Arthur Rigby And The Baskervylles
3
Aug

Arthur Rigby And The Baskervylles – Half Moon, Putney 30/07/13

Brass players are starting to disappear unexpectedly from up-and-coming bands on the London gig circuit.

If you go on their website (below) Arthur Rigby And The Baskervylles are billed as an 8-piece band to include a 3-piece horn section, and there’s no saxaphone player. Tankus The Henge, a band of whom I am more than fond, were reduced to a single horn player (from a full complement of two) the last time I saw them.

It’ll be like the disappearing bees. Not The Bees as in the band “The Bees”, although come to think of it, what DID happen to them?. I mean  the insects.

You’ll all notice it in about three years time and then it’ll be like “oh no, why didn’t we listen to Tony”.

The name of the band, according to the violinist, derives from references to singer Ben Hatfield’s heroes and influences. His grandfather was called Arthur, and Baskervylle Road in Heswall, Merseyside is where Paul McCartney bought a house for his father Jim. And the “Rigby” bit …

It’s fair to say Macca will nod approvingly on hearing these guys.

I’d heard their sound described as “chamber pop” and they do have certain similarities to the excellent Paris Motel (who should make another original album soon btw!)

If you want comparisons they have more in common with the Divine Comedy and Dexys – and the quality of the songs is more than a match for Hannon or Rowland.

They released an EP last year called Tales From Pegasus Wood, five superbly crafted songs arranged beautifully, the best being “Follow”.

Live, however, they pack far more of a punch – without ever doing anything so crass as “rocking out”. Many more successful bands could take a lesson here as to how to translate your music from the studio to the live setting. It’s not a matter of turning it up and playing louder and faster, so you lose the subtleties. Sounds obvious but it’s often ignored.

Arthur Rigby and the Baskervylles give the impression of a band who really get off on what they do, a proper team effort with seemingly no egos pushing their way to the front of the sound.

The sound helps – I hope they never play anywhere with dodgy sound as this would detract from the magic they create. The Half Moon’s sound people always do a good job in my experience, and tonight they excel themselves. It’s loud, but you can hear every instrument clearly.

There’s a minimum of chat as the first few numbers are played with nary a pause, which is most welcome. Most of the songs are new to me, but have that quality that makes you think they’re standards.

As I walk to the station my lasting memory of the gig is of the trumpet player singing along to the song during a bit where he hasn’t got anything to play.

When the band are as into the material as that, you know you’ve got a good thing going.

Malawi Mouse Boys
27
Jul

Malawi Mouse Boys – Boogaloo, Highgate

Thursday 25th July

Musical influences between the First and the Third World go in both directions. For every whiteboy English R&B band of the sixties lifting old blues tunes from the Mississippi delta there’s an Indian band doing playback covers of The Beatles.

See me a Paul “Oh No, Hide The Rhythms, Quick” Simon scouring South Africa to rejuvenate his career and I’ll raise you Biggie Tembo of the Bhundu Boys covering “Hotel California” with passion, love and a complete absence of irony.

Music is music, all musicians are influenced by what they hear and in a shrinking global community the Malawi Mouse Boys are prime examples of this.

The name is not some cute gang moniker, referring to the day-job the guys in the band have held since they were boys. They sell mouse kebabs on sticks to passers-by at the side of the road, mice being something of a delicacy in Malawi.

 

Last year they recorded an album produced by Ian Brennan (Tinariwen), recorded mostly outdoors in Malawi.

The album is wonderful, music that relies purely on passion and emotion to carry it through. It’s basically an African gospel album with a stripped-back sound and straight-up Christian lyrics which both hark back to a previous age. The musical palette also encompasses loping old-school reggae rhythms and  some unexpected, and welcome bluegrass notes. It does get a little but samey towards the end on first listen, but stick with it – the beautiful vocal interplay improves on repeated plays.

Tonight is their first ever gig in the UK as they prepare for an appearance at this weekend’s WOMAD festival.

Jaw dropping. Four guys from Malawi on their first day abroad, let alone in LDN. They’ve been shopping in Camden Market and  have bought Wonderstuff merchandise. I know Kenny Rogers and the Eagles are huge in Africa but Miles Hunt and the boys? Weird …

Legend has it that there were only twelve people at the first British gig by  Zimbabwe’s Bhundu Boys circa 1987.  Social media and the release of the debut album last year mean the Mouse Boys have a much larger audience for their foreign debut. The Boogaloo is pretty much packed. An enthusiastic, encouraging crowd is here.

Instrumentation – two guitars, one home-made. But it’s the voices that grab the attention. They begin their first gig away from their home country with an accapella number, a clear, confident statement of intent.

Lead singer Zondiwe Kachingwe has a sweet voice reminiscent of Levi Stubbs of the Four Tops but it’s the vocal interplay between all four band members takes the music to another place.

Four strong, beautiful voices singing close harmonies with that incredibly “up” quality you hear in the likes of Toots And The Maytals,  and the Beach Boys – and, it has to be said, driven by religious belief.

The devil has the best tunes? Nah. Theres a subject I need to return to some time…

Public Service Broadcasting
3
Mar

Great Torrington, North Devon. Friday March 1st, 2013.

In 1646 the decisive battle of the south-western campaign of the First English Civil War was fought here. It marked the end of all Royalist resistance in the West Country.

Since then, very little has happened. Until this evening. Tonight, Great Torrington finds itself once again on the map as it plays host to a performance by Public Service Broadcasting.

Public Service Broadcasting are a London-based electronic musical ensemble comprising J Willgoose, Esq on guitars, computer loops and keyboards and drummer Wrigglesworth.

Currently performing a number of installations at venues up and down the country that are, until now of course, “off the beaten track” , so to speak.

Each musical item served up for our delectation this evening is accompanied by black-and-white video footage, each a veritable montage from Britain’s past – but this is no simple exercise in nostalgia.

Far from it.

For in an age where all respect for authority has been lost, some would say rightfully, where are the young to find moral guidance?

Public Service Broadcasting have concluded, as have many of us, that this can and must come from an examination of Britain’s past – and they do this in a very clever way, by superimposing images and voices from the past over the dance beats that young people find so compelling.

Three examples of this are provided below.

The spirit of the Blitz is commemorated with the defiant “London Can Take It”. Sinister air-raid sirens sound over the familiar English church bells as a comforting voice ensures us all will be well.

Next we have “Spitfire” – a truly inspirational tribute to the aircraft that won the Battle Of Britain.

And finally, one of the ensemble’s newer pieces, “Signal 30”, a stark warning to be safe when behind the wheel of a car, which is more timely today than it has ever been.

All these numbers and many others are performed this evening with elan, éclat and – always – with gravitas and dignity.

Mr Willgoose and his trusty drummer do not deign to engage in futile exchanges with the occasional yahoo who dares to “heckle” them. Instead, these fellows are made to look pretty silly by electronic means – more I shall not say, as this is all part of the show.

It is my fervent hope that every man, woman and child reading these words should soon attend a performance from Public Service Broadcasting.

They are currently engaged in travelling the length and breadth of this sceptred isle, so, as our American cousins might have it, they will most certainly be coming to a town near you soon.

Furthermore, the ensemble’s debut long playing record will be released on May 6th, 2013, and should be available from HMV and Woolworth’s, as well as from your local independent record shops.

In conclusion, may I thank Messrs Willgoose and Wrigglesworth for such an enlightening evening and assure them on behalf of all present that their stated aims to Inform, Educate and Entertain have been met – indeed, exceeded.

God Save The King.

Public Service Broadcasting website

The Great Lost Beatles Album of 1971
1
Mar

There are many, many “what if”s to ponder in Beatles history.

What if they hadn’t sacked Pete Best in favour of Ringo?

What if Brian Epstein had been straight and therefore less able to see the potential to create the world’s first boy band?

And what if John had never met Yoko? Well, for one thing, they would never have split up when they did.

In 1970 the four Beatles were far from creatively spent. Looking back at the early 70s it seems that for the first few years after the breakup , all four members were furiously engaged in trying to out-do each other as to who could put out the best songs and sell the most records.

I’ve never subscribed to the theory that “they never reached the heights they reached together”.

It is more accurate to say “they never reached the sustained heights” – and it is my contention that the only reason for this was that they were no longer working together.

Paul would have vetoed John’s more indulgent experiments, and John would have continued to rein in the more overt examples of Paul’s whimsy. And both would have encouraged George to new heights.

Simple mathematics tells us that if the same creative team makes four albums separately, these are, on average going to be only 25% as good.

Weight the average in favour of John and Paul and against Ringo and you’d probably expect a Lennon or a McCartney album to contain 40% Fabs-quality material, George’s album would have a one in five hit-rate and anything Ringo could come up with would be a bonus.

So, suppose the Beatles had taken a year off after the release of Let It Be, gone their separate ways, but then reconvened at Studio Two, Abbey Road around mid-1971.

The resulting album could have been their best yet. They would have argued about the tracks and the order, with John finally winning the battle to finish on a political, rather than a feel-good song.

The Great Lost Beatles Album Of 1971

Side One

What Is Life (George)
Back Off Boogaloo (Ringo)
Another Day (Paul)
Wah Wah (George)
Maybe I’m Amazed (Paul)
Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey (Paul)
Instant Karma (John)

Side Two

Imagine (John)
The Back Seat Of My Car(Paul)
Give Peace A Chance (John)
It Don’t Come Easy (Ringo)
C Moon (Paul)
My Sweet Lord (George)
Working Class Hero (John)

Guide To Grading Vinyl Records
17
Feb

When buying or selling vinyl records it’s easy to be subjective about the condition a record is in.

Fortunately the excellent Record Collector Magazine provide a grading guide which is now widely accepted :

MINT: The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

EXCELLENT: The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and / or creasing.

VERY GOOD: The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

GOOD: The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

FAIR: The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents will be torn, stained and / or defaced.

POOR: The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.

BAD: The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use
as a collection filler.

As well as the above grades, Near Mint is often used as well; this is really for a record that appears new but is known to have been played because the label has light spindle marks or because it has come from a previous owner and is assumed to have been played by them. For records which appear to fall between the accepted grades, + and – are also often added to the grading.

All information (c) Record Collector Magazine