My ladyfriend thinks that Butcher Boy sound nicer than Cats on fire, more gentle, its elegant. Its the strings and the melodica that do it.
Some tunes are bouncy and some lull you to sleep.
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Showing posts with label The Luminaire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Luminaire. Show all posts
Wednesday, 29 April 2009
HDIF: Butcher Boy - The Luminaire
My ladyfriend thinks that Butcher Boy sound nicer than Cats on fire, more gentle, its elegant. Its the strings and the melodica that do it.
Some tunes are bouncy and some lull you to sleep.
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HDIF: Cats On Fire - The Luminaire
Cats on Fire a little better than they were the other night.
Oh aren't I the prettiest boy in the playground.
Does a pouty thing like what an ex- in Glasgow used to do.
My attractive young ladyfriend was giggling and blushing after every song, but she did say she thinks I look like the guitarist, so thats kind of okay.
Keyboard girl looks like a twelve year old, that can't be right.
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HDIF: Pocketbooks - The Luminaire
We wander in a few moments into Pocketbooks's first song, the sound guy still tweaking the vocals.
Hmm, there's something awkward about the gaps between songs tonight.
Ooh occasionally flashes of Saint Etienne, their projection of London.
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Thursday, 8 January 2009
Darren Hayman and the Secondary Modern - The Luminaire
On stage is Dazza and four members of the Secondary Modern. Some stonking work on the fiddle and spazzing out on guitar.
I've had one or two pints and ma heid is drifting away from the task in hand. Is this to be Darren Hayman's gift to me, not the music or the sound, but the power of time travel. To lose myself in memories?
For more on what they sounded like please refer to previous Darren Haymen reviews here. A couple of Hefner songs, b-sides and a-sides alike, keep the crowd on fire
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Wednesday, 7 January 2009
The Wave Pictures - The Luminaire
Storming rock n roll, with arch nasal vocals like Suede or Kingmaker or something.
Ooh, uncle El Presidente from Fortuna Pop is here, and I think I spy the ladies from Twee As Fuck.
Reverb-rich American FM guitar solos from the wagon train, with extra noodles.
Songs for the people who had a bad Christmas, stressing its not a 'fuck you' to those who had a good Christmas.
Chap stood nearby in a flatcap, looks like Dennis Pennis.
Is it wrong to like the drummer's singing a little more than the guitarist singing? Or it could just be my ears prefer the lack of drums.
On-stage banter comes across as a bt smug to me, but witty so that makes it okay.
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The Loves - The Luminaire
I've recently started going out with a girl from another planet, like she's not off of Bowlie or from the indiescene or anything. With her, everything is new and exciting, the gigs she goes to the people she knows, its all out of my sphere.
So here I am to see The Loves once more, how many times have I seen them, how long have I been a fan? Crikey, I wrote them into my novel Shag Times about eight years ago, and still I follow them. Likewise tonight's headliner Darren Hayman, regulars to this blog will have followed me following him for years. This is the sort of gig I go to.
Its really cold in here, but the place is starting to fill up.
I'm quite like the Flight of the Concords's fan, but I guess I'm near the line.
They're looking very dapper tonight, all suits and cleanly shaven. They're playing tighter than usual too.
Same songs as the other month when they played the Buffalo. All on fire from last night's 6Music session.
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Friday, 19 December 2008
Lizzy Parks - The Luminaire
On stage is Lizzy Parks and her band, hammond organ, double bass, jazz drums and trumpet.
Its all got a noice jazz soul vibe, the trumpet with more jazz thans soul, too much noodling. The missus says Lizzy sounds like old skool Amy Winehouse, but I'm not enough of a connesseur to tell. Fine fine hammond.
For an encore they did a fine version of Psychedelic Sally.
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Friday, 1 August 2008
Ballboy, The Smittens, Pocketbooks - The Luminaire
Its warm, warm, warm and the word on the net is that the show is sold out except for a few tickets on the door, so come early. I came an hour early, and that's how I got in. Also returned Andy Pocketbooks's capo that had been left on a train platform in the Midlands on Sunday night.
Inside, its almost like Indietracks is still going on, the same faces in the crowd, the same bands on stage, the same feelings of excitement. How long can this feeling last?
Pocketbooks are up first. My companion says they sound like a young version of Belle and Sebastian, but more upbeat.
The new songs that I wasn't sure about last week, they haven't grown on me yet. Like, their earlier stuff is packed with hooks and melody, sometimes even motifs from motown, but I think the new songs, are a little more about the tune and the texture. I'm going to have to hear them recorded so my interpretation isn't jaundiced by standing in the part of the room where the sound is pants.
My companion who hadn't heard them before thought they were nice, and liked the sound of Andy's voice.
The folk at the front of the crowd were dancing like it was still Saturday afternoon.
The Smittens on next, crikey, its like the sixth time I've seen some of them play in the past week, if I were still in the boy scouts I could get The Smitten merit badge.
We retire to seats at the back to watch them on the screens.
I think I prefered seeing them play in a club rather than at a festival, it feels more comfortable, not so much more intimate, cos you can't beat acoustic sets on train platforms, even with a stick.
They start off with an acappella number before bursting in with all instruments ablazing.
The between-song banter and introductions are the icing on the cheesecake.
"Can I have more vocals in my monitor?"
"Can I have more AC in my monitor?"
"Ooh, I can I have more sleep in mine?"
And whole shared experience of most people in the room, or at least the more vocal one, having been at Indietracks. Heck, Colin was even talking about how he'd checked Anorak and needed to point out that it was Elizabeth from Allo Darlin' who suggested playing on the platform.
I think my companion liked the Smittens the best and the song they did that was like from the Grease soundtrack.
Ooh, ooh, if I ever get together a rockabilly covers band, possibly called The Southside Wolfknuckles, we gotta do a garage cover of Gumdrops, F-C-G-Am innit?
Between bands, there's this flyer for other bands playing The Luminaire, the girls asks me if I could recommend any of them, but none of the names look familar. Except Alastair Roberts, he sat behind me in Russian class in Glasgow. How is it that the world works like that?
For the final act of the night, the sweat is dripping off the walls, it like The Woodside Social Club all over again when Ballboy hit the stage.
Ballboy's been kicking about for years, playing much the same songs too. They're great songs, "I've got pictures of you in your underwear" and "Donald in the Bushes with a Bag of Glue" and he's still coming up with the goods "Godzilla Vs The Island of Manhattan with you and I somewhere inbetween". But when I think about songs like Avante Guard, and Gordon MacIntyre's introduction to it, I can't help but think of the long running comic strip in the Khaki Shorts comic, about a chap called Gordon MacIntyre and the tribulations of his relationship with a girl who works in a record shop in Edinburgh.
The crowd are loving them tonight. The music wraps round you and carries you a small boat on a turbulant sea, the vocals a stready reassuring rudder.
The banter about how they smile at each other on stage now, so folk don't think they're just Scottish miserabilists. Its a lesson they've learnt from the days of touring with The Smittens. I can't help but feel that its a little bit like selling out. They are Scottish miserabilists, upholding a fine tradition of that type, by smiling, they're betraying themselves, pandering to the needs of the audience rather than wearing their own feelings as a badge.
Maybe we all do eventually.
Inside, its almost like Indietracks is still going on, the same faces in the crowd, the same bands on stage, the same feelings of excitement. How long can this feeling last?
Pocketbooks are up first. My companion says they sound like a young version of Belle and Sebastian, but more upbeat.
The new songs that I wasn't sure about last week, they haven't grown on me yet. Like, their earlier stuff is packed with hooks and melody, sometimes even motifs from motown, but I think the new songs, are a little more about the tune and the texture. I'm going to have to hear them recorded so my interpretation isn't jaundiced by standing in the part of the room where the sound is pants.
My companion who hadn't heard them before thought they were nice, and liked the sound of Andy's voice.
The folk at the front of the crowd were dancing like it was still Saturday afternoon.
The Smittens on next, crikey, its like the sixth time I've seen some of them play in the past week, if I were still in the boy scouts I could get The Smitten merit badge.
We retire to seats at the back to watch them on the screens.
I think I prefered seeing them play in a club rather than at a festival, it feels more comfortable, not so much more intimate, cos you can't beat acoustic sets on train platforms, even with a stick.
They start off with an acappella number before bursting in with all instruments ablazing.
The between-song banter and introductions are the icing on the cheesecake.
"Can I have more vocals in my monitor?"
"Can I have more AC in my monitor?"
"Ooh, I can I have more sleep in mine?"
And whole shared experience of most people in the room, or at least the more vocal one, having been at Indietracks. Heck, Colin was even talking about how he'd checked Anorak and needed to point out that it was Elizabeth from Allo Darlin' who suggested playing on the platform.
I think my companion liked the Smittens the best and the song they did that was like from the Grease soundtrack.
Ooh, ooh, if I ever get together a rockabilly covers band, possibly called The Southside Wolfknuckles, we gotta do a garage cover of Gumdrops, F-C-G-Am innit?
Between bands, there's this flyer for other bands playing The Luminaire, the girls asks me if I could recommend any of them, but none of the names look familar. Except Alastair Roberts, he sat behind me in Russian class in Glasgow. How is it that the world works like that?
For the final act of the night, the sweat is dripping off the walls, it like The Woodside Social Club all over again when Ballboy hit the stage.
Ballboy's been kicking about for years, playing much the same songs too. They're great songs, "I've got pictures of you in your underwear" and "Donald in the Bushes with a Bag of Glue" and he's still coming up with the goods "Godzilla Vs The Island of Manhattan with you and I somewhere inbetween". But when I think about songs like Avante Guard, and Gordon MacIntyre's introduction to it, I can't help but think of the long running comic strip in the Khaki Shorts comic, about a chap called Gordon MacIntyre and the tribulations of his relationship with a girl who works in a record shop in Edinburgh.
The crowd are loving them tonight. The music wraps round you and carries you a small boat on a turbulant sea, the vocals a stready reassuring rudder.
The banter about how they smile at each other on stage now, so folk don't think they're just Scottish miserabilists. Its a lesson they've learnt from the days of touring with The Smittens. I can't help but feel that its a little bit like selling out. They are Scottish miserabilists, upholding a fine tradition of that type, by smiling, they're betraying themselves, pandering to the needs of the audience rather than wearing their own feelings as a badge.
Maybe we all do eventually.
Wednesday, 9 July 2008
Saturday, 14 June 2008
HDIF: Darren Hayman and Jack Hayter, The Voluntary Butler Scheme, Saturday Looks Good to Me - Luminaire
I'll cover the overarching LNFGIES narrative later in the review, just be patient.
I wandered into the pub to see Ken from The Red Bulldozers getting a big jug cocktail with three straws for rapid consumption, on the telly the Netherlands just scored against France, and a few minutes later, outside, I meet my friend Paul from the Martial Arts, who bears news that world domination is one step closer, The Plimps were played on Radio Six earlier, just after The School (download snatch MP3 here)
Inside the venue, The Voluntary Butler Scheme is on stage, an array of keyboards and synths and half a drum kit obscuring a lone floppy haired chap doing warm and tender tunes, sounding a little bit one man bandish, especially when he pulls out a uke and a kazoo.
Okay, at first I wasn't so taken, but the last few songs were pure genius with a loop pedal. Some folk do loop pedals badly, but VBS is this century's answer to Beck, but dub, comedy, novelty and blues. Elements of White Town maybe, and judicious use of novelty toy effects.
The last song was brilliant, the throbbing blues run through, with the devil in the oven and a droning bass around the 5Hz bowel loosening frequency which will never be audible on MP3 or your iPod headphones.
Chatting with Paul about the next steps in world domination, persuading Londonish promoters to take them onboard perhaps. The room is filling up, folk off of the internet are nearby and the Wee Pop gang are in the room.
Saturday Looks Good To Me on next, a wee bit too loud and the mix was a bit off when we stood at the back, but Paul dragged me into the warm embrace of the music at the front. A three piece guitar/keyboards band, wholesom and much like you'd expect a Hefner support act to be.
Sorry to be a pain, but a few songs in, I noticed something which probably happens all the time, but here its one of two overwhelming things I noticed during the set. The guy singing rests his nose on the microphone. Look out for it if you ever see Saturday Looks Good To Me. Like I've seen singers jam the mic into their gobs, but I've never noticed the nose thing. The next song they played after I noticed this bears heavily the phrase '...everybody nose...'
The second overwealming thing of the thing, was nothing to do with the band, I was glancing about the stage, how although it was raise, there were steps leading downwards to it, I don't know why, but it reminded me of The Cathouse in Glasgow. And I remembered the last time I was there, Nastily was my companion and there was chaos in the shadows. We'd just been to see 300 and it was the start of our relationship.
All ages ago now, and miles away.
Darren Hayman and Jack Hayter take to the stage to play Hefner songs. Regular and dedicated readers of this blog will already be familiar with my previous Darren Hayman reviews here and here, there's a bit of a continuing narrative.
I stand near the front blocking the view of the folk behind, and although I there are many fine songs, I don't engage. I recognise the odd song, but this is essentially a Hefner greatest hits set, for the fans, for the folk who saw them countless times and bought countless EPs and albums. The sing along and notice when Darren forgets his lines, they cheer when he plays their favourite songs.
After the show, there was to be a How Does It Feel club night, but most of the crowd wander off, and whilst some stick around nursing their drinks, they too drift away until the DJ kills the music, and there are less than a dozen souls left.
To my right is Paul from the Martial Arts and his friends, and to my left are some friends off of the internet and the girl.
Bands
The Voluntary Butler Scheme
Saturday Looks Good To Me
Darren Hayman
I wandered into the pub to see Ken from The Red Bulldozers getting a big jug cocktail with three straws for rapid consumption, on the telly the Netherlands just scored against France, and a few minutes later, outside, I meet my friend Paul from the Martial Arts, who bears news that world domination is one step closer, The Plimps were played on Radio Six earlier, just after The School (download snatch MP3 here)
Inside the venue, The Voluntary Butler Scheme is on stage, an array of keyboards and synths and half a drum kit obscuring a lone floppy haired chap doing warm and tender tunes, sounding a little bit one man bandish, especially when he pulls out a uke and a kazoo.
Okay, at first I wasn't so taken, but the last few songs were pure genius with a loop pedal. Some folk do loop pedals badly, but VBS is this century's answer to Beck, but dub, comedy, novelty and blues. Elements of White Town maybe, and judicious use of novelty toy effects.
The last song was brilliant, the throbbing blues run through, with the devil in the oven and a droning bass around the 5Hz bowel loosening frequency which will never be audible on MP3 or your iPod headphones.
Chatting with Paul about the next steps in world domination, persuading Londonish promoters to take them onboard perhaps. The room is filling up, folk off of the internet are nearby and the Wee Pop gang are in the room.
Saturday Looks Good To Me on next, a wee bit too loud and the mix was a bit off when we stood at the back, but Paul dragged me into the warm embrace of the music at the front. A three piece guitar/keyboards band, wholesom and much like you'd expect a Hefner support act to be.
Sorry to be a pain, but a few songs in, I noticed something which probably happens all the time, but here its one of two overwhelming things I noticed during the set. The guy singing rests his nose on the microphone. Look out for it if you ever see Saturday Looks Good To Me. Like I've seen singers jam the mic into their gobs, but I've never noticed the nose thing. The next song they played after I noticed this bears heavily the phrase '...everybody nose...'
The second overwealming thing of the thing, was nothing to do with the band, I was glancing about the stage, how although it was raise, there were steps leading downwards to it, I don't know why, but it reminded me of The Cathouse in Glasgow. And I remembered the last time I was there, Nastily was my companion and there was chaos in the shadows. We'd just been to see 300 and it was the start of our relationship.
All ages ago now, and miles away.
Darren Hayman and Jack Hayter take to the stage to play Hefner songs. Regular and dedicated readers of this blog will already be familiar with my previous Darren Hayman reviews here and here, there's a bit of a continuing narrative.
I stand near the front blocking the view of the folk behind, and although I there are many fine songs, I don't engage. I recognise the odd song, but this is essentially a Hefner greatest hits set, for the fans, for the folk who saw them countless times and bought countless EPs and albums. The sing along and notice when Darren forgets his lines, they cheer when he plays their favourite songs.
After the show, there was to be a How Does It Feel club night, but most of the crowd wander off, and whilst some stick around nursing their drinks, they too drift away until the DJ kills the music, and there are less than a dozen souls left.
To my right is Paul from the Martial Arts and his friends, and to my left are some friends off of the internet and the girl.
Bands
The Voluntary Butler Scheme
Saturday Looks Good To Me
Darren Hayman
Friday, 11 January 2008
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