Life ... and Nadine Shah

I wasn't intending to write up this gig, but basically it was a stunner.

The support band were from Hull and and the name sort of didn't inspire me, Life. The bassist's T-Shirt stated "It's Never Dull In Hull", and were a basic guitar/ bass / drums / vocals four piece. Their sound was excellent and they won amn initially reticient crowd over in spades. The lead singer had obviously studied Jarvis Cocker but was his own man as he declared Life "Kings of Yorkshire".

I've included the excellent "In Your Hands" and go through to their site or get their album "Popular Music" here. Their Vevo channel is here if you would like to hear more.

Then Nadine Shah appeared. Her singing voice is amazingly powerful almost divorced from her friendly geordie talking voice. Her mum and dad were in the audience in teh packed Sage Hall 2. The sound of the band ais incredibly percussive , often the guitard being just hit, and the saxophone sound recalling Van Der Graaf Generator.

A Nadine Shah gig is an experience and if you get the chance of seeing her , you need to do it as soon as possible.

She is not easy listening but she is essential listening. The song "Holiday Destination" inspiredby the self serving reaction of holiday makers when refugess wer washed ashore on a Mediterranean beach.

Ig you can't get to a gig get her albums.

6 Music Festival Day 3 - With A Baggy Finale

PSB at the 6 Music Festival at the Sage

This was the main day that I wanted to see , though every day was worth going to see. Today was great because it was shared with a lot of friends who I went with , as well as a few who I didn't know were going. We started with an attempted lunch at the Central who unfortunately ran out of food due to the overspill for the 6 Music Festival.

We then went for coffee at The Baltic before wandering into the Sage for the first act. It turned out that John Hopkins the headliner in Hall 2 had pulled out resulting in lots of clashes for me. British Sea Power, Nadine Shah (the stand in act and so brilliant) , and King Creosote to start off with , then Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Wire and Gaz Coombes next up and the night finished with a choice of The Charlatans , The Maccabees and Teleman . This is just my own personal tastes but as I said in my last post Festivals just mean you miss out on some good stuff because , in your opinion, there's better stuff to see. This festival worked extremely well because it's still very cold outside and the festival was completely inside in The Sage.

The only problem is that the concourse stage resulted in a crushed crowd for the popular acts such as Public Service Broadcasting, they need to think about re siting the Concourse Stage , maybe at the West End so that you can use the whole of the concourse to watch the gig.

Anyway like yesterdays post this was my choice of viewing and listening:

British Sea Power:

 This was the first difficult decision of the day especially given that Nadine Shah was now playing . I caught some of King Creosote while helping my friend Bethany get her guitar and bags to to the cloakroom after being escorted there by security, They seemed to be under the impression that she was some kind of guerrilla busker!

Anyway I went into Hall 1 and  British Sea Power were already under way accompanied by on stage flora although the fauna was absent. The sound all over the Sage is the best I've heard anywhere and British Sea Power used it to full advantage.

I must confess , despite owning several albums , I don't know any songs by British Sea Power apart from "Waving Flags" , just love allowing the whole album to wash over me, and their set was treated in the same way. Very powerful rock, and a brilliant start to the night.

Gaz Coombes:

A lot of people thought Gaz Coombes would be "all right". About fifteen minutes in they were shoe horning people into seats. Gaz and the band were not highlighted on stage , but the songs were fantastic and I think a lot of people will be ordering a copy of Matador on the back of this performance. I can name check songs such as Buffalo , 20/20 and Detroit because I've been playing the album for a few weeks after hearing songs on BBC 6 Music.

The sound was amazing and the crowd, like me , loved every minute. By the end of this set you had had your moneys worth for the festival.

Neneh Cherry:

Neneh Cherry had the second smallest band I'd seen at the festival, just here , drums and keyboards / electronics. Despite the minimal line up the sound filled the hall and the songs had the crowd going. Her music is beat heavy but she does sing and her father ,  trumpeter Don who died twenty years ago, would have been so proud and impressed with her.

Public Service Broadcasting:

This was on the concourse and because so many people wanted to see it, it ended up with an , in my opinion, dangerous crush in front of the stage. I moved out to the side and enjoyed another brilliant set featuring excellent visuals , material from the new album "The Race For Space" culminating with the now classics "Spitfire" and "Everest". It's not often you get educational great music , but with these guys you do.

The Charlatans:

 The final set of the festival for me and Hall 1 was so packed that I ended up in the back row at the top of level 3. The band looked a long way off but immediately the crowd were "up for it, mixing new material with classics like "One To Another" , "The Only One I Know" and "Country Boy" before finishing in a glorious finale of "Sproston Green"

A brilliant end to a brilliant festival.  Now it's time to come back down to earth.

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.

Rain in The Summertyne

Summertyne ... and the living is Easy

I think the title's nicked from an excellent song by the Alarm. Anyway Summertyne 2014 has come and is superb as ever. Like all festivals there is so much going on that you can't get to see everything ,  but there is always something to see and do , and The Sage is an amazing setting for any event and this is a huge annual event.

Anyway I only managed to see two acts today but the atmosphere was brilliant.




I walked in on Lowri Evans , a welsh singer with a lovely voice. The crowd loved her and I enjoyed watching and listening to her whole set.She has an extensive back catalog worth investigating and think she made a lot of new fans and friends today including me.

Next up were The Snakes who reminded me a little of The Jayhawks and provided and excellent , mostly original set, but did a class cover of Warren Zevon's "Excitable Boy" and again the crowd were more than satisfied. The problem is with a name like the Snakes is that it's difficult track them down on the internet , a bit like the Xaviers who supported Wire.

Want Beer?

However one of the other things about Summertyne is the related food and merchandise , and I particularly liked the "Wanted" Beer notices. They were all over.

Then there was choli , hot dogs , burgers , chocolate bars and hats, as well as CDs and vinyl with the artists doing signing sessions.

Big Daisy Kiss

Marilyn and Ouija Cushions

My big discovery was Big Daisy Kiss who's Facebook page describe her emporium as "Stuff for Girls Who Like Girly Stuff!"  I think I spoke to Emma about her stuff which ranges from purses , clutch bags , wallets , belts and guitar straps covering styles from 50's rock and roll and Elvis , to 90's kid's TV (She Ra , Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)  and their own goth designs. I suppose if you had to put one word to the display it would be Gothabilly.

There was loads of great stuff on show , and various presents for friend have been earmarked.

I know lot's of my friends will fall in love with this stuff, and the site and Facebook page is well worth a visit as the pictures and descriptions are more in depth and you can buy the stuff.

Eventually I decided to get a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles guitar strap, which now graces my Tanglewood bass, just need a band now!

Emma of Big Daisy Kiss wanted to leave her hat on! Loved talking with her

I got the same buzz from this as when I saw Geoff Marston's Blues Suitcases which are somewhere down this blog.

So another brilliant day at Summertyne, I may have a wander along tomorrow.

Summertyne 2009

The Summer Festivals are coming thick and fast and the Tyneside Americana Festival under the Summertyne banner is another great one.This year must be the best one yet with a superb turn out and an incredible line up. Some goigs are paid and some are free and it's a combination of live acts and films shown both inside and outside of the Sage.

Because of the clashes , the fact that there was hardly an inch of free space outside , the hot sun and all that , I ended up catching just a couple of the acts .

Two Fingers of Firewater and Eliza Gilkyson produced some excellent country sounds , but unfortunately I missed out on the headlining Hot Club of Cowtown , due a major sun induced headache.

However Ryan Shaw was a major revelation , the band starting with a reasonable funk / soul instrumental workout , before Ryan appeared with a stunning rendition of the Jimmy Cliff song "Many Rivers To Cross" , this was followed by one of their own song featuring gorgeous backing vocals from the band. If you want to download the album you can download it here. Here's them in 2006 doing "We Got Love":




Had to cut the gig short to catch Baby Gramps inside for his fourth set of the day!! I've seen Baby Gramps before and theres a lot of debate as to whether he's real or animatronic!!. Let me put you right, the guy is a total gentleman as I found out talking to him after the gig . The gig itself featured a new pirate song , and a hell of a lot of audience participation. A Baby Gramps gig is an experience you will never forget, this him with the Akron Family doing "Cape Cod Girls" on Letterman:



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