The Afterword

Musings on the byways of popular culture

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PeeJay on BBC R4

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I haven’t heard it yet, but I’ll be repainting my bathroom this half term, so lots of podcast listening time…

Behind the Scenes: PJ Harvey

John Wilson follows PJ Harvey as she creates the score for a new West End theatre production of All About Eve.

Singer songwriter Polly Jean Harvey is the only artist to have twice won the Mercury Prize for Album of the Year – for Stories from the City, Stories From the Sea in 2001 and Let England Shake a decade later. After 12 critically acclaimed albums and more than 25 years as an international touring artist, she is now focussing on her work as a soundtrack composer, having written scores for theatre and television for more than a decade.

Starring Gillian Anderson (making her first return to the stage since her acclaimed 2014 performance in A Streetcar Named Desire) and Lily James (star of Downton Abbey and Mama Mia), All About Eve is one of the most anticipated theatrical events of 2019. Adapted from the 1950 film, which was nominated for 14 Oscars and won six including Best Actress for Bette Davis, it’s a story of an ageing Broadway star and a young fan who » Continue Reading.

The Wave Pictures

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I’m not by any means the world’s biggest The Wave Pictures fan, but I went to see them play the Portland Arms in Cambridge last night as my pals The Pony Collaboration were the support act.

It was bloody wonderful, a sort of mashup of Britpop, Modern Lovers and the blues. Guitarist Davey broke a string in the first song, simply tuned up and played the rest of the set with only five, and still sounded wonderful.

They’re touring for the next couple of weeks, go see if you get a chance.

http://www.thewavepictures.com/webpages/gigs.htm

ATM: Fleetwood Mac

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Next month’s café vinyl session is Rumours and Tango in the Night, both audience requests.

I’ll have about half an hour left to fill before those two, I was planning on pre-Rumours material. I’m no expert on T’ Mac. Is there a great (and short) Green-era album? Solo stuff (e.g. Buckingham/Nicks)? Playlist?

Any suggestions welcome.

Re-Play Papworth

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27/01/2019

Two hours of classic Aretha Franklin on vinyl with Otis and Dusty providing support. Played on a top-flight hi-fi in the Courtyard Café, Papworth Everard.

Home-roasted coffee, loose-leaf tea, locally-sourced cakes, microbrewery ales, artisan gins.

Watch as I attempt to bluff my way through a history of Southern Soul music.

2:30-4:30pm, free entry.

Pride in Engineering

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I’m an engineer by trade. A professional nerd, in other words.

Back in the Victorian age, Brunel and the like were revered for their engineering prowess. Nowadays, there’s all sorts around you designed by engineers, including the device you’re reading this on.

Take a look at this, though. A replacement heart, which looks like a lunchbox and fits in a backpack, to keep someone alive and living a normal life until a donor can be found. Whoever designed it: I salute you.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-46876437

Song title updates for post-Brexit Britain

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My mind was wandering as I delivered the parish mag down our street this afternoon. It occurred to me that song titles will have to change to a more island-centric view of the world, come March 30th. Let the AW hive mind at it. Here’s my contribution for starters:

Tears For Fears – Everybody Wants To Rule Cotswolds Kraftwerk – Trans-Pennine Express Sylvia – ‘Is Viva Vauxhall-ie-er

Re-Play Papworth: Sunday afternoon vinyl playbacks

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30/12/2018

By popular request, a double headliner this month of Michael Jackson’s Off The Wall and Thriller, all played off vinyl on a £12,000 hifi. And a bit of scene-setting nerdery from me.

Coffee, cake, gin and micro-brewery beers on tap.

2:30-4:30pm on Sunday Dec 30th.

The Courtyard Cafe, CB23 3UY.

Free entry with donations going to Eddie’s music therapy charity.

No, not that one

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The appearance of Belly the rapper in @Paul-Wad’s best list, and talk elsewhere of the Smells Like Teen Spirit hitmakers, has reminded me of a thread I’ve been meaning to post for ages: acts who ‘borrow’ their name from another.

Are we really that short of bandnames? Especially when a quick Google can tell you if it has already been taken.

Belly (the Canadian rapper). Belly (90s Throwing Muses spin-off band).

Belly (the band) had a new album out and toured this year. I imagine there were some disappointed rap fans at their gigs.

Placebo (90s Nancy Boy hitmakers) Placedo (1974 jazz band)

Nirvana (90s SLTS hitmakers) Nirvana (60s psych band)

Morphine (newish alt-country band) Morphine (90s jazz-rock trio)

I’m sure the hive mind can think of other examples.

A Certain Ratio 40th anniversary tour

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First date is Islington Assembly Hall, 4th May. A lovely venue (I saw The Bible there a few years ago).

If anyone fancies a meet-up, I’ll be easy to spot – I’m a middle-aged bloke with receding hair, podgy belly, specs, t-shirt and jeans.

https://www.seetickets.com/event/a-certain-ratio/islington-assembly-hall/1296240?fbclid=IwAR2iRb1yjJlIW0dBmLCuaQeMGtztu0CNGPgb-rqUn3R4UHHyHWhRyGSwaAo

Re-Play Papworth: Neil Young’s Harvest

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25/11/2018

Musician, producer, author and Neil Young expert Sam Inglis reads from his 33 & 1/3 book on Harvest.

I play the recent Archive remaster of Harvest on 180g vinyl, on a £12,000 hi-fi borrowed from the lovely people at Criterion Audio.

Steph serves freshly-ground coffee, loose-leaf tea, locally-brewed ales and home-made cakes.

2:30-4:30pm at the Courtyard café, Papworth Everard, CB23 3UY

Sink Ya Teeth

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Venue:

Portland Arms, Cambridge

Date: 21/11/2018

It was an early start, so I missed most of support act Bricolotheque’s set. Frankly no great loss, they sounded somewhere between Suicide and early Soft Cell. Most memorable fact: it was the loudest I’ve ever heard the venue’s PA.

Gemma and Maria were milling around in the audience, all smiles and hellos on their big night out from Norwich, happy to chat with and have photos taken with my teenage daughter.

A quick tuneup and Sink Ya Teeth hit the stage at 9pm. Lineup is Gemma (Fender Jaguar bass, BVs, Mac, occasional keys) and Maria (vocals, percussion, Roland drum pad, monophonic keyboard, occasional Vox ‘Droplet’ guitar). Backing tracks are played off the Mac, in the sequence of the album, so little room for wigging out. Musically, think a scaled-down LCD Soundsystem or ACR.

They’re having a whale of a time on stage and the audience are throwing shapes from the off. There’s one bloke down the front who must surely be chemically enhanced. After the first song, Gemma asks everyone to take a step forward and join in.

Glass, which on record has the ‘I Feel Love’ rhythm, is dedicated to » Continue Reading.