Nice little video of Brighton seafront courtesy of Dan; the South Coast is absolutely nuts, weather-wise, at the moment – sun, rain, hail, rainbows. Don’t understand.
Posts Tagged ‘Video’
messing about
Posted 24 Nov 2009 — by Jonathan
Category Video
Category Video
Right, I want this on the record that the following took me exactly twenty two minutes to make – including taking the photos, putting them on my computer, animating them and processing. I say this not because I am proud of it and showing off, but because I am a bit ashamed of its simplicity. Anyway – the goal was to see if I can remember how to produce simple animations, and it’s official, I can. Will have a go at doing a proper one later this week.
In the meantime… miniature drum roll…
someone told me a poem
At the risk of talking about Tristram too much, Anika – whose blog, Anika in London, is well worth a read – has made this sweet video for Tristram’s forthcoming single, ‘Someone Told Me a Poem’ – which is out on Oh Inverted World records on February 15th. A tantalising snippet from what is likely to be an awesome EP.
The video makes me want to do some animation – here, for the sake of completeness, is the one attempt at it I’ve ever made. Yes, very amateurish, I know. Might have another go at this sometime.
tristram; complete live set in mp3, brighton
Although I’d never heard of him before, Tristram Bawtree, who plays his beautiful, tender folk songs as Tristram, has a Brighton connection; he studied Painting here a few years back (and his paintings, which you can find if you google him, are rather nice – abstract but detailed, mural-like), so it’s appropriate that I should discover him by chance here, rather than in his native London. His songs – although the videos below are in black and white – are similarly colourful – tender, imaginative meditations fleshed out with sumptuous orchestration. The six songs he played in support of Peggy Sue at the Freebutt last month were uniformly fantastic.
On the night, he arrives on stage looking thoughtful, slightly nervous. From the first note, though, I am hooked – both by his beautiful voice and wonderful way with words. His songs are funny, critical and very intelligent. He is sardonic for someone so young (“When I hear the word culture I pull out my wallet / and peel off a banknote or two”), playful (in Zombie Holocaust he muses that “I’d only waste my life, so better I use it well / to stop the monsters, from taking my loved one”) and he is ambitious, too – Isolde, the closing track, is inspired by a Wagner opera that he has not yet seen.
Musically, there is incredible richness in his soft, delicate folk. And where he seemed a touch uncertain arriving on stage, a natural ease and confidence is quickly evident. He’s able to demonstrate nimble touches that endear him to the audience (such as the arch Abba reference in Place In The Sea), and writes intelligently – only occasionally slipping up (the same song’s “well, we’re all going to die someday” reveals him to be a man with too many Jeff Lewis records in his collection). I’m pretty sure, however, by the end of the first song, that I’m watching the best live performance from a new band or songwriter I’ve encountered in 2009 – or longer.
It’s clearly early days for Tristram – his debut single isn’t out ’til February – but on the evidence of this short, artful set, he is absolutely brimming with promise. I await that single with baited breath.
In the meantime, here is a complete recording of the set – good enough, I think, to demonstrate just how brilliant he is – and a couple of videos made by Dan (who came away just as convinced as me that we’ll be hearing lots more from him soon).
Tristram
live at The Freebutt, Brighton
Weds 4th November, 2009
(right click and ‘save target as’ to download)
1. Someone Told Me A Poem
2. Ballad Of A Stolen Bicycle
3. Zombie Holocaust
4. Rhyme or Reason
5. Place In The Sea
6. Isolde
Here’s where you go to track down Tristram on Facebook and myspace. He’s also playing a bunch of gigs over the next month or so. Not to go to at least one of them (assuming you live in, or can get to London) would be to really miss out.
Dates
17 Nov 2009 Love & Milk @ Jamboree w/Jack Cheshire, London
26 Nov 2009 @ Soapbox with Derek Meins, London
1 Dec 2009 The Allotment @ Betsy Trotwood w/Caitlin Rose, London
6 Dec 2009 Moonshine Jamboree Xmas Party @ The Slaughtered Lamb w/ Left With Pictures, Jake Bellows and more, London
15 Dec 2009 The Tamesis Dock w/Peggy Sue & Curly Hair, London
The single is out on February 15th on Oh! Inverted World records, and will feature Someone Told me a Poem, Ballad of a Stolen Bicycle, Me and James Dean and Zombie Holocaust. As soon as a link to pre-order it is available, I’ll be posting it here.
Lastly, many thanks to Tristram and his lovely manager Anthony for giving me permission to post these tracks. Much appreciated. Thanks also to Brad over at Bradley’s Almanac, who’s been posting this sort of stuff for years and inspired me to start chronicling and posting live recordings of shows I go to. Following his lead, I recorded these songs with a (borrowed) MD player (thanks Dan) and a Sony ECM-719 mic. Hope you like them – any comments much appreciated.
crowns on the rats orchestra
For those who don’t yet know them, Crowns On The Rats Orchestra – an odd, enormous, complex and tuneful many-headed beast from Brighton – are one of the most interesting bands I’ve seen for ages. Their songs are restless, imaginative and very beautiful; kind of fidgety, eloquent and celebratory. Their live shows are crowded and chaotic – but their musicianly instincts mean that everything stays magically focused. I like them a lot – and not just because my friend Eleanor is in the band. This is one of those situations where you think you’ll have to lie and say how good a show was, and then discover THAT IT REALLY WAS. Ace.
Here’s a video of the band that me and Dan made. I’ve got some mp3s which should, I hope, follow shortly, as might another video or two. Stay tuned.
exlovers, complete live set in mp3, brighton
I first saw Exlovers in the spring of this year, playing with Younghusband and Emmy The Great, and noted then that they were a band worth keeping an eye on. In many ways their influences evident that night – ranging from Postcard pop to shoegaze – suit my tastes exactly, but my conclusion then was ultimately cautious – they looked and sounded, I thought, a touch under-nourished, lacking authority and only sporadically hitting full throttle. I know now that I caught them early in their career, so with that in mind I went to see them at The Hope, in Brighton, a couple of weeks ago, wondering if they’d improved.
My god, they absolutely have. From the first note their sound was more forceful, evocative and compelling. The influence of My Bloody Valentine is increasingly evident, rushing through the tender, melodic pop and creating a kind of coursing, joyful reverberation, a clashing of air. I always felt that this heavily emotional, yearning sound was very physical. Displacement music. They don’t (that often) create a racket, and in fact much of the set is delicate, recalling Elliot Smith (although I later find out the band are Lemonheads fans – no wonder I love them), but the way they move up the registers, gliding through different volumes, hints at an instinctiveness which masks expertise.
Pete, their singer, is charismatic, gangly and ever-so-slightly detached, simultaneously towering and effeminate – and as such inevitably draws comparisons with that other famous Peter – Doherty. Laurel, who played glockenspiel last time I saw the band, has shorn her hair and stands instrumentless for the duration, acting as a second vocalist. Men seem to find it hard to drag their gaze away from her and back to her bandmates. All of whom, meanwhile, give a whole-hearted, animated showing – their lead guitarist taking every opportunity to hook his guitar sideways and reach down for a mouthful of beer. It’s a well-judged, noisy, beautiful set – and I’m very glad to say that I took the opportunity to record it.
What follows, then, is a complete live recording of the band’s performance. Right click and ‘save target as’ to save each song individually, or click here to download a zipped up folder of all eight tracks (which saves me bandwidth, so it’s the preferred option – but it’s up to you).
Eagle-eyed readers will spot there’s a songs I don’t know the name of. If you can help me fill in the blank it’d be much appreciated.
Exlovers
live at the Hope, Brighton
24th October 2009
1. A Moment That Keeps Repeating
2. Photobooth
3. You Forget So Easily
4. In The Woods With The Werewolf
5. Just A Silhouette
6. Unknown Title #2
7. You’re So Quiet
8. Weightless
Here’s a clip of the band playing ‘You’re So Quiet’ on the same night – video by Dan (whose Youtube channel is here) and audio by me.
Some links:
- Exlovers on Myspace, on Facebook, and on Twitter.
- Read the lovely Emmy The Great interviewing the band, for Drowned in Sound.
- An Exlovers interview at Music Mule
- Another recent interview, courtesy of Comfort Comes.
- Exlovers interviewed for Female First
- And Thom Morgan interviews the band for There Goes The Fear.
And a bunch of reviews of ‘You Forget So Easily’:
(Sounds XP) (AtSounds) (Sound Junkie) (Noize) (Call Upon The Author) (TGTF) (Idiomag) (Glasswerk) (Breaking More Waves)
Forthcoming gigs
4th Nov 2009 Bodega, Nottingham
5th Nov 2009 Hare and Hounds, Birmingham
6th Nov 2009 Portland Arms, Cambridge
14th Nov 2009 Luminaire, London
29th Nov 2009 Lock Tavern, Camden, London
Discography
You Forget So Easily, 14 September 2009
Photobooth / Weightless 7″, 06 April 2009
Just a Silhouette 7″, 08 December 2008
Buy Exlovers records here, at Rough Trade.
Lastly – many thanks to the band and their manager Simon for giving me permission to post these tracks. Much appreciated. Thanks also to Brad over at Bradley’s Almanac, who’s been posting this sort of stuff for years and inspired me to start chronicling and posting live recordings of shows I go to. Following his lead, I recorded these songs with a (borrowed) MD player (thanks Dan) and a Sony ECM-719 mic. Hope you like them – any comments much appreciated.
wave pictures at the garage, islington
Although my birthday was a month ago, I had a lovely second pass at being spoiled this weekend, when Anne-So and Rich took me not only for a delicious curry in London but also to see the final date on the Wave Pictures current Uk tour, at the Garage in Islington.
Of course, it’s as ridiculous to talk of touring schedules with the Wave Pics as it is to talk of album release cycles. Since I first stumbled, delighted, upon them at the End Of The Road three years ago, it’s been apparent that – seemingly contrary to the instincts of many of their contemporaries – they do most what they love most; writing and playing. So there have been two conventional albums in quick session plus a bunch of singles and EPs and then a slew of hastily recorded ‘unofficial’ LPs, often recorded with a cast of like-minded accomplices which includes the Berlin-based Andre Hermann Dune (now known as Stanley Brinks) and Clemence Freschard, both of whom appear with the band tonight in what seems to be a genuine and touching display of open collaboration.
In case you’re not quite up to speed, here’s a quick précis. The Wave Pictures are like no other band on earth – drawing on a set of influences which includes Sam Cooke, Jonathan Richman and early Dire Straits (and frequently sounding like a neat combination of all three) the band simultaneously straddle a relaxed, unfussy approach which yields thin, scruffy takes, shorn of overdubs, and a quite spectacular level of musicianship – David Tattersall’s guitar playing is instinctive, spare and quite dazzling when he lets loose. Aesthetically, they couldn’t be more comfortable in their own skin, transparently loving every minute of what they do. Just as notes come easy, Tattersall’s yearning, kitchen-sink lyrics sound wonderfully unforced – and are similarly wonderful.
London clearly has a loyal Wave Pics fanbase, and whereas the last time I saw the band – in a sweaty basement in Brighton – they played a short, fast, exposive set, this weekend they played a longer and more varied, more celebratory collection of songs. The results were spellbinding.
The problem with amassing such a comprehensive and assured back catalogue in a very short period of time is that it’s impossible to play everything, meaning that once again there is no room for classics like ‘Long Island’ or the beautiful ‘If You Leave It Alone’; but we’re amply rewarded with some absolute treats – a star turn on lead vocals (and a drum solo) from Jonny, some wonderful, mellow saxophone playing by Stanley Brinks, and a smattering of new songs, including a gorgeous one from Tattersall’s new CD, sung sweetly by the exceedingly European Freschard:
“I saw your hair between the trees, I saw your hair
In the sunlight on the leaves, I saw you there
I saw the curve of your lips, I saw blue skies
I saw chipped toenails in the twigs, and your blue eyes”.
Best of all was the song, presented above, which they played the one time I turned my camera on and trained it on the stage – a delicious, communal acapella take on ‘Strawberry Cables’, which saw Tattersall eke out exquisite melodies from the call and response harmonies of the original version. The crowd clapped and swooned at every turn – a crowd reacting joyfully to a band immersed in love for their craft, and preocuppied, as Tattersall’s charming, reflective lyrics attest, with love itself.
Thanks thanks thanks to AS and Rich for a wonderful night. Hope the rest of you enjoy the video.
kurrana & the wolfnotes
It’s always nice to be taken by surprise with a band, as I was with Kurran & The Wolfnotes, who I’d never heard of before I saw them co-headling The Hope in Brighton with Exlovers in October 2009. Theirs is an enthusiastic, high-octane blend of UK indie and folky Americana, and their songs are extremely memorable. Debut single ‘Whatabitch’ is available to pre-order now, and the following clip – which shows them playing ‘Thanks A Lot Noah’ does a lot to demonstrate their promise.
Click here for another video.
currently listening
Posted 13 Oct 2009 — by Jonathan
Category Currently Listening, Music, Video
Category Currently Listening, Music, Video
Not sure what has prompted it, but been listening to lots of lush 60s garage and psychedelia since I’ve been in Budapest. Here’s a Budapest playlist, via Youtube.
1. The Apple – Bufallo Billycan
2. The Zombies – Care of Cell 44
3. The Idle Race – The Imposters of Life’s Magazine
4. The Kinks – Some Mother’s Son
all men are liars
Thanks so much to Simon from Sweeping The Nation for reminding me how good ‘All Men Are Liars’ by Nick Lowe is; I just love that wonderful, Andy Partridge-esque descending line in the chorus.
And the lyrics elsewhere, of course:
“Well do you remember Rick Astley?
He had a big fat hit, it was ghastly.
He said i’m never gonna give-a you up or let you down.
Well, i’m here to tell you that dick’s a clown.”
curly hair, live at the duke of york’s
Just a quick post this – to bring a band to your attention. Curly Hair are a Brighton-based band operating in that loosely-afililated group of musicians which goes under the name the Willkommen Collective. Playing charming, pretty, lo-fi pop, they supported fellow Willkommen alumni The Leisure Society (also featured on Sounds of Brighton, here) at the Duke of York’s cinema on September 21st. Dan and Lyndsey went, and the former made this video.
our mother gave us new clothes to wear
Here’s a new song. I was thinking about raffles, village halls, coat pegs and varnished flooring when I was writing it. Video by Dan; filmed in Lewes at the weekend. Thanks Dan!
Email me if you want an mp3 copy, or leave any comments below. Ta.
dog playing pool
I think possibly the two minutes I just spent watching this video were the happiest two minutes of my life.
a song on the shoreline
Funny how after years of living in Brighton, myself and a bunch of friends have started falling in love with the sea all over again. We’ve mostly been going down there at low tide, admiring the beauty of our horizon, the city’s vista, and the fading skeleton of our old Pier. I’ve been taking photos and writing – the results of which will be posted here shortly. Dan, who is fast developing his movie-making skills, has been shooting video and editing things together. Here, then, is a short film he’s made to accompany a song by Hauschka. It captures something still, and beautiful, and fleeting, about our city’s shoreline.
passing song
Right, it’s been absolutely ages since I last posted one of my songs up here – so here is a recent composition, ‘Passing Song’, which is set to a video that myself and Dan edited together last weekend. The song itself is not very clear, lyrically, but it’s about hearing something hopeful in a sad sentence. Being told one thing, but hearing the promise of something else altogether.
first aid kit
I feel a bit guilty liking Sweden’s charming First Aid Kit so much, as they sound so like Peggy Sue that I feel as if I’m cheating on a cherished girlfriend with her sister. Their mini-album, Drunken Trees, has many fine, spine-tingling moments on it, but the track of theirs that’s impressed me the most is their YouTube cover of the Fleet Foxes’ Tiger Mountain Peasant Song. Here it is:
jeremy warmsley
Brighton’s Resident Records is easily one of the best and friendliest shops I’ve been too, and it often hosts mini-gigs on a weekday earl-evening – the most recent I attended was a set by the folkster Jeremy Warmsley, who only played four or five rather slight songs but charmed everyone in the shop in the process. I wasn’t totally sold; his songs need to take the odd unexpected diversion every now and again to stop them being a touch safe; but generally speaking he’s certainly talented and likeable, and he’s got a great record in him somewhere, I think. He’s a particularly interesting lyricist, combining a deft sense of humour, a knack for storytelling and a smatter of self-deprecation.
Here’s a quick video, taken by Dan, of the last song he played; a cover of New Order’s marvellous ‘Temptation’.
back in the day
A few years ago – as alert readers will remember – this blog was a (semi) focused thing, dedicated to blogging about, and publicising the scrappy, half-rehearsed antics of my band Assistant; which still sort of exists in our imagination and in hazy plans to get together and rehearse again, but which has a long-time since been publicly dormant: no gigs for quite a while, although never say never.
Back when we were young, we looked and sounded a bit like this.
