Well, this weekend I did the annual pilgramage to a wet and muddy field on the outskirts of Leeds for 3 days of gorging on bands. The review shall be along shortly, but as a kind of stopgap, here are my highlights and lowlights of the weekend.
Highlights:
Organisation - The disappearance of Carling as the main sponsor this year was most welcome. Mainly because it meant that the almost oppressive air of corporate sponsorship, although still there, was greatly reduced, and also because in the absence of specially erected Carling bars everywhere, the stages were better spaced out. This led to less crowding, and a far nicer atmosphere than in years gone by. Kudos to you, Mean Fiddler and Festival Republic
Seasick Steve - A more unlikely festival icon you'd be likely to meet, but this 50something gnarled old bluesman stole the weekend. Whether it be showing off his many customised instruments, telling heart-rending stories about his dead dog or even getting a girl young enough to be his grand-daughter up on stage to serenade, he was utterly spell-binding
Glasvegas - Every year there's a career-defining performance at Leeds/Reading. This was Glasvegas' year as the chorus to Daddy's Home was yelled by all and sundry for ages after they'd departed the stage
The Cribs - As if Ryan Jarman crowd-surfing wasn't enough, there was also the delightfully droll introduction of "while Metallica are over there singing about the horned one, this is a song about Wakefield", and the highlight of the entire audience singing I'm A Realist while the sound packed up. And did we mention Johnny Marr was also on stage? Johnny Bloody Marr no less.
Florence And The Machine - Kooky. Bonkers. And a future star.
Metallica - Even if the music wasn't to your taste, you could only admire the pyrotechnics, fireworks and flamethrowing that the metal legends brought with them
Lowlights:
The main stage sound - Honestly, if you book Rage Against The Machine, please don't make the sound more suited to an unplugged evening with Belle & Sebastian. For those unfortunates at the back, the increasingly riled chant of "turn it up" went unheeded
Conor Oberst - Whether it was the half-full tent, or a setlist consisting entirely of tracks from an album that had only just been released, the atmosphere was distinctly flat for the Bright Eyes man
Prices - £7 for fish & chips. £4.50 for a tiny burger. £2 for a bottle of water. It's a old, old complaint, but if someone opened up a discount food caravan on site they'd do a roaring trade.
The Killers - As great as that 1st album was, they aren't headliner material just yet. When you pad your set out with tracks from a B-side and rarities collection, it's not a great sign. And dodgy jackets as well, boys.
As I say, full review of all 3 days to follow very shortly. But if you were there, what did you think. Leave your comments below.
So the fringe is almost over and exhaustion has set in.But just as you’re settling down to your cup of cocoa trying to beat off the festival flu along comes the hype of the if.comeddie awards nominations.
And I’m so plugged into the scene this year that I haven’t seen any of them.But I am very excited that I do have tickets to see the favourite for the main award, Rhod Gilbert.From what everyone’s saying he’s created something amazing and people aren’t saying that about much this year.
David O’Doherty is a lovely musical comic and I do normally try and catch him, but I’ve usually found his stand-up between the songs has taken the shine off the hour a wee bit, so typically this year I’ve missed the show where he’s, seemingly, got everything right.
Of the newcomers, I’d guess Sarah Millican would be the best bet.Haven’t seen any of the actual shows, but I have seen Sarah a few times and she is brilliant.Pippa Evans’ character comedy has gone down well here, but, as with so many similar shows, hasn’t blown people away with the full hour of material.If you can prove your talent as a performer, however, the effort is certainly worthwhile and a nomination goes a long way.
Elsewhere I am taking it easy-ish, hanging out in my lovely pub venue and the Pleasance Courtyard.Had a lovely show yesterday – it looked like it was going to be quiet so I got everyone to move to the front and then it filled up, so the atmosphere was cracking.That buzz was followed by a lukewarm review of the previous day’s show which was very quiet, though not terrible by any means.If it is possible to have a nice two star review, then I got one, which sounds weird, but it’s true.So far I have discovered that I am either ‘well-meaning’ but not funny, have ‘a deal of charisma… (but) not yet all that funny,’ or ‘He’s funny…. If we were all Tiller boys and Tiller girls the world would be a lighter place.’Make of that what you will, but I’m making the most of the last one, it’s the only thing a right-thinking man would do.
Tonight I may take in one fringe show, but am also off to see a band tonight, Paul Vickers and the Leg, which should be a welcome relief from fringe madness.I met Paul through his work on a project entitled Recording the Impossible, which combines beautiful soundscapes, music and comedy and is truly a work of art.I’m looking forward to the gig.
At last, I’ve been to a proper theatre.I have found culture and it truly is beautiful.Okay, it’s a bit of a cheat it wasn’t a full play or anything...I went to see Daniel Kitson’s
66a Church Road: A Lament Made Of Memories And Kept in Suitcases.
It was a wonderful piece of comic melancholy, beautifully told.Touching and funny it reminded me of the love/hate relationship I had with my first car, a brown Vauxhall Nova saloon (with beige interior).It comes from the poetic heart of a pedantic, romantic personality that would much rather spew forth his feelings for a flat in Crystal Palace than any of his human loves.And to me this seems a more honest, credible and moral thing to do.Think of those artists who have left hearts already bruised, further battered by their one sided musings in songs, novels, plays and, probably even worse, in stand-up.
The staging, using beaten suitcases and an old rug is wonderfully lo-fi, though Kitson apologises at the end for their size and the fact that beyond the first few rows you can’t see the detail that’s been put into the design.But you can come down and have a look and take pictures at the end.I tried with my phone, but they came out blurry.But trust me they look very sweet.
I have to run off now…sorry.Will post more about other shows I’ve seen like Nick Mohammed (very good), Idiots of Ants (good performers, but style over substance) soon.Promise.
In a bid to conceal my social embarrassment at attending the Office Party alone, I tried to do one of those minute-by-minute, as it happens blogs from my mobile.Unfortunately I couldn’t work it out – started one and then it all went wobbly, so I tried to enjoy myself instead.
Had it worked, the blog would have gone something like this…
20:03 Enter the big room where the party is happening.Try to work out what’s going on.People are getting name badges.Head straight for the bar.It’s quickly dawning on me that this could be a great opportunity for me to chat awkwardly to strangers or stand in a corner swearing to myself.I’ve only got a tenner on me.Hope that will see me through.
20:07 Wander towards the table with the name badges and spot Cathy from Domestic Services (actress Janice Connolly, who is fabulous and absolutely meant for this type of show).She sorts my badge out and introduces me to two people.We exchange brief niceties.They wander off.I find a seat and try to blog.Fail.
20:13 It all starts to kick off.We are divided into groups – the different divisions of the company – Executives (boo), Creatives (tossers), Marketing (?), Accounts (avoid), Domestic Services (the lifeblood of this bleeding company!).There’s one other I’ve forgotten. We, the cleaners, are taken into the Gents where Cathy gees us up and gets everyone singing with one voice over a glass of sherry.One woman throws her sherry in the urinal.I give her a disapproving look – this is the office party, take any free booze you can get, madam.
And so it goes on.Actors lead each group and stand-up Glen Wool is fantastic as the arrogant Chief Exec.There’s guilty pleasure dancing, entertainment, games and stunts, which are generally good fun, though the attempt to recreate a real office party descends into some kind of horrific Swindon/Ibiza hybrid when we’re asked for a member of each group to strip off.Not my kind of thing.
This show should come with a warning.It’s not a brilliantly crafted interactive theatre show.It’s the kind of thing that English people attend to loosen their ties after a few drinks and embarrass themselves.If that’s what you fancy then go, you will enjoy it, if not don’t.It is an office party.I didn’t spot a photocopier, though - I think they missed a trick.
Hello again.Since I last checked in things have been hectic and indigestion-inducing.But you don’t need to know about that.
I’ve just come out of Freeze – the new show by Tim Key and Tom Basden of Cowards (coming to BBC 4) and Tim Key and Tom Basden fame. Tom was if.comeddie best newcomer last year and Tim is getting his own back by treating him like dirt in this double-act comedy show that fuses their material.Add extra cans of beer and a very funny youtube dance routine and you get the kind of show you can only catch at the fringe.They can be either excellent or excruciating, but with performers this strong it could only be the former and even if there’s a wee bit of self-indulgence, it’s forgivable.
Yesterday’s shows included the hottest sketch group of the moment, Pappy’s Fun Club.This was really energetic and funny – you can’t help but enjoy it.The only thing that might have stopped me was a pre-show social faux pas involving Pappy’s Matthew Crosby.We had a moment of recognition, said hello and I mumbled ‘I don’t think we’ve met properly, I’m…,’ ‘Matt Tiller’ he interjected, ‘we met at a Carey Marx gig with Joe Wilkinson three years ago.’Finally, I have met a man with a more anal memory than mine.Luckily the encounter didn’t affect his performance.Or mine.I was a fantastic audience member chuckling away without checking my texts once.(And I did receive one, so there).
Richard Herring was phenomenal, as ever.Just brilliant.His hour is about growing up as a boy in the school where his dad was the headmaster and is called The Headmaster’s Son – the man’s a genius.It’s the way he takes this and spins a web of funny, touching and challenging stand-up that makes you both sit back in awe and still want to give him a cuddle, but not in a weird way.
Also saw a play, Be My Baby that a friend of mine is in – it’s about single girls getting pregnant in the sixties, which was bad.The narrative was simplistic, but the songs and the energy of the performances made it an enjoyable show, very funny in places.
James Sherwood, like me, is doing an hour of comedy songs and musically inspired stand-up.Enjoyable it was too – he’s very Radio 4 friendly and revels in it.
John mentioned Scott Capurro in a previous comment – some friends who are staying with me went to see him and hated it.They were appalled and they’re not sensitive souls, so John’s assessment was strikingly accurate.
Meanwhile, I’ve been having lots of fun singing songs at people and was even asked to sign a CD by two groups in today’s audience.Amazing.I write a song every day for the show and we have a vote to see which is the best (the winning song will get a spa voucher) and you can see some of the entries so far here.I really like the one about the Invasion of the Jellyfish (about Portuguese Man O’ War invading the South coast) but it lost to a ditty about Madonna adopting another Malawian baby and the Daily Mail’s socialist revolutionary take on the story (no really).
Looking forward to the interactive comedy play, Office Party, which I’m booked to see tomorrow….
