Otway The Movie, Review.

It was a windy and rainy day yesterday and I was trapped indoors and starting to get depressed. "How can I make today interesting?", I asked myself. Then  John Otway posted on Facebook that there was to be a screening of  'Otway, The Movie' at the Little Theatre Cinema in Bath that very evening followed by a question and answer session with the man himself. I knew I had to go, so I phoned up my friend Dave and he wanted to go as well I  booked two tickets. I spent the afternoon kicking my heels because Otway has been part of my life for nearly forty years ( See previous stories below). I met Dave in the pub and we caught the 6.38 train to Bath.                                          We had time on our hands so we went for a drink in the Grapes pub in Westgate Street until it was show time. In all the years I have lived in this area I have never been to the Little Cinema before and I must say it is a wonderful little venue, hidden away up an alley way off  Westgate Street and the seats are really comfortable.

While we were waiting for the doors to open Otway himself arrived and I took the opportunity to take a couple of photos with me and Dave. He also signed an album for me and we had a little chat. He seems genuinely interested in what people have to say and takes the time to speak to them. I think that is why he has built up such a devoted fan base over the years. I told him about previous times I had seen him. The first time was right here at Bath Pavilion in 1978 and he remembered it which surprised me because he must have played thousands of gigs since. I also told him about the time Kim and I went to his 50th birthday party at the London Palladium. Kim used to love Otway and it made her night when he gave her a kiss on the cheek at a gig in Frome a few years ago.

Then it was time for the film which Otway introduced. He said that we had to listen out for the one word that was the reason that when the film got its certificate it can't be seen by unaccompanied children under twelve. The film begins with Otway returning to his old school in Aylesbury to talk to the kids about how to make a career in the music business. It then chronicles his whole career which is portrayed as one disaster after another. There is a lot of footage of his legendary concert in Aylesbury market square in 1978. I was there on that memorable day. There is also the London Palladium concert where the fans conspired to give him a hit record as a birthday present. I'll never forget that night sitting in the pub listening to the chart being announced and 'Bunsen Burner' going straight in the charts at number 9. Then Otway coming over to the pub and standing on a table to the cheers of the fans.

 I won't tell you all of the film but it was really enjoyable and I know the rest of the audience enjoyed it because there was a lot of spontaneous laughter and applause throughout the screening. There is one thing that slightly niggles me though is because the film has the sub-title of  'Rock And Roll's Greatest Failure'. I disagree with that because John Otway has had a long and successful career and brought a lot of pleasure to many people. The other thing that is overlooked is that he has written some great songs and has a body of work to be proud of. I think his first  album with Wild Willy Barrett and the follow-up 'Deep And Meaningless' are great albums by any standard. I would put them in my favourite 50 albums of all time. Songs like Geneva, Gypsy,Josephine,Place Farm Way and many more are songs to be proud of and show that he is a great singer-songwriter.

After the screening there were questions and answers and I asked John if he was doing Glastonbury this year and he is. I can reveal that he is on in the Cabaret Stage on the Saturday and also the film will be shown in the Cinema Tent. Dave and I left before the end because we wanted a quick drink before catching the train. John did ask though if anyone noticed the one word that barred unaccompanied children from seeing it. I thought it might be Willy but actually it was Twat. Now that Otway has made a film I wonder what the future holds for him. I think he should definitely be given the freedom of the city of Aylesbury because through his songs he has put his home town on the map. Also if his fans can get together and give him a hit single why can't they start a campaign to get him in the Queens New Years Honours list for services to music. He deserves it more than most of them. Anyway, thank you very much John Otway for a great night out in Bath.

Review: Steve Earle, Colston Hall Bristol May 24th 2013.

I went to a great concert last night at the Colston Hall in Bristol. It was Steve Earle And The Dukes. I first heard of Steve about ten years ago because a lot of my internet friends were always going on about how great he was. A friend in Toronto sent me a double CD compilation of Steve's songs and a friend of mine from the pub Colin who is a Steve Earle fanatic burned me off two of Steve's recent albums, Washington Square Serenade and I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive. I was hooked, I liked Steve's voice, the great songs, Steve's socio-political left wing views, his campaigns against the death penalty in America, and other issues. I saw his wife of the time Alison Moorer in 2005 when she played the Acoustic Stage at Glastonbury and she introduced her soon to be husband Steve Earle. He sang one song with her but I can't remember what it was now.

When I heard that Steve was playing in Bristol I knew we had to go and see him, so  bought a bunch of tickets for my friends and seven of us met up last night in The Crown. There was Colin & Sharon, Chris and Chrissie, Sharon's son Kevin, Dave and me. A quick pint in the pub and we piled into two taxis and caught the 5.38 train to Bristol. It was a cold and windy evening but two carrier bags of booze kept our spirits high. At Bradford On Avon my sister Margaret and her partner Wayne joined us on the train so that made a merry gang of nine of us. We soon arrived in the great seafaring city of Bristol and two more taxis zipped us to the Colston Hall. The building is named after Edward Colston a rich merchant who was pockets a jingle in the olden days through slave money which is an unfortunate part of Bristol's history. In recent years it has been been modernised with a brand new foyer and bar area which is where we hurried to. They have local bands playing in the bar area most nights which is a nice touch and we got chatting to an old guy called Clarence who had just come in to listen to the bar music. I had some spare tickets so I gave one to Clarence which was my good deed of the day. We went outside for a ciggie and  took some photos of our gang and Steve's bus which was parked outside.

Then it was time for the support band The Mastersons who were introduced by Steve. They are a married duo Eleanor Whitmore and Chris Masterson who have a brand new album out now called Birds Fly South and are also part of Steve's band The Dukes. I particularly like Eleanor's violin playing and Chris's guitar sound. I must admit though that before the end of their set I returned to the bar for another drink before the interval rush. Then it was time for the main man and his band. As well as the Mastersons other band members include Will Rigby and Kelly Linney if I remember correctly. There was a huge battery of instruments at the side of the stage for the band. The roadies certainly had their work cut out for the instrument changes. The first song they performed was the eponymous title track of Steve's new album Low Highway. I  regretted that I hadn't bought the album and familiarised myself with the songs because I had to concentrate really hard to make out the lyrics. 

This was followed by another song from the new album, the more upbeat Calico County. Another great song off Low Highway was called Invisible, a portrait of somebody living on the margins of society. I started trying to write a set list, but gave up because i soon realised there are vast gaps in my knowledge of Steve Earle songs. Songs I  remember include the crowd pleaser Copperhead Road, 21st Century Blues, Hear That Train a Comin', My Old Friend The Blues. The Revolution Starts Now, Warren Hellman's Banjo, and Remember Me. Steve talked a bit between the songs and he said some words about autism. I think he and Alison have an autistic son. Steve sang a song from a show called Treme, but I can't remember what it was called. The encore was the Stones song Mothers Little Helper , and as it was Bob Dylan's birthday he finished by singing Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues. During this song I left my seat and walked right down the front. Just as Steve was leaving the stage he was picking up his stuff right in front of me and I snapped the best picture I could.

After the show Steve came to the foyer to sign merchandise and I would have loved to have bought a signed copy of the new album but the queue was too long and we had a train to catch. The gang caught the 11.20 train and we got home tired but happy after a great night so thank you very much Steve Earle and The Dukes.

Review:Duke Special,The Louisiana Bristol 12.4.2013

The Louisiana prides itself on booking bands before they are famous.The walls are covered in pictures of people who have played there previously such as.Amy Whitehouse, Fleet Foxes, White Stripes, Corrine Bailey-Rae, Muse, Mogwai and Snow Patrol who were once a support band here.Whoever books the bands obviously knows their stuff.

We traipsed upstairs to see the show. I think it must be the smallest venue I have ever been in. The show was sold out so it was jam packed upstairs. The first act on was Nadine Shah and she was really good. I was watching her this afternoon on youtube and I think we will hear a lot more of Nadine in the future. The second act was Sadpaw and I think he must be a friend of Duke's because he played on a couple of Duke's songs later in the evening.

Finally at 9.30 Duke came on stage and by now the place was so packed you could hardly move your arms.The first thing Duke did was to invite twenty people to come and sit around him on the stage. That relieved the pressure at the front a bit and helped create a nice atmosphere. All evening Duke played the piano, sang and told funny stories.I think the first song Duke did was 'Slip Of A Girl' which is a really catchy song that I can't get out of my head since. Duke then told a really funny story that was inspired by a photograph he had seen of 'Rita De Costa' who made a career out of marrying wealthy men who died shortly after the wedding. Duke also handed out songsheets of some of the songs so the audience could sing along if they wanted which was a nice touch. Creaky Boat Blues is a great song for singing along to. I can't possibly remember all the songs.One song though i really liked though was Duke's version of 'I've Worn My Elbows Down To The Bone'by Ivor Cutler because I love Ivor Cutler's music. He is great and i'm really pleased Duke Special is into him.

Duke also sang a song I liked by My Bloody Valentine but i can't remember the name of it now. Another great cover version Duke did was 'Heart Like A Wheel' by Kate And Anna McGarrigle which was stunning. Duke has a great taste in other peoples music and I must say I like the way he sings in his Northern Irish accent which is great. A lot of singers from these isles put on a fake American accent, but Duke doesn't. Of Dukes own songs I am really impressed with'Last Night I Nearly Died, But I Woke Up Just In Time'. I can't get that song out of my head either. The song I liked the best of all though was the last song of the night called 'Condition'.The dark lyrics are brilliant. 'Sometimes its hard to make yourself think, its like the words are crawling back into the ink'.

Afterwards Duke kindly signed a CD for me. It is his new album called 'Oh Pioneer'.The title is obviously inspired by the book 'Oh Pioneers' by Willa Cather. I like it when people name drop books and things.Van the man is always doing that. I have been listening to the album while writing this and I urge you to check out Duke Special because he is a superstar. Its just that the world hasn't realised it yet. So thank you very much Duke Special, Nadine Shah, Sadpaw, and The Louisiana for a brilliant night out in Bristol.

Rory Gallagher. His Life and Times' by Marcus Connaughton

My niece Katherine sent me this wonderful book a few weeks ago . 'Rory Gallagher,His Life And Times' by Marcus Connaughton. Katherine had attended the book launch in Cork because she is married to the writer Laurence Fenton who did a fine job of editing the book for Marcus. When Gary Moore died a couple of years ago I remember Bob Geldof in his tribute saying that Gary was one of a trinity of great Irish blues men which were Van Morrison,Gary Moore and Rory Gallagher and I couldn't agree more, but Van has dipped into all sorts of music genres such as jazz, country, folk, and soul. Gary could never seem to decide if he was a rock star or a blues guitarist, but  Rory was uncompromising in dedicating his life to the blues which was the music he loved. He didn't care about fashion and carried on regardless through the changing fads of music wearing the same check shirts and playing the same beloved Fender Stratocaster guitar throughout his whole career. He bought it secondhand in Cork in 1963 for £100 which was a lot for a young kid back then and he paid it off in installments.

I first heard of Rory in 1971 when I lived in North Wales. My pal Robin had the first two albums by Rory's band Taste. The eponymous Taste and On The Boards. I really liked those albums. It was about the time I discovered Gary Moore as well and his band Skid Row. Another favourite album a few years later was 'Rory Gallagher Live In Europe'. Nearly everyone i knew seemed to have a copy of that album. I only saw Rory perform live once though. That was at the first Festival I ever went to which was the Great Western Festival near Lincoln in 1972. Rory was on stage when we arrived and it was absolutely pouring with rain. Rory said,"I'm sorry about the rain, but we'll pretend it doesn't exist at all". Then he proceeded to playing such a blisteringly brilliant set that nobody cared that they were soaked to the skin. He did actually play two sets at Lincoln because Helen Reddy didn't turn up. He was great and not only super musically but he came over as a really nice person. No hint of ego whatsoever which you get with most famous musicians.

Anyway, this review is supposed to be about Marcus's book and not my music memories. When I opened the book I was really pleased to see that Marcus had signed it. Marcus (See picture) is a veteran of the Irish record industry and for over twenty years he has produced a whole range of music programmes for RTE and is a well known presenter as well. He delivered the first Rory Gallagher memorial lecture in Cork in 1995 and has spoken at many tributes to Rory all over Europe. This book is obviously a labour of love and a fine job he has done. My copy was also signed by Louis De Paor (See photo at base of story) who is one of the foremost Irish poets and there is a poem by Louis simply called 'Rory' at the beginning of the book. Louis has often worked with another great Irish singer called John Spillane who recorded a song called 'A Song For Rory Gallagher' which incorporated Louis's words into the song lyrics and you can enjoy that song below this page as well.You can also find out more about Louis and John here-
http://shadowplays.com/blog/?p=1469

Reading the opening chapters I was struck by the similarities between Rory's early influences and those of Van Morrison.The same names come up over and over, Leadbelly, Big Bill Broonzy, Muddy Waters, Lonnie Donegan. I think Rory was about three years younger than Van but they both discovered the blues through the AFN radio and Radio Luxembourg. Like Van, Rory also got to play with Lonnie Donegan later in his career. He also played with Muddy Waters which must have been a thrill for him. The book follows Rory's journey from playing in showbands, to forming Taste then his solo career right up to Rory's tragic death in 1995 at the age of only 47.
I must say Marcus has unearthed some great photos for this book. They are quite stunning and many previously unseen. In conclusion I think this is a great book that fans of Rory will love. 

Postscript.

I have had some great feedback to this review. One music fan who lives in Canada called Dave Cooper has given me permission to show these photos of Rory that he took backstage and at a Rory concert in 1974.Thanks Dave.

Blair Whyte from Northern Ireland sent me this comment and some photos he took of Rory in the early days of his career. Thanks Blair.

Many thanks for the review Pat. I am actually currently reading this book. I am a long time admirer of Rory both as a musician and a person. I saw Rory the first time he played in Belfast and developed a good friendship with him during his early days in Belfast. Many memorable times. One in particular is when he was playing support for John Mayall. I had to drive JM to Portstewart in my Mini (you can imagine how comfortable how he was stretched out in the back seat!). That gig became infamous due to JM being told he had to play 'The Queen' at the end, 'cause that's the way it was here in N Ireland in those days. It features on one of his (JMs) bootlegs if you Google JM and Portstewart there is a clip.

"Bullfrog Blues" by Rory Gallagher Live from Irish Tour '74

Review:Richard Thompson & Anais Mitchell,The Forum, Bath 25/7/ 2012

I had a great time seeing Richard Thompson in Bath last night. Here is what happened. Smithy called for me at 6.15. I jumped in the car, slammed some music into the CD player, the engine roared and we shot off down the highway towards Bath. It was a beautiful summers evening without a cloud in the sky. It only took about 40 minutes to arrive in the fine Georgian city of Bath. We parked just round the corner from the Forum. There was a huge queue of old folkies outside and we were a bit early so we went in a bar called 'The Giraffe'.

I sat outside and watched the world go by and the girls in their summer fashions. Smithy came out with two small bottles of Swedish cider. "Guess how much they cost", he said. "£9.20,they are having a giraffe". I don't think we will be going in there again. Anyway, time was getting on, so we walked round the corner and we met Fred outside and took our seats just in time for the support act.

It was Anais Mitchell from Vermont in the USA. She was accompanied on guitar by her writing partner Michael Chorney. They performed songs from her folk opera Hadestown which is the story of Orpheus and Eurydice set in a post-apocalyptic America. The rest of her short but enjoyable set were songs from her new album called Young Man In America. Considering I had never heard of her before I thought she was great. She is also quite beautiful (See pictures). During the break we had a quick bottle of Bud from the bar and Fred and I went outside for a quick ciggie and a chat. When we went back inside Anais was sitting at the merchandise stall, so I went over and had a quick little chat with her. She was really nice."Did your parents name you after Anais Nin?", I asked."Yes",she replied politely, although she must have been asked that question a thousand times and corrected me on my pronunciation of Anais. I think I had my A and my I the wrong way round. I bought her new album and she signed it for me. I think we will hear a lot more from Anais Mitchell.

Then it was time for the main man. Its been 43 years since I first became aware of the work of Richard Thompson and tonight was the first time I had seen him as a solo performer live. When he sauntered on stage dressed in his trademark black beret and scarf what surprised me was the lack of guitars. I expected to see about 8 or 9 guitars, electric and acoustic on stands all across the stage, but no, Richard played the same acoustic guitar all evening, but boy did he play it.

The first song he did was When The Spell is Broken which is from the 80's I believe and then Walking On A Wire.His guitar playing is quite mesmerising, I don't know how he does it. I have never played a guitar in my life, but Fred and Smithy both play the guitar and they were in awe of him. When he plays you would think it was two or three guitars all playing. Fred said afterwards that he is the best acoustic guitar player he has ever heard and I must say I agree with him. I have never heard anyone better. Anyway, to get back to the songs, the humorous Valerie was next followed by a song that I am not sure what it is now. I thought it was called Haul Me Up but i have been told its not.Can anyone tell me what it was?
As well as being possibly the best guitar player in the world Richard is also one of the best songwriters of the past 50 years. Richard followed that dark song by injecting some humour by singing a song about a ceilidh band from Liverpool called The Drones going on a cruise. "Its an excuse to sing a song about sex",said Richard. "Do you still have sex in Bath?, get as much as you can before they ban it". I think the song is called Johnny's Far Away On The Rolling Sea. He got the audience singing along with that one. Then someone in the audience shouted out a request for Cold Kisses."Ok, its been a long time but i'll do it. It's not as good as the one I was going to sing though. That song was brilliant". (I bet the song he left out for that was Beeswing, grrh, I hate requesters).

Then he did one of my favourites Vincent Black Lightning 1952.I bet its one of Freds favourites as well because Fred is a biker. After that he paid a very warm tribute to Sandy Denny with whom he played in Fairport Convention. Sandy in my opinion is the best female singer songwriter Britain has ever produced and Richard sang her greatest song Who Knows Where The Time Goes.

This was followed by a song I hadn't heard before called Bad Things Happen To Good People. I think its called that anyway. (Please let me know if I have got any song titles wrong or the songs in the wrong order because I was scribbling in the dark and I'm not an expert like some).Then a song I really enjoyed called Saving The Good Stuff For You which was followed by Crawl Back Under My Stone.and then one of my favourites Persuasion He followed this by a song written by Frank Loesser in 1949 and sung in the film Red,Hot And Blue by Betty Hutton called Dog Eat Dog In Denmark which is full of Elizabethan street jive and reduces Hamlet to 4 verses. Again this song displayed Richards mesmerising skills on the guitar.Then an old song called The Sun Never Shines On The Poor which is very relevant for today's world as well.This was followed by Wall Of Death, 

 the brilliant I Misunderstood and another song with dark lyrics She Twists The Knife Again.For a cheerful chap he certainly comes up with some dark songs. Richard left the stage and when he returned another requester asked for Keep Your Distance which I didn't mind because its a great song and then it was Down Where The Drunkards Roll. Richard finished of the show with two of my favourites Time To Ring Some Changes and the exquisite Dimming Of The Day.

Back on the pavement we all agreed it had been an amazing concert and showed that Richard Thompson even at the age of 63 is still very much at the height of his powers. He is reunited with his old friends in Fairport Convention at the 45th reunion at Cropredy in a couple of weeks and on this form the fans are in for a treat.

Review:Keith Christmas: Live At The Village Pump Trowbridge. 2012

 When I first moved to Wiltshire in the late 70's I used to go to the Village Pump Folk Club nearly every week. It is an amazing venue and must be the most unique folk club in Great Britain. It is in a converted stone barn at the back of the Lamb pub in Trowbridge. Tiny but with its gallery upstairs it has an almost Shakespearean intimacy. Its whitewashed walls are decorated with musical instruments and pictures of past guests. It first opened in 1974 with the very first guest  Keith Christmas and it is a miracle that it is still there 38 years later. The dedicated people who have kept it going deserve awards for their hard work. I have forgotten most of the people I saw there, but one person I particularly remember was Dave Cousins of the Strawbs because I was quite a big Strawbs fan back in the day. I also remember the early days of the Village Pump Folk Festival when it was held in a marquee at the back of The Lamb.

We paid our admission of £8.00 which is a pittance compared to the cost of some concerts we have been to and we sat at a table at the back. The evening started with an open mike session, and then Keith came on and he did two 45 minute sets. I thought he was superb. The guitar playing is par excellence. My friend Pete plays the guitar himself and he was in awe of the skill displayed. Keith has a unique singing voice as well. The years have certainly not diminished his vocal power. I particularly enjoyed the love songs which were very moving. If I had to choose one song I think Travelling Down was really great. 

    Keith was recording the gig so I hoped a CD might become available as I really wanted to hear it again and get more acquainted with the songs. I was really pleased a few weeks later when the CD plopped through my letterbox. The CD is beautifully designed and the cover has a great photo of Keith. As soon as I put it in the player the memory of that great evening came flooding back. After listening a few times I love nearly every track, from the bottle neck guitar blues to the gentle ballads. What a fine body of work Keith has to be proud of. Particular favourites are Good For Me, Evensong, Duty Days, The Fawn and Forest And The Shore but it isn't really fair to pick out some songs as better than others because the whole album is great. There are also three bonus studio tracks which are equally good. One thing that the album shows is that Keith isn't relying just on his back catalogue he is also still expressing himself by writing new interesting songs. Keith is appearing at the Village Pump Festival next week at a beautiful site which is right here in Westbury below the famous White Horse and within walking distance so I am looking forward to seeing him again soon.