Recent gigs

[PJayBe]

The wonderful and beautiful Corinne Bailey Rae playing a small club gig at The Wardrobe in Leeds.  Incredible evening, the best gig I've seen her play.

[davidmjs]

Other half's birthday yesterday so I took her to see Thomas Dolby (who se last saw in '84) and Martin McAloon.  

McAloon was a very enjoyable support act although those beautiful songs get a little lost in the 'one voice (and not that one), one guitar' framing of this performance.  Enjoyable but I couldn't help but be a tad disappointed.

Thomas Dolby (who must be the fittest - in all senses of the word - 65 year olds I've ever seen) however was absolutely brilliant.  Starting with a great Blue Monday (?!) he played material from right across his career but it was never less than interesting and mostly utterly brilliant.  I've been listening to his first couple of albums today and wandering why I never really paid attention until now.  

Note to Cropredy organisers - if you want an 80s slot filler for next year, then look no further.

Everything else about the gig going experience was utterly hellish (at the Ritz in Manchester).  People are generally rude and couldn't give a monkeys about anybody else and their experiences, and the facilities are dreadful.  I'm sadly not far from reaching the end of the road with 'rock venue' attendance.  But whilst the important hour and a half is as good as this, I might still persevere on occasion.

[Peter Allen]

Saw Katherine Priddy , at Cottingham Folk Festival on Friday night , really enjoyed her atmospheric gig in St Mary's church  , great sound and lighting , although seating was naturally uncomfortable , unavoidable really
The one thing that worried me was the age of the audience , some in their 50's but most looked 60 to 70
If that's typical , then as discussed in other threads about audience age  for Fairport & Cropredy , her current audience is likely to naturally dwindle , so she needs to be attracting more youngsters  , to replace them

[ColinB]

Saw Katherine Priddy , at Cottingham Folk Festival on Friday night , really enjoyed her atmospheric gig in St Mary's church  , great sound and lighting , although seating was naturally uncomfortable , unavoidable really
The one thing that worried me was the age of the audience , some in their 50's but most looked 60 to 70
If that's typical , then as discussed in other threads about audience age  for Fairport & Cropredy , her current audience is likely to naturally dwindle , so she needs to be attracting more youngsters  , to replace them

I saw her yesterday at Towersey and while the audience were mainly 50+ there were younger people in the audience. Despite having listened to her new album a few times I can't say any of the newer songs really stood out but it was a very pleasant way to spend the early evening at the festival.

Other highlights from the weekend were Seth Lakeman, Oysterband, Pokey LaFarge, The Staves and Errol Linton on the main stage with Reg Meuross, Dallahan, Rory McLeod and Banter on the smaller stages.

While that was the final Towersey there is going to be a festival there next year, same weekend with a new name - Found Festival - but over 3 rather than 4 days.

Oh and MrsB's highlight was the London African Gospel Choir doing Paul Simon's Graceland. Which was pretty good.  

[DarrenWilliams]

Tinariwen last night at Aviva Studios home of Factory international.
Impressive venue. Not sure how long it's been open but it was first time there for me.
Really enjoyed Tinariwen. Their set was paced really well, increasing in intensity with each song then easing back occasionally. They are playing the Proms at RAH tomorrow, live on Radio 3.

[davidmjs]

Neil Young and Crazy Horse, rained out tonight.

We trekked 25 miles to the Circuit of the Americas race track/amphitheater for Neil, but the sky opened up right after we arrived around 6:45. The rain stopped after an hour or so, but the lightning never ended. All the bars and concession stands were now closed, so there was nothing to do but wait. At 8:45 or so, they asked everyone to leave. I can't really complain; I don't want Austin to be responsible for electrocuting Neil, his band, or his crew.

Staying tuned for an announcement regarding rescheduling/refunds. I hope I can attend a rescheduled date, but you never know.

Looks like the tour cancellation was (at least partly) Neil himself... https://www.stereogum.com/2278127/neil-young-explains-crazy-horse-tour-cancelation-says-hes-planning-to-return-to-the-road-with-promise-of-the-real/news/?fbclid=IwY2xjawE9HDtleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHZ9ueqax7xrJkTAbBaPmhIhLSNPCkm6rzg_bNml8enm7W-L-0GtvKA9dSQ_aem_cNM4TL71-HZqXYyg8tnobw

[Jules Gray]

Looks like the tour cancellation was (at least partly) Neil himself... https://www.stereogum.com/2278127/neil-young-explains-crazy-horse-tour-cancelation-says-hes-planning-to-return-to-the-road-with-promise-of-the-real/news/?fbclid=IwY2xjawE9HDtleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHZ9ueqax7xrJkTAbBaPmhIhLSNPCkm6rzg_bNml8enm7W-L-0GtvKA9dSQ_aem_cNM4TL71-HZqXYyg8tnobw

That's one vague and woolly explanation.

Jules

[Alan2]

Bridget St John yesterday evening.

Wonferful. Her voice is unaffected  by age. And there was the chance to say hello to her at the end .
She was close friends with Michael Chapman, who is no longer with us. Unfortunately I never got to see MC live.

[davidmjs]

Looks like the tour cancellation was (at least partly) Neil himself... https://www.stereogum.com/2278127/neil-young-explains-crazy-horse-tour-cancelation-says-hes-planning-to-return-to-the-road-with-promise-of-the-real/news/?fbclid=IwY2xjawE9HDtleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHZ9ueqax7xrJkTAbBaPmhIhLSNPCkm6rzg_bNml8enm7W-L-0GtvKA9dSQ_aem_cNM4TL71-HZqXYyg8tnobw

That's one vague and woolly explanation.

Jules

I thought it was positively expansive by Neil's standards

[John From Austin]

Midge Ure, of "The Mighty Ultravox" (as he described it), last night at 3Ten Live in Austin!

He's calling this the "Band in a Box" tour because he's using a drum machine and one supplemental keyboardist. Midge alternated between guitar and keys all night, performing multiple Ultravox hits for an enthusiastic crowd of maybe 125 people. "Dancing With Tears In My Eyes" is stuck in my brain right now. He was charming and engaging, in very good voice, and demonstrated guitar skills not always evident on the synth-heavy music of the MU. Here are (1) Midge and (2) myself after the show, where they placed a pop-up photo booth with a stunt guitar and a chunk of the original Austin City Limits stage.

[Lubiloo (Lorna)]

Sounds good, he did an acoustic set at Cropredy once, can’t remember without looking it up. He was entertaining.

I remember him in a band called Slik, I don’t think anyone mentioned that above. When I say remember, I mean from my nan’s telly and photos in magazines, as a kid, in the 70s.

Glad you enjoyed your introduction to his music, many years later.

[Andy]

Sounds good, he did an acoustic set at Cropredy once, can’t remember without looking it up. He was entertaining.

2008 I believe

[davidmjs]

Sounds good, he did an acoustic set at Cropredy once, can’t remember without looking it up. He was entertaining.

I remember him in a band called Slik, I don’t think anyone mentioned that above. When I say remember, I mean from my nan’s telly and photos in magazines, as a kid, in the 70s.

Glad you enjoyed your introduction to his music, many years later.

Some of the same writers as the Rollers, I think... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtrVvO40SDg

[John From Austin]

Mike Campbell and his Puerile Band, and Lucinda Williams, last night at ACL Live!

This was a marathon 4-hour show. Lucinda opened and played about 1 hour and 15 minutes of mainly her songs, with a couple of covers thrown in. The audience was definitely hers; they knew everything. I was unaware that she suffered a stroke about a year ago, which affects her mobility but not her sense of humor or her voice. Wonderful stuff.

Mike Campbell and the Dirty Knobs followed. He's brought along Stephen Ferrone (Average White Band, Eric Clapton, TP&theHBs), which is a slam dunk for any band. This was largely blistering rock and roll, with a few slower, bluesy/folky numbers scattered throughout. I observe that he took his stagecraft and vocal style from a certain Tom Petty. The originals didn't do much for me, but covers of "Don't Fade on Me" and "You Wreck Me" were fantastic.

Lucinda came back at the end of the show and they did multiple tunes together, including an amazing cover of "Southern Accents" and the closing tune, "Runnin' Down a Dream."

All in all a fantastic evening, although I'm completely knackered.

[Jules Gray]

Mike Campbell and his Puerile Band, and Lucinda Williams, last night at ACL Live!

All in all a fantastic evening, although I'm completely knackered.

Amused to see English humour and English lingo from our Texan correspondent.

Jules

[John From Austin]

Mike Campbell and his Puerile Band, and Lucinda Williams, last night at ACL Live!

All in all a fantastic evening, although I'm completely knackered.

Amused to see English humour and English lingo from our Texan correspondent.

Jules

Sometimes the perfect word can be found only in the OED.

[John From Austin]

I greatly enjoyed my three concerts in rapid succession: Ray LaMontagne, BEAT, and Burton Cummings. Very different styles of music and different generations of musicians, but all masters of their craft. Here's a great photo with Burton after his show in Arlington (the only appearance in Texas on this long tour). Tonight, Glen Hansard!

[davidmjs]

I greatly enjoyed my three concerts in rapid succession: Ray LaMontagne, BEAT, and Burton Cummings. Very different styles of music and different generations of musicians, but all masters of their craft. Here's a great photo with Burton after his show in Arlington (the only appearance in Texas on this long tour). Tonight, Glen Hansard!

Tell me about BEAT...

[John From Austin]

I greatly enjoyed my three concerts in rapid succession: Ray LaMontagne, BEAT, and Burton Cummings. Very different styles of music and different generations of musicians, but all masters of their craft. Here's a great photo with Burton after his show in Arlington (the only appearance in Texas on this long tour). Tonight, Glen Hansard!

Tell me about BEAT...

BEAT were exhilarating. I am wholly unfamiliar with King Crimson's '80s catalog, but it didn't matter a whit because the awesome musicianship and stagecraft covered the price of admission. Among other things, Adrian Belew taught me that you can play a guitar with a power drill. Steve Vai's fingers fly fast as Fripp's, and he generated otherworldly sounds out of a Fender Stratocaster. Tony Levin is always thrilling to watch and hear, and Danny Carey was a revelation on drums.  Here are a couple of pix I snapped during the encore:

[Harbottle (Martin)]

I just saw Big Big Train at the MK Stables.
Absolutely amazing!