BBC4 10:30
although Colin H may wish to ignore this plug….
Van @ Cyprus Avenue Tonight @ 10:30 – a gentle nudge /reminder
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Musings on the byways of popular culture
Musings on the byways of popular culture
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Yes indeed, and for those not near a telly box I think it’s already on iplayer having been shown in Northern Ireland on Friday.
I watched it on BBC NI on Friday night. Mrs H watched it too and couldn’t make out a word Van was singing. It’s interesting getting that sort of perspective – someone with no axe to grind, no knowledge of the artist’s ouevre, but watching an hour on Tv and asking what all the fuss is about. I enjoyed it – because I was very tired and it fitted that mood – but I completely see her point.
Serious point: if you’re going to do a mystical rapture thing, don’t puncture it with jokes. ‘On Hyndford Street’, brilliant on record because he commits to it, was rendered utterly pointless and absurd when Van stuck in some goofy remark in the middle of all the Mahalia Jackson-coming-through-the-ether stuff [that’s my job!] and then broke the fourth wall by asking people to buy his book (his book of lyrics-as-poetry, I’m, guessing).
Really Colin, I thought most of his vocals were remarkably clear.
I’m merely reporting, not criticising. Maybe the likes of us/people familiar with his songs and his style of singing can ‘hear’ a performance in a different way to a complete outsider.
I find it interesting that Mrs H, by way of another example, finds Jan Akkerman’s music musical and engaging but John McLaughlin’s obnoxious and up itself.
Front row filled with celebrities – Cerys Mathews, Ian Rankin, Rick Stein et al. Don’t they get enough perks already?
But who were the band members? We should be told.
Yes, I was surprised that the BBC credits listed who made the programme but not who played the music!
From what I can find on the net I think the band comprised:
Paul Moran (MD: Keys & Trumpet) / Dave Keary (Gtr) / Paul Moore (Bass) / Bobby Ruggiero (Drums) / Dana Masters (Backing vox)
Thanks PM. Strangely absent from the website too. Not that I’ve heard of any of them, but they were excellent.
Yes Ive just tried googling the band but to no avail – although they all looked like bit parts from The Bill
they were fabulous. I really liked most of what I saw – the highlight for me was the extended All in The Game/You Know What They Are Writing about. And I also loved his comment during Hyndford St about listening to Debussy on the 3rd Programme – ‘I cant believe I actually wrote that’.
All in all much better than I had hoped for
If you can’t wait until tonight;
go to the front page of iPlayer,
go to ‘Change Location’ on the lower left hand side,
change your location to ‘Northen Ireland’
go to ‘music’ category – and there you’ll find the oul’ fella.
unless it’s already on general iplayer already (I’m too lazy to look) in which ignore all that.
Gotta say, he was on better form when I saw him at Green Man a couple of years back. Livelier set, horn section, less jazz noodling. But I enjoyed his jaunty striped trilby, and the version of On Hyndford Street; I bet it meant a lot to those who were there.
Vans habit these days of doing little more than a perfunctory ‘big hand for the band’ really isn’t good enough, especially for someone who professes to respect working musicians like himself.
His current band are all Irish or Ireland based session players with solid rather than stellar backgrounds. Must admit I didn’t have high expectations of them but I agree, they were solid, sympathetic to the music and seemed to have a good working rapport with the boss and ability to adapt to his variations on stage. They are
Paul Moran keyboards and MD
Dave Keary guitar
Bobby Ruggiero drums
Paul Moore bass
Dana Masters backing vocals
Overall I enjoyed the broadcast although a few numbers apart (including On HYndford Street) it felt like a standard gig rather than something special for the occasion. And when you think who he could have got with one phone call PJ Proby and Chris Farlowe are hardly thrilling guest artists are they ?
Nonetheless,a good mix of material and a great occasion.
Can’t say I was that impressed with the band; I’ve seen him play with much better ones over the years. A lot of the time you could see first the fear in their eyes, then sheer relief when they realised the boss was in a relatively jovial mood. I wasn’t sure about some of the arrangements either – I didn’t even recognise ‘Celtic Swing’ as even resembling one of my favourite songs from ‘Inarticulate Speech…’ Some of the middling r’n’b Van-by-numbers selections chosen for broadcast were performed in a perfunctory fashion, and I was beginning to despair about the tuneless bark that Van’s voice has seemingly become, having no trace of its former light, shade, subtlety or beauty. But then the performance did thankfully step up a gear with the pleasing renditions of ‘All In The Game’ leading into the Mose Allison number, and ‘The Healing Has Begun’; and, dubious musical arrangement and misplaced jokes notwithstanding, I thought the testifying ‘On Hyndford Street’ provided a magical and resonant climax to the show.
I loved it and would imagine the vibe building up in Healing has Begun to have felt immense. As goods at least 3 of the times I have seen him in real life.
I’m with you on this but gave up after three or four songs. I thought the band were awful.
Black Type, I’m with you on this but gave up after three or four songs. I thought the band were awful.