In 'Lesson of The Smiths', I've always wondered, isn't it pronounced 'eh pit oh me' instead of 'eh pit oam'.
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Showing posts with label MJ Hibbett. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MJ Hibbett. Show all posts
Friday, 1 May 2009
Totally Acoustic: MJ Hibbett - The Lamb
Who is Black Bolt? Some sulky comic hero, I think.
In 'Lesson of The Smiths', I've always wondered, isn't it pronounced 'eh pit oh me' instead of 'eh pit oam'.
Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange
In 'Lesson of The Smiths', I've always wondered, isn't it pronounced 'eh pit oh me' instead of 'eh pit oam'.
Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange
Friday, 16 January 2009
MJ Hibbett - The Lamb
MJ Hibbett's in a jolly mood, he swiftly briefs the audience about what we're going to hear old and new songs, some stuff off the new not yet released album.
'Theme from Dinosaur Planet' is better than last time I heard it, the audience participation and prog solo have improved.
The wee song about what happened to Main Site IT Guy after 'It only works because you're here' fills my heart with sunshine. I'd always identified more with him than the main protagonist, like Gunter from Friends.
I've to say, the newer songs he played 'Where do all the women go?' and 'Where are all the good men?' has got to be some his strongest material yet, the latter even has a Tim Berners-Lee reference. Or it could just be I've reached a snug station in life and these songs resonate more now than they would have done five years back.
He finishes the set with 'Easily Impressed', a jaunty upbeat number which my girlfriend points out is a marked contrast to the night's first act, Superman Revenge Squad.
She also described Hibbett as rapacious and says that I'm a recidivist.
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Tuesday, 15 July 2008
Wednesday, 11 June 2008
MJ Hibbett, Jim'll's Brain - The Lamb
Think, think, think. How can I write a review of the actual gig, rather than just channeling my own idiocyncratic iconoclastic channeling of relationship insecurities? Have I already gone too far with two occurances of the word "I"?
There are thirteen people in the room, and a mob of hundreds outside in the street, drinking. Of the thirteen, around five are female, divided broadly evenly between blonde and non-blonde, but a clear trend in polka dots. Of the men, two wear beards and a broad two thirds wear shirts. On the whole, the crowd age range is mid-twentes to late thirties.
MJ Hibbett has tuned his ukulele and kicks off with a song from his Rolling Stone Album of the Year album which hasn't been performed live for seven years. Its alright.
There follows a song about the pretension of the low end hi-fi industry, a wonderful song called "Red & White Sockets".
Next up is Jim'll's Brain, reminds me of a chap from The Mighty Boosh, starts with a song called "Picture in the NME", which played on acoustic guitar, was really nice and make some members of the audience feel warm and fuzzy inside, you can tell by looking and from the minor chords in the chorus. It finishes on a neat unbacked guitar solo.
Second song, "I wish I had legs like Elvis" with dancing, sounds a little like one of the better Oasis B-sides, that little descending guitar line they used to use to tug heart strings.
An 80's electro-rock song, covered acoustically. Robbie from IoMoPS would appreciate it as it came up in our cover version tennis game a few years back. Outside, a high speed police chase with sirens ablazing serves as an excellent middle eight. Police chases, much underused as middle eights.
Is this working? Going through every single song? Have you, dear reader, formed an impression of Jim'll's Brain?
Ooh ooh, little spikey shards of Pete Green, if you love Pete Green, you might live Jim'll's Brain. Sweet and homely acoustic guitar noodles, wonderfully eccentric.
After a short piss/beer/fag break, Hibbett launches into Gay Train, with it classic 'Fresh Prince of Leicester' intro.
Ooh, its a bit special tonight, a few songs he doesn't play live so often, and the banteris on top form. "Bands from London are shit".
A few brief sprints through riffs for his Edinburgh Fringe show. He's almost perfected it but could have taken advantage of someone's mobile phone ringing far more than he did.
Here's the flyer, its going to be very good
Actually it was rather jolly to hear some of the anecdotes, I was nearby when they happened, hundreds of miles away in another place, another girl in my head.
One of the things that I always foeget about these Totally Acoustic things is they're early doorsish, start at 7:30pm and over by 9:30pm and I haven't quite figured how to fit in dinner. So every month, I have my two or three beers on an empty stomach, it goes straight to my head and I go silly.
Last time, I got so silly I escaped during the piss/beer/fag break, phoned Interflor via 118 and ordered flowers for a girl. More of that sort of thing.
Bands
MJ Hibbett
Jim'll's Brain
There are thirteen people in the room, and a mob of hundreds outside in the street, drinking. Of the thirteen, around five are female, divided broadly evenly between blonde and non-blonde, but a clear trend in polka dots. Of the men, two wear beards and a broad two thirds wear shirts. On the whole, the crowd age range is mid-twentes to late thirties.
MJ Hibbett has tuned his ukulele and kicks off with a song from his Rolling Stone Album of the Year album which hasn't been performed live for seven years. Its alright.
There follows a song about the pretension of the low end hi-fi industry, a wonderful song called "Red & White Sockets".
Next up is Jim'll's Brain, reminds me of a chap from The Mighty Boosh, starts with a song called "Picture in the NME", which played on acoustic guitar, was really nice and make some members of the audience feel warm and fuzzy inside, you can tell by looking and from the minor chords in the chorus. It finishes on a neat unbacked guitar solo.
Second song, "I wish I had legs like Elvis" with dancing, sounds a little like one of the better Oasis B-sides, that little descending guitar line they used to use to tug heart strings.
An 80's electro-rock song, covered acoustically. Robbie from IoMoPS would appreciate it as it came up in our cover version tennis game a few years back. Outside, a high speed police chase with sirens ablazing serves as an excellent middle eight. Police chases, much underused as middle eights.
Is this working? Going through every single song? Have you, dear reader, formed an impression of Jim'll's Brain?
Ooh ooh, little spikey shards of Pete Green, if you love Pete Green, you might live Jim'll's Brain. Sweet and homely acoustic guitar noodles, wonderfully eccentric.
After a short piss/beer/fag break, Hibbett launches into Gay Train, with it classic 'Fresh Prince of Leicester' intro.
Ooh, its a bit special tonight, a few songs he doesn't play live so often, and the banteris on top form. "Bands from London are shit".
A few brief sprints through riffs for his Edinburgh Fringe show. He's almost perfected it but could have taken advantage of someone's mobile phone ringing far more than he did.
Here's the flyer, its going to be very good
Actually it was rather jolly to hear some of the anecdotes, I was nearby when they happened, hundreds of miles away in another place, another girl in my head.
One of the things that I always foeget about these Totally Acoustic things is they're early doorsish, start at 7:30pm and over by 9:30pm and I haven't quite figured how to fit in dinner. So every month, I have my two or three beers on an empty stomach, it goes straight to my head and I go silly.
Last time, I got so silly I escaped during the piss/beer/fag break, phoned Interflor via 118 and ordered flowers for a girl. More of that sort of thing.
Bands
MJ Hibbett
Jim'll's Brain
Tuesday, 22 January 2008
MJ Hibbett, Sunny Intervals - The Lamb
Back at the Empire Theatre, MJ Hibbett at the front, I've claimed my usual seat at the back. Nodding recogition to the Spiral Scratch folk in the corner and Wee Pop somewhere in the middle. Not quite sure if its a tradition yet, but Mark starts with a ukulele set.
Informative introductions to each song, a Morrissey / Smiths medley in the middle, a few breaks in songs where he forgets the words and rather than dishonestly covering, he admits his mistakes.
"I'm never sure if its out of tune or just supposed to sound like that."
Finishing with A Million Ukuleles, the blissful tale of schools replacing recorders with ukes cos they're more fun, and the refrain that it just takes a few people infectiously playing to make the world a better place. When unexpectedly in the final chorus, half the audience pull out their own ukuleles and start playing along. Hibbett's almost overcome with emotion, falling over when he realises its not just some crazies in thr corner, but the chap sat next to him too.
I think I heard a cry of "Ukulele flash mob!"
Next up, Sunny Intervals, the keyboard chap from Pocketbooks cos MJ Hibbett never manages to see them play live, so its almost the same. He's stood along centre stage with an acoustic guitar.
There had always been suspicions that he was the secret powerhouse behind the Pocketbooks, but on his own its clear that he'd the 21st century's answer to Ian McCulloch. Imagine the Lightning Seeds solo.
Sweet and kinda funny. Some guy to my right who was providing a laughter track for Hibbett, he chuckles a few times. I'm ordering the debut release on Wee Pop.
Kind of friendly atmosphere after ther interval, MJ Hibbett with guitar, imaginary campfire aburning, familiar songs to which everyone knows the words, well, a couple of new ones and less familiar ones from themists of time.
Audience participation abounds and hints about what the new album's going to sound like - live favourites recorded using the bosa nova rhythm preset.
Its weird, every song gets me right there, hairs stand on end, I gazing into the middle-distance pondering the mistakes I've made and how to put things right. Its like one of those once a season Doctor Who stories where there's some kind of paradox or time loop, where yoy can't change the past, but with the twin benefits of hindsight and Hibbett lyrics.
He's heard the future and it sounds suspiciously like modestly played ukulele.
Bands & MP3
MJ Hibbett - Lesson of the Smiths
Sunny Intervals - Sixty Seconds to fall in Love
Other reviews
here
Informative introductions to each song, a Morrissey / Smiths medley in the middle, a few breaks in songs where he forgets the words and rather than dishonestly covering, he admits his mistakes.
"I'm never sure if its out of tune or just supposed to sound like that."
Finishing with A Million Ukuleles, the blissful tale of schools replacing recorders with ukes cos they're more fun, and the refrain that it just takes a few people infectiously playing to make the world a better place. When unexpectedly in the final chorus, half the audience pull out their own ukuleles and start playing along. Hibbett's almost overcome with emotion, falling over when he realises its not just some crazies in thr corner, but the chap sat next to him too.
I think I heard a cry of "Ukulele flash mob!"
Next up, Sunny Intervals, the keyboard chap from Pocketbooks cos MJ Hibbett never manages to see them play live, so its almost the same. He's stood along centre stage with an acoustic guitar.
There had always been suspicions that he was the secret powerhouse behind the Pocketbooks, but on his own its clear that he'd the 21st century's answer to Ian McCulloch. Imagine the Lightning Seeds solo.
Sweet and kinda funny. Some guy to my right who was providing a laughter track for Hibbett, he chuckles a few times. I'm ordering the debut release on Wee Pop.
Kind of friendly atmosphere after ther interval, MJ Hibbett with guitar, imaginary campfire aburning, familiar songs to which everyone knows the words, well, a couple of new ones and less familiar ones from themists of time.
Audience participation abounds and hints about what the new album's going to sound like - live favourites recorded using the bosa nova rhythm preset.
Its weird, every song gets me right there, hairs stand on end, I gazing into the middle-distance pondering the mistakes I've made and how to put things right. Its like one of those once a season Doctor Who stories where there's some kind of paradox or time loop, where yoy can't change the past, but with the twin benefits of hindsight and Hibbett lyrics.
He's heard the future and it sounds suspiciously like modestly played ukulele.
Bands & MP3
MJ Hibbett - Lesson of the Smiths
Sunny Intervals - Sixty Seconds to fall in Love
Other reviews
here
Sunday, 30 September 2007
MJ Hibbett, Keith John Adams, Navvy, Sarandon - The Buffalo
I'm not sure whether its a really stressful city or just me. Parking tickets, losing cameras, knackered printers and hour long phone alls with neglected parents outside venues when I can hear MJ Hibbett on stage, something witty and warm, but I'm stuck outside, on the phone, with a dozen polis and ambulances going past.
Finally the parents let me go and The Buffalo is kind of full. Hibbett has finished but I bet he was up to his usual fine form.
Keith John Adams are setting up on stage, poised to start and I'm pretty sure I had to phone the missus. If I go outside I'll miss some of the second band, gah.
Procrastination, after twenty minutes they hit the stage properly. A three piece - drums, guitar and a chap playing keyboards about a foot off the ground.
My mind's on other things, they sound a bit ska, the lead singer looks like Suggs. Every so often I think they sound like Anal Beard, and also I get flashes of understanding why some people really don't like The Plimptons.
Keith John Adams has fans in the crowd.
Outside again, I do boyfriend duties and check on my car. All reassured I head back and miss the start of Navvy.
An arty four piece, two female percusionists with more cow bells than you can shake a stick at, which is kind of what they're doing. I'm always intrigued by dual simultaneous drumming, its a splendor to behold.
Cracking stuff, I never listened to The Fall enough to do an accurate comparison, but with the girl yelps its an interesting combination.
I wish I'd had my camera with me, here I could make it looks like Lost Music's nights are as good as anything on Driven By Boredom. It would give me impedus to talk to people, instead of forever standing behind and to the right of the same people night after night.
Some tall chap asks if I'm a journalist, scribbling in my notebook. No, I just have the internet. People glance over as I scribble, me serving as some disillusion in thar heids.
This notebook is like a security blanket to me, or maybe some pretentious part of my costume, like the Wolfknuckle masks.
I am a superhero, my costume this leather jacket, my weapon this notebook, my power this website (17 hits yesterday).
A sample reverberates round the room, "Kill Twee Pop". This isn't just in my head is it. With the Indiepop Stalin thing, the descent of Bowlie and "Kill Twee Pop". Its the first song from Sarandon's album apparently.
I've never seen them before, just a name on playlists. Rather noisey and warm, and jagged indie-rock. A bit arty too. They all seemed to be having fun on stage, and came across as jolly nice chaps. I just couldn't engage with the music, sorry.
Other Reviews
Here
Finally the parents let me go and The Buffalo is kind of full. Hibbett has finished but I bet he was up to his usual fine form.
Keith John Adams are setting up on stage, poised to start and I'm pretty sure I had to phone the missus. If I go outside I'll miss some of the second band, gah.
Procrastination, after twenty minutes they hit the stage properly. A three piece - drums, guitar and a chap playing keyboards about a foot off the ground.
My mind's on other things, they sound a bit ska, the lead singer looks like Suggs. Every so often I think they sound like Anal Beard, and also I get flashes of understanding why some people really don't like The Plimptons.
Keith John Adams has fans in the crowd.
Outside again, I do boyfriend duties and check on my car. All reassured I head back and miss the start of Navvy.
An arty four piece, two female percusionists with more cow bells than you can shake a stick at, which is kind of what they're doing. I'm always intrigued by dual simultaneous drumming, its a splendor to behold.
Cracking stuff, I never listened to The Fall enough to do an accurate comparison, but with the girl yelps its an interesting combination.
I wish I'd had my camera with me, here I could make it looks like Lost Music's nights are as good as anything on Driven By Boredom. It would give me impedus to talk to people, instead of forever standing behind and to the right of the same people night after night.
Some tall chap asks if I'm a journalist, scribbling in my notebook. No, I just have the internet. People glance over as I scribble, me serving as some disillusion in thar heids.
This notebook is like a security blanket to me, or maybe some pretentious part of my costume, like the Wolfknuckle masks.
I am a superhero, my costume this leather jacket, my weapon this notebook, my power this website (17 hits yesterday).
A sample reverberates round the room, "Kill Twee Pop". This isn't just in my head is it. With the Indiepop Stalin thing, the descent of Bowlie and "Kill Twee Pop". Its the first song from Sarandon's album apparently.
I've never seen them before, just a name on playlists. Rather noisey and warm, and jagged indie-rock. A bit arty too. They all seemed to be having fun on stage, and came across as jolly nice chaps. I just couldn't engage with the music, sorry.
Other Reviews
Here
Wednesday, 22 August 2007
Pete Green, MJ Hibbett - The Lamb
Early doors shows tonight, I didn't even have time for me dinner before heading out and I'm Hank Marvin.
Too early for my London gig companion, Fiona, who was tied up until eight, but hey ho, I'll be able to get home and get my write up online quicker this way.
Pete Green's playing tomorrow night an'all, would it be overkill to see him then too?
At first it wasn't clear where the show was, so I crammed in with a bunch of businessmen supping pints until Pete and Mark passed by and pointed me the way.
Oh to the smoking ban, this place would be so much better if it were smokey, all green carpets, red walls and wood panelling. You may not be allowed to light up, but surely someone could inent tobacco fragranced air-freshener, there'd be a captive market for thousands of sales. Can Silk Cut no do it?
There's no stage here, just a dozen tables and chairs. I rather selfishly took a corner table, three chairs and one me, my lack of eye-contact guards them.
Christ, why did I have to single out Waz in the 'Flyer review? He's everywhere and I have no gripe with him. Just briefly during 'Tracks this overpowering sense of alienation, when folk chatted about the weekend later, I wouldn't be party to the banter.
Pete Green picks a spot in front of thr middle window and dons his guitar. Two adventurous souls join my table, and Crystalball hands out flyers for tomorrow's show. Shit, I just made contact with a chap I thought was Lars Frodo, but wasn't. The place is filling up.
Hi, my name's Chris, I work for a company making hi-fis. With any piece of hi-fi equipment affects the audio signal in someway. Assuming that a CD has been recorded and produced perfectly as the artist and engineer wants it it has a flat frequency response and if on your hi-fi system you turn the bass up or the treble down, you're essentially distorting the way the artist intended it to be heard. Now, with acoustic music, played live, there's isn't so much means to distort the sound. The artist can sing louder or play quieter, as is their perogative, but out of their control is the acoustics of the room. MJ Hibbett introduced Pete Green saying that he last saw him playing in a train carriage at IndieTracks and it was great, now tonight, I'm sat at the back and the frequency response of the room sounds a little different.
He asks is we can hear him okay, well, yeah, its okay, not perfect, but there's little he can do about it.
The weirdest thing, I was just drawing thems graphs abstractly, wondering about when I'd ever heard Pete Green recorded when suddenly I realised the song he was playing was on the Not Quite Rocket Science: Podcast #8 which is almost all I've been listening to for the last week, new computer with no MP3s.
He's very good playing live and acoustic, on his own, which admittedly is how I usually see him. One of his best acoustic shows according to the girl next to me, no chance of technical difficulties.
Comfortable, confident, knowledgable songs but still understated, kind of kneegazery. I bought a single on my way out, no record player though.
Short break between acts for drinks, cigarettes, the loo etc, I texted the missus and may have only just caught the start of MJ Hibbett's set.
He projects more, louder and more animated. The first song The Peterborough All-Saints Wide Game Team (group B) reminds me of the songs passing troubadours would sing round campfires at early nineties scout camps. Do they still do that?
When he played the slow song, It only works because you're here, my eyes all welled up and it was only by scribbling in my notebook that I didn't greet. It catches me right here, inside, as it did when I first heard it so far away.
The Lesson of the Smiths is still a life philosophy rather than just a song. Gay Train just reminds me of going to Clapham. New songs went down well, with the handful of people at the show seeing Hibbett of the first time, the looks of wonder on their faces. For the finale his Fresh Prince cover was the most joyous I've ever heard ir. MJ had to open a window mid-song it was getting so exciting.
Underground ride home, desperate for a wee, would have gone at the gig but I was holding a record.
Photies
here
Too early for my London gig companion, Fiona, who was tied up until eight, but hey ho, I'll be able to get home and get my write up online quicker this way.
Pete Green's playing tomorrow night an'all, would it be overkill to see him then too?
At first it wasn't clear where the show was, so I crammed in with a bunch of businessmen supping pints until Pete and Mark passed by and pointed me the way.
Oh to the smoking ban, this place would be so much better if it were smokey, all green carpets, red walls and wood panelling. You may not be allowed to light up, but surely someone could inent tobacco fragranced air-freshener, there'd be a captive market for thousands of sales. Can Silk Cut no do it?
There's no stage here, just a dozen tables and chairs. I rather selfishly took a corner table, three chairs and one me, my lack of eye-contact guards them.
Christ, why did I have to single out Waz in the 'Flyer review? He's everywhere and I have no gripe with him. Just briefly during 'Tracks this overpowering sense of alienation, when folk chatted about the weekend later, I wouldn't be party to the banter.
Pete Green picks a spot in front of thr middle window and dons his guitar. Two adventurous souls join my table, and Crystalball hands out flyers for tomorrow's show. Shit, I just made contact with a chap I thought was Lars Frodo, but wasn't. The place is filling up.
Hi, my name's Chris, I work for a company making hi-fis. With any piece of hi-fi equipment affects the audio signal in someway. Assuming that a CD has been recorded and produced perfectly as the artist and engineer wants it it has a flat frequency response and if on your hi-fi system you turn the bass up or the treble down, you're essentially distorting the way the artist intended it to be heard. Now, with acoustic music, played live, there's isn't so much means to distort the sound. The artist can sing louder or play quieter, as is their perogative, but out of their control is the acoustics of the room. MJ Hibbett introduced Pete Green saying that he last saw him playing in a train carriage at IndieTracks and it was great, now tonight, I'm sat at the back and the frequency response of the room sounds a little different.
He asks is we can hear him okay, well, yeah, its okay, not perfect, but there's little he can do about it.
The weirdest thing, I was just drawing thems graphs abstractly, wondering about when I'd ever heard Pete Green recorded when suddenly I realised the song he was playing was on the Not Quite Rocket Science: Podcast #8 which is almost all I've been listening to for the last week, new computer with no MP3s.
He's very good playing live and acoustic, on his own, which admittedly is how I usually see him. One of his best acoustic shows according to the girl next to me, no chance of technical difficulties.
Comfortable, confident, knowledgable songs but still understated, kind of kneegazery. I bought a single on my way out, no record player though.
Short break between acts for drinks, cigarettes, the loo etc, I texted the missus and may have only just caught the start of MJ Hibbett's set.
He projects more, louder and more animated. The first song The Peterborough All-Saints Wide Game Team (group B) reminds me of the songs passing troubadours would sing round campfires at early nineties scout camps. Do they still do that?
When he played the slow song, It only works because you're here, my eyes all welled up and it was only by scribbling in my notebook that I didn't greet. It catches me right here, inside, as it did when I first heard it so far away.
The Lesson of the Smiths is still a life philosophy rather than just a song. Gay Train just reminds me of going to Clapham. New songs went down well, with the handful of people at the show seeing Hibbett of the first time, the looks of wonder on their faces. For the finale his Fresh Prince cover was the most joyous I've ever heard ir. MJ had to open a window mid-song it was getting so exciting.
Underground ride home, desperate for a wee, would have gone at the gig but I was holding a record.
Photies
here
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