The Afterword

Musings on the byways of popular culture

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The Wit & Wisdom Of Mark E Smith

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That thread about the lousiness of The Fall from the viewpoint of sad old proggers has made me listen to a lot more Fall.

So what are your favourite lines from MES carrier bag (because I saw him take tattered bits of paper out of a Tescos bag on stage to sing a new song)

I was walking down the street I saw a poster at the top I was only on one leg The streets wee fucked – Blindness

How dare you assume I want to parlez vous with you You Gretchen Franklin nosey matron thing – Telephone Thing

When I walk down the street Its always you I seem to meet Long hair down and sneakers on your feet And write letters to the Evening News I clench my fists and I sing this song hey student! hey student! hey student! You’re gonna get it through the head – Hey Student!

Became a recluse Bought a computer Set it up in the home Elusive big one On the screen Saw the Holy Ghost I swear On the screen Where’s the cursor? – Eat Yself Fitter

I don’t have a jack knife it went up the hill I » Continue Reading.

The Afterword #24: Unthank You For The Music

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The motley crew of DFB, Steve T, Rigid Digit & Pencilsqueezer have mostly been listening to the latest (and greatest?) LP release from Northumbrian folk outfit – The Unthanks and pose questions like

– Any good? – Is it folking folk music? – Is it prog, jazz, trip hop n grime? – Will people allergic to beards and cable knit sweaters find it attractive? – What are all these labels anyway? – Is it just the best damn album of the year? (so far)

The Unthanks new album ‘Mount The Air’ is out now in all your local independent record shops online and off or via the band’s website http://www.the-unthanks.com/

Life’s a spectrum so let’s just watch the colours blur

Available from iTunes, RSS n all pod providers and direct download stream at the link below

http://traffic.libsyn.com/theafterwordpodcast/unthankspod.m4a

The Unthanks

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Venue:

London Roundhouse, Camden Town

Date: 07/03/2015

‘You know it’s going to be miserable, don’t you?’ warned Becky Unthank ‘but we’re wearing our clogs’ “Clogteasers” pianist & arranger, Adrian McNally, chimed in and those were rare moments of humour in a bleak yet uplifting night – a beautiful oasis in the den of scum and villainy that is Camden. The support set from vocal group ‘The Young Uns’ with a fine cover of ‘Between The Wars’ and a song about Benefit Street in between the sea shanties and traditional material got the place whooping and singing along but The Unthanks set offered little of that.

Their ‘Mount The Air’ album had the lion’s share of the set, greeted like old friends. The intricate arrangements were recreated perfectly but in no way clinically, there was grit, warmth and emotion there even if the band did sometimes swamp Rachel & Becky’s vocals during the louder sections. Speaking with fellow attendee Mr Rosbif afterwards we agreed that although Rachel’s voice has always been the groups selling point, live and on the new album it is Becky that catches your attention with its unusual timbre and emotive power as in the woozy, » Continue Reading.

ATM: Ipod Classic – decent replacement?

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My trusty old 120gb Classic IPod is like a pensioner. Its forgetting stuff, stopping every 5 or six songs for a sit down and won’t communicate with my music library anymore. Basically it’s shotgun behind the chicken shed time. And as the recent cessation of manufacture by Apple has driven prices to sillybolllocks levels getting another secondhand on Fleabay is a no-no

Is there a decent alternative? I rely on the big bastard for my frequent road trips round the country so, yes, I do need 17,000 songs at my disposal whilst on the mooove.

All suggestions gratefully received ect

Dammit Peter! The Genius Of Stephen & Hugh

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It’s generally agreed in places where comedy nerds meet that the last great golden blast of classic sketch comedy came from Mr Stephen Fry & Mr Hugh Laurie. No I will not brook any Little Britain (early promise wasted by laziness)

Here’s one of my many favourites – what is yours?

Oh and if you don’t like it then you can sick it in your pimhole, you cloffing pempslider