To be in with a chance to win the VITAMIN goodies you’ll need to either share our competition Facebook post or retweet our Tweet (make sure you include the hashtag #vitamincomp in your retweet). The competition closes Monday 7th December at 7pm and the winner will be chosen at random and announced at 8pm. You must be able to collect the prizes at show.
Who (if anyone) first inspired you to start making music?
I don’t really think there was a specific person that would have inspired me to start making music. As I started writing songs when I was very young, like 9-10, at that time you just seem to do things that feel natural to you, with little thought as to why your doing them.
Do you prefer coming back to your home town or touring new places?
I love travelling, so being able to see new places on tour is exciting, we haven’t made the leap abroad yet but the prospect of doing that really excites me.
Do you all have a sweet tooth or has the sweets theme got a deeper meaning?
I’ll be honest, I’ve got a sweet tooth. Although Cam, our guitarist, is a savouries man. (Little bit of VITAMIN trivia for you there). I really like striking art, things that have stark contrasts in them really interest me. So combining sweets and vegetables really caught my eye as a concept.
What song do you enjoy playing the most?
I really enjoy playing our closing song in the set, it’s a track called ‘Waterfall’. There’s just a breeze that flows through that song that comes across when we play it live.
What are you most looking forward to in your future as a band?
Getting around Europe and America for sure.
The festival’s organisers are asking people to help support the free gigs in 2016 after Kirklees Council confirmed it would be unable to provide funding for next year’s festival due to budget cuts.
Over 70 free events took place at this year’s three-day festival in October including the Saturday street parade which featured two moving scrap metal sculptures along with dozens of amateur kazoo players and street band BLAST Furness.
Festival goers are being encouraged to adopt one of the free gigs at the 2016 festival for £50, either for themselves or as a Christmas gift for friends or relatives. You can also boost your donation to £62.50 with Gift Aid.
Local businesses are also being asked to show their support for the festival – a registered charity – by becoming an official sponsor. Everyone who makes a donation will receive an e-certificate and have their name printed in the 2016 festival programme.
Festival Producer Barney Stevenson said, “Our latest festival saw over 130 hours of live music take place in one weekend and we’re proud to showcase a wide range of jazz musicians from internationally-acclaimed artists to local school bands and rising talent.
“Kirklees Council has been a fantastic supporter of the festival over the years and provided £10,000 this year which we used towards the 70 free events that took place throughout the weekend.
“Unfortunately the council won’t be able to help fund the festival in 2016 and we’re asking festival goers to adopt a gig for just £50 to help us raise the funding we need for the free gigs.
“We think it’ll make a really great Christmas gift for people who enjoy coming to the festival every year and soaking up its unique atmosphere.”
Marsden Jazz Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2016 and was named ‘Outstanding Established Festival’ at the Yorkshire Gig Guide Grassroots Awards 2015.
More than 10,000 visitors make the trip by train, bus, car or narrow boat to Marsden every year, and more than 60 volunteers give up their time to help make the weekend a success.
The festival’s 26 venues include three outdoor stages, 13 pubs, clubs and bars, two cafes and one former cowshed.
Frank Sinatra: His Way
Friday 11th December at 7.30pm
Tickets are £12 full price and £10 concessions.
International Award-winning singer Robert Habermann speaks about being discovered by the legendary Margaret Whiting and meeting THE icon himself, before his performance at The Civic this December with His Way – The Frank Sinatra Story.
In 1993, Robert was performing in London and was introduced to 50’s hit singer Margaret Whiting. Later he was invited to have lunch with her and an extra special guest. Habermann explains: “Unbeknownst to me she had also invited Frank Sinatra along, who was in London at that time. He was curious to meet me as Margaret had spoken so highly of me and about my passion for The Great American Songbook. I was extremely nervous. Sinatra was my icon and the few minutes he spent with us were so precious.”
Whiting then invited Habermann to go to New York to learn more about putting solo shows together. During his time in the Big Apple, Habermann was further guided by Kay Starr, won a scholarship with the Manhattan Cabaret of New York (MAC), and the award for Best International Singer for 1993/94. Habermann continues: “I then returned to London to perform shows using all the tips and advice I had had gotten from both Margaret and Kay. They both agreed that I should present a show about Sinatra to celebrate his 80th birthday. No one had ever done this before.”
Robert was extremely concerned about singing Frank Sinatra’s work and so, decided to get in touch with the man himself: “Sinatra replied saying they were not ‘his’ songs – just his interpretations. Anyone could perform them. Then I went on to explain to Sinatra that the show would be about his life, to which he responded, ‘Anything else? If there is, I’ll know!’ and he put the phone down.”
Following Sinatra’s approval, Robert Habermann went on to become the first major British singer to perform an entire concert celebrating Frank Sinatra’s life at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall in 1995. 20 years later, he continues to wow audiences; telling the ‘whole’ unexpurgated story and singing many of Sinatra’s wonderful songs on the ‘His Way’ tour.
Laura Kelly
A Seasonal Haunting
Friday 18th December at 8pm
Tickets are £9 full price and £7 concessions
Later in the month The Civic’s own technician Huw Williams and artist in residence Hayley Youell perform a night of live music in their own respected bands on ‘Mad Friday’. Hayley explains: “At the half-way point through my artistic residency at The Civic, I am feeling recharged and inspired. I joined Aztec Doll last year, on keys and backing vocals to record their last EP. I am now a band member.” A Seasonal Haunting features Yorkshire musicians Toxic Moth, Aztec Doll and Laura Kelly in a night that will consist of music, film projection, full light shows and of course, festive fun.
Keira Martin
An Evening of Folk and Dance & A Christmas Ceilidh
Saturday 12th December, 7.30pm – 11.30pm
Tickets are £12 full price and £10 concessions.
An Evening of Folk and Dance & A Christmas Ceilidh featuring an eclectic mix of South Yorkshire’s finest. Kicking off with Sheffield based melodeon player and singer Ollie King, followed by Keira Martin’s exploration of culture, character and personality; a one woman stand up Irish, Folk Contemporary dance and Reggae music explosion in Here Comes Trouble. After the interval, contemporary folk/acoustic duo Gilmore & Roberts, combine award-winning song writing with astounding lap-tapping guitar, fiery fiddle and their trademark harmonies. The evening will climax with the chance for all to get up and dance in a Christmas Ceilidh!
For more information and to book visit www.barnsleycivic.co.uk or call the Box Office on 01226 327000.
Thorny subject, cover versions. Many people hate it when someone covers a track by their favourite artist, although they probably have a cover version high up in their top ten favourite tracks.
Articles about cover versions, listing the best or worst covers, are pretty common too. (This probably make this column in itself a cover, come to think about it…) In this article what I hope to bring you is some covers that you’ve never heard, covers that add a certain something to the original or are just plain strange – I’ll leave you to decide which category they fall into.
‘Jeepster’ – Altered Images Originally by: T-Rex
This manages to combine two of my favourite things – T-Rex and Altered Images in one perfectly formed package. The thing about this is that if you didn’t know the original you’d think it was actually an Altered Images song, so well does it fit into their sound. OK so it may be a little more lightweight musically – it has that jangly Altered Images thing going on – but this just has a huge smile factor.
‘Emma’ – Sisters of Mercy Originally by: Hot Chocolate
The Sisters of Mercy had a bit of thing about covering things you wouldn’t quite expect so I had quite a number shortlisted before settling on this one. You may want to check out their versions of ABBA’s ‘Gimme, Gimme, Gimme‘ (yes really), ‘Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene‘ (which came very close to being my choice of entry) or The Stones’ ‘Gimme Shelter‘. So why did I choose this? Well firstly because I adore the original and secondly because The Sisters bring something else to the song. There’s a darkness there, a sense of desperation in the song’s narrator that isn’t there in the original. This does way more that just interpret the music, it interprets the song’s story. Incidentally plenty of people have covered Sisters of Mercy songs including a R’n’Bed cover of ‘This Corrosion’ by Diane Birch. I’ll leave you to make up your mind about that one.
‘Jerusalem’ – Suzi Pinns (from the film Jubilee) Originally by: Various
One of two songs from Suzi Pinns on the Jubilee soundtrack (the other being ‘Rule Britannia’), I first heard this on the b-side of ‘Nine To Five’ by the Maneaters – a short lived collaboration between Adam Ant and Toyah (so short lived they only ever managed to produce that one track). Anyway back to the track – I’ve really no idea why I like this interpretation of ‘Jerusalem’ quite so much. It’s certainly not because I like the film – I’ve never actually managed to see it all the way through or it may be something to do with the ‘outrage factor’. If you’ve never heard this before you may be expecting a punk version – all thrashed guitars and shouted vocals – but what you actually get is what sounds like a classically trained voice. So who is Suzi Pinns? Well nobody actually seems to know. In Jubilee these songs are mimed by Jordan but Suzi is not Jordan, at least according to the vast majority of sources I’ve looked at. Ultimately though does this matter? No it doesn’t, just give it go.
‘Creep’ – Scala & Kolacny Brothers Originally by: Radiohead
So what we have here is a Belgium female choir singing accompanied only by a piano. What that simple statement of fact isn’t going to tell you is that this is quite, quite wonderful, and incredibly moving. The emotion is all in the arrangement, that’s the really clever thing musically. I first heard it playing over the end credits of a French film but it’s been used in lots of other film and TV including The Simpsons and, rather bizarrely, Hollyoaks (although I imagine that they used an edited version). Listen with an open mind and let it draw you in.
‘Tower of Song’ – Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds Originally by: Leonard Cohen
This is one of two versions of the song on the 1991 tribute album ‘I’m Your Fan’ (see what they did there?). What we have here is a rather ‘out there’ radical reworking of the song assembled from an hour long jam by the band – a fact that seemed to have passed me by when I bought the album when it came out. Why do I like this so much? Probably because it’s one of those times when a song by an artist I love is interpreted by an artist I love in their own way.
‘Take Me Home Country Roads’ – Toots and the Maytals Originally by: John Denver
Toots and the Maytals bring their own unique take to this American classic – listen out for “Country roads take me home, To the place I belong, West Jamaica, my ol’ momma”. I defy anyone not to smile during this, it’s a lovely thing.
‘Wuthering Heights’ – Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain Originally by: Kate Bush
So, I hear you say, I was wondering when he would get to a ‘novelty cover’. Let me say here that I am a huge Kate Bush fan and would be the first to moan about a cover of one of her songs that wasn’t a ‘loving tribute’. I’m also a big fan of the UOoGB, their stuff makes me smile and that’s no bad thing at all. Look it’s just fun and entertaining. Jazz hands anyone?
‘Sweet Jane’ – The Cowboy Junkies Originally by: Lou Reed
There was time when a copy of the ‘Trinity Sessions’ by The Cowboy Junkies was a must-have, and this was by far the stand-out track. So what grabs me about this version? I guess it’s the vocals you have to strain to hear (actually the sound levels on the recording were low in general, I recall that my Walkman didn’t actually go loud enough to block out background noise), and the country tinged arrangement for a start.
https://youtu.be/x4XVJj4jER4
‘Please Don’t Touch’ – Headgirl Originally by: Johnny Kidd & The Pirates
This cover from the ‘St Valentine’s Day Massacre’ EP by Motorhead and Girlschool combined is a classic. What’s to like? Let’s start with the packaging – I have the rather lovely 10” heavyweight vinyl version – the idea of Motorhead and Girlschool as gangsters just works. Musically this is perfectly… how shall we put it … shambolic with some rather fab lead guitar from Fast Eddie and Kelly Johnson. And for those of us who saw the performances on TOTP, we got the thrill of Phil Taylor dancing as he didn’t play drums on the track (he couldn’t by the way, he was recovering from breaking his neck). Play very loud!
‘The Needle and the Damage Done’ – Cloud Rat Originally by: Neil Young
Hmmm, quite how do I describe this. Inspired? Terrifying? Terrifyingly inspired? Just listen.
‘Cold Turkey’ – Godfathers Originally by: John Lennon
The Godfathers turn this track into a full on rock song. There’s some quite frankly gorgeous guitar on this. I actually prefer this to the original, if I’m honest.
‘Livin La Vida Loca’ – The Toy Dolls Originally by: Ricky Martin
When I first heard this I fell off my seat laughing. Quite quite brilliant. That is all.
‘Viva Las Vegas’ – Dead Kennedys Originally by: Elvis Presley
This could almost be their tribute to Elvis, it has something of the original while having an edge of humour and the Dead Kennedys’ almost art-punk thing going on.
‘Hazy Shade of Winter’ – The Bangles Originally by: Simon and Garfunkel
The Bangles bring a New Paisley Underground sound (that’s Psych 80s style to you) to this Simon and Garfunkel song. It’s all stomping guitar and harmonies. The Bangles were fond of covers having covered songs by Prince – ‘Manic Monday’ – Katrina and the Waves – ‘Going Down to Liverpool’ – and The Velvet Underground – I’ll Be Your Mirror’ – amongst others. It’s great pop music. Nothing more nothing less.
‘My Favourite Things’ – John Coltrane Originally by: Julie Andrews
Only someone like John Coltrane could turn this family favourite into something that sends goosebumps up your spine. Mesmerising. I could say more but I want you to click the YouTube video below and listen immediately.
‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ – The Muppets’ Dr Teeth and Co, Polka Playboys and Hayseed Dixie Originally by: Queen
‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ turned 40 this year and I just had to include a cover in this column. I couldn’t decide which of these I liked better so I thought why not go for all three. The Muppet’s version is just hilarious; the Polka Playboys’ (a Finnish street band in a VW Polo) version is actually quite moving and Hayseed Dixie’s bluegrass version definitely works.
There are lots and lots of covers of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ out there, some of which are … shall we say … embarrassing. Let’s just draw a veil over Beyoncé’s version shall we, and I’d personally like to have Kanye’s version at Glastonbury bleached from my brain – but nontheless linked in case you do want to check these out. Not that I’d recommend it.
‘Glorybox’ – John Martyn Originally by: Portishead
So those of you that have read my column about perfect music will know that the original is my all time favourite track. I found this quite by accident to be honest – sometimes the YouTube related video feature is your friend! However to be honest I can’t say that I like the Faith No More cover of ‘Glorybox’ that much. However John Martyn brings us a blues tinged version that is honestly quite brilliant, it’s just a slab of loveliness.
Finally I’m going to sneak in an ‘inspired by’.
‘The Lay of the Surfers’ – Robert Calvert Inspired by: Surf music
This comes from ‘Lucky Leif and the Longships’ an album released in 1975. It is a concept album dealing with how American culture might have been different had the Vikings managed to colonise the continent. The album is a tour through various styles of American music (‘The Lay Of The Surfers’ is a Beach Boys parody), filled with references to modern American culture and ancient Norse myths and legends. This track is just hilarious. Look out for “I guess you could call us Barbarians, Barbarians Bar Bar Barbarians”.
So that’s it. And btw in my research for this column (Did you think I could pull all this stuff out of my head?) I used a great website to fact check – called The Covers Project. This site lists bands alphabetically and then lists songs they covered and who covered their songs. You can also search by song title and it’ll give you a list of all the artists that covered that song. There’s quite frankly hours of fun to be had.
Click on the location marker to access ‘Directions’
About: The Record Café was opened in November 2014 on Bradford’s North Parade as a record shop offering food and drink, specialising in vinyl, ale and ham. Bradford CAMRA Pub of the Season Autumn 2015 winners.
Opening times:
Sunday to Thursday: 11am to 11pm
Friday to Saturday 11am to Midnight
Record shop open until 6pm
Food served until 8pm
Louise: Why did the shop start? Keith Wildman: I realised that I was having to go to Leeds or Manchester or online to buy new records from an independent record shop. Bradford used to have several, and it was about time that was addressed, so I decided to do something about it myself.
L: Why would somebody go to your shop rather than buying mail order/online? KW: Well, as well as selling records, we also have a real ale and craft beer bar, and a charcuterie counter specialising in ham. So as well as music, you can indulge in food and drink. You can’t do that online! It’s as much about socialising is it is the music….which is what record shops used to be like.
L: Do you specialise in any particular type of music? KW: Not especially. It’s a mixture of new releases – the type of music you’d hear on BBC 6 Music – and classic albums that anyone buying a turntable for the first time would want. So that’s everything from The Beatles to The Stone Roses, Sex Pistols to Nirvana, and Neil Young to NWA. Though I’m looking to expand our jazz selection, as that seems to be popular.
L: Do you sell new and second hand stock? KW: We only sell new stock and reissues, for the moment anyway. I just wouldn’t have time to sort through and price up the boxes of records from lofts that would end up being brought to us!
L: Can people order things through your shop if you don’t have them in stock? KW: Yes, this proves pretty popular for us. As we’re a bar as well, you can order and then call back the next or a couple of days later for a pint and pick up your record then.
L: What formats of music do well in your shop – are people in general keen to buy vinyl or is vinyl only purchased by what we might call music collectors? Is a vinyl release still an event? KW: We stock vinyl only, though we do have the odd CD from local bands. Releases might not be the event they once were but there’s still a wide range of people buying vinyl. From people who’ve been inspired to dig out their old turntable, to younger people who appreciate getting something physical for their money rather than just a download.
L: Do you do online sales? KW: We’re just in the process of launching a ‘click and collect’ service on our new website and then looking further forward, online sales is something we’re looking at.
L: Do you have gigs or launch events at your store? KW: Yes, we’ve had launch events for local bands and bands doing the national circuit visit. It would be great to become a fixture for bands doing a nation tour to stop off for a lunchtime promo spot.
L: Are you actively promoting local bands, singers and groups? KW: There’s a huge local music scene in Bradford, based around pubs and bars, and the standard is very high. We’re looking to get more involved with local bands over the next 12 months. It would be great to be a hub for selling their records and promoting them.
L: Are there any particular bands, groups or performers that are associated with your shop – for example people who got together through meeting at the shop? KW: Not yet, but Scars on 45 had their album launch here which was great. They’re a Bradford band who’ve done well over in the US. It would be great if a band formed after meeting here. That’s a real goal!
“I would go to gigs and see massive crowds of people reacting to something which essentially came out of someone’s head in their bedroom,” remembers singer and multi-instrumentalist Adam French. “I thought to myself: ‘If they can do that, I can fucking do that. I’m definitely going to do that’.”
Today he makes available two self-produced tracks ‘Hunter’ and ‘Punchbag Love’, whose irresistible hooks and choruses take influence from some of the breakout indie successes of recent years including singer-songwriters like Justin Vernon (AKA Bon Iver), Jose Gonzalez and The Tallest Man on Earth as well as band’s like Queens of The Stone Age and, “Bombay Bicycle Club who were one of my favourite bands as a teenager. They were one of those bands I saw that made me think: ‘That’s fucking incredible, I want to be there”.
The young Bowie look-a-like taught himself to play guitar at the age of 10 and was born and raised in Congleton, just outside Manchester where he worked in the local record store and cut his teeth on the northern gig circuit in various guises. Now French has established himself as a solo writer and producer capable of crafting flawless songs in his London home studio.
‘Hunter’ and ‘Punchbag Love’ demonstrate French’s musical range. Lead track ‘Hunter’ is a driving slice of indie, powered by atmospheric drums and hooked around an irresistible chorus. In contrast, ‘Punchbag Love’ is a piano ballad which showcases French’s song-writing at its most open and heartfelt, urging a lover to “take it all out on me”
Having already gone down a storm playing the BBC Introducing stage at Leeds and Reading festivals, as well as recent support slots with Frances, Rat Boy and Jack Garratt, Adam sets out on his first headline tour in January 2016 including
According to the Oxford Dictionary Anathema is ‘something or someone that one vehemently dislikes’ which didn’t seem to match up with the couple of pleasant ballady tracks I’d hastily downloaded, in transit. And to be honest I had no idea how to pronounce them. My colleagues at LSF were pretty convinced it was ‘Anne-ath-eeema’ – a kind of ironic messing around with the original word. Which left me feeling a little uncomfortable because I was hardly going to walk up to one of the avid fans waiting in the aisle of the cathedral and say ‘Excuse me, sir or madam, just how do you pronounce the name of this band?’.
(Before you wonder why I’ve arrived so uninformed, let me explain that I wasn’t actually meant to be here. I don’t mean I’ve snuck in through a side door of Manchester Cathedral and blagged my way into a press seat. I was replacing one of our regular writers who’d been unable to make it at the last minute. And I really fancied the idea of listening to a gig in a cathedral because it wasn’t something I’d experienced before.)
Fortunately a very kind photographer, called Michael (whose photos you can see on this page) puts me out of my misery. ‘It’s pronounced just like it is in the dictionary,’ he tells me. Which is a relief. And significantly reduces my chances of being torn limb from limb by those fans in the front row. Floaty clothing, long hair and interesting hats aren’t a guarantee that people will be gentle.
Then very-helpful photographer Michael goes on to explain to me a little of the band’s history – and to confirm something I’d read but was curious about. Which was that – yes, this Liverpool-based band did start out as a death/doom band, until they changed direction and moved towards prog and atmospheric rock.
Michael also tells me that the core of the band is the three Cavanagh brothers, two of whom will be stage tonight. They are Vincent and David – and there’s also Jamie but if I believe he’s doing something techy behind the scenes (and I later discover that a significant amount of tonight’s music is actually pre-recorded, from a larger ensemble of absent band members). And the guys are being joined on stage by Lee Douglas, who shares vocals with the brothers.
Conrad Keely Photo credit: MICHAEL AINSCOE
I also learn from Michael that tonight’s support act is Conrad Keely, normally known as the singer from And You Will Know us by the Trail of Dead. It would be wrong to make a cheap reference about not being slayed by Conrad’s performance. Somehow a lone man with a guitar didn’t seem equal to the acoustics of this expansive environment. For me his performance never quite hung together. But that may be because I was sitting to the side of the stage and the microphones seemed to be rigged for the audience standing in the cleared space in front.
I was switching off and wondering when the band were coming on, when Keely delivered a song with the chorus ‘Let it die, let it die, let if fade out of sight’ and I was utterly hooked. Unfortunately my enthusiasm didn’t survive the following track, but it gave me an insight as to why some of the audience were so enthusiastic.
Photo credit: MICHAEL AINSCOE
I’m not going to try and name any of the tracks that Anathema performed (apart from the covers). And to analyse each one isn’t really my style. But let me tell you that within moments of the lights going down and the band coming on – proceeded by some ethereal children’s voices – I had a great big grin on my face. I couldn’t quite catch all the lyrics but I’m sure there was something about ‘because the world is round it turns me on, because the wind is high it blows my mind’, and, dear reader, this reporter was quite happy to have her mind blown. And who wouldn’t be with all those fabulous lights and bucket loads of atmosphere that the cathedral offered.
I was certainly very happy to listen to a flow of songs which took liberties with my emotions. Songs engorged with poignant longing, such as the evocative cry ‘Come back to me!’ (you knew it couldn’t end well) and ‘my feelings will always shine’ – with the emotions tautly held on a shimmering line of melody. There were also songs like ‘The Beginning and the End’ which took me to places where the army is approaching, my crops will be burnt, my home destroyed, my family murdered or carried off as slaves…
I was broken hearted just from listening – although they could have been singing about someone forgetting to do the washing up, for all I knew.
Anathema’s music is glorious, wistful and skilfully manipulative, making full use of the amazing space available. It has a transcendent, bigger-than-the-sum-of-its parts quality that brought the word ‘epic’ to mind. And I don’t mean ‘epic’ as it’s used by the young on Facebook. No indeed not. What I do mean is that it reminded me there were bigger things out there – torrents to be navigated, hearts to be broken, rings to be thrown into The Cracks of Doom, and a whole load of very painful stuff which will more than likely never result in a happy ending. But maybe, if you’re very luck, you’ll be standing overlooking the sea when a sumptuous pink-gold sunset washes the horizon, and everything will be heroically worth it in the end.
However I don’t want you to think that there was anything sloppy about this performance. At no point did it spill into full-blown stadium rock. There was a poignancy, a tightness about each track that held everything in check. Just as you thought a song was about to soar away into indulgence, it stopped. Emotions were seriously toyed with, examined and probed, but never allowed to let rip. The band work together with such polish and a seamless consistency that it’s easy to find yourself immersed in the experience.
‘These places are not just temples of worship but temples of sounds,’ Vincent tells the audience. ‘It’s a real honour to play here’. Certainly was a reverence with which both band and audience embraced the possibilities of this ancient building. Everyone seemed to be obeying polite notices to put their empties in buckets by the pillars, and Vincent apologised when he accidentally swore.
Photo credit: MICHAEL AINSCOE
Perhaps for me the highlight of the evening was Lee Douglas singing Glory Box. This classic written and performed to near-perfection by Portishead takes some beating. Beth Gibbons’ 60-a-day voice takes some beating, but Lee Douglas gave her a pretty good run for her money, with a voice so clear and sweet that it put me in mind of natural spring water. And Danny’s guitar playing was beautiful to the point of being almost uncomfortable, although at times I wasn’t really sure what was his and what was coming from the pre-recorded sound track. And there were times when the pre-record track seemed to drown out even the power of Lee’s voice, although she was definitely a match for it, holding each tingling, longing note of ‘give me a reason… to be a woman’, and holding the audience spellbound.
I wasn’t however quite so blown away by Danny’s version of ‘Running up that hill’ (by Kate Bush). He sang it alone on stage, with a tautness and restraint that somehow didn’t work so well in the setting of the cathedral, and some people in the audience seemed a little restless, talking through the track. But the audience went crazy when he finished, so maybe I was missing something from my seat at the side of the stage. But it was intriguing and something I’d like to hear again, in a different setting.
Quite why the band chose to close with a version of Pink Floyd’s ‘We don’t need no education’, I’m not really sure. I had to leave at that point to be sure I caught my train. But I hovered in the aisle for a bit, enjoying the music too much to want to leave. Their version didn’t add anything new to the original, but it didn’t detract in any way either, and I for one enjoyed it. However on my walk to the station I found myself overhearing a couple who were complaining that the band had done four covers and that there was far too much pre-recorded music, and they were expecting a much ‘liver’ experience. I can’t argue with that, because this was the first time I’d heard them, but I can definitely say that for me it was a very pleasurable musical evening, in a terrific setting.
If I have a criticism it was that there were times when I’d have liked the lyrics to be a little more challenging. It wasn’t that this was 6th form lyrics but there were times when I wished some of their very obvious creativity had gone into finding a different word to express all those huge emotions their music was touching upon – not the most predictable, safest one around.
‘Slo-Mo-Tion’, ‘We’re from America’ and ‘Cupid Carries a Gun’. Never heard of them have you? The moaners are bound to say he’s not been good since (insert one of his 90s albums). I did recently go back to ‘Mechanical Animals’ and studied the compositions and I thought, “Where the hell did they get their inspiration from?”. The loops and tunes are so offbeat, so weird. However, the fundamental thing these whiners don’t understand is that people change, culture changes. If an artist had to keep breaking the same old ground they’d blow their brains out!
Admittedly there have been peaks and dips with the band. The band member timeline is psychedelic. Manson himself has not only fought with his fellow musicians but himself as well. His chest is covered in self harm scars and he once even penned a suicide note. Then he found a muse, and possibly salvation, in the shapely burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese. When Manson falls in love he seems to do so with no restrictions. A new crowd of curious onlookers then arrived, but these dedicated followers of fashion started to leave him when Von Teese signed the divorce papers.
Later the band produced two strong albums ‘High End of Low’ and ‘Born Villain’ but the music enthusiasts were transfixed on some other sparkly new thing. They’re by no means perfect albums but for a musician so far into his career to pull those out of the bag, credit is due. ‘Low’ finishes with the soaring and melancholic track ’15’, while ‘Villain’ features an almost Frank Zappa like narration especially on ‘The Gardener’. Also of note is the random and peculiar Mr Oizo collaboration for the soundtrack of Wrong Cops. Check it out.
‘The Pale Emperor’ is a tricky one. Manson has always had fantastic videos, consistently keeping unofficial competitor, Rob Zombie, a speck in his rear view mirror. Sadly the promos from ‘Emperor’ are weak. Gradually over the years I discovered Marilyn was inspired by filmmakers such as Alejandro Jodorowsky and Kenneth Anger. The conceptual ‘Wow’ video from ‘High End of Low’ is a great melding of Anger’s film ‘Puce Moment’ and the famous Black Dahlia murder case. It is completely different to anything before. I kind of wish it was the same with the videos on ‘Emperor’. They are a tad strained. I don’t like to blame budget. It’s OK to have to struggle and fight for what you want. It often brings out the best in a creative person. ‘Third Day of a Seven Day Binge’ suffers from super HD, it lacks that lovely filmic quality. But as Manson struts and claps I forgot about that and let the track take over me.
So what about the music? You can imagine the 2015 album was written for a guy with an acoustic guitar; they’re like blacker Johnny Cash ballads. We’re talking guttural drawls of agony; there’s soul searching here, but it’s not a shocking album because there is no need to be controversial for the sake of it. Yes, he’s been inflammatory all his career, but unlike Cradle of Filth, there is more going on behind the curtain. On ‘Emperor’ he’s made a mature decision to do the music and leave the flipped middle finger for the tour and press calls.
Tyler Bates’ production feels like a band member in its self rather than something to underline the lead singer’s ideas. His film score training is very evident and the perfect fusion of this is on ‘Cupid Carries a Gun’ with its pounding and swinging swagger.
The consensus though is that Manson is back. So before you download the big new hyped album or go watch the even bigger hyped new movie, take a little time to listen to ‘The Pale Emperor’.
Born and raised in Sheffield, Ian Britt releases beautifully crafted music in the North of the UK. The single ‘Run’ gives us a taster of the EP – a step into to the epic, with lovely harmonies and evocative orchestral arrangements.
Ian picked up the guitar at a young age because he wanted to be Michael J Fox in Back to the Future. Ian bothered his mother until she bought him a guitar to complete his fixation, having already got the skateboard and the haircut. He even had the Flux Capacitor tattooed on his wrist.
He doodled on the guitar until he got really quite good on it, even studying some classical whilst at school. He went from Cream and Hendrix to Paul Simon and Talking Heads, Van Halen to Rage Against the Machine to Red Hot Chilli Peppers then a bit of Hip Hop.
After bashing guitars in bands, Ian went on to study music in Manchester and then recorded some demos which got him signed to London based label Jalapeño Records who released his debut album, ‘One Day I’ in 2005.
‘One Day I’ made it to number 2 in the iTunes folk charts; the lead single came 2nd place for record of the week at BBC Radio 2 (Damien Rice got top slot) and it saw Ian play showcases at BBC Radio One Live Weekend as well as the world renowned industry music festival South by South West in Texas.
After the mild fervour of the album died down, the label and Ian “went their separate ways” and the hard, lonely, thankless graft years of seriously honing, developing and performing as an independent artist began.
Over a year or so, Ian self-recorded tracks in various tiny bedrooms which were whittled down into a follow-up EP called ‘Big Light’. He had also begun regularly touring Holland, something that has since carried on throughout and with mounting success.
After all that effort and turbulence, more than ever, Ian was itching to move on and officially released ‘BOX’ independently in summer 2011. In 2012 there was a huge influx of American & Canadian fans after the song ‘The Shape of Us’ was featured in a poignant scene in Parenthood. As a result, the various YouTube uploads of the song have exceeded 100,000 views and thousands have downloaded the track. Ian’s work has also been used in The Real L Word, The Real World and Keeping Up The Kardashians and in the UK tracks have been used on Hollyoaks over 70 times in 12 months.
Since ‘BOX’, Ian has released a number of singles as well as further touring in the UK, Holland and Germany. A live album, ‘Mezzalive’, was recorded in 2012 in Holland to showcase the strength of his live performances and make some of the on-the-road favourites available to growing fan requests.
Early 2013 saw the release of ‘Understood’ EP, mixed in the renowned Sheffield studios 2Fly (Alan Smythe, Arctic Monkeys). ‘Understood’ was initially released on beautifully handcrafted, limited edition CDs that sold out in 4 days. This was followed by the next EP, ‘In Mind’, which was recorded with well known Sheffield producer Tim Hampton (Bromheads), the tracks show stunning compositions with fresh new production directions as well as some wonderfully stripped back tracks.
We need to talk. We need to talk about a dream I had. I was in a class room teaching and every pupil was my most feared teacher that hated me the most. There was no whispering or murmuring in the back, no notes being passed, just an unwavering stare, silent and chilling. I stared back, continuing my lesson, a Mexican stand-off, but I had lost my nerve.
Yeah, so anyway, I was playing at an open-mic night, as I do. The crowd, a crowd you might expect, but something was different, something I had rarely seen before. It’s quiet, too quiet. I admire the commitment, I really do, but for the love of god, please, someone talk.
For the want of a less disgusting turn of phrase, I always thought that music was a social lubricant. It is isn’t it? That’s how we’ve got here isn’t it? That’s why I’m stood up in a corner with a guitar squeezing out forced renditions of songs people used to like.
We talked, we talked for hours, we talked about music, we didn’t talk about music at all, but there was music playing somewhere and we all enjoyed it and we talked about that too.
And then we talked about how great it would be if we could play music, we talked about technique, we talked about song writing, we talked about how great it would be if we could gather in the pub and play music to each other.
And then we did exactly that. Awesome.
But then everyone stopped talking. I get it, I mean, thank you, you’ve stopped and listened to my ego for a while. Cheers! It might be a small foible on my behalf but it’s just unnerving, almost creepy (I’m not calling you creepy). Did you just hear that bum note? I think you did, I can see you did, oh there’s another one, will you please just stop staring? Didn’t you hear what Steph just said? It was hilarious! You’re not listening to Steph at all, you’ve just missed out on the story of the week.
I have your undivided attention, and I don’t like it. You might think because I’ve got up and started making quite a lot of noise that is exactly what I want and, well to be honest, that’s true, but don’t pander to me, I’m an idiot.
It is off-putting though.
It’s like having someone watch you eat, you start to wonder, do I eat in a weird way? How does my mouth look? Have I spilt something down myself? And it’s so quiet, can you hear the horrible mouth/eating noises?
I can’t relax and my songs suffer for it and then you don’t like it as much and then I go home and sulk. I’m not playing out any more.
You don’t look like you’re enjoying yourself at all, and at this point, neither am I.
Don’t listen to me and chat to your friends, you are in the pub after all.
