Life, Life By Keith Christmas.

It is another golden autumn day today. I was sitting in the yard enjoying the sunshine when there was a knock on the door. The post lady handed me a package which contained the new album by Keith Christmas called Life, Life. “That was quick”, I thought to myself because I had only ordered it on Sunday. The first impression I had was that I liked the attractive artwork on the sleeve by David Alderslade. I wonder if he is related to John Alderslade of Village Pump Folk Club fame? It was at the Village Pump in Trowbridge about eight years ago that I first saw Keith Christmas perform. He made a live album that night which I bought, and I have been a fan ever since.

When I put the CD in the machine, I immediately loved the opening song Round The Stones which is about the Stonehenge Festival of 1979. For a person like me who lives in Wiltshire and has been to Stonehenge for the solstice this song is a bit special. I have shared a video of Keith singing the song below if you would like to hear it. I would love to see Keith perform this song actually at the stones or Avebury or even at the stone circle on the Glastonbury Festival site. That would make a great video. The eponymous title track Life Life is next. It is a life affirming song about how we have minor misfortunes but soon get over it and can even use it to our advantage. I like how the lyrics are reflected in the artwork with the open window and the litter of hedgehogs. Love In The Gold is a very touching love song about ageing and how love doesn’t care about a few grey hairs and being forgetful. Wonderful Ride is another optimistic song which makes you feel grateful to be alive.

Keith recently at Beckenham Bandstand.

A Gun In His Hand by contrast is a much darker angry anti-war song which warns that people who experience the horrors of war never get over it. The sentiment of the lyrics reminded me of Dylan’s Masters Of War. I think Travelling Blues is a quasi-autobiographical song about life on the road for a musician. Trouble Trouble  might be a warning about pride coming before a fall and some pompous people who think the laws of karma don’t apply to them should learn some humility. You only have to watch the news to think that. I haven’t mentioned what a great guitarist Keith is. I don’t play the guitar so I can’t really comment on his technical virtuosity. I just know what I like, and I don’t think there are many acoustic guitar players these days more skillful than Keith. His great guitar playing is amply demonstrated on Who’s Going To Save You?

Glastonbury 1970 (Keith in afghan jacket)

The Love That Surrounds You is a wonderful emotive song which I think might be about giving advice to a friend who could be suffering with depression. As well as Keith’s guitar playing the other thing I like about him is his very distinctive singing voice. Keith conveys emotion in his voice very well and you believe that he means every word. Ruled By The Tide is a story of a nostalgic trip down memory lane to the seaside town when he was born. In the lyrics it mentions a Nottage Institute which I had never heard of, so I looked it up. It is a maritime charity named after Captain Charles G. Nottage. It is a great song.

Born Of God takes its inspiration from the signing of the Magna Carta at Runnymede. It is a song that I think is very relevant to this country today. I like the line ‘For We’ll never follow a leader with no honour, it will come to no good in the end’, so, listen up Boris Johnson! The final song is Book Of Magic which is a charming song about having an idea for a book, being rejected but still persevering. I think the answer is to self-publish. It is a very nice song with which to end this most enjoyable album.

Captain Charles G. Nottage.

Keith Christmas played on David Bowie’s Space Oddity album and recently played in Beckenham for the 50^th anniversary of a concert where he played on the same bill as Bowie in 1969. It was the gig that Bowie immortalised in Memory Of a Free Festival. He also played at the first Glastonbury Festival in 1970 and I think Michael Eavis should book him for the 50^th anniversary festival next year. If you want to learn more about Keith Christmas you can visit his website here- https://www.becn.co.uk

Keith Christmas: ROUND THE STONES, Live In Frome 2019

Dogrel By Fontaines D.C.

We seem to be having a bit of an Indian summer at the moment. It was so nice on Friday I thought I’d go over to Warminster and meet a friend in ‘Spoons. That is the name we give to Wetherspoons. I don’t really like going in there because the owner is a big Brexiteer and is always gobbing off about it on the telly. She likes it though and it has a garden out the back where we sat in the sunshine. Also, you can get a bottle of chardonnay in an ice bucket for less than ten quid, which isn’t bad.

I thought I would treat myself to a new CD and nipped across the road to Raves From The Grave. We are lucky to have a music shop in a little town like Warminster, so I like to support them. I didn’t know what to buy though. In the new releases I was surprised to see a new album by The Subhumans. They are a local band who we used to follow about 35 years ago. They had a huge cult following at the time. It is good to see they are still going, but I don’t think I could listen to it at home these days. I had a good mooch through all the folky type music which is what I mainly listen to these days, but I couldn’t find anything that took my fancy.

Me in Spoons with Dogrel.

Then I remembered a band that I discovered recently called Fontaines D.C. and found their debut album in the section devoted to the Mercury Prize nominees. The album is called Dogrel which is a play on words of doggerel, a type of poetry with irregular rhythms. The band come from Dublin and I think they are the best new Irish band to emerge in years. I don’t listen to many groups these days. If you look back through my blogs you will see that it is nearly all singer-songwriters and solo artists. I think the last Irish band I really followed and bought several albums by were the Saw Doctors and that was a long time ago now. I could have seen Fontaines D.C. this year at Glastonbury when they played the John Peel Stage but I hadn’t heard of them then. It was only when a friend mentioned that they saw them on the BBC coverage that I looked them up on Youtube. If you are wondering about their name, they originally called themselves The Fontaines after a character in The Godfather, but then discovered there was an American band of the same name, so added D.C. meaning Dublin City.

When I got home, I put the CD in the machine and I haven’t stopped playing it since. As soon as I heard the first track Big I thought of another Irish singer I like called Damien Dempsey. That is probably because of the Dublin accent. The singer Grian Chatten should be complimented for keeping his accent and not singing in a mock-American voice which a lot of singers do. This helps the band to have their distinctive sound. He has a great speaking voice as well as on such tracks as Hurricane Laughter. The twin guitar sound is great as well. There are several songs that would have been hits in the old days. I particularly like Roy’s Song which did actually remind me a bit of the Saw Doctors. Every track on the album is worthy but the last three songs are outstanding. Liberty Belle is a tribute to the area of Dublin where they lived called The Liberties. Boys In The Better Land is a post-punk classic which must send the audience wild when performed live. Dublin City Sky is like a cross between The Velvet Underground and The Pogues. I think the great Shane Macgowan would be proud of this song if he had written it. I have shared a video of the band performing this song below if you want to hear it. I think you should.

I think Fontaines D.C. are going to be huge and I will follow their future career with interest. The Mercury Prize is announced this week and I hope they win it.

Fontaines D.C. - Dublin City Sky