Thursday 30 January 2014

January Gigs

Gig of the month: Mogwai / Mugstar @ Bridgewater Hall

Loudest perfromance: Mogwai

Quietest perfromance: Poormouth

Best Venue: Bridgewater Hall

Nicest crowd: St Margarets Church for Roger Turner and Urs Leimgruber

Funniest Heckle: Someone shouted something at Stephen Malkmus who replied, "Get my cock out? That's so declasse!" The heckler heckled again that he'd actually been heckling about beer, causing Malkmus to refer to himself as the heckler's deaf uncle. It doesn't matter what you shout, your deaf uncle is funnier than you.

Most annoying person at a gig: The man in the row of seats behind me who was speaking too loud in Spanish during one of Mogwai's quieter tunes. I turned and hissed "Shut up!" at him and happily he did. Mogwai were thankfully mostly way too loud to hear the inane chatter behind and to either side of me although I did catch the gist of its importance between tunes when one of the band picked up a violin and the man to my right commented to his friend, "Look that's a violin!" Shut up and listen.

Worst drink: one can of overpriced Gay cider at Gorilla for the Malkmus gig. If some venues sold better quality drinks, they'd sell more of them.

Best drink; A whole lot more much better quality cider at Dulcimer for Desmadrados de Soldados Ventura and Castrato Attack Group.


10 Roger Turner and Urs Leimgruber / Richard Scott / Seth Bennet, Dave Birchall, Andrew Cheetham, Julie Kjaer @ St Margarets Church

15 Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks / Joanna Gruesome @ Gorilla

17 Desmadrados de Soldados Ventura / Castrato Attack Group @ Dulcimer

23 Mines / Poormouth / Nick Ainsworth @ Oklahoma

27 Mogwai / Mugstar @ Bridgewater Hall

Friday 24 January 2014

Six Dimensional Interpenetrating Wigouts

This is what I've been listening to in January 2014:

Thalia Zedek - Six (Thrill Jockey)
This is out in February but I've been listening to an advance stream courtesy of Thrill Jockey records PR and can confirm that the six tracks are up to Thalia's usual intensely excellent standard. My current favourite song is "Julie Said" but I haven't had enough time online listening to it to write much... maybe "Afloat" is best.

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Wig Out at Jagbags (Domino)
With a possible Dagnasty semi-tribute in the title Malkmus delivers a reliably enjoyable album, although I prefer the previous one. I'm pretty sure he neglected to play my favourite track "Shibboleth" at their Gorilla gig on the fifteenth but it was fine nonetheless and ended with a rendition of Pavement's "Harness Your Hopes." Out now on Domino records.

Desmadrados de Soldados Ventura - Interpenetrating Dimensional Express (Golden Lab)
A great double album which makes a bid for album cover of the year and is more melodic than their debut assault, but I'm sure lynchpin Nick Mitchell would tell you, "It's a doozy." They were the best I've heard them at Dulcimer on the seventeenth and Castrato Attack Group kicked up a similar free-rock racket in support.

Mogwai - Rave Tapes (Rock Action)
After their great gig in December in was certain this would be a dead cert. Buy the vinyl from a cooler shop such as Piccadilly records and you get a bonus one sided seven inch single. At the end of the month this is the new release I've listened to the most.

Tara Jane O'Neil - Where Shine New Lights (Kranky)

Alan Silva and Roger Turner - Plug In (Multikulti, 2013)
Bought from improvising drummer Roge Turner himself after he played St Margarets Church with Swiss saxophonist Urs Leimgruber at my first gig of the year, this is a nice reminder of the Silva & Turner Night and Day gig

Urs Leimgruber and Evan Parker - Twine (2010)
Would it surprise you to find out I bought this at the same concert?

Mogwai - Les Revenants (2013)
I had some catching up to do, but Mogwai records are never hard to find!

Bailter Space - Trinine (Fire, 2013)
Just as good as the previous album.

David Grubbs - Borough of Broken Umbrellas 10" (Blue Chopsticks / Drag City)

Some older releases:

Six Finger Staellite - Half Control (Load, 2009)
The Wipers - The Power in One (Zeno, 1999)
Will Oldham - Black/Rich Music (1996)
The Damned - Damned Damned Damned 3CD (1976-7/2007)


Mogwai:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbwIFzxD1-w