3 posts tagged “dexy's midnight runners”
Hello,
Saturday night was really rather jolly good. Murray James opened the evening with a strong set. There was some new material in there that sounds really interesting. Ball and Chain was my personal highlight and I'm looking forward to getting a recorded version off his manager soon. TF's crowd is quite tough for singer songwriter types, but he came across really well and got a warm reception. Though I did end up shouting at some hecklers afterward (I shouldn't be allowed a mic between sets).
It was weird starting a gig whilst it was still daylight. I guess it's now officially summer. Evening though it's sodding raining (again) outside.
Daniel Flay & The Irreparable Guilt followed. There was only to of them, so I guess it could have been Daniel Flay and the Nearly-Irreparable guilt, the Slightly Guilty, perhaps it could have been Daniel Flay and the bit Shifty? Anyhow, enough Michael-taking. His set was great.
Millionaire is one of my favourite songs and regularly features in my iTunes, as does The Antagonist which I hum a lot. As I raved on about that night, I find a really charming vulnerability in his music but real strength in its execution. (what am I on about?!?!?) But seriously, as a character, Daniel is quiet, reserved, possibly slightly introvert which is apparent on stage but the music expresses some really strong sentiments. The almost continuous two part harmony between Dan and Ellie Walker makes for engaging melodies and songwriting that works really well. Be sure to listen to both Daniels and Ellie's stuff. They finished the set with a really great Cyndi Lauper cover (bet you can't guess which). I hope they're doing some more London dates soon, if they are check them out.
Ched followed (I approve of the name change). The six string bass implied to me that it was going to be quite jazzy, or really frickin heavy. Jesus H Christ it was loud. There is a really strong reference to Rage Against the Machine in their style which is no bad thing. Lots of manic synchronised head banging interspersed with leaning back screaming vocals. Really taken aback by the performance and I was smiling the whole way through. At one point the bassist had his foot on the window sill to the left of the stage and was performing to his own little crowd gathering outside. Christian has real presence as a front man and knows how to grab a crowd by the goolies. They haven't got any gigs booked, which needs to change I think.
Occupying that uncomfortable space that followed Ched, Capisce? followed. Luckily their tight performance and stark contrast in style didn't highlight them as a lull in the evening's line up. I've never seen a guitar with a piercing before but that's exactly what I saw on Ian's instrument. Possibly early days for the band but Time Crisis 4 really stood out as a potential hit with moments of brilliance in its performance.
So, headlining the evening was Tough Love. I'd been looking forward to this literally all month. The only reason I got them booked is I've known the manager for 10 years and lived with him for a while. Otherwise I think this lot could have been an optimistic booking on my part. Because there's a lot going on stage-wise. I sound-checked them earlier in the evening. Two drummers, FIVE vocals, guitar and bass. Crazy sound. When listening to their stuff I hear Paul Simon (during the whole Ladysmith Black Mambazo thing), Adam and the Ants, Dexy's Midnight Runners, Scissor Scisters, and a whole heap of others. Getting Over It is another iTunes highlight of mine and I recently really started to get into Alpha Male which I think could be a hit for radio depending on the mix. They're currently working with a producer I'm familiar with and I'm really looking forward to hearing their new stuff. As mentioned before, they're really involved in the whole London burlesque scene and have picked up a lot of fans as a result. Their night White Mischief is eagerly anticipated and was described as the 'Event of the year' by Timeout last time. No dancers at my gig unfortunately. Hopefully this is something I can rectify in the future. Purely for artistic purposes. Anyhow, visit their page and say hello. Be sure to check them out at some point soon.
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Apart from that, all in all a quiet weekend. I didn't get to bed until 7 on Sunday morning. I don't really get to enjoy the gigs as I'm too busy running about making sure everything is ok. Plus I'm filming n that. One day I'll just sit back and project manage, having my own 'people' for such things.
Will all this busyness I've lost track of time, and not been doing the excercise that I've meant to. Checking my diary my competition is 2 weeks away!!! :-s So I thought last night "Right, intense training, now! Nothing but training for the next two weeks" Then I looked at my diary and every night is booked up with something. As is the weekend. Hmm. Maybe I should use Condaleeza Rice as a role model (she gets up at 4am every day for the gym). Saying that, I get my bike tomorrow which Sony BMG has supplied me with. Hopefully I can take it off some sweet jumps.
Anyhow, hope all is sweet with you.
Insane, is a good word to start the blog with.
Sodding knackered would be a good second phrase to go with.
Tonight is the first night where I don't have to go to a gig for some time. Don't get me wrong, I love my job. But I've been racking up about 3 hours of sleep a night for over a week now and starting to feel the strain a little. More grey hair is appearing I'm sure. I will make up for the recent hedonism with lots of gym activity this weekend. :-)
I saw a great band last night who I think are going to be amazing. Though I've had some friends hate them too. I like anything that gets a strong reaction. Indifference is pretty insulting to a band I think. I've spoken to the manager and I'm going to get them a page on here. There are elements of Adam and the Ants, Paul Simon (with ladysmith black mambazo) and maybe Dexy's midnight runners. I think I've mentioned them before 'Kunta Kinte' though I think they may be changing their name.
As I mentioned before (I think) they're closely connected to the whole London burlesque revival thing. I know, it's been going for ages but it's not something I've looked into much before. The band have run a very sucessful night called White Mischeif, I wish my gigs could be like this:
This is something that really interests me as the nights are really entertaining, varied and have appeal to everyone it seems. They're not too risque but seem good fun. I'm surprised more elements of this haven't broken through into the mainstream yet. I'm going to start researching venues and find other acts who are into this scene.
Anyone out there into this? Been to any nights? Or perhaps just like seeing pretty ladies in frilly knickers?
A couple of ideas are starting to float around my head. Hmmm. :-)
Hope all is well with you. What you all up to?
This is the problem when you fall behind on posts.
I try to post everyday and now I've fallen behind and got too much to fit in. Will give you the reader's digest version.
Friday I went to see The Juice with a new found friend. The gig was in Angel and it took forever to get there. But I was determined not to miss this gig. I've missed them about 3 times before for various reasons so I couldn't miss it again.
On getting to Angel I realised I had on clue on how to get to the venue so we jumped in a cab. Took about five minute and he didn't charge! I mean, how often does that happen? Have you ever been in a taxi where' they've said 'This one's on me mate'? Crazyness. I think the place was called the Queen Boudica or similar.
It was packed and the gathering outside looked quite fun. Imagine Dexy's Midnight Runners with heavy eye makeup. So I was eager to see what the inside was like. Quirky and dimly lit I heard a covers band playing a Queen song. Big wigs and spandex all over the place. Got a couple of drinks in and waited for The Juice.
Jay the singer came over and said hello, hadn't seen him since the Tommy Flnn's gig. He seemed in good spirits.
They played a cracking set. It's really good to see a band who is really tight and consiting of good musicians. Really impressed with the skills of all of them. Their songs are really strong too, I would check out their Vox though i don't think it's reflective of what they can acheive live. They threw in a couple of covers to keepo the crowd happy I think and I had to leave just before the end as I didn't want to get stranded.
I spent Saturday recovering and preparing for the 2nd incarnation of my bbq. I was far better prepared this time. I got food, sorted the garden, loads of booze and even invited people this time. Had a selection of the jujitsu class turn up and drank a huge amount, plus ate a bit. Looks like I've got shopping in for the next two weeks. Got quite a bit left over.
I booked yesterday morning off to recover and wait for a washing machine to be delivered. Which never arrived. Then found out about the tube strike, dammit! Emailed ahead and asked to work from home as it was an email day. It took me 2 hours and £30 to get in this morning. Every bus drove past because it was full and the overland was a no go area. Plus there was traffic jams. You can't win in London when the Tube workers strike. They can pretty much hold the captial to ransom.
Anyway, today I was in with Phonogenic to discuss one of the Vox artists. They're interested but they need to hear more stuff so there's more work to do. Plus I've had a couple more come in today which I really like. Will post details tomorrow as this is rapidly turning into a very long post.
Time for some pie I think.
IB
