Since 2015 Southsea's Icebreaker Festivalhas been a highlight on the city's musical calendar, bringing unsigned acts to the city, delivering a glorious variety of new music to venues all within comfortable walking distance of each other. To be honest, I'm a wee bit embarrassed to say I've not been yet (I know, shame on me, I'll go sit on the blog equivalent of the 'naughty step'). Over two days in January Icebreakerturns existing venues, situated along the thoroughfares of Elm Grove and Albert Road, into stages offering the freshest in new and unsigned music. It's a model used to great effect by both The Great Escape and the fondly remembered Southsea Fest and, since its inception, Icebreaker successfully applied it to become the South's largest unsigned metropolitan music festival. In preparation for their next shindig the folks at Icebreaker Towers have been seeding their social media feeds with stage line-ups for next year's festival. The list is, obviously, reassuringly long so, in no particular order here are the acts playing Icebreaker 2019 [deep breath]...
Icebreaker 2019 takes place on Friday 25th and Saturday 26th January 2019, with both day and weekend tickets available online via Seetickets or, if you prefer a proper physical ticket, from The Wedgewood Rooms box office. And after all that I think that I really must get myself a ticket...
Update: The full line-up poster has been released.
Several years ago, following an admittedly confusing conversation regarding the name of the musical act a chum had cajoled me into seeing, I found myself standing in the compact and bijou confines of The Cellars (RIP) watching a behatted Canadian make melody and rhythm via a collection of microphones, harmonicas and pedals (to jaw-dropping effect). The cat in the hat was Benjamin Darvill, one-time harp & mandolin player for the Crash Test Dummies, who performs beat-box powered Blues under the moniker Son of Dave (the name causing my initial confusion that I was being dragged along to an Andrew Ridgeley covers band). So good was Son of Dave that night I plundered the Merch Desk for a CD, delighting at the collaboration with Martina Topley-Bird that featured upon it. Son of Dave has been ploughing his Blues furrow for a while now, becoming a near staple at Bestivalin the process, but he's finally done what all good artists do at this time of year; he's made a Christmas song. Send Them Something Nice For Christmas is a beautifully melancholic tale, sprinkled with brass and sounding not unlike something Randy Newman might serve up (which is no bad thing at all). It's dour yet heart-warming, a last slow dance at the office Xmas party, a sad card to family far away, and sends apologies for missing another Turkey dinner but wants to be remembered for next year's festivities.
The sad news broke last night that Pete Shelley, legendary singer-songwriter, innovator and Buzzcocks frontman, has died. His impact on the music scene was such that I honestly believe that a lot of the bands I love would not have existed without him.
A skill for creating spiky, catchy, indie songs that were more than punk, with raw emotion writ large in lyrics, was second to none. With the Buzzcocks he was responsible both for the raw and insistent Ever Fallen In Love [With Someone You Shouldn't've] and for bringing the Sex Pistols to Manchester (an action which is now seen as lighting the blue touch paper of the city's vibrant music scene). He also forayed into electronica, had one of his tunes banned by the Beeb and, bizarrely, was one of the few artists I can think of who released a proto-karaoke version of one of his albums for the ZX Spectrum.
If I didn't know better I'd say there were Elves on the Isle of Wight, escaped from the North Pole to fashion festive electronica and ambient sounds, for it's from across the water that this suitably Yuletide gem hails.
From their Vectis base Curxeshave taken on Greg Lake's 1975 Christmas tune, I Believe In Father Christmas, and created a beautifully delicate, dark and melancholy version of a classic.
Although I listen to a lot of music I don't, especially around this time of year, go in for yearly Best Of lists. However, if I was so minded and had created one for, err, 2017, either for gigs attended or albums consumed the joyous Desperate Journalist would rightly be on both.
I had the delight of seeing the London-based four piece headline a packed Scalathat April. Sophomore album Grow Up (released the month before) has consistently been one of the soundtracks for my daily commute since it landed on my iPod (yes, I still have one of those). Grow Up's combination of driven guitars, insistent rhythms, wry and relatable lyrics (which gain additional heft thanks to Jo Bevan's strong, exquisite vocals) produced one of best long players of the year. It's an album with a sound that is both instantly familiar to old ears yet fresh, new and vibrant at the same time. It's a fantastic balance of 90's Indie retooled for the 21st Century, it admits its influences yet stands alone as something else entirely. Yes, it's safe to say, I really like the album. That brief moment of fanboy nostalgia and appreciation leads me nicely into preferring something new from Desperate Journalist; Cedars is the first track to be released from their forthcoming third LP, In Search of The Miraculous, and rather good it is too.
It's definitely apparent that Desperate Journalist have a gift for melody, and the guitar solo is thing of joy, and any music video that features either the London Underground and/or bands doing normal things like having a quiet beer is all good with me. Cedars is available now, In Search of The Miraculous will bereleased in February 2019.
John Thomson's turn as Louis Balfour in The Fast Show's Jazz Club skits may not have been to all tastes, pandering as it did to the stereotype that Jazz is loved only by pretentious pseuds in roll-neck sweaters, but they had a side-effect of programming the brains of those that watched them to utter the words "nice" or "great" whenever the J-word is used.
That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.
Despite never owning a roll-neck sweater, or smoking a pack of Gauloises in a dark cellar, I must confess that I'm partial to some flavours of Jazz. The works of Tord Gustavsen, The Bad Plus and the late Esbjörn Svensson all sit comfortably amongst the selection of Indie, Alt-Rock, Electronica, Rap and Pop in my record collection. However, despite that, I can wilt under the excesses of some performers (Courtney Pine for example), excesses which cause said stereotypes to flourish and my tapping foot to steer clear. News that Southsea's CoastguardStudiohas partnered with Chichester's La Havana Jazz Club, to bring Jazz to the heart of Portsmouth in 2019, could well get me to direct my Converse to The Strand for an evening of mellifluous delights (especially asPortsmouth's long running Jazz club is shuttering in December).
The monthly club night promises international artists (the excellent Gilad Atzmon is amongst the initial tranche announced), supplemented by local DJs spinning vinyl. Not to further reinforce a stereotype but all I can say is great.
Dublin's Fontaines D.C. have been causing a bit of a stir for a while now, gaining a London following on strong word of mouth, leading to a support slot with Shame, plus they've had love lavished upon them from the likes of Steve Lamacq and the NME(I know, I stopped reading it when it from a Libertines fan club magazine to a freebie doled out in Top Shop, but they it still get it right occasionally). New single Too Real is a weirdly brilliant rollercoaster of rhythm (THAT guitar sound is a wonderful thing) and lyrics, jarringly catchy, polished off with a refreshingly disaffected vocal delivery. To be honest it may as well come with a neon sign attached flashing "We're Ones To Watch, See You Everywhere In 2019".
Fontaines D.C. are currently playing the smaller venues on the circuit (they rock up at Southampton's Joiners in January) though I'll wager that, come the end of next year, you'd be lucky to find them playing anything smaller than an 1800 capacity venue.
This Saturday, 10th November, Southsea's Wine Vaults hosts Old Guard 18/19, a musical fundraiser for charity No More Durty Water. Fifty DJs will descend on the venerable Albert Road pub, spinning thirteen hours of music across three sounds systems, raising money to aid the charity's efforts to end water poverty.
Since its inception in 2010No More DurtyWater has, through parties, gigs and raffles, fully funded the building of 10 protected springs in southern Uganda. The charity was founded by local DJ Monkey P who, inspired by the fundraising activities of music students at South Downs College, realised that he could involve Southsea's musical and artistic community to raise both money and awareness. Sadly Monkey P died in 2015, the work of the charity he created continues however.
In addition to the DJs spinning out tunes there will be a raffle, with over thirty prizes supplied by local businesses, a record fair and a sale of Monkey P's record collection (some of which was sold at The Wedgewood Rooms back in May). The poster, below, riffs on the classic Mexico '86 World Cup logo (which reminded me that, back when I was a small boy, I had a model of Pique that I assembled out of a Kinder Egg).
Hard to believe but true, Portsmouth's venerable 60's beat and funk DJ combo are soon to celebrate a milestone birthday; Hipshaker have been entertaining the masses for twenty years and, to celebrate this milestone, DJs Simon and Dave are having a party.
The boys are holding their birthday shindig at at Southsea's Coastguard Studio on Friday 14th December, with tickets priced at a very reasonable £12, and they've invited their good chums The Small Fakers along for some live music too. Ticket information should be available soon, best to check the Hipshaker Facebook page for updates.
Albert Road will be alive with the sound of music this weekend; if Sunday's charity event at the Wedgewood Rooms is the feel-good coda, Saturday's Dials Festival is the magnum opus. Dials 2018 takes place across five venues on Southsea's favourite thoroughfare, all conveniently within ambling distance of each other, with a hand-picked selection of acts performing. The organisers' sterling efforts have produced a line-up that is fair full to the brim with aural delights and, after some poring over the event's Clashfinderthis week, I think I've just about worked what my pick of the pops are (one of whom, Yassassin, have unfortunately had to withdraw under doctor's orders), so without further ado here are the bands I'm looking forward to seeing at Dials 2018: Temples of Youth (The Wine Vaults, 1330-1355) Jo Carson and Paul Gummaare Temples of Youth, purveyors of moody yet delicate electronica that combines gorgeous vocals, synthesizers and guitar. They've received airplay locally via BBC Introducing and nationally on both BBC Radio 1 (Huw Stephens) and BBC 6 Music (Steve Lamacq). Did I mention that they're excellent? No? Oh, well they are so you should make sure you're at the Vaults in plenty of time to see them.
Dani Uziel (Bar Acapulco, 1400-1430) Portsmouth singer-songwriter Danihas played several of the city's smaller venues over the past year, garnering plaudits and gaining fans along the way. Lauran Hibberd (The Loft, 1445-1520) If, like me, you like a mix of snarky lyrics and fuzzed-up guitar, you should direct your feet to The Loft (above The Kings pub) for Lauran Hibberd's set. Whilst her earlier material had a more delicate, folky feel the newer material rocks out a treat (will there be moshing during Call Shotgun? Hopefully).
Curxes(The Loft, 1700-1730) At first listenCurxes' sophomore album, Gilded Cage, appears to be a mellower affair than 2015's Verxes. Yet, as the album unfolds, it soon becomes apparent that a dark and melancholic heart beats beneath the gorgeous synths and crisp production. A soundtrack waiting for an as-yet-unmade Netflix dystopian sci-fi fantasy? Definitely.
Krush Puppies (The Loft, 1900-1930) London's Krush Puppies have a line of grungy fuzzed-up rock that's hard not to like, catch them at Dials ahead of their set at The Great Escape's FirstFifty gig in Hoxton next month. Of course, one of the things about festival is the clash and, yes, Krush Puppies clash with... Horseflies (Bar Acapulco, 1900-1930) Take a pinch of Deluxe Flamingoes, add a soupçon of Attack! Vipers! and what do you have? Horseflies. Lovely lovely Horseflies. Bokito(The Wine Vaults, 1930-2000) Once the clashes start there's no stopping them; so it is then that Bokito, hirsute suppliers of memorably quirky indie pop, are on at the same time as another band I'm hoping to see. Will Bokito have the edge as they appear to be named after a somewhat anti-social gorilla? Possibly. Vinyl Staircase (Edge of The Wedge, 1930-2000) Is there much to do in Dorking after dark? I don't know. I do, however, know that a vinyl staircase sounds very much like the kind of interior design that I'd splurge on should I ever win the lottery. Therefore the sound of Vinyl Staircase, which has a roll to its rock, appeals to me.
Fröst(Edge of The Wedge, 2030-2100) Skipping gently past the three-way clash that is the scheduling of Lice, Breath Paneland Thyla(a clash which might require a roshambo to make a decision on) we arrive at Fröst. This Brighton-based duo have received national airplay on BBC 6 Music, with their glacial electronica finding favour with Guy Garvey, Gideon Coe and Lauren Laverne. So, I really don't to sell that one, do I?
Estrons(The Wedgewood Rooms, 2100-2130) I must confess that I'm somewhat on the fence when it comes to Estronswhich, given my appalling centre of gravity, makes for wild teetering between love and hate feelings towards them and their brand of indie. Whilst singer Tali is, frankly, devastatingly good in the vocal department I do wonder if, without her presence, the band would just be another indie outfit. Harsh? Possibly, though I'm still keenly looking forward to hearing the album.
Art School Girlfriend (The Wine Vaults, 2130-2200) The Margate-based Art School Girlfriend (known to her chums as Polly) is preparing for her headline set at the Vaults tomorrow by a sold out show at St Pancras Old Churchtonight. This is a set I'm very much looking forward to, a dark and atmospheric way to end my Dials experience (well, until I get a second-wind and head back to the Wedge for Tigercub).
And there we have it, a selection of bands that I'm really looking forward to see (and, in some cases, see again) at Dials 2018. That isn't to say that the rest of the acts on the packed line-up aren't to my taste, far from; I'm also hoping to see Mystic Peach, Fake Empire, Los Bitchos, Grace Savage... err, maybe I need to rework my recommendations? Oh dear. Regardless of who you or I see all of the artists on the bill are deserving of our support, as is the festival itself, and if I could splice myself into several clones I'd see all of the bands on all of the stages. Perhaps one day it might be possible, for now though I'll have to be that guy scuttling between the stages, Clashfinder clutched to sausage-fingered hand, trying not to miss any of the wonderful music. I can't wait.
This weekend, under the banner of the We Shall Overcome campaign, a series of music and art events will take place across the UK. The aim of these events is both to raise awareness of the ongoing effects of austerity and provide help to those in our communities affected by it. The policies of austerity have had an impact on communities all over the country, including Portsmouth and its surrounding areas, and unfortunately it's only through the efforts of organisations like the Trussell Trust that some in our community are able to put food on the table.
We Shall Overcome is an alliance of artists, musicians and others who came together to provide practical assistance to those affected by austerity. Since 2015 they've encouraged people to organise gigs and events that:
Get direct help to those in our local communities who have been adversely affected by austerity policies.
Raise awareness, show solidarity or apply pressure to those who have political power.
The Wedgewood Rooms is hosting an all day event this Sunday, 7th October, which will feature live performances from The Autumn Stone, Southerlies, Amba Tremain, Brave Rival, Blue Harvest and several others. Rather than buy a ticket for your day's entertainment the organisers instead ask that you bring a small box of food; all food donated will be distributed amongst local foodbanks.
If you are unable to attend an event this weekend but want to help others in your community, here are some links to local foodbanks:
Some call it the toilet circuit, some call it grassroots, whatever the term the venues it applies to are those small, grungy places that provide one of the lower rungs on the music biz ladder. They are at the heart of their music community, providing a stage for local bands to gain valuable gigging experience and giving new acts the chance to build a following. Tucked away on Middle Street in Brighton, a short walk from a Jazz club that I've yet to find open, Sticky Mike's Frog Bar is very much one of those venues.
Unfortunately modern life is hard for grassroots venues such as Sticky Mike's. A combination of problems, such as redevelopment (both of the venues themselves or their surrounding area), local councils who don't (or won't) recognize the cultural significance of such places, or the plain old issue of money have meant that, over the past few years, the number of small venues across the UK has decreased. To help counter the problems grassroots venues face, hopefully protecting and securing their the future, the Music Venue Trust was formed. The sterling effort of this charitable organisation has assisted many small venues across the country. The combined endeavours of the MVT, their partner organisations and their supporters, have this year successfully seen the introduction of agent of change protection into UK planning advice.
Sadly this protection has come to late for Sticky Mike's Frog Bar, and if you've not had the delight of venturing into the venue and down the stairs to the basement, your chances are finite. Today the venue announced that, due to "too many issues", it is to shut at the end of the year. After seven fun-packed years the doors will finally close as 2019 rolls in, with the venue saying goodbye with a series of parties and events before then. Frustratingly the announcement of Sticky Mike's closure comes within days of the Talking Heads in Southampton shuttering, and let's not forgot that Portsmouth has lost both The Cellars (now redeveloped for housing) and the RMA Tavern in recent years. When a venue closes it's sad, infuriating, annoying and upsetting, it leaves a hole in both the local community and its economy. Add the knock-on effect for the music business in general and you're left scratching your head at why things have got into the state they have. Do we blame The Man? Do we blame the government? Or do we blame ourselves for not going to gigs more? Whatever the reason, and there is no one cause to point the finger of blame at, when a venue is gone and the posters in the window replaced by Estate Agent boards we at least have the memories of the good times spent there. Not great I know but, unless we see more changes to support our important yet tiny venues, that might be all we're left with.
Fingers crossed I'll get a chance to take in one last gig (or two) at Sticky Mike's before it closes, if not then I'll take this chance to wish hearty thank you to all involved in the venue for all the blood, sweat and tears invested in keeping it up and running for as long as possible.
In closing, my abiding memory of Sticky Mike's is from The Great Escape several years ago, heading out of the sun and down into its low-ceilinged basement, to see the excellent Kassassin Streetdecimate
any and all remaining traces of the previous night's hangover. Damn,
that was a good gig (shame I took such a blurry photo, the pros and cons
of being down the front I guess). UPDATE: I've refreshed some of the text since first posted (as it was late when I posted and some bad grammar got the best of me). Also, if you've not yet seen it, it's worthwhile reading the Music Venue Trust's Facebook post on the subject (the paragraph pertaining to grants, subsidies and business rates is jaw-dropping to say the least).
Having The Wedgewood Roomspractically on my doorstep has always been a source of delight; it's a fantastic venue where, over the years, I've been lucky enough to see many artists at various stages of their careers (and, yes, I still shamelessly try and spot the gigs I've attended there from the multitude of posters that adorn the walls of its bar).
Part of the experience of going to "the Wedge" is meeting up before the gig at one of the local hostelries, killing some time waiting for the doors to open with beer and conversation on whether or not to sample the delights of the support act (which we invariably did, if not then I'd never have seen The Killers and Franz Ferdinandwhen I did, or discover the live awesomeness that was The Computers).
The reason for propping up a bar elsewhere beforehand was because, for
as long as I can remember, my favourite haunt has thrown wide its
doors slightly later than other venues; the doors would open later, the bands would start later, the entertainment would end later, and there's the rub. Stay until the end or bolt for the last train or bus? Decisions decisions.
Admittedly
this was more problematic when I lived outside of the city and,
having resigned myself to not missing out on any music (which meant forsaking the last locomotive heading west out of Fratton), I always tried to make sure I had
enough shrapnel in my pocket to cover the taxi home (which meant, on
occasion, forsaking the shiny delights of the merch table).
That was then. Now I live in Portsmouth getting home from the Wedge is just a shortish walk for me. However, having become accustomed to the late starts, several of my gig buddies and I have all had to undergo a period of adjustment when seeing a gig at a venues further afield. Whilst it seemed initially strange that gigs in Brighton and London would start and finish earlier, the realisation that this left enough time to make the last train, including grabbing a bite or a pint at the station before the journey home, was a welcome one. Times change, which of course means times change. Opening times I mean, more precisely those of The Wedgewood Rooms. Apparently, due to popular demand, door times are moving back to 1930 which also means, obviously, that an evening's mellifluous delights should finish by 2300. This brings the venue more in line with others, makes getting the last train home slightly more easier for those who have to travel and, personally speaking, means in future that I'm more likely to make it home before midnight for my mug of bedtime Horlicks.
The venue is phasing the introduction of its new door time over the Autumn period; by 2019 all gigs should start earlier (comedy and club nights are unaffected). They're also genuinely interested if that's the ideal time for a gig to finish or still too late, canvassing for opinions via their Facebook page. It's OK by me, though it does mean I might have to finish my pint in The Merchant House a little quicker than before.
Flush with the success of their first outing Nod Ya Head have announced details of their second event, with Fareham's first new music night in I don't know how long moving to the Roundabout Hotelfor round two.
Billed as later, longer and louder than before, the sophomore outing is scheduled for Saturday 10th November and will be headlined by the winners of The Wedgewood Rooms' Unsigned Showcase 2018 competition, Brother Deep. Joining them on the bill are Guildford's Fuzzwalker, Portsmouth indie rock merchants Capital Fuzz and local singer-songwriter Devin Jade.
Tickets are available via BookEvents or from Heathen Chemistry Records in Fareham, priced at £6 advance (plus £1 booking fee if purchased online), £7 on the door.
To be honest, before I looked it up on Wikipedia, all I knew about Windsor, Ontario is that it sits across the river from Detroit, Michigan (which is useful knowledge for a pub quiz tie-breaker). However, I now know that it's Canada's automotive capital, it's twinned with Coventry and it is the birthplace of both noted actor Oliver Platt and Pop/C&W singer Shania Twain. And what, you may wonder, has this got to do with anything? Well, Windsor is also home to shoegazey wonders Talking Violet.
The Canadian four piece released their Round Dreams EP earlier this year, a five track collection of dreamy delights that features the tune below, Sparjammer 67, 4 and a half gorgeous minutes of jangly guitars, driven drums and ethereal vocals. Lovely. And yes, I am such a nerd that the stroboscopic elements of the video reminded me of Norman McLaren's Pas de Deux. No, really.
Listening to an album, from beginning to end, appears to be an extravagant experience in our modern age. For some years now I've heard the phrase "the lost art of album listening" bandied about and, whilst I'll admit that MP3s and music streaming have changed the way we listen to and experience a collection of music, I feel it's to easy a trope to point the finger of blame solely in that direction.
People have, in my experience, always taken their music in different ways. There were mix-tapes before MP3s and they didn't kill album listening. Hitting shuffle on my old Pioneer 6 CD player left me ignorant of song titles for most of the albums I listened to in the 90s, the same goes for the large number of albums I've enjoyed on my iPoddespite my listening to them from beginning to end. Maybe it's more the pace of life that has affected the savouring of an album; do we have the time to pore over the sleeve art and liner notes whilst taking in something either new or reassuringly familiar? Probably not as much as we did. To paraphrase Ferris Bueller, life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and listen once in a while, you could miss something good. Thankfully there are like-minded folks who still want to enjoy the album experience, and it's through their efforts that Classic Album Sundays was born (apparently over a good meal with friends which, yes, adds to its charm). If you've not encountered it before the concept is beautifully simple, you listen to a classic album from beginning to end, on vinyl, pausing only to flip from A to B.
My one and only experience of an official Classic Album Sunday was several years ago, at Bestival, where whilst suffering the hangover of the previous evening's festival excesses I found myself in a wooden hut, atop a mound at Robin Hill Country Park. There are few better ways to prepare yourself for a day's festival-going than sitting in a darkened room, surrounded by strangers, and letting the blissful sounds of The KLF's Chill Out album wash over you. After enjoying that experience I was pained to discover that, despite similar happenings popping up across the globe, there wasn't a regular event near me (which, now I think of it, does make me wonder why I didn't try and start up my own event, but I digress). Thankfully that's all about to change with the announcement that the very lovely Pie & Vinyl are to start hosting a regular Classic Album Sunday event. The inaugural Classic Album Sunday at Pie & Vinyl takes place on Sunday 14th October with the featured vinyl being Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation. The event is both a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the band's fifth album and part of National Album Day. Jon Callender & Jim Shaw (of Cranes) and Adi Vines (of Swervedriver) will be present to discuss the album and their personal experiences of Sonic Youth. Limited tickets are available now, priced at £10 (plus £1 booking) that, obviously, includes a Sonic Youth themed pie (meat or vegan). Further information, including details of the shiny hardware AudioT are supplying for the event, is available on the CAS website and P&V's events page.
The heavy rain that fell on Victorious Festival's Sunday session this year put the kibosh on several performances. With both the Real Ale Stage and Castle Stage closing due to the inclement elements several acts were bumped off the bill, the lucky ones who weren't suffered the weather (which, given it was raining sideways for most of the afternoon, explains why Gomez sheltered under a hastily assembled garden pagoda for their set on the Common Stage).
Sink or Soar were one casualty of Portsmouth seemingly receiving its Summer supply of rain in one afternoon, which was a shame as their festival set was to be their last gig (boo!). All is not lost however, for the trio are taking the stage one last time (until they reform in 2025) for an afternoon farewell at The Edge of The Wedge, joined by Matt Allen's Mystery Beaks and Rich Keam. If you want to wish the Wit & Co a fond toodle pip mark your calendars for Sunday 4th November.
Back in July the bad news broke that Southampton venue The Talking Heads was to close its doors. A combination of a rise in business rates and a lack of local support appear to have done for the venue, which only moved to new premises in the Polygon in 2016, but it would remain open to honour commitments through to the end of September. The Talking Heads originally operated in Portswood, a short distance from The Brook, in a pub that used to be known as The Red Lion. In some respects its previous life as a hostelry made it an odd venue, welcoming punters with a cosy bar at the front when they stepped inside, confusing them when they looked for the stage in the narrow and low-ceilinged room that led beyond.
The repurposed nature of the venue meant that the stage area was at a lower level than the rest of the pub, situated in a space that you had to step down into, adding to the quirks of the place. The best place to watch a band was up close to the stage area, which meant squeezing in as best you
could amongst a throng of folks doing the same (jostling for the sweet
spot by the mixing desk). If you stayed nearer the bar all you'd likely see was the lights in your eyes and the backs of other punters' heads. However, being close to the stage also meant you were slightly removed from the poor acoustics of the low-ceiling room, acoustics which all too easily carried the sound of chatter.
Despite being a trek for a Portsmouth-based punter such as myself, with the threat of the last train home via Eastleigh that enjoying a gig too much could result in, I undertook the schlep across to the other city on the Solent on several occasions (one of which, the excellent Easy Star All Stars gig there, sticks in memory).
Unfortunately planning permission to redevelop the site into student accommodation went through in 2014, after failing the previous year, which led to the venue lifting and shifting to The Maple Leaf on the Polygon. A new beginning then, yes, but one which sadly hasn't lasted despite a sterling array of local, national and international acts performing there. The curtain falls on The Talking Heads this weekend, with the venue cheering itself goodbye with a weekend of music that showcases the best of what the venue was all about, an eclectic mix of styles and genres. It's not all bad news though, the Heads' sister venue, The 1865, remains very open for business (and plays host to both the James Taylor Quartet and the Lovely Eggs next month). So. Farewell then Talking Heads, and thank you for the music.
Of all the bands I've seen live, and there have been many, there are a handful of acts that have delivered as visceral experience as The Amazing Snakeheads, thanks mostly to the feral presence of Dale Barclay. He prowled the stage, eyed the front row like a Tiger would a steak, a scrawny, shirtless, shiny shoed battler. Like the Snakeheads, who imploded before they could capitalise on their debut album, Dale has gone to soon. RIP
As mentioned previouslyOxjam is an annual charity music event, held at various locations across the UK, that both supports grassroots music and raises valuable funds for Oxfam. Events are usually scheduled across the months of September and October, either as one-day festivals or evening gigs, feature local artists and are organised by local volunteers. Bournemouth holds its Oxjam Festival on Saturday 13th October (the same day as Portsmouth's charity shindig), a multi-venue event with stages at The Old Fire Station, the Buffalo Bar and The Anvil. Thus far the line-up includes the likes of Skaema, Stocksnskins, Laika, Sirpico, Yeti Bianco, The Bedroom Text, I'm No Chessman and Jawbone & The Swine, with early bird tickets still available for £5 (plus 50p booking fee) via WeGotTickets.
Ahead of that local alt-indie night We Broke Free are hosting an Oxjam All Dayer at Bournemouth's 60 Million Postcards venue this weekend. The line-up includes Temples of Youth, Bird Shoes, ZUBY, Powdered Cows, Dumb Lovers, PEACHand Cherry Lotus, with DJ sets from Martin Butler and We Broke Free. The fun kicks off at 1400 this Saturday, 29th September, with music throughout the day until 2300. Entrance is by donation (no advance tickets) with 100% of the money going to Oxfam. To make things even more interesting he set times for the acts playing will be drawn tombola style (good luck sorting a Clashfinder for that one).
After Weezercovered Toto's Rosanna (which may or may not have been inspired by Rosanna Arquette) the latter took up the challenge on their recent 40th anniversary tour and covered Hash Pipe (no, really). One thing, of course, leads to another and so Rivers Cuomo and chumshave returned serve with a take on Toto's 1982 hit Africa, roping in Weird Al for the fun of it. Where will this madness end? Who knows, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it becomes a trend, perhaps then we''ll see QOTSA take on Rush's Tom Sawyer or Kyliesinging Motörhead.
Chas Hodges, legendary session musician and half of easily the greatest pub rock combo ever, has died aged 74 after a battle with oesophageal cancer. In his long musical career Chas performed with the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis and Gene Vincent, played alongside Ritchie Blackmore as part of Joe Meek's house band, The Outlaws, and guested on a variety of artists' studio sessions (most famously on the much sampled Labi Siffre tune I Got The, which also featured the other half of Chas'n'Dave, Dave Peacock, before they joined forces).
Over the course of their 40+ year career as Chas'n'Dave the duo had over eight UK Top 40 hits, hosted a variety TV show set in an East End pub, made drinking Courage beers more appetising, sound-tracked Alf Garnett, played Glastonbury, introduced the word "gertcha" into the common lexicon and definitely seemed to be having a lot of fun along the way. All that and they ensured that "rabbit" has a special connotation to those of us of a certain age too.
Whilst I never got to see Chas'n'Dave perform live they did once make an impromptu appearance in my old local pub, stopping in for a quick beer on their way to a gig in the next town. Sat at a table, joined by drummer Mick Burt, they supped a pint in the Lounge Bar (looking very much at home) whilst we shy blokes in the Public Bar craned our necks to steal fanboy glances.
Oxjam, if you didn't already know, is a multi-venue music event, held annually, that supports grassroots music across the UK whilst also raising valuable funds for Oxfam. Oxjam events take place in towns and cities nationwide, organised by volunteers, that can be either one-off gigs or music festivals.
In previous years Portsmouth has hosted several smaller Oxjam events, usually at the Edge of the Wedge, but this year Pompey is going large; Oxjam Portsmouth is a one-day festival, to be held at Portsmouth Pyramids on Saturday 13th October, and features both a family-friendly day session (from midday-1700) and an evening music session (from 1800-2300).
Tickets are available now via WeGotTickets, priced at £4 (Early Bird, standard price £5) for the day session and £8 (Early Bird, standard price £10) for both the day & evening sessions (ticket prices are subject to booking fee).
One of the perks of living in the modern age is that, prior to attending music festivals, we can easily check what acts we'd like to see (or avoid) simply by spending some time on Spotify(otherstreamingservicesareavailable). Of course, this could also be perceived as a drawback; one of the joys of music festivals is stumbling across your New Favourite Band when you were least expecting to, hearing that song, loving that tune. So, whilst the lovely folks at Dialshave prepared a playlist of artists on the festival's bill, a playlist that I've posted below, it is up to you, gentle reader, whether you listen now or save your jaw-dropping delight for October 6th.
Express FM's regular Monday night showcase for local musicians, The Shout, will be taking over the Wedgewood Rooms next month for what is shaping up to be a packed evening of music featuring some of the best and brightest acts and artists that Portsmouth and the surrounding area has to offer.
Was it really way back in 2011 that legendary Portsmouth alt-club night Chaos finally called time? Yes, yes it was. Or rather, no it wasn't. Since that last goodbye the chaps have staged the odd hurrah, including in 2017 a rather fab reunion at Coastguard Studio and some spooky shenanigans at Southsea Castle, reminding a percentage of Pompey's population of good times, loud music and suspicious Sangria. The chaps are back for Halloween this year, once again at Southsea Castle, with the classic Chaos line-up of Bob Berridge, Jay Dunstan, Will Chumpand DJ Lemon spinning tunes old and new from 2100 to 0200.
