Morrissey at the Marquee

The first time I came across the New York Dolls was a few years ago as a mention in a biography of Vivienne Westwood. The next time was on Thursday afternoon as the Boy was hyperventilating down the phone on being told that I’d gotten late tickets to the Morrissey gig in the Marquee with the NYD playing support. (He got very excited about the New York Dolls.) Now, this is probably nothing you don’t know already but Morrissey quite possibly had the same reaction when the NYD (actually…am I allowed abbreviate? Oh, damn it all to heck – I live on the edge!) agreed to reform at his behest for a one-off gig at the Meltdown Festival in 2004. I have to say that I’m tickled pink by the idea of someone of the stature of Morrissey being a die-hard fan - it’s kind of like trying to picture him in short trousers. Mind you, he probably had the same hair-do… Ok, so what has all this got to do with the gig in the Marquee on Thursday? Well, for the ones down the back, it’s because the Dolls played support to Morrissey in the Marquee on Thursday. Do try and keep up. Kudos to Aiken Promotions! OK – so the New York Dolls! Generally thought of as the fathers of punk, one-time clients of Malcolm Maclaren, starting in 1971, stoping in 1977, reforming in 2004 and now playing in little old Cork in a tent. I think you’ll have guessed by now that I’m a Dolls virgin so I am not going to upset dyed-in-the-wool fans by commenting on or even trying to name any of the songs. Having said that, I do remember one in specific – the easy-to-remember, easy-to-pronounce-and-sing-along-to “Pills”. The Boy did liken them physically to the Village People – don’t shout – it’s more that they’re five very different-looking people on stage (there was a definite ACDC vibe going on with Sylvain Sylvain’s wardrobe) but they put me more in mind of the Stones, not least because of the striking similarities in looks and swagger between Johansen and Jagger. But I suspect that Johansen may not take himself as seriously as Jagger (working on the assumption that Jagger does, mind you). Speaking of wardrobes, when are men going to realise that the wearing of pink, stretch, spangly tops will actually enhance their level of attractiveness? Make-up, dresses, pink spangly – try it out! It worked for that dude out of Babylon Zoo, it works for Eddie Izzard and it worked for David Johansen on Thursday. Look it – women have been cross-dressing for decades – trouser suits, short hair – why not men? I miss the New Romantics… Sorry – wandered - back to the gig! It seemed to me that the crowd took a little while to warm up to the Dolls and really get into it but by the time Mr Johansen was introducing us to the local boy on stage we were happy, happy people. I love their stuff – it’s original, unpretentious, good old rock’n’roll punk and, most importantly, great fun. I would love to see them again, hint hint. A total change of scene and mood, Morrissey took to the stage after a LOT of flashing strobes, as a picture of sartorial elegance. Immaculate hair. We were asked for our compliments/comments. The grey really does make a man look distinguished. Opening with “All you need is me” (wonderful lyrics) and following with “Ask” (my personal favourite – it should be printed on cards and handed out in schools and health centres), he made efforts to gel with his audience and show his fluffy side by speaking Irish at us (phonetically from a card, but how many of us can do much better?) and even tried a bit of a Cork (sorry, Cark) accent. It was quite sweet, really. I wandered out for a bit in the middle, when he wandered into his more modern, solo stuff. There was a feeling of detachment around, which I thought was me disengaging from the music but have heard it since from others so perhaps it was emanating from the stage, or perhaps I happened to talk to the only people in the place who felt it, who knows? In any case, I was back inside just in time to miss his cover of the Buzzcocks’ “You say you don’t love me” (apparently superb) but in very good time for “How soon is now?” and the totally excellent encore “Irish Blood, English Heart”. And let me tell you, you haven’t heard that song until you’ve heard it being bellowed by a tent full of Morrissey fans – sends shivers down the spine, especially the bit about Cromwell. Now I want to know about those pictures used as the backdrop. I’ve been wandering around the web to see if anyone has info on them, but no joy. Now the one on the left was a face-on mugshot, taken on the 26th June 1940 and just before he launched into “How Soon is Now?”, his keyboard played a slow and strange rendition of “Happy Birthday”. Hmm…bit of a mystery. Any enlightenment? Is it a really obvious connection? (Aside from the dates coinciding, of course.) It was a definite themed set – what with the mugshot triptych and the smaller image on the front with a snippet of accompanying information, which was saying basically that the guy in the picture was arrested for stealing a watch but claimed that the owner had given it to him. Both were drunk, apparently. Hmm…yes…and the mystery thickens. P.S. Apologies to the first support band as I did not hear them and cannot find where I wrote their name and arrived at the gig with only just enough time to have a quick beer before the Dolls … em … well … anyway … I’m only human!

The Brigadier - The Rise and Fall of Responsibility

And if the formatting goes on this entry too, I will be very put out. The Brigadier “The Rise and Fall of Responsibility” All songs written, performed & produced by Matt Williams · Growing up is hard to do (part 1) · When will I be with you? · The language of love · Envy · Une Soiree · Under the influenza · Hot Toddy · The melancholy days · This, is why… · What can’t be fixed · The box in the back of my mind · Growing up is hard to do (part 2) · Façade What can I say? I love this album. It’s odd, feel-good, has hints (only hints, mind you) of burlesque, Julian Lennon ( know, I know, but work with me here), The Feeling…but none of it is overwhelming. He’s pretty damn unique in my hearing. And now I have to wax lyrical about it for 300 words. Oh hell, sod that, just go buy it and go for a drive. In the sun.

Celeste Lear

“Looking up from underwater” Björk, Moloko, Goldfrapp…they all spring to mind with the opening bars of Ms Lear’s CD, “Looking Up From Underwater”. In fact, a lot of things spring to mind as the cd wears on. For example: · Track 2 – weak lyrics · Track 3 – early-90s drum&bass feel summer · Tracks 4 & 5 – more early 90s reminiscence · Track 6 - moving on – feels like the sound track to Romeo & Juliet. · Track 7 - Siobhán Donaghy soundalike · Track 8 – All About Eve · Track 9 – celtic Moloko · More 90s, more Björk derivation… And so on and so on. Ms Lear has a grand strong voice and can write a tune but my problem with this album is that it all seems to sound like someone/something else. There appears to be a great effort at originality here but it ends up being someone else’s sound. Pity.

Heliopause

Heliopause EP Recorded & Mixed at Soggy Cabin Studios, Cork · paprapo · who ate the cabin boy · middle distance · maybe later · caught rotten It’s a brave band that goes purely instrumental. Charlie Don’t Surf are one Cork crowd who pretty well know what they’re doing and can pull it off with just the music alone. It remains to be seen whether Heliopause can get to the same point, without requiring the ‘lively antics of their bass player’ on stage. According to their press release, they’ve been together since 2005, meeting as students. In other words, they’re young and inexperienced. They’re learning. The laid back “maybe later” shows promise. It shows restrain and control which is not so evident in the earlier tracks. And “caught rotten” has depth to it that is refreshing. The opener “pamrapo” could do with an overhaul of the drum line as this could be a show piece for some tight, rhythmic percussion, which unfortunately at the moment is merely filler behind some not-that-interesting guitars. What’s needed here, I think, is some intensive study on behalf of the band in rhythmic and tonal intricacy. If you are dropping the lyric entirely, then the rest simply has to be wholly engaging. And, I’m sorry to say, aside from sparks in the last two tracks and the very beginning (and I mean VERY beginning) of “who ate the cabin boy”, this wasn’t. Having a great live show is good and is a rather excellent start but, unless you plan on selling solely on the basis of live DVDS, then the music has to carry without the visuals. There is promise here but Heliopause have chosen a difficult road. Music sans lyrics is a difficult market to corner as the audiences tend to be more demanding and the instruments must do so much more work. All I can suggest is that you get hold of some modern minimalist (e.g. Steve Reich) or African music (e.g. our own Niwel Tsumbu), and listen to the swirling kaleidoscope of sound and rhythm which is possible, listen to the glorious complexity of it all and, well, listen good. Heliopause: Brian Dunlea (Bass) Sean Daly (Guitar/Synth) Damien O’Leary (Guitar) Jamie O’Donoghue (Drums) www.myspace.com/heliopausecork

GAMAK

Giveamanakick

Friday 19^th April 2008

Cyprus Avenue, Cork

What do you get if you take two angry accountants (well, that’s what they looked like – either accountants or IT specialists – take your pick) and put them in a room with two drum kits, four guitars (one teeny-weeny one), a cowbell, a whistle and a scary-ass facemask? Giveamanakick, that’s what.

No one could claim no warning when you consider that the stage had been set up by men in nuclear boiler suits. The presence of a coat stand on stage should not have set any ingénue’s mind at rest. These two guys mean business and they mean it to be a loud and as fast as possible. And as incoherent. Ok, ok, audible melody does rear its head every so often and even the pace and freneticism calm occasionally, but we’re talking overall impression here.

They opened with the kick-ass “Spring Break” (not that I could make out the name or the lyric from what went on on-stage – this I gleaned from peering over the sound desk at the set list), which also opens the new album, “Welcome to the Cusp”. Playing in Cork for the first time since the last time, or so Steveamanakick said, they also claimed to be nervous. Really? It didn’t show, lads. Tracks like “Horses for Courses”, “Brittle Bones” and “I Dream of Shavings” showcase the pair’s tight timing and sheer professionalism. The whole set was loud, fast, pumping, alive and you found yourself moving without realising you were doing it. I defy anyone to go to one of their gigs and sit or stand still through it.

The audience (what a sedate word), aka their fans, loved them – that goes without saying. I’d never heard them before and I loved them. They should be playing to bigger crowds, if there’s any justice in the world, in bigger venues with even glitzier drum kits (loved the drums!)!

I’m not going to go on and on or try and describe their music; that would take from it, I believe. But it’s very simple. They are a superb live band so, guys, if you want a good night, go and see GAMAK – catch them if you can and try to keep up! (You might want ear plugs…just a thought.)

GAMAK

Steveamanakick – vocals/guitars

Giveamanakeith – drums/vocals

Ian Whitty & The Exchange

Ian Whitty & The Exchange

With guests Supermodel Twins

The Roundy Rooms, Cork

April 17^th 9:00pm

Opening the gig, Limerick-based, US-influenced band, the Supermodel Twins, were tight and very rehearsed, but the aftertaste left was that they were derivative and unimaginative, being something akin to American Pie meets the Feeling. However it was nice seeing Samwise Gamgee on lead guitar and backing vocals.

This left the floor for Ian Whitty and the Exchange. Ian Whitty is long established as a solo artist and this set-up is a new departure for him. Nevertheless, he was appeared relaxed and comfortable on stage. The Exchange comprises a mix-um-gather-um of local musicians, lured from other groups, such as Stanley Super 800, for the project. The group consists of guitar, bass, drums, violin & cello and it is a very talented group that Mr Whitty pulled together for the gig in The Roundy Rooms tonight.

It is rare to see an artist perform as well solo as he does with a group. In fact, it is more often the case that the change from going solo to fronting a group results in the loss of something, a flattening almost of the whatever quality which separates them from the pack. Ian Whitty does not suffer from this. Not at all. Actually, it is more like comparing apples and oranges and we got a taste of both this evening.

It was a long enough set with the five musicians squashed into the small stage area and the bass completely hidden in the background (which might be looked into for future gigs in this venue, purely on an aesthetic level mind…ahem). Mr Whitty chatted amiably before each track, giving a potted history of its origin, including tales about a kidnapped pit bull and ill-advised romantic encounters, all of which added to the seriously feel-good factor of the night.

“Houndstooth Shirt”, the first single for the group, is released on April 18^th. If you want to get a handle on exactly what this group are about, have a listen. It’s esoteric, quirky (I am not a fan of that word but sometimes needs must) and suits them down to the ground. Actually, there were no weak tracks in the set, but my personal highlight was a simply magic moment when he launched into a solo number, “Knocks me out”, and the background noise from the crowd dispersed like the red sea parting.

Bass: Paddy, not Flor

Drums & vocals: Anto Noonan

Violin & xylophone: Larrissa O Grady

Cello: Grace Mc Carthy

Guitar & vocals:Ian Whitty

The Smith Quartet

Music Network Presents:

The SMITH Quartet

With GERARD McCHRYSTAL saxophone

Thursday 10^th April, Curtis Auditorium, CIT Cork School of Music, 8pm

The Smith Quartet, referred to variously as Britain’s answer to the Kronos Quartet and Britain’s premiere contemporary string quartet, performed last night in the company of Gerard McChrystal on the second date of a ten-date tour which sees them play both north and south of the border, culminating on Saturday night in Portstewart, Coleraine. The programme chosen is one, which profiles some the leading contemporary composers working in Ireland and the UK today, including Mícheál Ó Súilleabháinn, one-time head of our own UCC Department of Music.

To quote their own notes and to give you a flavour for the group itself, “For almost twenty years, the Smith Quartet has been a leading light of the contemporary music scene: over one hundred new works have been written for the ensemble by a veritable who’s who of composers including Kevin Volans, Django Bates, Michael Nyman and Stephen Montague. The quartet has worked closely with Steve Reich, most notably on his work Different Trains …”. Heavyweight names indeed!

But enough background and on to the concert itself. It opened, after a bit of a chat from Mr McChrystal to set the scene, with five of jazz pianist Chick Corea’s Children’s Songs. Those chosen moved from the gentle fairytale to the realms reminiscent of 1,001 Arabian Nights and Pan’s Labyrinth. It was (possibly) coincidental that as the last piece opened with a startling robustness a young girl in a row ahead of me had a nosebleed. Definitely a coincidence.

Changing style completely, the Debussy and the Ravel were run together. I confess, Syrinx is one of my personal favourites and I’m always partial to a spot of Ravel. And this particular Ravel, with which I was unfamiliar, is a little gem. Perhaps, that is why, for me, the concert peaked early and was on a gentle slope downwards from then one, with the one high point in the second half being Farrell’s The Pilgrim’s Return. Hunting/Gathering & Stamp are both technically difficult, both to play and on the ear and Óiche Nollag didn’t settle until the it moved into a jazz interpretation towards the end of the piece. The final pieces, If & Why, by Michael Nyman, originally written to texts by a Roger Pulvers and included in the 1995 Japanese animated feature film “The Diary of Anne Frank” were saccharine in the extreme. A glance at the included lyrics only confirmed that feeling.

However, programming aside, the Smith Quartet are ruthlessly good at what they do and Mr McChrystal produced a sound that was so smooth and warm that it was only short of a cat stretched out in front of him, purring. Theirs is an (apparently) effortless grace and dexterity with none of the showboating, which can be prevalent in the classical world. They were a joy to see and hear.

The Smith Quartet (http://www.smithquartet.com/)

Gerard McChrystal (http://www.saxsaxsax.com/)

The Smith Quartet:

Ian Humphries – Violin

Darragh Morgan – Violin

Nic Pendlebury – Viola

Deirdre Cooper – Cello

Programme:

Children’s Songs - Chick Corea

Syrinx – Claude Debussy

Piece en forme de Habanera – Joseph-Maurice Ravel

Hunting Gathering – Kevin Volans

INTERVAL

Óiche Nollag – Mícheál Ó Súilleabháinn

The Pilgrim’s Return – Ciarán Farrell

STAMP (to avoid erotic thoughts) – Donnacha Dennehy

If & Why – Michael Nyman