show of the festival for me was Teenage Fanclub and they played most of their great songs from the classic album “Grand Prix”. I was tearful with joy (aided by beer) – and maybe regret – that this was the last show, throughout the concert.

But it wasn’t just the festivals. I saw Massive Attack twice, the best being their show at Brixton Academy in February. Forebodingly magnificent. In October, in an act of pure nostalgia for my teenage years, I saw Bad Company at the O2 Arena. They were terrific, but sadly, guitarist Mick Ralphs had a stroke soon after. I wish him well. Wolf Alice were fantastic in March, at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town. That gig cemented my feeling that their album “My Love is Cool” was one of the best of 2015. In the early months of 2016 I played it more than anything else. I went down to Brighton to see Lindi Ortega in February, promoting her latest album, “Faded Gloryville”. I loved the show. Of course I did! And I got to tell her afterwards as she signed my ticket. Aaaaah…  And Augustines’ farewell London show at the same venue as Wolf Alice was uplifting. Here’s hoping they change their minds and continue. A very fine band.

But there were two concerts which rose above everything else. I was lucky enough to get a ticket for Radiohead at the Roundhouse, where they played the first five tracks off their magnificent album “A Moon Shaped Pool” (No 2 in my 2016 chart) straight off and got a hugely positive reception. After that it was a wonderful mix of old and new, ending with “Paranoid Android”. Never to be forgotten. And then Bruce at Wembley. What can you say? Three and a half hours of pure celebration, emotion, rock’n’roll. A journey through his whole canon. The best, the Boss – as simple as that.

img_3711

Reflection

This year I didn’t come across quite as much of that beautiful sad music – the thing I called Duende in my book. But Julia Jacklin gave me some of it in her lovely album “Don’t Let The Kids Win”. Listen to a track like “Motherland”, or “LA Dream”. Josienne Clarke and Ben Walker certainly did the business at End of the Road, where the music was just Ben on guitar and Josienne with her extraordinary voice. But on record, where there was more production, with violins, horns, all sorts of things, a bit of the impact was lost, I felt.

img_0288_2

There were other lovely songs that need to be remembered this year. Whitney’s “No Woman”, which became an anthem at their Koko show; Blue House’s wistful “Ear to the Door” – a still-in-love-really song. Amber Arcade’s Annelotte de Graaf sang with a dreamy wistfuIness that was a big part of the appeal to my No 1 album “Fading Lines”. I continued to listen a lot to Daisy Vaughan’s delicately beautiful album “Light on our Limbs”. But there were no live sightings as far as I could tell. Sing to us Daisy!

And I rediscovered Kacey Musgraves’ album from 2013, “Same Trailer, Different Park”. Talk about country heartbreak! And defiance – fighting against expectations. The spirit of Bruce – like Lindi.  Straight to the top of the list. And the best song of all was the closer on the album, “It Is What It Is”. Two people in limbo, not sure whether they are together or not. Both lonely, and Kacey singing come back, you don’t have to stay. So heart-wrenching, sung so tenderly.

It formed part of a small epiphany…

Every Thursday morning during term time I go into a school in Hammersmith, where I am also a governor, and read for half an hour with a pupil with some kind of reading difficulty. Normally dyslexia. It’s just half an hour, but over the weeks as you work with one person, you really can see the confidence build, practising reading or comprehension in a completely non-judgemental environment. I find it incredibly fulfilling, one of the most important things I do.

When I leave the school at around 9 o’clock and head into work, I feel a buzz, feel uplifted. That sense of helping someone to learn, to gain confidence, is something else. It’s why I have such admiration for teachers, who are trying to do this day in, day out, all day. I do half an hour a week!

And just recently I left feeling really good about a session I’d just had, where we made real progress. I always joke to myself that it’s downhill all the way once I get into work. I got onto the District Line and managed to get a seat. I pulled out my book, Bruce Springsteen’s autobiography, “Born to Run”.  If you read my review of the book, you’ll know how brilliant I think it is – searingingly honest, hugely insightful. I’d got to the place where the Big Man, saxophonist Clarence Clemons, had died, and Bruce was paying tribute. It was incredibly moving, but also inspiring.

img_3816

So the reading with the pupil, the reading with Bruce… I was soaring, sitting there on the District Line. And then, on my iPod playlist, on came “It Is What It Is”. Oh my God! My eyes just welled up.  I wiped them as discreetly as I could, but wondered whether the woman sitting opposite had noticed. I avoided eye contact. But really, I didn’t care, because it was such a beautiful moment.

And music was the trigger.

Oh yeah, my book

Can I go through a review of 2016 without mentioning “I Was There – A Musical Journey”?  Well, obviously not! A labour of love, put together over eight years or so. My story, told in music. It’s now published, on Amazon and Kindle. I like to think it’s a good account of the music of the last fifty years, as long as I liked it. There’s a bit of my life in there, but it’s mostly a celebration of the music. Like Lindi Ortega sings, if the music wasn’t flowing through the blood in my veins…

12768215_835812383194659_8638451677837790173_o

And departed heroes

We lost two of the greats this year – David Bowie and Prince. Many would add Leonard Cohen. I respect that; it’s just that I’ve never listened much to his music.

Bowie is up there with Bruce, Bob Marley, Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Van Morrison, The Clash, Radiohead, Massive Attack and U2 as a favourite artist of all time. He straddled so many genres, influenced so many other bands. I struggle to say what my favourite album is because there are so many candidates.  Maybe “Station to Station”, but what about “Diamond Dogs”, or “Ziggy Stardust”, or “Aladdin Sane” or “Low”? A genius, an inspiration.

img_0572_2

Prince straddled the genres too. He was rooted in funk and soul, but came closer than anyone to perfecting the fusion of rock’n’roll with soul. The 1980s were his heyday, when his imagination ran riot and he made a succession of great albums: “1999”, “Purple Rain”, “Parade” and “Sign o’ the Times” the best, I’d say. He lost his way in the 90s and beyond, with disputes with record companies and pretty much everything; but he stayed true to his muse when playing live. I was fortunate enough to see him at the Roundhouse with Third Eye Girl in 2015, and he was truly awesome. In the end an entertainer more than a pioneer – I always wondered why he didn’t experiment more with electronic sounds – but an entertainer like few others. And a huge influence on today’s R&B and rap music.  Just listen to the great new artists like Kendrick Lamar and Frank Ocean and tell me you don’t hear some Prince in there.  It’s obvious!

So Prince and Bowie are gone. But their music lives on.

And so to 2017

I would expect Pumarosa and The Big Moon to do well with their debut albums. But it is tough these days. I really wish Gengahr well with their second album – I saw them play quite a few new tunes in November in Shoreditch and they were good.

And already I’ve got a whole load of gigs lined up: Amber Arcades, Cabbage, Julia Jacklin, Underworld, ABC (blast from the past!), Car Seat Headrest, Moonlandingz, Bryan Ferry at Hampton Court (M&S picnic and champers beforehand, no doubt!). Can’t wait!

2016 was awful in many ways, but brilliant in others. And music of course was on the credit side. And always will be…

So here’s to 2017 in music.

Posted in Music - concerts, lists, reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

The Turner Prize 2016, Tate Britain

Posted on December 22, 2016 by John S

The Tate is a few minutes walk from my office, and I popped down there this lunch time to take a look at the exhibition of the shortlisted artists for this year’s Turner Prize. The prize is for artists under fifty and recognises their work over the year, not just what is exhibited at the Tate. It tends to attract controversy in the media, because the art is generally unconventional. The cry goes up that it’s not art, a waste of time and money, etc, etc. All of which is nonsense, of course.

This year’s winner was Helen Marten, who is originally from Macclesfield. The Tate blurb declared that “Her collage-like gatherings of objects and images have a playful intent, creating poetic visual puzzles that seem to invite us into a game or riddle”. Yeah, OK….

I enjoyed the show. For me it was art as fun, entertainment. Thought-provoking, because you ask yourself, what is the artist trying to achieve here? And visually arresting at times. Of the four artists on show, that certainly applied to my favourite, Anthea Hamilton. I liked her brick wallpaper and suit, the images of a London sky – and of course The Bum, officially known as “Project for a Door (After Gaetano Pesce)”. The said Italian designer had planned something similar for a doorway on a New York apartment block. Strangely, it never happened. Judging by the comments on the notes pinned to a board (see later) The Bum (or Butt) was the star attraction. No surprise – you couldn’t but smile.

The other work which I found striking was Michael Dean’s “United Kingdom poverty line for two adults and two children: twenty thousand four hundred and thirty six pounds sterling as published on 1st September 2016”. It is £2o,436 in pennies, minus one penny, to symbolise being below the poverty line. Its physical being makes you think hard about that. One wag in the comments said he’d chucked an extra penny onto the pile, so it was enough! I don’t doubt a few have been nicked too.

A few photos and then a selection of the comments that people left.

ANTHEA HAMILTON

img_3835

img_3836

img_3837

img_3847

MICHAEL DEAN

img_3839

img_3840

JOSEPHINE PRYDE

img_3844

img_3845

img_3843

HELEN MARTEN

img_3850

img_3853

THE COMMENTS

This one summed up quite a few!

img_3857

img_3859

img_3860

Gotta agree with this.

img_3863

Clearly appealed to young kids. That is good!

img_3858

img_3861

img_3862

I felt I had to say something. I reverted to my list tendency.

img_3864

 

Posted in Art, books, theatre, cinema, London | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

lovelondonscenes 118 – A foggy day in London town

Posted on December 17, 2016 by John S

A foggy day in London Town
Had me low and had me down
I viewed the morning with alarm
The British Museum had lost its charm
How long, I wondered, could this thing last?
But the age of miracles hadn’t passed,
For, suddenly, I saw you there
And through foggy London Town
The sun was shining everywhere.

So many people have sung this wonderful Cole Porter song. I love the Ella Fitzgerald version. Whenever it’s foggy or misty in London it comes into my head…

A week or so ago I walked up to Ealing Broadway to catch a train to work, as the Piccadilly Line was so dire. The mist was just being burned off as I wandered through Lammas Park, my local.

img_3824

img_3825

Posted in Photos - lovelondonscenes | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

Blue House at St Pancras Old Church, 14 December 2016

Posted on December 17, 2016 by John S

img_3831

Blue House are a London band featuring James Howard and Ursula Russell, who both sing and play guitar. Their debut album, “Suppose”, was No 8 in my Top Ten of 2016. Jon G and I saw them at End of the Road and couldn’t miss the chance to see them again in London. The venue was St Pancras Old Church, not far from the station. Apparently the site of the church is one of the oldest in Christianity here in England. The original church may have dated from Saxon times and there were even Roman elements in the original walls. It was reconstructed in Victorian times and has had a few refurbishments since, including after the Second World War. The church hosts quite a few gigs – I almost went there once before when Daisy Vaughan was due to play a rare show, but the concert was cancelled because the lead band had had all their equipment stolen on a US tour.

It’s a lovely church, but not that well-equipped for rock concerts. Blue House have a fairly gentle sound, especially on record, but they do get the electric guitars going at times. So why they chose this venue for a flagship gig, I’m not sure. The stage wasn’t that well-lit – hence the quality of the photo (which was the best one!), as I had to resort to the iPhone. My camera wouldn’t focus without the flash and I didn’t want to use that.

The band got off to a great start with my favourite track, “Ear to the Door”. The sound was a bit murky though – they didn’t have the quality of speakers that they had at End of the Road. We got a decent selection from the album, with “Hot Air Balloons” a predictable highlight. It’s one of the songs that gives them a chance to rock out a bit, which they do very well.

But then they turned to tributes to David Bowie and Leonard Cohen. We got two excellent Bowie covers – “Sound and Vision” and “The Man Who Sold the World”.  Great choices! Then there were three Leonard Cohens – unless one of them was a new song of their own. Leonard Cohen was one of those people I never really got around to listening to, so the covers didn’t resonate with me. They were nicely done, but, I felt, an odd way to finish the concert. There were quite a few of their own songs they didn’t play – including their own wonderful Bowie tribute, “January the Tenth”.

So I really enjoyed the gig, but it didn’t wow me as much as the End of the Road performance did. Everyone was sitting down politely too. Churches, with their seats in neat rows, don’t exactly encourage rocking!

We had a nice touch at the end. There had been a guy behind us who talked a bit of football with us when Jon was checking half time scores before the show started. Afterwards, he revealed himself as the father of Ursula. He said they would have a new album out in the spring, which will better than the first. Well, it will be pretty damn good then!

A fine band, who didn’t really do themselves justice tonight; but I’ll be there for the next London gig if I can. No doubt about that.

Posted in Music - concerts, lists, reflections | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

My Top Ten albums of 2016

Posted on December 11, 2016 by John S

A turbulent year politically, what with Brexit, Trump and the continued horrors of Syria. And a sad year in music, when we lost David Bowie, Prince, Leonard Cohen and more. But the music itself – as brilliant as ever. I’ll be writing a review of the year, so this is a taster: my Top Ten Albums of the year.  Last year, indie got top slot with Gengahr’s “A Dream Outside” – still an album I listen to a lot – but the dominant theme was the female voice. This year indie has made a bit of a return, but those beautiful and distinctive voices retain a strong hold. Read on…

No 1. “Fading Lines” by Amber Arcades

I first came across Amber Arcades at the End of the Road festival in early September. The band, led by Annelotte de Graaf, made an immediate impact, with their dreamy melodies and Velvets-inflected guitars. I downloaded the album as soon as I got home and haven’t stopped listening to it. It’s a joyous collection of songs – lovely melodies, Annelotte’s wistful voice, the chiming guitars and a punching beat underpinning everything. “Fading Lines”, “Come with Me” and “Turning Light” remain highlights, but every song has its own beauty. This album lifts me up every time I hear it. And for that reason it ousted what I thought would be No 1 from the moment it was released…

No 2. “A Moon Shaped Pool” by Radiohead

A new Radiohead album is always an event. And this one did not disappoint. It took a couple of listens to reveal its full depths, but deep it was. A change in style for the band – the more angular electronic replaced by a lush, cinematic sound at times. There were strident tunes, the lead track “Burn the Witch” and the unsettling “Ful Stop” (my favourite on the album) amongst them. But lushness and gentle swirls of sound were the defining characteristic, and Radiohead made some of their most beautiful music in the process. I especially liked “Daydreaming” and “Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief”. Music for films, the Radiohead way.

No 3. Adore Life by Savages

This one has crept up on me just recently. Hit me on the head with a saucepan, punched me in the face and booted me while I’m on the floor! It really is magnificent in its gothic angst, its pummelling riffs, the grandiose cries for love and a sheer theatricality. Singer Jehnny Beth is extraordinary – when she howls that she going insane you can believe it! I had this album for a while before I fully appreciated it, and there’s no doubt that their awesome performance at End of the Road set me on my way. I especially love the frenzied riffing of “The Answer” and “T.I.W.Y.G” (this is what you get when you mess with love) and the pounding beat of “Sad Person”. And “Adore” is just made to be a slow-burn stadium anthem. Watch the BBC recording of their Glastonbury set on You Tube and you’ll get a sense of their relentless power.

No 4. Waiting for the World to Turn by Palace Winter

Palace Winter are a Copenhagen-based duo, Australian Carl Coleman and Dane Caspar Hesselager. The songs on this, their debut album, are big, like U2’s and Coldplay’s are big. And like The War on Drugs on the more upbeat numbers on the brilliant “Lost in the Dream” (my No 2 in 2014).  They are my points of reference, with any number of anthemic 80s bands – Talk Talk spring to mind. Give it a few listens and some lovely melodies reveal themselves amid the singing guitars and thumping drums. This is undoubtedly a sound fit for stadiums. I can’t imagine how they won’t be massive.

No 5. “The Colour In Anything” by James Blake

This is a deep, melancholy, but warm suite of songs best heard together. Overall I think it’s James Blake’s strongest album, though it doesn’t have anything quite as distinctive as “The Wilhelm Scream” and “Limit to your Love”. The electronic veerings that make his music so distinctive are still there, along with some gorgeous melodies, that bring out all the sinegr’s angst. There’s a spirit of Stevie Wonder in there – listen to the “My Willing Heart” and “Choose Me” to hear what I mean. Like all James Blake’s albums this is music best listened to late at night, though he has proved he can captivate a festival audience in the summer sunshine as those angular beats kick in at the most unlikely of times. Listen, listen and listen again – you will be enveloped.

No 6. “Blonde” by Frank Ocean

To say that Frank Ocean’s follow up album to the brilliant “Channel Orange” was much-awaited is something of an understatement. Five years it took. And yes, it was worth the wait. It’s more subdued than its predecessor – but it is suffused with a melancholy beauty. It’s got a lot in common with James Blake’s album in that respect – and Blake was involved in the production. Frank Ocean occupies a space between R&B, rap and soul, with pop references too – there’s even a hint of the Beatles in “White Ferrari”. The spirit of Stevie Wonder is undoubtedly there, and Prince too. But this is 2016 and Frank Ocean’s sound is distinctly his own. It’s a fascinating album – you can speculate like crazy about the state of the mind that produced it. Or you can just wallow in the beautifully produced melancholy. Essential listening.

No 7. “Don’t Let the Kids Win” by Julia Jacklin

This is my wistful singer-songwriter, Americana, country heartbreak album of the year. Julia is an Australian, sings like an angel and wields an expressive electric guitar. She’s great live, where my points of reference were the likes of Sharon van Etten and Courtney Barnett. She sings her slower tunes with a haunting beauty that you might also find in Emmylou Harris and two of my recent favourites, Daisy Vaughan and Lindi Ortega. So roll all those references together and you can see why I like her! Her voice is at its most expressive in the moving “Motherland”; her roots in great pop of many years evident in songs like “Pool Party” and “Coming of Age”. She’s on at the Scala in March 2017 – I’ll be there!

No 8. “Suppose” by Blue House

Blue House, a London band fronted by Ursula Russell and James Howard, play wistful, kind of melancholy, observant songs that chug along like a good Velvet Underground tune. The band they keep reminding me of most is Prefab Sprout, from the 1980s. and the melodies have something in common with Crowded House – and, I guess, R.E.M., especially their earlier albums. “Suppose” has one of my favourite songs of the year on it: “Ear to the Door”. It’s an affectionate break up song. That’s Blue House for you – reflective, ambiguous, slightly quirky and rather lovely. There’s the only song I know so far about the death of David Bowie, “January the Tenth”. Another affectionate break up – of a different kind.

No 9. “I, Gemini” by Let’s Eat Grandma

So, how to describe this one? A collision of prog rock, electronica, dance, pop and some very scary fairy tales! Sung and performed by two teenagers from Norwich, Jenny Hollingworth and Rosa Walton, who have an obvious grasp of today’s sounds, but have clearly been listening to their parents’ record collections. There are so many different things going on in this music. It doesn’t always work, but mostly it does and it’s just intriguing. You are as likely to get a burst of triangle or recorder as a guitar solo or some jagged saxophone. The lyrics are equally mind-boggling: there are dead cats, shiitake mushrooms, chocolate sludge cake, cries for Mummy. The school play collides with “Tales of Topographic Oceans” in a disco. Or something like that. I saw them live twice this year: first in the dingy Elektrowerkz in Islington, then at Latitude. They didn’t have much to say, but played with real versatility. I’ll be fascinated to see – and hear – where they go next.

No 10. “Teens of Denial” by Car Seat Headrest

Car Seat Headrest is a Seattle-based band led by Will Toledo, who has been producing music under the name since 2010. I only came across him earlier this year thanks to a positive review in the music blog, Little by Listen, which is written by three guys from the mid-West, Wes, Austin and Todd. Worth following, though they’ve been quite quiet recently. The easy description is low-fi, slacker music. With grunge thrown in. Beck meets Nirvana and Pavement. That’s good! There are some great riffs in here, and some quirky takes on life. I like the song titles: “Destroyed by Hippy Powers”, “Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales” amongst them. What can it all mean? This is a classic disaffected American album. There is a lot going on in it. Like Let’s Eat Grandma, but in a totally different way, it’s fascinating. They may not be that well-known yet, but word of mouth is strong and they have already sold out the Electric Ballroom in Camden for a March show. I just bought a ticket for Manchester in case I feel I must see them – and I think I may just feel that the more I listen to this one.

Two from 2015 that would be in the list if they were from 2016

“My Love Is Cool” by Wolf Alice

This one was in my honourable mentions last year, only because I hadn’t really listened to it enough. I gave it another go in the New Year and it clicked. It became my most-played album for quite a while, especially when I saw the band at the Forum in Kentish Town in March. They were electric and the (quite young) audience did some serious moshing. They combine hard rocking riffs with a strong pop sensibility. A sniffy Guardian writer described the music as bubblegrunge. Clever, but condescending and wrong! It is awesome rock’n’roll and Ellie Rowsell, singer and guitarist has a great presence. Best songs for me include “You’re a Germ”, “My Love’s Whore” and “Fluffy”, but it is an excellent, uplifting album from start to finish. Can’t wait for the next one!

“Sore” by Dilly Dally

The 90s revival is in full swing and grunge is back. And Dilly Dally, a Toronto band, have updated grunge and punk in a visceral, slightly shambolic but powerful way. They are another End of the Road discovery for me, so “Sore” felt like a 2016 album to me. It’s crude, heartfelt, wayward and captivating. As well as at End of the Road, I saw them at the Scala in September. The words I’ve used already – visceral, shambolic – are a good description of the music; but there is a real rock’n’roll power too. I felt excited to be a watching a band that didn’t feel quite the finished article, but which really had something about them. Fronted by two women, Katie Monks and Liz Ball. Katie’s voice is a rasp, almost slurred, but it works. The music bludgeons and the choruses are shouty. I listened to the album a lot after the gig and really liked it. Stand out tracks for me are “Desire” and “Snakehead”, where the Pixies and PJ Harvey are definite references. For me, a reminder of what rock’n’roll is all about.

Honourable mentions

There will no doubt be a Wolf Alice in here, but some of the other albums that were vying for a place in my Top Ten included:

“Blackstar” by David Bowie. His valedictory shot, greeted as a true return to form, exploring jazz at the edges of his sound. The title track was awesome and beguiling. Throughout you cannot help but interpret the songs as messages from a dying man, and maybe that’s why I didn’t listen to it a lot. But it will last, I think. The final work from one of the greatest pop artists of all time.

“Light upon the Lake” by Whitney, featuring the lovely “No Woman” and sounding like the late 60s Van Morrison was back. Brilliant live at Koko in Camden, where singer/frontman and drummer, Julien Ehrlich, kept his hood up, drank red wine, sang in a affecting falsetto and gave one of the most compelling performances I’ve seen all year.

“My Woman” by Angel Olsen

I’m still quite new to this one, but it was a rival to Julia Jacklin in that melancholy singer-songwriter with a rock sensitivity field. Again, Sharon van Etten is a reference point. And I really love the track “Sister”, which features some soaring, Neil Young-style guitar.

“The Bride” by Bat for Lashes

Bat for Lashes, featuring Natasha Khan, were terrific at End of the Road. “The Bride” was the centrepiece of that show. It’s a beautiful, haunting album, with a rather macabre theme about a bride who loses her fiancée to a car crash on their wedding day. The album tells the story of the hope, the loss and the recovery. Musically, comparisons with Kate Bush are unavoidable, but as Kate Bush doesn’t do a lot these days, it’s good to have Bat for Lashes!

“Human Performance” by Parquet Courts

Parquet Courts are a great band – I’ve waxed lyrical about them many times on this blog. When they started they felt like the Strokes meet Velvet Underground. With each album, the Strokes element fades and the grunge/slacker sound combines more with the Velvets. Like it a lot still, but fewer tracks that jump out. Still excellent live – saw them at the Forum, Kentish Town recently.

“22, A Million” by Bon Iver

In which Bon Iver goes electronic and slightly weird. The delicate angst is still there, but submerged in the effects. I haven’t listened to this one enough yet. It’s good, but I’m not sure how good. I think it will reveal more with each listen.

“Phase” by Jack Garratt

Jack Garratt is a multi-instrumentalist whose sound falls somewhere in between James Blake and Disclosure – so a bit more poppy and upbeat than the former, rather more angsty than the latter. But the combination results in a modern and catchy collection with plenty of hooks and some interesting electronic diversions. I saw him recently at Hammersmith Apollo – he had sold out two nights there – and he put on a real show – a one man show. It felt like he had found a way of combining popular appeal with musical complexity – quite a feat. And “Phase” is the recorded proof of that.

Posted in Music - concerts, lists, reflections, Music - Top Tens | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Jack Garratt at Hammersmith Apollo, 24 November 2016

Posted on December 4, 2016 by John S

img_0642

Jack Garratt recently played two nights at Hammersmith Apollo. I saw the second show. He was at Latitude in 2014 in the i-Arena tent in the Woods. It was clear something was going on. It was packed and the reception was incredibly positive. There was an obvious James Blake link as he does a similar thing with the bass and the electronics, taking a sound in a direction that challenges the tune, but makes it a lot more interesting. And it’s particularly powerful live.

He’s recently released an album recently called “Phase”. Part of it brings together some of his earlier EPs, and, not surprisingly, features what might be his biggest song so far, “Worry”.  It feels like James Blake meets Disclosure, with a touch of Of Monsters and Men when he goes for the big chorus. No wonder he’s selling out Hammersmith Apollo.

On the night he started with “Coalesce” – a powerful piece with a big chorus. He was playing drums and keyboards at same time – impressive. Maybe a bit pre-programmed, but apart from two occasional backing singers this was a one man show. The lighting was dramatic too.

img_0629

At Latitude, Jack was excellent, but he was still the techno-geek. That was part of the attraction. But now he is a real showman. Engaging the crowd, making sure those choruses hit the spot for today’s youngsters. And they sure did!

He is a multi-instrumentalist as well as a good singer – his falsetto sounds a bit like Prince – and let us know how good he was when he played an interlude on keyboards and guitar of intros from great pop songs. Including Nirvana, Bon Jovi and Beyoncé!

img_0644

The encore had a lovely contrast. First “My House is your Home”, which, on record, is quite a jazzy piece. He introduced it with a paean to his fiancé who is an American Muslim. He didn’t name Trump, but the crowd got the gist.

And then “Worry” – what else? Anthemic and the perfect ending.

A great concert – one which touches a lot of bases. Great music and musicianship, but also an ear for what goes down well today.

Jack Garratt has got it nailed on.

img_0636

(A version of this review originally appeared on Little Indie blogs).

Posted in Music - concerts, lists, reflections | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Sportsthoughts (155) – Deadly December!

Posted on November 28, 2016 by John S

December, rather than April, is the cruellest month when it comes to the Premier League – for managers. With the transfer window in January looming in January, chairmen start to question whether they want the current manager in post to spend more of their money. If the team is in the bottom few, or simply underachieving, they might just think, now is the time to act.

So let’s look at the bookies on the next manager to go. These are the top five at Ladbrokes. The odds vary across bookies, but the order is largely the same.

4/6 Alan Pardew, Crystal Palace

10/3 Bob Bradley, Swansea

4/1 David Moyes, Sunderland

9/2 Mike Phelan, Hull

14/1 Slaven Bilic, West Ham

Hardly surprising that these are the bottom five in the league.

So Alan Pardew is the red hot favourite. I think he’s a good manager, and he’s done pretty well at Palace. But they ended last season badly, spent a lot of money in the summer and have just lost six games on the trot. They are 17th – one place above the relegation places. Enough to merit the sack? I wouldn’t say so; but Pardew has a bit of a reputation for starting well at clubs and then winding people up a bit. I don’t know whether it’s happening at Palace, but perhaps we shouldn’t forget he was one of the favourites for the England job when Big Sam got it.

But, of course, I want to concentrate on the fifth manager on that list. It’s our man, Slaven Bilic at West Ham. How can this be? He came in last season, replacing the sullied Sam Allardyce. He did really well, the team was excellent and we ended up 7th, having threatened briefly to make the top four. Dimitri Payet lit up our football lives.

And now we are fifth bottom. What’s happened?

Well it’s West Ham. Fantastic opportunity to move onto great things as we move into the Olympic Stadium, cheap rent and all. Time to get serious.

Fifth bottom!

One point above the relegation zone.

Oh blimey, plus ca change, as they say in Essex.

What’s gone wrong?

Well, let’s stay calm – it’s still early days. Two or three wins on the trot and we’d be mid-table. We are in a run of tough games against the top teams: Spurs, Man Utd, Arsenal next weekend. And against the first two – both away – we played pretty well. 2-1 up against Spurs until the last few minutes – lost 3-2. Early goal against Utd – drew 1-1 and held on well. In fact, whenever I’ve seen them on the TV, they’ve looked pretty good in spells. But the defence has lost concentration at crucial moments, far more than last season. Other players have dipped in form, notably the two play makers, Payet and Lanzini. Or maybe you just notice them more because they were both so good last season.

People say the team has struggled to adapt to the new stadium – I daresay that is true. Probably hasn’t helped that fans have been at odds with each other, over things like standing in seating. (It’s all seating – sit!). You hope that will all sort itself out.

The problem is mostly on the pitch. Porous defence, lacklustre midfield, toothless attack. The latter despite the fact that the club spent a lot of money on forwards like Andre Ayew, Sofiane Feghouli,  Simone Zaza and Gokhan Tore, none of whom can command a place in the starting eleven, despite all being internationals. (Who can forget Zaza’s penalty miss for Italy in the Euros?). And of course big Andy Carroll is injured – he never manages more than five or six games. Such a shame, as he is awesome when he gets fit.

The rumours have started to circulate about Slav getting the sack before the window, but all the possible replacements mentioned in the stuff I’ve read are completely unrealistic. And why would we would to get rid of Bilic? He’s a fine manager. Transformed us last year. Brought the smile back to people’s faces. And took us to a creditable league placing.

Unless there are bad things going on behind the scenes – and that wouldn’t seem in keeping with Slav – we must stick with him. We have talented players. We need to get more out of the forwards; the defence needs to tighten up – and good signs were shown against Man Utd. And the midfield needs to believe.

I’d say it is getting there. Home to Arsenal will be hard. And it’s one of the two games I don’t want the Gunners to win each season. I expect defeat in this one because they are so good right now and more resilient than in recent seasons, although they haven’t been at their best recently.

And then we’ve got Liverpool away. Oh my God!

We are paying the price for poor results against teams we should have beaten earlier in the season. But should have never washes. You have to do it! We have four crucial matches after the challenge of Arsenal and Liverpool. Burnley, Hull, Swansea, Leicester, taking it to 31 December. If we fail in more than one of them we are in serious trouble.

And Slav will be out.

Posted in Sportsthoughts | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Gengahr at the Courtyard Theatre, Shoreditch, 25 November 2016

Posted on November 26, 2016 by John S

Tonight, after a couple of beers to see off a Kiwi colleague who’s heading back to New Zealand, I went to see my favourite indie band of recent times, Gengahr. Always such a great band live, and, as you’ll know if you follow this blog, I loved their debut album from 2015, “A Dream Outside”. I made it my top album of the year.

img_0649

The show tonight was a mix of established favourites and new songs. The new stuff sounded pretty good, with that same combination of sharp, twisted melodies and strident riffs. Looking forward to the new album, whenever it comes out. And the “old” stuff – well they just couldn’t go wrong. “Heroine”, “Bathed in Light”, “Embers”, “Fill my Gums with Blood”, “Dizzy Ghosts”, and, as a parting shot, the anthemic “She’s a Witch”, followed, as an encore, by my very favourite Gengahr song, “Powder”. That woozy vocal and those awesome guitars. Just love it.

img_0652

Singer and guitarist Felix Bushe

img_0661

Lead guitarist John Victor, floppy indie fringe dissolved in the heat!

The set was short but sweet – less than an hour. But what a good hour it was. As I always say about this band, they deserve to be huge. They’ve got an enthusiastic following, which gave the Courtyard a great atmosphere tonight. Can they make the next step?

img_0660

We await that second album.

Posted in Music - concerts, lists, reflections | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment