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Live Music; Reviews of gigs / concerts
Topic Started: Jun 16 2011, 03:19 PM (363 Views)
rumbaba
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I went with two friends to see Nick Lowe playing at the Meltdown Festival http://meltdown.southbankcentre.co.uk/ on The Southbank last night (curated this year by Ray Davies). We gave the support (a geeky guy with an acoustic guitar and a girl's voice called 'Rainy Boy Sleep') a couple of numbers before legging it back to the bar.

Nick did a couple of songs by himself, just with the acoustic guitar, before bringing the band on. I am afraid I have forgotten their names except for the great Geraint Watkins on keyboards. There was a drummer, stand-up bass and guitar. It was quite an intimate gig, with Nick chatting to the audience in a very relaxed manner. There were a couple of songs from the new album (out in September) but he raided his back catalogue for the old favourites. It was very 'country' and had an acoustic feel. Anyone expecting 'breaking glass' or anything from 'The Jesus of Cool' era may have been disappointed. There were a couple of guests, who did two numbers each. Paul Carrack played piano and did 'What's shaking on the hill' and one other. I didn't catch the name of the other guest, 'Little ...' somebody or other. A small, black guy in a white suit and stetson plaing a bit of harmonica and guitar, as well as singing. He was okish. It was a good gig but, for me, it was almost 'too relaxed', a bit like the first set of two (except there was only one set). They got a great reception, did one very quick encore and left - it wasn't yet 10 o'clock.

Frank, my journalist, baritone sax-playing school friend, came down from Glasgow to meet up with myself and my other school friend, Steve, just for the gig. We ate and drank rather a lot in rather a short time beforehand,sandwiching the Miro exhibition at Tate Modern in between lunch and an early dinner.

There was one pleasant and unexpected surprise for me. There is a Spanish restaurant that I always notice from the train going from London Bridge to Charing X, called Mar i Terra. It looks really interesting and I keep teling my wife we must go there some time. Anyway, we just happened upon it while we were looking for Frank's Travelodge near Southwark Tube. We only had a drink but it looks a great little tapas bar (in Gambia Street). Very small, friendly and not too expensive.
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becky sharp
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Hi Rumbaba

A 10 o'clock finish! ...that's not very rock and roll is it?.... B-)

Sounds like you had a good day, albeit it ended a little earlier than you would have liked.

Did you like the new songs Nick sang?

I had heard the wonderful Ray Davies was curating this ...he must have turned down a knighthood musn't he as surely he is overdue for one for his contribution to popular music.

(First post to you in our new home)




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rumbaba
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Hi Becky,

The new songs were ok, one in particular I liked, but he only did two. Good to see you on here. I'm off to Spain for a couple of weeks on holiday, so I will probably not be around for a bit.

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becky sharp
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Bon voyage...hope you have a lovely time.....see you when you get back!
Edited by becky sharp, Jun 16 2011, 11:00 PM.
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rumbaba
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Saw a good gig at the Cafe Central in Madrid last night. Susana Sheiman wit the Ignasi Tarraza Trio. 14 Euros for the show, relaxed friendly place that does food. Started at 10 finished at midnight. Great piano player and a rhythm section that knows how to swing. Here is a clip of them from 2009. I have no idea what it sounds like because this hotel PC has no sound card. The bass player is different, otherwise same band, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlYMjn8XlGI

Susana is doing a week but we were too late to get a table the previous night, so went down the road to Cafe Populart and saw Stevie Zee and The Blues Reunion Band. It was free to get in but the drinks were 5 euros a pop. It didn´t seem possible to run a tab and the waiter was surly and a tad intimidating: barking ´10 euros´at us. It was pretty shambolic and unrehearsed. He is a bit of a Stevie Ray Vaughan clone (hair, hat, strat - actually no strat in this clip) but without his talent. The right side of ok for a free gig. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI2n003GMh8&feature=related

Here´s the real thing! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keQaz5iYeV4
Edited by rumbaba, Jun 29 2011, 02:49 PM.
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becky sharp
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rumbaba
Jun 29 2011, 07:51 AM
The right side of ok for a free gig.
Bet they be thrilled if they heard that! :D

I quite liked the sounds of both of them...a bit of talking over the first one,though.

If you have time when you get back here's the website for Glastonbury live performances.....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/festivals/glastonbury/2011/
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rumbaba
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Went to Clamores last night to see these guys Click here for Lou Marini and Red House. Good fun. Lou was the sax player in The Blues Brothers and the guitar player from Red House is terrific . They try to run this place like Ronnie Scott´s, with a reservation system (please wait here to be shown to your table deal) but it was shambolic. The place was full of people who seemed to know Lou, including a lot of Americans. We didn´t have a reservation but showed up early and they gave us a decent table. No food, €12 to get in and the drinks are expensive. The best deal was a magnum (double bottle) of Flexinet cava for €28. apart from cava (or Moet Chandon at €75), there were no wines on the list, mostly cocktails and spirits at €7/€8 a pop but we asked for a bottle of white wine. They were a bit shocked at anyone buying wine by the bottle but the brought it and it was €25 plus €4 for a half litre of water. The band came on about 10.15 and were still encoring when we left at 12.40. A good mix of blues, funk, rhythm n blues. Lou played decent tenor and soprano sax and sings ok, but the main singer was better. He played flute on one number but flute ain´t his thing.

That´s it, back home tomorrow :)
Edited by rumbaba, Jul 1 2011, 07:26 AM.
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rumbaba
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Becky Sharp
Jun 30 2011, 07:20 AM
rumbaba
Jun 29 2011, 07:51 AM
The right side of ok for a free gig.
Bet they be thrilled if they heard that! :D

I quite liked the sounds of both of them...a bit of talking over the first one,though.

If you have time when you get back here's the website for Glastonbury live performances.....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/festivals/glastonbury/2011/
Thanks for the link Becky. It´s blocked in Spain (not available in your region). There is a sound card on this PC, I plugged my phones into the PC and I can here ok. I´ll give it a listen when I get home,
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rumbaba
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rumbaba
Jul 1 2011, 07:31 AM
Becky Sharp
Jun 30 2011, 07:20 AM
rumbaba
Jun 29 2011, 07:51 AM
The right side of ok for a free gig.
Bet they be thrilled if they heard that! :D

I quite liked the sounds of both of them...a bit of talking over the first one,though.

If you have time when you get back here's the website for Glastonbury live performances.....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/festivals/glastonbury/2011/
Thanks for the link Becky. It´s blocked in Spain (not available in your region). There is a sound card on this PC, I plugged my phones into the PC and I can here ok. I´ll give it a listen when I get home,
Click here to see the actual gig I was at! Someone has put this on Youtube. No talking over this Becky. :)
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becky sharp
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I enjoyed that Rum,thanks...beautiful song.

Sounds as if you've had a lovely time... B-)
Edited by becky sharp, Jul 5 2011, 07:21 AM.
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rumbaba
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Yes, fabulous time but getting hammered at work and too much going on at home, no time really to post here :)
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rumbaba
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Went to the local & live session last night. The Breretons were good. Breretons Myspace
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Norm Deplume
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Been listening to some of your links Rum. Absolutely great. Cheque is in the post for tickets for the future gigs you attend!!!!!!!!!
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rumbaba
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What in particular do you like Norm? I'll post up the stuff I'm going to in advance and you can keep an eye out in your area. I like jazz, funk, blues, soul and 'quality pop'. Missed out on the Hop Farm (a stone's throw away from Tunbridge Wells) - Prince this year - and the London Blues fest that had some great stuff (Dr John, Trombone Shorty, Allen Toussaint) but I was out of the country :(



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rumbaba
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Keep an eye on this, probably my next gig, unless I find something in Belgrade next week. Local & Live

80 acts (2 stages this year, so the normal 50 has been upped), all local, all original music, all free and I can walk there in 5 minutes from my house. Favourite band at this festival has to be Origami Dinosaur but the quality level is generally very high.
Edited by rumbaba, Jul 20 2011, 10:39 AM.
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Norm Deplume
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Jazz and Big Bands are my favourite genre Rum. The local Big Band Society of which, I am a member, has arranged a concert in our village hall for tomorrow night. It is an amateur 16 piece big band who play for charities that encourage and help young musicians. The band itself is made up of teenagers and young adults, I have not heard them but our chairman has and he has highly recommended them
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rumbaba
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Sounds good Norm, where are you approximately?

We have free Jazz on The Pantiles in T. Wells on a Thursday in the summer, some big band and other stuff.
click here.

Unfortunately, the greedy restaurants and bars on the Pantiles have been encroaching further and further with their tables, almost to the point where your ordinary punter has nowhere to sit. They put out some 'public' chairs but only a few and to one side. It puts me off, along with the people who think the purpose of a concert is to have something to shout their conversation over. There are other pubs away from the bandstand but everyone wants to be where the action is. So they shout at each other all through the music and then applaud wildly at the end brickwallll . I haven't been this year, for various reasons, mostly travel, but I will try to see Hard Lines, who are excellent.


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Norm Deplume
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I live in a small town/large village that borders Milton Keynes. I am only about a mile and a half from Dankworth's "The Stables", which is quite convenient.
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rumbaba
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Post a review of the gig Norm. I'd be interested to hear how it went.
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Norm Deplume
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Hi Rum,
The gig was quite good , they mostly played the Big Band standards and for an amateur band who really do only play to help charities they were not bad at all. The youngest players were only twelve years old.....a boy on the trumpet and a girl saxophonist, they both did solos and they were good, very good.
The band were not exactly in the Glenn Miller or Sid Lawrence class but they were very 'listenable' indeed. We got a packed house and considering the venue was our village hall, we raised £600 for the charity, which was a pretty good result.
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rumbaba
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Great stuff Norm, I love to see youngsters taking those first steps in gaining confidence to play in public, particulalry soloing - very impressive for 12 year olds. £600 is pretty good and anything that encourages youngsters to play any kind of music gets my vote. ok1


I didn't go to the Jazz on The Pantiles last night. The weather wasn't good and I am a bit zonked with work at the moment - off to Belgrade on Sunday for a few days (work).
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