The Life The Love and The Grateful

WOW!!! Much overused !’s I know but !!! chk chk chk. Whatta band… What to do on a Friday night with mate Rams down from Leeds. Eventually after dithering go for nearby venue and take a chance as he’s not been to the Brixton Windmill before. Brisk cycle ride past Clapham gentry houses and thru Brixton estates past the windmill and into the Windmill. First up Nirvana-esque Friends who would do better to show a bit more enthusiasm or get wrecked (more of that later). Then The Dannelles (?) from New York – and very much a NY late 70’s sound with some straight Ramones bass lines and Richard Hell and the Voidoids sound. They got the crowd interested and I remark to Rams that the yanks are better at pure rock n roll than us cos they invented it. How wrong I was… On come The Life The Love and The Grateful… 3 guys, young looking drummer who not sure should’ve been in a licenced bar, tall glittery bass / rhythm guitarist, shorter hairy beardy guitarist, 2 gals, winsome cool singer and happy quirky keyboard player. Hmmm. Odd combination. But aren’t they the best. Go into pretty competent rock with punky tinge, rock riffs and geetar solos – but crowd getting into it as we both are. Seemed to be a little chaotic (keyboards and her mic not working doesn’t help) and then we get a vocal only number (with some drums) – sort of freeform jazz feel to it. Great voice confirmed. This seems to encourage the others to try more improvisation and quickly descends / ascends into all out blues rock jamming in songs. Soon the guitarist is sitting on the floor tuning up mid song, then shouting in the ear of the singer whilst she gamely carries on singing. The songs sort of stop, band look at each other and then sort of start again, or a quick impro, or the next song. I couldn’t tell and not sure if they knew. Much patting each others shoulders pulling faces and asking what’s going on. All through the music is great tho and truly the best improvised sound I’ve heard for many a year – reminiscent of Hawkwind / Here and Now going all noodly and out there but without the space rock feel and more bluesy. The band seem to peter out to much applause and then bring us back up to a climax. Tall guy and the girls go off stage whilst guitar hero staggers a bit not wanting to leave. But what’s this? The previously hidden drummer seeing his chance and the audience in his vision starts knocking seven shades of the proverbial out of the kit and into a great rocking beat – guitarist can’t resist joining in and soon the bassist’s back on so we get what seems like an impromptu finale. Just proving what a great band this is. Check out http://vimeo.com/15839572. GO SEE before they practice too much!!!

Professor Green

Trip north of the river with Debs to Camden Palace (OK, KOKO). Quick snifter in pub opposite at prices that must match the venue and then into the crowd of allegedly over 18s. Was an X Factor crowd with what seemed like families and lots of screaming girls and jack the lads. Warm up band Ed Drewett was straight outta X Factor (as opposed to Compton). Very competent backing band but big blonde handsome Ed milked the crowd and sounded bland. I don’t get it – old age?! Then one of PG’s backing singers comes on stage to gee up the studenty crowd including renditions of oggy oggy oggy (oi oi oi). What the ?!?!? Eventually “Pro Green” takes the stage to wild applause and goes into a couple of songs that would make Simon Cowell dribble with anticipated lucre. Just as Debs and I are thinking we’re at a Pop Concert (god forbid!) a heavily pregnant Lily Allen takes the stage for Just Be Good To Green (a la Beats International). Lily gets the crowd screeching even more but typically cool, smiley and gorgeous by the end of the song she and the Prof have hit a grimier level and we’re outta Pop and into what we came for. Most of his album played out plus at least one new effort. Great band going thru dub, laid back head rocking, dance & jump up in the air tunes. So after a dodgy start got both me and Debs well on side. Slightly embarrassing moment when Ed came back for a duo and gives PG a bottle of liquor and fawns over the man. Only disappointment was the brilliant Where Do We Go (extremely sentimental) which has the best lyrics I’ve heard in a long time but couldn’t hear cos PG was too busy waving his arms in the air arena fashion. Stay real pro…

And on way home find out Arsenal beat Shakhtar Donetsh with the unlucky Eduardo getting a standing ovation for his consolation goal.

Isle of Dogs & Greenway to Olympic Site

An LCC route hot off the press: http://bit.ly/bgJaE7. Fresh bright day cycling through south London parks down to the Greenwich foot tunnel. Meandered up through the east side of Isle of Dogs trying to pick up riverside paths. Whole area odd mix of expensive gated riverside flats, inexpensive flats inland, ageing industrial parks and 6 lane flyovers. Not sure I’d want to live here but a feeling of space that’s rare in London. Pick up the LCC route at the Trinity House wharf and tour the Excel centre (swarming with made up young lasses clogging up the foot bridge lift as a hair dressing exhibition going on) & City Airport then up to Beckton where pick up the fantastic Greenway straight thru to Olympic site at Stratford. A bit smelly along here – apparently built over a Victorian sewer so saved the sarnie until on the canal at Stratford. The main Olympic stadium is coming along nicely altho can’t get too close. Then back along the Lea tributary to Limehouse Basin and back down the west of Isle of Dogs. Highlight was probably seeing Three Mills which is a lovely set of buildings. Right pedal locks when on way back – ball bearings all jumbled around so tricky ride home and replacement pedals now installed.

No (Upper) Age (Limit) at XOYO

First night out with my old gigging buddy Si for a while – Old Street way. Him and smooth faced work colleague. Very representative of the audience ages. Seemed to be 20 – 30 or 40 – 50. All the 30’s at home with babies?

Abe Vigoda up first. Lively and good sound – reminded me of UK garage punk (check out Farewell To The Roxy 1978). Tho they’re west coast USA.

Next up London’s very own west coast grunge group Male Bonding. Mostly very good and the crowd were pleased but descended into prog rock at times – not easy with 2 guitars and a drum kit but they managed it.

Headliners (another USA west coast) No Age. Again, went down very well with all age groups and I could see why. Thrashy shouty excitment (2 of em at least). Guitarist could’ve been in the Ramones especially his 1-2-3-4 shouted intros – but sounded more like The Who riffs. Drummer and singer could’ve bashed with the best of the Roxy crowd – and given the old punks a run for their money with his vocals. Strangely uninterested synth guy who looked like he’d stumbled out of a US cop drama and rushed off the stage before the last song had ended. Mooched back on for an encore whilst the other 2 went ape. Ended up with the drummer staying on for a bit of shouting, crowd surfing and then twiddling the synth knobs to show the other guy how it’s done.

All in all competent but for some reason wasn’t enthralled. Maybe my age?

Cheshire Power Station Tour

After an evening of red wine with Olly and Sheren the next morning I strike out for the Chester – Connah’s Quay railway cycle path. Getting immediately lost and circling Christleton twice I gain the canal path into Chester – zoom straight thru missing the railway and decide to stay on the Shropshire Union canal to Ellesmere Port. Mist and chill turn to sun and warmth and it’s blissful in the countryside.

Ellesmere Port has strangely wistful view across the Mersey but nowt to make me want to eat lunch here so the young man goes west to other side of the Wirral to a recommended cycle route. Road traffic for a while before stopping at the Nags Head at Willaston for a pint and to eat my sarnies. Beautiful ride to Neston and Parkgate – a weird seaside promenade looking over to Wales now about half a mile from the water as marshland has reclaimed the sea. Isn’t it usually the other way round? Maybe the Wirral is rising. After a Nicholls ice cream and phoning Jules to say I’m near where she lives (tho she’s in Chester working) I push on southwards along the sea wall and past the marshes which warn that they are an army firing range…

Despite some fence menders telling my I’m likely to be stopped I continue. After a while I seem to be in the firing range rather than on the edge. A very pompous and officious scouser in a white range rover stops me to belittle me. Not knowing whether he’s MOD MP I play along. “First where’s your permit to be in this area” Err, have none. "Second what does a red flag mean to you”. Err, danger. “Third why are you in this area with red flags flying”. Err, didn’t see any. “What’s that? (points 20 feet away to large red flag fluttering in the breeze) and that (points to large red flag where I’ve just come from)” Fair cop guv what’s the quickest way to Connah’s Quay. After asking why I want to go there as it’s nothing but “industry and muck” he lets me go on – knowing full well I’ll get lost which I do. Worryingly also cycle right thru a range numbered 1 to 12. Then get stung by nettles and scratched by briars. Bloody countryside!

After much detouring I reach Connah’s Quay. Yep, power stations and muck. After a scenic tour around various smoke belching chimneys trying to find the old railway line back to Chester. At this point I realise that my Garmin GPS has run out (I left it on overnight) so I go for the main road to get to Queensferry also on the railway. After touring the Queensferry industrial estates a very helpful Welshman (how come the accents change so quickly!) points me on my way and I have an uneventful but pleasant ride back to Chester and on to Christleton (picking up a cold beer on the way) where Olly greets me with news of his day in court and visiting smelly warehouses – but that’s for him to relate.

 

Relaxing evening in the local with Olly, Sheren and aforementioned Jules thanking my lucky stars that I’m not a statistic of friendly fire. (If you look at the Garmin site with my journey it does indeed look like I never left the marshes due to it losing power).

Early morning cycling

Over Wimbledon Common in the mist, past the stags and lycra boys in Richmond Park and along the river from Barnes to Battersea…

And back in time for breakfast

http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/51405394

(I think you can see other rides uploaded to this site)