I’ve not watched this for donkeys, but circumstances had me looking for TV sustenance, after the wife has headed Bedfordshire, a rarity, I normally first. So it was last weeks Later I latched on.
Not good.
Skunk Anansie up first, with some embarrassing guff about not being taken seriously come the menopause. I like old bands celebrating their longevity but this was shit.
CMAT I was aware of, knowing her to be of dubious charm, and she didn’t disappoint, and was enormously annoying.
I don’t know Cynthia Erico(?) before. First she performed a dire God Only Knows with the never more unctuously salivating host of the show. To be fair, her own song later was OK, if generic femmotragic.
Sam Amidon next, I confess the only name to grab me from the credits, he being Mr Beth Orton, and whose recent album I had been tasked with reviewing, for where I review stuff. Perhaps obviously, it was the Lou Reed cover from that album that was featured. I had tried to be kind for my review, but this performance challenged any of those kind words. As in it was fascinatingly naive, ahead a ghastly fiddle woedown. (Yes, woedown.)
The third CMAT song was OK, but I couldn’t take to the lol or the image. But I quite liked the retro-simplicity of the closing track from Skunk Ansnsie.
And that was it.
My rationale for listening came from a thought expressed to Mrs Path earlier today, that I was missing out on genres available, having become so immersed, of late,in whatever folk can encompass. That and an afternoon at Albatross Death Cult, a fab restaurant in Brum, all seafood, with a wonderful goth-lite melodic doomcore soundtrack. Having said, Later ain’t gonna rock any half seaworthy boat any time soon.
Jools Holland’s Later
by 66 Comments
It’s filmed at Alexandra Park Theatre now which is a plus in my book having visited it a few times. Alas the Richard Thompson concert was cancelled during lockdown so I’ve still never got to see RT in Muswell Hill.
I’m pleased Later is being filmed there but it doesn’t make me want to watch it.
Brummie restaurant chat @retropath2 the two happening restaurants are Tropea and ADC – we’ve recently been to Tropea and can thoroughly recommend though take your wallet. Is ADC worth it? Son is heavily into seafood.
Yes. Yes, yes, yes.
He has spent a year in Iceland recently so is really into fish. The yes yes yes us telling me to ADC then?
My son has lived in Iceland for 6 years – I don’t think the choice of fish has been very good when I have visited. Heavy reliance on cod .
It is true – I went out there frequently and you might expect fish to be cheap and varied. No. He Did go out on a trawler and sort a catch though. His love of fish I think is more from the health and protein angle.
Just seen the one tasting menu price. Yikes.
I saw that Mr Path2. Didn’t mind CMAT (is that on her birth certificate do we think?) as have heard a few of her sings on 6Music , but the rest passed me by.
I’ve never heard of CMAT but without context would have assumed it was an accountancy qualification.
It is on her birth cert! In the same way JFK was on his..
Fuck me, it wasn’t the latest, another slotting in, with Franz Ferdinand and his Amazing Dancing Bear up first. I quite liked the Cockney Rebelism of it all, wondering who , apart from aged old gits like me, they might be appealing to.
Joy Crookes gave me no joy, all school of Winehouse, free of any celebratory assistance, alcoholic or emotional. But I rate Beverly Knight, interviewed next, a superb singer. This made the show, along with a brief clip of Sister Rosetta Sharpe. The song delivered was wonderful.
Alt Blk Era were fun, if eminently disposable, as dispo white trash punk performed by a black band. Cameron Winter I had never heard of, but had heard all his music somewhere between 1965 and here. And Adam Duritz did it better.
Holly Johnson. eh? I quite liked the first post Frankie solo album, but doesn’t he now look like like Mr Ice Cream Cone, if mixed with a touch of two soups.
I was up taken by the apparent Billy Nomates backlash of last year. and the things said against her. That said, her performance failed to ignite much enthusiasm
A new star of country music was then announced/promised, with some derisory big hat nonsense, Bereft of tune, feeling a hillbilly accent sufficient, it and the crass shred of guitar an insult. I didn’t warm to it.
Franz F and his flugelhorners were back for the finale. Y’know, I liked it even more than the opening salvo. Girl drummer and all. Wonderful nonsense.
Cameron Winter is a major deal. His record , Heavy Metal, is extraordinary.
I thought Frank Ferdinand were bloody awful, mind you I thought they were awful when they were hyped as the next big thing. Not quite as bad as Glasvegas but not far off
The programme was past its sell by date 10 years ago . If it was a stricken animal it would have been put down by now.
In defence of Franz Ferdinand, their recent album – The Human Fear -is pretty good. Bettered by their debut album and the collaboration with Sparks (FFS), but the rest of their catalogue is not all that (to my cloth ears).
Glasvegas – I believed it, bought it, and haven’t played it again in yonks.
@Rigid-Digit re Glasvegas – me too. Saw them live somewhere and they sounded alright but their debut album was truly awful. No idea what I did with it.
@Flicker 6Music have been playing Cameron Winter and I really like what I have heard so far.
I have to say that I haven’t bothered with Later for ages. I glance at who is on and simply don’t recognise much to grab me. Now I know I really ought to be inquisitive and open to new music and so on…but, heck, I really don’t feel that need any more. So shoot me now.
That said, I’m glad Later still exists and really hope it still gets new artists with talent a chance to break through, I really do.
As an aside, did anyone else see Jools on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? Let’s just say he didn’t exactly cover himself in glory.
I still religiously watch it every time it is on but now record it as I spend most of the time with my finger on the fast forward button. But every now and again some unknown artist will stand out and grab my attention. I must admit I can’t stand Jools but at least it does showcase people of which wouldn’t come under my radar so for that I am grateful.
I haven’t watched Later since I last lived in the UK which is over 20 years ago, and I suspect I no longer would if I was still there. But, whenever I’m on a youtube spree for someone who’s been alive and made music over the last 30 odd years a Later performance comes up and I’ll always watch it.
I suspect that’s the best way to watch it – it beats some mobile phone footage taken from the crowd every time. Also, Jools rarely features other than maybe a quick intro which is a bonus.
I’m glad it’s still going, as there is a dearth of new-music-performance shows on mainstream TV, but I rarely watch it.
Two things stop me from being a regular viewer: first, usually I’ve heard of only one or two of the guests and don’t like their music anyway. Second, Jools.
Granted, his musicianship is brilliant. I would love to play the piano as well as that (although never, ever boogie-blasted-woogie). But his interviewing style is awkward, to say the least, and his voice really grates on me.
Given a different presenter and acts that are more to my taste (“And now, Blutengel! Next, an interview with Der Graf from Unheilig! To close tonight’s show, The Birthday Massacre!”), I’d watch every week.
I’m pleased it is still going because when it is good, it is really good. I’ve been introduced to loads of great new (to me) acts, mostly the token World Music guests.
But I rarely watch it now, not even the truncated performance-only bit on the show website. Get-iPlayer archives each episode so that I can go back and catch anything I missed.
Much like Macca, Neil Young, et al I am pleased it is still around but it is no longer for me.
I haven’t watched a full episode for years, but like others have said, I’m glad it’s still going to give new artists a bit of exposure. I do like Jools, interviewing technique notwithstanding, but has anyone read his autobiography, Bare Faced Lies,and Boogie Woogie Boasts. It was awful. I finished it, eventually, but felt I’d lost a week of my life I’ll never get back.
@alan33 Jools seemed to hold his BBC jobs in high regard and didn’t say a bad word about anybody in that book. Even leaving his wife for somebody else was covered by a cheery “it all turned out OK” sentence or 2.
It’s been so long since I last watched it that I honestly don’t know how long a time that actually is, years probably. I feel no pull towards it at all, mind you I never watch the Glastonbury coverage either. Something about the presentation of popular music on the BBC grates on me and I’ve never been able to quite pin down what that is. Maybe I’ll give both of them another chance only on iplayer where I can fast forward through the really annoying bits.
Me neither, the Glasto stuff makes me feel slightly claustrophobic with those huge crowds of “crazy” people and the gushing presenters. I did watch the Kylie performance though, which was great, and (because it was on the same day) Miley Cyrus who was unexpectedly good.
I often watch it, but I seldom watch it live – and, like others, I tend to watch with remote in hand, ready to fast-forward if need be. Jools wouldn’t necessarily be anyone’s first choice as presenter/interviewer but who cares? I’m not watching for him. It’s not exactly Whistle Test – but where else on the telly do you see bands that are completely new to you playing live and rubbing shoulders with more established artists?
Watching it and complaining about it seems unnecessarily misanthropic – just don’t watch it!
Misanthropy on Afterword? Heaven forfend!
😁
Didn’t Misanthropy play on Later once.
Are you sure you aren’t thinking of Misdynamite?
@pencilsqueezer that made me laugh … tee hee
Very true, I’ll have to investigate the back catalogue. To be honest I’d forgotten it’s on.
I fast forwarded to see Sam Amidon a couple of weeks ago. I have one of his albums and thought he was pretty good. The rest I had no interest in.
The last really good thing I saw on there was Bernard Butler and Jessie Buckley.
But I don’t generally even record it.
I also watch to fast forward. But…..every now and then I find something new to engage me (Jacob Alon last series).
I watch it on catch-up religiously. It often disappoints but occasionally there is a great act. Like this one from St Vincent in the last series. Great fall at the end.
I’m curious then who actually watch it, since no Afterworders will fess up to it (at least not live). You’d think we’d be the targeted audience for a show like this. Young people don’t watch, I presume. So is it a show for the so called “civilians”; people with a fleeting interest and no knowledge of music? Somebody must watch it, or they’d take it off the air.
10pm on a Sunday is past my bedtime on a school night.
I’d happily watch it but diwn here I think it is on Amazon Prime currently.
How many shows are there with live bands on these days.
For a while I was recording all the US tonight shows just to fast forward to the music bit. But it got a bit out of hand.
That’s a very good question @Locust. It’s probably pretty cheap to make – I doubt the artists get paid a lot (which may explain the lack of well known acts…?), and it probably fulfills a part of the Beeb’s charter ( I may be making that bit up).
I’m sure that it used to feel much more of a must watch. We are exactly the demographic that you would imagine would devour this, but apparently we have better things to do.
As an aside, from memory I rarely used to watch the Old Grey Whistle Test either – it was on late, moved around the schedules, and rarely had top notch artists, although it has acquired an enhanced reputation over the years for some reason.
I think OGWT was better than you remember, Nigel: Little Feat? SAHB? Focus? Etc
Twas a bit like The Word Magazine – at one point essential then completely ran out of steam. Bob Harris introducing a cartoon made by a stoned student whilst Led Zeppelin or whoever played in the background. .
I had to re-check but i recall the cartoons were not produced by the drug addled mind of a student but…..
Ah, got it Wrong – I was the stoned student…
You are quite right @fitterstoke, but I guess I didn’t make clear that that was my thoughts at the time rather than in retrospect. A lot of those artists I have come to like in later years I had never heard of back then and, of course, you had to make the effort to catch it on transmission. My rather glib last statement about its reputation is wrong on reflection – it is now a valuable archive.
@locust
You make some very good points. I’d imagine a lot of us do catch it in some way or form. How old are your “young” people by the way? Again, I might imagine 30/35/40 year olds might watch it if they’re not civilians.
Inter alia help please – the name of the C4 music show mid late 80a which succeeded the tube. I remember it had a fancy computer graphic intro and a percussion theme. Can’t for the life of me find its name anywhere
Network 7 – started about the time the Tube bowed out, had the fancy graphic thing and a percussionny theme … but wasn’t a music show (although it did have some music stuff in it as I recall)
I remember Network 7: a Sunday morning/lunchtime-ish thing made up of features, news for “the yoof”, and occasional bits of music. The sort of thing to watch when you were too tired to change channels.
The only bits I really recall are Dick Spanner, a claymation private-eye spoof, and the late Magenta Devine swanning about being so achingly “cool” that it would make your teeth itch. She was much better suited to swanning about in the Rough Guide series later on.
Network 7 was an excellent programme.
It even introduced politics to a bored yoof.
I vaguely recall shows called Gas Tank and The Roxy neither of which lasted for long, the latter becoming a chart show, but Google says only the Roxy came after The Tube.
Wasn’t The Roxy meant to be a hipper or more exciting alternative to Top of the Pops? As if there could ever be such a thing! The very idea!!
A bit of internet sleuthing.
Andrea Wonfor produced the Tube with Malcolm Gerrie who produced……Wired.
Awesome title sequence which an afternoon at Tate at the early computer art show bought to mind.
Nigel T’s point about the charter bit and the small payments are spot on. It’s the only music program left on the BBC and one of BBC2’s highest viewed shows at around 500k (it did even better in the pandemic). It gets even greater reach via You Tube and other socials as well as strong sales overseas. I recall reading some years ago that it’s one of the most technically complex shows made anywhere because of the multi performer live music format.
I read an article about the effort that goes into the sound production. That alone is enormously complex. Bravo to all involved for their hard work. I just wish it was done for acts more suited to my tastes.
I found this Sound on Sound article which gives a flavour of what goes into each show but is 13 years old so I’m sure most of the gear has been updated. While sound isn’t really my area, I’d be interested to see a comparison of what is used now and how much easier it is now that digital stage boxes and networking instead of copper cable connections have become ubiquitous.
https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/making-later-jools-holland
I’ve seen something in SoS more recent than that – as you say, everything is now connected via digital stage boxes and either Fibre Optic or CAT cable, and IIRC each performer is able to adjust their monitor mix via an iPad.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who uses a spreadsheet of mic vs channel.
I laughed a bit when I saw the LS9 being used for front of house as they are not well thought of now but people forget that they were everywhere at the time and a big improvement on earlier digital desks. I’ve still got a 16ch and 32ch although the 32 never goes anywhere 8f you know anyone that wants it very cheap. £6k new and barely fetches £500 now. Nice to see AKG C451s listed. We used them for lecterns 40 years ago and they weren’t a new mic then.
N.B. Cynthia ERIVO is currently a huge star in Hollywood and theatrical circles. She played Elphaba (the green witch) in the film version of Wicked, and is one of the few actors to have been nominated for the full EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) awards.
You’re welcome. – Luvvie Ed.
I don’t watch it live, but anything that adds to the BBC archival library of performance is fine by me. Not sure if I should use ‘library’ and ‘archive’ in the same sentence, but you get me, yah?
Some of my best nights in have been watching old Later performances that we only got to appreciate the value of years…afterward.
What we need is a sub thread of great performances it’s worth seeking out. Anyone?
Well @Twang I recall starting just such a thread called “Later when it was greater”, on this site, or so I thought. A fruitless search through the Afterword Archive suggests that it might have been back in the Old Word site. I remember posting Pulp performing I Spy to start the ball rolling.
ALBATROSS DEATH CULT is the best restaurant name I’ve seen in years.
I presume it is full of crusty old seamen desperate for a glass of water
https://www.albatrossdeathcult.co.uk/
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2024/oct/04/albatross-death-cult-birmingham-grace-dent-restaurant-review
As @moseleymoles says above, about the price, yikes, but for a once a year blow-out, it is unbeatable. Tasting menus are a bit naff nowadays, with a deserved reputation for more style than substance, often needing a kebab on the way home. Not so here. My famously dismissive wife was enthralled and agog, as well as, more to the point, being thoroughly full of food and astonishment.
I don’t watch Later much nowadays but I’ll tune in this evening. Pulp, Suzanne Vega and the Hives are listed. There’s bound to be something of merit between them.
Locust asked earlier who actually watches Later. Others have commented on Jools Holland’s ‘limited’ interviewing style. But someone at the BBC must think or have evidence that he is a draw, given he now has his own Saturday lunch time show on Radio 3. I lasted about 10 minutes.
Over the past three series or so I’ve only dipped in occasionally, and found it’s too much talk, not enough music.