Rhubarb Bomb's Best Stuff of 2012

For the last couple of years, Rhubarb Bomb has declared a Festival of The Year which basically indulged my love of spreadsheets and over complicated scoring systems to crown a winner. This year, partly because I have had a dreadful run of planning to go to festivals that ended up being cancelled, I have been thinking how to expand this idea.

So this year, we have a range of topics for this year’s best ‘stuff’, basically bands, records, live stuff and things that have appeared in Rhubarb Bomb

The music is restricted to records we have actually reviewed. Otherwise, the list would be endless. Basically we try to review all we get sent. Sometimes if one of our writers buys something they love, they’ll do a review. But, for example, we never reviewed The Cribs album. And for the best events, we decided to keep it local.

For each category, I have shortlisted five. They are all potential winners that I would be proud to have regarded as Rhubarb Bomb’s best of 2012. But beyond that shortlisting, the choice is down to you.

The online vote is HERE. Below is some more information on the nominees, with links in purple if you want to see / hear more. Voting closes midnight on December 23rd.

Best Album

Kebnekaise – Wot Gorilla? (self release)

“The sound is new and innovative, but even within the realms of melodic mathrock they bring something of their own to the table; a more accessible charm without tuning down their idiosyncrasies one iota; what an accomplishment.” – Roland X

Midnight At The Sycamore Lounge – St Gregory Orange (Philophobia Music)

“Every ache over the construction of a beat, the rhythm of a line or the structure of a song has moved them further and further from their peers. The final product justifies each of their decisions: no one else in the world could have made this record. A work of wonder and endlessly collapsing beauty from one of the country’s most unique and engaging bands.” – Dean Freeman

The Time And The Lonelyness – Mi Mye (Self Released)

“Like a story being told rather than a song being sung, these are more than exercises in songwriting. It’s music, art and expression in its purest form which is, of course, the greatest thing and the record’s greatest success.” – Dean Freeman

Thirteen Lost & Found – RM Hubbert (Chemikal Underground)

“There is no studio trickery, no dense lyric to pour over and no sense of hype or anticipation. Yet the songs pack a greater emotional punch than almost anything else I have heard this year, which on this scale of minimalism is impressive in the extreme.” - Dean Freeman

This Many Boyfriends – This Many Boyfriends (Angular Records)

“It genuinely makes me want to teleport back in time to be 17, buy a leather jacket, sweat and dance in some overcrowded thrown together club night and fall in love.” - Jack Falcon

Best Single / EP

Day Three – jamiesaysmile (Geek Pie Records)

“Complex but accessible pop anthems that start small then build into wider, more expansive soundscapes. The key here for me is the transition between moods and dynamics; when the overdrive kicks in and mutates the guitars from twangy to crashing or the vocals move from reflective to downright sad, jamiesaysmile captures a sound all of his own.” – Matt Rhodie

Honeymoon On Ice – Soulmates Never Die (Cowsnail Records)

“This whole collection of ‘100mph grunge-folk’, as he has described his own style, is well worth a listen. The scratchy vocals and elegant guitar hook you in, but for me it’s the unpredictability of the journey that appeals most.” – Matt Rhodie

Runaround Kids vs We Are Losers – Runaround Kids / We Are Losers (Philophobia Music)

“It’s great that Philophobia is looking outwards to add talent to its roster. We Are Losers clearly share a lot with a range of PHOP bands, in particularly a hardcore passion hung over deceptively poppy songs. The fanbases of RKs and WAL are very likely to be two separate entities yet both will be incredibly pleased with the songs they know, and will also have found a new favourite band on the flipside.” – Dean Freeman

Selfless – Himself (Self Released)

“A band that live and breathe rock music, learnt how to play it, got bored with it, re-invented it, and fell in love with it all over again. If a band that complex, inventive and brave can keep a simpleton like me interested, they must be doing something right.” - Jarv

Spectemur Agendo – Various Artists (Philophobia Music)

“Philophobia's latest EP which features The Do's, Fur Blend and Clandestines is fucking awesome, pure and simple. I don't know the policy on swearing, sorry kids if you're reading, sorry if you're offended, sorry random-er who thought this might be pleasant, but bloody frigging hellers I haven’t stopped bashing my head around for a second.” – Jack Falcon

Wakefield Gig

H.Hawkline

It’s a bit of a cheat, but H.Hawkline made the trip up from Wales three times in 2012, all of which were outstanding. Recruiting local musicians as backing mere hours before the shows (or mid gig) added to the already charming performances.

Long Division Super Gig

Johnny Foreigner. PAWS. Runaround Kids. Playlounge. Wot Gorilla. The Spills. Need we say more?

Milloy’s Last Gig

The last of the ‘big three’ (the other two being Pylon and Dugong) calling it quits resulted in one of the greatest gigs of the year; the camaraderie of the old Players days mixed in with some high octane, full on punk carnage – ace.

Retarded Fish at The Hop

After surprising themselves as much as any one else supporting The Cribs for their Wakefield show, Retarded Fish headlined their own gig, which also saw Protectors play their last ever gig in support.

The Do’s EP Launch

A special evening that saw a young band release their first record. Whilst always special in itself, it felt like an almost coming of age for all the Philophobia bands that performed, especially with St Gregory Orange finally hitting their stride live. Powerful, because it is such a good omen for the future.

Making Wakefield Better

Jarvis Cocker Opens WakefieldOne

Who else could have dragged two hundred people to a library on a Saturday dinnertime? And not only that, he made Wakefield’s new library seem exciting and – I’m gonna say it – sexy. Another milestone for a continuously improving Wakefield.

The Cribs Play Wakefield Theatre

The Jarmans played their first gig in Wakefield in five years and despite reservations about the choice of venue, it was simply an amazing, celebratory, once in a lifetime show. Once more, they act as a vital catalyst and an inspiration to people in Wakefield.

The Hepworth Zombie Walks

Twice this year, The Hepworth has played host to a plague of zombies. Or, more accurately, it invited people down to be made up as zombies and then walked them round town to scare the bejesus out of people. Still think art galleries are stuck up and boring?

Unity Hall Begins

2012 saw the dream of Unity Hall come to life. The share issue was launched in February, allowing local people to invest in its future and have a say in the direction of what will surely be one of the best and most unique venues in Yorkshire, if not the country.

WakefieldLiterature Festival

Literature Festival? In Wakefield? A sign in itself of how Wakefield has developed in the last few years, the first Lit-Fest was a success of inspired speakers and performers and engaging workshops and film screenings and was organised by Beam, who are based at The Orangery.

Music Festival

Beacons

Constellations

Indietracks

Live @ Leeds

Leeds Festival

Rhubarb Bomb Article

Always subjective, this shortlist is based on the amount of feedback I received and these saw people from far and wide bothering to say how much they enjoyed them; these kind of articles that give me faith that people are out there reading and enjoying what RB does.

Anatomy Of A Gig – Dean Freeman

Just Give Me A Beat To Dance To – Laura Thompson

Question Of Wakefield Future – Stephen Vigors

Response To Guardian Article – Dean Freeman

Your Feet Have Got It Covered – Helen Rhodes

Best Thing We Did

Fifth Birthday Gig

We celebrated our fifth birthday with an all dayer amongst the regal surroundings of an 18^th century orangery. Champagne, birthday cake, gigs under railway arches, secret gardens and lots of Wakefield bands covering each others songs for kicks. A wonderful day for us.

Long Division 2012

Over three days, with about 100 bands across ten venues, this year’s Long Division was the biggest yet. Aidan Moffat & Bill Wells in the theatre? Art Brut in Mustangs? So many highlights for us, we hope you loved it too, and we can’t wait for next year.

The City Consumes Us Album & Book

An 18 track album of exclusives from bands we have supported over the last five years, including those lovely Cribs boys. Packaged inside a limited edition 200-odd page book about music, indie ideals, Wakefield, zines, and how it all fits together.

The Issues

With such a busy year, it’s easy to forget we also released four great issues. Maybe tucking up in a corner and reading our wayward thoughts was your best Rhubarb Bomb moment this year?

The Blog

Our online content has increased greatly this year, and is where all our record and live reviews now live, as well as some opinion pieces that have received almost every response imaginable, both positive and negative…

Tru DIY

Finally, Rhubarb Bomb has a special award which it will give to a person or persons who we feel have, through their actions in 2012, helped perpetuate the ideals if DIY and being independent. It doesn’t have to be something huge and world changing. Just an extra thing that we think needs celebrating. Who will it be…?

The Clive Continuum

“Demos”   
(see also: "Respect" "Side Projects"  "Lyrics" & "Touring")

Creating demos of your songs is an immensely important part of the creative process. Unless you are Paul Simon or Tony Christie, you aren’t just gonna burp out a perfect song first go. If you do it right, demoing can turn out to be one of the most rewarding parts of the process.

Below is a studio demo of one of my songs Midas Loop which, in its finished version, appeared on my 77^th album Life Is A Motorway (it sold out in four days). As you can hear, it is quite radically different from the highly regarded and oft-covered album version.

I have decided to take the unusual step of letting the public hear one of these ‘demos’ as way of showing an example of Clive Smith’s (my) constant searching for the new sound. Reinvention is what I am all about; pushing the letterbox, tearing the blue sky, opening the gates of unreality. By sharing it, I hope to offer an insight that might benefit you and your music also.

It is testament to my continuing gaze towards the future that this already sounds old fashioned and almost dishearteningly normal compared to my newest album, which is released today. At the time (4 months ago) it was radical, visionary and perplexing. I imagine this is how you will see it now and all I can say is – don’t be afraid! It’s simply what I do; not only do I continually reinvent the wheel but I do so whilst it’s speeding down the fast lane at 70mph whilst the powers that be try and apply the breaks, fearful of which road Clive’s crazy train will head down next. The sky’s the limit!

Unlike most of my tracks, this recording features contributions from other musicians. I like to record all the instruments myself on the albums as you will find that ‘musicians’ often want credit for the bits they ‘write’ and sometimes even expect payment. Plus, you can’t get the staff. So this way, I can flesh out my ideas and use their ideas later for myself.

You will notice the lyrics are not present at this stage. The music is number one for Clive; always has been. The new sound is tricky to find. You can hear my shouts of encouragement throughout – that’s how I keep the band in order! So even though they are playing the instruments, it’s my guidance that makes sure they play the right thing.

On this occasion, the band were:

Clive Smith: Voice, Guitar

Buff Wadsworth: Ocarina, Tamporini

Chris Crumm: Drums, Percussion

Beefy Cullingworth: Guitar, Atmospheres.

Marlow ‘Brownnote’ Simons: Bass

I hope this example of the Clive Smith creative process and my attempts (and success) in finding a brand new musical style offer some guidance to other up and coming artists. Don’t feel daunted. Give it a few years and your songs will soon be winning you awards and fans and invites to people’s houses. It’s all about self belief; if everyone tells you its shit it just proves what a maverick you are.

Clive Smith

The Ghost of Wakefield Past / The Question of Wakefield Future.

Believe it or not, bands like The Beatles and The Sex Pistols used to play in Wakefield - bands that shaped twentieth century society as much as Presidents and Prime Ministers. Of course this was in an era before multi-national promotion agencies monopolised the gig circuit with generic, over-priced, square rooms, but still, if The Beatles announced that they were playing the ABC Cinema, which would obviously require multiple and variable resurrections, I'd chop off my own arm if it meant I would be guaranteed ticket.

When I decided to go to university I picked Manchester, not for any particular academic reasons, moreover because I had grown up as a fan of Oasis and then matured through The Stone Roses, before arriving at The Smiths. Manchester however, in the early noughties, turned into a parody of itself. Most bands were fully equipped with a simian-looking vocalist, a complete set of Parkas and a nasal twang, yet lacked any discernable talent. One example were The Young Offenders Institute, who both looked and sounded like the cast of Shameless aping Oasis. Meanwhile on the other side of the Pennines everything seemed alive.

In 2004 Leeds was vibrant for the first time in years and Wakefield actually had a few bands that were receiving national acclaim – namely The Cribs and The Blueskins. Despite this there were very few venues in Wakefield for our own band to play, or clubs that represented our music tastes; there was nowhere that did both. Basic DIY; if no-one else is going to do it then do it yourself, which we did on July 23^rd 2004 at the now defunct Escobar.

The bar was hired out by Chris Morse, who played bass in the same band as me, as it was his birthday and we needed a gig. In truth our gig, if memory serves me right, was pretty shoddy (although in our defence it was our very first gig), but the owners were suitably impressed with our intrepid organisational skills and asked us, along with a couple of others, to promote a night at the bar on a weekly basis. We called it Louder Than Bombs for no other reason than it sounded like a good name.

Usually we supplied the entertainment by playing records (Chris had already run a clubnight in Plymouth while at university and he supplied the majority of the vinyl) but in order to get more punters through the door we began putting bands on. Usually it was free in, or occasionally we would charge a couple of quid in, but money was never an aspiration - we just wanted to put together a night that we’d be happy to go to ourselves. We had someone designing flyers, someone else taking pictures and at any time you could find one of half-a-dozen different people working on the door. It was ramshackle, laissez-faire and fun.

Some time during the Christmas of 2005 Dan Barber, who took photos for Louder Than Bombs, played us a band from Sheffield that a friend had recommended to him. I'd seen them pop up on a few internet forums and disregarded them due to their terrible name (Arctic Monkeys), but it was blatantly obvious that they were going to be huge from the first moment we listened to them. With bands like The Libertines on the wane there was a gap for a new group to garner teenager fervour and adolescent adoration. We were desperate to book them, especially when we realised they lived just 27 miles down the M1 motorway in Sheffield. This was a while before anyone had built up any contacts in the music industry so getting hold of a contact number required a fair bit of detective work, and then a fair bit of persuasion was required to book a band that were beginning to gain a fanatic following.

In the end their manager, Geoff Barradale, gave in to my persistence and a few weeks before the band began receiving national acclaim we booked them to play the tiny Escobar venue. Some of my main recollections from the evening of April 4^th 2005 included meeting the young couple who had travelled all the way from Aberdeen for the gig and the footprints marked on the ceiling due to the excessive crowd surfing (the image of footprints on the ceiling is regularly recalled by attendees and even by the Arctic Monkeys themselves in interviews and biographies).            

In the following couple of years we promoted gigs in Leeds and London as well as gruelling weekend long festivals at Escobar with promoters Rich Short and Chris Phelan (who also joined us on a “full time” basis). I could probably write an entire book on all the stories and scrapes that followed us around in those days. When myself, Morse and Phelan moved to Leeds our house was dubbed “Louder Than Bombs Towers” and our housewarming party ended up in the Evening Post.

Before we began promoting it seemed to me that the Wakefield music scene was fragmented. A few years earlier there had been McDermott’s on Cheapside that had created a similar camaraderie amongst the bands in the city, but many people, including myself, had missed out on this. Now we had somewhere to go that seemed like Cheers, where everyone knew your name! Looking at old photographs of the crowd at many gigs it is incredible to see how many people were all part of the same group of friends. Bands like Last Gang, The Pigeon Detectives, The Labels, The Old House, The Research, Middleman, The Spills and many more all became regulars both on and off the stage.

A couple of years later a handful of releases came out on Louder Than Bombs Records, with Rob Dee working as part of this (Rob Dee would later rename his vinyl output Philophobia Records). It was also in the following years that Rob Dee and Benjamin Trout started the Rhubarb Bomb fanzine.

A lot of the current crop from the Wakefield music scene spent time at Escobar and Louder Than Bombs. It always had to come to an end at some point but it’s just a shame that a new venue hasn’t come along a captured the crowd in the same way. The scene is still healthy, but it misses a focal point.

Stephen Vigors

This article originally appeared in Issue 3.1 of Rhubarb Bomb and also our book The City Consumes Us. Stephen also writes short stories: http://stephen-vigors-short-stories.posterous.com/

Billy Lunn Acoustic Tour Interview

On Friday 30^th November, one of the modern pioneers of Rock and Roll, Billy Lunn, lead singer of The Subways hits Wakefield for a special intimate show at The Hop. He’ll be playing a stripped down acoustic set of The Subways material from their first three albums. Aaron Snowdon speaks to Billy in advance of the show…

Aaron Snowdon: So, first of all, what made you decide to go out on tour on your own?

Billy Lunn: Well I’m actually writing the fourth album at the moment and I wrote Money and Celebrity, our third record, whilst we were off tour and I was at home. You know, just to sort of simulate the creative process, I thought I’d pop out on tour and play some songs for fans. We don’t intend on playing as a full band until maybe, summer next year.

AS:  Do you think that touring is a good time to start writing the fourth record?

BL: I don’t actually really write a lot on tour. By the time we get back on the bus and I pick up my acoustic guitar, I think I’m ready for bed now. When I wake up in the morning, straight out of the tour bus, I’m doing press and exercise. Song writing only really happens whilst I’m off tour. I never know when some ideas might suddenly crop up. I thought this acoustic tour would be a great way and go out there and experience and meet new people.

AS: So in terms of when you’re performing live, with a full band you appear to be quite lively and often crazy on stage, do you feel nervous at the idea of performing on your own?

BL: Definitely! With doing all that crazy stuff on stage and making all that loud noise. When it’s just the acoustic guitar and me, if there are mistakes everybody’s going to hear them. There is a sense of sort of feeling naked. It’s great to challenge myself as well, to have to take the songs we usually play really loud and bring it down to a different level to almost a folky atmosphere. I’m starting to get used to it now, a bit more confident.

AS: Do you like playing the more intimate venues?

BL: It depends really. If we do a huge tour, with the bigger venues we’re sort of craving for the more intimate interaction with the crowd where you can see the sweat dripping from the ceiling. It’s nice just to mix and match. Festival season’s just a great way to exemplify that. When the festival seasons over, we’re sort of ready to get back indoors now and play some really low down dirty club shows. That to us is Rock and Roll we used to go to those kinda shows when we were starting out as a band.

AS: On this tour is it going to be strictly Subways stuff or do you have some solo material?

BL: I was thinking about playing some of my solo stuff, but to be honest, if I write something and I don’t immediately take it to Charlotte and Josh then it’s not good enough. If I don’t show it to them, I don’t really believe the song worked. So, anything I really do write, I’ll only categorize as The Subways. I’m actually planning to do some covers, I’ve already played Supersonic by Oasis and I’m really enjoying playing that. It’s probably one of my all time favourite songs. I’m thinking of Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac. I’ll probably be sticking that in the set as well.

AS: I noticed that you’ve been asking people for their opinions on what you should play in the set. Does that give you a more personal relationship with the crowd?

BL: Yeah, definitely. That’s what we’ve always wanted since day one. When we first started the band we wanted to be really interactive with our fans. We put up our own website. We’d do that then we’d put up we’re playing at the Buffalo Bar on Thursday are there any songs that you guys would particularly like to hear? I basically went on Twitter and asked, anything you want me to try give it to me and I’ll see if I can do it. I had people request Foo Fighters- Everlong. This one couple were really keen that I play it. When the barman disappeared I took my guitar out and played it really quiet, and they loved it.

AS: You recently did the Propaganda tour with The Subways which visited Leeds 02 Academy. How were these shows?

BL: Yeah, they we great. We booked this Propaganda tour which we thought would be an amazing way to end this Money and Celebrity campaign and they were all 30 minute slots. It was absolutely crazy going out their and banging out 8 songs then walking off stage then going and having a drink. We found ourselves playing to people who have never even heard of us before!

AS: I noticed recently that you’ve been growing a moustache for Movember, the people of Wakefield are going to see it at its highest point on the 30^th November. Are you excited to be visiting West Yorkshire again? Has the north treated you well in the past?

BL: Yeah. You know, we’ve always had some amazing gigs up north. Especially in Yorkshire. I’ve gotta say my tash is not looking good at the moment. My brother is 18 months younger than me and he can grow a full beard. I’m much fairer than he is, so when I try grow any facial hair it looks really pathetic. By the time I get to Wakefield it’ll be probably, well I don’t know how it’s going to look! We’ll see!

Tickets for the gig are available at The Hop, Crash Records, Jumbo Records and Ticketweb

Forever On The Ride

Brothers Gary and Dave Cotton have been putting on amazing gigs in Wakefield for years now. They don’t do gigs once a week or every other month, simply when the whim takes and they come across someone brilliant that they just have to share with Wakefield. Because of them amazing people like The Lovely Eggs, Clemence Freschard, Stanley Brinks, The Dead Trees, Malcolm Middleton, The Wave Pictures, James Yorkston, Rozi Plain, Francois & The Atlas Mountains, Kid Canaveral… and oh so many more have visited us.

They have two gigs left in 2012, both at The Hop. The first is this coming Thursday (22^nd), when they welcome Mark Wynn to town on his first UK tour. Press-friendly quotes refer to him as being from the same lineage as Mark E Smith, John Cooper Clarke and Lou Reed. A cursory listen to his most recent album James Dean Makes Me Insecure, Why Does He Have To Be So Shexy reveals a equal appreciation of ultra lo-fi with a distinctly idiosyncratic, anxious songcraft (most songs are done in under two minutes).

Support comes from the superb Sam Forrest (Nine Black Alps) and local boyish popster Michael Ainsley. It’s a bargain four pound in for someone whom Tom Robinson said this about on BBC6 Music: “Like the early John Cooper Clarke or Mark E Smith, Mark Wynn has the potential for national treasure status twenty years down the line. And that's not something you'll hear me say often or lightly.”

The last show of the year is a very special one; a double headlining duo of Withered Hand and Darren Hayman. Withered Hand was another fantastic booking On The Ride secured for this year’s Long Division. After an amazing Autumn tour, sadly cut short by illness, this is one last chance to see him in 2012. Widely regarded (in the smarter circles) as one of the best lyricist and songwriters around at the moment, Withered Hand would be worth the £8 in alone. But the added attraction of an all too rare live performance from Darren Hayman sweetens the pill to sickeningly good levels.

Treat yourself before the Winter dip; nothing good ever happens in December does it…

Dean Freeman

Enrico Pieranunzi at Wakefield Jazz

Enrico Pieranunzi Trio

WakefieldJazz

16^th November 2012

I think it is worth pointing out at the beginning of this review that the amount I know about Jazz could easily be scribbled on the back of a postage stamp. So, for all the Jazz heads out there – I’m sorry, this is not going to be helpful. It is less a review of Enrico Pieranunzi and more a ponderance on my entering the world of ten minute improvisations and supposed beard stroking.

As mentioned in the last issue of Rhubarb Bomb, Wakefield Jazz is an institution the city should be proud of, having celebrated its 25^th birthday this year. The quality of the stuff they put on is phenomenal. Tonight, Enrico is a great example of this. He has just played Barcelona, and now finds himself in a northern club, by a bowling green. This is only one of four UK dates for the incredibly well renowned performer and catches like this are common for Wakefield Jazz. It’s truly amazing.

Any apprehension you may have about visiting a ‘Jazz Club’ can comfortably be left at the door. A perfect image for Wakefield Jazz’s standing in the city can perhaps be found as you walk through the main door and see a huge, beautiful gleaming black piano stood in the middle of what is basically a Working Men’s Club. In keeping with the traditions of the latter, the atmosphere is very social and welcoming and the bar busy.

Enrico takes to the piano with two other band members; a bassist and drummer. And this is where Jazz begins to show itself as the opposite of everything I feel I know about music. For a start, I am informed that Enrico met the rest of his trio at 18:30 this evening, when he arrived. Doors were at 19:30. Yet a quick one-two-three, one-two-three and they are locked in and on their way.

It would make sense if they were knocking out some twelve bar blues. Naturally I spend the first ten or so minutes trying to ascertain if there is any recognisable structure. There isn’t to my ears, yet I know there must be, as the double bass player is intently following some sheet music, though he never turns the page. The drummer is away, lost in some other world, pulling the greatest Jazz face I’ve seen; like trying to relieve five days of constipation whilst occasionally suffering from terrible jolts of sciatica. He is smiling once the song is complete, so it can’t actually be that bad.

But the songs. It’s gets tricky here. I’ve never considered it but I guess the reason I go to watch bands is for the songs. Have they got good songs? The performance is probably secondary. But here, the main selling point is the skill and ability of the performers and the actual songs (but not the music) are secondary. Here, Enrico plays a range of tracks that are well known (again, not to me) as something akin to Jazz standards. It means nothing to me, but clearly his skill is the way he reinterprets them in his own way. Further pleasure is the way his band then react off his improvisations and add their own elements to it.

I am informed that audiences will come down purely if there happens to be a good drummer in a band’s lineup. Such is the reverence with which these people are held. There’s a great moment in one number when the song is seemingly winding down, with just Enrico noodling around. Then he does something. I don’t know what (I’m later informed he switched it to Bebop…) but a huge grin covers the bass player’s face. He can see the clever thing his band mate has done. The grin mutates into a furrowed brow as he consults his notes. And before you know it, the drummer and him have dropped back in to this new style, the band clearly enjoying the challenge and experience of playing with a great pianist.

Moments like this stand out. There is a tendency for the audience to clap randomly in the middle of songs. I guess something awesome I didn’t notice happened. A lot. But it shows the audience is very engaged and very appreciative. I wish more audiences were like that.

The first set last for an hour, and it goes surprisingly quickly. The second sets at the club usually last the same; Enrico wrapped it up after 45 which I have to say felt about right for me. A degree of repetitiveness had crept in, but it has to be said; this is not just something that happens with Jazz! It’s a long time for any performer to keep things fresh.

The second set had the two highlights for me; a performance of a track he wrote himself (the only of the night) as a film score for Cinema Paradiso and a solo performance of a classical piece by a 17^th century composer who’s name I cant remember. I am told afterwards that classical composers were the jazz musicians of their day. Initially, the music wasn’t written down, so each performance would be unique. Once they were actually scored, the music became set in stone and turned into what we now know as classical music. Tonight, Enrico took the composers work and improvised his own twists to it, much as the original chap would have done. It was a nice change of pace, and a good education too.

So I’ve learnt there is joy to be had in Jazz. My first experience was a rather traditional and ‘safe’ one, but done to the highest standard. It was a very engaging experience and I found myself simultaneously trying to concentrate very hard on what was happening whilst also trying to let myself go. You can do both, which was what I always enjoyed about Mogwai, to be honest. At its core it is simple, but beyond that, there is so much going on.

Probably because all I was hearing stood against my accepted ‘norms’ for music, part of me craved to hear Mogwai's Ex-Cowboy, probably because it could provide me with what I wasn’t getting here; clear dynamics, upsetting volume, a sinister mood, powerful performances and an emotional response. Instead, tonight I got virtuoso performances, a generally buoyant, playful mood and some slightly impenetrable structures and dynamics. Impenetrable for now, that is. It’s great to find something new, something you don’t understand. I will be back to Wakefield Jazz; it’s a different kind of night out, a different experience and a different approach to music, done incredibly well. I seem to get shot down in flames for daring to say such incendiary things as this, but I am going to say it anyway; step out of your comfort zone, try something new!

Dean Freeman

Unhappy Birthday Review

Unhappy Birthday

Any Lame

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is many things to many different people. And a lot of people head to Scotland for some, if not all, of the three weeks in August. Just short of two million at the latest estimate. That is what I call “a lot”. Is it an enlightened perspective on the current state of the world of performing and visual arts? Or is it merely a poncy indulgence for arty-farty types at the taxpayer’s expense? Whatever.

Since 1947 many an aspiring thespian has set up shop to showcase their varying degree of talents. High art, low art, mediocre art.  It’s all there. Many will go on to achieve greatness. Others will pack up at the end of their shift and go back to the day job. Much like a music festival really.  

2012’s Fringe was not a lot different to any other. The usual glut of  students who think they are desperately funny, but who should really just stick to the swotting. A decent play here, a lively Beethoven concert there. Much of a muchness really. So there I was, resigned to heading back down south thinking Ho Hum, Another Fringe. But then, on my last night there, I happened upon Unhappy Birthday.

It was The Smiths connection that initially caught my eye.   I was looking forward to a decent soundtrack if nothing else.  The blurb looked interesting.  “Amy is having a birthday party.  Morrissey is invited, and so are you.”  That kind of thing.  Even The Guardian had been impressed: “popping the bubble of pretentiousness around performance art.”  And they tend to know what they are talking about with stuff like this!  Who was I to question their wisdom?  So off I went.

You walk in and immediately you are given a hat and a party popper.  This is, after all, interactive theatre.  There’s no point turning up if you just want to sit quietly at the back.  You would only get picked out if you tried that trick.  And I was right about the soundtrack.  It was all Smiths, Smiths, Smiths.  Well, nearly all.  There was a smattering of their vocalist’s solo material also thrown into the pot.  You are taken through the story of Amy’s life with these songs as the backdrop.   You play pass the parcel.   You come close to getting a slice of birthday cake, but it’s Amy’s party after all and she is perfectly entitled to scoff the lot.  There is a karaoke  (surprise, surprise it was a Smiths hit – an honourable rendition of Sheila Take A Bow).  We finish off with a community prayer (“A Moz Blessing”) where you make your proclamations and then sing along to that well known hymn This Charming Man.

After the show I felt obliged to hang around and tell Amy that it was the best show I had seen in over a dozen visits to The Fringe. A genuinely heartwarming show, it is now the yardstick by which other stuff will be judged.  Whenever I go to see a play in the future, I will somehow want more than just talking heads on a stage. This is a piece of work that is alive. It is in your face, in the literal sense.  I would like to think it is going on a tour of the provinces. I would not expect to see it at the Theatre Royal, it just wouldn’t work in such a sizeable arena. But I could envisage it in the intimacy of the upstairs room at The Hop, for example. That space is very similar to the one used in Edinburgh.  

The best plan is to keep an eye on www.unhappybirthday.net if your tastebuds are aroused by the music and the medium of live theatre.   And, Amy, if you see this article, please bring the show to Wakefield some time.  I’ll be there.  I have, after all, vowed to “proclaim by word and example the Good News of Morrissey, despite the shame this might cause.”  That’s what I’m doing right now.

Roger Green