Category Archives: Live Events

Constellations – a review of 140 characters

I was only at @cnstlltns from 6pm last night but this is what I made of it
Monday 15th November 10:10

I think #Liars did a new song at @cnstlltns. It was ace
Sunday 14th November, 18:53

Until @localnatives said so at @cnstlltns I didn’t know Warning Sign was a Talking Heads cover. Their harmonies are spot on live.
Sunday 14th November, 19:02

The percussive multitasking of @localnatives was as impressive as their harmonies at @cnstlltns
Sunday 14th November, 19:29

A lesson from @cnstlltns : try to stage dive while @lessavyfav are playing & u might end up getting… A foot massage
Sunday 14th November, 20:55

Sorry @loscampesinos but I couldn’t drag myself away from @lessavyfav at @cnstlltns but delighted u were allowed overtime so I cd see u too!
Sunday 14th November, 21:17

Les Savy Fav
Les Savy Fav, photographed by Hannah Cordingley

What I saw of @FourTet & @bssmusic (Broken Social Scene) tonight at @cnstlltns left me wanting more. Wish I cd have seen full set by both
Sunday 14th November, 22:42

I missed @sleighbells at @cnstlltns to catch train. Jen Fox of @bcbradio saw them & says: “they were good…prefer the heavier shouty stuff”
Sunday 14th November, 23:27

The above are all Tweets from @djalbertfreeman

Eclectic Mainline 10th November 2010

constellations

Constellations line-up

This Sunday, the rather splendid Constellations Festival is on in Leeds, and it really is quite a line-up! 

You may already have heard Katie and Jen talking about it in The Show, and I’m sure several other BCB presenters have been bigging it up too.

As you will see the line-up really is quite special.  Regular listeners to Eclectic Mainline will have heard all the artists mentioned to the left.

Last night in my show we featured Katie speaking to Local Natives about their appearance at the festival.

A server glitch prevented me from posting my playlist straigh after the show, but here it is now:

This is what I played in my show last night:

Panico – “Icon” (LP – “Kick”) (Chemikal Underground)
Blonde Redhead – “Not Getting There” (single and LP – “Penny Sparkle”) (4AD)
Peter Broderick – “Human Eyeballs on Toast” (LP – “How They Are”) (Bella Union)
Zé Da Lua – “Ulungu Wami” compilation LP – “Angola Soundtrack”) (Analog Afrika)
Vessels – “Meatman, Piano Tuner, Prostitute” (single) (Cuckundoo)
The National – “Conversation 16” (single and LP – “High Violet”) (4AD)
Appliance – “West Waves” (LP – “Re-conditioned”) (RROOP)
Sparrow and the Workshop – “Black To Red” (single) (Distiller)
Four Tet – “Angel Echoes” (LP – “There Is Love In You”) (Domino)
Local Natives interview with Katie Jennings
Local Natives – “Who Knows Who Cares (BretonLABS remix)” (single and LP – “Gorillan Manor”) (Infectious)
Liars – “Scissor” (LP – “Sisterworld”) (Mute)
Warpaint – “Undertow” (single and LP – “The Fool”) (Rough Trade)
Consumers – “Anti, Anti, Anti” (compilation LP – “Black Hole: Californian Punk 1977-80) (Domino)

The BCB Sessions

Well hello there! I know, I’m rubbish. Like some dodgy ex that comes crawling back with a paltry offering…and a feeble apology. So here I am with the latest playlists (worth waiting for I’m sure). And I’m not helped this morning because I’m being distracted by some wierd, slowed down, gentle guitar love-in version of Live and Let Die. OK, so you’ve heard the excuses but where are the goods I hear you cry?

Well this is what we played on Wed 20 Oct:

Sparrow and the Workshop in session! This band are ace – top tunes and lovely, lovely people.

School of Seven Bells – Heart is strange
Still Flyin – Stay wild, tokelau
Magic Kids – Hey boy
PVT – Window
Sparrow & the Workshop (BCB Session) – Devil song
Yann Tiersen – Palestine
Blonde Redhead – Here sometimes
KORT – Picking wild mountain berries
Dirty projectors – As I went out one morning
Sparrow & the workshop (BCB Session) – Just what I needed
SBTRKT – Look at stars
synthetic phonics – got my lovin
Peppermint Lounge – African orange. (Two lads in Leeds who mash it up, playing tunes that cut across genres & make you happy) http://www.myspace.com/thepeppermintlounge
Declining Winter ( Epic 45 Remix) (Pudsey’s Fourth best band – not sure who’s top trumping them but their live performances are intense and brilliant) http://www.myspace.com/thedecliningwinter
Sparrow & the workshop (BCB Session) – Medal around your neck

And on Wed 13 Oct:

Continue reading →

Crystal Castles + HEALTH, Leeds Met, 23rd October 2010

I hadn’t realised how popular Crystal Castles have become.  I haven’t got their second album and have missed what I can only assume has been a huge furore surrounding them since the release of their debut in 2009.  Last night’s gig at Leeds Met was a sell out, and the kids were loving it.  [I can now legitimately refer to such gig-goers as kids as I believe I am now scientifically old enough to have fathered a child the same age as at least half of last night’s audience.  This fact is reassuring rather than alarming, as it evidences my belief that I’m still ‘cool’ (although use of that 20th century word may betray me) and have not yet succumbed to the type of ‘safe’ dad music someone of my age might start realising is going to see my happily to my retirement.]

Health
HEALTH, Leeds Met, 23rd October 2010

This tour isn’t the first time Crystal Castles and HEALTH have been mentioned by me in the same breath, as I have played previous musical collaborations by them in my show.  I had thus far failed to see HEALTH and having heard they were marvellous live, I was not disappointed.  They were quite brilliant and I was left wondering whether Crystal Castles may have made an error by being supported by a band so good.  The charismatic bass player was centre stage, being as he was  the most visually entertaining member of the band.  I was actually surprised by how organic their line-up was.  There was a fair amount of synthetic effects, but largely their sound was comprised of guitars, bass, drums, more drums, and vocals.  Their whole set was an onslaught of confident, articulate, tightly knitted noise, and the highlights were Die Slow and USA Boys.

The between-band downtime, prolonged due to the malfunction of either an XLR or a DI box on stage, wasn’t the usual painful wait, for me at least.  The soundman had a penchant for Elliott Smith, so I got to hear all of Elliott Smith and half of Either Or during the wait.

Crystal Castles
Crystal Castles, Leeds Met, 23rd October 2010

My paternal concerns about whether Crystal Castles may find themselves upstaged by HEALTH proved unnecessary.  They started with (I assume) a couple of tunes from Crystal Castles (II) and the youth were going crazy, lapping it up.  The sound was quite immense – deep, full-on electronics, piercing vocals and live drums.  Couple their aural onslaught with the visual element of the live experience, and it was a performance I really could not find fault with.   The heavy use of backlit strobes, against an otherwise mostly dark stage, with Alice Glass’s onstage athleticism, and they are quite a proposition.  Quite a brilliant night.

External references:
Crystal Castles – crystalcastles.com
HEALTH – www.healthnoise.com
NIck Pickles music photographer – www.music-photographer.co.uk

Leeds Festival Review: Day 3

Finally, the review is complete.  And so to bed…

That wind has got up again.  In fact, there would appear to be a tornado whipping up around my tent.  I’m going to take off like Dorothy in the wizard of Oz.  I wonder if I will land on a witch.  It really is causing a racket and there’s no way that I’ll be able to get back off to sleep now with that tent flapping about.  Oh, it’s raining now.  Goodness, it really is raining rather hard.  Perhaps the rhythm of the rain will lull me back to sleep…

Thats a map of Mordor isnt it.

That's a map of Mordor isn't it.

No, that didn’t work.  And anyway I need a wee.  The weather has been very kind to us these last few days, but I suspect that I may finally have to bite the bullet and don the wellies today.  I struggle into these and hope against hope that on this occasion I won’t be wearing them for long enough for them to stink like they did when I wore them at Glastonbury last year.  On that occasion the smell was an odd mix of styles – imagine if you would that someone decided to make a speciality cheese out of cow poo.  It would smell exactly the same as that.

Speaking of cleanliness, I notice on the way to the urine trough that the queue for the showers is not very long.  I know – showers at festival.  We get all the home comforts in the Guest Area you know.  Sadly, there’s all of four showers serving around 400 people, so thus far I’ve not bothered because I didn’t want to miss the entire festival whilst standing in a line to have a wash.  Hmmm, that line hasn’t moved at all.  What to do?  I decide to give it a whirl and see how far the queue moves in ten minutes or so.  After the ten minutes have elapsed I’m no nearer the shower, but I’m too stubborn to give up now I’ve started. Continue reading →

The Show – 02/10/2010 and again on 05/10/2010

Hello blog world!

This week, Katie and Jen of The Show spoke to Rory from bright young thingies, The Kabeedies. He was very tired and in a miscallenous Travel Lodge (oh, the trappings of fame). We mostly talked about Twitter, which is always entertaining as neither Jen nor I really ‘get it’. The Kabeedies are playing at the trend central venue that is Nation of Shopkeepers in Leeds on Thursday 7th October – they are a most excellent live band with enough energy to keep a medium sized town (perhaps Ipswich) alight for at least 2 hours, i.e they are rather good.

sometimes they wear more clothes

sometimes they wear more clothes

We also talked about the AMAZING Constellation Festival happening over 2 days at Leeds Uni on 13th and 14th November – excellent line-up featuring Local Natives, Liars, Fout Tet and Broken Social Scene.

Here is what we played –

– Kap Bambino – ‘Red Signs’ (Single, 2008)
– Musuem of Bellas Artes – ‘Watch the Glow’ (Single, 2010)
-Kabeedies – ‘Palindromes’ from the EP ‘Ten Animals I Slam in a Net’ (2008)
-Broken Social Scene – ‘World Sick’ from the Album ‘Forgiveness Rock Record'(2010)
-Young Blood Brass Band – ‘Nuclear Summer’ from the album ‘Is That A Riot?’ (2007)
-Kabeedies – King Canute’ from the EP ‘Ten Animals I Slam in a Net’ (2008)

The Show goes out at 6pm on Saturdays, is repeated on Tuesdays at 1pm and will see you soon.

Leeds Festival Review: Day 2

(Yes, I know, I’m shoving this up on the blog somewhat after the event, but I’m a busy man y’know.  Better late than never…)

Bloody hell, it’s windy.  Either that or someone has got hold of the outside of my tent and is flapping it about like a Killer Whale with a half dead seal.  Maybe it’s them Spam bastards paying me back for nicking their tent pegs.  One thing is certain – the noise it is making has rendered any further sleep impossible without tranquilisers.  I dare say there’s a fair bit of Ketamine washing around the festival site, but personally I’ll give that a miss if it’s all the same to you.

Horse tranquilizers: its a race horse called Horlicks, apparently.

Horse tranquilizers: it's a race horse called Horlicks, apparently.

I am a parent now and hurtling towards middle-age, so 8am is considered an indulgent lie-in anyway, so I get up and go for breakfast – the details of which started the first blog, so we’ll skip over that.  However, before I can go to eat I am refused entry to the festival main area as no one is allowed in until 9am.  Eh, do what?  The festival closes at night?  I thought this was supposed to be a playground of non-stop revelry and no sleep ’til Brooklyn.  Now I find that everyone went to bed before me, tucked up with a cup of Horlicks (other revolting bedtime drinks are available).

It occurs to me that I’ve not really had a proper look around the whole site, so I rectify this.  There’s not a great deal around other than food stands and stalls selling t-shirts with wanky slogans, although I do spot a place which sells ale as opposed to the rather flimsy Tuborg which is the only other beer available onsite.  Sadly, further investigation later in the day reveals the ale to be rather horrid as well. Continue reading →

Leeds Festival Review: Day 1

Before me sits the remnants of a full English breakfast, served to me with piping hot hash browns to mask the fact that the rest of it was clap cold. I’ve paid £7.50 for the privilege. I’m just wondering if I’ll manage to be be able to consume my body weight in orange juice from the refillable dispenser before they tell me to shit off.  You’ve got to get your five a day somehow, but fruit & veg isn’t especially forthcoming at a festival.

I arrived here yesterday morning intent (and with tent) on having enough time to pitch my canvas Shangri-La before going to catch The Walkmenopening up the Main Stage at Noon. But for a false start where I had to return to my temporary home after being denied entry due to possession of a can of well-known stout (cans not allowed apparently – though I later noticed that the novelty of the power wielded by the “Customer Protection Office” had waned after a few hours and his bag check became somewhat less censorious) and the fact that the splendid New York noiseniks start 8 minutes early for some reason, I’d have pretty much timed it to perfection.

The Walkmen: larger than actually pictured.

The Walkmen: larger than actually pictured.

Continue reading →

SXSW AND MIDEM BRIEFING EVENT COMING TO YORKSHIRE!

2010-SXSW-MIDEM-Yorkshire-briefing

Wednesday 1st September 2010. 7.00 pm. Brudenell Social Club,
33 Queen’s Rd, Headingley, Leeds, LS6 1NY.

REGISTRATION FREE!  Go to www.musicyorkshire.com for more details.

GUEST SPEAKERS include Una Johnston (SXSW), Javier Lopez (MIDEM), Phil Patterson (UKT&I Music Industry Specialist)
   
+ MIDDLEMAN + Serious Sam Barrett (live) from 10 pm + Poster Art
Exhibition!

Want to showcase at SXSW and / or MIDEM 2011?
Hoping to attend SXSW or MIDEM 2011?

Following on from our activities at SXSW Music and Media Conference, Austin, Texas, we are delighted to announce we have booked SXSW and MIDEM to come to talk to you! Don’t miss Yorkshire’s SXSW briefing event. Come and talk to the experts to find out: – how to apply for a showcase – more about the events and whether it is right for you – how to get there – how to make the most of your time at the events – find out about financial assistance and other support available.

Continue reading →

Plugged In Yorkshire – Digital Music and Retail

Info below from a press release about an interesting event in September, that’s all from me for this blog, now over to them..

Venue:
The Carriageworks
3 Millenium Square
Leeds
LS2 3AD

Time: 6.00PM – 8.00PM
Date: Wednesday 22 September 2010

Digital distribution has changed the structure of the music business and had a significant impact on record labels, retailers and distributors. These challenges for the music industry also present opportunities for new music businesses and DIY artists. This panel will discuss the range of services available from digital retail to streaming services and how too generate revenue from your music.

Our panellist’s experience spans from online retail, label management to digital distribution and marketing.

Continue reading →