Can't even give music away

I have always preferred to have physical copies of my music, the thought of losing an iPod or a couple of computer fails and having no music left scares me more than North Korea. I am also not a big truster of "the cloud" as a place to keep everything, who really knows how that will all be working in ten or twenty years?

However, more for reasons of space and clutter, I found myself trying to rationalise at least some of my CDs, not the vinyl, that isn't going anywhere until I am not making the decision. One area that jumped out at me was the free compilations and some paid for ones, no actual attachment to the physical disc, and as a compilation they are all on the PC and back up, and there is little there that is not duplicated in all honesty, so I thought I could make some space and also help someone else out.

There is a lot of carpet in this picture for some reason..Over 150 CDs, covering everything from classical and opera to indie and jazz, reggae and house music all in a box, freeing up some shelf space for me and also a pretty damn good music collection, or so I thought. I also included a lot of the Greatest Hits collections that you can pick up for a couple of quid, so there was a lot there.

Offering them for free on twitter met with blank responses, the only answers were either Music Magpie, where the entire box would be lucky to raise a pound, or just to give to a charity shop. No one wanted a music collection numbering tracks in the thousands it seemed.

Was it because people already have all of it, well, without knowing what was in the box who could know? It seemed far more to be that no one wanted 150 odd CDs as it would mean that they then had to do something with them once they were loaded on iTunes... I went to a charity shop to drop off a load of books yesterday (yes, I am a hoarder with a tendency to blitz clean!) and asked if they wanted CDs. The look on the ladies face said it all, it almost seemed too much hassle to take them, as clearly people won't even pay a few pennies for them now.

Compared to the new growth in vinyl sales that shows people do want to have and own something specific with a memory or meaning attached to it, and the other extreme of pure download or on line streaming only without ever owning anything, CDs seem to sit in the middle. A medium that no one ever really wanted, and that seems to be dying out far quicker than it arrived. Like mini-discs will anyone actually still have a CD player in 10 years time?

Anyway, I did find another charity shop that were very pleased to take them off my hands, so hopefully someone will take some pleasure in finding something new in their browsing over the next few weeks. As for the rest of my CDs, for most of them it is unlikely I will ever take them from their cover and play them again, but the thought of not having them means it is unlikely they will go anywhere. Also, waiting for the postman to arrive and deliver a new album, even if it is on CD, is far more exciting than just clicking on "download now".

Now for something completely different

From the previous post I needed an instant turnaround in gig enjoyment, and as we already had tickets to see NeonNeon on Saturday I knew it was going to be instant. The only downside was a drive to Cardiff for the night, but as we have seen Gruff in many performances there was no doubt it would be a great night. The tickets did not have the venue listed, but the instructions and location were sent on by email as details about the event started to appear in the media.

The first album from this collaboration was about John DeLorean, and this new album is about Italian publisher Giangiacomo Feltrinelli which may not sound like a concept album and show that grabs the attention of your average music fan. Which is a good thing as it means the audience is made up of people who are prepared to buy tickets for an event with no venue and to follow instructions to wear red, bring cash and to bring along your favourite book to give away.

Musically alone the description of the evening is tricky. Electronic beats, but mixed with some of the rockier side of Super Furry Animals music with a band, and as usual a megaphone, and also an Anglepoise Lamp being used. The fact that 2 pages of the programme are about Anglepoise Lamps should come as no surprise...

So, how to describe the evening in simple terms that will make you want to go?

Meeting in a carpark, voting on the Monarchy, making paper airplanes, naked body painting, Castro playing basketball, Guevara, people climbing out of filing cabinets, a play, a gig, book swapping, creativity beyond all thought, leopard masks, humour, shopping, horror, politics, music, money being flung around, Red Stripe and most of all the look of sheer enjoyment and bewilderment on the faces of the audience. Moving stages, actors in the audience, the audience being involved - I have decided it is impossible to describe. Based around the publication of Doctor Zhivago, smuggling manuscripts and the CIA, this is learning and fun, and music. Looking at other reviews and tweets etc about the night, I was not alone in thinking this was one of the best nights out possible.

In a warehouse in the backstreets of Cardiff, slogans and news events and plot lines appearing on the shutters, pictures and images from all directions along with piles of books, everything I write seems so odd as a concept.

Here are some photos of the event, which is possibly the best gig I have ever been to. But it isn't a gig. Go along with an open mind, wear red and take a book. You will be glad you did. Being given a book to read with a message written in it by a total stranger is an oddly emotional event. I won't tell you what book I took or received, but I was very pleased with both.

When the show ended, no one left for ages, not expecting more as there is no encore to a play, but just not sure what to do after the experience. There are very few dates for this show - if you can go, you should.

 

 

Not such a Special night

Regular viewers will recall how a few months ago me and many others were up long before dawn cracked to queue up at the new theatre in Aylesbury in order to secure tickets for The Specials, opening date of their latest UK tour and part of the revival of Friars in the town.

The night arrived, and like many it started in a pub meeting friends, and bumping into many old faces not seen for years. As there was no support band, most headed to the venue at about 8.30 for the start time of 8.45 that had been published, and the queue to get in almost matched the queue on the day the tickets went on sale. Considering everyone had a ticket, to check and admit people should not have been an overly complex task, but it seemed to be made so.

No one asked for or saw my, or any of the people I was with, ticket or membership card. Just a lady giving out wrist-bands for either the downstairs standing or upstairs seating, but as no one was checking everyone was just taking the downstairs one, making it very busy indeed. Not really an issue, and unlike the previous music venue in Aylesbury at least it was possible to get a drink in the new theatre.

The band came on, and despite me saying I was not going up the front, my enjoyment got the better of me and I was soon in the mosh pit up the front seeing the band again in all their glory. The sound and lighting could have been better, but the band were on top form as usual. It was only after a couple of songs that the first people could be seen looking on the floor for a phone or a wallet, and I realised that there was a hand in my pocket - the modern curse of organised pick pockets at big gigs had come to Aylesbury. I grabbed the hand, and made it very clear to the guy that it better not happen again, but within a minute I felt a hand again trying to take my phone.

Acting on adrenaline and lager I punched the bloke, the same one I had caught before, and he didn't seem to care at all, clearly part of the job. I went and gave the wife my phone and wallet and went back to the front, after telling the staff and security what was happening and where, they seemed totally disinterested. Another hour or so of seeing wallets and phones going missing everywhere, I would guess the haul was in the hundreds of items in total.

From a business perspective, as that is how they would see it, to target a concert where many will be rammed in and dancing, and fairly full of beer, would be easy pickings, and collecting a few punches along the way didn't seem to deter them. At one stage I caught the same guy again with a phone out of someones pocket, but as I grabbed him I was muscled out of the way by his accomplices, and decided that the risk for me wasn't worth it. 

The mobile phone shops and insurance claims would have been busy up town this morning I am sure. While in no way the fault of the band or the venue, there was clearly no desire to try and stop it from any of the staff or security there - it was the worst and most blatant evening of theft I have seen in 30 years of going to gigs. Sad but true, leave your smart phone at home and keep your cash safe at gigs nowadays.

The band were great though, a long version of Maggies Farm at the end, and my funniest moment of the evening was the local "leader" of the EDL singing along to It Doesn't Make It Alright, nearly 35 years on and people still don't actually get it at all.

Recent Records & Downloads

As the dust settles over Record Store (should we not use Shop) Day and seemingly all of it is on ebay at vastly inflated prices I thought the time was right to give a little update on some lesser known gems I have found in the last few weeks and months. These come from various sources, and where I can I have added links to help you find them, some of it is for "pay what you like" and always, give a quid or so at least, it all adds up, and if you actually like the band it means they will make more music!

Like I always do I am just making up my reviews, so if I have anything wrong please let me know!

Drunk Mule

Click on the pic to go to the Bandcamp pageThis is a band I found via one of the good shows on 6Music, the Tom Robinson Show, where a lot of new and unsigned stuff gets played. I heard a couple of tracks and they stuck in my head so I looked them up on the twitter at @DrunkMule and saw they had a couple of albums out. There is a lot in here, some very early Rolling Stones, some Charlatans, some bigger sounding tracks, a lot more soulful than the band name suggests!

Some stand out tracks for me Ma Method Man on the album Crash Test Yourself, the title track on I Built A Death Ray and the quite frankly excellent Pterodactyl from the same album.

Two guys, Stephen Simpson and Richie Morris from Scotland, making music that would fit into your summer BBQ or festival without a mumur of dissent from anyone present, and would have the neighbours coming over to see what the good tunes were. Since buying both the albums I have listened to them both multiple times, and am yet to find myself looking for the skip button on any track.

Have look and listen to the video here, and then go and bung the guys a few quid for well over 20 excellent tracks.

Free Swim

Another from Tom Robinson show, it was the track Croydon Fernandes that stuck in my head, one of those tracks with a cracking beat and lyrics that make you listen, including Geoff Capes, shell in a scotch egg and pulling ex-girlfriends. Listen to this and not smile and nod along, I defy you to.

So I grew my collection to all the EPs on their Bandcamp page, including the new one Yolanda The Panda. After this and finding them on twitter at @SwimmingFreely I tried to have a search to find out more about them, but there seems to be surprisingly little, and I have the impression it is just Paul Coltofeanu & David Knight who ar responsible for all of it. This is no bad thing, and the lyrical interplay and stories on these short snippets of music would make any journey to work so much better. It was also from here that I was made aware of a new album coming out...

The Android Angel

Click will take to a place to listen!This one does seem to be just Paul Coltofeanu and while I have only heard this album it is different enough to be a separate project, unlike Thom Yorke where his side bands sound exactly like Radiohead. The title track references phone hacking, duck houses and porn, which shows that there is more to this than just jaunty tunes. Overall it is more melancholic than the Free Swim material, but that is not to say this is a depressing album. The excellent Foreign Sun at the half way point is one of the tracks that if accorded the right airplay would see the band name appearing in all the lists that people seem to use to pick what to play and buy.

There are a few tracks making the crossover between the band personas, Chicago John who has "got it going on" being one that would not be out of place on a Free Swim EP, but is not out of place here either. 

Very hard to categorise, which is generally a good thing when listening to new music, this album will I am sure like it has me, looking for more in the back catalogue and wondering how it has been a secret for so long. Obviously being the 2013s there is a twitter at @TheAndroidAngel and there are tour dates appearing and being looked for, so try and catch live as I think it would be well worth it.

The Tuesday Club

 As referenced in my previous post, the enigmatic and wonderfully eccentrically British The Tuesday Club album was officially released this week. Coinciding with Record Shop Day, they took over a shop, and played on and off all day to fans, passers by and bemused locals. I am never too sure if I am supposed to reference where the band members are from, and the early promo shots had all the heads missing, but now the truth is out, and the names are more confusing than ever.

The first track I heard by them has the opening line "I went to the shops and bought a bucketful of sex", and describing themselves as a punk / pop / dads army type ensemble, with an album called See You Next Tuesday,  there are enough clues as to what this album holds. With a smash of glam rock throughout with the DIY concept holding firm, tracks like Vinyl as a Manifesto and the track getting a lot of radio play She Splayed My Teeth you will not be disappointed.

Released on heavy white vinyl, CD and download, you won't be sorry to buy this, and having seen them live a few times, you will never have a dull night in their company. Click on the album cover to go to their site and buy it, and find them here @thetuesdayclub1

 

A Real Record Store Day

A special copy of the Sound of the Suburbs magazine here, a Record Store Day Special no less.

Includes my, not so positive, feelings on what the "event" is becoming.