Saturday Sweet Sensation...

Vocal trio The Melodians were one of Jamaica's greatest rocksteady groups, cutting a series of classic singles during the late '60s and early '70s that included the internationally famed "Rivers of Babylon". The group was formed in the Greenwich Town area of Kingston in 1963. In their early days they performed quite successfully in talent shows around Kingston, which eventually led to their first recording session for The Studio One label in 1966. They broke through to a wider international audience when they began recording for producer Leslie Kong in 1969, an association that resulted in many of their most celebrated songs including the simply beautiful "Sweet Sensation".

Sweet Sensation

Weird Fishes...

As the Radiohead track “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” was one of the first songs they jammed to in the rehearsal room it seems totally appropriate to pay homage to one of their favourite bands and name themselves Weird Fishes .

The band hail from Berlin and draw their inspiration mostly from the 80's and 90's with hints of The Smiths,Talking Heads,Smashing Pumpkins and the aforementioned Radiohead amongst many others. Compared to most bands they seem to have done things in reverse. Let's just say they all have a bit of life experience. Whereas most bands get together at school or Uni these guys (and gal) started the band after having done all that a few years back. They make challenging, interesting music that is fresh, engaging and well worth a listen.

Although they are a joint British/German venture I'm not sure if they have played live in the UK but they do seem to play fairly regularly in their hometown of Berlin so if you are ever there on a city break and they are playing while you are there it would seem like a good way to spend a couple of hours of your time.

Songs Ya Bass !

If anyone out there is at a loose end this Saturday you could do a lot worse than get yourself along to the Buff Club on Bath Lane for Songs Ya Bass !

This is the third club night that a good friend of mine has put on and is labelled as 'a unique club night for folk that still love music but don’t get to the dancing anymore. Choose yer own tunes and DANCE!'. The basic premise is that you pick 3 tunes and go to their Facebok page here and list your 3 choices. Then Rik compiles a playlist of tunes picked by all of you and, hey presto, we have democracy in action...

If it is anything like the first two nights you are likely to hear the likes of Chic, EATB, James Brown, Blondie, The Faces, The Associates, Dead Kennedys, The Ruts, Gil Scott Heron, Toots and The Maytals, Daft Punk, The Jam and many more.

It starts at the early hour of 7 o'clock, entry is free and it finishes at 11 o'clock so you can all be wrapped up tight in bed by the witching hour...
 

The Best Party In Town...

The best party in town arrived in Glasgow last week with the arrival of the second most famous band from Athens, Georgia. The B52's played a very clever set in Glasgow bookending the show with Planet Claire at the start and Love Shack at the end with an encore of Party Out Of Bounds and the incomparable Rock Lobster.

It's sometimes easy to forget how many great tunes the band have. Somehow I had completely forgotten about Roam, which highlighted Cindy and Kate's impeccable harmonies and was the highlight of the night. Another highlight was when Cindy Wilson delivered an emotional and vocally powerful take on the beautiful Girl From Ipanema Goes To Greenland - which she dedicated to her brother Ricky, a founding member of the group who died of complications from AIDS in 1985

Every and every song was delivered with manic energy, much waving of arms and a rapturous reception from the crowd. I have genuinely rarely witnessed such a pumped up crowd. Don't know when the last time The B52's played in Glasgow so that may have been part of the reason but I think the main reason was, quite simply, that the band were just so life-affirming and joyous.

There are not many frontmen out there quite like Fred Schneider who belied his 62 years by barking out his unique, surrealist lyrics with all the fervour of a man 30 years younger. All in all a great gig that was only slightly let down by the fact they only played for an hour and then a two song encore. they could have played on for much longer with no complaints from anyone in the crowd.

Also just realised that this is my 200th posting. Not a lot I know in comparison to these guys - Drew, Swiss Adam, Craig, JC and the many other great bloggers out there but after the unwanted changes in my life over the last 18 months or so then getting to post number 200 is, for me, an achievement.

Rock Lobster

Hooky, Line and Sinker...

As I had the luxury of a Saturday off work I thought I would take myself through to Edinburgh for my annual day out at The Festival. Primarily I was going to see Phil Jupitus at The Jam House performing his unique brand of punk poetry as 'Porky The Poet'. This was part of The Free Fringe where performers put on a free show for anyone who fancies coming along. As I saw Jupitus last year at a similiar event performing old 'Porky' material I was really looking forward to hearing him perform some new stuff. I think I speak for the packed audience when I say that no-one left disappointed. Particular mention must go to a searing poem about Jeremy Clarkson, that involved him shagging a car. Priceless, literally.

I had looked before I went to Edinburgh to see if there were any tickets left for Peter Hook but sadly it was sold out. That old adage "if you don't ask, you don't get" kicked in however when I got to Auld Reekie and, lo and behold, they had one ticket left. I am so glad I asked as this was stellar stuff from Hooky. Interviewed by Ian Rankin, he was in great form. Funny, intelligent and hugely entertaining. Most of the conversation was based around the early days of Joy Division, the recording of Unknown Pleasures and the untimely death of Ian Curtis. Most of the humour was directed towards Barney but it didn't come across as sour grapes. There was also a great part when Hooky was talking about how they have never made any money from tee-shirt sales but were fined £10K by the taxman for not delcaring their income for tee- shirt sales. Could only have happened to Joy Division/New Order. After the interview the floor was opened up to the audience with one member asking if he could just sort things out with Barney and get New Order back together. Sadly this looks unlikely ever to happen, with the courts the most likely place it 's all gonna end up.

Disorder
New Dawn Fades

Time for Action..This Is The Time...

The Clash, The Specials, The Selecter, Paul Weller, Billy Bragg, Tom Robinson, Elvis Costello, The The and many others were at the forefront of trying to articulate what huge swathes of the population were feeling and thinking the last time we had a Tory government back in the late 70's and throughout the 80's. Whatever your views are about the ability of musicians to influence people's views at least they got up off their collective arses and tried to do something, as the below article from Wiki shows.. 

Red Wedge was a collective of musicians who attempted to engage young people with politics in general, and the policies of the Labour Party in particular, during the period leading up to the 1987 general election, in the hope of ousting the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher. Fronted by Billy Bragg (whose 1985 Jobs for Youth tour had been a prototype of sorts for Red Wedge), Paul Weller and The Communards lead singer Jimmy Somerville, they put on concert tours and appeared in the media, adding their support to the Labour Party campaign. The group was launched on 21 November 1985, with Bragg, Weller, Strawberry Switchblade and Kirsty MacColl invited to a reception at the Palace of Westminster hosted by Labour MP Robin Cook. The collective took its name from a 1919 poster by Russian constructivist artist El Lissitzky, Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge. Despite this echo of the Russian Civil War, Red Wedge was not a communist organisation; neither was it officially part of the Labour Party, but it did initially have office space at Labour's headquarters. The group's logo, also inspired by the Lissitzky poster, was designed by Neville Brody. Red Wedge organised a number of major tours. The first, in January and February 1986, featured Bragg, Weller's band The Style Council, The Communards, Junior Giscombe, Lorna Gee and Jerry Dammers, and picked up guest appearances from Madness, Heaven 17, Bananarama, Prefab Sprout, Elvis Costello, Gary Kemp, Tom Robinson, Sade, The Beat, Lloyd Cole, The Blow Monkeys and The Smiths along the way. When the general election was called in 1987, Red Wedge also organised a comedy tour featuring Lenny Henry, Ben Elton, Robbie Coltrane, Craig Charles, Phill Jupitus and Harry Enfield, and another tour by the main musical participants along with The The, Captain Sensible and the Blow Monkeys. The group also published an election pamphlet, Move On Up, with a foreword by Labour leader Neil Kinnock. After the 1987 election produced a third consecutive Conservative victory, many of the musical collective drifted away. A few further gigs were arranged and the group's magazine Well Red continued, but funding eventually ran out and Red Wedge was formally disbanded in 1990.

Today seems to be more about APATHY, APATHY, APATHY as opposed to AGITATE, EDUCATE, ORGANISE.. Just maybe that is the lasting legacy of the Thatcher years - the "I'm Alright Jack" attitude that seems all pervasive today. Where is the new Strummer, the new Weller, the new Dammers ? Maybe I'm just holding out for a bygone era that is gone forever, but I will keep holding on anyway...

Kick Over The Statues!
It Says Here
Bonus Track