Sunday 27th January 2008 - Slow Club & Lucy And The Caterpillar

Night One - The Night & Day Café - 27th January 2008 - Slow Club & Lucy & The Caterpillar

And so it began. Taking the car, with my friends, Andy & Irene to Manchester (after dropping their Jim off at home) to the Night & Day Café on a peculiarly mild January evening. I was almost nervous about finally getting to start on this manic six-day mission to see as much music as one idiot can handle. I needn't have worried aout the quality of what was to come on night one though.


I had bought this gig ticket on the strength of Lucy (and her noticably absent caterpillar). I like quirky, folksy, dinky, fairy, lucky doo-rag type musicians and teenage Lucy certainly fits that category. She's from Burnley (or as it is known in Burnley: Buuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrn-li - gawd bless 'em and their delightful Lancashire 'ot-pots). What a sweet cutie this young lady is on a stage. Until she opens her gob between songs and gives the crowd a bit of a bollocking for not shutting the hell up. Which is funny to watch and quite nice frankly. When will people learn to shut the hell up when an artisté is performing their craft? Must I smack everyone in the mouth who won't shut up? (Ed: Generic Blog 34 does not condone or sanction acts of violence in any way, not even against ignorant fuckwits). It later becomes hilariously ironic during Slow Club's later, excellent set when Lucy decamps to the side of the stage next to me and proceeds to waffle to her mates all the way through her friends show!!!

But funnies aside, Lucy has a lot of talent (she can play guitar excellently, sing like an angel and knit owls) and a setlist of songs that bring a smile with their deceptively simple, loving themes about boys and girls, love, walks in the foothills around Burnley and owls once again. Lucy will go a long way. She deserves bigger billing than support at the Night & Day and will doubtless get it soon enough. If she comes to your town, spend a couple of bob on a ticket.

Slow Club. I knew not one lousy jot about them before the show. But, they were excellent, entertaining and full of energy backed up with diverse instrumental talents. Bottle players, guitarists, singers, both of them and possibly from Sheffield (I think that's where she said they come from anyway). I thoroughly enjoyed a fairly high-energy outfit here. Not much more to say; go see these two as well. There is no substitute for experience, that's what I say.

Day One done, no pain so far. One down, five to go.

Six In Six - The Running Story Of Musical-Obsessive Madness

Well, my friends well know, that I, in a fit of minor obsessive madness, purchased 6 gig tickets recently. Nothing unusual in that I hear you say. Of course not. Except that these particular gigs are back-to-back, one day after another. See the list!

Sunday 27th January - Slow Club & Lucy & The Caterpillar
Monday 28th January - Robots In Disguise & Daggers
Tuesday 29th January - Explosions In The Sky
Wednesday 30th January - Nine Black Alps
Thursday 31st January - Stars
Friday 1st February - Robert Young

Ok. For those of you who don't attend concerts and gigs, shut up right now! You don't have a clue just how knackering it is to attend one night. There is something strange in watching live music; in a really nice way, it can suck the energy right out of you.

The more astute readers will notice that I am now two days into this ridiculous and funny marathon which is taking me to Manchester Night & Day Cafe, The Roadhouse, Academy 1, Academy 3, Academy 3 again and the Kings Arms 1st Floor Theatre. So laugh at me, pity me, curse my name in a fit of jealousy, but don't doubt that I'm nuts for music...lol.

Write-ups of the gigs will follow shortly! When all this is over, I plan on lying down. For a very long time. Do not ring me while I am lying down, as it will make me get up and kill you. Thanks!

Victory in South Carolina - now on to Super Tuesday!

It's been a while since I posted, but I was really picked up last night by Barack Obama's stunning victory in South Carolina. With all the votes in from yesterday's Democratic Primary contest in this diverse state, made of loosely of 50% black people and 50% white people, the scale of Senator Obama's victory cannot be underestimated. The raw numbers:

Barack Obama: 295,091 (55%); Delegates Gained = 26.

Hillary Clinton: 141,128 (27%); Delegates Gained = 14.

John Edwards: 93,552 (18%); Delegates Gained = 8.

Yep, Hillary could have had twice as many votes and still lost! 8 of 10 black voters prefer the message of Barack Obama. And he picked up a quarter of all white votes, with Edwards and Clinton sharing the rest. Another amazing fact from this contest is that Obama won a majority of all the votes cast in the age range 18-64. Yep, working Americans believe in this man, young and old alike. It really represents a cross-generational message for change in the USA.

But it is the articulate nature of this desire for change, so ably personified in Barack's message that is frankly shocking and inspiring after watching 8 long years of banjo playing down on the farm idiot politics from the Bush regime. I keep saying it to everyone I know - look at Barack Obama and listen to him. If you can't see the Robert Kennedy in him, or the JFK in him, then I think you're not looking at the same guy I am. It is certainly evident enough to members of the Kennedy family. Last night, he picked up the endorsement of Caroline Kennedy, President Kennedy's daughter.

That endorsement says it all. Part of what is so inspiring about this man's campaign to become the leader of the United States is a very real sense that he could carry the flame of Camelot back into the White House, over 40 years after that flame was so cruelly extinguished in Houston, Texas. This is a chance for Americans to say to themselves and to the wider world that the ideals they voted for in JFK so long ago still stand and mean something important within the psyche of the American Dream. This is a chance for Americans to say, no more lies, no more slash 'n burn politics of the 90's and of this decade. No more Clinton-Bush monarchies, 20 years of two names, two families, running their country is quite enough. No more immoral wars, no more economic mismanagement, no more painful stories of not being able to pay medical bills because you don't earn upwards of $50,000 a year.

South Carolina said it. Barack Obama's saying it. I'm saying it. And a lot of my American friends are saying it: The time for change is now. Barack Obama is an agent of change you can believe in. And all you have to do is hold onto the audacity of hope.

I think and I hope, that America is waking up today to the fierce urgency of now.

For great coverage of this election campaign, I strongly recommend: CNN's Election Center 2008

I Am Not A Number, I'm A Free Man!

Hello people,

24% of you smoke in the UK. I do too. That's one in four of us. In the North of England (where I'm from), that number is even higher. We like a smoke, a cigarrette, a fag, a ciggie, a puff on a cancer stick. We know it isn't good for us health-wise, but we choose to smoke. Alright, for some of us, it is less a choice and more an addiction, but nonetheless, we choose to inhale the fumes of tobacco that we have set on fire.

We live in a country where smoking is banned in public places where basically speaking, there is a roof. It is not great for us, but for the sake of the 3 in 4, most of us choose to abide by this law. In the main, we believe that the law went too far because it didn't allow us ANYWHERE AT ALL to gather without being rained on. But we smokers are a fairly laid back bunch, and said alright, we'll breath in smelly people's b.o. and farts in pubs because non-smokers shouldn't have to contract diseases from second-hand smoke. We said, alright, we'll go outside to smoke when we're having a drink. We are reasonable people after all.

What is the anti-smoking lobby's reaction to this? More pressure, more veiled abuse and more punishment for something that isn't yet technically a crime. They've decided to go after smokers who attend concerts with a vindictiveness I'm truly pissed off to see. If you attend a concert at the Manchester Evening News Arena or at Manchester Apollo, and you decide part-way through that concert that you'd like a cigarette, think about it very carefully. Because once you step outside, the security staff WILL NOT let you back inside again!!! Basically, the organisation who own these venues are telling us to go fuck ourselves and our money that we spend on tickets doesn't mean shit to them.

If you are a smoker who attends concerts at the MEN, the Apollo or Academy 1 (because when they've finished their refurb, they are implemented the same policy), or indeed a non-smoker who doesn't believe in big brother bullying smokers at every turn, then get in touch with these people:

Manchester.Apollo@Livenation.co.uk (for the Apollo naturally)
enquiries@men-arena.com (for the MEN Arena)
http://www.umu.man.ac.uk/locations/contact.shtml - you can fill in Manchester Academy's contact form there.

E-mail them and continually ask them why they have such a draconian policy towards 24% of their customers and continually ask them to chage this fascist perspective at their venues. Keep it polite, keep it civil (we are people of the smoke after all - we're cool enough not to get abusive, unlike the anti-smoking brigade), but do remind them that they are behaving in a fascist manner, without regard for a quarter of their clientele.

If you feel passionate about this, visit Forrest's website. Forrest are a pro-smoking group, and are keeping the flame alight for the rights of a minority. Good people just asking to be allowed to make informed choices.

Only quit smoking if you personally want to. Don't let other people pressure you into not smoking. Do what you enjoy - life is too short anyway not to. And if you think that smoking is the primary reason for lung disease, think again. It has been proven (by scientists with big white coats, glasses and smoke equipment) that walking down Oxford Street in Manchester (a ten-minute walk at most), is the equivalent to smoking 24 cigarettes. God only knows what walking through the middle of London will do for your lungs. This is a far bigger health risk, yet we don't hear of smokers asking (or FORCING for that matter) non-smokers to only drive their cars indoors, do we?!?! No, we realise the risks of others' behaviour and respect their right to keep on behaving that way, because we share this same small planet with them for the same small time and respect their choices, because it makes them happy. And if someone else is happy, we're happy for them.

New Hampshire...did I not make myself clear?!?!

Only kidding N.H. As long as you voted, and you voted for who you belived would be the best leader for the USA, then while I disagree with the 40% of you who voted for Hillary, I would be a arrogant fool to say anything other than well done and good luck.

South Carolina. You really do know what you have to do. It's simple. Vote Barack Obama for a stronger, safer South Carolina and for change and a better nation in the United States of America. Barack Obama is the future. Your future, my future, everyone's better future. Change is coming and change's new name is Barack.

Keep on rockin' the vote.

C'mon New Hampshire!!!

Well, it's Barack fever in my house this week! He won Iowa - beautiful (which I predicted way before it become fashionable to be a Barackista), which is serving as a great springboard for him to get the message out that he is the bright hope for American government and politics.

New Hampshire - the world is watching and hoping you guys will see what we see in Obama - a politician, a leader of the highest calibre and integrity. This is a man who can bring peace and prosperity to both the USA and the wider world. He is also the only politician I know of who I can watch speak for hours at a time. Possibly the finest mind to ever run for the White House.

Good luck Barack - as well as millions of Americans, there are plenty of Brits, Europeans and others around the world who are willing you to victory! From a Labour Party member in England - go kick some ass man!

Jenny Owen Youngs' Mum Roxie

You shouldn't have told me there was a photo out there Roxie!!! lol You know I'll have to put it on here now...

The woman who made Jenny Owen Youngs the genius we know and love. After reading the last blog post, she has kindly owned up to this picture. As many have said I'm sure, we can all now see where Jenny gets her stunning good looks from!

Thanks Roxie! Have a super weekend too.

Jenny Owen Youngs...and her Mum!

I recently decided I'd do a little online shopping. It was Boxing Day (26th Dec.), and I thought - 'I need a t-shirt, a poster and other assorted goodies.' Being Boxing Day, I wasn't going to trawl around the shops with the masses either, so I thought, heck, I'll do it online.

I hit the usual websites - Threadless and so forth, and just wasn't seeing anything that stood out for me. So I thought I'd see if Jenny Owen Youngs, one of my favourite singers had anything worth purchasing, and by crikey, she does indeed have loads of great stuff. I picked up the following t-shirt:

a whole bunch of badges and stickers...and a delightful poster, with Jenny holding a shark on it.

All marvellous apparal and the total selection of stuff, a t-shirt, a poster, 4 badges and two stickers came in at just £13.36. Bargain.

Unremarkable I hear you say? Well, yes I suppose. But here's the good bit. My purchase arrives just 4 days later, all the way from Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania, to my home in Bolton, Lancashire and it turns out I've never been so well treated and attended to in my life! When Parcel 1 arrived, it was filled not just with my t-shirt and badges etc., but with a gazillion little miniature fish, some extra stickers and badges, a temporary tattoo (classic!!!) and a personal note of thanks from none other than Jenny Owen Young's mum, Roxie!!! Suffice to say, I was absolutely chuffed and have e-mailed her to say a really big thank you to her for caring about her customers.

Then today, Parcel 2 arrived, containing my poster, some more fishies, a cute little toy shark and another warm and friendly message from Pennsylvania! To top it off, Jenny Owen Youngs has gone to the trouble of signing the poster too!

It is so very nice when people go the extra mile to please you. I feel that Jenny deserves a special mention and especially her mum too, who is obviously working real hard with her daughter. I've said before on this blog just how talented J.O.Y. is; now I can also say that she's a real class act as a person too and I can see she gets that class from her mum Roxie.

There aren't any pic's of Jenny's mum on the old internet, so I will settle for putting another Jenny pic up on here (I'm sure no-one will mind seeing Jenny's pretty face adorning my blogpage!). If you do nothing else musically all year, do this - listen to Jenny Owen Youngs. Go watch her play when she comes to your part of the world and if you can afford it (and it's certainly well priced and high quality!) buy a whole load of her merchandise. The t-shirt is super-comfy and the 'I got knocked up by Jenny Owen Youngs' message on the one I bought drew it's fair share of admirers and questions!

Long Live Jenny & Family!

Obama For America...And Britain...And Everywhere Else...

America faces a decision in the next year, the most important decision it will face as a nation in generations. Who will be their next President?

Usually, for most people, this thought is followed by a long yawn and the sad realisation that yet again, even in the greatest democracy in the world, the only two people on the list are unrepresentative, corrupt blowhards who will guarantee four more years of the same old left-right, pointless, negative politics.

Well, not this time. A wonderful chain of events, not least of which is the fact that neither George Bush, or Dick Cheney are running for the Presidency means that we can breath one hell of a sigh of relief. Eight years is all the world could possibly cope with from these two warmongering evildoers.

American Democrats have the most wonderful opportunity of all, especially Iowans tomorrow, to make the cleanest break from the last 40 years of US politics. They have the chance to choose to support Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton or John Edwards. Any of these three will of course be a vast improvement.

I ask Iowans, and Americans however, not to vote for Clinton or Edwards. Vote for Barack Obama. He would be a President with more intellect than anyone since Roosevelt's 4-term spectacular, a President with more vision than even the great JFK, and a President who could heal the scars of American domestic and foreign policy as well as Lincoln did in the 19th Century. America - Iowa - you have heard what this man has to say. Don't vote for him because of the shallow reasons of race and image. Vote for him because he is truly the person best equipped to do the job of leading the United States back to a era of peace and prosperity.

A vote for Obama is the just plainly and simply the right thing to do. The rest of the world is watching and hoping you guys get it right this time!

OBAMA FOR AMERICA