whatever you do, don't leave before the last song

Thunderclap Newman @ the Windmill, 17th October

Considering the number of little-known acts who have reformed after thirty or more years of obscurity, maybe it's not that surprising that a band whose name survives thanks to a solitary number one hit in 1969 are touring again in 2008. "Something In The Air" by Thunderclap Newman still gets its share of radio airplay and rightly so, it's a great song. In fact, in the days when chart success was actually a real indicator of quality, it kept songs by both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones ("Ballad of John and Yoko" and "Honky Tonk Woman" respectively) off the top spot.

Andy "Thunderclap" Newman definitely has something of the Brian Wilson about him, sitting behind his keyboard and staring uneasily into the audience from time to time. But it seems it was ever thus. Turning up their entry in the Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music, I see that even in 1969 the "[the group's] impact derived mainly from the quirky, old-fashioned image of the pianist".

In fact it was lead singer John "Speedy" Keen, now deceased, who wrote most of the material on the "Hollywood Dreams" album which is performed in full tonight. Andy Newman is the only survivor from the original line-up but he's got an impressive bunch of musicians together.

Check out his groovy piano solo a couple of minutes in...

beer now available in london pub shock

Castanets, Crevecoeur, Fireworks Night @ The Windmill, Brixton, 5th May

Usual solid fare from the Windmill. I generally get about a 2 out of 3 rating from a night out seeing hitherto unknown (to me) bands like this. I liked Fireworks Night but need to learn the words to describe this type of music, a bit Kurt Weill-esque, all 3/4 time, reminded me of Gavin Friday. Crevecoeur ("soundtrack music with a pop sensibility from eclectic French trio") were good too. It's not often you see a real live theremin. Castanets (aka Raymond Raposa from San Diego)--"experimental, gothic country and avant garde psychedelia"--seemed to go down well but just didn't do it for me I'm afraid. Oh and the big news is you can now get a decent pint of Pedigree at the Windmill. No reason to stay away now.

Finally, apologies for getting a member of Milkwood (on first tonight, before we got there--thanks for the free CD though) involved in an unnecessarily lengthy conversation about milk- and indeed wood-related bands/records.

To whit:

Top 5 milk-related bands/songs:
1. Ernie: Benny Hill
2. Milkman of Human Kindness: Billy Bragg
3. Henry Cow
4. Milk: Garbage
5. Pint It Black: Rolling Stones

Top 5 wood-related bands/songs/musicians:
1. Roy Wood
2. Woody Guthrie
3. Woody from the Bay City Rollers
4. A Walk in the Woods: Fatima Mansions
5. Woodstock : Joni Mitchell /Matthews Southern Comfort / Crosby Stills Nash & Young

numbers up (part 2)

Danny & The Champions Of The World, Magic Numbers, Indigo Moss @ The Windmill, 14th Dec.

Once more the Windmill comes up with the goods. Not bad for a fiver, it's those Magic Numbers people again...

After sitting two rows from the back of the Festival Hall a couple of weeks ago, it makes a change to be little more than an arm's length from the band this time. In fact, drummer Sean Gannon is a no-show but we still get a lively run through some of their well-known tracks (if I remember right: "Long Legs", "Love's A Game", "Take A Chance" and "Love Me Like You") as well as the more obscure "Tonight" (which they sang with the Smoke Fairies at the RFH). Quite a big deal to see a major act in such an intimate venue.

Two other (good) bands for my money:

- Indigo Moss, who I heard a few months ago performing on the Queen Elizabeth Hall roof. Lively country/rockabilly tunes, all fiddle, banjo and harmonica, is their stock in trade but one song in particular took my ear, the much more downbeat "Swimming". Shades of Natalie Merchant, I think. Definitely gets the nod as this week's "best song ever".

- Bringing up the rear, Danny & The Champions Of The World were worth hearing too: quite impressive visually, with their face-painted eight-strong line-up, and with some interesting instrumentation (trumpet, violin, sitar). "Time Out" puts them in the "psychedelic pop folkies" pigeon hole and that's probably fair enough. I thought the singing of the main man--"Danny" presumably--had a bit of early Neil Young to it.

No doubt about the real stars of the evening though...