Journal

JOURNAL

1st July 2008

”Ring the bells that still can ring, Forget your perfect offering, There is a crack in everything, That's how the light gets in.” Leonard Cohen

Just back from Glastonbury, totally star spangled, but nothing a bottle of Veuve won’t sort out.
The second City Reverb gig took place on Sunday afternoon after a wake-up Chris Coco DJ set. We did it, witout much nerves, after all the build-up. So now we have, as they say in sport, something to build on. We can play, anywhere, anytime and do it well. That’s great.
Of course, being an artist was totally eclipsed by being a music fan, running round stages, watching bands, meeting old friends, like Michelle who I only ever seem to see at Glastonbury under the little green windmill.
Actually, it’s hard to know what to add as comment to an event that is so well documented. But, for the record, here are my rated and hated picks.
Number one in our hearts, the legend, Leonard Cohen, he had us all crying and screaming with his serene performance on Sunday evening, did he accompany the sunset or did the sun set for him. Hallelujah, Suzanne, Bird On A Wire and Anthem were particularly amazing. It feels like he’s reached some higher level as a man and a performer. He has nothing left to prove. He just is magnificent.
Next greatest were Massive Attack for the combination of extreme bass, amazing sounds, whispered messages, slogans, politics and moral, mental and emotional strength. We need more like them.
And then, Foals, proving that you can be clever and emotional with your music, you can care about sound and structure and put on a show filled with passion and purpose.
And, naturally, Vampire Weekend, for so not fitting in in their smart preppy gear, but still being, well, just themselves.

Quickly, the downside - Amy Winehouse - 80,000 people hypnotised by celebrity, we watched a few songs in a similar stupour and then wanted to shout - wake up, for all her beautiful voice, for all her lovely songs, the show was sluggish, boring, with no passion, no feeling, nothing; Booka Shade - it’s not good enough to twirl a towel, swish a cymbal and shout come-on Glasonbury while your backing track plays, it’s just not good enough.

1st July 2008

But, well, I’m still finding it hard to find the words, how to put hedonism, music overload, onto the laptop, without sounding overly gushy. What a wonderful year, a great experience.

And next year we’ll be back in a bigger tent, higher up the bill, higher up the hill maybe, hopefully, but still spending most of the weekend, running round, watching bands, being a fan. Because being a music fan is the best thing ever.

Ever.

26th June 2008

and
Last night. In the underground. Hot. flicking through the black book. To check on progress made. Picadilly, Oxford. Circus. Change here. There has been some movement. Notes with lines through to indicate completion. Connections turning into friends. Ideas turning into music. Longest day to shortest night. Hold on. Hold on.

25th June 2008

and closer
No new images today because today is the same as yesterday. Two more set-runs. Still tweaking clicks and levels, noises, technique, performance. Thinking about how to stand, where to stand, making the mic stand do what it's told, how loud the Holy Cow should be, where to put the Shrimp, which kit is best, whether the leads are long enough, whether the set is too long, what's best.
No rehearsal today, but tomorrow we are back in for the final runs before the show. Are we ready?

24th June 2008

closer
So another sweaty rehearsal down. Another day closer and, strangely, the nerves have subsided a little, as has the hay fever. Now, I guess, I think, it’s just about us, playing well, playing together, and enjoying it, how big the audience will be is subject to so many factors beyond our control - weather, who else is on, what people are on, so random, and really, in a way, it’s not that important, the most important thing is that we do the best we can.
We’re working hard on the eight songs we plan to play, and as each one becomes stronger the weakest link is tweaked and lifted up. Last night Lover’s House and Pinsharp were kicked into shape. Tonight we go again, three runs in three hours, then tomorrow, tapering, a bit of mucking about then the gear goes in the van and we drive off into the night, into the future.

23rd June 2008

storm in a tea cup

So, in five days time we play at Glastonbury (Dance West, Sunday, 1pm, in case you’re going). I have sort of been ignoring this fact, at the same time as being well aware of it. It is my job to make sure that the band are ready for this show, but not at the expense of making sure that I am ready for this show. In my mind I have been trying to play it down: it’s very early on Sunday afternoon, the tent may well be pretty empty, we’re only one of hundreds of acts on at the festival, everyone who is there will be pretty much twatted anyway. But it is a big deal for me, for the band. I want it to be a really good show whether we’re playing to a thousand people or ten people and a dog (actually the dog won’t be there, no pets are allowed on the site).

So, to that end, we’re rehearsing every evening this week, running the set, like we did in that big, cold space down south back in 2006 before the Robbie tour. Except this time it’s my thing, our thing, not someone else’s. This time there is no sleek silver people carrier with blacked out windows taking us to a private plane, instead there’s Betty, the light blue camper that doubles as tour bus and hotel. And I like it better this way. Really. It’s just that despite the fact that it’s so much smaller, because it is our thing, I feel so much more nervous. Perhaps by Thursday night, when we leave for the festival, that felling, like a band of low pressure, will have passed.

20th June 2008

you wait for...

...one promo album and then...

...25 come along at once.

15th June 2008

93 Feet East: The Warm-up or Can you see the wood for the trees?

So, to last night, first outing with the new improved line-up. The fat rhythm section.

And, for the record, we played these songs in this order: 1 Everything Will Be Alright 2 City Of Lights 3 Lonely Road 4 Seventy Three 5 Ghetto Glamour 6 Pinsharp 7 Central Heating

15th June 2008

The Warm-up...

A select few attended in the eerie calm in the eye of the human storm that is weekend Brick Lane. And how was it?

Fun, actually. Perhaps I wasn't arrogant enough. We all made a few mistakes. We definitely need more practice, but we're talking tweaks here, not fundamentals. The core is correct. We must work on sounds, dynamics, delivery and leaving space for a special performance, but that will come, I believe, with time and effort, effort and time.
Next stop is Glastonbury, West Dance, 13:00, Sunday 29 June, come and see us, spangled or straight, we will deliver.