Bristol Scene Report – August-September 2009
By: Sian Norris
Hello readers and welcome to a review of the all-too rainy summer months. This month we also bring you exclusive illustrations from renowned Bristol illustrator and founding member of Sexy Bitch, Bobby Griggs. But first we need to cast our minds back to the end of the wettest Bristolian July since the 1880s, when I headed over to the newly re-painted Thunderbolt in Totterdown to take in an acoustic set from JP Storrow and a performance from My Friend Friday.
First on the bill was JP Storrow, known throughout Bristol for his airplane themed Flight 51 nights at the Croft, and from his band the Hounds, as well as running record label Six Feet Deep and Five Miles High. I was curious to see how the loud, heavy rock sound of the Hounds' songs would translate into an acoustic set, and was pleasantly surprised - JP is a masterful guitar player, he coaxes and brings his songs out of the strings, and his rich voice complements and enriches the tune. He commands you to listen, and his songs which tell stories of the everyday eventualities of living in Bristol, despair at pretention and good old tales of love and loss tread that careful line between melodic pop and inspired rock. JP also played ‘Numb’, a track he has been working on with promoter Jo Pamphilion for their new outfit Sharon Hates Everything, which takes his song writing into an exciting, new electro territory. Simple and melodic guitar strumming is boosted by a soaring beat and slightly distorted vocal that culminates with a great crash over your speakers. JP is hoping to play some more acoustic gigs over the coming months, as will Sharon Hates Everything, so watch this space.
[MY FRIEND FRIDAY]
Following JP was local band My Friend Friday, who are always a joy to watch perform. They look like they are having so much fun at every gig they play, laughing and joking with the audience and generally getting a giggle out of the being up on the stage. Playing a great blend of crowd pleasing indie pop, all members of the band (singer, 2 guitars, bass, drums) are consummate musicians. ‘Moving On’ has all the trappings of a great pop single, and when the drummer adds to the vocal the harmonies are just pitch perfect. A band to dance to, sing along to and generally just enjoy watching, you can't help but get caught up in the enthusiasm.
[CANDI STATON - ILLUSTRATIONS BY BOBBY GRIGGS]
The first weekend of August brings with it the Bristol Harbour Festival, an event that has vastly improved since it started back when I was a small Bristolian child. And for those of you who know how much I love the funk and soul, you can imagine how excited I was by seeing the Friday night headliner, the wonderful Candi Staton. Looking amazing in gold sequins (“she's so bright you can't even look at her” quipped Bobby Griggs) she belted out Elvis's ‘Suspicious Minds’ to an enraptured, sing along audience. Her voice hasn't lost any of the soul quality that made her a legend, and she followed Elvis with Tammy Wynette's ‘Stand By Your Man’, again, the crowd yelling out the chorus as loud as they could. Even the rain couldn't dampen the spirits, and as she moved on to playing her own hits, including an epic long ‘Young Hearts Run Free’ that included introducing the band, a gospel moment, some incredible instrumental solos (never seen a drummer belt out some funk like that!) and a thank you message to God, whilst always bringing us back to that chorus of youthful independence, it was electrifying. And then of course, the synth breaks in and Candi brings us the song that will remember her to our generation forever, ‘You Got The Love’. No matter how much I love Florence's cover, Candi got the love and Candi got soul.
We left the amphitheatre in search of a warm and dry place to drink alcohol, and ended up in jazz venue the Old Duke, just in time to see the end of the Keith Little band, playing some amazing rag time that made me want to pull on my flapper dress and two step with the best of them. If you have never been to the Old Duke to catch the live jazz, then I urge and beg you to do so, you are forever in for a treat. Trumpets, sax, double bass and jazz piano gave off some great Glenn Miller and Old Alexander's Ragtime styles that couldn't help but leave you feel warm inside.
The Harbour Festival is a weekend long event that covers a number of venues in town, so the next day we set off to the Louisiana to catch Steve and Carvery of Countryside performing a selection of Countryside's songs. I haven't seen Countryside for ages and each time I do I remember why local mag Venue voted them as Bristol's best band, and why I love them so much. As it was just the two of them the sound was a lot more understated, giving a real lo fi style to the set, a real DIY sound. The keyboards lulled gently against the guitars, and Carvery's backing vocals add a new layer of sound against Steve's whispery falsetto. Track ‘The Best Stripper in Town’ has a real county feel to it, (both west country and American country!), and the uplifting ‘Summer is Here’ sounded as fantastic as ever, a song that promises BBQs in parks and lazing around like a cat on the downs. The korg really broke lose and lyrics like “wake up drunk outside, just want to go home” offer both humour and pathos, a kind of nostalgic riff on youthful irresponsibility. There was an amusing recorded skit of an American trying to order the Countryside record over the phone at a UK record store, and the set finished with the lovely ode to outdated technology, ‘My Beautiful Broken Video Recorder’, a song which, with its sentimentality towards VHS, I could totally identify with.
After saying goodbye to Steve and Carvery we strolled back over to the amphitheatre, with the aim of catching Turbowolf. However, in an unprecedented move for Bristol culture, things were running on time so we missed it. So I am yet to see what Turbowolf sound like without Betty.
From here on in I spent the Harbour Festival drinking gin followed by gin, so although I know I saw Dan Black and VV Brown, all I can say is that the sound was terrible for Dan Black, the bass being the only thing you could hear, and VV was lovely as ever.
Another trip to the Louisiana to see My Friend Friday and Motherload, a band that combined excellent and strong baselines with catchy hooks that got your feet tapping, and vocals that were reminiscent at times of Muse.
[THE BIG PINK - ILLUSTRATIONS BY BOBBY GRIGGS]
August finished with The Big Pink at Start the Bus. I couldn't see a thing over Big Geoff's head but I am reliably informed that there was a girl pretending to play drums, a keyboard player, bass and guitar and singer set up. The sound was rich, from cacophonic, distorted guitars and visceral drum/drum machine, to songs that softly and carefully built up soundscapes and lulling melodies, before crashing over the crowd. The set was constantly surprising, a big guitar ballad followed by a track of delicious squelching beats accompanied with strumming guitars and an almost symphonic vocals, they uplifted the crowd, soaring on the crest of the song. ‘Velvet’ and ‘Dominoes’ were saved to the end, and were definitely the stand out tracks of the set. The crowd went wild for ‘Velvet’, the carefully polished too cool for school masks of some of the listeners was broken off for a moment of unadulterated joy in the music, hurrah! It was a beautiful moment of watching an audience totally lose themselves in the set, giving themselves fully to the excitement and admiration for the music, becoming one and at home with the band.
Along came September and with it a trip to London for the Uppity Bump, with night regular BizNiz playing a classic mix of pop and hip hop, with some RnB thrown in, and a masterful turn from Bass Clef playing a wonderful mix of electronica classics and new sounds. The new album is sounding absolutely fantastic, and his electronica heavy set reflects the new direction the album has taken, a move away from the more traditional dubstep feeling of A Smile is a Curve to lots of layers of analogue electronica that is reminiscent of RLF's earlier work, whilst sounding fresh and exciting. After Bass Clef came...ME! My debut DJ set as the Lady Sianushka. I played a mix of styles, moving from Le Tigre through to some vintage Madonna and Blondie, bootylicious Destiny's Child and Amerie, Missy Elliott, Spank Rock and Stoosh, before going back to the old skool and playing Sharon Ridley, Dusty, Aretha and ending with Strobe by Friendly Fires. I have to say I absolutely loved playing my vinyl on the mini stage and am hoping for a return invite to the Uppity Bump, so watch this space! Girl Blue was up next, followed by an epic set from the lovely Annala, 2 hours of funk, hip hop and pop, including Spanky, Work Song, Aretha, Sir Mixalot and ODB. A lovely night in London town!
[BOYS AND DANCE]
They haven't played in the new incarnation since February so we were excited to head down to the Cooler to see old Bristol favourites Sexy Bitch, supported by friends Countryside. The full band were on stage for Countryside that evening, and were a pleasure to hear as always. It was great to see the contrast from the acoustic set at the Louisiana and the effect of the full band. The songs which sound so wistful and summery when played acoustically take on a new force and rock feel when brought together with the drums and bass. Always a pleasure to watch and hear, Countryside are going from strength to strength, someone really needs to get in touch and sign them soon!
Sexy Bitch brought some new songs to table which made more use of new member Coz's singing skills, including one song that was a duet between her and Rob. The new tracks sounded great, showing how the band are evolving and changing with the line up of Rob, Mark, Coz and JP, whilst old standards ‘Nigeria’ and ‘It's Our Pornography’ get the crowd dancing and moving. JP is a great drummer, tight and energetic, and Coz adds some great harmonies, taking over on the Korg from Sarah Jane, and complementing Mark and Rob's vocals really well. Despite some sound trouble, Rob and Mark played excellently, both are great musicians and Rob's sometimes gravelly, sometimes high vocals are always perfectly pitched against the tracks, he is always a pleasure to watch and hear.
It was a busy weekend as the day after the Cooler gig was Zuleika Ziegfield's Around the World Cabaret of Curiosities, at the Cube. The cabaret is always a treat, and this evening promised a range of musicians and acts from around the world, as the name would suggest.
The evening opened a comedy act of two “Hawaiian” dancers in a hilarious dance/juggling act that poked fun at Hawaiian and gender stereotypes to an appreciatively giggling audience. This was followed by a fantastic Portuguese faldo duo, playing traditional gypsy Portuguese music. I really enjoy gypsy music, and the performance was just fantastic. The man played guitar and drums, whilst the woman sang her heart out, in a voice that seemed to carry through the auditorium and across the seas to the mountains of Europe. Her voice was full of soul, heartache – it was incredible to listen to. Her talent was superlative, her voice was ancient and natural – it was such a moving performance. Perhaps not everyone's cup of tea, but I think even if you thought you disliked world music or gypsy music, you couldn't help but be moved by this act.
The first third of the evening ended with some mind blowing acrobatics by Zuleika and Mr Christoph, in a spectacular display of dexterity, strength and suppleness. The performance was completely awe inspiring, and a real treat to watch, I was completely enraptured by the movement and ability of both acrobats, who managed to be funny whilst contorting themselves into what can only be painful positions!
Boys and Dance introduced the second third, premiering their new dance to ‘Been Around the World’ by Rochdale Sparrow Lisa Stansfield, and then inviting (drunken) members of the audience to recreate their moves, Generation Game style. This was followed by a performance of Swedish folk songs, some originals and some covers, from Liam and Lina. Lina sang and played accordion whilst Liam accompanied her on the banjo. Again, like the Portuguese duo I found the music really soulful and moving, Lina had a wonderful voice and the simplicity and beauty of the songs shone through the simple arrangement. This was followed by Bristol Burlesque performer Keda Breeze showing some of the tribal fusion belly dancing, which I am afraid to say left me cold. I saw an Egyptian belly dancer at the Cube back in Ladyfest and the performance was incredible, sensual and dramatic, with real skill. But I feel that to be a belly dancer you have to have a belly to dance with, and Keda has a flat stomach. The dance just felt a bit dry, a bit undramatic, with a lot of coy wrist flicking and eye winks, but no real belly dancing.
Mark Kempt of B.A.D. and former Rockfeedback interviewee made his stand up debut at the start of the final third, with wry and funny observations on British drinking culture that got the audience laughing. Hopefully this will lead to more gigs as he is definitely a funny guy. This was followed by more comedy from the Two Fivers, who took us on a song and dance trip to Paris, with french sticks, magic tricks and flaming money, as well as plenty of innuendo and an inflatable pair of breasts. They were completely hilarious and were, along with the Portuguese couple, my favourite act of the evening.
The evening ended with a final dance from Keda Breeze. I'm not a fan of burlesque but I feel when it is done well you can at least say they are good dancers. Keda is a fine dancer, I have seen her perform before, but this evening the whole act just felt a bit tacky and seedy, a strip that culminated in her pouring champagne over herself whilst wearing glitter on her nipples and hot pants. I have heard all the feminist arguments for burlesque but really, is it any different from stripping just because it is in an arty venue? Watching her roll around under the wine I just felt uncomfortable and embarrassed. She's a great dancer and can put on her show, but I can't escape my feeling that burlesque is just stripping with a vintage name. After all, in the old days, stripping was what we call burlesque today.
Still, the cabaret is about a good old fashioned night of fun, and even co-host Richie Paradise's abysmal MC jokes can't ruin what is always a good night out!
Artists in this article: The Big Pink, Candi Staton