Issue 13 / July 2011

Issue 13 

July 2011 

Yousef 

The Wicked 

Whispers 

Neville Skelly 

The Rialto Burns 

Producer’s Graveyard by Adam Bresnen 

www.bidolito.co.uk 

FREE

Editorial 

Maybe I’ve got blood on my hands? The blood of an unknown generation of Record Producers - and my 

shallow guilt - drip, as I tap away on this now slightly off-white keyboard. By writing this piece - and by 

us publishing this magazine - via the nodes of the MacBook, are we helping to subsidise the very corp. 

that could be held responsible for the death of the Record Producer, or indeed the Record Producer as the 

twentieth century has known them? 

I hope not, and I strongly suspect that I’ll be free of a call in from The Hague for a little while yet, but 

it’s an interesting point. As we heartily gobble up the technological advancements of the ever changing 

world around us like Pacman with the munchies, do we stop to think of the implications for the world we’re 

leaving behind? This month’s cover sets that question in a context that affects the way the music we all 

love is created. There’s a balance to be struck between the neo-punk empowerment of anybody being able 

to put their music down on tape and the scenario where the further and further down the road of digital 

simplicity we go, the more unlistenable the records become - broadly and personally speaking, of course. 

The knowledge and experience gleaned from a century of recording music needs to be used to inform the 

producers of the future. 

As I write this piece, the latest chapter in the Arab Spring (which is gradually moving into an Arab 

Summer) is playing out in Syria. This weekend, the BBC carried the UK Foreign Office’s message urging all 

British nationals to leave the country - regardless of whether they feel they 

have a pressing need to stay. At the same time, when sifting through the Bido 

Lito! post bag, I came across the record The Road To Damascus by the group 

Syriana, on Real World Records. The album is a fusion of Eastern strings, the 

quanun, virtuoso soprano and fuzzing surf guitar, all bound together with a 

truly kinetic, and uniquely Arabic, rhythmic spine. The group consists of a mix 

of musicians from the UK (including former Transglobal Underground member 

Nick Page on guitar), Palestine, Egypt and Syria and uses its infectious music 

to investigate the changing relationship between the East and West (spy novels and Cold War iconography 

included). I’ve not had it off the office stereo all week. 

The strings for the album were recorded by local players in Damascus, along with the vocals of Syrian 

soprano Lubana Al Quntur, at the Chhadeh family home in Bab Touma, old Damascus. As a project, it shows 

the essential role of artists to portray existing relationships and offer a view to the future as a counterbalance 

to the world’s political institutions. The Road To Damascus documents a Syria embracing its relationship 

with the world and offering an understanding of the historical context of those relationships. The record 

oozes hope and offers a forward-thinking demonstration of possibilities, completely at odds with the darkage 

style oppression of Syria’s people currently being carried out by the country’s leaders. The LP was only 

released in September last year. I’m sure the musicians behind it could not have even imagined the deep 

social and political symbolism it would represent so soon after its release. I was thrilled to realise that the 

reason the record had made its way into the Bido Lito! post bag is because the group will be performing 

at The Philharmonic on 7th July, alongside the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. However, the string 

players of Damascus are unable to travel for shows outside of the Middle East. A resonant absence that 

will vividly provide the concert with a sobering sub-plot. 

Craig G Pennington 

Editor 

Bido Lito! 

Bido Lito! July 2011 

3 

Issue Thirteen - July 2011 

bidolito.co.uk 

Bido Lito! 

Static Gallery, 23 Roscoe Lane 

Liverpool, L1 9JD 

info@bidolito.co.uk 

Editor 

Craig G Pennington - info@bidolito.co.uk 

Assistant & Reviews Editor 

Christopher Torpey - reviews@bidolito.co.uk 

Photo Editor 

Jennifer Pellegrini - photos@bidolito.co.uk 

Designer 

Luke Avery - info@earthstudios.net 

Words 

Craig G Pennington, Christopher Torpey, John Still, 

Richard Lewis, Bethany Garrett, Mick Chrysalid, 

Peter Devine, Jonny Davis, The Glass Pasty, 

Nik Glover, Dave Monks, Pete Charles, Helen 

Weatherhead, Sam Garlick, P. Lee 

Photographs 

Jennifer Pellegrini, Keith Ainsworth, John Johnson, 

Dave Higgins, David Howarth, Tarek Musa 

Illustrations 

Adam Bresnen 

Proofreading 

Debra Williams - debra@wordsanddeeds.co.uk 

Adverts 

To advertise in Bido Lito! please contact 

Another Media: bidolito@anothermedia.org 

0151 708 2841

Features 

8 

10 

12 

14 

16 

HAS THE MACBOOK KILLED THE RECORD PRODUCER? 

“The rise of technology hasn’t killed creativity; in fact the opposite has happened, and I welcome that.” Tim Speed, Elevator Studios 

A MESSAGE TO PRETTY AMANDA LAVENDER 

“We’re not trying to completely recreate something, we put our own spin on it, there’s a modern element to it as well.” THE WICKED WHISPERS 

THE BARITONE OF BOLD STREET 

A musical chameleon, NEVILLE SKELLY was once marooned at a musical crossroads and chose to take a sinuous passage of self-discovery. 

THE LAST GANG IN TOWN 

THE RIALTO BURNS are a five piece Liverpool rock’n’roll outfit carving a place for themselves among the city’s vibrant and vital elite. 

YOUSEF 

“I listen to a lot of jazz, funk and loads and loads of authentic, proper disco. I can’t listen to anything on Radio 1.” 

Regulars 

6 NEWS 18 RANTS/COMMENT 

20 

PREVIEWS/SHORTS 

22 REVIEWS

JUDY COLLINS 

LIVERPOOL GUILD OF STUDENTS, STANLEY THEATRE 

SAT 4TH JUNE £17.50 ADV 

BAY CITY ROLLERS 

0 2 ACADEMY2, LIVERPOOL 

FRI 10TH JUNE £15.00 ADV 

Les 

McKeown’s 

THOMAS TANTRUM 

0 2 ACADEMY2, LIVERPOOL 

WED 22ND JUNE £6.00 ADV 

WALTER TROUT 


TUES 28TH JUNE £18.50 ADV 

EMMY THE GREAT 


FRIDAY 7TH OCTOBER £12.50 ADV 

PURESSENCE 


SATURDAY 8TH OCTOBER £9.50 ADV 

DAMIEN DEMPSEY 

& AMSTERDAM 

0 2 ACADEMY, LIVERPOOL 

SATURDAY 15TH OCTOBER £16.00 ADV 

JULIAN COPE 


THURS 27TH OCTOBER £17.50 ADV 

THE SMITHS INDEED 


THURS 28TH OCTOBER £13.50 ADV 

THE COAL PORTERS 


THURS 12TH NOVEMBER £13.50 ADV 

Tickets available from hmvtickets.com and ticketweb.co.uk 

Like us on Facebook 

to get the latest news 

and photos from all our gigs. 

www.themusicconsortium.com

News 

Edited by John Still - news@bidolito.co.uk 

Edited by John Still - news@bidolito.co.uk 

The Picket 

THE PICKET celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and is celebrating by releasing a book. ON 

MUSIC’S FRONT LINE: 25 YEARS OF THE PICKET will be a compilation of anecdotes, tales and opinions 

through the eyes of those who have seen it first hand. People are invited to share their experiences 

for inclusion in the book at an event at The Picket on Thursday 30th June, which will also see a 

screening of a film of the same name, charting the venue’s coveted history. wegottickets.com 

Hot // Light // Fiesta 

To coincide with their new EP, the energetic tykes of HOT//LIGHT//FIESTA are holding a remix 

competition. Running throughout July, stems for each of their songs will be available to 

download on their website for you innovative folk to mutilate. The competition closes on 30th 

July, and winners get a bunch of Hot Light prizes, along with their remix on a limited edition 

CD. hotlightfiesta.bandcamp.com 

Oxfam 

Bold Street’s most charitable store needs your help! Due to a fire at their warehouse 

which destroyed hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of merchandise, our local OXFAM is 

experiencing a severe decline in stock. Any of your unwanted clothing, shoes and accessories 

would help massively in raising the money necessary to continue the vital fight against poverty 

and suffering. Please pop in and donate whatever you can! 

EDiLS Records 

EDiLS Records release another of their globe-spanning compilations this month. Bear Left features 

tracks from Liverpool’s very own ALPHA MALE TEA PARTY, GO HEELED and MARK MAGILL (SSS/Down 

n Outs). In addition to the local boys, the compilation is made up of carefully selected tracks from 

across the rest of the world, including Swedish shoegazers MOONLIT SAILOR and Finnish minimalists 

GET AWAY CAB. The compilation is available for download from edilsrecordings.bandcamp.com 

It’s Miller Time 

COMPETITION! 

Bido Lito! are pleased to team up with Miller Genuine Draft, who are running a series of live music 

events across Liverpool from 29th July to 11th August. As well as the opportunity to win plenty of 

prizes, the events will showcase some of Liverpool’s most exciting emerging bands, in our best new 

venues. Bido Lito! will be curating and hosting the official closing party on 11th August. Full line-up 

and details will be announced in next month’s magazine. itsmillertimelive.com 

For this month’s competition we have teamed up with Greetings From 

Beacons Festival to offer a pair of tickets to this year’s event, which 

takes place over the 12th, 13th and 14th August at Heslaker Farm in the 

stunning Yorkshire Dales. Lucky winners will be able to enjoy the sounds 

of Jamie Woon, Summer Camp (pictured) and Frankie & The Heartstrings 

among others as they relax in the picturesque setting. To be in with a 

chance of winning this great prize just answer the following question: 

Friday night headliner Jamie XX remixed whose album I’m New Here to great critical acclaim? 

To be in with a chance of winning, email us at competition@bidolito.co.uk. The closing date is 15th July. The first 10 correct 

answers will be placed into the big pink hat, the winner picked at random and notified by email. Good Luck! 

Bido Lito! Dansette 

Our pick of this month’s wax 

wonders... 

Big Deal 

Talk 

MOSHI MOSHI 

RECORDS 

As boy-girl duos go, BIG DEAL shape 

up like a teen version of Hince and 

Mosshart, all coy looks and twee 

vocal lines that are just ready to burst 

from behind their fringes in a frisson 

of sexual tension. Moshi Moshi 

snapped them up on a (big) deal, 

meaning an album is imminent. 

Super-Cannes 

Idée Fixe EP 

SELF RELEASED 

The literate art rock of SUPER-CANNES 

finds its way onto disc for the first time. 

Conjuring up a paranoid, Ballardian 

world, this EP is shot through with a 

dark thread; the epic When People Die 

In Small Rooms and the compelling 

Things Fall Apart do the master of 

dystopian sci-fi himself proud. 

Danger Mouse & 

Daniele Luppi 

Rome 

PARLOPHONE/EMI 

Reassembling the original choir 

from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly 

film score may seem a vainglorious 

attempt to add a cool sheen to a 

Spaghetti Western-inspired album 

project, but in the hands of Brian 

Burton, Rome oozes sumptuous 

strings and killer imagery. 

Guards 

Swimming After Dark 

KITSUNé RECORDS 

Our favourite New York reverb merchants 

GUARDS are back stoking the fires of 

internet hype with this new effort, 

on the reverse of the re-worked UK 7” 

release of Resolution Of One, proving 

that Richie Follin no longer needs the 

help of big sis (Cults’ Madeline Follin) in 

his tilt at blissful, dream pop perfection. 

www.bidolito.co.uk

SOLD OUT 

ECHO 

AND THE 

BUNNYMEN 

Friday 30 September 7.30pm £27.50-£50 

TINDERSTICKS 

A Night Of Music and Film Performing 

Claire Denis Film Scores 1996-2009 

Tuesday 18 October 8pm £18, £24.50 

Box Office 0151 709 3789 

liverpoolphil.com

8 

Bido Lito! 


Has The MacBook Kille 

Words: Mick Chrysalid 

“The era of dudes 

in white suits is long 

gone and this has led 

to the whole process 

being 

demystified. 

It is not a secret 

language anymore.” 

Markus 

Dravs 

n 1st August 1981, The Buggles broke 

onto the newly formed MTV screen, 

posing the observation that the 

‘Video Killed The Radio Star’. The 

record caught a moment, like at 

many points in music history, when 

a change in format and a change in 

the method of music’s delivery have 

supposedly predicted the death knell of the 

music world as we know it; the ‘Home Taping Is Killing 

Music’ campaign wasn’t far behind. 

However, over recent years the conversation has moved 

beyond the methods of music’s circulation, to the very 

essence of recorded music’s production. Home recording 

has been an escalating phenomenon since the rise of 

the Home PC, but Apple’s launch of GarageBand in 2004 

started a development of events that would eventually 

put a workable recording suite at the fingers of anybody 

able to blag a loan for a Mac. So...Has The MacBook Killed 

The Record Producer? 

Liverpool has a wealth of recording studios, engineers 

and producers, but what is their role in this world of 

recording capability for all? Is the role of the Record 

Producer now a nonentity, a dead end? Mick Chrysalid 

toured the live rooms of Liverpool to find the answer ... 

The Visionary, The Sound Weaver, The Great Sonic 

Magician ... Record Producers have historically been 

afforded such plaudits; from the mercurial Spector, with 

his ‘Wall Of Sound’ to Joe Meek’s Telstar and over 200 

Top Fifty singles. And George Martin doesn’t need much 

of an introduction. Yes, The Beatles wanted to push pop 

boundaries, but it was Martin who provided the catalyst to 

get them where they wanted to go. This was the first rise of 

the producer in post-war terms: 

the boffins in lab 

coats with their ambitions 

being 

matched by the 

advancements in engineering technology. Throughout the 

‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s the stock of the producer held strong; 

Brian Eno, Martin Hannett, Steve Lillywhite, Nigel Godrich, 

Dr Dre all achieved mercurial status, and the recording 

studio remained as the principle location in which to 

make records. However, as we have moved into the new 

millennium, technological advancements (principally 

affordable and easy to use recording suites born as a result 

of the domestic computer’s rise and the digitalisation of 

everyday life) have broken down that monopoly. Musicians 

can, and do, produce their own records in their bedrooms, 

flats and rehearsal spaces. To use a current local example, 

Dan Croll’s single, Home, made the trip from his MacBook 

to Steve Lamacq’s BBC Radio 2 playlist without a Producer 

or traditional studio in sight. So, where does that now 

leave the role of the Record Producer and the traditional 

recording studio? 

Speaking to Bido Lito! from his studio in New York, 

MARKUS DRAVS, who has produced Coldplay, Arcade 

Fire and Björk, stated, “The era of dudes in white suits is 

long gone and this has led to the whole process being 

demystified. It is not a secret language anymore.” On the 

whole, Marcus sees the rise of affordable technology in 

direct correlation with an increase in knowledge: “I hear 

some great demos coming in and sometimes you have to 

get out of the way and be careful to leave the essence of 

the song alone.” 

The SAE Institute has benefitted from this fervent 

interest in audio engineering, now with over fifty schools, 

on all continents. So, everyone’s tech savvy nowadays? 

Well, yes and no. 

As XANDER SNELL, once head of 

Liverpool’s SAE (but now heading up the Miami school) 

and an absolute fountain of knowledge when it comes 

to production, states, “An amateur will very rarely better a 

professional, especially when all practical considerations 

have been taken into account.” 

The sheer quality of equipment available to musicians 

in professional recording spaces provides a completely 

different experience to that of recording at home,


9 

d The Record Producer? 

Illustration: Adam Bresnen 

as explained by The Clash producer STEVE LEVINE: “The 

classic Neumann microphones that everyone is using cost 

a couple of thousand pounds and a vintage microphone 

can cost up to ten thousand pounds. Big studios have 

heritage microphones, so when you use the space you 

buy into that.” 

Look at WHITEWOOD STUDIOS in the Baltic Triangle, for 

example, run by ROB WHITELEY and DANNY WOODWARD. 

You’d need some money and time to put such an 

operation together and then - obviously - somewhere to 

base it. As Danny explained, whilst he sees some decent 

demos coming in, “they lack the focus that dedicated 

professional producers can give. 

We work with our 

equipment day in day out, equipment that most amateur 

enthusiasts haven’t got.” This is a view shared by JON 

LAWTON of CROSSTOWN STUDIOS: “Recording at home is 

a great way to gather your ideas and prepare your music 

before entering the studio. By taking your home demos 

to be recorded professionally, you not only benefit from 

the quality of sound, you benefit from the knowledge and 

creative experience of the producer.” So maybe the home 

demo is more of a sketchpad, with the intricate details 

being added in the studio? 

RUSS COTTIER (formerly of Cybaddiction Studios), who is 

now setting up a facility in Parr Street, places an emphasis 

on running sessions against budget and time constraints, 

which he sees as, “a major role for the producer”, adding 

“you can tinker with a sound as much as possible, but 

then get lost on a MacBook because you may not know 

what you’re searching for, whereas a producer with good 

knowledge and good gear can cut through this.” Like 

many producers, Cottier is willing to provide the finishing 

touches to files that bands give him; as well as starting off 

with the basics in the studio and then letting the bands 

import the material onto their equipment to finish off 

elsewhere. In this latter case, overdubs are then attempted 

in a band’s own time, whether in practice rooms, homes 

or spaces rented solely for this purpose. TIM SPEED of 

ELEVATOR STUDIOS notes 

that this is exactly the 

process Liverpool band Clinic have been through recently. 

The already overlooked Bubblegum (their most commercial 

and, in my opinion, best) album was initially recorded 

in Elevator and then finished off in their rehearsal room 

and elsewhere. Tim explains that, “The rise of technology 

hasn’t killed creativity; in fact the opposite has happened, 

and I welcome that. However, pressure can be a positive 

in a studio, knowing things have to meet a deadline.” 

Also, according to Tim, some ‘mothering’ has to be done 

from people outside a band and this is where the producer 

is still of the upmost importance, “getting that extra bit 

out of a performance when individual members of a band 

need help; knowing when enough is enough and knowing 

when to push it.” 

The title of this article, much like the lament of The 

Buggles, is certainly a misnomer; the Record Producer 

is very much alive. They’re still here and in Liverpool 

we have some excellent people as well as studios. 

However, over recent years the Producer’s impenetrable 

position has been questioned and their job become more 

dynamic. Obviously, technology empowering the masses 

is a positive step, breaking down the barrier between 

the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’. But perhaps, in a world 

of endless possibilities, the role of the producer as a 

knowledgeable guide, to help artists see the wood from 

the trees, is as important as ever. Less the Ghandi figure of 

days gone by and more a studio-based Ray Mears. I’ll leave 

the last words to AL GROVES from SANDHILLS STUDIOS: 

“If anything, technology has made the presence of a 

producer all the more important. It’s not about what you 

are playing, but affecting your audience that is important 

and a producer can help you achieve that. This can be a 

very difficult distinction to make when you are trying 

to be both musician and producer. More 

impressive demos are forcing me to work 

harder to stay on top, which breeds more 

creativity and passion in the record. It 

encourages you to explore ideas even 

further, and I love the challenge!” 

“It's not about 

what you are playing, 

but affecting your 

audience that is 

important and a 

producer can help you 

achieve that.” 

Al Groves

10 

Bido Lito! 


Boasting an immaculate Roger McGuinn haircut, 

Michael Murphy leads THE WICKED WHISPERS out 

on to the stage at The Kazimier. Opening with the 

uptempo Odyssey Mile, the song immediately 

focuses the audience’s attention stagewards. 

YouTube hit Amanda Lavender receives the biggest 

response of the set, with Poison Ivy following close 

behind. After what then feels to be roughly ten 

minutes, Michael introduces the final track. It then 

becomes apparent that the band 

have raced through their 

entire twelve song set 

in thirty-five minutes. 

Michael explains the 

band’s live brevity a 

few days later over a pint 

in The Shipping Forecast. 

“When I go and watch bands, 

when you’ve got 

a 

riff, a verse, a 

chorus, I get 

the point. I 

don’t wanna 

hear it again 

and again, I get 

bored.” 

The ‘leave ‘em wanting 

more’ ethos also applies to the 

band’s recorded output, the 

quartet of tracks on their 

new The Dark Delights 

of… EP, clocking in at 

under twelve minutes. 

Shoehorning a wealth of 

sixties influences into short bursts of sound, the 

10” vinyl release is surely set to become a coveted 

item. “We want exclusivity for the listener,” 

Michael says of the disc. “You go and buy the 

EP, it’s yours, no-one else’s. You can’t hear it on 

MySpace or Facebook; it’s for you.” 

Formed twelve months ago, the Wicked Whispers 

have created a sizeable profile without playing 

many gigs in the city. After backing Bunnyman Will 

Sergeant at his Fiction nights, the band quickly 

coalesced. Michael ensured all of the players 

were on the same page musically before being 

recruited, however. “Things were kinda all prepared 

previously” the singer explains. “After the last band 

[acclaimed rockers Whiskey Headshot] finished, I 

spent a lot of time recording on my own, all the 

arrangements, all the instruments. I put thirty 

songs down; it took me about six months.” “There 

was already a template there and we all just slotted 

in,” organist Ste offers. 

The mysterious Amanda Lavender (the group’s 

fictional online persona and heroine, who also has 


a song taking her name) initially caused confusion, 

yet the Emma Peel-esque figure only added to the 

intrigue. “The amount of people who said ‘I thought 

it was a Sixties’ clothes shop,’” Michael grins, 

shaking his head. 

“We had guys 

dropping her 

messages 

by photographer Mark McNulty, was filmed in 

Snowdonia, at the world’s largest garden maze, 

the mist-shrouded affair featuring model Charlotte 

Cooper in the title role. 

In view of the band’s adherence to 1960s music 

and imagery, do the group mind being tagged 

a ‘sixties influenced’ band? “I’m happy with it,” 

Michael responds. “I need to keep into my old stuff; 

I need my writing to be where it is,” he adds. Aside 

from garage rockers The Keys, Michael steers clear 

of modern music. “To be fair, we really can’t hide 

the truth at all,” Ste shrugs. “It’s deep-rooted within 

all the band members, whether it’s something they 

inherited from their parents, or it’s something we’ve 

learnt ourselves.” 

Words: Richard Lewis 

Photography: Keith Ainsworth 

saying 

‘Hi, 

do I know 

you?’” 

Ste 

laughs. 

The 

song’s video, shot 

“We’re not doing it to be cool, we’re doing it ‘cos 

we’re obsessive about the music and we have been 

for a long time,” Michael adds. “We’re not trying 

to completely recreate something, we put our own 

spin on it, there’s a modern element to it as well.” 

The band’s signature sound - aside from Michael’s 

Syd Barrett-like vocals - is Ste’s Vox Continental 

– an organ made famous by The Doors and The 

Animals; whilst another esteemed composer was 

the previous owner of Ste’s particular model. As 

he recalls, 

“After I bought it, I took it apart 

to 

make sure it was all OK 

and I found a servicing 

date, signed by [The 

Specials’ songwriter] Jerry 

Dammers.” 

One aspect where the band 

differ from their sixties forebears is 

in the way they conduct 

business. 

Where 

many 

sixties 

bands were 

managed 

by 

Svengali 

figures 

employing dubious business 

practices (Don Arden, Alan Klein, 

et al), the present band’s 

modus operandi is 

more in keeping with 

punk’s DIY aesthetic. 

As well as putting out 

releases on their 

own 

label, Electone Records, 

the group’s management and PR are 

also handled in-house. “The music industry’s fed 

up of bands saying, ‘We think we’re really good, we 

want a record deal’, because to be honest with you, 

you can do it yourself.” Michael says. “No matter 

what happens, we can always keep on releasing 

records and do whatever we wanna do. This is what 

new bands should wake up to. You don’t need a 

manager, you can do it all yourself, you really can.” 

The Dark Delights of The Wicked Whispers EP is 

out now on Electone Records. 

Bido Lito! have managed to get our hands on one 

of only five, signed, white label, 10” test pressings 

of The Dark Delights Of The Wicked Whispers. If 

you’d like to get your hands on it, drop us an email 

at competition@bidolito.co.uk. The tenth entry 

scoops the prize! 

thewickedwhispers.co.uk

12 

Bido Lito! 


THE BARITONE OF 

BOLD STREET 

The Chameleonic World Of Neville Skelly 

Words: Bethany Garrett – Photography: Jennifer Pellegrini 

Liverpool’s very own Count of St. Germain, NEVILLE SKELLY 

has adjusted his style dramatically over his years in the 

industry, and possesses a head with a minefield of ideas. 

Yet, the transforming troubadour has a voice that flows 

like nectar to the ears, and proudly wears a beanie hat as 

a woolly two fingers up to the rest of the bewildered world. 

Perhaps not quite an international man of mystery but 

certainly elusive, we managed to pin him down one drizzly 

Sunday dawn to discuss his mesmerising new record, Poet 

& The Dreamer. 

A musical chameleon (with his days suited and slick in 

front of his swing orchestra long behind him), Neville was 

once marooned at a musical crossroads and chose to take 

a sinuous passage of self-discovery. “By doing the album I 

wanted to find something that was more personal to me. I 

still like that music and I wouldn’t change where I’ve come 

from. Songwriters like George Gershwin and Cole Porter, 

well I think everyone from The Beatles to The Beach Boys 

were inspired by them, but I wanted to find something that 

represented me.” 

His current influences are certainly not clandestinely 

concealed either - the album incorporates his own versions 

of two Beatles covers along with numbers from Neil Young, 

Phil Ochs, Marc Bolan, Woody Guthrie and Jackson C. Frank, 

the latter whom he “connected to more so than any other 

artist,” inspiring him “in a way to make music that was 

honest and soulful.” His own lingering rendition of Frank’s 

signature song Blues Run The Game captures the torments 

of a young man haunted by despair, although Neville’s 

honey-drizzled sombre baritone croon could soothe even 

the most abstinent of listeners. 

Eleanor Rigby comes as a brave choice, but the 

kaleidoscopic arrangement inspired by a Bobbie Gentry 

cover version makes his rendition a unique move rather 

than another copycat Beatles cover to be piled with the 

rest of them. But did he find it daunting to cover such a 

recognised song? “Well, the thing is, no-one ever thought 

about it in that way. It was just like ‘that’s a great song’. 

Which is what happened with all of them. All the songs 

we did covers of - that’s the way we found them. It wasn’t 

like ‘oh here’s twenty songs lets pick a few’. It happened 

very quickly.” 

Whisking away a handful of musicians from across the 

city, and the distant shores of the Wirral peninsula, to A.P.E. 

Studios set on the lapping banks of the River Dee, the record 

- from its conception to its May release on Setanta Records 

- took a process of four years to formulate. Surrounded by 

friends and partisans, Neville recorded the album on “rare 

analogue equipment from the sixties”; labouring with Ian 

Skelly of The Coral behind the controls. It was, as Neville 

laughs endearingly, “quite an experience, as he can be very 

opinionated as a producer.” 

Working with both Ian and James Skelly, he found the 

song writing process “can happen very instantaneously. You 

get the bare bones of a song in a flash and I think they’re 

the best songs when that happens. With these songs on the 

album, they were already partly formed with James and Ian, so 

it was me bringing something to the table: lyrics or a melody 

line. I think James is one of the best songwriters to ever come 

out of Liverpool. When someone’s that good it’s effortless in 

a way because you’re not trying too hard, it’s not contrived. 

When you’re just playing acoustic, without even thinking 

about the arrangements, you’ve just got the skeleton of it 

and you can tell that it’s gonna be a good song.” 

The richly illustrated and wonderfully orchestrated 

Colours Collide exemplifies this efficacious ability, while 

the succinct title track ups the tempo, the quietly persistent 

drum track keeping pace behind the double bass and the 

caramel consistency of Neville’s voice. Referring to his 

upcoming gig at our very own Bido Lito! Social Club on the 

21st July, he notes, “I don’t really do many gigs in Liverpool 

so this is one I’m quite looking forward to. There’s a song I 

really want to cover called Silver Raven by Gene Clark. It’s 

one of them songs that as a writer I wish I had written, 

so we’re gonna do a cover of it definitely.” Surely it’s 

worth gliding down to The Shipping Forecast to catch a 

rare glimpse of the intriguing Neville Skelly live with his 

alchemical, solid-gold voice. 

nevilleskelly.co.uk 

www.bidolito.co.uk


13 

www.bidolito.co.uk

14 

Bido Lito! 


THE LAST GANG IN TOWN... 

Words: Peter Devine 

Words: Peter Devine 

Photography: Jennifer Pellegrini 

The country is in recession. A new Tory 

government prioritises inflation, reduction through 

public spending cuts, and increased taxation. 

Unemployment soars. The NHS suffers and The 

Rialto burns. Surprisingly, it’s 1981 and not 2011. 

In July 1981, The Rialto Ballroom burns in a sociallymotivated 

Toxteth riot. In 2011, THE RIALTO BURNS 

are a five piece Liverpool rock’n’roll outfit carving 

a place for themselves among the city’s vibrant 

and vital elite, among the bands chasing creative 

passion over the old-fashioned, ‘music=success=yourvery-own-guitar-shaped-swimming-pool’ 

equation. 

Perhaps the spotlight has never shone so brightly on 

the bands that rehearse in your local youth centre 

or above your uncle’s pub (and my uncle has never 

been more surprised (or frustrated for that matter) by 

the work these groups are putting in after hours). 

Meeting four fifths of The Rialto Burns on a rainy 

Saturday afternoon in town, talk soon turns to the 

need to work full-time and juggle the heavy hours 

needed for any band taking themselves seriously 

these days. “It’s just got to be done,” says bassist 

Paul. “When we’ve gone down to London and played 

with bigger name bands before like Dogs, you ask 

them ‘Where’s the aftershow party?’ and they all say 

they have to get up early for work.” With a record 

industry in constant decline it’s the DIY ethics of the 


local bands taking recording into their own hands 

that are shaking things up today. A fact not lost on 

The Rialto Burns, having just finished recording their 

much anticipated first album, Learning to Fight, in 

their practice space at Elevator Studios. 

But today the boys are here to talk about their 

astounding For The Asking EP: a ten track bundle 

boasting remixes from fellow Gung-Ho! Recordings’ 

artists Welfare For The Digital and Tom Maddicott, 

three live tracks, and a sublime angular take on U2’s 

New Year’s Day. Frontman Adam believes that, “... 

everything these days is based first and foremost 

online. The album as a concept isn’t dead but with 

every new online music medium the listener’s 

appreciation and understanding of the art of writing, 

recording and presenting weakens every time.” 

Indeed, gone are the days of school kids saving 

up a week’s lunch money to buy an album on a 

Friday afternoon - now they can stream virtually any 

song from their iPhones. Guitarist Al explains how 

the band’s agenda is to keep pushing themselves 

regardless of current trends: “Our album is finished. 

The day we finished it we listened to it and we were 

happy. The following day we began writing our 

second album. You just keep at it, judge yourselves 

and push new boundaries.” 

The Rialto Burns’ ‘last gang in town’ mentality 

is evident throughout our interview. Although they 

come across as highly likeable and funny, there is a 

side to them that takes their art very seriously. After 

this meeting today, they leave for band practice until 

the early hours of the morning, whilst a week later, 

catching up at Bido Lito!’s first birthday party, they 

arrive after having enjoyed another lengthy postwork 

weekday practice. But all the hard work pays 

off on For The Asking’s title track: clocking in at just 

under three minutes, it’s a song of humble beauty. 

Fans of Interpol and Bloc Party will find obvious 

comfort in the down-strums of a slightly overdriven 

telecaster against a strong melodic bassline. 

But beneath this there is a much more human, 

contemplative approach that removes any sense of 

the pretence those said bands could be accused of. 

Available now from the band’s website, For The 

Asking is a profile of a Liverpool band absolutely 

on the rise. When listening to them I’m reminded 

of seeing Sound Of Guns progressing from The 

Zanzibar to St George’s Hall; such a stellar rise 

seems completely viable. In 1981 The Rialto burned. 

Three decades later, The Rialto Burns brighter and 

stronger than ever before. Be sure to get caught in 

the flames. 

therialtoburns.com

MOJO WISHES TO THANKS ALL THE ARTISTS THAT HAVE PLAYED THE VENUE SINCE LAST SUMMER... 

NEXT UP:

16 


www.bidolito.co.uk

Yousef 

Words: Jonny Davis 

Words: Jonny Davis 


17 

strongly recommend it. I love the way 

the music makes you feel.” 

This appreciation of subtlety 

in sound enables the mix to rise 

above what he calls “popstep” and 

find its own sound. “A lot of drum n 

bass and dubstep is just a different 

variety of synth pop. It’s McDonald’s: 

it looks tasty, it might taste good, but 

ultimately it makes you feel sick. No nutritional value whatsoever.” 

Photography: David Howarth 

The analogy is a sound one, and if anybody has the right to make such an 

assertion it is somebody whose club night has been running for almost a 

YOUSEF is a name synonymous with Liverpool. Topping the bill on Circus decade and shows no sign of stopping. He believes the success of Circus is 

posters everywhere you look, those six letters are burnt onto the retinas of down to a mixture of hard work and a dedicated crowd. “I think a lot of people 

every music lover casually checking the listings. So how has he become so misunderstand the effort we go to in order to make Circus happen. People don’t 

deeply ingrained in the fabric of the city? 

understand that I pretty much do it for nothing as well. For me it is the best 

You would be forgiven for thinking that most of his time is taken up with night in the country from a DJ’s point of view. Obviously, I’m biased but it’s down 

running Circus. But add to that a dizzying tour schedule, a Circus Reworks EP to the crowd. DJs come to play and say ‘What the hell is this?! It’s great!’” 

and an upcoming artist album in 2011 alone, and you begin to wonder how Yousef is a complete workaholic. “I’m always working my ass off. I had a day 

Circus even happens at all. 

and a half off and I looked out the front door and the garden was like a jungle; I 

My preconceptions of a man with an un-silenceable phone and an eye on couldn’t even see the cat! I spent all day doing the gardening then got into the 

the clock could not have been more wrong. Yousef is instantly likeable as we studio and felt like I’d had two weeks on holiday.” 

discuss his passion for classical music, being beaten in a marathon by a woman 

In these rare days off many would be content to just chill out but not Yousef. 

dressed as a chip and how so much chart music tastes like McDonald’s. 

Finding a bit of spare time whilst living in London he ran the London marathon for 

Having just released his Circus Reworks EP, featuring remixes of artists as 

local charity C.A.L.M. “During the training I listened to a lot of Greg Wilson mixes 

disparate as Four Tet, Giles Peterson and Sven Vath, he is evidently no stranger to 

but on the marathon you just don’t need music. You soak up the atmosphere. On 

pushing himself in new directions. “I wanted the EP to be essentially reflective 

the last stretch I got overtaken by a woman dressed as a chip. Chiplady beat me! 

of my musical taste but also as a guide to what’s happening at Circus.” 

Maybe she did it to piss me off; she’d been following me for 25 miles.” 

Taking the lo-fi skittering of Four Tet’s Love Cry as a starting point, Yousef crafts 

Yousef is currently working on an artist album so watch this space. The Circus 

a house monster which, whilst remaining faithful to the song’s motif, builds 

Reworks EP is available now for one month on Beatport, to be continued on 

into a dance-floor hit. The centrepiece is a take on Moby’s chilling Wait For Me 

iTunes and all other digital stores thereafter. 

that loops a snippet of piano and layers it with emotive strings underpinned by 

a satisfying bassline. 

yousef.co.uk 

Listening to the EP’s final track (and 

Yousef’s own) Come Home, the song 

is elevated skywards as he eases off 

the beat for a moment of arpeggiated 

euphoria. It’s these occasions that 

hint at a broad spectrum of influence. 

“I listen to a lot of jazz, funk and loads 

and loads of authentic, proper disco. I 

can’t listen to anything on Radio 1.” 

There is little in the way of 

gimmicky build-ups and bass-drop 

moments on the mix. “People have 

got lost in making things loud. If you 

listen to classical music, it’s got a 

dynamic range of peaks and troughs. 

If the track is loud from start to finish, 

all it can do is get louder and more 

distorted.” 

To counteract the noise of Radio 

1 he immerses himself in classical 

music. “All I listen to at home is 

Classic FM or Chopin. I go to the 

Philharmonic at least once a month; I 

www.bidolito.co.uk

18 

Bido Lito! 


Rants/Comment 

The Glass Pasty 

Post-It Notes From The Cultural Abyss 

Post-It Notes From The Cultural Abyss 

“Peer through the glass and ask 

the Pasty.” 

Good Morning readers. After the 

Mimi, thanks for the wonderful 

letter! A few tips to get you started, 

use words like “cool” “man” and 

astounding success of my previous 

“Stratocaster” whenever possible 

stargazing turn I have realised that 

my talents lie in giving a helping hand 

to those in need in this dustbowl that 

we call home. Regular readers’ wives 

of my column will know that deep 

down I’m a people’s person, a glass 

half full kind of fellow; well move 

but moreover if you simply laugh at 

all the musicians’ jokes and pretend 

to enjoy their songs intensively then 

they will be easy pickings. They are 

by nature terribly conceited and 

insecure egocentric mammals. Best 

of luck Mimi. 

over Stoppard you intense Moronic 

bitch because it’s Agony Uncle time! 

Dear GP, 

I am an up and coming musician 

Dear GP, 

I am an impressionable midtwenties 

female with an excellent 

face/body but not much up top. I have 

been hanging about around the bars 

of Bold St and Renshaw in an attempt 

to snag myself a musician, any tips 

with the lingo? 

Mimi Fifi Loren III 

whose star is on the rise. I have 

received a lot of media attention 

and thankfully things are going well, 

however, I feel that soon I will be 

found out as I can’t read; so far my 

idiotic musings have gone unnoticed 

but I fear my time may be running out, 

please help! 

Protagonist 56b 

Nik Glover 

There’s an old joke about Charlie 

comment on. My idea of Hollywood 

Kaufman. Charlie is pitching his new 

has something of the Kaufman-esque 

film to the execs and one says, “So 

about it. As with every place I’ve heard 

what’s the movie about, Charlie?” 

of but which I’ve never visited, I try to 

Charlie replies, “It’s about a writer 

imagine the most mundane of images 

who kills himself”, and right there and 

first, to bring some reality to all the 

then he pulls out a revolver, puts it in 

other junk. 

his mouth and blows his own brains 

In his story ‘The Goldfish Pool’, Neil 

against the wall. 

Gaiman tells the tale of an English 

The execs turn to a guy sat next 

writer who goes to Hollywood to 

to Charlie, dressed in exactly the 

work on a script for a big studio. 

same clothes as Charlie, with the “Each afternoon I would go for a 

same pencil moustache, grey slacks, short walk down Sunset Boulevard. I 

exactly the same nervous air, and say, would walk as far as the ‘almost all- 

“We love it Charlie, here’s fifty million nite’ bookstore, where I would buy a 

dollars.” 

That isn’t an old joke. Or, it may be, 

in Hollywood, somewhere I’ve never 

visited and therefore could not possibly 

newspaper. Then I would sit outside 

in the hotel courtyard for half an hour, 

reading a newspaper. And then, having 

had my ration of sun and air, I would 

Protagonist, thanks for your 

moving disclosure, I can suggest a 

basic literacy course, I would also be 

willing to work with you one to one, 

I excelled as a paired reader back in 

High School and have an up to date 

CRB. On the upside 56b you live in an 

age in which lyrical talent, or indeed 

words, have no place in music, don’t 

worry if the fools want gruel then you 

keep feeding them it, so long. 

GP. 

Dear GP, 

I have just opened a “trendy” 

business in the city centre buying and 

selling arms and want to attract the 

young professional pretentious type. 

Any tips? 

Venture Capitalist Bobby McTurncoat 

Bobby, that’s excellent news just 

what we’ve been crying out for. 

Well if you can give it an eco spin in 

some way and invent some kooky 

cartoonish character as the face then 

the sky’s the limit, also why not sell 

a few posh coffees whilst the arms 

go back into the dark, and turn my 

book back into something else.” 

The place I imagine most in 

Hollywood: the space between a pair 

of one-storey apartment buildings 

on Sunset Boulevard. I am looking 

towards the street, ten feet before 

me, a high white fence, freshly 

painted, blocks my view. It is midafternoon, 

and very quiet in this little 

alley between buildings. There is a 

chest-high chain- link fence halfway 

between the two apartments. I think 

I’m on the left side of this fence, but 

it’s hard to say. 

Charlie takes the stamped cheque 

from the exec’s executive secretary 

and stuffs it into the inner pocket of his 

corduroy blazer. He exits the building 

without looking at anyone’s face, and 

emerges out onto the street where a 

car is waiting for him. He climbs into 

it, without saying a word to the driver, 

dealers peruse? Certainly get yourself 

a Facebook and Twitter account it 

could be a great forum for feedback. 

Maybe a low quality open mic/ 

poetry night every second Tuesday? 

Happy Hunting. 

Dear GP, 

I feel abandoned, lost; it has been 

over two years since I have had any 

form of human contact, and it’s as if 

everyone has forgotten about me. 

Please help me gentle Pasty I’m 

getting old! 

MXR Phase 90 

MXR I don’t know how to break this 

to you but it seems that your owners 

have abandoned you for good my 

poor little flanger, they have probably 

moved practice rooms or worse still 

quit. Someone will come along when 

you least expect it and breathe life 

into you once more my friend, stay 

strong little guy. 

Join me next month and keep your 

collective chin up. 

and it pulls away into traffic. 

““What did you think of it?” 

They both nodded, more or less in 

unison. 

And then they both tried, as hard 

as they could, to tell me they hated 

it while never saying anything that 

might conceivably upset me.” 

If you want to imagine somewhere 

you’ve never been, you first need to 

remind yourself that, regardless of 

what that place contains, film stars 

or fishmongers, it is a place with all 

of the mundane little spaces you 

know now. The world turns, carrying 

everything. At some point, right along 

the equator, someone else is standing 

in the same place you stood, waiting 

to be shown in. 

If you’d like me to talk about your 

music, email takemeforanexample@ 

gmail.com 

www.bidolito.co.uk

TRA 

AN 

Guest Column 

Dave Monks - BBC Merseyside Introducing 

Dave Monks - BBC Merseyside Introducing 

I am writing this just after what has been 

a very long, tiring and eventful weekend. It’s 

Monday morning after some mammoth gigs at 

Liverpool Sound City, I am sitting contemplating 

the last four days and four nights of my quest to 

cover, compare and consume as much music as I 

physically could. 

Thursday evening was partly spent in the 

bombed out church watching Delta Maid and The 

Kooks - it actually felt like a festival with the grass around our feet. The 

sound and location was very atmospheric even for the latecomers who, 

despite the entrance issues, seemed to be enjoying themselves. And The 

Temps are worth a mention as they really held my attention throughout 

the whole set earlier that night at the Masque, with their utterly fearless 

acidic post-punk attitude. On Friday and Saturday I was hosting nights 

at the Krazyhouse and Picket respectively, with great performances from 

Luke Fenlon, Killaflaw, Bird, The Fallows, Filter Distortion and Fly with 

Vampires. 

It’s been a great year so far for local artists. In the past few weeks, I 

have featured new albums from Miles Kane, Delta Maid, The Wombats, 

Strawhouses, and Lovecraft. Sound of Guns are at work with Idlewild and 

Manics producer, Dave Eringa, and Wave Machines are in standby mode 

with the follow-up to the brilliant Wave If You’re Really There. Slightly 

more under the radar but just as tempting, The Loud’s new offering is out 

soon on Payper Tiger Records, together with a nice, simple little video for 

their new single Amy’s Gonna Get You. 

Another BBC Introducing recent success story is Luke Fenlon who has 

a new single out; plus the always improving formidable live band Fly with 

Vampires; and the amazing Owls*, who are tempting the local crowd with 

a well-planned drip feed of new tracks with influences straight from a 

David Lynch soundtrack. 

I have also been impressed with two bands that have links in both 

Liverpool and Chester: The August September are duo Mat and Brit, 

featuring all the hallmarks of The Kills or White Stripes. Make sure you 

catch them live at Krazyhouse on 24th June. The Thespians are another 

recent session guest to keep an eye on; they play the region’s next big 

festival, Chester Rocks. 

When I first heard there was going to be another music festival in 

Chester, I can’t really say I was overly excited. However, organisers have 

this time contemplated their audiences and offer a different palate of 

music for both days – Saturday is more pop with a younger audience and 

on Sunday there are some great established names such as Iggy Pop, 

Lightning Seeds, Feeder, Leftfield, and I Am Kloot. The alternative stage 

has a strong line-up, with the likes of Dustland, The Wicked Whispers and 

Owls* guaranteed to be firm favourites at this first Chester Rocks event at 

the racecourse. 

It’s going to be like Aintree only the trains are going the opposite way. 

Have fun and remember: keep your feet off the seats! 

Every Sunday night from 8pm - 95.8FM and Online 

A SITION ESPRESSO 

Supported by 

BOLD STREET COFFEE 

Festival 

Tour 

2011 

Isle of Wi 

ght 

OYE 

St An 

nes 

Lattitude 

Lovebox 

High Voltage 

Magic 

Roundab 

out 

Global 

Gathering 

Big Chill 

V-fe 

st 

Reading 

Leeds

20 

Bido Lito! 


Previews/Shorts 

Edited by Richard Lewis - middle8@bidolito.co.uk 

VETIVER 

San Fran psych-folks VETIVER are back in town and ready to wow us all over 

again with their experimental charms and new album The Errant Charm, which 

maintains those Grateful Dead-esque hallmarks, and songwriter Andy Cabic’s 

solo flair. Support comes in the shape of local faves BY THE SEA and DAN CROLL. 

Mojo – 1st July – Tickets through seetickets.com and Probe Records 

MISERY GUTS 

Superlative folk band MISERY GUTS are set to play and curate their own 

festival at the Bombed Out Church. THE BIG HOUSE, THE RANDOM FAMILY, 

BIRD and DAVID BARNICLE all feature among the stellar supporting cast. 

With vintage clothes stalls, and a cake and lemonade stand in place, it looks 

set to be a winning event. Bring your own booze mind. 

St. Luke’s Church – 3rd July – Tickets through skiddle.com 

SYRIANA 

Strawhouses 

STRAWHOUSES have been bubbling under around the fringes of the city’s music 

scene for the past few years and are now ready to move centre stage with the release 

of their debut album. These Are The Willing is available as a physical-only order from 

the band’s website for £1, a ludicrously tempting offer that shores up the band’s 

commitment to their fanbase and turns the release into a full-blown, old fashioned 

‘event’, rather than the usual streaming and free download malarkey. 

As intense as a band who aspire to sound like Interpol fronted by Jeff Buckley 

should be, recent cut Batteries proved to be an inspired single. The anguished 

Radiohead squall of Malaise, The Way Of The World and Runaway Child follow in 

a similarly strong vein, singer Paul Donnelly racking up the unease, as exemplified 

by his performance in the video for Train Wreck. Helmed by Jon Withnall, (Coldplay/ 

Feeder/Elbow), the album pulls together the group’s run of singles with tracks they 

have worked on feverishly, the band describing the LP as ‘the culmination of four 

years of songwriting.’ With that in mind, the band are clearly in it for the long haul 

and by the looks of things, quite a few fans will be as well. 

These Are The Willing is available for £1.50 (inc p&p) from strawhouses.tv now. 

myspace.com/strawhouses0 

The Road To Damascus is one of enlightenment, and in the case of the 

multi-national SYRIANA, it is also one of breaking down cultural and musical 

boundaries. This collision of oriental and occidental sounds and ideas will 

benefit from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra lending a few strings. 

Philharmonic Hall – 7th July – Tickets through boxoffice.liverpoolphil.com 

THE COMPANY STORE 

The evergreen night run by THE SIXTEEN TONNES makes a welcome return 

after a short hiatus. Aside from the organizers, THE LOST BROTHERS are 

welcomed back to these shores after a stint in Nashville. Hopefully the weather 

holds out for their sunbaked and whiskey-soaked sound. Stetson optional. 

The Zanzibar – 21st July – Tickets through skiddle.com and Probe 

GRADUALE NOBILI 

Currently on tour with Björk on her three-week stint at the Manchester 

International Festival, the 24-piece all-female GRADUALE NOBILI choir are 

being whisked away for a one-off special performance at Static Gallery. 

Expect haunting, soaring vocals from these Icelandic chanteuses. 

Static Gallery – 12th July – Tickets through Probe Records 

The Temps 

Supporting The Fall in their three night residency at The Stanley Theatre, THE TEMPS 

are flying the flag high for native talent: a band that wrap post-punk melodies in 

indie sensibilities, their music bypasses all the hoopla of pretence and goes straight 

for the jugular. “Playing with The Fall is really exciting for us,” says Temps vocalist 

Joseph Wainwright. “They’re a big influence on our sound, so managing to bag all 

three dates was a great achievement.” A band of ambition, any potential hesitation 

is shrugged off as they look set to grab this opportunity with both hands. “We’re 

looking at having three separate sets to keep it fresh,” he states, “this way, people 

who see us for the full three nights won’t be able to predict what’s coming next.” 

The luminary himself, Mark E. Smith, has spoken of his admiration for the quartet, 

and what better indication of musical conviction. The next few months are going 

to be a pivotal juncture for them, as they are in the process of recording their first 

‘proper’ record. If they are to live up to their raw potential then now is the time; not 

only to show Liverpool what they’re capable of, but also to show their peers what 

Liverpool is capable of. 

The Temps play The Stanley Theatre in support of The Fall and John Cooper 

Clarke on 30th June, 1st July and 2nd July 

myspace.com/thetempsliv 

www.bidolito.co.uk

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER.COM/CLUBEVOL AND FACEBOOK EVOL

22 

Bido Lito! 


Reviews 

JAMES BLAKE 

Cloud Boat 

Stanley Theatre 

words and Cloud Boat don’t quite 

offer enough interest to maintain 

The Stanley Theatre is dark tonight. a meaningful connection. Having 

We’re talking Miroslaw Balka’s 

said that, they certainly have the 

steel container kind of dark, with 

everybody feeling their way around 

like zombies. Perhaps this is part 

of the setup; feeling lost but then 

comforted by the soothing music 

and brightly lit bar, shining like a 

beacon at the back. Or perhaps there 

are technical issues. Who knows? 

CLOUD BOAT are made up of Sam 

and Tom from London who play a 

modern form of trip hop with guitars 

and programmed beats. The sound 

is quintessentially modern London, 

potential to create some captivating 

music, if only they’d embrace lyrics 

the way tonight’s headliner has. 

The crowd for JAMES BLAKE is 

surprisingly modest: not so small 

as to be a problem but certainly no 

sell out. This is strange for an artist 

as critically lauded as Blake, and 

in a city as electronic-friendly as 

Liverpool. Perhaps this is a reaction 

to the sharp left-turn made with 

his debut album, placing him more 

in the arena of singer-songwriter 

all looped vocals, Burial 2-step 

than dubstep producer. Either 

drums and Mount Kimbie aesthetic, 

but there is an obvious attempt 

to humanize the sound through 

the clean vocal layering. There are 

way, those who are in the Stanley 

Theatre tonight are respectful of 

his decision to leave the dancefloor 

songs aside for an evening of soft, 

moments when the vocal harmonies 

lock in to create mesmerising 

chords, but actual lyrics are few and 

far between, often leaving little to 

hang your hat on. It takes a beautiful 

piece of music to warrant a lack of 

piano-led ballads. Bringing with 

him a drummer and guitarist, Blake 

manages to recreate the subtleties 

of the album and even add more bite 

to songs like The Wilhelm Scream 

as he layers up the keys until the 

song seems to have disappeared 

into the ether, before stripping it 

back to basics for a final softly sung 

line. It is this relationship between 

sound and lyric that raises James 

Blake above his peers. Repeating 

a line such as “I’m falling” while 

the music swirls into the abyss 

is a wonderful marriage, before 

ushering in a post-storm calm and 

conceding “Might as well fall in”. The 

lyrics are timeless but the music is 

futuristic, and when underpinned by 

his classically-trained piano-playing, 

the performance is all but infallible. 

James Blake is an extraordinary 

talent and at just 21 he has an 

exciting future ahead of him; and, 

as he is not willing to align himself 

to a particular style, we are sure 

to hear some real surprises from 

him in the future. From the dark of 

the Stanley Theatre, there comes a 

shining light. 

Jonny Davis 

FIESTA OBSCENIC 

Wolstenholme Creative Space 

The bare floors and MDF walls of 

the Wolstenholme Creative Space 

have never felt particularly suited to 

gigs, and indeed, ‘space’ is far from the 

operative word, as we stumble over 

prostrate bodies and trolleys full of 

clothes in what feels like little more 

than an electrified broom cupboard. 

For one night only the venue’s 

chipboard aesthetic is perfectly placed, 

transforming the WCS into the mother 

of all student house parties for the 

purposes of FIESTA OBSCENIC. If only 

more student house parties could 

conspire to cram over thirty of the city’s 

most thrilling live acts into one space 

and raise more than one thousand 

pounds for the British Red Cross. 

As we flit from floor to floor, we 

catch glimpses of artists lugging 

their gear about or pummelling away 

at the puny PA systems. Floor lighting 

creates a quaint ‘summer indoors’ 

effect for math-rock duo CHRIK, as

Reviews Bido Lito! July 2011 

23 

they skitter through their melodic 

brand of off-kilter instrumental 

indie-pop. Despite the convoluted 

arrangements, it’s tight and incredibly 

listenable, scoring points off hipsters 

and passers-by alike. And this trend 

continues when guitarist Chris Lynne 

picks up axe duties with VASCO DA 

GAMA, their electrifying performance 

widely regarded as one of their 

best live shows, drawing admirable 

glances from a variety of revellers, 

who are falling between rooms 

in scenes reminiscent of a Young 

Ones episode. 

Seven-piece skiffle band SIDNEY 

BAILEY’S NO GOOD PUNCHIN’ 

CLOWNS inhabit a different world, 

and offer a refreshing aside to the 

‘lad-rock’ centric acts on show. 

Transporting us back to depressionera 

New Orleans, their act is more of 

a musical antique show, combining 

banjo, muted trumpet, double bass, 

washboard and, er, cider jug to create 

their vintage sound. 

Surprise band #1 are returning 

heroes WAVE MACHINES, who 

somehow manage to shoehorn all 

manner of equipment and eager fans 

into the attic. The ever-changing prices 

at the bar encourage drinks to be 

mixed, but spirits remain high, which 

is handy for Wave Machines as it 

James Canty (Tarek Musa) 

provides an already appreciative (and 

boozed-up) testing ground for their 

new material. The usual array of funk 

and dancing beats are still the bedrock 

of their appeal, but the best reactions 

come from the old faves: The Greatest 

Escape We Ever Made is practically a 

rallying call, but it is Punk Spirit that is 

the anthem, grasping the epitome of 

the event and stealing the show. 

Downstairs, THE KAZIMIER KRUNK 

BAND invade the area in front of the 

stage where THE LOUD are setting 

up, unleashing an impromptu circus 

mash-up. With no clear boundaries 

between band and audience the 

Krunkers go all Arcade Fire, bashing 

away at an assortment of instruments 

and props in a carnival jamboree. By 

way of restoring some order, The Loud 

crank up the volume past ‘ear bleeding’ 

and let rip with their set opener, Avida 

Dollars. The stark white backdrop 

(with accompanying Granny’s lamp) 

might not be their usual canvas, but 

the chop and charge of their garagerock 

groove works surprisingly well 

in the bedsit-like venue. The usual 

lads are joined in the head-nodding 

crowd by a bowler-hatted groover 

who totally gets the danceability 

of the band’s T.Rex flashes. (Note to 

self: umbrellas are excellent props for 

dancing around.)

24 

Bido Lito! 


Reviews 

The subtlety and charm of earlier 

performers, such as JAMES CANTY 

and LIPA favourites HOMESTEAD, 

has now been replaced with all 

out energy and aggression, as 

STIG NOISE exemplify. If you like 

your music coming with a host of 

flailing arms, legs and trumpet bells 

then this is for you. Appropriately, 

the stroke of midnight marks the 

appearance of Liverpool’s most 

macabre exponents of surf, EL 

TORO! The usually commanding 

figure of singer Jimmy-O looks a 

mite uncomfortable sans stage 

tonight, but he refuses to let it dent 

their performance. The ghostly intro 

of Down To The River instigates 

immediate shape-throwing by a 

crowd which is now in various 

stages of inebriation. 

The sensory overload of 

DOGSHOW’s extreme theatrics 

usually comes with a government 

health warning, but tonight’s scaled 

down set lacks their trademark, 

festival-slaying oomph. Which is to be 

expected given the paucity of space, 

and it matters not one jot to their 

audience, who lap up every second of 

the wonky experience. 

Looking round at the grins plastered 

over fellow revellers’ faces, it’s 

evident how the Fiesta’s laidback and 

carefree ethos has rubbed off on all, 

feeling more like a summer shindig 

than a bog standard gig. Yes, it was 

a bit ramshackle with clothes strewn 

everywhere; yes, the odd singer got 

their teeth electrocuted; yes, the 

sound wasn’t perfect for every band; 

but that was part, if not all, of the DIY, 

independent charm of the event, and 

why it felt that by just being there you 

were helping to contribute. 

Pete Charles, Helen Weatherhead, 

Jonny Davis, Christopher Torpey 

LADYTRON 

Outfit 

Evol @ St George’s Hall 

St George’s Hall is gradually 

building up a head of steam as a 

recognisable venue for contemporary 

Ladytron (Keith Ainsworth) 

live music. The music hall is 

wonderfully decadent with a high 

stage and seating for a more civilized 

live experience. Despite its functional 

drawbacks (the bar is a country mile 

away), it is impossible not to be in 

awe of the grand surroundings of 

Liverpool’s most luxurious venue. 

OUTFIT begin their set having played 

only a handful of shows, but having 

already collected a ridiculous amount 

of attention, including a tagging by 

NME on their ‘ones to watch’ list. It is 

difficult not to add to the hype; Outfit 

are getting better and better. Tonight 

they play with a verve and swagger 

that hasn’t necessarily been present 

in their previous performances. These 

are a band that are comfortable 

with their sound, and the tall stage 

tonight only proves to highlight the 

confidence they have gained in the 

short time since their inception, with 

lead singer Andrew Hunt swinging his 

THE DEBUT D 

ALBUM, A 

RELEASED 6 TH JUNE 2011 

AVAILABLE A A 

EXCLUSIVELY FROM 

F 

STRAWHOUSES.TV FOR AN A 

INCREDIBLE £1

BONGO BEAT 

RECORDS! 

AVAILABLE NOW 

KATRINA AND THE WAVES 

THE ORIGINAL RECORDINGS 

1983-1984 - 2DISC SET 

BONUS 1983 CONCERT DVD 

RALPHSOPHISTICATED BOOM BOOM 

BEATNIK JAZZ GARAGE ROCK 

WITH GENE VINCENT TRIBUTE 

hips to the beat and pulling shapes 

on guitar. Success for Outfit, it seems, 

is a mere formality. 

LADYTRON take to the stage looking 

chic all in black. This, coupled with their 

stark, synthesized electronic music, 

provides an interesting juxtaposition 

with the neoclassical surroundings. 

After a short while it becomes 

apparent that a seated venue is not 

ideal for music that is essentially 

aimed at the dancefloor and so lead 

singer Helen Marnie invites the crowd 

to come and dance at the front. As 

an overwhelming number of people 

oblige, the atmosphere lifts and it 

begins to feel more like a proper gig. 

Having recently released a greatest 

hits compilation spanning their 

decade of existence, ‘the Tron’ play a 

set of songs old and new. Despite the 

music stretching over four albums, 

there is little variation in sound or 

style. Whether this is classed as 

consistency or a lack of progression is 

open to debate, but the fans flailing 

at the front will no doubt testify to the 

former. The band have certainly carved 

themselves a path that they follow 

meticulously, from the elongated 

synth drones to the echoed vocals, 

and it is this guarantee of coherence 

to their manifesto that will ensure that 

upcoming album Gravity The Seducer 

will maintain a loyal fanbase. 

Jonny Davis 

acid-house era in the early ‘90s. 

Ringleader Andy Butler and his everexpanding 

troupe grace us with their 

presence a little later than planned 

but the inebriated crowd have their 

eyes on the stage rather than the 

clock, the band’s low key entrance 

rippling front to back by word of eager 

mouths. As celebrants are still racing 

towards the stage with arms flailing, 

Butler drops a taught, funky beat and 

the place goes nuts. As somewhat 

of an outsider looking in, this music 

seems to mean a hell of a lot to these 

people: there is something about a 

four to the floor drumbeat and simple 

chord progressions on a synthesizer 

that is instantly pleasing. It is a vintage 

combination that has stood the test 

of time from its underground roots 

to its consistent appearances in pop 

music over the last 20 years. Familiar 

to everyone and rarely loathed, it taps 

into a simple ingrained desire to flex 

the muscles to a rhythm. 

H&LA are real performers bringing 

an element of theatre and a whole lot 

of camp to Mojo. From the sequinned 

leather jackets to an African headdress, 

and Butler’s possibly ironic chav attire 

(complete with Burberry hat and 

chain), they bring a party atmosphere 

just the right side of children’s 

entertainers. With three vocalists 

handling a variety of roles, from 

singing the highest register to belting 

out the deepest growls, they cover 

a fantastic range and complement 

each other perfectly. Knowing when 

to let the driving rhythm do the work 

is an art that H&LA have perfected, 

but more importantly they have the 

ability to add so much to a simple 

piano loop. The songs are elevated 

beyond the confines of house music 

by Butler’s will to craft pop songs that 

are accessible to the masses whilst 

remaining faithful to the blips and 

squeaks that club-goers appreciate. 

H&LA remain eager to please 

throughout, and often interact with 

the audience in a successful attempt 

to blur the boundaries between 

performance and party. Tonight is less 

about an artist showcasing a body of 

work than about simply trying to have 

a good time with a group of lively 

people. There is something humbling 

HERCULES AND 

LOVE AFFAIR 

Liverpool Music Week @ Mojo 

ANDY CREEGGAN 

ANDIWORK III 

FOUNDING MEMBER OF 

THE BARENAKED LADIES 

Distributed by Proper Music. 

Available: HMV.COM, iTUNES 

AMAZON, PLAY.COM, eMusic, 

Spotify, etc 

BONGO BEAT 

www.bongobeat.com 

label curated by Ralph Alfonso 

Having been forced to postpone 

their UK tour in early 2011 due to 

illness, HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR 

are finally here at Mojo ready to 

play to an eager and sizeable crowd. 

As soulful vocal house blares out of 

the bass-heavy soundsystem there 

is a buzz of nostalgic excitement in 

the air. The age of tonight’s clientele 

averages around the mid-30s mark, 

suggesting that perhaps many here 

enjoyed a spell at the Haçienda or 

were at least revellers in the northern 

Hercules And Love Affair (Dave Howarth)

28 

Bido Lito! 


Reviews 

about this inclusive and outreaching 

attitude to performance: rather than 

being a presentation, the songs 

are used as a conduit to creating a 

shared experience. No pretension, 

just good vibes. 

Jonny Davis 

HOWARD 

MARKS 

Liverpool Music Week @ Mojo 

During Howard Marks’ years serving 

out his jail time in Indiana, a petition for 

his release was signed by thousands. 

There were more signatures from 

people in Liverpool than in the rest 

of the country put together. Arriving 

onstage to an American news clip 

detailing his life and crimes up until 

his imprisonment, the likeability of 

this most down-to-earth raconteur was 

ruthlessly apparent from the start. 

Marks’ legacy is one of a modern day 

Robin Hood (at one point responsible 

for 10% of global hashish sales; 

smuggling drugs in the amplifiers of 

Pink Floyd and Eric Clapton without 

their knowledge; and gaining acquittal 

on two separate occasions by claiming 

he was working undercover for 

intelligence agencies infiltrating drugs 

gangs). However, the groundbreaking 

hedonist, one of Britain’s greatest antiheroes, 

to some extent tonight fell 

victim to his own myth. 

This is no fault of Marks’. At his most 

engaging when recalling his true-life 

experiences, it was disappointing 

that the loudest cheers were calls for 

him to smoke on stage. The audience 

were, on the whole, here tonight for 

the wrong reasons. Granted the show 

is a comedy routine, but the fact is 

that the comedy is in the surreal 

nature of Marks’ life and times, in 

the coherent, intelligent and likeable 

manner in which he recalls his life 

experiences, and less in the wacky 

student humour that the audience 

wanted to see – and which was sadly 

missed. There is nothing clever or 

funny about asking Howard Marks to 

come back to a party in the kitchen of 

your student flat. 

At times Mark did play up to this 

persona, at one point downing a 

Emily And The Faves (Keith Ainsworth) 

glass of red wine in one slug; if this 

was to calm his nerves rather than as 

an act of bravado then he is a master 

not solely in the manipulation of 

disguise, but also in the manipulation 

of eyesight. 

It is obvious that Marks is proud of 

his life and times, and who wouldn’t 

be? He is a true man of the people 

and fits the persona of the lovable 

rogue perfectly. He is no saint but his 

crimes inspire not hate or loathing in 

those who hear his story, but rather 

amazement and admiration. On 

tonight’s showing it was not clearly 

evident that he was – as is often 

described – a victim of his vices over 

the years, so the ‘crazy’ heckles which 

were heard tonight were insulting. 

They served to only offend his wit 

and intelligence; traits which, when 

allowed the space, were afforded 

ample room to shine. For a man 

whose story is built on the irony of the 

fact that such an intelligent and wellrounded 

person could be dragged 

into a life of crime with terrorists 

and drug dealers as his peers, it was 

depressing that tonight the irony was 

in the fact that he was being revered 

for the deeds he had done rather than 

the manner in which he did them. 

Anybody can sell and smoke drugs; 

there is only one Howard Marks. 

P. Lee 

EMILY AND THE FAVES 

The Wild Eyes - Stealing Sheep 

Static Gallery 

With drapes hanging from the 

ceiling to improve the décor as well 

as the sound, projections on back 

cloths and standard lamps aglow, 

the Static Gallery this evening looks 

unusually cosy. 

STEALING SHEEP draw a large crowd 

first on, the trio confidently powering 

through their set. While Bob Dylan 

may have coined the term ‘The Never- 

Ending Tour’ for his near-constant 

stream of live work sine the ‘70s, 

the ‘Sheep come close, having spent 

almost the entire year on the road. 

The interminable service station food 

has paid off however, as a clangorous

THU 7th JULY to SAT 9th JULY 

100TH MERIDIAN THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS... 

HMS THETIS 

TICKETS £10 (£8) 7:30pm RAKED 

SAT 13th AUGUST 

GARY MURPHY PRESENTS BROTHERS IN ARMS- 

MARK KNOPFLER AND GARY MOORE 

ALL TICKETS £15 7:30pm RAKED 

SAT 17th SEPTEMBER 

DOUGIE MACLEAN 

TICKETS £16 (£14) 8pm CABARET 

THU 22th SEPTEMBER 

THE ANIMALS WITH STEVE CROPPER 

ALL TICKETS £25 8pm RAKED 

FRI 14th OCTOBER 

FROM THE JAM 

ALL TICKETS £20 8pm STANDING 

SAT 15th OCTOBER 

THE LANCASHIRE HOTPOTS 

TICKETS £15 (£13) 8pm CABARET 

FRI 4th NOVEMBER 

MARTIN SIMPSON 

TICKETS £15 (£13), £16 DOORS 8pm CABARET 

SAT 5th NOVEMBER 

MIDGE URE 

TICKETS £16 (14), £17.50 DOORS 8pm CABARET 

SUN 13th NOVEMBER 

BELLOWHEAD 

ALL TICKETS £17.50 8pm STANDING 

SAT 3th DECEMBER 

JEZ LOWE “THE MUSE MACCOLL” 

TICKETS £15 (£13), £16 DOORS 8pm CABARET 

WED 7th DECEMBER 

GLENN TILBROOK 

ALL TICKETS £16 8pm CABARET 

SAT 10th DECEMBER 

ALBERT LEE & HOGAN’S HEROES 

TICKETS £17.50 (£15.50), £20 DOORS 8pm CABARET 

+ MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED 

PLEASE NOTE, FOR PERSONAL CALLERS THE BOX OFFICE IS LOCATED AT: FLORAL PAVILION THEATRE, MARINE PROMENADE, NEW BRIGHTON, WIRRAL, CH45 2JS. 

WWW.PACIFICROAD.CO.UK 

0151 666 0000

30 

Bido Lito! 


Reviews 

rendition of recent 7” I Am The Rain 

amply proves. 

THE WILD EYES up next are on 

superb form, drummer Sam smacking 

at the skins like the progeny of Mo 

Tucker and Mary Chain-era Bobby 

Gillespie. One of the few non-charting 

guitar bands who can induce girls 

dancing at their gigs, How Does It 

Feel To Feel? provokes the kind of 

wig-outs last seen on Woodstock: The 

Motion Picture. 

New track Frustration gives singer 

Huw the chance to exercise his finest 

John Lydon appropriation, the sneery 

vocal well matched to the stinging 

riffage taking place beneath it. 

Kosmos, the closing track, emerges 

out of the soft shimmer of the opening 

section into the guitar maelstrom that 

cuts in halfway through. 

Headliners EMILY AND THE FAVES 

change tack, opening their set in 

unplugged mode. A performance 

ostensibly to launch the band’s 

self-titled debut LP, the gig doesn’t 

merely find the band wandering 

onstage to trundle through the track 

listing, as songs are re-ordered, rearranged 

and newer material is 

interspersed amongst the album 

tracks. Replete with nylon-strung 

acoustic, trumpet, percussion and 

double bass, the group commence 

with the lazy sway of Darth. 

A quick re-shuffle of the 

instrumentation and My TV sashays 

from the stage. Markedly different 

to its recorded version, the song’s 

evergreen indie pop is re-moulded 

into a suave bossa nova, the tribute 

to John Logie Baird’s invention 

sounding strangely akin to The Girl 

From Ipanema. 

Despite a few sound glitches, the 

band simply over-ride them, the minor 

sonic upsets incapable of obscuring 

the songwriting talent on display. 

The creepy Wicker Man vibe of White 

Knights is enhanced with trumpet, 

while a redux of The Formula, retooled 

into a longer form, also proves to be 

an inspired re-invention. 

The highpoint of the set (and the 

LP), I Never Saw, essentially the 

musical equivalent of being let off 

work early on a sunny day, sprints past 

deliriously. Taking early MBV jewels 

such as Strawberry Wine as a starting 

point, the song is steered by drummer 

Andy’s nimble sticksmanship, the 

over-lapping vocals of the chorus 

meshing brilliantly. 

Elsewhere the unison guitar/vocal 

of Golden Hair and the seamless 

interplay between the guitar and 

bass on Is It Still Nighttime? supply 

more gems in a set practically strewn 

with them. With the gig spanning the 

debut LP and the embryonic workings 

of the second, the band’s talk of 

releasing a follow-up soon is likely 

to become an audience demand if 

tonight’s winning performance is 

anything to go by. 

Richard Lewis 

AXIS OF 

Alpha Male Tea Party - At Any Time 

Right On! @ The Shipping Forecast 

There’s a distinctly progressive rock 

theme to tonight’s proceedings in the 

Hold, and we’re a little disturbed, but 

no less intrigued, by the revelation 

that one band’s guitarist often 

appears on stage in lederhosen and 

confesses to a minor obsession with, 

well, cocks. 

Almost as if to trick any prog/ 

post-rock fans gathered tonight into 

thinking that this will be anything 

other than a headfuck of a rock show, 

AT ANY TIME do Pearl Jam-infused 

riffage, but don’t so much belt it out as 

dribble it all over your new brogues. 

They start brightly enough, but a 

couple of low tempo mid-set turkeys, 

I Need Your Hand and Jane, are simply 

too monotone and the lyrics too 

clichéd to pique anyone’s interest. 

However, our patience is rewarded, 

but not until the penultimate song: 

Sam’s Command is a faster, livelier 

and more robust rock effort, and much 

more punchy live than on record. 

Their stand-in sticksman comes into 

his own and brings the song to life, 

attracting approving nods from his 

bandmates every time he unleashes 

a fancy drum fill. He looks perfectly 

natural in his substitute role and we’re 

left wondering where he usually plies 

his trade. Final track Ice is an equally 

commendable tribute to the 90s 

American stadium rock of Pearl Jam 

and Soundgarden, and demonstrates 

the band’s potential, if an audience 

for this sort of music still exists. 

If At Any Time are still chained to 

the past, the brilliantly-named math 

rock trio ALPHA MALE TEA PARTY have 

clearly broken free from the shackles 

of conventional songcraft. They play 

facing each other, their gaze locked 

on some invisible point in space 

that only they can see, as if their 

sense of timing flows from this point, 

through their brains and into their 

fingers. If we’ve learned anything 

from watching math-rock bands, it’s 

that communication is vital, lyrics are 

secondary or even absent altogether, 

and dancing in a way that doesn’t 

make you look like the Churchill dog 

on speed is, dear friends, nigh on 

impossible. This lively trio have the 

eye contact nailed, and thanks to a 

distinct love of a great riffs and funk 

basslines, they somehow keep time 

by dancing in a kind of ‘kick-your-ownarse-meets-running-man’ 

style. 

Guitarist Tom Peters is more tastefully 

attired than we had hoped, but he does 

mention that he hasn’t been in work 

today because he has been “spraypainting 

things”. We assume that he 

means cocks on toilet walls. 

Impossible to pigeonhole, AXIS 

OF’s clear hardcore punk sensibilities 

are stretched in all different directions 

as they fly through a high octane 

set of loosely structured, largely 

tuneless noise-rock, with intricate 

time signature changes and lungwithering 

vocals. Sacrificing a small 

amount of form and a large amount 

of discernible melody in favour of raw 

aggression, theirs is a progressive 

punk medium. Virtually all lyrics are 

screamed, a proverbial middle-finger 

salute to At Any Time’s polished vocal 

style, and none of the three members 

have any reservations about playing 

out of their skins to ten people. Punk 

points all round. 

Pete Charles

Reviews Bido Lito! July 2011 

31 

THE KAZIMIER 

KRUNK FIESTA 

The Kazimier 

Piñatas, sangria and fake 

moustaches as far as the eyes can 

see; this is an event that could only 

be fathomed by the lovable, yet 

eccentric folk at the Kazimier. With 

three uniquely poised stages, this 

madcap brethren have really excelled 

themselves with the inaugural 

KAZIMIER KRUNK FIESTA, with each 

stage offering varying evocations 

and moods, while maintaining that 

trademark unconventionality that 

they do so well. Having said that, 

an air of trepidation looms above 

proceedings, no-one quite knowing 

whether the threat of a bull run was 

an empty one or not… 

HARLEQUIN DYNAMITE BAND 

are, hands down, one of the most 

enjoyable live experiences you are 

ever likely to encounter. Quite the 

bold statement I know, but their zany 

personification of what live music 

should be about (good old-fashioned 

fun if you didn’t know) is the Piazza 

Stage’s high point. Mixing and 

matching various schematics only 

adds to their quirky character: who’d 

have thought that an accordion and 

a loudspeaker could work so well 

together? Even if you don’t enjoy the 

music, their enthusiasm is tangible, 

as they churn out upbeat warblings 

as if it were on tap in the happy hour 

of a mentally unstable pub. One part 

musical deftness, two parts fun. 

The Garden Stage may be petite, but 

its intimate tone is perfectly appointed 

for HEEL THE LAST STAND, as it 

complements their endearing natures 

and acute musicianship. Although it 

was difficult to understand exactly 

what these young rapscallions were 

singing about, their heart-on-sleeve 

approach made their sentiments 

readily accessible. Credit should be 

given to the Kazimier bunch, as this 

is reflective of their all-encompassing 

understanding of character; on any 

other stage, Heel The Last Stand 

would probably have been greeted 

with quizzical looks due to their 

lack of finger-clicking goodness. But 

the greenery-draped walls, coupled 

with the makeshift wooden stage, 

prove to be quintessential to this 

set’s tenderness. THE LOOSE MOOSE 

STRING BAND were also beneficiaries 

of this stage’s allure, making use 

of the intimate space to transform 

one corner of the Krunk Fest into a 

rockabilly hoedown. 

PADDY STEER: a musician so weird 

that I’m surprised he has such as 

pronounceable name. ‘One-man 

band’ would be something of an 

understatement; with techno beats, 

xylophone melodies and intense 

drumming, even if you see it, you 

won’t believe it. Following in the 

same vein as The Publicist, Mr Steer’s 

compositions have a faint whiff of 

‘70s progressive and popular music 

about them, but through digital 

tomfoolery, he drags his potentially 

rooted music into a defiantly modern 

form. The highlight of his set? As 

great as the music was, it has to be 

the hat. 

MOTHER EARTH’s appearance on 

the Club Stage is one of their rare 

outings, and still leaves people 

non-plussed on what to think about 

them. Is it weird instrumental rock? 

The Kazimier Krunk Fiesta (John Johnson) 

Is it spaced-out visual prog? Are they 

actually real? Those whose brains are 

not scrambled by the Isle Of Man’s 

fnest, and who manage to survive 

the midnight bull run, are treated to 

a live set from BINARY TOAD, and the 

Krunk Fiesta’s hosts finally getting 

stuck into their own various projects 

(DOGSHOW and THE KAZIMIER 

KRUNK BAND). 

Gypsies and matadors, punks and 

drunks, tonight is about one thing: the 

nutters of the city, the ones who say 

no to normality, and embrace joviality. 

As a spectator, I may have been treated 

to some of the crudest dances moves 

to date, but that’s the beauty of this 

whole day: an overwhelming feeling 

of nonchalance and freedom. 

Samuel Garlick

Issue 13 / July 2011

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?