Fionn Regan

In the words of that guy from that band, Staind; It's been a while. So, here is a review of the Fionn Regan show I went to see last night. I highly recommend going to see him if you ever get the chance. 

Fionn Regan - The Luminaire, 11th November 2009

“This is not a pub. If you’ve come to chat with your friends when a band is playing, you’re in the wrong place.” Thank Jebus for venues like the Luminaire. Their white on black warnings printed around the room prove they’re a place which exhibits musical talent for people who are there for genuine appreciation.

Danny and the Champions of the World were the only support act on the night. A band whose folky, rock ‘n’ roll songs intertwined in such harmony, that they only paused three times during the set. Brief, but highly appropriate snippets of The Temptation’s My Girl and Bruce Springsteen’s Dancing in the Dark were sneaked in mid-song, giving them a vibe of a band that you’d love to have playing at your local on a Friday night.

It was to everyone’s surprise when the same group of lads returned to stage in preparation for Fionn Regan’s set, and struck up an introducing, bluesy instrumental, which Fionn soon joined – looking modest and chewing gum. With most people anticipating a quiet, solo acoustic affair, it was with great intrigue when the first few songs showed a pumped up, five piece display of folk rock. 

The songs were new, tight and punchy, with Fionn’s ever-ironic take on the world being delivered via his beautifully Irish, poetic voice. We were no doubt hearing previews from his second studio album, The Shadows of an Empire, which is due for release in February 2010. Expect the same critical out-look on life, but with a lot more pace, angst and power.

Cheers grew louder from the crowd when familiar songs The Underwood Typewriter and Hunters Map were played. Although structurally the same as the versions on The End of History, the band offered a fuller alternative to the stripped down acoustic normality. 

They left Fionn to his own devices for Put a Penny in the Slot, and whilst watching this earnestly boyish singer-songwriter (who is clearly wise beyond his years) play through songs he must have played 1000 times before, you can still feel the sincerity in the words he sings and the belief they entail.

With the band returning for the remainder of the show, more songs from the upcoming album were displayed, as was the renowned comparison between Fionn’s music and that of Bob Dylan. Although his words can be full of arrogance, there is a modest side to his stage demeanour, evident when he briefly interacts with the audience. “You’re the best!” screamed an excitable girl in the front row. “No,” replied Fionn. “You’re the best. I know you know.” Even his conversation is poetic.

Reading reviews and Reading rant

Here are my reviews of the Friday and Sunday of Reading Festival 2009:

http://www.gigwise.com/reviews/live/52325/Friday-280809-Reading-Festival-Day-One-@-Richfield-Avenue-Reading

and

http://www.gigwise.com/news/52331/Sunday-300809-Reading-Festival-Day-Three-@-Richfield-Avenue-Reading

and here's some thoughts that follow on from the weekend:

I don’t understand the mentality of the Reading crowd. Here we all are, with some of the best musical offerings in the world at our disposal, coming together in a mutual appreciation for music. The location isn’t half bad. Granted, there are a lot of people packed into the site, but there’s plenty of room for everyone to potentially have a good time. We have a drink, have a dance, have a sing-song… Then we start a riot, smash open doors, don’t use the bins, piss on people’s things, steal people’s things, act as totally outrageously crazy as possible in the hope that someone notices just how crazy you are, so that you can then what? Bathe in the satisfaction that you’ve just ruined someone’s weekend by throwing a cup of piss across a crowd?

What is going on? Have all these people been let off a leash for the very first time, that they just have to let out this ‘I’m going to be a general wanker for the weekend’ urge, in an environment that says it’s ‘OK’? Well to be honest, it’s not OK.

Festivals are there as an escapism. A lot of (if not most) people do turn into someone who they wouldn’t be when they return to work on Tuesday morning. But it’s generally a good transition. Free, enlightened, high, whatever. Not twatish.

I don’t get what it is about Reading (and I’ve been told Leeds is the same) that attracts this kind of mentality. Every August bank-holiday weekend, I tell myself that I won’t return, simply because of the way people are to each other, to the festival and to the grounds it’s situated on.

It’s clearly not festivals in general. I bet half of the Reading goers attend a number of other festivals around the country, and they all seem to be left unscathed. The Big Chill manages to have a beautifully preserved lake, slap-bang in the middle of its grounds. No rubbish, no people, no urine get puts in there. The same goes for the Green Man festival, set in the serene mountains of Brecon Beacons, Wales. They have a fresh water river running along the site, where people can swim and bathe. Again, it’s left pristinely.

So what’s up with Reading? The only sign of a river there is when people’s piss and shit has filled up the what-used-to-be stream. I’d say that this would all eventually lead to the demise of the festival. But it won’t. For some reason, it’s seen as standard Reading. Why?!

I know it’s not everyone who’s there. If it were, God help us. But there are a lot of people doing these things and it ruins so much enjoyment of a festival that has the promise to be one of the best in the world.

Reading bells...

After returning from a simply lovely weekend at Green Man festival, (located in the stunning Welsh mountains of Brecon Beacons), I’ve found myself back in my orthopedic Chichester chair, writing about non-invasive ventilation systems with no time to spare (un-intentional rhyme) before dashing off to Reading festival tomorrow morning. I am to be reviewing it for gigwise this year, so am preparing myself for a whole different perspective and responsibility in comparison to the past 8 years.

This post is essentially a set-up for a chance to read the reviews to come. I’ve been told that as many bands as possible need reviewing, which myself and co-writer Andy, will strive to do. We also have interviews lined up with Placebo, Manchester Orchestra and Glasvegas. It’s all going to be a dramatic change to the carefree shenanigans of beer, banter and buzzing around the gritty fields of Reading, so I’m curiously looking forward to it.

This time next week should be a good time to check back here for the finished reviews of the whole weekend. I say ‘whole weekend’, I’m sure I’m just going to end up writing a ‘Radiohead featuring Jesse Lacey’ article which will no doubt lead to my gigwise demise (also un-intentional rhyme). 

See you soon

x

Reasons to be cheerful

I’m a little disheartened at the moment. For many reasons, most of which are fairly minor in the grand scheme of our existence, but never the less, current. I’ve moved back from the Midlands, (which is a big enough reason to be uplifted), but am now away from girlfriend and with family after 4 years of independent living. Again, these aren’t HUGE problems, but they’re enough to lift you up, turn you upside down and shake the foundations of the life you’re trying to build, out of your pockets and all over a field in West Sussex.

I reckon the main reason for this irrelevant moan is because I’m spending most days writing for a graphics design company who specialise in medical produce which I then have to learn about in order to write about in order to send back to the people who previously wrote about it who then check it over and see if I know what I’m going on about, which I don’t. But somehow, that’s what I’m doing and when you’d rather be back writing about a college in Mansfield, you have the right to be a little disheartened.

Alas, the future is something you can always look forward to. So I think a list of positives is in order, just for me (and Steve), to read and think about why things aren’t ever really that bad. A list to remind us that whatever predicament we may find ourselves in, it falls insignificant to the problems of others. Just look at Hugh Grant for example.

 

Things to look forward to:

 

1. Reading Festival
2. Birthdays
3. Music
4. Sharing homes with loved ones
5. Parties
6. Michael Jacksons death being left alone
7. The new football season
8. Brand New’s new album
9. Ventures
10. Writing meaningful blogs   

 

x

Beat-boxing and sub-editors

I recently reviewed the Midlands heat of the UK Beat-boxing championships for Nottingham’s Left Lion publication. The evening was a grand old time and I thoroughly enjoyed the unfamiliar experience, despite sticking out like a sore thumb. If you’re ever going to a beat-boxing competition, my advice is not to wear a hat and scarf with your ‘listen to the Beach Boys’ t-shirt. And, being the upmost professional that I am, I forgot my notebook and had to document the evening through saving text drafts on my phone. So not only did I appear to be an out of place rambler, living in the past, I was texting through the whole show. Cred.

Anyhooo, the review went live yesterday and as anyone who writes will know, your work has to meet the approval of the ever- tampering sub-editors. I understand that things need to be changed, facts need to be concise and the tone needs to adhere to whatever publication you’re writing for. But, when does your writing stop being your writing and morph into theirs? If I’m trying to establish a career by building a decent portfolio and writing, free of charge, for as many companies as possible, shouldn’t my style should be allowed to flourish into the form I choose? Or is it fair enough that people want their produce to maintain a specific presentation? I don’t really know to be honest – and in this case, the subbing wasn’t as terrible as I’ve suffered in the past, which makes this rant slightly unnecessary, but necessary dammit! Here’s the link: http://www.leftlion.co.uk/articles.cfm/id/2560
Check out some of the beat-boxers, particularly Petebox, he’s very talented indeed.x

It’s been a day of learning. But I suppose, isn’t any?

Many a fact, opinion, story and update have plummeted sharply into my brain today. The positive and negatively charged particles of information have been fizzing around my head, colliding, splicing and dicing with each other, whilst I’m meant to be marketing West Nottinghamshire College. It’s highly distracting.

Some news has been easier to cope with than others, like Jordan and big Pete Andre finally splitting up. I think I solemnly cared there for a little while when I read this, perhaps it’s because he once drank in the Lincoln Arms, Dorking. This story has held hands in the headlines with David Cameron yelling at his MPs about paying back their expenses, or they’d consequently lose the whip. Cameron; whip; yelling – it’s a fun image, I’ll give him that. I cared about these expenses that MPs are claiming for a couple of days this week, until today, because Stephen Fry told me not to (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/8045040.stm) now it doesn’t seem that much of a big deal anymore.

My lunch break wasn’t much of what the name might suggest, reading Bill Bryson’s Short History of Nearly Everything doesn’t exactly give you the mental relaxation a lunchtime provides. Off the top of my head, did you know that the crater the dinosaur-bashing meteorite left was initially thought to be in Manson, Iowa? It was roughly 20 miles wide and 3 miles deep. But later that turned out to be wrong? You knew? Apologies, I shall store a worthier fact in the future. But still… makes you think. As does the fact an 89 year-old ‘Nazi guard’ is about to begin a trial for his contributions to slaughtering 29,000 Jews during WW2. He deserves everything coming to him. But, what is? All I can think is he’s going to be dead very soon, natural causes or not. Scary stuff. What’s also scary is that the Jordan and Peter story was considered more important news than this in a lot of publications. Is Jordan secretly a Nazi? Can I get in trouble for saying that? (Note: Jordan is most certainly not a Nazi).

In other news, Alan Shearer and Newcastle might be safe from the drop and I found out I studied at the 73rd best University in the UK. Oxford is number 1, London South Bank is 117th. Apparently London isn’t looking too appealing in music land either, as The Cribs autumn tour (with Johnny Marr) has not featured the countries capital as a date – shenanigans! Where’s my broom?!

I’m going to go and play football now – I need to run around and probably sweat this influx right out of my head. Make room for some more Sopranos plot. I also wrote a blog for gigwise.com today, I’ll post the link once it’s published.

P.S. I wonder if anyone other than Steve will read this? Do let me know. x

Gigwise rant!

Below you can find the link to my first blog/rant for gigwise.com. It has been edited a little bit too much for my liking, but, what can ya do? For now, I leave you with a question… what happened to the fish during the biblical flooding?

http://www.gigwise.com/blog/50679/Put-An-End-To-Musical-Snobbery

Leaving a Trail...

I went to see And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead last night and reviewed it for Left Lion. (a local indie paper in Nottingham). I've only just sent it to the editor, but here it is for anyone who just can't wait. 

And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead – Rescue Rooms, Wednesday 15^th April 2009

I hadn’t seen or even heard much of Trail of Dead since I first encountered them at Reading Festival 2001. I don’t know why, maybe I’m stupid; as they smashed the main stage wide open that year and were better still at the Rescue Rooms last night, I guess 8 years practise will do that.

Admirable mention to the support bands, in particular: Middle Class Rut, who with just a drummer and guitarist heated the crowd with their rapid blends of Jane’s Addiction/White Stripes/Nu Metal/DELAY! – Loads of delay! Definitely a new addition to the iPod.

I think when Trail of Dead hit the stage there was apprehension in the air. From the balcony, you could see the crowd adjusting as to how this was going to go down and just how crazy Trail of Dead were going to go (reputation could leave one with a drum stool to the face!) But there was none of that. The show was the music and that was all it needed.

The new album, The Century of Self, dominated the first few songs, with prolonged, chunky, Explosions in the Sky-like breaks slicing things up with spice. Despite the awful vocal levels during the opening tracks, the audience and I observed in a melodic, tune-inflicted state that couldn’t be helped. Watching these six guys from Austin, Texas rip the stage with two drum kits and endless guitars was mesmerising to say the least. It was a hypnotic atmosphere.

It wasn’t until the band plummeted from Bells of Creation (a personal favourite of the night) into the popular single, Will you Smile Again?, that the audience awoke. The vocals became clearer and the sweat started pouring off singers Conrad Keely and Kevin Allen as more and more energy consumed the room.

The audience found their voice with recognisable classics from albums like Madonna and Source Tags & Code; Another Morning Stoner and Totally Natural were effortlessly ploughed through before a band Vs crowd bounce off occurred for Caterwall.

Mistakes and Regret was inevitable. But the style in which it was played, was not. Both drummers left the stage whilst a solemn rendition closed the show. I think I would’ve preferred the original, Trail of Dead way, but what are ya gonna do?

Basically, go and see them.  They’re awesome and, excuse the hypocrisy, deserve further recognition for the dedicated music they continue to produce. 

Above: The Brilliantly Simple at The Fighting Cocks - Kingston.

Kingston to Nottingham Demo

Check out the latest musical produce at:

www.myspace.com/thebrilliantlysimple