The Phoenix Foundation - Free Download

It seems that we are in for a bit of a hot spell.  It's warmer now than it has been for a large part of the summer!  Apparently it is set to last until the weekend and so whatever I end up doing it will definitely be outdoors!

This evening it was nice to sit outside in a pub garden and enjoy a gin and tonic.  This spell will more than likely be the last chance we get before Autumn takes hold and the frosts arrive.

As it's been a good evening I thought it would be nice to share some music with you.  I've mentioned this band before and I think there is a link to another free download somewhere on here.

Click on the link below and it will take you to Pop Matters where you can download the track Bright Grey by The Phoenix Foundation.

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/post/148632-the-phoenix-foundation-bright-grey-mp3-popmatters-premiere/

Stratford Food Festival and RSPB Sandwell

From the title above you can pretty much work out what I did with my weekend.

Saturday and Clare and I nipped over to Sandwell to see if any of the winter migrants had arrived.  We've enjoyed the guided walks throughoutthe  year, opting for a monthly visit rather than joining the tour every fortnight.  The amount of people has varied throughout the summer but last week there were 3 volunteers and just Clare and myself. 

It was a good day and as there was only a couple of us we decided to walk all the way around the lake.  We managed to see around 40 species. Highlights were the Mediterranean Gull amongst a flock of Black Headed Gulls and 3 Snipe (that were spooked by a member of the public flying a kite over the reserve). Other species seen included Teal, Grey Wagtail and 3 late Swallows.

The day had started well.  As we walked through Tudor Grange Park on our way to get breakfast we spotted a Kingfisher sitting by the stream before flying to a branch overhanging the lake. Then as we made our way to the reserve I spotted a bird book in a box outside a charity shop.  I remembered the book from my childhood and have been trying to get a copy for some time and here it was for £1!  I couldn't believe my luck.  Considering the age of it as well it is in a really good condition!

Arriving home later than expected I spent the night in front of the TV with a pizza.

Sunday started grey and wet and after a bit of deliberation we decided we still go and check out Stratford Food Festival.  It was a good call as eventually it did brighten up a little and with the exception of a couple of showers stayed dry.

Having arrived in Startford fairly early we decided to have a drink and a bite to eat and stumbled across a place called The Real Tea Cafe.  It offered a large selection of teas (Clare opting for a Builder's Brew) and various forms of coffee. The place itself has bright modern decor but also retains a feel of the traditional.  The staff were friendly and the prices reasonable.  A lovely little place which not only ourselves but also the customers who arrived after us remarked upon. If you're in Stratford check it out.  It beats the likes of Starbuck's by a mile!

We browsed the stalls on our way to the festival proper and found some lovely things. Carluccio's mushroom stall being my favourite. It was full of all kinds of mushrooms and although I didn't buy anything I could have stared at it for ages. It looked fantastic.

Having paid our money to get in it wasn't long before I stumbled across a gin stand. Having listened to the sales pitch and had a sample I soon parted with £25 and reserved a bottle of Foxdentons 48% London Dry Gin. I also bought a bottle of Edinburgh Gin and am looking forward to drinking them both.

Other things we bought included chocolate, bread, cheese, olives, blackberry lemonade, biscuits and a tin of black pepper. We also got some lemon garnishing oil and some tarragon wine vinegar!

 I have to say it wasn't the cheapest of days. Ironically, we had to leave the food festival to go ad get lunch. A toasted sandwich at Cox's Boat Yard did the trick.  Again another lovely little cafe with pleasant staff and nice surroundings but just a little overpriced.

After lunch we headed back to the festival had a last wander around before picking up my gin and heading home, stopping at the market to pick up a couple of jars on the way. Typically the sun decided to make an appearance at around the same time.

Dry The River @ The Hare & Hounds

Having missed their set at End Of The Road (managing to hear some of it from our tent), Dry The River played the Hare and Hounds last night and Clare and I went down to see them.

I didn’t know much about Dry The River prior to last night but Clare assured me I’d like them. She was right! Taking to the stage at around 10pm they played for about an hour, great tunes and fantastic harmonies. I don’t know their material and it seems that they are yet to put an album out but I will definitely be buying when it is released! Last night I came away with the 7” single of No Rest which was the only record on offer.

Although not full there was a decent size crowd who really enjoyed it and although they might not have sold many records yet, they haven’t done badly in the T-shirt market!

Having had a look around the internet I have managed to track down a few more of their songs and these, in my humble opinion, are definitely ones to watch. If you get the chance go to go and see them you should! Highlight of the evening was a song they performed in two halves. They started without the aid of microphones and instruments (other than a guitar) before launching into the song proper. It sounded fantastic and for a couple of minutes the room fell silent.

Support came from Tropicaux and Worship. Goodnight Lenin’s DJs kept the music going between the bands playing an eclectic mix of music. I remember hearing Bruce Springsteen, Belle and Sebastian, The Cure, The Destroyers and The Walkmen amongst others.

I wasn’t too impressed with Tropicaux. Stop/start jerky pop. I’ve heard too many bands like it in recent years and to be honest, have heard it performed better.

Worship were better. Electronic beats with guitars and a decent vocalist. I quite enjoyed their set although it was patchy in places. A few fantastic tunes and a few that sort of meandered along and seemed to go nowhere. The crowd seemed to enjoy them and I think Worship will go on from strength to strength. At least I hope they will.

All in all a good night and well worth making the effort for.

http://www.myspace.com/worshipuk

http://www.myspace.com/tropicaux

http://www.drytheriver.net/

Films

I watched a couple of films over the weekend and have to say neither were up to much.

Having spent Friday night out having a meal and Saturday over in Stafford I opted for a quiet night in on Saturday night and watched Killing Bono.

Directed by Nick Hamm and starring Ben Barnes and Robert Sheehan, this comedy, is about two brothers who form a band to rival that of their school mates.  Their mates' band, however, turns out to be U2 and while they struggle for pop stardom U2 go on to become global stars.

I have to say it probably wasn't one of my better to choices to watch and although there wasn't anything wrong with it it just didn't keep me entertained.  It's saving grace was Karl the landlord played by Pete Postlethwaite. 

Yesterday, Clare and I went to the cinema to see 30 Minutes or Less. Jessie Eisenberg plays Nick, a pizza delivery boy who has a bomb strapped to him in order to force him to rob a bank, which he does with his friend Chet (Aziz Ansari).

I saw the trailer last week when we went to see The Inbetweeners and I thought it looked quite funny.  Although I did have a nagging fear that the trailer might have contained all the best bits.  It turns out that my fears were right.  The film didn't live up to my expectations and actually fell quite flat.  It seemed a little short on laughs and towards the end I couldn't have cared if Nick had been blown up or not! 

If you are to take anything from this post then it should be this.  Don't let me pick the film if you want to watch a decent comedy!

Doxey Marshes

Today I've been to Doxey Marshes in Staffordshire.  I've been meaning to go for some time and finally managed to get here today.

A short walk along the river from the train station will get you there.  At first it didn't look that big but there are plenty of paths to walk and quite a few areas of water with a hide overlooking the main lake.  The highlight of the day was a Marsh Harrier!  I watched it for ages as it slowly flew over the reed beds.  Another highlight was a Kestrel that took off from a tree and flew directly past me.  It could have only been a few feet away.

Other birds included, Lapwing Greylag Goose, Shoveller, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Buzzard and flocks of Goldfinch. There were a lot of Coots and too many Canada Geese and I was surprised at the lack of wading birds but on the whole not a bad place to go to watch birds.

After leaving the marshes I had a walk around Stafford Town Centre and had a lovely meal of Mushroom and Spinach pie and chips (from Sainsbury's of all places!).

All in all, not a bad day.  The weather forecast hadn't bode well but with the exception of the odd shower it was fine. With some prolonged sunny spells. I will definitely head back there at some point. 

Half Man Half Biscuit - The Assembly Leamington

I went to see Half Man Half Biscuit at Leamington Assembly last night and what a good night it was!

Nigel and the boys were on form and played a great set where the new songs sat nicely alongside the greats. Joy Division Oven Gloves, Fred Titmus, Bob Wilson Anchor Man and The Trumpton Riots were all present. New songs like Tommy Walsh’s Eco House and Left Lyrics in the Practice Room made up the rest of what was nearly a 2 hour set. Another crowd favourite Dukla Prague Away Kit also made it into the set with a large proportion of the crowd sporting said shirts.

I bought a vinyl copy of the new album, 90 Bisodol (Crimond), which, apparently is not scheduled for release for another couple of weeks. The reason I went with the vinyl was because it also came with a copy of the CD. I also picked up a 12” copy of Dickie Davies Eyes (£2) and a couple of HMHB lighters.

Before the gig Warwickshire Cricket Club had thrown away their chance of the Division 1 title in the last game of the season (away at The Rose Bowl against Hampshire) and Nigel made a reference to this. Actually, sport wise it was a bad evening as Blues lost 3-1 to Braga in the Europa League.

If you’ve never seen HMHB live you should. They are a fantastic live band and not only do you get to hear some great tunes you can have a laugh as well. The only thing I would say is it is not the place to go to meet women as the audience is predominantly male and middle aged.

Support came from JD Meatyard. I only caught the end of their set but they seemed OK.

Films

I've not long got back from the cinema where I saw The Inbetweeners. 

The film version of the TV series sees the four lads head to Malia in search of sex, booze and more sex.  I have to say I was a little underwhelmed.  I like the TV series and was dubious about it being made into a film but the amount of people who said it was great meant I relented and headed for the cinema.

They're were some funny moments but for me it just seemed to amble along with no real plot.  Boys meet girls and despite some hiccups along the way all end up together. 

I don't think I was the only one in the audience who was slightly bored as one bloke even took a phonecall during the film. Usually I would be livid but in this case I could see his point.

Last night I watched another film.  The Be All and End All.  Again it's the story of young lads after sex.  This time it is two fifteen year old best friends, one of whom is diagnosed with a terminal illness.  Before he dies he wants to lose his virginity and so he charges his friend with the task of finding a suitable girl.

What could be quite a dark and harrowing film is actually very funny and the two lads played by Josh Bolt and Eugene Byrne have a real chemistry on screen. The rest of the cast were also great with Liza Tarbuck playing a fantastic role as the nurse Tina.

Like The Inbetweeners you can second guess the end but given the choice I know which one I'd watch again.

Art Boys Collection - Free Download

The memories, photos and signed CDs aren't the only thing I brought back from End Of The Road. Nope, I also brought back a cold and so today, rather than head out into the countryside, I have decided to spend at home. Instead of exploring the great out doors I stayed in bed and explored the net and here is something that I found.

I haven't posted any links to music for ages and so it feel good to point you in this direction.

http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Art_Boys_Collection/Stoned_Wall/

If you haven't come across FMA before have a look around. You never know what you will find!

End Of The Road 2011

Last Thursday Clare and I picked up our rucksacks, headed for Solihull train station and jumped on the train to Salisbury (changing at Leamington Spa and Basingstoke). Once at Salisbury we caught The Big Green Bus for the last 15 miles of our journey to Lamar Tree Gardens.

We were here for End Of The Road Festival, which has been running for 6 years and has built a reputation as being one of the best festivals on the circuit. You can see why. It’s location, line up, organisation and all round intimate vibe made it undoubtedly one of the best I’ve been to.

Having arrived we headed for the Tangerine Fields campsite and found our tent. In an effort to travel light we hired a pre pitched tent. I can recommend this and will definitely use them again. The staff were friendly and helpful and while others struggled to put up their tents we were free to go off and explore the site. I think it’s a good sign, when you are walking across a field under a large expanse of sky, and you look up to see two parrots flying off into the sunset! It happens at End Of The Road and is one of the first things I saw.

The festival itself starts on the Friday but there are usually a couple of unpublicised acts on the Thursday night. This year we were treated to sets by The Cornshed Sisters, Junip (Jose Gonzales’ band) and Herman Dune. Not a bad start!

Friday morning came around and the haze soon burned off to reveal a beautiful blue sky. It turned out to be a scorcher of a day. My itinerary meant a 1.30pm start, Caitlin Rose on The Garden Stage, but whilst exploring I stumbled upon a band who were new to me, The Growlers. I really enjoyed their show on the Woods Stage. Not only was the music great but their whole look and demeanour really worked for me.

Later that day, whilst Clare went for a cup of tea I popped into the Big Top to see HEALTH. An onslaught of gorgeous noise. Fantastic! When I came out I could hear something that sounded pretty good on the Woods stage and headed over to catch the end of Lykke Li’s set. A great show, much better than I expected and I imagine that, for many, it would be one of the highlights of the weekend.

Other bands that day included Best Coast and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Best Coast were pretty good. Their sound was better than I expected but as the set progressed each song sounded more and more like the one before. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah were fantastic and a definite highlight! I was expecting them to be a bit shambolic on stage (I don’t know why) but they turned out to be really tight. At one point being joined by Gordon Gano. Gordon was playing the Big Top and we ventured over and caught a bit of his set later on that evening.
 I also managed to see sets by The Secret Sisters (country duo from Alabama), a bit of Cambodian Space Project (very odd ensemble consisting of a female Cambodian singer, a Cambodian drummer and some Australians from what I could gather). The start of The Walkmen’s set (seen them a few times now and never disappoint) and The Fall (say what you like Mark E Smith is a legend). Micah P Hinson (who I’d been looking forward to but frankly disappointed).

Further highlights that day were meeting Zach Condon of Beirut and having my CD signed. They played a great set on the Friday night opening with my favourite, Scenic World.

Saturday and another good day weather wise (although not quite so hot) and it was back along to the Garden Stage to see Beth Jeans Houghton. I’ve seen her twice before and I like both her voice and music however I always come away thinking that something’s lacking.

15 minutes later and I was in the Big Top for Allo Darlin’. A great indie band who seemed to enjoy every minute of their set as did the crowd. At one point, lead singer, Elizabeth Morris apologised for seeming a bit overwhelmed “because we’ve not played to this many people before”. Clare was in two minds about going to the festival and it was the chance to see Allo Darlin’ that eventually swung it. Down at the front she and the bloke next to her created their own two person mosh pit!! She had a great time!

Later that day we had the chance to meet Elizabeth et al and found them all to be lovely. Signing our records and chatting for a good ten minutes. She asked about my Moseley Folk 2010 T-shirt and remarked upon a great line up. I told her she needs to play there or at least somewhere in Birmingham. She signed my record with a promise to come to Birmingham soon.

Bands I saw that day also included Bob Log III (great musician and spectacle). Gruff Rhys (great tunes and witty banter meant that you couldn’t help but enjoy his set which ended with the Super Furry Animals’ song The Man Don’t Give A Fuck). Wild Beasts (who were fantastic and far better than I expected). Phosphorescent ( a solo show which was a bit too downbeat for my liking despite having some great tunes). Wooden Shjips (can’t remember much about these which is a shame as they are going to be big!).

Into the evening and Mogwai took to the Woods stage. It’s the first time I’d seen them and it was really hard to tear myself away after half an hour or so to go and see Okkervil River at the Garden stage although I’m glad I did. They played a storming set that had everyone screaming for more at the end. Unfortunately there was to be no encore.

Sunday and a grey, wet start to the day. It didn’t last long and although it threatened to rain most of the morning the afternoon turned out to be quite nice. The rain returned later in the evening but didn’t last long. Clare and I headed over to the Tea Stop, a double decker bus with a kitchen downstairs and cafe upstairs. We ordered breakfast and headed to the top deck to eat. This place was fantastic. Formica tables and original bus seats. At one end, a mono record player and a rack of vinyl albums. Choose your breakfast soundtrack. Mine had already been chosen. Whilst I tucked into my egg sandwich I was treated to the sounds of Chuck Berry. A great choice!

Band wise the day started in the Big Top with Lanterns On The Lake. I had been looking forward to these ever since I first discovered them last year (I think I posted a track on this blog somewhere). They were everything I’d hoped for, creating beautiful soundscapes and haunting melodies. Their set past all too quickly!

Afterwards it was off to the Tipee Tent for Kathryn Calder. Still jet lagged from her flight she played a fantastic set made up mainly of songs from her first album Are You My Mother? As with most of the bands, she remarked upon how great the festival was and joked that she’d played with her other less well known band, The New Pornographers, last year. Afterwards I bought her album and Clare managed to get it signed for me.

Later that day I managed to catch Tinariwen (great look and great sound as well as a great back story). Kurt Vile (I’d been really looking forward to his set and he didn’t disappoint). Towards the end of the set the band left the stage and he played a great tune. I’ve no idea what it was but I really loved it). I also managed to catch the end of Emmy the Great’s set (sounded good) and some of Woods’ set (I wish I’d caught all of this as it sounded really good).

The highlight of the day, however, was Wild Nothing (another band who I’ve posted a track by). I thought their set was outstanding. Great tunes that have the bass lines of New Order and a feel of The Cure, at the same time, sounding fresh and original.

After their set it was back to The Woods Stage for Midlake who were far better than I’d expected (despite knowing they were a good band). The audience seemed smaller than some of the other acts but this may have been down to both the fact it was a Sunday night and that the rain had returned.

Having headed back to the tent for a bit of a break I braved the weather and went over to the Big Top to see Brakes. I’d forgotten how good this lot were live. They played a storming set and although I’ve seen them before they are still one of my highlights of the festival.

I woke up Monday morning feeling chilly. There was quite a breeze blowing across the campsite. It didn’t help my mood. It was time to go home. Helping some friends take down their tents meant we were away slightly later than we’d hoped but it wasn’t long before we were heading towards Salisbury on the coach. The driver had made a good call with Bob Marley on the stereo. It suited the subdued mood.

The trains home fell nicely changing at Banbury rather than Leamington meant we got off one train and five minutes later jumped straight onto another without having to move from our spot.

The journey took around 3 hours. Once back on home turf we collected the cat from my parents and headed home. It’s a strange feeling getting back from a festival. On the one hand it’s great to have running water, a bath/shower and a comfy bed but on the other you don’t half miss waking up with nowhere to be other than in front of a stage with host of great bands to see.

Despite seeing some great bands I also missed a host of others but with 87 acts on offer as well as lots of impromptu performances and secret gigs it is impossible to fit it all in. I think I managed around 30 odd this year. Roll on End Of The Road 2012!