Originally uploaded by Dawnriser
The EP of three songs written and performed by Matthew’s Band, The Puncture Repair Kit is now on sale. To buy it, click here
Archive for the ‘music’ Category
The Sinking of the PRK
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009The Damned United
Monday, April 20th, 2009I have recently seen two films. The Boat that Rocked and The Damned United.
The second of those films I watched on my own, the assumption being that it was a man’s film. It gave me the chance to enjoy it without being conscious of what Joan might have thought of it had she been sitting next to me; a significant factor.
The Damned United
Brian Clough as depicted by Michael Sheen, was not a complicated person. He had drive, doubts, nerve, he was obsessed, thought a lot of himself and told anyone who would listen, and many who cared not to, just how good he was.
His dependence on Peter Taylor, who put up with almost all of his arrogance in a very gracious way, was clear from the start. So when Clough went to Leeds without Taylor, it was also clear he was being set up to fail.
For me the film rang true because of that honest depiction of both sides of leadership shown in the character of Brian Clough. That it was set in a footballing context only made it more engaging. It had that northern grit seen in films like Brassed Off, The Full Monty and Billy Elliot, and reflected a working class world that still existed in the 70s. I left the City Screen in York, thoughtful and satisfied.
So I was delighted by the Screen Yorkshire interview with Andy Harries of Left Bank Pictures who lifted the curtain on the negotiations behind the scenes that allowed him to film The Damned United in Yorkshire.
The Boat That Rocked? Well it did, but for me the film sank. The music was good but the weak storyline and the monotonous depiction of debauched lifestyles on board Radio Rock was tasteless. It wasn’t a worthy document of the pioneers who opened up a channel for pop radio in the UK. There are better ways of wiping the smug grins off the faces of BBC and government officials than pretending pirate radio was responsible not only for free radio but also for the whole of the permissive age. On reflection this was more the man’s film in a unreconstructed, cave man sort of way. Brian Clough’s story was much more about real life and family and gives insight into a man’s world with a very accessible storyline.
Standing in the Long Now
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009Greenbelt – Greenbelt 09: Standing in the Long Now
Confused by the title for this blog post? It’s the theme for Greenbelt 2009. The quote’s taken from Brian Eno “… all round interesting thinker”. It’s about taking a longer view in contrast to the “do it now” culture in which many of us live. There’s even a foundation dedicated to it.
So now is the time to book for Greenbelt – described as as the most family friendly festival of rthe summer – a place for everyone to explore life more deeply. Despite the theme for the festival – there are discounts for doing it NOW!
Duke Special and Tony Hart
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009
Tony Hart
Sad news about the death of Tony Hart. As a kid it never entered my mind to enter a picture for his gallery – let along to imagine seeing it on the telly accompanied by this familair piece of music “Left Bank Two” BBC NEWS | Magazine | A bit of vibraphone nostalgia
And now he’s gone, taking with him a gentler age of children’s TV shows, although he still had his fans among people much younger than my notalgic age.
I was at the Duke Special gig at The Duchess in York on Saturday. Pete Wilson was promoting his Album Cover Art Competition which was to be judged by no less than Tony Hart. Apparently he gave a moving tribute to Tony Hart at his gig in London on Monday.
The Duke Special gig in York was musically excellent but visually demanding. The low stage and good crowd hid the musicians from view for most of the evening unless you were very close to the front.
Later, Pete moved into the audience and sang at the piano on the audience floor. Very intimate. Good musicians don’t need to stage full of gear to make a good sound. The place resounded with all the fun of a pub singalong. The backing singers were excellent too!
Thanks to Luke for unplugging the cooling fan so that Pete could hear himself sing. It gave a whole new meaning to Duke Special Unplugged.
Thea Gilmore – UK – Acoustic / Indie / Rock – www.myspace.com/theagilmore
Monday, December 1st, 2008I thoroughly enjoyed the Thea Gilmore gig at The Duchess in York last night. The performance was simple and sincere. I’ve listened to her music for years and have most of her albums but she was even better live.
The Duchess is an intimate venue and the audience was surprisingly small – even for a cold Sunday evening in York. But Thea’s performance was warm and engaging, supported by her producer and husband Nigel Stonier and Fluff (viola, vocals and guitar).
As long as Thea performs, the spirit of Joan Baez and the folk tradition of social comment and protest will live on.
MySpace.com – Thea Gilmore – UK – Acoustic / Indie / Rock – www.myspace.com/theagilmore
China bans Western religious music – Telegraph
Tuesday, September 30th, 2008China bans Western religious music – Telegraph
Chinas culture ministry has banned public performances of Handels Messiah and other major works of western religious music.
It would seem that the with the Olympics over, China is again free to reveal it’s position on basic human rights.
CAMPBELL & MORAGHAN – UK – Swing / Jazz / Country
Thursday, September 4th, 2008MySpace.com – CAMPBELL & MORAGHAN – UK – Swing / Jazz / Country – www.myspace.com/campbellmoraghan
Have a listen and before you read down the page see if you can guess who’s performing.
Clue – you’re one step ahead if you were a fan of Celebrity Talent Shows on BBC1 or listen to 5Live at Breakfast.
Breakthru Radio Session – The Puncture Repair Kit
Tuesday, July 29th, 2008Myspace.com Blogs – Breakthru Radio Session – The Puncture Repair Kit MySpace Blog
The Puncture Repair Kit
This is my son, Matthew’s, band recorded in a live session on Breakthrough Radio in Norwich.
Their next gig is at:
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The Gramaphone w/ The All New Adventures Of Us | Spitalfields, London |
I’m not alone on this cloud
Thursday, July 24th, 2008
RedEye | iPhone, Therefore I Blog
Normally, unless they are those pretty, puffy fair-weather ones, clouds aren’t so great. They’re dreary and stormy.But Apple’s cloud is not only puffy and fair-weather, its the beginning of the companys beautiful future.
Is it just me noticing it more or is everyone waking up to the potential of The Cloud at the same time?
In The Cloud
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008
I’ve been talking about it for years – and what’s more other people have talked to me about it.
“The day will come when everything we use will be “out there” not on your hard drive. Data, applications, personal stuff all accessible from anywhere – anywhere with a connection that is.”
The iPhone – recently acquired with 3G connectivity – stores very little data. Ok it’s an iPod too and there’s 16Gb potential for tunes and movies – but the connectivity brings trillions of gigabytes to that small 640 px wide screen. (more…)