John Adams LSO Discovery Day, The Barbican, 07/03/10

I was at the Barbican for most of Sunday to immerse myself into the world of one of one of greatest living composers, John Adams.

The first part of the day was an open rehearsal by the London Symphony Orchestra for the evening concert featuring 'Four Sea Interludes' by Britten, 'Symphony No. 6' by Sibelius and the European premiere of John Adams' 'Doctor Atomic Symphony'. I caught the final part of the Britten rehearsal and all of the Sibelius. It was interesting to see Adams directly address and instruct the orchestra.

The rehearsal was followed by a Q & A session involving David Alberman and John Adams. It was an enjoyable discussion and interesting to hear John Adams talk about the creation of the symphony, how he composes, exotic musical modes/scales, the role of developing technology in modern composition, the extent to which he writes for himself/his audience and his views on Sibelius’ Symphony No. 6 (which he thought “had an aspect of clinical depression” and “had a dark cloud hovering above it").

He also talked briefly about his piece ‘On The Transmigration Of Souls’, the commission he received from the New York Philharmonic to write a piece for the victims of the World Trade Center attack. He also talked a little on the subject of film soundtracks (he doesn’t do them anymore due to the lack of control over where/how these are used in films). He did mention however that pieces of his music do feature in a film due to be released later this year called ‘I Am Love’ (which I had read about in the Curzon Cinema guide yesterday incidentally). An enormously likeable and intelligent man.

Next was a performance of Adams’ ‘Shaker Loops’ by members of the LSO at St. Luke’s. It was my first visit to St. Luke’s and I liked it – a decommissioned church that has been restored as a performance/rehearsal space. We were told a little about how ‘Shaker Loops’ was inspired by the American landscape as seen from a moving vehicle. The time it was written in 1978 coincided with his exposure to other minimalist composers such as Steve Reich and Terry Riley.

I thought it was a brilliant piece of string-based chamber-minimalism, featuring subtle rises and falls in pace. It had a distinct linear feel to it which re-emphasised the association with the idea of a journey. This was the first time I was hearing it and it reminded me of modern classical composers such as Max Richter (although chronologically I guess it should be that Max Richter reminds me of John Adams, but nevermind). I found myself being drawn in and thought it far more accessible than I had imagined.

The next part of the Discovery Day involved travelling to the Barbican Cinema 3, located in the outer-echelons of the sprawling Barbican complex to see ‘Wonders Are Many: The Making Of Doctor Atomic’ a film about the creation of Adams’ opera. It was a great, funny film, almost just as much a history of the creation of the atomic bomb as a film about how Adams and Peter Sellars created the opera.
 

The evening concert was the final event of the day. Britten's 'Four Sea Interludes' from his opera 'Peter Grimes' was the first piece played and ranged from sad and moving to lively and dramatic. On previous listens Sibelius’s Symphony No. 6 had not left as much of an impression as his other late period symphonies (4, 5 & 7 to be precise). However, tonight’s performance was different. I heard things in the live performance that I had not heard previously, especially the emergence of melodic motifs and the glacial strings of the 4th movement. There were moments of sadness but I didn't really see enough to make me agree with Adams' earlier comments on the symphony.

I have always found John Adams music to be infused with drama and excitement, huge swathes of high-energy orchestral sound interspersed with moments of calm and beauty. The 'Doctor Atomic Symphony' followed a similar theme, stormy passages being succeded by episodes of quiet reflection. The trumpet solo towards the end was beautifully played but not as prominent as that featured in one of my favourite pieces 'Quiet City' by Aaron Copland.
 

All in all, the event was a great example of what an arts organisations should aspire to – to inform, educate, inspire, excite and challenge.

Portico Quartet, The Barbican, 08/03/10

I was at the Barbican for the third night running on Monday to see the forward-looking, inventive post-jazz outfit Portico Quartet. I had seen them 2 years ago playing with Basquiat Strings at Union Chapel. Tonight they played the Barbican to promote their recently released second album 'Isla'.

Tonight their tracks ranged from the free-flowing, melodic sound of pieces such as 'Paper Scissors Stone', 'The Visitor' and 'Clipper' to the quiet, abstract minimalism of 'Knee Deep In The North Sea' and 'Line'. I thought that these latter tracks sometimes almost suggested a kind of musical representation of an abstract expressionist painting. Just on the right side of inscrutable.

Whenever they are written about in the press the main focus always seems to be on the hang. It does give a nice glossy finish to their sound but for me it is the expressive, almost lyrical saxophone playing that dominates and leads the band. Their spacious, airy sound is helped by the intricate, detailed drumming and cohesive double bass. They finished with 'Dawn Patrol' and 'Steps In The Wrong Direction'. Very good.

Hummus Brothers

Before heading off to the Barbican I decided to pay a visit to another of my favourite eateries, Hummus Brothers on Wardour Street. They serve fresh, modern, Greek-inspired food with an emphasis on houmous (as you'd expect) in relaxed surroundings. Once again, I bagged a window seat (not difficult I guess as the place was empty when I entered).

I opted for the regular Fava Beans filling alongside the hummus and pitta bread. I even added the luxury of a boiled egg. For a drink I chose their homemade mint & ginger lemonade. Delicious.

The Manganiyar Seduction, Barbican Theatre, 06/03/10

My final event of the day was to be my first visit to the Barbican Theatre (as opposed to the concert hall) to see The Manganiyar Seduction, a production by Royston Abel which showcased the music of Rajasthan in spectacular, choreographed style.

The stage was set up with 33 interlocking, stacked boxes which together formed an alluring square block. Inside each box was a sitting musician/singer. The piece opened with a solitary musician playing an instrument similar to a sitar. Slowly others revealed themselves from behind the curtain. As the performance progressed various blocks of musicians began playing before retiring into darkness. The conductor/dancer/choreographer (not sure what his official title was) positioned at the front of the stage seemed to exhort sound and energy from the red grid of musicians.

The music itself was a slow building piece which melded the raw, fluctuating, near-transcendental power of the vocals with the hypnotic string and wind instruments and exhilarating percussion. It all translated into a series of energising rhythms which engulfed the theatre. It culminated in all musicians playing together in a joyous finale, an ecstatic, vibrant wall of sound.

Visually it was sumptuous, with the red curtains, glowing lights and traditional Rajasthani attire of the musicians combining to spectacular effect against the surrounding pitch black darkness.

After the performance ended Royston Abel came on stage to say a few words (including a comment about the practicalities of attempting international travel with a group of 40 plus Muslim musicians, most of which have the surname Khan, and in particular the difficulties immigration control at various airports around the world (they tour USA later this year which should be fun for them).

The show held special appeal for personal reasons in that I visited Jaisalmer, the stunning desert-city in north-west India a few years back, where most of tonight’s musicians originate from. As I sat in the Barbican Theatre I was reminded of the almost-otherworldly performance of local traditional music I witnessed on that particular cool, star-lit night in the Thar desert in October 2007.

You can see a clip of The Manganiyar Seduction on YouTube here. If you ever get a chance to see them play live you really should go.

The Road, Prince Charles Cinema, 06/03/10

I made a long overdue visit to the wonderful PCC on Saturday afternoon to see 'The Road'. I had read the novel by Cormac McCarthy (twice) so was quite interested to see how it would translate on to the big screen. I was also quite keen to check out the newly refurbished PCC (the new seats are good!).

As expected, the film was quite heavy going. And bleak. And very grey. With a heartbreaking ending.

It was almost as powerful as the novel, which I wasn't expecting. The novel deals with the relationship between the father and son with real tenderness and moves at a pace which is almost impossible to recreate on the screen I think. I also liked the space which the prose in the novel was afforded. Still, a very sad and affecting film. Probably not the best film to watch when your wife and little boy are on the other side of the world though...

The score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis was minimal and restrained in style which proved effective. It sounded like Arvo Part at times.

Bodean's

After a morning and early afternoon of cultural nourishment I was soon in need of the real thing.

But where to go?

After brief consideration I decided there was only one option - Bodean's on Poland Street in Soho.

I opted for my usual choice of regular pulled pork sandwich with fries (smothered to within an inch of their lives in barbeque sauce), pickles and a Pepsi. Delicious. I managed to secure a window seat so watched Soho go by as I ate. NBA flashed across the TV screens.

 

 

Daylight Music, Union Chapel, 06/03/10

After leaving Tate Modern I crossed the Millenium bridge and jumped on a number 4 bus, sat in the front seats upstairs and journeyed through the spacious and visually pleasing streets of Clerkenwell and Angel before finally arriving at Highbury & Islington, where I disembarked and headed towards Union Chapel for the Arctic Circle's Daylight Music event. Hybernation, Marconi Union and Grasscut were playing.

 

 

I only caught the end of Hybernation's set but it sounded nice - beautiful, organic ambient electronica.

Marconi Union played a sublime, captivating instrumental 40 minute set which transported me to some faraway place. The stillness of the sound in parts reminded me of seeing Labradford at the QEH several years ago.

Brighton based duo Grasscut were up next and offered a more song based, varied, left-of-centre sound, mixing samples with electric double bass/cello, guitars and effects. Their set included digitially processed strings, synths and vocals and touched on electronica, glitch, electro and pop, all sitting together quite well.

I will definitely be checking out more of the Daylight Music events. Where else can you sit in a beautiful Gothic church in central London, drinking coffee and listen to engaging music in the early afternoon?

Van Doesburg & The International Avant-Garde, Tate Modern, 06/03/10

I was at Tate Modern this morning to see the Van Doesburg & The International Avant-Garde exhibition. The exhibition told the story of Dutch artist Theo Van Doesburg and how he inspired and rose to be the central figure in the De Stijl art movement of the early twentieth century. It also featured several other artists, most of which were unfamiliar to me. 

I sensed immediately that it would be an exhibition I would enjoy as Van Doesburg's paintings of beautiful ordered grids and geometric forms dominated from the beginning. Some of his beautifully illuminated abstract grids followed in stained glass. I particularly liked Van Doesburg's 1917 stained glass 'Composition IV For The De Lange House'. The accompanying text suggested it could have been an attempt to portray Bach Fugues in visual form. 

I thought this was an excellent example of his unashamedly ambitious, intellectual approach to his art. This approach was shared by his contemporaries and was emphasised further as the exhibition continued in multi-disciplinary fashion. I noted that in total the exhibition included paintings, drawings, sculpture, typefaces, commercial sector advertisements, architecture, interior furnishings, film and music.

An early highlight was Van Doesburg's 'Rhythm Of A Russian Dance' of 1918, a brilliantly reductive, linear depiction that used coloured geometic blocks to portray a dispersing crowd. Bart van der Leck's series of compositions on workers leaving the factory followed in similar style, more clean, minimal reduction.

I liked how much of Van Doesburg's art may initially appear to be random or purely decorative but was actually based on figures, objects or ideas.

The show also focused on his involvement in the Dadism and Constructivist movements, highlighting his creation of the De Stijl typeface and the iconic statements that were often communicated by it. It also showcased the vivid, colourful paintings of mechanical imagery, the pieces by Victor Servanckx standing out.

Other highlights included Hans Richter's film of geometric shapes appearing on screen and Gerrit Rieveld's interior furnishings which contained impressive, small geometric detailing. 

We were also treated to a video of 'Le Ballet Mecanique', the film directed by Fernand Leger with music from avant garde composer George Antheil. The exhibition also featured Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack's visual translation of music 'Sonatine II Red', a beautiful organ piece with accompanying coloured geometric representations on screen. Musical scores by Erik Satie and Arnold Schoenberg again demonstrated the overlapping, comprehensive nature of the exhibition. The later rooms in the exhibition contained some pieces by Moholy-Nagy and also showcased Van Doesburg's late period of diagonal abstract paintings.

Overall I thought it was a brilliant exhibiton, an almost perfect example of how these should be done - multi-disciplinary, ambitious, wide-ranging and comprehensive. I could have spent hours in the exhibition and will try to return for a secind viewing over forthcoming weeks.

Field Music, The Scala, 03/03/10

I was at the Scala on Wednesday evening to see Field Music. It was the 5th time I had seen them live, following on from gigs at Water Rats, Koko (supporting Stereolab), The Borderline & The ICA.

I calculated it was the first time I had been to the Scala for over 5 years. Previous memorable gigs I've been to at the Scala include Doves, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Broadcast (twice), Super Furry Animals, Teenage Fanclub, Godspeed! You Black Emperor and Mogwai.

Support came from Lucas Renney and his band who played a set of folky guitar pop that was composed, polished and actually very good.

Field Music played a set of carefully constructed, well executed left leaning guitar rock pop that drew from all three of their albums. They started with 'Give It, Lose It, Take It' and focused on their 'Tones of Town' album early in the set. As they started to play tracks from recent album 'Measure' the guitar riffs got louder and harder, with the trademark chord progressions and tempo changes also still in place. Highlights from the new album included 'Effortlessly' & 'Something Familiar', although they opted not to play my favourite 'Curves Of The Needle'. It was good to hear 'If Only The Moon Was Up' and others from their debut album. An assured, enjoyable gig.

 

 

Steve Reich 'Drumming', Queen Elizabeth Hall, 16/02/10

I was at the Queen Elizabeth Hall last night to see the Colin Currie Group and Synergy Vocals perform ‘Drumming’ the seminal percussion piece by the legendary contemporary composer Steve Reich. I was sitting towards the front of the rear stalls, at the far right of the hall.

Prior to entering the hall I spent an enjoyable hour and a half minutes in the Member’s Bar of the Royal Festival Hall, listening to the magnificent ‘Radio Amor’ by Tim Hecker whilst also catching the first 30 minutes of the Arctic Circle radio show on Resonance FM.

The concert began in stark, almost tribal style as 4 drummers played out slowly shifting, enveloping rhythms on 8 drums. A little different to the other music by Reich that I had previously heard. The drums then segued into another 3 musicians playing out similar rhythms on 3 marimbas. This immediately took us to more familiar Reich terrain with the lustrous, reflective percussion moving gradually in a more ambient, minimal direction. More musicians joined in, until we had 6 in total playing out ever so slightly out of sync rhythms on the marimbas. It was at this stage that 2 female vocalists began to contribute on top of the marimbas, which resulted in irregular pulses of sound emanating from the stage. Again, after some time the musicians started to step away from the marimbas and were replaced by others replicating the rhythms on 3 glockenspiels at the other side of the stage. This took the sound up a level, as the chiming, glistening timbres filled the hall. Another musician stood up to play piccolo which added a sharpness to the sound. Slowly, all musicians gradually reconvened on stage to play all instruments together, resulting in a thrillingly complex tapestry of sound. Steadily, we were brought back to the striking beats that the piece began with, until one of the vocalists ended affairs with a dramatic gesture of the hand.

I loved how throughout the rhythms appeared to periodically stray before being brought back into line. At times single notes seemed to fall away from the main body of sound and signal a subtle change of pace or direction, discreetly reorienting the piece. I loved the sheer physicality of the performance also, the almost robotic precision, the rotating musicians and almost superhuman levels of concentration on display.

At the end Steve Reich appeared from the audience to take to the stage, quite rightly receiving a rapturous reception. Sadly, I wasn’t able to stay around for the post concert talk but it was a brilliant, memorable performance.

Midlake, Rough Trade East, 01/02/10

I was at Rough Trade East last night to see Midlake play an in store gig to promote their new album, 'The Courage Of Others'. I had arrived (unnecessarily) early in the morning to buy the album and collect a wristband.

They started with (I think) 'Winter Dies', a track from the new album which perfectly illustrated their widescreen, melancholy-tinged, layered guitar sound. Seven band members squeezed on stage with four of them playing guitars, which did result in a fairly dense, guitar-heavy sound, which overpowered the vocals initially. They played more from the new album, including the soaring album opener 'Acts Of Men'.

'Roscoe' came next, before they played 'Rulers, Ruling All Things', one of the highlights from the new album and a subtle, beautifully introspective song which unfurls itself slowly in understated style. They closed with a version of 'Head Home', arguably their best song and one of my favourites of the past 5 years. It was a capable version with flutes featuring more prominently than on record, and even replacing the guitar/keyboard riff which did rob it a little of its melodic power. For me, their recorded albums are definitely their main strength and occasionally their live shows can suffer in comparison to this. The pristine, note-pefrect harmonies and lush production of their albums can sometimes make their live shows seem a little unpolished I think. I remember thinking similar thoughts after seeing them play Shepherd's Bush Empire in April 2007. I don't know, that could be slightly harsh. It was still an enjoyable gig and they are a special band, and a band that definitely stand apart from their contemporaries. I get the impression 2010 could see them grow in size and popularity. I have a ticket to see them at Shepherd's Bush Empire again in a few weeks and I notice they have just announced a show for the Roundhouse in November.....

Outside Rough Trade East after the gig....

My Favourite Albums Of The Decade

Following on from my earlier post on my favourite albums of 2009 see below for my albums of the decade....

My Favourite 25 Albums Of The Decade (2000-2009)

1) Yo La Tengo 'And Then Nothing Turned Itself Out'

2) Midlake 'The Trials Of Van Occupanther'

3) Brian Wilson 'Smile'

4) Laura Cantrell 'Humming By The Flowered Vine'

5) Sufjan Stevens 'Come On Feel the Illinoise'

6) Low 'Trust'

7) Cat Power 'The Greatest'

8) Ryan Adams 'Gold'

9) Dirty Three 'Ocean Songs'

10) Boards Of Canada 'The Campfire Headphase'

11) Eluvium 'Copia'

12) Grand Drive 'True Love & High Adventure'

13) Half Man Half Biscuit 'Achtung Bono'

14) Múm 'Yesterday Was Dramatic, Today Is OK'

15) Paddy McAloon 'I Trawl The Megahertz'

16) Robert Plant & Alison Krauss 'Raising Sand'

17) John Vanderslice 'Pixel Revolt'

18) M Ward 'Hold Time'

19) Bjork 'Vespertine'

20) Mercury Rev 'All Is Dream'

21) Amiina 'Kurr'

22) Calexico 'Feast Of Wire'

23) Animal Collective 'Merriweather Post Pavillion'

24) The Blue Nile 'High' 

25) Broadcast 'The Noise Made By People'

Other albums I enjoyed....(in no particular order)

Godspeed! You Black Emperor 'Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven'

Max Richter 'The Blue Notebooks'

Johann Johannsson 'Englaborn'

Alexandre Desplat 'Lust, Caution' (official soundtrack)

Field Music 'Tones Of Town'

Ryan Teague 'Coins And Crosses'

Tape 'Luminarium'

Tim Hecker 'Harmony In Ultraviolet'

Beachwood Sparks 'Once We Were Trees'

Jacaszek 'Treny'

Devendra Banhart 'Cripple Crow'

Ella Guru 'First Album'

Andy Palacios 'Watina'

Elbow 'The Seldom Seen Kid'

Gillian Welch 'Time (The Revelator)'

Sigur Ros 'Takk'

Grandaddy 'The Sophtware Slump'

Gorky's Zygotic Mynci 'How I Long To Feel That Summer In My Heart'

Grizzly Bear 'Yellow House'

Tinariwen 'Aman Iman: Water Is Life'

Stereolab 'Fab Four Sutre'

Elliott Smith 'Figure 8'

My Favourite Albums Of 2009

I'm a little late in posting this but here are my favourite albums of 2009 (I have rated the top 10, the others follow in no particular order).

1) M. Ward 'Hold Time'


2) Yo La Tengo 'Popular Songs'


3) Monsters Of Folk 'Monsters Of Folk'



4) Animal Collective 'Merriweather Post Pavillion'



5) Múm 'Sing Along To Songs You Don't Know'


6) Bibio 'Ambivalence Avenue'


7) Ryuichi Sakamoto 'Playing The Piano'
 

8) Max Richter 'Memoryhouse'

9) Sufjan Stevens 'The B.Q.E'

10) Hypnotic Brass Ensemble 'Hypnotic Brass Ensemble'


Johann Johannsson 'Fordlandia'
Todd Sickafoose 'Tiny Resistors'
Grizzly Bear 'Veckatimest'
Nosaj Thing 'Drift'
Hildur Gudnadottir 'Without Sinking'
Hope Sabdoval & The Warm Inventions 'Through The Devil Softly'
Flaming Lips 'Embryonic'
Beirut 'March Of The Zapotec / Holland'
Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba 'I Speak Fula'
Portico Quartet 'Isla'
Bill Callahan 'Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle'
Broadcast & The Focus Group '...Investigate The Witch Cults Of The Radio Age'
Klimek 'Movies Is Magic'
Fennesz 'Black Sea'
Tim Hecker 'An Imaginary Country'
Espers 'Espers III'
Emeralds 'What Happened'
Mercury Rev 'Peel Sessions'
Edward Williams 'Life On Earth'
Grouper 'Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill'
The Unthanks 'Here's The Tender Coming'
Sparklehorse & Fennesz 'In The Fishtank'
Trashcan Sinatras 'In The Music'
Tosca 'No Hassle'
John Vanderslice 'Romanian Names'
James Blackshaw 'The Glass Bead Game'
The Handsome Family 'Honey Moon'
Taken By Trees 'East Of Eden'
A Broken Consort 'Box Of Birch'
Belbury Poly 'From An Ancient Star'
Jimi Tenor & Tony Allen 'Inspiration Information Vol. 4'
Last Days 'The Safety Of The North'
Simon Scott 'Navigare'
Library Tapes 'Fragment'
Soap&Skin 'Lovetune For Vacuum'

Poems On The Underground

Two poems spotted on the tube as part of 'Poems On The Underground' series that I have enjoyed recently:

Dirty Three - Queen Elizabeth Hall - 07/12/09

I was at the Queen Elizabeth Hall earlier this month to see The Dirty Three. I had seen them play the Barbican a few years ago as part of the Don’t Look Back series (on that occasion performing ‘Ocean Songs’ in its entirety). Support came from ex-Lift To Experience man Josh Pearson who played a set of lo-fi, acoustic, country influenced songs, half-whispered, half-mumbled but never less than beautiful.

It was Pearson who perhaps came up with the best way of introducing The Dirty Three – “like the universe unfolding before your eyes”. A good way of describing the sheer scale, intensity and beauty of their music.

Their live shows are always fraught, intense affairs and tonight was no different, their instrumental music sounding ravaged and ransacked, desolate and desperate. The introductions by frontman Warren Ellis are just as good, often rambling but always funny and moving.

Arriving on stage to ecstatic cheers from the audience, Ellis introduces the opening song with a reference to their recent appearance at the All Tomorrow Parties festival, (I am paraphrasing somewhat here, but will do my best to remember) as being about “being cooked like a sausage in a room at Butlin’s and not knowing how to switch the heating off, with your suitcase up against the door and reaching over to call your wife…....and tell her....…that you like her…....and say…....you are…....The Last Horse On The Sand” at which stage the band start to play. Spine-tingling.

After removing his jacket and discarding it to the side of the stage Ellis starts to launch wild kicks into the air as he staggers around the stage playing violin. Occasionally he augments Jim White’s drumming (more of which, later) by stamping on the ground. Each kick or stamp adds to the sense of desperation evoked by the music and has a personal physical impact on me.

To begin Jim White had placed a tambourine on top of one of his drums to add another layer of percussion to his already skittering, dislocated, flattened drumming style. As he hits it the tambourine rolls on to the floor right next to Ellis who immediately kicks it, sending it flying to the side of the stage. During the show White’s drums need to be repaired at least three times (as he and the band play on). The soundman also comes on to collect yet another stray tambourine from the stage floor at one stage. The sheer energy on stage is breathtaking, the band appearing to be in a state permanently close to implosion, yet somehow manage to hold it together.

The second song is ‘Some Summers They Drop Like Flies’, and possibly is where the searing emotional intensity of tonight’s show reaches it’s climax. Ellis stands in front the drums, arms aloft, transcendent, totally in thrall to the music. Half way through the song he lies on the floor, still playing his violin, as the guitar and drums build around him. By the time the song closes he is flat on his back on the floor and the sound dies away. If someone was to enter the QEH at this point they could quite reasonably assume that he had been shot by one of his band.

The band play ‘Sea Above, Sky Below’, introduced by Ellis as a song about when you spend the last 15 years belieiving your are right and the world is wrong…and then realising that the world is actually more wrong that you originally though. ‘Everything Is Fucked’ is played next, introduced by Ellis as when you spend 5 years in a hole and rather than get out decide to decorate the hole….

The introductions and between song talk are always delivered in a humourous, self-deprecating manner. Lots of reference to drugs also, particularly glue and lysergic acid (seemingly particular favourites of Ellis).

They finish by playing ‘Some Things I Just Don’t Want To Know’ during which Ellis lets out some anguished shouts, a suitably primal and visceral ending. As we leave the hall Gram Parsons plays out over the venue PA. Nice. An exhilaratingly intense show. Definitely up there with Mercury Rev at Shepherd's Bush Empire and Godspeed! You Black Emperor at the Scala in terms of impact and power.

Ed Ruscha - Hayward Gallery - 07/12/09

I caught the Ed Ruscha retrospective at the Hayward Gallery earlier this month (just before seeing The Dirty Three at the QEH). The big lesson learned was - go to art galleries more often late afternoon during the week. The Hayward was beautifully - almost sumptiously - deserted, and I was able to stroll through the rooms practically only with the gallery assistants as company. A real pleasure compared to some of the scrums you are occasionally faced with.

The exhibition proved to be a bright, vivid celebration of colour, form and language. The combination of bold colours, clean, crisp lines and diagonal angles was very impressive. As I walked through I thought it was a successful example of good conceptual art. The panoramic landscapes, juxtaposed with striking text had real visual, almost cinematic beauty - my favourite was 'A Particular Kind Of Heaven'.

The exhibition closed with his beautiful painting of mountains, superimposed with more text. Another great exhibition by the Hayward Gallery.

Susanna & The Magical Orchesta - The Borderline - 25/11/09

I managed to sneak in a flying visit at the end of November to the Borderline to see Susanna & The Magical Orchestra. My notes tell me their set was sparse, hushed, echoey and synth-led. Susanna's vocals were as pure and crystalline as on record. 'Guiding Star' recalled the ethereal quality of The Cocteau Twins and they played their ACDC, Joy Division and Leonard Cohen covers (no 'Crazy, Crazy Nights by Kiss sadly though).

North Sea Radio Orchestra + Nils Frahm - St Giles-in-the-Fields - 21/11/09

I finally got to go to St Giles-in-the-Fields last month to catch the North Sea Radio Orchestra play a show. It had been on my list of venues to go to for some time now. Once inside I liked it - maybe a little more modern and light in terms of decoration etc than some but still beautiful. Quite similar to St Martins-in-the-Fields down the road I guess.

Support came from Norwegian musician Nils Frahm who played an epic, abundant 40 minutes of climbing and cascading emotive solo piano. Very enjoyable. I would imagine I would get hold of some of his recorded music in 2010.

The North Sea Radio Orchestra played their usual finely assembled blend of warming, uniquely melodic part-choral, part-chamber music, picking a selection from their two albums. They also played some of the music by Vernon Elliott that they showcased at the Union Chapel earlier this year. A nice show - the 4th time I had seen them live, and the third at a church (after previous visits to St Olaves and St Martin-in-the-Fields).

Miroslav Balka - Tate Modern - 21/11/09

I went along to Tate Modern with Shalini and Dhruv on a Saturday afternoon last month to see 'How It Is', the latest installation in the Turbine Hall by Polish artist Mirolsav Balka.

After having walked up the ramp to enter the huge metal container, looking back out towards the light seems like looking back at another long-departed world. I didn't quite experience the bleakness and terror that had been written about in the press. As a 'participation-as-art', sensory experience it was quite powerful however and I guess the comparison to what happened in the 1930s/1940s does reasonate. Dhruv slept most of the time we were there - his comment on modern art I suppose...

BUG16 - BFI South Bank - 20/11/09

I was at the BFI last month to see Count Buckulees (a.k.a Adam Buxton) present BUG16. As usual it was very entertaining.

Highlights included the video for 'Luv Deluxe' by Cinnamon Chasers and 'Would You' by Holly Throsby ft. Bonnie Prince Billy. Adam also showed the recent video for 'Two Weeks' by Grizzly Bear. The main highlight (as usual) was the YouTube comments section. Extremely funny indeed. Well done Dr Buckles - another great show!

Yo La Tengo, Roundhouse, 08/11/09

I have finally got round to writing up my recent visit to the Roundhouse to see Yo La Tengo.

I opted for seats as opposed to standing and feared the worst when I realized there was a huge column partially blocking my view of the stage. Euros Childs provided support – not solo as I had imagined but with a small band. His vocals still sound as great as ever, and seeing him behind the keyboards brought back memories of seeing Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci in the late 1990s & early 2000s. He started off with a version of Lady Fair. I haven’t really followed his solo stuff as much as I could have so the remainder of the set was fairly unfamiliar, seeming to be more ‘pop’ and upbeat, although my initial impressions were that it was sadly still some way short of the standard of the music he made with GZM.

Yo La Tengo started off in usual fashion with a long, layered guitar opener before playing tracks from their latest album, the very fine ‘Popular Songs’. A small string section accompanied the band for ‘Here To Fall’ and ‘If It’s True’. ‘Periodically, Double Or Triple’ was completely dismantled and reconstructed with brilliant keyboards and segued straight into ‘Stockholm Syndrome’.

We were treated to a beautiful version of ‘Tears Are In Your Eyes’, before possibly my new favourite from the new album was played – ‘I’m On My Way’, a very pretty little song sung by James. Another new favourite, ‘When It Gets Dark’ also made the set (although the equally brilliant ‘All Your Secrets’ missed out). They closed with ‘The Story Of Yo La Tengo’, probably my favourite of their long, feedback-infused, drone-y album closers (and slightly surprisingly the only song played from last album I’m Not Afraid Of You And Will Beat Your As$).

The encore was very enjoyable – a beautiful, tender, moving, whispered version of ‘Our Way To Fall’ (which firmly lodged itself into my mind for the next few days) and an equally pretty version of George Harrison’s ‘Behind That Locked Door’, Georgia’s vocals being heart-meltingly pretty as always.

The set list went something like this:

My Heart’s Reflection
More Stars Than There Are In Heaven
Avalon Or Someone Very Similar
Periodically, Double Or Triple
(segue)
Stockholm Syndrome
Here To Fall
If It’s True
Tom Courtenay
Tears Are In Your Eyes
I’m On My Way
When It Gets Dark
Autumn Sweater
Nothing To Hide
The Story Of Yo La Tengo

Encore

A very raucous, thrashy cover featuring Georgia on guitar
Our Way To Fall
From Behind That Locked Door

The High Llamas, The Luminaire, 07/11/09

I was at the Luminaire last night to see The High Llamas, the second time I had seen them play that venue in 2009....and, unsurprisingly I guess, they played a pretty much identical set. Obviously, very enjoyable but it would have been nice to maybe hear some more tracks from 'Hawaii' or 'Cold And Bouncy'. The highlights were Three Point Scrabble and Harper's Romo, which just continues to sound as brilliant as ever. Interestingly, they chose to play two instrumentals in their encore.



I think the set list went approximately like this: (I think it is missing a couple...)

Doo-Wop Property
Harper's Romo
Bach Ze
Triads
Go To Montecino
Nomads
Old Spring Town
The Hot Revivalist
Three Point Scrabble
Cookie Bay
Leaf & Lime
Calloway
The Track Goes By

Encore

Glide Time
Janet Jangle

Damien Jurado & John Vanderslice, The Borderline, 03/11/09

I was at The Borderline last night for a double bill of American-acoustic-indie-folk-guitar-power-pop.

After leaving work I headed down to the South Bank to enjoy a couple of hours in the Royal Festival Hall Members’ Bar. Had a very enjoyable first listen to Max Richter’s re-released ‘Memoryhouse’ album. Atmospheric, strident post-classical soundtrack music at its very best.

I pulled myself away from the beautiful views of the RFH balcony (photos to follow another time) and headed over Golden Jubilee Bridge, past St. Martins-In-The-Fields and up the Charing Cross Road before going into the Borderline with JP.

First up was John Vanderslice. I had seen him headline this venue last year. Surprisingly he only played one song from current album ‘Romanian Names’ (‘Too Much Time’), preferring to concentrate on older material. Not often you can say that. His set included ‘Trance Manual’ and ‘Angela’, the beautiful meditation on how an escaped pet can result in the questioning and reassessment of a human relationship (and incidentally, one of my top 100 tracks of all time, as recently compiled on my iPod playlist – separate blog post to follow on this). To end, JV left his position on stage and entered the crowd, getting a member of the audience to hold a small hand-held torch and playing 2 songs from the Borderline floor, the first being a rather lovely version of ‘Keep The Dream Alive’. As JP astutely observed, “very Death Cab”. Reminded me of a gig by Godspeed You Black Emperor at the Scala in 2001 (?) where during an already monumentally brilliant show, the drummer left the stage and walked through the crowd playing his drum, almost causing your correspondent to experience something close to an epiphany. Tonight maybe wasn’t quite the same in terms of the intensity of experience but it is always something I enjoy and should be encouraged in my humble opinion. Just remembered that Kurt Wagner started his gig last year at The Borderline by doing likewise.

Soon up after was Seattle singer-songwriter Damien Jurado who played a hushed, stripped down acoustic set full of trademark intimate, low key songs. The first part of his set consisted of songs from his yet to be released new album, followed by some old favourites. ‘Tether’, ‘Abilene’, ‘The Killer’. All brilliant. He seemed genuinely pleased and surprised to have a full Borderline to play for. A few self-deprecating anecdotes were interspersed between songs, including some funny observations on driving in London.

One of those great evenings that reinforce my love for The Borderline, live music and the wonderful city of London.

“This country will know us by name….”

Grizzly Bear, The Barbican, 31/10/09

I was at the Barbican on Saturday to see Grizzly Bear perform with the London Symphony Orchestra. I have been enjoying the soaring, widescreen sound of two albums ‘Yellow House’ and ‘Veckatimest’ recently, with their intricate, layered melodies so was particularly looking forward to this gig. I was quite hopeful that the meticulous construction of these recent albums could be replicated live.

Support came from St. Vincent – a two person guitar/violin act who played a nice, varied mix of tight, hard edged guitar lines to ethereal ambient pieces all underpinned by Annie Clark’s mellifluent, looped vocals. Nice.

The Grizzly Bear / LSO collaboration was promoted as being something more than your usual indie band / orchestra link up – with feted contemporary-classical composer Nico Muhly preparing a special arrangement to complement the songs but not supercede in any way. Things got off to a decidedly understated, restrained start in terms of orchestral score – opening track ‘Easier’ sounding pretty but slightly pared down compared to the fully sound on ‘Yellow House’. Next up was my favourite from ‘Veckatimest’, ‘Cheerleader’. On record it sounds brilliant, the choral backing vocals lifting the song to another level. Disappointingly, the orchestra wasn’t really able to reproduce this live, the strings struggling to make themselves heard against the fully amplified band. The rest of the gig followed in similar suit. The orchestral arrangement seemed very light – almost too respectful of the songs, strangely unable to transform them into the grander version they could have been. It was almost as if Muhly was too disciplined in trying keep the songs intact. The versions of ‘Knife’ and ‘Central And Remote’ were decent reproductions of the songs on the album but again could have been transformed into something else. One thing which came across just as brilliantly live as on record was Ed Droste’s voice – a uniquely muffled, enjoyably garbled sound unlike pretty much anything else out there.

At the start of the year I went to see Elbow record a version of ‘The Seldom Seen Kid’ with the BBC Concert Orchestra and even though arguably I think ‘Veckatimest’ could just be a fractionally better album and Grizzly Bear a potentially slightly better band, but on that occasion Elbow did the guitar band / orchestra collaboration thing so much better, each song sounding notably different and vastly improved as a result of the orchestral backing. Sadly, in this respect tonight’s gig didn’t really match this, although it was an enjoyable concert, just not as spectacular as it promised to be.

Prom 16 - Casken, Tchaikovsky & Stravinsky - Birmingham Symphony Orchestra - Royal Albert Hall

I went along to the Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday to see Prom 16.

First piece was John Casken's evocative musical depiction of the Northumbrian landscape 'Orion Over Farne'.

Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 2 followed before the highlight of the evening, Stravinsky's 'Firebird'. It opened in subtle, graceful style eventually giving way to a later section punctuated by lively orchestral peaks and a moving yet triumphant ending. I was in the upper circle and despite the slightly restricted view and mobile phone interruptions it was an enjoyable concert.

The hall looked beautiful although there is something that prevents me from holding it quite in the same affection as the RFH etc. Still, it does look very impressive looking across from the beautiful Albert Memorial and it is unique I suppose in terms of its age and history/legacy etc. Maybe I will try to fit in another 2009 Prom if circumstances allow...

Yo La Tengo at QEH / Teenage Fanclub at Clapham Common

OK, I am massively behind in blogging on this but here we go.

I went along to see Yo La Tengo play last month at the QEH as part of Ornette Coleman's Meltdown festival. It was one of their 'Freewheeling' shows, featuring stripped down versions of a lot of their songs and much dialogue between band/audience. It was the sixth time I have seen them play live - previous venues have included Royal Festival Hall, Shepherd's Bush Empire x 2, Koko & the Gateshead Sage. Overall, it was a very enjoyable set, band on good form both musically and socially. I even managed to fire a question at the band in amongst the constant flow of comments from the audience. In a unsuccessful attempt to get them to play 'Moonrock Mambo' I asked who their favourite Simpsons character was. Apparently Ira has always been a fan of Disco Stu. The set also featured a nice version of 'Dreaming'. Beautiful. Nothing from 'And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out' and 'Summer Sun' but still a great gig.

Last weekend I went along to see Teenage Fanclub play as part of Ben & Jerry's Summer Sundae at Clapham Common with JP. A rare appearance at a music festival for me. These days I can just about manage a one day event which doesn't involve excessive travel & camping. Teenage Fanclub played a fairly solid set including three new songs as well as a selection of familiar favourites (Sparky's Dream, Ain't That Enough, About You, Your Place.., I Don't Want Control Of You etc). First song was Near You and they opted to finish with Everything Flows (no inclusion of The Concept sadly). Norman was on good form throughout and we managed to secure places right at the front far too easily! Add a nice helping of various free ice cream, delicious paella, pear cider and some glorious weather and overall it was a great day.

'Le Corbusier - The Art Of Architecture' at the Barbican

After seeing the Picasso exhibition I jumped on a number 23 bus and headed east towards the Barbican to see the current Le Corbusier show.

It proved to be an all-encompassing, versatile exhibition focusing on several different aspects of Le Corbusier's art. It had everything from architectural models, photographs, drawings, film, examples of his interior design as well as various objects and surrealist paintings. A true multiplicity of forms.

Throughout the exhibition the scale and breadth of his travel become apparent. He really did travel to most corners of the world in his pursuit of ideas and inspiration and examples of his architecture from Algeria, India, Argentina, Russia, USA, France & Belgium all feature prominently.

Some of his theoretical ideas come up first, specifically his utopian 'Plan Voisin' and 'Ville contemporaine de trois mille d'habitants' for Paris. These set the tone for the rest of the exhibition, immediately showing just how radically different and ambitious an architect Le Corbusier was. They could easily have come direct from some sort of dystopian science fiction novel such as '1984'.

Next up is his entirely self-prompted 'Plan Obus' for Algiers, in many ways an ostensibly crazy and impractical idea but one that demonstrated his quest to push back boundaries and come up with new, innovative, forward-thinking ideas.


His entry for the 'Palace Of Soviets' contest for an administrative complex for the centre of Moscow showed more of this ambition, the rigid structures complemented by an over-reaching arch (see below). He was not successful in winning the commission, but still a great project.


We soon start to see examples where his work was fully realised. His 'Notre Dame Du Haut' chapel in Ronchamp is a uniquely odd looking building whereas his Philips Pavilion building in Brussels is a spectacularly geometic construction. Iannis Xenakis designed the building along with Le Corbusier and Edgar Varese provided the music to the multimedia show inside with his 'Poeme Electronique'.


The highlight of the exhibition for me was the section on Le Corbusier's civic buildings in Chandigarh, India. I guess the fact that I spent a few hours in Chandigarh a few years ago sparked this particular interest. It was a fascinating project and further details can be found in the below links:

http://www.nytimes.com/1982/04/25/travel/le-corbusier-s-chandigarh.html?sec=travel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandigarh

The drawings and models shown in the exhibition really provided a superb overview, especially of the scale and ambition of the project. The short extract from the film 'Un Ville A Chandigarh' contained some interesting footage, especially of the role of Indian women in the construction of the buildings. I would love to see the film in full but it appears difficult to track down. Unfortunately I was in India recently when it was shown at the Barbican as part of the exhibition.

Le Corbusier's Saint Pierre Church in Firminy, France provided one final example of his brilliant architecture with its beautifully irregular, geometric shape.


I found it a fascinating, informative exhibition. Sure, Le Corbusier's architecture was not perfect and at times some of his ideas appear naive and impractical . With the passing of time some of his buildings can even appear to border on the ugly, especially the large residential blocks, such as those constructed in Marseilles. However, as a radical, freethinking, progressive, modernist architect he is deservedly considered one of the greats of the 20th century.

iPod Playlist

Neko Case 'Middle Cyclone'
The Belbury Poly 'From An Ancient Star'
The Advisory Circle 'Other Channels'

'Picasso - Challenging The Past' at the National Gallery

I went to the National Gallery this morning to see the current Picasso exhibition. Whilst walking down the Charing Cross Road I noticed that the recently restored St. Martin in the Fields was looking particularly beautiful in the crisp morning sunshine.

I found the Picasso exhibition a slightly mixed affair if I am honest. I enjoyed the Cubist, more abstract, angular paintings but found a lot of the still life and human forms uninspiring and in some cases without beauty.

The exhibition's emphasis is on showing how Picasso responded to the works of the great painters of the past and how he was inspired to produce his own versions of a lot of their famous works. Each room had a particular theme - self portraits, nudes, human characters, still life etc.

The final room shows his variations on artists such as Delacroix, Manet and Velazquez in detail. I enjoyed the monochrome variations on Velazquez and the bold, vibrantly colourful reinventions of Delacroix but enjoyed his variations on Manet less.


The short film which ends the exhibition goes some way to drawing all the different strands together and almost made me question some of the opinions I had formed whilst wandering through the exhibition. It certainly provided quite a helpful overview of Picasso's life with specific reference to the themes contained in this exhibition.

I left the National Gallery and walked up Haymarket before popping into Caffe Nero to get a drink and decide my plan for the remainder of the day...

London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall

I went along to the RFH on Friday to see the London Philharmonic Orchestra play pieces by Janacek, Dvorak and Rachmaninov. I had not heard any of the music previously but enjoyed all three pieces very much.

All three composers are quite well known for their incorporation of Eastern European folk music elements into their orchestral pieces. Dvorak's Violin Concerto and Rachmaninov's Symphony No. 3 both featured some melancholic, poignant episodes, reflecting the circumstances in which they were created (whilst both composers were living in the USA, away from their homelands). All were orchestrally dynamic, melodic pieces (Rachmaninov, thrillingly so).

I went home via Waterloo Bridge which as usual provided breathtaking, panoramic views looking eastwards down the Thames. The slightly ominous clouds overhead in the dark sky, the neon light projected on to the shimmering water, the looping rows of lights lining the river banks, the vivid colours of the illuminated National Theatre, the twinkling white lights in the trees on the South Bank, traffic on Blackfriars Bridge, the iconic buildings on the black horizon...

iPod Playlist

North Sea Radio Orchestra 'Birds'
Elegi 'Varde'

Peter Coffin at the Barbican

Before going to the Xenakis concert in the Barbican hall (see previous post) I checked out the latest installation in The Curve gallery by American artist Peter Coffin. It essentially is a projection of aerial views of a traditional Japanese garden, accompanied by a minimal, whistling soundtrack. Surreal, juxtapositional sculpture is positioned throughout the gallery.

I found it a gently sweeping exhibition, focusing on themes of disorientation, perspective and balance. As the text in the gallery suggests, Coffin aims to challenge spatial awareness with his work and he succeeds here with a subtle, airy exhibition. At times I thought the sculpture did not really fit in with the visual and sonic themes but overall it proved to be another rewarding, if slightly more restrained, example of participatory contemporary art.

Xenakis - BBC Symphony Orchestra - Barbican

On Saturday evening I went to the Barbican to see the BBC Symphony Orchestra play as part of the 'Total Immersion' day dedicated to the Greek composer Iannis Xenakis. The programme consisted of a selection of orchestral and choral pieces.

Opening piece 'Tracées' set the tone for the evening with its layered, structured mass of sound, all densely packed into a brief six minutes. Three movement piece 'Anastenaria' followed next. The huge, overlapping blocks of sound and combination of orchestral and choral melody came across as being more accessible than I initially expected. The influential role played by mathematics and architecture in helping to formulate Xenakis' music was at the forefront during these pieces and continued throughout the evening.



The second part of the performance featured three small pieces. 'Sea-Nymphs' was up first, a truncated, jarring sound-collage for a small vocal ensemble. Another short solo piece, 'Mists', followed, comprising irregular, cascading piano lines interspersed with flurries of sharp, erratic notes. The final piece in this section was 'Nuits'. The concert programme had described the piece as being "coruscatingly beautiful", words which are almost guaranteed to get my heart racing when applied to music. It proved to be another complex, jagged, arrythmic mass of choral sound.


The final part of the evening resulted in the full orchestra taking the stage again to play two monumental, challenging pieces - 'Troorkh' and 'Antikhthon'. 'Troorkh' was a staggeringly powerful piece. Piercing, bruising brass lines augmented by Christian Lindberg's solo trombone were pitched alongside imposing orchestral fragments. 'Antikhthon' followed a similar path, punishing brass peaks colliding with percussive orchestral shards.An amazing evening of uncompromising, intellectual music with an enormous, physical, visceral impact. On my way home I listened to 'Black Sea' by Fennesz which seemed kind of appropriate....