Gig Review: She Wears a Paper House on Her Head

Men, Brighton’s The Freebutt, 16th January 2010

Oh, you New York hipsters. I stare in awe before you, as you bounce me up and down on your knee and say ‘Tonight, you can join our world’. Sometimes being in the right place at the right time makes you cool. Make the most of it, because it only lasts as long as that moment. On 16th January 2010, I was cool for as long as there were Men on stage.

Most of Le Tigre became Men. It was inevitable really. JD Samson (Jocelyn Samson) had grown a hard earned moustache and was all set to go. And what do girls do when they become men? They make brilliant upbeat tunes, encouraging radical freedom and a lot of bouncing. Locals hold boards up on stage offering useful instructions, like: ‘Fuck Your Friends’ and ‘SILENCE=DEATH’. We bop, we grin and then all week we imagine that we’re part of the scene that Men made. Can Brits ever be that hip?

Fabpants Recommends:

Download MP3: Men – Simultaneously (courtesy of theburningear.com)




Download MP3: Men - Credit Card Babie$ (courtesy of audiodrums.com)




Download MP3: Le Tigre – Deceptacon (courtesy of nightlife.moskva.com)

Gig Review: Er war ein Punker

Future of the Left, Brighton’s The Freebutt, 4th December 2010

Seeing Future of the Left was amazing. It’s always amazing. I was down the front, holding an idiot’s elbow out of my face. I sang along when they all sang along. My eyes popped in wonder while Falco’s eyes popped with effort.

Andrew Falkous is the singer and guitarist of Future of the Left. He should not be confused with the ‘Rock Me Amadeus’ Falco. That would be very wrong.

Where do Future of the Left find the energy? For some bands, a gig is more than a gig. It’s a chance to sweat, shine and almost shit with effort. Performing with great, unpretentious ferocity is an art. Future of the Left doesn’t entertain shouting or screaming. Ferocious singing sets them apart. It’s impossible not to be sucked in by the force of their delivery.

This is a band that uses footnotes on their MySpace blog. Acerbic wit is a wonderful thing. They are damn, damn funny. No one can deny warmth of character, when they have a song about a pussy cat, a very pretty pussy cat. The crowd bait the band and the band baits them back. Did I say they are damn funny, no sorry, damn, damn funny?

Support act Tubelord are evidently quite popular or they paid people to see them. It was a bit too post-Nirvana fallout for me, a bit too been there, and decided 'no' first time round. It’s a shame that their audience didn’t stick about. They might have learnt something about innovation.

Future of the Left lost a member this month. They say "How do we(*1) feel about it, as a band? Well, sad, happy, annoyed and relieved at the same time. Like human beings, all told." "(*1) Jack and I."

I feel sad. I feel happy because I saw them all having a great time together. When all three of them joined in with the crowd banter, it was at its best. They made each other funny.

SETLIST - as taken from the stage - gaffer tape an' all!:
Eritrea
Chin
Wrigley
Bones
Plague / Fingers
Manchasm
Satan (intro)
Manatee
Formers
Yin/Post Yin
Gygm
Dead
Hope
Cloak

Fabpants Recommends: The new MGMT album is fucking ace. I like to so much, I had to listen to it again, and then again. Would it be wrong to listen to an album four times in a row? Fuck the naysayers. Don’t believe the tripe. ‘Congratulations’ has made me wish I had balls for it to grab.

Festival Review: She'll Turn Once More to Sunday's Clown

I spent the weekend having the absolutely best time. How about you? I got stuck in a black hole, lost at 10-pin bowling, played pool like a bat and got pissed on by God. Butlins! It’s the best. Matt Groening, it turns out, is an affable bearded genius. He played the part of Mickey Mouse.

This all took place at All Tomorrow’s Parties in Minehead. The festival has my absolute seal of approval. Mr Groening it turns out is the curator of all curators. He offered his art work to limited edition tee-shirts and posters, introduced his favourite bands and signed bits of anything that anyone close to him could lay their hands on. The ‘get a doodle of Bart Simpson by his creator’ queue grew so long, they had to stop it. Matt would have gone on forever.

Matt Groening knows how to entertain. He provided two old clowns (The Residents and The Tiger Lillies) for cabaret, a band with seven drum-kits or more (The Boredoms), a heavily medicated manic depressive (Daniel Johnston and what I guess must be Tardive Dyskinesia tremors from anti-psychotics) and some fucking awesome ear candy (Hello Saferide, Hope Sandoval and Spiritualized). He also decided on the cinema listings and a whole TV Channel. If only I could be everywhere at once!

Minehead is a lovely little seaside town set in the hills, with quaint tacky offerings, a small harbour, and a welcoming array of shops. The beach is lovely. Butlins looms a little large, with its great white canopy, but it could be worse, far worse. All in all, it was quite perfect.

Rating system (from very best to very worst):
Fucking Awesome, Ear Candy, Thumbs Up, Not for Me Thanks, Hideously Awful

Friday, 7th May 2010

Broadcast, Centre Stage
Ear Candy
At times Broadcast were fucking awesome. This was an unexpectedly impressive set. They’ve come a long way since I saw them in London and John Peel was still alive.

Cold Cave, Centre Stage
Fucking Awesome
I didn’t stop dancing. The Cold Cave live show packs more punch than the school bully. Bleak vocals and lively tunes rule. I couldn’t ask for more.

Shonen Knife, Centre Stage
Not for Me Thanks
Shonen Knife are loved for their Japanese glam worship of our rock culture. It was cabaret with a hint of Raffi.


Saturday, 8th May 2010

Hello Saferide, Reds
Fucking Awesome
Two acts made my spine tingle at ATP and this was one of them. This is the second time that I’ve seen Hello Saferide. They were everything I remembered and more. Heart-warming songs performed with passion, belief and melody = non-stop smiling.

The Boredoms, Centre Stage
Fucking Awesome???
Blimey, what an impressive row! One drummer was carried to the stage on a litter, whilst bashing his kit in time with his pals. It got so intense, I had to leave. It’s no insult to the band that I couldn’t commit to the long haul. In this case, more of a hats off. Yes, blimey!

Danielson, Pavillion
Not for Me Thanks
They seemed nice enough, but I just wasn’t into them.

Lightening Dust, Centre Stage
Ear Candy
Lightening Dust make lovely music, and for once a female warble proves it’s worth. If only they’d held the warble back a bit, reserving it as a treat. Then, I might have stood in awe.

Konono No.1, Centre Stage
Ear Candy
I was transported to warm and humid African climes and it was delectable.

The Residents, Centre Stage
Thumbs Up
A madcap cabaret clown and some silly dark pantomime from an age old band.

Amadou and Mariam, Pavilion
Ear Candy
Welcome to Mali indeed. Mellow Mali tunes are good for the soul.

Thee Oh Sees, Reds
Ear Candy
Thee Oh Sees are jolly, enthusiastic and yelp a lot. San Francisco visited Butlins and Butlins said ‘Hello’.

Ponytail, Centre Stage
Thumbs Up
If Thee Oh Sees yelp, what do Ponytail do? They bark like a puppy with a foot caught in two jawed trap. For two tracks, the puppy’s ‘developmental disability’ status was on my mind. Then I heard a coherent sentence. After five tracks, I wanted to put the puppy down. I may have walked away, but I won’t forget it soon.

The XX, Centre Stage
Thumbs Up
I would love to say that The XX were fucking awesome, but they seemed tired and a little clumsy in their musicianship. Next time...


Sunday 9th May 2010

The Tiger Lillies, Centre Stage
Ear Candy
Fun, dark and dirty cabaret and clown number two for the ATP weekend.

Juana Molina, Centre Stage
Thumbs Up
A lovely sound, that was slightly lacking in inspiration. I enjoyed nearly nodding off to the sweet soft vocals.

Daniel Johnston, Pavilion
Fucking Awesome
We watched the Daniel Johnston documentary on Friday night, and it was very special to see him live. He’s a charming song-smith, and brave to boot. He melted the communal heart of ATP.

Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions, Centre Stage
Ear Candy
It was almost fucking awesome. When everyone left to see Spiritualized, I was rooted to the spot. The Mazzy Star veteran still looks 22 and has a bloody brilliant voice.

Spiritualized Performing Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, Pavilion
Fucking Awesome PLUS
I soared. I soared. I soared. The album is a masterpiece and the performance was amazing. I’ve seen this band many times, but the last time I saw such a great Spiritualized show was at Hackney Empire in 1993. Hoorah.


Okay, I have one old lady style complaint about ATP. Some great acts were on really late, so I missed the likes of Liars, Panda Bear and The Raincoats. Next time...

Fabpants Recommends: My three favourite performances of ATP in ‘once upon a time ago’ recorded format...

Download MP3: Cold Cave – Life Magazine (courtesy of matadorrecords.com)



Download MP3: Hello Saferide - Long Lost Penpal (courtesy of itsatrap.com)



Download MP3: Spiritualized – Broken Heart (courtesy of achtungbaby.org)