Radiohead at the Roundhouse, 26 May 2016

Posted on May 28, 2016 by John S

The first Radiohead concerts in the UK since 2012, and in London they chose to play three nights at the Roundhouse. It’s a great venue – maybe my favourite – but it only holds about 3,000. So fewer people will have got to see them (tonight’s the last one) than if there were one O2 Dome appearance, which is where they appeared last time.

So I was very lucky to be there!

So very lucky, because it was a magnificent gig, which featured the new album “A Moon Shaped Pool” heavily, but also paid tribute to pretty much all the albums that went before, except the very first, “Pablo Honey”, home of that one-off, proto-Radiohead hit, “Creep”.

As I said in my review of “A Moon Shaped Pool” the other day, Radiohead are the best band in the world right now, and tonight they confirmed that. There’s no-one else who can combine anthemic angst, beautiful, twisted ballads, leftfield electro and awesome rock power the way they do. It’s the result of a history of constant restlessness, an evolution of their sound which has sometimes felt like revolution. The biggest step change always seemed like the one from “OK Computer” to “Kid A”, which for a moment seemed to signal the end of guitars in the band who had made some of the great guitar anthems on “OK Computer” and its predecessor, “The Bends”. And yet, as we have passed through the initially obscure meanderings of “Amnesia” and especially “Hail to the Thief”, the perfection of “In Rainbows” and the angular electro and vulnerability of “The King of Limbs” it feels like “Kid A” was simply a bridge, a natural step.

Radiohead’s musical journey has been intriguing and exhilarating, and that is why their fans are quite happy to go a concert and hear it begin with five new songs on the trot. They know they are going to be good and that they will hear a few old favourites too. Radiohead respect their audience. They take it to new places, but they don’t disown the past. In fact they celebrate it big time.

And that is what we lucky few got on Thursday – and Friday, I know from other friends. With a similar core of new songs on both nights, but a hugely different array of earlier songs. The concert lasted two and a half an hours and 25 songs were played. On my night there were eight from the new album. The first five, as I said above, were from “A Moon Shaped Pool”. In fact the first five in sequence from that album. “Burn the Witch” was less jagged, but if anything, more urgent than on the album. A blistering opener, followed by the intense, cinematic beauty of “Daydreaming”. Right now I feel that this is one of the band’s very finest moments, one of the new songs destined to become an old favourite very quickly. “Decks Dark” continued that beautiful reflectiveness. I read in the Guardian/Observer review of “A Moon Shaped Pool”, by Kitty Empire, that the new album, at least lyrically, is Thom Yorke’s break-up album, after the ending of his relationship with his long term partner. That makes sense, but it’s never maudlin, just hauntingly lovely. Immersive music. “Desert Island Disk” is acoustic and introspective; and then…

The most striking song on the album, “Ful Stop”. That sense of paranoia and anxiety, those enveloping siren-like sounds over the urgent bass line, which I described in my review of the album, became truly dramatic as the blue lights flashed and the beats became overwhelming. In an evening of high points, I think it may have been the high point.

The dynamic had to change after that. We had the electro of “Lotus Flower”, a diversion into the B-sides with the sparse “Talk Show Host”, from “The Bends” era, and then, greeted like a long lost friend, “My Iron Lung” from “The Bends” itself. And my, did that rock! And really, the rest of the concert was just a fantastic journey through Radiohead’s back catalogue with a few more representations from the new, “Identikit” being a standout for me. Highlights for me were the last three in the main set – the lovely “Reckoner” from “In Rainbows”, the iconic duo from “Kid A”, “Idioteque” (featuring Thom’s dervish moves) and “Everything in its Right Place” – then a haunting “Nude” (with false start as one of Jonny’s machines wasn’t working) and a searing “Planet Telex” in the first encore; and last of all, the song we were probably all waiting for. “Paranoid Android” of course. What can you say about “Paranoid Android” other than the obvious? It was truly awesome and sent us all home elated.

That was my third Radiohead concert, and each one has felt like it was one of the greatest gigs I have ever seen. I do hope they return soon, and play some bigger venues so more people can see them – and I can again! Because I know it will be completely different, but just as good. Radiohead are the benchmark for excellence.

I’ve attached a link to the full setlist here. From the brilliant Setlist FM – they had this up within an hour of the concert finishing. Take a look at the 27 May set too. All sorts of other favourites like “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi”, “The National Anthem” “Pyramid Song”and “Karma Police”. But no “Paranoid Android”. Well you can’t have everything.

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Have You Heard? – (74) “A Moon Shaped Pool” by Radiohead

Posted on May 23, 2016 by John S

 

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A week or so ago I downloaded three albums that I felt would transform the music of 2016 so far: PJ Harvey’s “The Hope Six Demolition Project”, James Blake’s “The Colour in Anything” and, the big one, Radiohead’s “A Moon Shaped Pool”. I can’t really comment properly on the first two yet because, inevitably, the Radiohead album has taken over. Top of the league, as ever…

We knew something was happening as there were a few tour dates and then two videos, for the tracks “Burn the Witch” and “Daydreaming”. As it happens they are the two opening tracks for the album and are, perhaps, its signature tunes.

“Burn the Witch” is maybe the closest thing to a classic Radiohead song, if you still hanker after the more upbeat sounds. Upbeat in rhythm that is, not in lyrical content. That is the usual paranoia and alienation! There’s a difference in the sound though, as the song is introduced with some jerky violins – not an instrument that has featured too much in earlier Radiohead, but more prominent on this album.

“Daydreaming” symbolises what I felt most about the album when I first listened all the way through, which is that it feels like a film soundtrack – there’s a lot of space in the music, the pace is often languid, there are layers upon layers of sound, which slowly reveal themselves. Association with film isn’t new for Radiohead – “OK Computer” had a track called “Exit Music (For a Film)”, and “Kid A” ended with “Motion Picture Soundtrack”, but this album is suffused with the atmosphere of film music.

I loved both of the opening tracks, and it wasn’t long before others made a real impact. “Ful Stop” especially. An ominous bass drone, some sounds that sounded almost like sirens. Eerie, unsettling. In a sense, similar to the impact that “The National Anthem” had on me when I first listened to the groundbreaking “Kid A”. And then, as the paranoia and angst hits just the right level, the first line:

You really messed up everything…

Good ol’Thom, always knows how to poop the party. And we love him for it!

In keeping with that film soundtrack air, “A Moon Shaped Pool” strips out most of the hard edged beats that have populated the last few Radiohead albums – beats that really come into play live. And brilliantly at that. “Identikit” tends the electro flame, and could fit nicely onto “In Rainbows”. It has a twist though, when a kind of gospel chorus appears half way through. It’s as if Radiohead are acknowledging some of the things that feature in modern pop, without falling in line with the mainstream. The track ends with a slightly beserk, scratchy guitar solo. Not something you’d get on an Adele record! (Not yet, anyway).

Another of the tracks which made an early impression is “Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief”. (Radiohead like to use everyday sayings in their songs, which contrast with the other-worldliness of their music). It’s another slow-paced piece, which slowly builds up the atmosphere, and entrances. Those violins, or something that sounds like them, resurface. Radiohead go orchestral – but in a weird way, of course. We had a foretaste of this when the band put their theme for the last Bond movie, “Spectre” online. It didn’t make the cut for some reason, but it was perfect.

We even get a bit a little bit of samba – Radiohead style – in “Present Tense”, another song that might have worked well on “In Rainbows”. The more I’ve listened to “A Moon Shaped Pool”, the more I think the other it resembles most – in spirit and variety of sounds – is “In Rainbows”, although the more stately pieces retain that beautiful sadness that seemed to characterise its immediate predecessor, “The King of Limbs”.

Radiohead, as ever, move on. Further than ever away from the rock sounds of “The Bends” and “OK Computer”, which I suspect many fans would love to see return. They probably never will, and I, for one, am more than happy to stay with Radiohead on their musical journey. Forever fascinating, different, taking in the sounds they hear around them. Twisting them, adding depth, melody, angst. Beauty. So much beauty.

The album ends with “True Love Waits”, which I remember Thom playing solo on the piano at the O2 in 2012. It is a love song. Lyrics a little ugly if you read them. Deliberately of course. But this must be an ode to someone. The closest maybe, that Thom will get simply to declaring love. We should treasure it!

And I’m sure it will feature at the Roundhouse this week. Yes, I’m lucky enough to have got a ticket, for Thursday. I just cannot wait to hear – and see – how the new album is presented. That’s one of the great things about Radiohead. The audience welcome all the new stuff. As much as the old favourites. And new ones become old favourites very quickly. A band that set out its stall very early and said, we will do different things. Come with us if you will. And so many of us did.

“A Moon Shaped Pool” confirms that Radiohead are the best band in the world.

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Sportsthoughts (150) – To Lyon for the rugby – and more!

Posted on May 15, 2016 by John S

This weekend, my friend Jon and I treated ourselves to a weekend in Lyon, one of France’s great cities, for the two European club rugby finals. Both France v England clashes: on Friday evening, Montpellier v Harlequins in the Challenge Cup final – rugby’s Europa League. And on Saturday, Racing 92 of Paris v Saracens. Our excuse was seeing Quins, of course, but we got tickets to the Saturday final too.

Both matches were held at the Parc Olympique Lyonnaise, a new stadium just finished, rather late, for the European football championships this summer. It’s another magnificent structure, and when full on Saturday, absolute boomed with atmosphere.

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Quins came into the game off that disastrous 24-62 home reverse against Exeter the previous weekend. I didn’t expect a repeat, but it did make you wonder what the team had left in the tank. But they had a full strength team out, so there were no excuses.

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The game was entertaining, but Quins lost out to the power of Montpellier up front, and that determined the game. It was only towards the end of the game that they started to break through and narrow the margin. As we reached 80 minutes the score was 27-20 to Montpellier, but Quins had regained possession. Now was the time to edge their way up the pitch, taking it into contact, recycling, making sure there were no knock ons. Memories of the game against Stade Francais in the Heineken Cup in 2008. In that one we scored after 28 phases, with Nick Evans getting a drop goal to win the game 19-17.

Could it happen again? Ben Botica, on for Nev, received the ball in space. Time to run forward, gain few yards. He kicked it. Away. Kicked the game away. Inexplicable. On a par with his moment of madness against Northampton earlier in the season, when, receiving the ball behind his own try line, all he had to do was kick the ball out, but he kicked upfield, Saints kept it in and scored a try to win the game by 1 point.

What brings on these moments of misjudgement? There is pressure for sure, but Botica is a professional fly half, trained to expect pressure, contact, most times he gets the ball. Simply no excuse. But unfortunately, the conspiracy theorists have an explanation. Ben is joining Montpellier next season…

I can’t believe that could have been a factor. But his team mates certainly were disgusted. Our chances of playing in the European Championship next season kicked away. Of course, we didn’t deserve to win, and we fell away badly in the Premiership, from the moment we lost so many players to the Six Nations. But there was that last chance – and Ben Botica kicked it away.

Ben started so promisingly a few years ago. I even blogged about him being the new hope, here. But he never quite fulfilled the early promise. He generally kicks the points efficiently, but his decision-making isn’t top notch – and you get those aberrations. I hope he does well at Montpellier, but it is ruthless in France. He will have to sharpen up.

Lyon is a grand and beautiful city, with two magnificent rivers, the Rhone and Saone, flowing through it and joining to form one. We had a good walk along the Rhone on Saturday, before turning in to Vieux Lyon and making our way up the hill at Fourviere, to Notre Dame, where the view over Lyon was awesome. Lyon was also an important Roman centre, and the amphitheatre is well-preserved.

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We walked down into the old town and stopped at a cafe restaurant for a leisurely lunch. A three course menu, great value at 24 Euros, washed down with a couple of carafes of local red wine. I often judge a French restaurant by the quality of its creme brûlée. This one, subtly infused with pistachio, was right up there. The Onglet steak was top quality too, with delicious pommes gratin dauphinois. It’s great when you just stumble upon a place and enjoy it so much.

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It’s fair to say we both felt a bit sleepy on the tram out to the stadium. The first half of the game didn’t help much either. Something of a forward and midfield battle, with the ball rarely going wide. The four wingers didn’t get a look in.

The second half stretched a little, and Saracens dominated, winning 21-9. Disappointingly, Kiwi Dan Carter limped off after a few minutes of the second half, so we didn’t get to see any of his magic. But the atmosphere was terrific, enlivened by Racing, with their bands and sky blue and white flags. No wonder Jon, a Man City fan in football, was rooting for them!

So well done to Sarries. First English team to win the Championship (previously the Heineken Cup) since 2007. Not pretty, but ruthlessly efficient. A bit like Chelsea under Mourinho, this season excepted. To be admired, but not loved. A few years ago their reputation was of a team of dour South Africans; but that has changed, and they (with Quins) provide the core of the rising England team – with the awesome second rower, Maro Itoje, to the fore. He was man of the match on Saturday – and the semi and quarter finals too.

Still don’t like them though!

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The teams coming on at the start.

We finished the evening off back in the centre, with a good French craft beer at a bar called Ninkasi, and what you could call Lyonnais tapas (ie, rather elaborate and delicious) accompanied by a tasty bottle of Pouilly Fume at a restaurant in the area between the two rivers, 5-10 minutes walk to the north of the Place Bellecour, where hundreds gather to play pétanque during the day. The area we ended up in was pretty lively – clearly one of the places to visit at night. I think the street may have been Rue Merciere, just off the Place des Jacobins. Border of 1st and 2nd arrondissements.

So, Lyon, the City, got a huge thumbs up from Jon and me. And the stadium was superb too. The rugby was a mixture of disappointment (Quins) and grim efficiency (Saracens). But both times the atmosphere was to be savoured. A great experience.

Lyon, nous retournerons!

PS. A word of warning to fans going to a game in Lyon at the Euro-football. Plan your journey back carefully. The new tram station next to the ground cannot cope with the number of passengers. On Friday, when the stadium was only half full, there were thousands queuing for the three-carriage trams. Jon and I took one look and decided to walk down the road and hope something might turn up. We got lucky when a taxi came by. On Saturday, when Sarries had it wrapped up, we snuck out a couple of minutes before the end, and dashed about 15 minutes up the road to a station on the main T3 line, called Decines Grand Large. It was already busy, but we got on the first tram to come along. An alternative may be to walk to the terminus at Meyzieu, which is probably about 20 minutes away. It may be that the authorities sort it out before the Euros – these rugby matches may have been a trial run – but if they don’t, it could be mayhem. And football fans, after a few beers, may be less tolerant than the rugby variety.

 

 

 

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Sportsthoughts (149) – Quins’ last game of the Premiership season

Posted on May 8, 2016 by John S

The sun shone, the temperature was into the mid-twenties, last game of the regular season. Quins v Exeter. Exeter second in the table, hoping to cement their place in the play-offs with a home semi-final. Quins needing to win to secure a top six spot and a place in the European Championship next season. So all to play for.

I felt quite optimistic. Quins were unlucky not to beat Exeter in the away game earlier in the season. They scored 4 tries to 2, and lost on penalties and conversions by one point. Exeter didn’t lose as many players during the Six Nations, which helped them to consolidate their top four place, so I felt we were evenly matched. When the sun is out, and the pitch is firm, Quins usually shine.

Er, not yesterday. Exeter won 62-24. 10 tries to 3. It was only 10-17 at half time, but Quins just collapsed in the second half. Stopped defending with any intensity, and that means ruin. It may have been their worst home defeat ever. And in coach Conor O’Shea’s last ever league game.

We’ve got the the European Challenge Cup final on Friday in Lyon, France. Against Montpellier.  The winner gets a place in the Championship next season. I suspect Quins’ minds were half on this game yesterday. Well, now, it’s even more important. I will be there!

Still, yesterday, as the sun was shining, I took my camera down to the ground. I missed the start because of bus problems, but got a good selection of photos. Here are a few. Rather biased – you’d think from this selection that we were on top. More than anything, they show that when you take a moment in time, rugby looks pretty chaotic. People are still fighting the old battles when ball has moved on, still collapsed in heaps, all over the place. But there is structure, and the teams that keep their structure win.

Which was not Quins yesterday!

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Ruck

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Our favourite ref, Wayne Barnes, still has has his eye on the maul as Danny Care sprints off with the ball!

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A confrontational dance, but where’s the ball?

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Jack Nowell (blue cap and England star) is not happy about something!

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Danny sets Mike Brown off on a run.

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Even in a poor performance, Chris Robshaw never stopped.

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Winston Stanley about to be brought down.

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Marlon Yarde picks up speed.

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Nick Evans does his dance.

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The wing can be a lonely place.

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Mike Brown on a trademark run.

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A colourful scene at the lineout. Jack Clifford snaffles the ball.

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I think, as Ross Chisholm missed the ball, Jack Nowell got one of his three tries here.

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Danny gets a move away. On the day it probably didn’t get far.

So it was a pretty disastrous end to the season. But we we still have the European final in Lyon this Friday. Jon G and I will be there, and enjoying a weekend in Lyon which also takes in the Championship Final, Saracens v Racing 92 of Paris. Two England v France tussles. Should be awesome!

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Sportsthoughts (148) – The Leicester City phenomenon

Posted on May 3, 2016 by John S

Congratulations to Leicester City, winners of the 2015-16 Premier League. Who’d have thought I’d be writing that when I made my predictions for the season back in August last year? I was expecting them to go down, as were many others, after their dismal 2014-15, in which they narrowly avoided relegation. Apparently they were 5,000-1 against winning the Premier League this season. This was why I was so incensed when West Ham lost their first home game of the season… to Leicester. Little did I know it would be a fate shared by many other teams.

So what on earth happened? How did one of the worst teams in the Premier League become one of the best? And with pretty much the same squad. Some point to the run of form at the end of the 2014-15, which saved them from relegation. They simply continued it. Well, it’s true that they did. But that’s never happened before and the manager, Nigel Pearson, was sacked at the end of the season. So there was no continuity in that respect.

What about money? The two teams which broke the Man Utd-Arsenal duopoly of the late 1990s and early 2000s were Chelsea and Man City. They both did it with the assistance of hugely wealthy owners who piled in breathtaking amounts of money to buy world class players. It worked – though others have tried, with only a little less money, and failed. But Leicester have not spent crazily. They have generous Thai owners, and every Premier League team now gets a huge injection of TV money every season now. But they still have one of the cheapest squads, taking £72m to assemble (according to September 2015 figures). The most expensive is Man City, at £560m.

I’m going for the following:

  • Leadership
  • Simplicity
  • Speed
  • Desire

Which resulted in a growing confidence and belief which sustained the team through the season.

And maybe some complacency on the part of some of their big rivals, who underachieved this season. I’ll come back to that, but let’s concentrate on the positives first

So first, leadership: manager, captain, everyone.

In the summer Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri as manager, from Italy. Oh, how we sniggered! Ranieri had form. He’d been Chelsea manager between 2000 and 2004. And in fact, he’d done pretty well. In his third season Chelsea qualified for the Champions League. Then multi-billionaire Roman Abramovich came in and Ranieri started to flash the cash. Chelsea came second to the Arsenal Invincibles and reached the semi-final of the Champions League before blowing it against Monaco. Ranieri acquired a reputation in England as “The Tinkerman”, always rotating his team and changing formations and players in bizarre ways during matches. He was replaced by Jose Mourinho and history did not treat him well.

So, ignoring his experience in Italy with the likes of Juventus, Roma, Fiorentina and Napoli, in Spain with Valencia and in France with Monaco, we assumed he and Leicester together were a recipe for disaster. An entertaining disaster perhaps.

How wrong we were! Claudio Ranieri has shown himself this season to be an astute coach, a motivator, likeable and courteous, always respectful of the opposition. His quirky phraseology has provided us with humorous moments, but we have increasingly laughed with him rather than at him. He is an admirable man, and his players have responded. Leicester have been a truly united team. Without a united team it doesn’t matter how good your players are. You won’t win the League.

He isn’t the only leader. His captain, centre back Wes Morgan, previously a stalwart with Championship Nottingham Forest (sorry Dood, I’ll rectify that later!) has risen to the occasion, commanding his defence, in partnership with German Robert Huth, another who has been round the block a bit. These two are classic old-fashioned centre backs. Not fast, not pretty – just solid, effective players. Immoveable and unwavering. They are truly at the heart of Leicester’s success.

And there are leaders everywhere in this Leicester team. Obviously early success bred confidence and togetherness; but, still, you get a sense that this team would do anything for each other. Each player knows his role and sticks to it. No-one gives up. They have only lost three times all season (twice to Arsenal).

Indomitable.

Then simplicity and speed.

You know, football is a simple game. Or should be. Some managers make it very complicated, but I have always thought there are a few simple principles which will allow you to perform at a high level:

1 – Pass the ball to players on the same team.

2 – If you lose the ball make sure the team regroups, to keep the defensive structure.

3 – If you have the ball, make sure the player in possession has at least two players in support. Play those triangles. This aids principle 1.

4 – Use the whole pitch. Go wide when attacking. Stretch the opposition. Holes will appear in their defence.

5 – Keep the ball going forward at pace with those triangles.

6 – Each line of players – defence, midfield, attack – should imagine themselves on a pivot. If you are going forward on the right, make sure someone is tucking in on the left in case you lose possession.

7 – If you have a skilful player, give him some latitude to do the unexpected. If it doesn’t come off, applaud the attempt rather than decrying the mistake. Football is meant to be entertaining.

8 – If someone is in a better position than you to score give them the ball!

9 – Give the goalkeeper options for a short pass out. Big hoofs upfield usually result in lost possession, especially if your forwards are 5 feet 8!

10 – Midfielder and forwards must always track back. Don’t leave your defenders exposed, especially to pace.

I reckon Leicester have pretty much played to these principles this season. They have played in a classic English 4-4-2 formation in which every player is absolutely clear about what he has to do. There are subtle variations of tactics, but this has been the basic formula. Leicester are a lethal counter-attacking team. If they surrender the ball, they regroup quickly, allow teams to come on to them. And then, if they get the ball, bang! They are not averse to the long ball, especially to Vardy up front, who has been electric. But they can play it out of defence at speed too, with Kante at the centre of so much.

And then there is Mahrez. The players’ player of the year. Unbelievably skilful and fast. Wiry and strong. Stationed out on the right, but with licence to roam. See principle 7! A joy to watch and Leicester’s key man – even more so than Vardy, Kante and those centre backs.

A multinational team, like all Premier League teams these days, but one which plays a classic but intelligently executed English game. Roy Hodgson and England in the Euros, take note!

Finally, desire.

The leadership, the simplicity, the complementary talents with everyone knowing their roles, have combined with a desire, an unwillingness ever to give up. At home to West Ham recently they snatched a late equaliser. Poor refereeing decision for the penalty, but they were still going, still probing, heads never going down. Last Sunday, they drew again away to Man Utd. Utd gave them a bit of a going over early on, and scored a good goal. But soon Leicester were back, Wes Morgan – who else? – outmuscling Rojo at a corner, to head the equaliser. With 30% possession, Leicester could easily have won the game. Disciplined, fast, focused. Full of desire.

Now, there will be naysayers.

They will argue that Leicester have only won because the “Big Four” (or five, if you count Liverpool) have all misfired. Chelsea imploded under Mourinho, in the most remarkable and sudden decline we have seen in recent times. Will the true reasons eventually come out? They were most certainly not united. Man City have seemed distracted: doing well in the Champions League, and with everyone waiting for the arrival of Pep Guardiola as manager next season. And their leader, Vincent Kompany, has been injured for much of the time. Man Utd, under Van Gaal, are still finding their way. Stuttering, defensive until recently, when youth has been give its head. Will LVG survive to see the benefits? Maybe not. And then there is Arsenal – who have been Arsenal. ‘Nuff said.

All this is true; but you beat what is in front of you. And Leicester have done that. They are not the only ones though. Spurs, after all, look set to come second. A big club by tradition, but not top four very often in recent times. A young, exciting team, which will provide the core of the England team at the Euros. And I must mention the happy Hammers. We are sixth, after all. Playing some excellent football, with Payet the hero and Mark Noble a magnificent captain. Slaven Bilic, manager has helped the team, the club, rediscover its true self. Perfectly timed for the move to the Olympic Stadium. The future is bright. Southampton have been admirable too. Raided each summer for their best players, but regenerating each time, with new managers and players. Clearly a well-run club.

Everywhere else, there is strong competition. Few games (unless they are against Aston Villa) are easy. Things are clearly evening up as a result of that TV money. So maybe the Big Four oligopoly will not be restored. It will evolve, admit new members, expel others, readmit them (anyone fancy Liverpool next season?). Margins are getting finer and finer. So maybe it isn’t that the top teams got much worse this season – except for Chelsea – but that the next tranche are getting better and better. Even almost-relegated teams from the previous season!

So are Leicester the most remarkable ever top league winners?

In this self-obsessed football world in which history began with the creation of the Premier League in 1992-93, definitely. But there are precedents. In 1962, Ipswich came up from the Second Division and won the First at first attempt. Manager Alf Ramsey went on to manage England and take them to World Cup victory in 1966. And then there is Nottingham Forest. In the 1977-78 season, just up from the Second Division, they won the First at the first attempt… and then won two successive European Cups. Management team Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, who had also won titles in the early 70s with Derby County, another unfashionable club. Forest’s achievement remains the benchmark. Leicester have achieved only the first of the three, and even that was a bit different, as they were already in the top division – just close to relegation.

Can Leicester win the Champions League?

It seems unlikely. Can they bring that simple English game to Europe and defeat the establishment – Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and others, including some of the English giants? Can Claudio Ranieri persuade all his players to stay and add further quality? Can they keep that team spirit and focus on two very different fronts – Premier League and Europe? It seems like a huge ask.

But after winning the Premier League, as 5000 -1 outsiders, can you rule Leicester City out?

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Sportsthoughts (147) – Meeting two West Ham and England heroes

Posted on May 1, 2016 by John S

A week or so ago, I went with a few friends to a charity dinner, to celebrate the impending 50th anniversary of England’s one and only World Cup final triumph. Blimey, fifty years since we have won anything! Before the Euro 96 finals, which England hosted, the comedy duo David Baddiel and Frank Skinner, with the indie band, the Lightning Seeds, released a tune called “Three Lions”. It became the anthem of the summer:

Three lions on the shirt,                                                                                                              

Jules Rimet’s still gleaming,                                                                                                          

Thirty years of hurt,                                                                                                                      

Never stopped me dreaming…

Thirty years of hurt… it’s now fifty!

The charity that hosted the events was Sparks, who fund research into diseases and disabilities affecting young people, including the effects of premature birth. We heard some moving tales of the impact of premature births, which put the football hurt into perspective, for sure. There was also a silent and an open auction for a range of objects and holidays. The prices were a bit frightening – there were a fair few City types at the event – so I didn’t get a chance to get involved in that side of things. There was a chance to donate though, which we all did.

But the reason we were there was the main speakers. Two of my great footballing heroes from my younger days. Geoff Hurst, who scored the hat trick that won England the World Cup in 1966, and Trevor Brooking, perhaps the finest midfielder ever to wear a West ham shirt. He graced the team in the 70s and the 80s, the latter decade being when I used to go to all of West Ham’s home games, having just come down to London from university.

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Geoff Hurst’s third goal in the 1966 World cup final.

Trevor Brooking - West Ham Pic : Action Images West Ham United

Trevor Brooking – West Ham
Pic : Action Images

Geoff Hurst is the reason I support West Ham. And I was delighted to have the opportunity to tell him that during questions. At the age of seven in 1966, I hadn’t yet become a massive football fan. My dad was Arsenal. He was in the Royal Air Force and was away a fair bit on tours of duty. So I developed a bit of independence. It was the World Cup that awakened my interest in football, but even then I remember going out with friends during the final. We came back for extra time, I think.

England beat West Germany 4-2, and Geoff Hurst scored three. The other was scored by another West Ham player, Martin Peters. The captain was Bobby Moore… of West Ham. I don’t remember making a conscious decision, but that must have been the moment that my allegiance with West Ham began. And Geoff was my hero. I remember this because my next memory is of when we lived in Cyprus, between 1967 and 70. We’d listen to the BBC on the radio for the football results, and I remember exulting when Geoff Hurst scored six goals in an 8-0 victory against Sunderland in 1968. I was a Hammer, and have never wavered since.

I got my karma when my son, Kieran, rejected West Ham for Arsenal – at the age of seven! And Arsenal are very much my second team. But when the two play each other, my emotions tell me I am an Irons fan through and through.

Trevor Brooking is my favourite West Ham player of all time. A brilliant, apparently effortless midfielder, he was at his peak in the early eighties, when he combined with the left winger, Alan Devonshire – Devo – to produce the most exciting football I have seen at the Boleyn. He played for England 47 times and it should have been more. Ironically, it was an ex-West Ham manager, Ron Greenwood, who made him second choice on the left of England’s midfield to Liverpool’s Ray Kennedy on the basis that he wanted to construct England’s core from the Liverpool team which dominated English and European football in the late 70s and early 80s. Fair enough, but to sacrifice Trev…

Trevor didn’t score a lot of headers, but there were two memorable ones. The main one was when he scored the only goal in the 1980 FA Cup final – against Arsenal. West Ham were in the Second Division (now the Championship) that year, having been relegated the year before. They got back the year after the Cup final victory, as runaway champions. They also played brilliantly in the European Cup Winners cup that season, reaching the quarter finals. At that point they faced the mighty Dynamo Kiev, who had half of the Soviet Union team in those days. At the Boleyn, Kiev won 4-1, with one of the best displays of football I have ever seen. But in the away leg we beat them 1-0. Pride restored.

The other header was in one of the first games of football I ever went to. It was at Ipswich’s Portman Road in 1971. An England Under-23 game against Switzerland. 1-1 draw. (I must say I placed it as about 1973 and against Bulgaria until I checked). Trevor was just starting to break through and scored with an awesome diving header. A collector’s item!

Geoff is in his 70s now and Trevor in his 60s. They both looked incredibly fit and well at the dinner. Before and after dinner they were on the soft drinks. An example to all of us!

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Geoff on the right with a mic and snazzy shoes, Trevor next along.

Geoff dominated questions – not surprising given that the occasion being celebrated was the ’66 World Cup victory. I asked him a question about what Mark Noble, West Ham’s current captain and midfield anchorman, had to do to get in the England squad. He is the most capped player at England U-21 level and has been in outstanding form this season. Geoff gave a long and reasoned answer, which essentially said that there was huge competition, especially with the young Spurs players like Dele Alli and Eric Dier coming through, and he may not be quite good enough. I’m not sure I agree, but it probably indicates what the football establishment thinks. Another West Ham stalwart in the past, Billy Bonds, suffered a similar fate. Never picked for England, when so many inferior players – flavours of the month – were.

I also got to speak to Trevor after the Q&A. Asked him about that partnership with Devo – they are still in touch. What a privilege to be able to speak to two of my all-time footballing heroes in the same evening. The player who made me support West Ham, and the player who embodied the values of the club, the preferred style of football – the West Ham way that poor ol’ Sam Allardyce never understood – like no other.

West Ham have had a fantastic season. They lie sixth today, one point behind Man Utd, who they still have to play. Man City faltered today, so if West Ham can win their last three games, it is not out of the question that they could sneak into the Champions League next season. A long shot, but still possible…

Things are looking up. We move into the Olympic Stadium next season. Slaven Bilic has been superb as manager this season. West Ham have rediscovered themselves – the West Ham of Geoff Hurst and Trevor Brooking is restored.

Come on you Irons!

#COYI

 

 

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lovelondonscenes 112 – Tramshed, Shoreditch

Posted on April 30, 2016 by John S

Hey, it’s like London buses. Don’t get one lovelondonscenes for ages then there are two together. Been a bit busy on the day job recently.

We went to the Tramshed restaurant in Shoreditch with old friends last weekend. It’s an amazing space – really is an old tram depot. There is a Damian Hirst cow suspended from the ceiling. And the steaks are awesome. Not cheap, but a great experience – and excellent service too.

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Lovelondonscenes 111 – View from Ravenscourt Park tube

Posted on April 30, 2016 by John S

We were sitting waiting for a District Line train this evening and I had my camera with me. That’s all. The Church spire must be St Peter’s down by the A4 in Hammersmith. I say must because I would have thought we were looking directly south, but it must have been south west.

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Have You Heard? – (73) Dexy’s Midnight Runners

Posted on April 24, 2016 by John S

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As I went through my book “I Was There – A Musical Journey” for, I think, the fifth time, having edited out all the quotes, I was mostly checking for typos and infelicitous grammar. But, as I read the bit about my 50th birthday, waxing lyrical about Dexy’s Midnight Runners’ contribution to the affair, with “Come on Eileen”, I thought, where did  I write about them? And I realised I’d forgotten. Even though they were in the plan.

So Dexy’s, apart from a party reference, aren’t in the book I printed. Clearly that must changed for the final version! So, tonight, I wrote a piece. I so enjoyed writing it, and listening to the crucial music as I did so, that I thought it was something to share. So here is the late – and last – entry into the book…

A last kind of grandiose was mixed up with sixties soul and then a bit of that celtic variety. A band that started off with quite a strong association with Two Tone, even though they didn’t have a reggae or ska sound. But they were from Birmingham and combined the anger at the way things were with a danceability, albeit of a different kind. The band were Dexy’s Midnight Runners and their singer and main man was Kevin Rowland, whose somewhat strangled tones weren’t so different to The Associates’ Billy Mackenzie. Slightly deeper, I guess.

Dexy’s – a reference to a drug which kept you going at those Northern Soul all-nighters, apparently – had two No 1 singles in their early days, both of which were absolute anthems. From their first album in 1980, “Searching for the Young Soul Rebels”, there was “Geno”, a tribute to the 60s and 70s soulman Geno Washington. From the moment it came out, the swaying horns and the chorus caught on big time. A staple for any student disco! From the second album, “Too-Rye-Ay” in 1982, it was “Come on Eileen” that captured hearts – and feet. Dexy’s had, on “Too-Rye-Ay”, introduced a raggle taggle beat, with violins supplementing the brass, and it was simply irresistible. “Come on Eileen” was a song made for celebrations – weddings included. It featured in mine and was right there again when I celebrated my 50th birthday. Read on!

“Searching for the Young Soul Rebels” married a celebration of the sixties soul sound, especially the sound that made it into Northern Soul, with some trenchant observations on life in the early 80s. Not many of Dexy’s songs were fast enough to qualify for the genre of Northern Soul themselves, but “Seven Days Too Long” came pretty close. And maybe the long-winded “Thankfully not Living in Yorkshire it doesn’t Apply”. What didn’t apply, I have no idea. The stand-out songs, other than Geno though, were “Tell Me When My Light Turns Green” and “There, There my Dear”. Both made you want to punch the air when the horns soared in unison. And Kevin’s rolled Rs in “There, There my dear” must have been a tribute to Jackie Wilson in “Reet Petite”. Rousing stuff.

In the “Soul Rebels” period the band were decked out in workmen’s donkey jackets and woolly hats. People’s music. For “Too-Rye-Ay”, just in case we didn’t realise, they’d gone Irish, donned the dungarees. They liked their statements, did Dexy’s – or should I say Kevin Rowland? There was turbulence and upheaval in the band. The only person who stuck it out with Kevin was trombone man, “Big” Jim Paterson. Judging by the name, Kevin didn’t dare chuck him out!

So, dungarees and all, Dexy’s made an album with even more anthems than “Searching for the Young Soul Rebels”. “The Celtic Soul Brothers” opened up “Too-Rye-Ay” with the violins in full flow, a real Irish-inflected dance piece. And did they get away with it? Yes! That was followed by “Let’s Make it Precious”, which took the “Soul Rebel ” formula and made it even better. Throughout the rest of the album, there was a wonderful coming together of the Irish and sixties soul influences. “Old”, “Plan B”, “Until I Believe in my Soul” – these were some of my favourite songs of 1982. Inspiring and anthemic. For that brief moment, Kevin and Dexy’s got it absolutely right. Topped off with “Come on Eileen”, the celebration of celebrations.

And then it all went wrong. Kevin Rowland was a singular character. He didn’t take any crap – and he didn’t like the newspapers. But you know, you have to work with them, if you want a good press. He took them on. Started publishing adverts – in the same press he hated – putting his side of the story. They were entertaining, but all over the place. They didn’t enhance Dexy’s credibility.

It got worse after that. By 1985, Dexy’s were wearing suits for “Don’t Stand Me Down”, and there wasn’t a lot of interest. Kevin went solo, and his nadir was an album called “My Beauty” in 1999 when he put on a dress, hitched it down, showed his suspenders and just looked ridiculous. Maybe Bowie and Marc Bolan – even Prince – could do that sort of thing. Kevin Rowland couldn’t. Loyalists stuck by him; everyone else said thanks very much and moved on. You need to be understanding of what the artists might be going through, but even so…

I wasn’t a loyalist, but I loved those first two albums, and will always regard Dexy’s Midnight Runners as one of the great bands of the early 80s.

If you aren’t familiar with Dexy’s give those first two albums a whirl. They are most definitely worth it!

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Prince, 1958-2016

Posted on April 22, 2016 by John S

It’s a shock writing that title. Another great artist struck down. 2016 is proving to be a momentous year for the loss of some of our musical icons. Lemmy, Bowie, and now Prince. And Prince’s departing  sudden, out of the blue. He was still going so strong, playing endless concerts, entertaining us as brilliantly as he ever did. I and a few friends got to see him at an impromptu gig at the Roundhouse in 2014.  With Third Eye Girl. He, they were awesome. The old songs as brilliant as ever, given new, rockier treatment. I wrote a review at the time, which is here.

Prince combined genres like few other were capable of. Rock, funk, soul, dance, and downright weirdness. He was the complete artist. His heyday was the eighties, when he had a string of astonishing albums, rooted in funk, soul and rock’n’roll but path-breaking too. He was up against Michael Jackson, who influenced pop in that era like no other, but Prince’s recorded legacy is stronger, in my view. Like Bowie in the seventies, he just couldn’t stop making incredible, surprising, symbolic music: albums like “1999”, “Purple Rain”, “Parade”, “Sign o’ the Times”, “Lovesexy” to the fore. He was Hendrix, James Brown, Stevie Wonder rolled into one, but none of them. He was Prince.

From the nineties onwards he began to tread water musically. There were great tracks still, like the funky rap, “Gett Off”, but he lost his way a bit, getting embroiled in disputes with record companies, changing identity, embracing and then rejecting the internet. I eventually gave up on him – having bought 17 Prince albums! – but never lost interest in the music. And he continued to thrive, live. He put on a show. I saw him twice in the eighties, both times at Wembley Arena. The first time, in 1986, it was in the round. he emerged from under the stage in a red Corvette, he played basketball, Sheila E played the drums… and he played “Purple Rain” with a transparent guitar that was shaped like a swan. “Purple Rain”, always the highlight. The slow build up, the atmosphere and then the guitar, the astonishing guitar. Spirit of Hendrix, the virtuosity of any of the greats. Prince could do anything. In 2014, that guitar still sent a shiver down the spine, still created a sense of wonder. Pure genius.

And now we won’t see him play live again. But we have the memories, brilliant memories. In 2012, I wrote a blog about my Top Ten Prince songs. I repeat it here, because what we need to do today, and in future,  is to celebrate these great songs – party like it’s 1999!

  1. Purple Rain
  2. Sign 0′ the Times
  3. 1999
  4. Little Red Corvette
  5. When Doves Cry
  6. Kiss
  7. Let’s go Crazy
  8. Gett Off
  9. Alphabet Street
  10. The Cross

Near misses: Life Could be so Nice, I Wonder U, Girls and Boys, If I Was Your Girlfriend, U Got the Look, Take me with U, I Would Die For U, Raspberry Beret, Pop Life, Around the World in a Day, DMSR, Cream, Lemon Crush, Sexy MF, The Morning Papers, Jam of the Year.

So that’s a Top 26 then! Always the Jam of the Year…

 

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