The Pixies 30/8/2005

I wasn't aware of The Pixies in their heyday but their reformation gave me the first opportunity to see them live having become pretty addicted to 'Doolittle' in the meantime. I just managed to get hold of a ticket fairly well back in the balcony of the Apollo, Manchester and sat back not really knowing what to expect from a reformed Pixies live. It was startlingly and viscerally great. The band is so tight, the guitars are so precise, the vocals from Black Francis and indeed Kim Deal are so distinctive and full of power and then of course the songs are classic howls of anger and emotion. The sound is very dense but you can dive right into it. I was not used to hearing such short tracks live* but they stop one and immediately start another so it doesn't matter. The classic tracks from 'Doolittle' were there - 'Wave of Mutilation' very early on and just immensely powerful; 'Monkey Gone to Heaven' with its astonishing vocals shouted out but perfectly in tune; the extraordinary 'Debaser' and the tuneful 'Here Comes Your Man'. 'Winterlong' was a surprise and a joy - I wasn't expecting a Neil Young cover and 'Where is My Mind' near the end followed by the amazing 'Gigantic' with Kim Deal's vocals front and centre. Brilliant - just brilliant. * except for Creedence Clearwater Revival in The Albert Hall in 1970!

The Pixies - 7/12/2016

I liked the outdated 70s feel Cardiff Motorpoint Arena the only other time I went there (for Leonard Cohen) but this time the seat was poor and the sound was poor, so not so much. The support, The Fews were generally disappointing, mainly just fast and furious and with the bass and drums too dominant in the mix. I liked just a couple of tracks, a slower one half way through their set which had some nuance to it and the final number which ended up fast and furious but at least built its way there. The Pixies kicked off straight away with a couple of favourites, 'Bone Machine' and 'This Monkey's Gone to Heaven'. The sound mix was better but not ideal and this weren't startlingly good versions of either great song. 'Caribou' also came reasonably early in the set but I really started connecting a couple of tracks later with ' Wave of Mutilation' which is just a brilliantly strong number. 'Might as Well be Gone' from the new album was also strong and a little later 'Magdalena 318' followed by 'Cactus' and the gig was starting to build. As usual the Pixies played lots and lots of short tracks with almost no time in between and soon we arrived at the impeccable ' Where is My Mind' which was followed by 'Winterlong'. I don't think I have ever heard Neil Young sing this live but the Pixies always seem to do it as their only cover and this is possibly my favourite NY cover. We still had time for the classic 'Debaser' and a surprising encore of the excellent 'Into the White' featuring more dry ice smoke than I have ever seen at a gig which obscured the band for most of the track. Black Francis was as shoutily great as ever on the vocals, the 'new' bassist Paz Lenchantin was good on bass as well as vocals and Joey Santiago played an eclectic and very effective lead guitar which sometimes channeled a very musical buzz saw. Somehow though this wasn't the Pixies at their impeccable best (as I witnessed in 2009 and 2005) but even that is a great gig and if they come round again I'll probably be back.

Calan 17/11/2016

It's a record for me - my fourth non-English language gig in a row. Well some of the songs in three of the gigs were in English but it is still an interesting phenomenon. Calan are a mainly Welsh band whose arrival at our village hall in front of a capacity audience of 60 people was due to arts subsidy. What a great scheme - bringing culture and entertainment to remote communities. And what a great band if you like folky welsh music which I certainly do. The musicians played fiddle, guitar, accordian, Welsh harp and pipes (bag and other). The pipeist sometimes doubled up on fiddle and the accordionist did the vocals. Because of the size of the hall the band went acoustic and obviously enjoyed the ambiance and the novelty of finding themselves playing 'in the middle of the woods' - following a US tour. They were excellent, both individually and as a tight band. There were jigs and other Celtic tunes as well as folky stuff involving death and lost love as usual. The singer was also a clog dancer and a very good one as well. I enjoyed having that happen about eighteen inches from where I sat as she came off the stage to dance.

Karen Matheson 18/9/2016

Before I summarise the gig I am still wondering why the hall was about a quarter full for such a consumate singer as Karen Matheson. I thought she was well known but apparently not in Bristol. The band comprised a rhythm guitarist/mandolin player (Innes White) , lead guitarist (Sorren Maclean), and a fiddle player whose name I have forgotten (but she was very good!). Normally Karen appears with some of the old Capercaille lags so this was a very different band. The main thrust of the gig was the all-Gaelic songs on the most recent album 'Urram' (which incidentally made it three foreign language gigs in a row for me - Welsh, Catalan and Gaelic) but she also included some songs in English from the back catalogue. All the Gaelic songs were hauntingly beautiful and the album is a dig back into her family heritage. Her voice is just perfection when it comes to a lament or Skye waulking song (as in work song). Then we had a single track from Sorren Maclean and his brilliant choice was the John Prine classic 'The Speed of the Sound of Loneliness'. Much as I like the versions from John Prine himself, Nanci Griffiths and Alabama 3 this was right up there - slow and sad and of course with great harmonies from the rest of the band. As much as I love the Gaelic songs the last two tracks of the set were the highlight, both John Grant songs off 'The Dreaming Sea' The poignant ' There's always Sunday' was moving but 'At the End of the Night' had the tears rolling down my cheeks. She sings it with such astonishing power and emotion. There was an encore song but it sort of passed me by. Wow.

Montse Castella 8/9/2016

We chanced upon this gig whilst in the Catalan influenced town in Sardinia. A free open-air gig of mainly Catalan songs to celebrate heritage. The main act was called a band with singer, keyboards (for about three tracks until they broke down)/accordion player, bass, guitar but the gig included a singer and acoustic guitar player (Montse Castella) who guested on a couple of tracks then had her own section. She was the best part of the show because although the band was good their vocalist wasn't that hot. There was clearly a lot of stirring nationalist stuff going on but as we didn't speak the language it all passed us by a bit. You could however feel the pride and passion which came across loud and clear.

Sera - 27/07/2016

My one and only visit to The Monmouth Festival this year. It's only 15 minutes away but seems to have an increasing number of tribute acts. However at the fringe of the festival I spotted that a Welsh singer/songwriter was playing who seemed both original and good (from Soundcloud). So she turned out to be - a bi-lingual gig with a violinist and drummer supporting her and it had a lot going for it. A number of tracks were particularly full of Welsh passion. Highlights of tracks I clocked the name of included 'Lifeboat' and 'Trouble' and there was one about a first meeting many years ago that was also excellent.

Frazey Ford 16/7/2016

Before I get to the impeccable Frazey Ford set I have to mention the support - aged stoner Howe Gelb. He managed to get the whole show delayed due to late arrival and in his 50 minute set also dragged a drummer from the audience much to the dismay of Frazey Ford's crew as the drummer used their kit, started disassembling the piano he was playing, and played with a camera he found recording his gig ending up putting it inside the piano distorting some strings to give a wierd sound to his last song. But fair play to him he was very funny with it. As to his music I was unimpressed with the first few jazzy standards where he was doing a sort of Tom Waits impression but enjoyed the last few songs especially 'Terribly So' (on piano) and something like 'Lost Love Found' on guitar. Frazey Ford came on with a four piece backing band, guitar, drums, bass and backing vocalist. From start to finish the set was perfect. With just two solo albums released she played a fair proportion of those two records with an additional three songs I hadn't heard from her. On the albums she has a definite 'country soul' sound with some superb horns so this was a pared down version of the band and it was great to hear those pared down versions. Through it all she kept the rhythmic nature of the music going through her singing but Craig MacCaul on guitar was also rhythm-and-note perfect all set so you didn't miss the horn section at all. It's difficult to pick out songs because everything was great but of the album tracks, 'Done' was superb as the venom in it was great live and raw; 'Weather Pattern' was absolutely stand out and the encore was perfection with 'Blue Streak Mama', 'Firecracker' and of course 'Indian Ocean' to finish. The 'new' songs were also brilliant to hear for the first time. She did a great cover of the Jimmy Cliff classic 'The Harder They Come', she did an old song called 'Separating' about inequality and a excellent song possibly called 'Can you Get to That'. Her singing is unique; the words coalesce so you cannot make them out and it is just pure emotion. It reminds me of the way Otis Redding conveys emotion and I can't say fairer than that. great singing, great band - it's between Neil Young and Frazey for gig of the year.

Lucinda Williams 15/7/2016

This was the third time for me seeing Lucinda Williams and having listened to the recent album 'The Ghosts of Highway 20' I was well up for it. The support was an exuberant Aussie drums and guitar duo The Pierce Brothers'. They were entertaining and I particularly liked 'Overdose' and a song probably called 'Running' but maybe the vocals were a tad shouty. Lucinda came on with a bassist (David Sutton - same as when we saw her in 2013), drummer and lead guitarist (Stuart Mathis) and kicked off with 'World Without Tears' dedicated to the Nice victims. The thing about a Lucinda Williams gig is that she pretty much makes up the set as she goes along as evidenced by the slight panic in the guitarist's eyes as he rapidly searches for the right guitar after Lucinda has made up her mind. I was delighted that 'Lake Charles' and 'Drunken Angel' seem to be fixtures in any gig. The title track from 'Ghosts of Highway 20' is another great song. She sang it up tempo on this occasion. Perhaps the highlight was 'West Memphis' another song off the album - a brilliant sense of place, of ingrained corruption, of alienation in rural America. Some very nice guitar from Stuart on this and several other songs, he seemed particularly good with rhythmic licks requiring precise timing although some of the solo work lacked a little feeling. She did 'Pineola' early on in the set as well. Later in the gig the songs became more up tempo and rocky but I think I preferred the first more introspective part. She is definitely a significant player in the alt-country scene and very good live but clearly is not as well known as some (Nanci Griffiths, Emmylou Harris etc). The Colston Hall was full but only downstairs. She deserves a bigger audience.

Neil Young 11/6/2016

Another extraordinary gig from Neil Young. I last saw him exactly three years ago to the day and sort of assumed that it was the last time I would see the then 67-year-old musician. I also never thought I would go the O2 arena but anything is possible if the end result is Neil Young live. First off was a very enjoyable set from Laura Marling. I had seen her once before (also supporting Neil Young) and had been unimpressed with her set but that was many years ago. I particularly liked the Townes Van Zandt cover ('Waitin' Around to Die') but it was all good. Neil started this time with his solo part of the show playing old favourites. 'After the Goldrush' followed by 'Heart of Gold' and then one of my all-time faves 'From Hank to Hendrix'. A couple more solo songs ('Needle and the Damage Done' and 'Mother Earth, the latter on pump organ) and then the new band he is playing with came on 'The Promise of the Real'. The show was brilliantly structured which avoided some of the disappointment of some audience members (definitely not me) at the show three years ago who had left after some lengthy grungy guitar numbers early on before the old favourites were brought out. He brought on the old solo songs early on and gradually moved via a country section to a more grungy section to lastly the most grungy section with the trusty old black guitar in serious grunge action. The second section of the gig had a real country feel to it which is not surprising given the pedigree of the band who include two of Willie Nelson's sons. The outstanding track in this part was 'Hold Back the Tears' an alt country tour de force. A little later there was a remarkable version of 'Alabama' and then 'Words, Between the Lines of Age' before the black guitar heralded the arrival of peak grunge. Neil made a show of consulting with the audience before launching into the definitive version of 'Love to Burn' following immediately with the definitive version of 'Mansion on the Hill' Both of them were lengthy, relaxed and brilliant. The extraordinary groove was hypnotic and powerful and the band played their part in supporting the unique Neil Young guitar with Lukas Nelson on lead being particularly prominent and sympatico. All of the band looked like they were loving being on stage with Neil Young and the sound was amazingly tight. Soon it was the last song and that too was a superlative version - this time of 'Love and Only Love'. Then a brief encore of 'Fucking Up' and it was over. This probably was the last time I'll ever see Neil Young live but he has provided many astonishing live performances over the years and I feel privileged to have been there.

Brian Wilson 15/5/2016

Here's the thing - Brian Wilson can't sing. It's OK to tour based on your reputation as a songwriter and it's good to assemble a competent band but if you can't sing then you have to let someone else do the vocals. Particularly as The Beach Boys had some trademark great harmony singing on their songs. Al Jardine, another original Beach Boy was in the band and his singing was OK and complemented by some nice harmony singing from Matt Jardine but every time Brian Wilson took the lead vocal it was pretty gruesome. I enjoyed some tracks, particularly a round up of greatest hits at the end, notably 'Fun, Fun, Fun (till her daddy takes the T-bird away)' and 'Good Vibrations' and I greatly enjoyed 'Sloop John B' earlier in the 'Pet Sounds' part of the show. The sax player was good as was the lead guitarist 'Nicky Wonder' and the guest guitarist Blondie Chaplin (who was I have just learned in the Beach Boys in the early 70s) but the whole was not really viable because of the vocals. I remembered how much The Beach Boys owed to Chuck Berry. In a way they were a combo of Chuck and a vocal group such as The Inkspots. A great sound at the time but not replicated here.

Bellowhead 13/4/2016

I went to this gig based on a friend's recommendation and on liking an appearance from Bellowhead on Jools Holland a while back. It was a good call. The most striking thing was the sound which was very, very tight for such a big band (eleven band members most of whom were playing on every track) and also a great and unusual mix of instruments. The bass sound was a combination of a sousaphone and a cello, there were up to four fiddles playing and various other instruments came out such as bozouki, concertina, melodeon, oboes. Jon Spiers, the vocalist was also very good, a confident exuberant performance which was actually true of all of the band - there was plenty of energy and bounce in the show. I didn't know the songs which were folky but upbeat and it was a real feelgood set of songs and tunes played at a consistent level of excellence. The support was meh - a folky band called Mawkin who seemed to major on drinking songs. The one tune I really liked was ' a mediaeval French dance tune' which featured the fiddle player.

Seachange - 9/4/2016

This was a reunion gig to celebrate a significant birthday and it was amazing that 10 years slipped away so easily despite very limited rehearsal. If anything this was one of the best Seachange gigs with everyone razor sharp and focused. The energy and attitude were there in spades and hearing old favourites live again was great. Despite the venue being a small pub the sound was good with all the instruments coming through clearly. It was great to hear again the exuberant bass and drums from James and Simon, the guitar interaction between Adam and Dave, the distinctive violin from Jo and of course Dan's full-on vocals. Neil who joined the band after I last saw them was new to me but fitted in perfectly with the overall sound. My highlight was SF with Dave's shrieking guitar upfront but then Glitterball was great and actually it all was. It's a shame that was probably the final Seachange gig.

Transatlantic sessions - 2/2/2016

It's always guaranteed to be brilliant - how could it fail? Amongst the sixteen members of the TS troupe are a number that I would travel to see if it was only them playing; the band leaders, Aly Bain and Jerry Douglas fall into that category as do the two Celtic sings Karen Matheson and Cara Dillon. Michael McGoldrick also who is the best pipes and whistles man around. Then you always get to see some new people who you haven't even heard of before and they usually proved pretty special. This time round it was a male duo who looked a sang a bit like a 21st century folkie version of the Everley Brothers and who pushed the boundaries of this Celtic/Appalachian music fest by singing a brilliant version of 'Wish You Were Here' AND an explosive female singer from North Carolina called Rhiannon Giddes formerly with the Carolina Chocolate Drops AND a banjo-playing singer of old country songs called Joe Newberry. I'd pretty much go and see any of them in concert too. At the centre of this maelstrom of music with constant changes of singer and band (the number of musicians on stage varies between one and sixteen) is the effortless and mesmerising fiddle playing of Aly Bain and the beautiful slide and dobro of Jerry Douglas. Highlights for me from this show were the second song from Karen Matheson which was a Burns thing, those mournful songs she sings bring tears to my eyes, some tunes early on from Aly Bain, the lullaby that Phil Cunningham wrote, Cara Dillon doing the amazing 'Shotgun Down the Avalanche', the second half songs from Joe Newberry (one was called 'The Cherry River Line'), the aforementioned 'Wish You were Here' from The Milkcarton Kids, all of the Rhiannon Giddes songs and the encore which was a tribute to David Bowie with all the singers mixing it up on 'It Ain't Easy'. This is actually a Ron Davies song beautifully covered by Claudia Lennear a long time ago but apparently Bowie also did a cover of it. Those are just the highlights that come to mind but there wasn't a flat moment and I'd go back tonight and watch it all again if I could.