Thirtieth Century Man - Scott Walker Has Left

Scott Walker died yesterday, a true artist. I've written about him on my main blog here, but really need to just post something to remember him by.

The documentary Thirtieth Century Man gives a great insight into him , and when he finally appears you are expecting someone awkward, reclusive and difficult but he was engaging and articulate. The film is available in the UK on Youtube here

He was always driven from his early teens, as Scott Engel, but most people will know him as a member of The Walker Brothers, none of them called Walker and they weren't brothers.

After The Walker Brothers ended he became more withdrawn and released albums sporadically and they became more and more challenging for the listener. You are talking as far out as some Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, The Fall and Aphex Twin but nowhere near these artists.

When you listen to solo sixties performances  including covers of Jacques Brel you maybe had an inkling that this was not your standard entertainer and with "Climate of the Hunter" with several songs or pieces referred to as their number he had departed the mainstream.

The albums "The Drift" , "Tilt"and "Bish Bosh" took you further out somewhere where we had never been and when I heard "Brando" the opener from "Soused", his collaboration with Sunn O))) , I thought what the hell is this but was mesmerised by it.

Scott Walker was hardly prolific, and once he had completed an album he listened to it ince to make sure it was what he wanted, then he never revisited it. So I will leave you with "Brando" and "Jackie" both wonderful and essential.

Scott Walker a true artist.

6 Music Festival Day 2

The Sage Seen behind The Tyne Bridge

The problem with big festivals is that usually there will be acts that you miss because of clashes, or worse because you can't get tickets. That is why I'm unlikely to ever get to Glastonbury, which has become very corporate and is a critical victim of it's own success, and there is no answer to that. It is the most popular, awaited festival there is , everybody wants a ticket and everybody wants to play, but you are bound to miss lots of bands you want to see, unless you are one of the morons who go because it's Glastonbury and thinks the Foo Fighters are something from WWE RAW.

While I missed Friday and all the daytime acts I did manage to get tickets for Saturday and Sunday night at The Sage , even though , like Glastonbury , the tickets sold out in minutes. Anyway after going through the ticket checks the event was extremely well organised and every act I say was brilliant. The only real clashes for me were Father John Misty and The Fall and then Django Django and Royal Blood. The main draw for me was Royal Blood , who I'd missed at their sold out Riverside gig in October.

The great thing about the festival is that there are four performance areas in use all under cover of the immense Sage glass domes. You can wander between halls and stand or sit depending on what you want to do. The festival program is here as a PDF download

Anyway this was my choice of viewing:

Ghost Poet:

Introduced by Tom Ravenscroft , my first choice in Hall 2, not too packed but an excellent take on hip hop with a great supporting band , featuring material from the new album. The sound was spot on and that is one of the benefits of hearing acts at the Sage. The new album features the excellent single Off Peak Dreams which has had a lot of airplay on 6 Music.

The Fall:

A typical Fall show, but the sound of the band was incredibly clear. Two drummers driving behind a besuited Mark E Smith's monotone ranting vocals in an absolutely brilliant set. This was in Hall 1 the main hall at the Sage and the stalls seats had been removed to create a large mosh pit. The funniest thing I saw was four women comparing holiday snaps and family photos in their phones and tablets as The Fall played, I'm sure Mark E Smith would have been amused by the incongruity of it all.

Kate Tempest:

Still in Hall 1 this was Kate's second set of the night having played with Eliza Carthy earlier. Kate is a rapper and poet with an excellent social edge . Backed by an excellent band she delivered a brilliant set , challenging and exhilarating. She also delivered a call for social care and not to be apathetic as well as telling us that the music community should be treasured, and how we were all apart of that. The biggest sin is apathy , while we might not know what to do we should maintain our awareness . Hopefully attitudes like hers will contribute to a major change come the election this year.

Stuart Maconie:

Just caught Stuart doing a  Northern Soul disco in Hall 3 , I stayed for Gloria Jones' "Tainted Love" and "Sliced Tomatoes" by The Just Brothers plus another one with suitable disco lighting. Very Enjoyable.

Royal Blood:

Royal Blood were the main reason I bought a ticket and they certainly did not disappoint. A two piece assaulting the crowd with monstrous riffs and a stunning light show. This is a band that really need to be seen live. The album is great, but live they take it to another level. They were on for about forty minutes but it went by very quickly. Again Hall 1's amazing acoustics added to the amazing experience.

Gruff Rhys:

The last act I saw , featuring mesmerising songs from American Interior , his latest album on an excellent stage beset by cacti. The songs are up to Super Furry Animals standard and the set was a fantastic end to a brilliant night. I'm now looking forward to today.

The Cult of Hoult's Yard

This weekend I attended one of the best day's music I have seen in ages. The Hoult's Yard Cult Festival  provided some amazing stuff. Three stages , one outdoor , one in Warehouse 34 and one in a garage provided some excellent music. I'm. just going to list what I saw as I missed a lot just becasue of the high quality of everything on offer.

I got there via a Q1 bus , but the place is not very well signposted, but once in there noticed that there werent too many people around , the advertising and local coverage had not been too heavy to say the least. The Yard was dominated by a huge fairground ride surrounded by fairgound junk food stalls mixed with quality sellers such a Safari Burgers , Juniper's Pantry , Idlehands Cup Cakes and an excellent organic cafe who's name slips my mind but sold their coffee in mugs with a 50p deposit. As Kirsty poited out it was Beat Root cafe , brilliant !!

The Music Outdoor Stage:

• Yesterdays Kids - Excellent Festival openers . Started with a listenable song displaying local influences and included the Neil Diamond penned "I'm A Believer" in their set.
• Victory Mansions - another excellent set "Fifty Words" was my favourite song and they were giving away copies of their excellent ep "Corridors" available here.

Garage Stage:

• Matinee were and excellent Franz Ferdinand a like eastern european sounding band.

Warehouse 34:

•  The Generals - I'd heard them on Radio 6 and were the best band I'd heard so far , just more of the great stuff on the day.
•  B>E>A>K> - MAd MAsked Mackem Jazz Rock Collective , Superb Stuff
• The Sound of Guns - The revelation of the day , totally in tune with the Omen and If films running in the background. Future headliners somewhere and absolutely brilliant sound and stage presence.
• King Charles - despite a lengthy soundcheck these are the best pop rock band since Adam and The Ants , their music as addictive as Abba and as eclectic as anyone you have heard and totally addictive . Buy the album , you wont stop playing it!!
• Beth Jeans Houghton - Stunning platinum blonde hair , zombie make up , Can T- Shirts and songs about geometric shapes , what is not to like . Brilliant stuff.
• The Fall - Headliners and tight as a drum , The Fall are The Fall , Mark E Smith his curmudgeonly masterful stage presence erratically sending the crowd wild.

A combination of  tight short set by high quality bands made this a superb memorable day for everyone there , and for everyone who wasn'y .... you don't know what you missed !!