Back for more [parties]

Is this place dead again? This is what I’ve posted about ATP on [london]smog

[Proudly showing our ATP wrist-bands]

Where to start? We arrived on Friday 16 May in Minehead and nearly missed Mono, Japanese experimental/postrock foursome (really liked their set) due to endless queue for transportation from Taunton. We stayed in the cavernous central stage eagerly awaiting Dinosaur jr., I was very excited as I’d never seen them live but listened their albums so many times in the 90s. They played new songs from the album Beyond (2007) and old ones, I was jumping like a crazy rabbit when I heard the first seconds of Feel the pain. It was almost embarrassing. After the dinosaurs we moved to the pavilion for Explosions in the Sky, who were scheduled to play only once, although they were curating the weekend. Strangely enough their set didn’t impress me, too many slow songs after a good start. I’ve seen them only once before and was expecting something heavier, more heartfelt. I went to see Phosphorescent before going to bed, good concert, sadly the third (and smallest) venue at Butlins has horrible acoustics and noisy slotmachines.

Saturday was quite busy, I was trying to see as much as I could and was happy to switch Okkervil River for Gostface Killah (that was a lot of fun), but I quickly returned to the pavilion for The National, definitely one of the festival’s highlights. Brainy, Fake Empire, Squalor Victoria, great band. On the other hand, I found Iron&Wine very boring, as much as I love Beam’s albums I don’t seem to get him on a stage (the large band didn’t help).

Sunday was slightly more relaxed, we even managed to eat a full lunch and spend some time in the sunshine, but rushed back for some great post-rock courtesy of Polvo. After listening to the first part of Silver Jews, we moved to the central stage for Animal Collective, my favourite set of all the weekend. The stage had been equipped with huge speakers with built-in lighting system, synchronising sound and colours. The effect was hypnotic. The sheer noise was one of the best things I’ve ever listened to. Fireworks was so good live. Broken Social Scene gave all they had, even calling Dinosaur Jr and others onstage. Battles were the perfect closure for the weekend, pumping loud sounds, playing the beautiful Tonto. After, a good night sleep and on Monday creeping post-festival blues during the journey to London. And so it ends.

Back from the dead…

Raising from the ashes… after almost a year of self-inflicted hiatus, after having fought the dark forces of Evil of a cult, the British NHS, peninsular family drama and sheer lunacy, I have decided to resurrect this space…maybe on my own, maybe not… And what would be more appropriate for a resurrection than a documentary on Joy Division?

Somehow frown upon from the mid-80s to the end-90s, nowadays you don’t have to go much further than the On button of a radio transistor to realise that the ghastly spirit of the Manchester fours (3 in fact, as noted in the film, one is from Salford) is all over the place – airwaves, printed press, Cyberland, tons of books… From the Holloways’ “Let’s dance to Joy Division” to Interpol, Bloc Party via the million of skinny jeans-leathers-wearing, post-punk-obsessed new bands being born every day on Myspace and co. , there’s no escape…Cinematographically, 3 pieces have recently dealt with the Norfern lads and this from 3 different angles…

Michael Winterbottom’s 24 Hour Party People looked at another great Mancunian’s – Tony Wilson – involvement in and revolutionization of the Madchester scene, the first decisive Act of which was his propelling of a bunch of Warsawian punkish freaks from the greyness of Lancashire to national and international glory and eternal cult status… Anton Corbijn’s Control was a stylish, though faithful, adaptation of Debbie Curtis’ biography Touching From a Distance thus focussing appropriately on the singer’s complex personality and shambolic life which ultimately ended tragically on 18/05/1980… This latest effort, simply titled Joy Division, takes the perspective of the band and stylishly documents the birth, ascent, dramatic fall and eventual recycling of what has become a monument in the musical history of Britain – Joy Division. Interview sequences of the band members, managers, partners, graphic designers, among others, alternate with beautifully shot landscapes of the gloomy North as well as archive footages of the band – some of which previously unseen. It makes overall a really good viewing and it reminds us how culturally important this band, and the two damned albums they left behind, has been and still is for so many of us. Even the dramatic outcome of the band history is touched upon with great care and sensitivity and documented with very moving interviews of the different people involved who are all asked once again to look back and relive the pain and remorse of the time. This is not just “another” Joy Division documentary to justify the media hype, this is intense, compulsive viewing which will undoubtedly make you run down to your nearer record shop or favourite online store and get yourself a copy of Closer.

FranckieGoes2Cricklewood

Plastic Operator @ Westbourne Studios, London, UK

The date is Thursday 24 May… The venue, Westbourne Studios in Westbourne Park, West London… The band, Plastic Operator (or PO for the “in-crowd”)… The band members, Mat – originally from Montreal, Quebec, Canada but currently based in Philly, USA – and Pieter – originally from Belgium but now in Montreal (I know, a bit confusing)… and the sound… well… how could I put it… electro/chill-out with a pinch of late 90’s French Touch luring sometimes towards pop…

Mat & Pete met while both doing a a Music Course at a famous North West London University and quickly realised they shared a vision that went way beyond the levels tweeking and the knobs twisting of their respective student music project. And PO was born as the unlikely bastard child between a French Canadian cerveau and a Flemish Belgium brain. A long distance relationship followed with Mat living in London while Pieter headed back to Belgium and a demo surfaced out of the blue. It contained 4 little electro-pop gems, the kind of stuff that, with all due respect, is not going to change the world but that can’t help but put a big smile accross your face. One of these was “Folder” a catchy little thing whose catchy little melody and geeky lyrics would tend to stick in your head for a good couple of hours. This attracted the attention of a couple of labels and the lads signed some sort of a deal with Radio 1’s Rob Da Bank’s label and “Folder” began to get some radio airplay. A couple of gigs on these shores and an appearance at the Bestival on the Isle of White soon followed.

And now the boys are back in town, showcasing their first album “Different Places”, which is on Fine Days Records and which Rough Trade has elected album of the Week sometmes in early May. Straight after a hugely packed slot at the uber cool Sonar Festival in Barcelona, they are playing this low key gig at Westbourne Park and low key it certainly is… If the hugeness of the Westbourne Studios structure makes a really favourable first impression when you enter it, this is quickly diminished when you realised that the tiny stage has been hidden in a small corner of the complex… And not only that, but the gig is odd as the band has been bundled together with an usual patchwork of various musical acts, which play before and after them and which I can say for sure will not remain in my personal music memory box for very long… Then the boys hit the stage, all synths out, and it’s probably a sharp contrast with Barcelona as there’s about 20 of us and it does feel very intimate… Well, what can I say, it’s a short showcase gig and obviously the crowd is barely massive but it looks to me as the boys are going for it and having a good time… Their geeky sound sounds a lot more electro than I can remember them and it is definitely feel good music, a good soulful way of spending an enjoyable Thursday evening with your mates… “Folder” is probably the highlight and, well, it really is a sweet tune…

Overall, I don’t think Plastic Operator will blow you mind away but I can ensure you they will surely make you have, maybe in a guilty sort of way, a hell of a good time.

FranckeyGoes2Cricklewood

sad & beautiful world

Today bought tickets for Sparklehorse at the Sheperd’s Bush Empire, yay! It has been ages since the last time I got tickets a few days before a gig, there’s too much competition in London. I might be afflicted with the sold-out paranoia. Argh. Anyway I’ll be back with a report on the evening. Cheerio! [smog]

Authentic celestial music

[written by Maud last Saturday]

Yesterday night I saw God. And I shook his hand, too. His terrestrial name is Warren Ellis, and he plays violin in a band called Dirty Three.

His apostles are Jim White (drums) and Mick Turner (guitar). They are dirty and heavenly at the same time.

Their gig took place at Masini’s theatre, in Faenza ( Italy). They played for two hours and said that they were doing so because of the wonderful audience.

The theatre was almost sold out, and all the people listened to the gig in religious silence (they are in presence of god, after all), interrupting it only with applauses. Which turned out to be standing ovations most of the time…

When I talked to Warren I was only able to say “thank you, you are great”. Other words were useless. Just thank you for all those beautiful feelings. And thank you for the ATP festival, too.

I had to wipe tears from my face while they were playing “Authentic celestial music”, my favorite track from “Ocean Songs”, one of my favourite songs of all times.

Yesterday night I was in heaven, today I’m coming back on the dirty side of earth, but I’m in no hurry.

[pics by Maud]

work in progress

We’re getting ready to start the Lock’n'Loll project. It won’t take too long so come back!