Monday, September 19, 2011

Pop Group and Public Enemy at ATP October 1st/2nd 2011

There are a few reasons to jump in the car and jet to the Jersey Shore next week:
number one is The Pop Group are going to play their first US gig this century.
I guarantee you will never see a band like them.
They were hot and funky in Punk Rock London last century and haven't lost any of their edge or groove.
I saw them this time last year at a tiny club called The Garage in Highbury Islington, London and don't regret the plane fare one bit. I went to both shows and both were magic.
I understand they have been in the studio together since 9/12/2010. My hope was for a Pop Group Christmas present but it hasn't happened - i believe that's a YET.

Mark Stewart has been working on a collaboration record and has some mind opening sounds in a recording facility near me. Hopefully that will be in the merch tent. Fingers crossed.

Their drummer is Bruce Smith fresh from Public Image Limited's recent outings to spots around the world including a recent visit to Japan. He'll give your skeleton a dance lesson.

The second reason to get a ticket for OCTOBER 2 is that PUBLIC ENEMY are going to play the whole of their BRILLIANT album Fear of A Black Planet.

There's a brilliant download available on this link - and it's also where you can get your All Tomorrows parties tickets

See you in the front row.
xxxdaisy

Monday, August 15, 2011

my first festival - Hop Farm 2011

http://www.youtube.com/user/titilak?blend=2&ob=5
Satellite of Love - Morrissey
Magazine (original line up), Patti Smith, Lou Reed and then Iggy Pop. After dark, headline: MORRISSEY. In order for Morrissey to take the stage, the festival asked all the food vendors Howard Devoto in fine form. Patti Smith morrisey singing Satellite of Love... at HOP FARM

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Hop Farm 2011 Saturday

We saw Iggy Pop who bounced about like a ten year old - and I mean like the ten year olds that were in the field with me, next to me bouncing about! Lou Reed came out and I gather he has hasn't kept up his gym membership. He looked a little creaky. Patti Smith sung her heart out and ran about a bit along the front row of fans although quite what she was talking about, I have no idea - but she looked happy. Magazine were magnificent. I swear Howard has a bit of a crush on Knock-oh his guitarist in the silver trousers. and then it grew dark and Morrissey came on. He was magnificent.
And then we got in the landrover and slept on our blow up mattress. In the morning, the sun was blazing brightly across the field we had parked in - and there was a mist. It was beautiful. Then we drove to London. Had a nap and went to Hyde Park to catch PULP - the last band at Hyde Park Festival.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Tonight (& tomorrow) in Air Conditioned New York City


Alessi is over from the London UK and playing at The Living Room on Ludlow Street
Tonight at 11pm
and
Tomorrow at 6pm

The joint has air conditioning, relaxed atmosphere and beverages.

Hear Alessi sing KITE FLYING here

Find out where Alessi is playing next and hear some of her other delightfilled songs here: Alessi's My Space page AND tour dates

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Hop Farm - Iggy, Patti (acoustic), Lou and Morrissey 2 July

2 JULY Line up at HOP FARM festival in the UK includes Lou Reed, Patti Smith (acoustic), Iggy and the Stooges, and Morrissey who will headline.

The day before you can catch The Eagles, and Bryan Ferry.

Hmmm. What to pack? I guess the flared trousers for friday and the black leather pants for Saturday. Oh, and the air mattress (for my old aching back) and the binoculars (for my old fading eye sight). Seeing how old all these bands are, do you suppose the lights in the farm field will go out round midnight and the trance dance disco tent might be a bit empty?

Probably not.

That's probably my imagination, running away with me.

I'll bet the yoof are going to want to see these Mega Stars before they burn out.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

PIL are on the bus - you lucky people.

If there is one drummer in the whole wide world you should hear in 3-D surround sound and one singer you should see and experience it's BRUCE SMITH backing Mr. JOHNNY LYDON on the PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED tour.

You won't get a boom boom tish, you'll get shaken, stirred, rattled and elevated.

You won't be disappointed.

And we'll have something to talk about in the Old Age Pensioner's lounge.

Here's everything you need to know

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

P J Harvey Terminal 5 New York April 19 April 20

PJ Harvey came to stand left of center on stage spot on 8:45pm.
She wore a long, chalk-white dress.
Her auto harp cradled across her bosom.
Her oil-black hair was dressed up with two HUGE black feathers.
I thought it was a whole bird hat til she turned sideways and the feathers floated far back behind her - almost like a 3-cornered admiral nelson hat.
Against the black curtain she stood out as a wild icelandic creature.
She wore little make up, no signature blood red lips so her face seemed white and ghostly and throughout the show she kept her movements small (which could have disappointed those expecting the Polly Presley of "This is Love" videoness).
Some utterly beautiful photographs by Andrew St. Clair

Sometimes at the end of a song she would walk to the back of the stage that seemed miles and miles away and when she walked back to the mike for the next song, she appeared to float.
Sometimes the stillness of her body allowed the floaty quality to smoke up into the room but it also seemed the stillness grounded her voice so she accessed every vein and artery and breath to call the songs out to me standing in the middle of the melay. She - like an inspiring queen before a battle. Me, like a little shakespearean oik at the Globe Theatre.
I found myself ten feet further in by the middle of her set and I don't remember moving.

I think it was a considered choice not to have anything red on stage.
The men wore brown swede and brown cotton calling to mind blacksmiths and farmers. Maybe Dorset relatives.
Nick Harvey (no relation - although by the end how couldn't he be) on piano, sat centre.
The drum kit appeared way back on stage right and towards the front stage right was the bass player. John Parrish. I couldn't see but I expect they were wearing wellingtons or muddy boots.
The instruments were more like furniture to these acts that were each song.
The musicians thoughtfully moved to position to perform certain songs like [civil war drum song].

The two geezers that are Harvey and Parrish often seemed like minders than musicians. They had deep weathered emotional weight to their singing.
The younger [Jean french name Barum drum] drummer came forward at one point with his "civil war" drum to bang slowly through [song title].

At some point, I felt like each song was a moving painting. Or like I was turning the pages of a picture book.
One might be from a Regency era.
One from outside some Fraganard sitting room.
At some point, I expected someone to draw the curtains in back, to see Constable's hay wain lumbering left to right, and maybe Dorset farmers and maids a-milking in a shed somewhere.
Or a Turner battleship off a coastline.
An Edwardian sufferagette smoking outside St. Paul's cathedral.

The album "Let England Shake" isn't preachy. It's personal. It's war. It's why? It's please don't leave me for that. It's sad. It's beating the drum. It's grim older wiser voices behind simple high pitch calling from this angel harped, accomplished guitarist.

Even tho the lights came on at the end, the farewell music didn't play.
We clapped.
We chanted "Roadie", like youdo.
Someone called to the dressing room for RID OF ME in exchange for their first born. She sang about longing and triggered it in us.
I think she had a second encore in her but we'd seen Mr. Parrish put his raincoat over his arm and his evening chair and slippers beckoned him
I resigned myself to thinkin she was saving her vocals for tonight's demanded second addition show.

At the end of the show, we happened to be clapping behind Delphine Blue who invited us [in the London Fog outside] for a drink at the after party for Big Audio Dynamite at the nearby Hudson Hotel.

If you can get tickets for tonight (i see ebay has some available for reasonable), take tissues.

April 20
Thunder in the forecast...


SET LIST April 19

Let England Shake [From Let England Shake (LES)]
The Words That Maketh Murder [LES]
All And Everyone [LES]
The Big Guns Called Me Back Again
Written On The Forehead [LES]
In The Dark Places [LES]
The Devil [White Chalk]
The Sky Lit Up [This is Desire]
The Glorious Land [LES]
The Last Living Rose [LES]
England [LES]
Pocket Knife [Uh Huh Her]
Bitter Branches [LES]
Down By The Water
C'mon Billy [To Bring you my love]
Hanging In The Wire [LES]
On Battleship Hill [LES]
The Colour Of The Earth [LES]
--
Big Exit [Stories from the city and the sea]
Angelene [This is Desire]
Silence [White Chalk]