Well I have two challenges here
1) talking about a concert whose main concern is taboo on GFSA
2) Working from one the world's slower, flakier ' net cafes
Actually three challenges - because I didn't get all the names of the participants down. Most notably a stellar guitar player who had to cover huge stylistic ground from Robert Burns to Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy and did so with chops, panache and with parts that were always appropriate to the song.
I think (THINK) the rhythm section was Dennis Crouch and Jay Bellerose who did duty on the Robert Plant/ Allison Krous tour.
In no particular order....
Harry Shearer (voice of Principal Skinner and Montgomery Burns in The Simpsons) was MC and also did some of his own work. Very current and imaginative.
Norma Waterson... oh man! What a fabulous singer. She was one of the artists on the lineup that I was aware of but hadn't heard a lot of. Kind of like her husband Martin Carthy who I saw about 2 years ago and, similarly, at the time was very aware of him but hadn't heard anything that he'd actually played. Martin Carthy blew my socks off and so, last night, did his missus. Both of them have massive reputations and both live up to the hype. Norma Waterson is a scarily good singer and, like her husband, is totally unique. Superb control of pitch and breath. I was surprised by the almost total lack of vibrato in her singing - and that it took me a while to realise she wasn't using it. So good is her delivery and technique. Precise, but lots of emotion too.
Tom Robinson did 2 short spots. A highlight was Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy's "Language of Violence". This dispelled any notions that may have lingered in my mind that rap and hip-hop are just noiseless, mindless and wanton. This is a remarkable song, and Robinson, though white and in every way "wrong" for the song delivered a great performance. The backing band were outstanding on this with the guitar player setting up some heavily processed sound and then looping it to great effect. Yes... Tom still does "Glad To Be Gay" but I think there's been a rewright of the song because it sounds more nostalgic now and also more hopeful.
Scots folk singer Emily Smith won the "wide range" award for juxtaposing a song by Robert Burns with what must surely be the most current protest song that there is - taking aim at a recent cabinet decision by the Tory/Libdem coalition.
Martin Carthy... long time Loudon Wainwright sidelick Chaim Tannenbaum.... and he wasn't on the programme, but Richard Thompson (curator for this festival) popped up to open the 2nd half with two songs.
Joe Boyd was sitting in the audience, but I suspect all eyes and ears were directed to the stage. What a great show. Amazingly they delivered 3 hours of political song and social commentary with not one Bob Dylan song included. I was sort of hoping that something by the late Phil Ochs would get aired, but nothing doing. Yet apart from some ghastly 21st century "poetry" (the type that doesn't rhyme, has no metrical scheme, no simile, no metaphor and is about as subtle as a crowbar across the back of the head) I had not one complaint.
We also caught a performance by fab ... err .... "country/gospel" band Ollabelle who had peformed earlier that week as part of the festival and then offered to do some free shows in the foyer.
Just a fabulous night's music. Great playing, intelligence, wit, passion, humour - this show had the lot.
1) talking about a concert whose main concern is taboo on GFSA
2) Working from one the world's slower, flakier ' net cafes
Actually three challenges - because I didn't get all the names of the participants down. Most notably a stellar guitar player who had to cover huge stylistic ground from Robert Burns to Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy and did so with chops, panache and with parts that were always appropriate to the song.
I think (THINK) the rhythm section was Dennis Crouch and Jay Bellerose who did duty on the Robert Plant/ Allison Krous tour.
In no particular order....
Harry Shearer (voice of Principal Skinner and Montgomery Burns in The Simpsons) was MC and also did some of his own work. Very current and imaginative.
Norma Waterson... oh man! What a fabulous singer. She was one of the artists on the lineup that I was aware of but hadn't heard a lot of. Kind of like her husband Martin Carthy who I saw about 2 years ago and, similarly, at the time was very aware of him but hadn't heard anything that he'd actually played. Martin Carthy blew my socks off and so, last night, did his missus. Both of them have massive reputations and both live up to the hype. Norma Waterson is a scarily good singer and, like her husband, is totally unique. Superb control of pitch and breath. I was surprised by the almost total lack of vibrato in her singing - and that it took me a while to realise she wasn't using it. So good is her delivery and technique. Precise, but lots of emotion too.
Tom Robinson did 2 short spots. A highlight was Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy's "Language of Violence". This dispelled any notions that may have lingered in my mind that rap and hip-hop are just noiseless, mindless and wanton. This is a remarkable song, and Robinson, though white and in every way "wrong" for the song delivered a great performance. The backing band were outstanding on this with the guitar player setting up some heavily processed sound and then looping it to great effect. Yes... Tom still does "Glad To Be Gay" but I think there's been a rewright of the song because it sounds more nostalgic now and also more hopeful.
Scots folk singer Emily Smith won the "wide range" award for juxtaposing a song by Robert Burns with what must surely be the most current protest song that there is - taking aim at a recent cabinet decision by the Tory/Libdem coalition.
Martin Carthy... long time Loudon Wainwright sidelick Chaim Tannenbaum.... and he wasn't on the programme, but Richard Thompson (curator for this festival) popped up to open the 2nd half with two songs.
Joe Boyd was sitting in the audience, but I suspect all eyes and ears were directed to the stage. What a great show. Amazingly they delivered 3 hours of political song and social commentary with not one Bob Dylan song included. I was sort of hoping that something by the late Phil Ochs would get aired, but nothing doing. Yet apart from some ghastly 21st century "poetry" (the type that doesn't rhyme, has no metrical scheme, no simile, no metaphor and is about as subtle as a crowbar across the back of the head) I had not one complaint.
We also caught a performance by fab ... err .... "country/gospel" band Ollabelle who had peformed earlier that week as part of the festival and then offered to do some free shows in the foyer.
Just a fabulous night's music. Great playing, intelligence, wit, passion, humour - this show had the lot.
