They're here and then they're not and now they're back! The return of some lost bands

When a band disappears, it can be hurtful, almost as hurtful as when you fall out of love or when a friendship you thought meant a lot, actually meant nothing. The only difference is that you have control of the latter two. Thankfully, these bands are back and thankfully THANKFULLY, I wasn’t born when they started out, so I didn’t have to deal with the trauma of them leaving the scene in the first place.

* The first one on my list is the wonderful Liquid Liquid now signed to Domino. After forming in New York in the early 80’s, they optimised uniqueness. With their post-punk/post-disco sound with a Brazilian, dance and reggae edge.

With their forward thinking sound in songs such as Optimo and Caven - which was sampled by Grand Master Flash for their epic White Lines song - Liquid Liquid are the type of band who influenced many, yet were not known for it.

I saw them play at Offset festival in Epping Forest last month and am now in love with them, with there bass driven groovy rock songs. The band consists of Scott Hartley, Richard McGuire, Salvatore Principato, Dennis Young. They have reissued their old stuff as they only released very few records back then. To get your hands on all of their songs, check out “Slip In and Out of the Phenomenon”.

* The second on my list is Pylon, a fantastic underground band who formed at art school in 70’s Georgia. The band consists of Vanessa Briscoe Hay on vocals, Randall Bewley on guitar, Michael Lachowski on bass, Curtis Crowe on drums.

From the Alt rock scene, Plyon have supported The Gang of Four, been named the best band around by R.E.M and won early support from the B52’s. I discovered them whilst at the Ritzy in Brixton and was struck by their amazing bass lines and the stunning voice of lead singer, Vanessa in the song Beep Beep. After asking the bar tender who they were, and subsequently googling them when I got home, I found out they were old and not a new cool band coming around the block now!

Now signed to DFA records which home to LCD Soundsystem and Hot Chip, it’s good to know that someone has picked up on their genius. Their last album, “Chomp More” was out in 2009.

So?

Summer time is over, I've brought my winter slippers from Marks and Sparks, I've put my tortoise shell sun glasses in the bikini draw until next year and I've convinced myself that one should eat what one wants as I'll need to put on extra pounds for winter. But, what a summer it has been. I've been on holiday as you can see! June, July and August left no time to blog so in moody September, here's what I've been up to and the focus is Festivals, in order of greatness. I'm also going to keep this short or I'll be batting on for ages.

1) Glastonbury
Celebrating it's 40th anniversary, it was my first and my mates 40th! With a surprise burst of hot sunshine, a phenomenal atmosphere and offering so much more than a festival, this by far is the best event I've ever attended and it should be experienced by all. I can't really explain it's greatness, it is just GREAT. Highlights included - if I can put any few highlights together - Shangrala, the Green fields, Stevie Wonder, the array of excellent food, The Park area, Bombay Bicycle Club, Toots and the Maytals and soooo much more.

2) Melt!
Set in an old GDR mine, Melt! (with an exclamation mark, not an over hyper blogger), as a site is truly spectacular. Huge cranes with green lazers and bright neon lights shoot off from sterile pieces of metal. This festival is surrounded by an artificial lake in Germany, Ferropolis, about an hours drive from Berlin. Offering Dance and Indie music, highlights included, the site itself, Groove Armada, this fantastic Saxon German pizza bread, Ellen Allien and Massive Attack with their phenomenal art music show combination. Another great thing about this festival is that the Germans really know how to party, the festival gets started at about 7pm and goes on until about 11am and in some areas until 7pm, for the party to begin aaaalllll over again.

3) Standon Calling
This self proclaimed 'boutique festival' is held in Hertfordshire and has been going for 10 years, after starting off as a birthday party with thirty friends. It has now grown into a 3000 person festival with a very special feel. The music, dress up and smallness of it all is what makes it unique, as well as the up and coming bands it features. Highlights included Buena Vista Social Club, sock wrestling, Factory Floor, The Alcatraz tent, The Liars, a pop up cinema, the wonderful Steve Mason and a Pool.

4) Reading
Now, if you're looking for a rock and roll festival, look no further as you all know. I am a big fan of Reading and have gone there a good few times and it never fails to disappoint. Ok, so crowd wise it is quite horrific, full of greasy food, annoying 15 year olds who burn tents and portaloos and the site truly feels like hell on earth, BUT, and there is a big but... The line up is amazing! Highlights included The Libertines with their epic comeback gig, Sub Focus, The Like, Queens of the Stone Age, Tame Impala and The Maccabees etc etc etc.

5) Offset Festival
Every September, Epping Forest in Essex is swamped by lots of cool kids and bloody hell, the coolness needs to be stressed, it's as if the whole of Shoreditch bop on the tube, down to celebrate. The music that plays here is all very alternative, left field and generally weird, which I am a big fan of. It also supports up and coming bands and is a very progressive forward thinking festival. Highlights include, Telepathe, Art Brut, cheap vintage clothing from up North and Batty Bass.

6) Secret Garden Party
Dozens of my friends were going so I couldn't give this a miss and actually, I was pretty curious. It was an interesting festival with good food, dress ups and the burning of a 'ship' in the lake, but sadly, that was not enough to make me love it like most of the crowd. I found the music mediocre to say the least and the atmosphere dull. This was all made worse as 99.9% of the crowd were off their nut, with me being in that 0.01% category. I was told it was better the smaller it was as it recently held 30,000 people but still, never again. Highlights included, bumping into friends, The Correspondents, The Jungle Tent and the odd little tents playing strange trippy music at every corner.

(I Married a) Monster from Outer Space. Charming.

Don't you just love friends? You know, friends who give you that feeling of a light bulb being turned on in your brain?

That happened to me the other day, me and my friend were messaging each other music we like and gigs we were going to. I said I was going to see The Fall and we compared favourite tracks, he then asked me if I'd heard of John Cooper Clarke, to which I answered no.

He sent me Beasley Street and I was completely blown away, obviously lyrically (with regards to the social blight during the Thatcher years) but also in his delivery and the sheer brilliance and accessibility poetically. Alright, alright! So maybe a lot of you have heard of him, but remember I was born in the late 80's so have a lot to catch up on.

A skinny man with brown mental hair, JCC is a cult hero from Salford. Now in his 60's, JCC has seen it all and supported the likes of Joy Division, Siouxsie And The Banshees and The Sex Pistols among others.

His political, social, cutting and humorous lyrics hit home at the time, and for me, now and here. It still does. It shows how things never change, ay? After supporting various bands, he started headlining on his own and was dubbed the punk poet or/and The Bard of Salford.

JCC recorded 6 albums (Où est la maison de fromage? in 1978, Disguise in Love in 1978, Walking Back to Happiness in 1979, Snap, Crackle & Bop in 1980, Me and My Big Mouth in 1981 and Zip Style Method in 1982), all a mix of live recordings, studio productions and demos. In that space of time and after 1982 he didn’t record any others. This was due to his self confessed unambitious personality and also his heroin addiction at the time. In an interview with The Culture Show, he said he is now ambitious and it shows in the amount of gigs he does.

Although he had limited success in mainstream music, he was still able to draw people to his shows. With tracks such as Majorca, Evidently Chickentown and (the highest rated chart single for him) Gimmix! Play Loud, JJC is iconic to say the least, a true English poet.

Usually performing his songs acappella, his records mainly centred around musical backing from The Invisible Girls, with percussion from Paul Burgess, bass guitar from Martin Hannett and keys by Steve Hopkins.

He starred in a 1982 film titled 'Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt', narrative between a film, music videos, and a documentary about the poet.

Still performing, check out his website for more information and his many many other fantastic poems and music.

Fav: Twat

Electro Swing swing swing swing.....

Last weekend the Book Club (100 Leonard St) hosted Electro Swing which is a club night gaining momentum at the new talked about venue.

The night has been running for a good few months and I've been going for three (it runs once a month). Doubling in attendance the more I go, last weekend was mental with way over a hundred people queuing outside. Costing a fiver after 9 and free before, The Book Club has two floors and various separate areas, with two being a very mini library and a ping pong area. Electro Swing is just that, a new and exciting genre mixing 1920’s and 30’s swing with dance beats. Not confined to Electro, swing is mixed with Hip Hop, Reggae and Dub Step.

Attracting good types and not the OTT Hoxtons... yet! It's also not very rockabiliy so you won't feel a fool if you're not dressed in your old skool gladrags or cannot dance like you're one of the cast members of Grease. Acts who played included five times scratching world champion DJ Switch and The Correspondence. DJ Switch rocked the shop with his amazing technical and fast mix of hip hop and swing which quickly turned grimy. The Correspondence? Well, at first I though they were a joke as a skinny white boy wearing a tuxedo, purple spandex leggings and riding boots donned the staged to then MC! An I must say, he did it well and ended their set Mcin’ to DnB!

Electro Swing will be playing at The Hootananny in Brixton at The Ska VS Electro Swing night on the 7th of May. They'll also be doing The Book Club again in mid May so don't bloody miss it!

David Cameron: weak and irresolute

In this excellent, gentle destruction of David bleedin Cameron and his bullshitty "invitation to join the government" yesterday, David Hare says, "Cameron has charm." He then quotes Somerset Maugham: "Charming people are generally weak and irresolute, charm is the weapon nature gives them to cope with their disadvantages; I never could set much trust in anyone who had it." Exactly.

I'm not taking anything for granted, of course, but the number of Labour and Lib Dem posters up in my area (Islington) has made me feel quite hopeful that Cameron will not get in next month. Or maybe I just can't cope with imagining that grim possibility. (I grew up in the Thatcher years; they were shit.) The Labour party have royally pissed me off (Iraq, bankers) but they do care about the health service and education. I don't think David Cameron cares about anything except his posh mates and getting elected. Neither of these things is a good motive for running the country. Gordon Brown is a Decent Bloke; David Cameron is an Eton careerist. Ugh.

Sir Michael Caine... Give me a break

Ok, so Michael Caine grew up in a tough south London council estate, yes?

So that means he can talk about a whole new generation as if he was born there yesterday? In fact, he left in the 50's and obviously, is out of touch.

Yesterday, Sir Michael Caine came out in support of David Cameron being our next Prime minister. In a speech he used buzz words such as Britain's 'lost generation', it's as if he has been reading The Mail and taking it as gospel and then regurgitating it.

The Tories propose to divert £50million from anti-extremism funding to pay for voluntary three-week summer courses for 16-year-old's. Have you spotted the key word here? Voluntary. David Cameron's scheme will not be compulsory. The young kids who volunteer, volunteer, end of. The ones who are out there committing crimes don't want anything to do with the government and being seen to hob knob with a Tory inspired summer scheme is seen as lame (to use a tame word) to them.

Honest Folk

After completing a grave yard shift, I was dead to the world fast asleep at eight on a Friday night. I awoke at about half one to a sound on the radio and pure bliss passed through my ears, carefully crafted folk with heartfelt lyrics and beautiful instruments. By the time the song had finished, I had my pen and paper ready to jot down who made it.

Radio 3 announced a band called Musee Mecanique and the song was called ‘Under Glass’. The hypnotic lyrical delivery of ‘Under Glass’ is brought to life by the instrumental strings with co.

MM are Micah Rabwin (vox, guitar, musical saw, keyboards), Sean Ogilvie (vox, keyboard, guitar, accordion and melodica), Matt Berger (Drums, percussion, glockenspiel), Jeff Boyd (Bass, glockenspiel, cassett player) and Brian Perez (keyboards, lap steel, glockenspiel, melodica, percussion).

They define their genre as Indie, Folk Rock, Electronics, are from Portland Oregon, and are signed to Souterrain Transmissions.

Using an array of musical instruments including accordions, musical saws, a pedal steel, glockenspiels, pianos, synthesizers, trumpets, woodwinds and strings. Each song is layered with sound, sound that progresses with every beat.

Their A/B side singles ‘Sleeping In Our Clothes’ and 'Like Home' was released last month and has gained spot plays on BBC 6 Music. MM have shared the stage with Great Lake Swimmers, Wye Oak and Laura Gibson.

Their debut full-length album ‘Hold This Ghost’ was released on the 15th of February. For more information, check out their website.

Fav: Under Glass

make lies sound truthful and murder respectable

Have you seen the video footage of US soldiers shooting and killing unarmed civilians in a Baghdad suburb? Then a van comes and two unarmed men try to take away a wounded man (who turned out to be a driver working for Reuters news agency), and the US soldiers (after getting permission from their boss) shoot and kill them too.
The soldiers talk like people playing a video game.
There is a short article on Salon about it which I wanted to link to here because it talks about how the event itself isn't rare - it's the fact that we can watch it on video, online. This made me think of Ian Tomlinson again. Is there any point being able to film these crimes and post them for millions to see online if it doesn't seem to change anything? I think there is. Let's see.

Don't time fly

One of my happy childhood memories is walking round the mini-market near the holiday house my grandad owned in Sutton-on-Sea, on the Northeast coast. This would be the summer of 1983, I think, when I was nine. I would later build a sand boat on the shore and then frantically bail water out of it as the tide came in, imagining I was actually at sea. But for now I was looking at frozen food and sweets and comics, and the shop stereo was playing Baby Jane, the Rod Stewart single that was Number 1 that July. I was very happy.

(This exact happiness resurfaces fairly regularly. Last week they played the Pointer Sisters in the pound shop near my house in London as I compared translucent plastic storage boxes, and I felt a proper sense of well-being. Six or seven years ago in New York, three friends and I walked round a Japanese mini-market next door to City Lights bookshop. I bought various delights including Japanese toothpaste in a silver tube with neon writing. They were playing Rozalla's Everybody's Free (To Feel Good) and I almost levitated.)

I love Baby Jane. I love Rod Stewart. I love his voice, I love his face, I love his long and varied career (lots of which I haven't heard yet). I love him and Ronnie Lane singing Maybe I'm Amazed. And I love this clip. There are so many reasons to love it, but let's not ignore the outfit or the woman on the balcony just because we are deeply wowed by Rod and his voice.

One day Rod will do a duet with Bonnie Tyler, and beautiful raspy worlds will collide.

Ian Tomlinson

I went to the memorial service for Ian Tomlinson this morning, which was a very simple affair on the patch of pavement near Threadneedle Street where he died a year ago today.

Tomlinson was hit from behind by a police officer during the G20 protests. (He was not actually a protester. He had been selling newspapers nearby; he was trying to walk home but the police had blocked his way as they were 'kettling' people, ie blocking off the ends of certain streets.) There is footage of what happened here and here. It is upsetting to watch, and it feels slightly intrusive, but I think it's important to see what happened.

The police initially said that Tomlinson had died from natural causes, and that the protesters had "pelted" them with bottles while they were trying to help Tomlinson. Both these statements were shown to be false. The police had lied.

There were about 100 people at the one minute's silence this morning. A lot of photographers were there too; I hope that the family were aware of all the people standing in silent support and protest, and not just aware of the cameras pointed at them.

We pay the police to protect us. I don't think this was an example of one violent policeman among a force of good and decent police. I think it's an indication of something more disturbing: the police - and specifically the TSG, which is the branch of police brought in to 'control' public protest - now see us as the enemy. We are the people they are supposed to serve, but they're bullying us. And if they keep getting away with it, they'll keep doing it.

It's a year since Ian Tomlinson died; the officer who attacked him needs to be charged with manslaughter. Can you imagine what would happen if there was a video of you or me beating someone to the ground, someone who died - with head injuries - shortly afterwards? We'd be in jail by now. Why is it different when it's a policeman? Slow motion justice is the same as injustice, and is the same as a cover-up. It stinks.

The loss of a loved one is hideous enough without having lawyers and the media and politicians and shifty police to add to your pain. I hope the family are able to keep as strong and as dignified as they've been so far, and that they get to find out what truth and justice actually feel like.

‘Welcome to the club of states who don't turn their back on the sick and the poor.’

I must now eat my hat as I never thought I’d say this but thank god for President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Whist delivering a speech at the prestigious Columbia University in New York a few days ago, the visiting French President let it rip.

"Welcome to the club of states who don't turn their back on the sick and the poor," Sarkozy said, referring to the US health care bill signed by President Barack Obama last week.

From the European perspective, he said, "when we look at the American debate on reforming health care, it's difficult to believe".

"The very fact that there should have been such a violent debate simply on the fact that the poorest of Americans should not be left out in the streets without a cent to look after them... is something astonishing to us."

He added after a huge applause: "If you come to France and something happens to you, you won't be asked for your credit card before you're rushed to the hospital."

Hear hear!

Rolling Down The Hills

Glass Candy are a dream, a big fluffy disco electro infused dream with bubbles.

I first came across Glass Candy whilst watching the Charles Bronson film way back. I then heard their song, 'Digital Versicolor' in the film and had to find out who made it. Seeing as the film soundtrack relied heavily on classical music, once I goggled the soundtrack and saw a group called Glass Candy, I knew it was them.

Ida No and Johnny Jewel make up Glass Candy, they formed in 1996 in the cultural hub town of Portland, Oregon. Ida who is, unbelievably forty, sings and Johnny is the Producer/Drummer. They have released a good 7 albums including EP's and LP's. Their new song, 'Feeling Without Touching' is a disco groover reliant heavily on synch beats. Older songs such as 'Sugar and Whitebread' move away from there usual electronic up beat tunes to a chilled dreamy vibe worthy of the most music muso ears.

Due to me discovering them whilst they launched the album B/E/A/T/B/O/X via record label, Italians Do It Better, I am obviously going to say it is my favourite album and it is! Their Kraftwerk cover of 'Computer Love' is addictive and even better than the original. All hail Kraftwork....Ok. The opener of 'Candy Castles' oozes coolness and the sexy beat in 'Digital Versicolour' make them amazing, glittery and exciting.

Playing live is another story, Ida brings the tunes to life in a unique way, not only by her doing yoga on stage as she gets ready to perform but also in her African inspired dance moves which entrance the audience.

Glass Candy are constantly touring and visit only London within the UK on the 8th of May. Their most recent album, Deep Gems was out in 2008 and one is due out this year… Fingers crossed!

Fav: Beatific

Stereolabia

Yesterday I read Paul Morley's Observer article about jazz and Polar Bear (pretty ace) and Brad Meldau (also ace apparently, I haven't checked yet).

In the article Morley refers to a band called Ovary Lodge - something I noted with happiness, not because I'm familiar with them but because I enjoy any reference to the female productive organs in popular (or, in this case, leftfield) culture.

So, what other bands could we add to this list? Help please. I'll start you off with a few:

The Slits
The Muff Medways
Bush
Stereolabia
Popol Vulva
Fallopian Out Boy
Uterusty Egan
Boyz II Menstruation

What I have learned from wine tasting...

The more wine you drink..the less you can score efficiently. Also, conversation is imperative. If conversation is saturated and continually falsified by opinions that do not match your own, then the wine tastes a little more sour. If conversation takes a turn for the worse, then it becomes dry. In certain circles this dryness is dourly referred to as 'Gandhi's flip-flop,' a term I do not condone. The red wine later in the evening, followed the white, and the red was wonderful but I can't very well discern one from the other. All Chilean red wine is excellent and bodacious. I also learned about the welting of shoes. I'd rather sleep than go into that one though.

I love 6 Music because...

they just played Salad Days by Minor Threat....followed by... Don't Worry Baby by The Beach Boys!

Awesome.

I would've blogged sooner but...

I was visiting the Mummies in the British Museum. It's true! My favourite fact I have taken with me from the mummification exhibit is that after being wrapped up, an amulet in the shape of a scarab beetle was often placed with them over their heart. This is because the heart scarab is not able to speak against the character of its owner on judgement day. So am I to assume that the bigger the heart scarab, the shadier the character? Hmm.

My brother leaves tomorrow morn!

Growing up, everyone has that sibling who grates on them and mine is my 15 year old brother.

The age gap is not only the issue but also because we are very much the same at times.

My brother is leaving the UK for 6 months to reside in Jamaica after being kicked out of school. This is a desperate bid by mardre to sort him out and I do hope it works.

He'll be sunning it and attending classes in Ocho Rios which is a stunning town on the north coast of Jamaica.

Throughout this week I've been thinking, 'Oh, I'm going to miss him so much,' I then go and visit him and he says something rude and I then think, 'Oh thank god he's going'.

It will be tough, as you can see from the picture.

Anyway, He will be missed.

Kurt Vonnegut explains why Hamlet is a masterpiece, and Cinderella isn't

I am already familiar with some of his books, some of his philosophies, and even some of his rules for writing. But today I saw graphs Kurt Vonnegut drew and read the lecture he gave to help explain the writing of a great story. It also explains (I think, something like) how good and bad are sometimes indistinguishable, and how the tendency we have to think of our lives as a story with a beginning and a middle and an end, a narrative arc that might possibly make some sense, is a bit of a con. So, along with Barack, Joe and Cary, today I am feeling love for Kurt.

On a Prog note...

It seems as if progressive psychedelic rock is back and I know this is a contentious issue but I am on side!

Aussie Land is where is it all happening and the remnants of the explosion lands firmly on Tame Impala's door.

They formed in Perth in 2007 and cite Cream and CAN as influences. These three scruffy 20 year olds signed to Oz label Modular Recordings (home to The Presets, Wolfmother and Yeah Yeah Yeah's) back in 2008 and have, consequently, been given time to develop and grow.

Tame Impala consists of Kevin Parker on lead guitar and vox, Dominic Simper on bass guitar and Jay Watson who drums and does backing vox. Kevin's dreamy delivery and image induced lyrics are held together by Dominic's cool basslines and Jay's drumming (especially in Half a Glass Full of Wine). An this makes Tame Impala exciting and, dare I say it… Fresh.

Tunes such as 'Sundown Syndrome' make me want to run through a field with daisies in my hair to then climb a tree to over look a luscious sunset… I then wake up from my daydream at my desk in drizzly London. 'Half a Glass Full of Wine' gained spot plays on BBC 6 Music and was their only song released from their EP in the UK.

After gaining support from Oz's biggest alternative radio station Triple J and with their self titled EP charting at number 1 on the Australian Independent Record Labels Association chart, so far, they've had a good run. They've supported The Black Keys, Yeasayer and MGMT and are gradually cracking the festival circuit.

Their album titled Innerspeaker is due for release in early June and with a few UK dates thrown in, it looks as if they're finally taking off.

Fav: 'Desire Be Desire Go'

Wednesday Week

While the people at the top forget to put on their hearing aids, support for 6 music is gaining momentum.

Not just supported by artists, listeners and the media, the under threat radio station is also gaining fans else where and the unlikely force comes from radio 4.

Don't you just love The Undertones classic much more now?

To fight for 6 there are a few things you can do. Email the trust at: srconsultation@bbc.co.uk, join the facebook group, attend the demo outside Broadcasting House London on Saturday 27 March at midday, but most importantly, listen to the iconic station. It needs you.

Cary Tennis is amazing

Finally, for the sake of argument, let us look at your life history not as a series of tragic difficulties or mishaps, but as an intelligent portrayal, as a drama with great truth in it. That is, imagine that there was some intelligence, or guiding principle, behind these repeating events. Imagine that the world was trying to tell you something, but it could only make itself known through events and patterns, expressing itself as though through a magnetic field of dramatic events. What would it be trying to tell you?

Obama and Biden are fucking brilliant

There's a right old hoo-ha in the more conservative US media about Joe Biden, vice president, happily telling Obama that "this is a big fucking deal" as the pair pass historic reforms that extend healthcare to 32 million Americans. These reforms are a glorious example of good winning out over reactionary bullshit, and that IS a big fucking deal. Whoop!