unpopular

Night scene stealers

So it’s no ‘Live at the Annandale Hotel’ but this live recording of the monumental Life Without Buildings at The Cavern in Exeter remains more special to me than you can possibly imagine. So Sue Tompkins may herself have bemoaned the sound quality that night, yet for me it hardly mattered. I was transfixed. Transported. Well, Life Without Buildings could do that to you, couldn’t they?

 

Yesterday's News

I’ve been having a bit of a clear out recently. I don’t know about you, but I’m always amazed at what I find when I do this. Things I had forgotten all about. Things that delight me all over again and distract my attention from the task at hand. So whilst sifting piles of old CDRs I came across this recording of The Gossip playing at The Cavern in Exeter way back in August of 2003. I’m quite sure there are a million live Gossip boots out there, many of them likely with better sound quality than this one, but maybe some folks will find it of interest.

 

Maybe The People Will Be The Times

I put a seashell to my ear and it all comes back to me. It’s three years, almost to the day, since I first saw Chris T-T. It was in his hometown of Brighton, playing in support of the mighty Brakes and was one of the best shows I’d seen in ages. A few weeks previous to that I had been fortunate enough to receive Chris’ excellent 9 Red Songs set; a record that quickly established itself in my list of that year’s finest and that still sounds pretty sublime when played today.

A lot has happened in the last three years. I’ve seen Chris twice since, both times in gloriously intimate solo sets in the wonderful Bridge Inn in Topsham. Or three times, if you count the day that Chris spent in my school with our Year 10 Rock School students. In conversation with one of those students a few weeks later, Chris was referred to as ‘a legend’. And although that may not yet be quite true, it’s certainly true around my Geek Lair. And judging by the response to last night’s show at the Exeter Phoenix in support to Frank Turner, it may not be long before it’s a more widely recognised fact.

Of course we are coming again to the time of year when some of us of a certain disposition start to draw together lists of our favourite records of the year. It’s always so easy to forget the records that were released at the start of the year, but for sure this year Chris’ Capital set is one that is right up there in leading contention for my top spot. It’s a record I’ve returned to a lot over the past ten months, for all kinds of reasons, but mostly because as the year has unfolded, the general spirit of the times has drifted towards the dystopian vision of many of the songs; a case of the times and the songs spinning off each other with remarkable synchronicity. A line like “If you’re scared things are gonna get worse, you’re right, they’re gonna get worse”, which in January (when I first heard the album) seemed archly dramatic now sounds profoundly prescient. No wonder the track, ‘The Kings Of England’, with it’s ‘Tommy Gun’ drum retorts, has just been released as a storming single. As an album opener and a single it sounds terrific, but live it is literally amplified a thousand fold. The almost Krautrock motorik rhythm is extended, teased, pulled and pummelled with guitars tangling and voices mingling in the fogs of noise. I don’t want it to end.

Similarly, the anthemic ‘Box To Hide In’, which immediately grabbed me when it came drifting through my headphones on the District Line to Olympia back in January. Though lacking the soaring horns that make the recorded version sound like a close relation to something by the much missed Animals That Swim, the band nevertheless wring every last drop of emotional depth from the song, driving it upwards and onwards, kissing the stars on the skyscrapers and the dew on the Quantock hillsides. Beauty seldom sounds this quietly righteous or full of such carefully guarded rage. I swear to God I fight back a lump in my throat.

Elsewhere, the propulsive ‘4am (The Day The Earth Stood Still pt 2)’ and the opener ‘Old Men’ show off Chris’ flexibility and charm as a songwriter. ‘Old Men’ is full of self-deprecating humour, a wry acknowledgement of how life goes on as time goes on; typically sharply observed and the perfect set opener. ‘4am’ meanwhile throws the switch into overdrive, like Dylan coming on with the Hawks in 1966, blowing away the cobwebs and literally electrifying the air with sweet indignation. “The heart is gone, the soul is gone, the only thing left is the money” intones Chris atop a squalling noise, like Wolfhounds circa Blown Away or Gravenhurst pummelling their ‘Hollow Men’. And again, like Dylan going electric with The Hawks, Chris and his group seem like they know somewhere inside that they sound special; know that as the world digs itself into holes of recession and as notions of the death of capitalism reverberate through the media, that this is a noise that connects deeply and lastingly.

So Chris T-T may not be a legend yet. But on the strength of this show it surely will not be long.

Dancing Deep Inside

I put a seashell to my ear and it all comes back to me. It’s four years, almost to the day, since I first saw The Pipettes. It was love at first sight, of course. A bunch of lads on the Freebutt stage in Brighton, looking like The Flamin’ Groovies. Three girls in polka dots parading through the sweating crowd, shaking blue pompoms like Shangri-La cheerleaders on speed. Glorious.

And the songs weren’t half bad either. Songs about liking boys and girls in school uniforms, being tied to the kitchen sink and one-night stands. Songs about the tough girls in school. Sly lyrical inversions of typical Pop conventions. Feminist politics wrapped in candyfloss. Strawberry switchblades held at your throat. Magical.

A lot has changed in four years. There have been ludicrously collectable singles. Coloured vinyl. Branded lollipops and sunglasses. Gold polka-dotted boxes to keep your 7” singles in. An album that sprinkled fairy dust and gleefully pierced the glum façade of indie-cool.

And of course there have been the line-up changes. First went Julia, off to be wonderfully Indelicate. Then, earlier this year, Rose and Becki sloped off to Other Things. I’d be lying if I said I was not nervous about seeing the new line-up for the first time. Bassist Jon and guitarist Bobby (the only two to remain from the original group) seem to acknowledge this fact. There is a thought that it’s a bit like being back at the beginning all over again, only this time with the slightly sceptical remnants of a once not insubstantial fan base. And for sure there will be sceptics who will remain unconvinced; will be those who recoil from the new look Pipettes with something approaching disgust. But that’s fine. Those will probably be the kind of people who would rather hear worthy Indierock than flamboyant discopop. Their loss.

Disco and Pop are the key words here. Talking to Jon before the show we mention to each other about how out of touch we both feel with the contemporary scenes. I’m off listening to piles of late ‘60s soft-psych whilst Jon has been devoted to old disco. And as soon as the new Pipettes start, that devotion is clear. There are chirpy synth lines and deliciously groovy bass lines galore. My feet slip and slide inside my heart. Once upon a time I would have walked out of there with my head shaking low. Now I grin and fall in love all over again. What was it Dylan sang? You know, the old and the young. Well there it is. All over again.

I like the fact that people will probably take the same reference points for this new Pipettes look and sound and use it as ammunition for their agendas. Some will point to the pastel coloured dresses and mutter something about Bananarama, Stock Aitken and Waterman and the 1980s. They will talk of the horror of the times. They’ll be right too. Others will point to the same things and say isn’t it wonderful? The former will be people of my generation; the latter will be seventeen year olds who don’t really care. And why would they? It’s a Saturday night. They want to dance. They want to shake their brightly coloured asses. They want to squeal and shimmy.

Of course it’s not all it could be. I miss the slightly ragged glamour of Rose, Becki and Julia. I miss the sly lyrics. I shy from the audience orchestration (I’ve never been one to put my hands in the air when someone tells me to). But that’s okay. That’s just fine. I’m happy to smile and dance deep inside. Where it counts.

Four years ago I wrote about how The Pipettes were like The Flatmates snogging Tiger Trap snogging Dolly Mixture snogging Strawberry Switchblade. These days they are more like Sister Sledge snogging The Shirelles beneath the glitter ball at Butlins. And that’s a good thing.

Hellfire Sermons

Hellfire Sermons, originally uploaded by unpop.

Here's another Esurient live show. This one is Hellfire Sermons, 23rd March 1990.

Emily

The Claim and Emily, originally uploaded by unpop.

Here is the Emily set from the March 30th show at The King & Queen. This is probably my favourite live recording of Emily. They do sound utterly magnificent.

The Claim

Scan-080416-0078, originally uploaded by unpop.

Here's a fabulous live set by The Claim. I think this is from March 30th 1990, at the King & Queen on Foley Street, London. I'll post the Emily set from the same night tomorrow.

A Sense Of Occasion

Esurient for change, originally uploaded by unpop.

I’ve been promising various people I’d do this for ages, and now I’ve finally started to get it together. So here, in the first of a short series, are the recordings of Emily and Hellfire Sermons live at The Horse and Groom on Great Portland Street, London, on September 29th 1989.

Catch the Emily set here, and the Hellfire Sermons one here.

Guide To Personal Happiness

This just in from the very wonderful Lispector. How excited am I that she's playing in Exeter?! (answer= quite a lot actually).

Friday 23rd May
EXETER
Voodoo Lounge, Exeter Phoenix, Bradninch Place, Gandy Street, Exeter.
7.30pm til late. Admission £5/£6.
LISPECTOR LIVE plus special guest LE B.
With DJs DOUG SHIPTON / HUW EVAB-MUSIC -
_______________________________________________

Saturday 24th May
BRISTOL
The Cube Cinema, Dove Street South, Bristol.
7.30pm til 12.30am. £6.
LISPECTOR LIVE plus special guest LE B.
Plus DJs DOUG SHIPTON / JOHN STAPLETON / HUW EVANS
_______________________________________________

Bank Holiday Sunday 25th May
CARDIFF
Clwb Ifor Bach, 11 Womanby Street, Cardiff, CF10 1BR.
4pm til 3am. Admission £6.
LISPECTOR LIVE plus special guests LE B and MEANS HEINZ
Plus DJs DOUG SHIPTON / CARL FORECAST / JOHN STAPLETON / HUW EVANS
_______________________________________________

Bank Holiday Monday 26th May
LONDON (BEARDED LADIES ALL DAYER!!)
Cafe Oto, Ashwin Street, Dalston E8 3DL.
2pm til late. Admission £5.
LISPECTOR LIVE plus special guests LE B / EMMA TRICCA / MAGPAHI
Plus DJs BOB STANLEY (SAINT ETIENNE) / SHEILA B / DOUG SHIPTON / HUW EVANS / JUMBLEQUEEN
_______________________________________________

Thursday 29th May
LEEDS
The Smokestack, 159a Lower Briggate, Leeds, LS1 6LA.
7.30pm til 2am. £5.
LISPECTOR LIVE plus special guests SAMANDTHEPLANTS / MAGPAHI
Plus DJs ANDY VOTEL / SHAZZULA (FROM PARIS) / LEE JANDA
_______________________________________________

Friday 30th May
EDINBURGH
MODERN LOVERS @ GRV, Guthrie Street, Edinburgh.
7.30pm til 3am. Admission £5/£6.
LISPECTOR LIVE plus special guests SAMANDTHEPLANTS / MAGPAHI
Plus DJs DOM THOMAS / CHRIS GEDDES (Belle and Sebastian) / CRAIG JAMIESON
_______________________________________________

Saturday 31st May
NEWCASTLE
Belle and Herbs, 200 Heaton Road, Newcastle, NE6 5HP.
8pm til late. Admission £6.
LISPECTOR LIVE plus special guest BETH-JEANS HOUGHTON
Plus DJs ANDY VOTEL / CHRIS GEDDES / SHAZZULA
_______________________________________________

Sunday 1st June
MANCHESTER - BEARDED LADIES MONTHLY
Dulcimer, 567 Wilbraham Road, Chorlton, Manchester M21 0AE.
6pm til 11pm. Admission £4.
LISPECTOR LIVE plus special guest BETH-JEANS HOUGHTON
Plus DJs JADY J / JANE WEAVER / DEM DYKE / ANDY VOTEL
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
* LIMITED EDITION TOUR 7"
Featuring exclusive tracks from TWINKRANES and LISPECTOR, plus a vintage track from SELDA, previously unavailable on vinyl in the UK. Available on the nights and soon from the Finders Keepers on-line store.
* also including monthly Secret Cinema - Screening an undisclosed vintage freak feature film from beyond the far seas!!! (*most venues)
ALL VENUES LIMITED CAPACITY!! PLEASE CHECK LOCAL PRESS FOR ADVANCE TICKETS!
FILMS - THEN GROOPS - THEN DJS!!

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/LISPECTOR  (lispector.com is out of order these days...)
WWW.TWISTEDNERVE.CO.UK

Saturday

A message from the Clientele:

Please come and help us fill the slightly voluminous Bush Hall this Saturday. The Clientele play at 9:45pm, we have support from Lawrence Arabia, Bobby Cook and Dylan Montegreen. Doors are at 7pm, tickets £8 advance / £9 on door. There will be films projected and Djs til late.

Frankly, if you are around in London, you would be daft not to be there. Get tickets here.