Sunday 29 April 2012

STACKRIDGE/NEW MILTON April 28th 2012

STACKRIDGE + Blackheart New Milton War Memorial Hall April 28th 2012.

Its been a very long time since I visited this historic and tucked away venue in the little cosmos of the New Forest and it is by nature just where you would expect to find the music of STACKRIDGE at any given time in their long history.With an open heart I arrived and with a with a full and wanting more heart I left.
The genius of STACKRIDGEs songwriting is having a knack for filling in all the subject lines that nobody else does in an essential pop melody with just enough thought and musicianship to cross into progressive territory also.("Progressive" again you say..? Odd that-its been that sort of week!)
For a short while, the band were known as the KORGIS and slotted in very well as part of the post punk waves, hitting the airwaves via Radio 1 in the late 70`s and very early 80`s with absolutely classic hits-"If I Had You" and the timeless "Everybodys Gotta Learn Sometime". The latter of which , on the night we were promised the elusive "second verse lyric" for the first time, and I have only just gotten that joke.
Augmented on this tour by the wonderful Clare Lindley on fiddle , vox and couple of other musical creations, she completes the contemporary frontline of the band with Andy Davies and James Warren.
Not that I can attempt to even give you half of a potted history of the band in my own words as I simply dont have one-to me, this is a new territory and very grateful my ears are to it too. Anybody mentioning "plimsoles" "gold fish" and "men in bowler hats" in their tunes is ok in my book. It`s simply so great to hear different words in songs and so refreshing to hear something new to the ears without a single vocal acrobatic, although it surely cant be too long before somebody commits "stackrilidge" and murders one of their world class songs on one of "those" shows.
I loved the experience of pure relaxed entertainers at this show right from when the support act , BLACKHEART appeared earlier. An apparently-"husband and wife"(?) duo from the Wigan era I think I would probably be forgiven for them reminding me of Gregson and Collister, with the addition of some wonderfully played guitar loops taking the place of any drum machines required and an Omnichord, subtly hidden on a music stand by "Mrs" Blackheart.
Anyways, in brief-change your heart-it will astound you... and yes it did. Loved this band and will have a fun time tracking down their back catalogue-catch them on this tour if you can.

STACKRIDGE + Blackheart New Milton 8/10

Thursday 26 April 2012

The Day After My 50th Birthday!

Absolutely knackered today! Thanks for all the birthday wishes-I certainly tried to respond in person to every single one of you-and if I have missed you-just poke me again for karma and respect;) We had hoped that I would be well enough to have a big massive gig for my 50th and started planning it a couple of years ago-but in January this year it was quite obvious that this was not going to be a very good move for me -besides which-it saved your ears from my live squaking and you can continue listening to the cleaned up studio version of me-he of which-never furgets the lyrics:) Anyways-as I say-I am knackered-and if anyone fancies a session on the web promo of our Julias House appeal, selling Suspicious Minds, please feel free to take the reigns.
Also-do anyone know of a printer who would be able to print a short run of flyers to go on the seats of the Stackridge gig on Saturday, as we have kind permission from the promoters to use the facility , which I can tell you is not an easy thing to get from gigs in which you are not on the bill. Including this weeks sales at this rate and IF all at Saturdays gig downloads the song -it will chart next week and we will be able to hand over a serious amount of money. On a personal note , it will be damned fine to get the icing for the cake in my hometown as a kid , New Milton:)
You are all splendid and very much appreciated xxx
Martin Kitcher 50 years old and one day. West Parley, Dorset.xx

GALAHAD “BATTLE SCARS”

A & R development over the years. Oh yes this is the key-let the band breathe and grow on masses of record company loans, make sure the public want to have the beautifully crafted product at least for Christmas, the look and sound must be essential...
The album I`m playing here at the moment, you could have turned down to barely audible volume at a dinner table and passed it off as an offering from the nightmarish but sadly true stabling illustrated above, heavens! -=it even features progressive music, but I can tell you that I have not heard a delivery like this from a band of this genre, well- ever really, but GALAHAD have not fallen down any holes lately nore ever gotten stuck into  a cliched prog groove of cloning any other act in their class. They don`t actually sound like anyone but themselves and its a sound comforted by being happy with knowing what they are and furthering that knowledge with a passion and longevity that is just so rare in any form of entertainment that is presented with such authoritywith dignity and ,now, after  25 years or so doing what they do, such experience. These guys were doing DIY when anyone else except the indie punk labels were too busy sneering at it-it certainly wasn’t`t a “prog thing” to do-well one would have thought...
None of the songs on BATTLE SCARS have been tugged and pulled in a direction to which they might prove to be better for “that territory” or “that market”, the beauty and integrity of the song-crafting is coming from none of the usual places out of the speakers and thrills  in the perfection of mix and exactly enough playing ,unlike many of the acts that they no doubt would have been listening too in a bedroom away from spiky haired, skinny legged pogoers that were their contemporaries.

This album is a film, but I don’t want it to be-I want it to be a record. From the opening power and dignity of the title track itself we are sucked into this aural movie and its only when we get to “BITTER AND TWISTED” that we realise that the album is such an absorbing work that nothing else is actually getting done. Prog Rock didn’t of course go away, to many people, it just painted itself in a shade that was not as popular as it thought it would be-GALAHAD without a doubt carried on listening to themselves and what their loyal  and indeed lifelong followers, in many cases,  wanted from the music that they create. Surely, that is the best A+R crew in the world and to be able to have the strength in work and deed to turn around and face a new crowd in 2012 and say-“hey people-heres our new record-you might like this as well..”, is an unchallenged gift that acts would pay a great deal of money to have. (they cant of course-it takes too much dedication, work and time!)
And-in case anyone has not mentioned it to you, with the excellent “SIEZE THE DAY”, the prog ship and dance floor have been immaculately fused by a band for the first time and not a computer programmer.

Galahad/Battle Scars  Avalon Records 2012 9.5/10

Martin Kitcher