Australian Pink Floyd at Plymouth Pavilions 10th March 2014

• Australian Pink Floyd 10^th March 2014

Some how I missed out on Pink Floyd in the 1970's and regarded them with contempt, together with other such worthies as Jethro Tull and Queen when I became serious about music in 1976 with the advent of punk and new wave.

It was The Stranglers and Generation X that burnt my candle and the old music was washed away, irreverent, to my youthful ears.

Strange when you think that there really was only a matter of 5 or 6 years between the Progressive rock and Glam eras of Bowie and Floyd before Punk and yet it seamed to me at the time that it was all distant history.

Fortunately our tastes change over the years and as a result I have come round to like many of those progressive pioneers. In addition the next generation of the genre, bands like Marillion, became to me firm favourites.

Marillion, still going strong making brilliant music, Fish still rattling out new material and touring regularly.

It was in fact my brother, who is 4 years younger than me, who introduced me to Pink Floyd. Whilst I was listening to Simple Minds,Soft Cell and Human League he was listening to The Wall. Really it was down to repeated listening through his closed bedroom door!

I also had a lovely story from my ex mother in law about David Gilmour to attract me. 

My Ex MIL is an absolute diamond and taught music at Checkendon School a tiny school in rural Berkshire. The school was made up of only one class and for the Christmas play they wanted to record some sound effects and Dave Gilmour, who lived nearby, offered his home studio for the children to do the recording. MIL Kay told me that her enduring recollection is of the children sitting on his snooker table, legs dangling down, waiting to do their stuff in the studio. How could you not love him after hearing that?

Subsequently, in 1999, I was introduced to the double CD 'Pulse' during a very traumatic upheaval period of my life and at last I began to 'get it' and watched the televised shows from this time with avid interest and appreciation of the band. I acquired my own copy of Pulse in Germany but disappointingly my l.e.d. on the packaging has never 'pulsed'

I thought it would be a good idea to go to this concert with my brother as a belated Christmas present, he being Mr Pink Floyd and all.

We met up mid afternoon for a stroll around the Barbican and the Hoe before finding an appropriately pleasant hostelry. Highly recommend the Maritime Inn at the Barbican area. Lovely Landlady, keen on keeping her real ales well and a Summerskills MRB to savour. Oh, and at £2.30 a pint, lovely!

Me and the Drew had an interesting discussion over a few beers before the show about the relative value of 'tribute bands'. Many obviously, try to offer some kind of direct replacement for the original band by going for lookalike as well as soundalike show, and I for one have felt critical where it hasn't been a total success. Particularly, I recall a Queen act where I remember thinking afterwards 'well he wasn't a very realistic Freddy was he? and that guitarist didn't look remotely like Brian May even with that ridiculous wig on.....

But on the other hand do we really want to lose the live experience of the music if the original artist is no longer performing it? Nobody worries that other people are performing Mozart since he isn't around to do it himself. There is no requirement to perform as a Mozart lookalike either.

So no firm decision then as to that argument, but my preference is for a band that sounds like the original, the whole impersonation look- a- like doesn't really work for me.

Australian Pink Floyd, a band I have seen a couple of times before definitely fall into the category of trying to create the sound of Pink Floyd without any attempt whatsoever to look like them.

The show was part of the 'Set the Controls' tour, where apparently you could vote for the songs to be played, but I hadn't been involved in any of that. The set was split into two and drew heavily on the albums 'Dark Side of the Moon' 'Wish You Were Here' and 'The Division Bell' with ''The Wall' thrown in for good measure. Although to be absolutely honest I only own 'Pulse' and 'Dark Side of the Moon' so I am not the expert here.

This is a rough idea of the setlist:

Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V) 

Welcome to the Machine 

Coming Back to Life 

Time 

Breathe (Reprise) 

The Great Gig in the Sky 

Us and Them 

The Happiest Days of Our Lives 

Another Brick in the Wall Part 2 

2^nd Set :

Astronomy Domine 
Pigs (Three Different Ones) 
Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun 
Young Lust 
High Hopes 
Hey You 
Keep Talking 
Wish You Were Here 
One of These Days 
Comfortably Numb 
Encore:
Run Like Hell 

The show was quite similar to that I saw last year. If anything, with less of the laser and light show so associated with Pink Floyd, but I don't recall the giant teacher blow up puppet who joined for Another Brick.

I love the Giant kangaroo too, for 'One of These Days.'

So what did I think?

This is a show and a tribute to Pink Floyd that really does allow you to experience a 'Pink Floyd' concert in a smaller venue, without losing any of the atmosphere. The musicians are incredibly talented and get the sound down to the exact. Close your eyes and you really wouldn't know you weren't experiencing the real thing. The Australian take on the visuals keep it tongue in cheek and gives you the impression they don't take it too seriously but at the same time delivering a very serious musical performance.

I'm told the laser and lighting rigs are ex Floyd themselves, so seriously does David Gilmour take them and certainly you won't witness a more impressive light show in this kind of venue.

It was very enjoyable experience being with family and friends alike so maybe again next year? Who Knows....

Brother and Bones at Falmouth Pavilions 1st March 2014

Brother and Bones coming home, well not exactly because I think only Richard Thomas actually comes from Cornwall, but nevertheless, it feels like they are a Cornish band. Can you think of any other successful band from Cornwall?...No. Maybe there has been one but nobody can remember, so perhaps you can forgive me for claiming B&B as a Cornish band....please.

We saw Richard Thomas support Cara Dillon at Falmouth and I thought that he was amazingly talented and then we went to a barn party where B&B were supporting a soul covers band. Although I have to admit to being a little worse for wear I was completely blown away. Here was a band playing unique music and getting a fantastic reception from an audience that had no expectations hearing their songs for the 1st time.

The next time I saw them was as a support act to the Kaiser Chiefs at The Eden Project Summer 2013, and I was so disappointed because so few were there to actually see them. On a baking hot sunny day, so rare in Cornwall, maybe 100 people  were there early enough to see them. And they really deserved better, because they shone in their 30 minute set, which was far better than anything coming along, until Tom Tom Club.

So the chance to see them at The Pavilions in Falmouth was too good to miss and only a 30 minute drive. No, why not make it a whole weekend away? oh and stay in a B&B pub renowned for its real ale, now that sounds like a plan!

Only 20 miles away as the crow flies but might as well be the moon if you want to get there by train especially with the weather we've been having.

So, after battling through a Force 10 gale down to the station we found a tree had blown across the line and the St Ives branch Line was closed. Oh Dear! not a good start!

Luckily Sophie saved the day, No, not a 1960's comedy with lots of double entendres but a stroke of luck, when when one of our friends was driving up the hill as we trudged back home.

A lift to St Erth station put us back on track so to speak.

The curse of this winters poor weather was still haunting us with a 4 hour power cut at St Erth station and the train only starting from St Erth due to the infrastructure at Penzance station having being wiped out by 'The Great Valentines Day Storm'

We actually made it to Falmouth without any further drama and had time for a pint at Wetherspoons before booking in to our B&B.

Now we all know that Wetherspoons can be good and they can be awful. Penzance falling into the awful category but Falmouth is......pretty damn good.

The staff are all pretty good, apologising when you have to wait and making  a real effort to serve you in order. The food we tried later and was also impressive, maybe the manager deserves a pat on the back and a bonus to spread round the staff.

The nice thing about Falmouth is that it is a pretty lively place with some decent shops and plenty of great pubs. Impossible, you would think, in Cornwall where usually the highlight of the town centre is the Pasty shop and if your lucky a Peacocks.

For Falmouth its saving has been the coming of the University, bringing with it numerous benefits to the town. A buzzing social scene, restaurants, shops and improved rail services to name but a few.

So I can find two record/cd shops to browse and find Rory Gallagher 'Stage Struck' live, a vinyl record of it I had after seeing him at Oxford New Theatre in 1980.

Now this prompts me to think about how music influences come to you and I'm thinking here that I must pursue that one further. But Thanks to Jeff Pearson.. I was lucky to see Rory live.

There is also one of those pubs you go to that you never forget.....the Turf Tavern of Falmouth has got to be Beerwolf Books, tucked away off the main street in a small courtyard. You could be mistaken at first sight in thinking it is just a bookshop. But that's a big No, because it is a book shop, but inside a pub, so you can choose a book whilst drinking a choice of some 6 or so real ales and a similar number of ciders, and the prices of the books are pretty good too.

So we decided to make a weekend of it rather than just going over for the evening and having to drive back. And suddenly the sun came out, not something we had witnessed in Cornwall for sometime, but welcome nevertheless. So we got on a ferry boat and went to St Mawes. It got so warm we had to take off our coats.

Back to Falmouth for a few more beers and get ready for the gig.

Last time I was here was for Michael Schenker and I was surprised then how busy it was, but now it was heaving and it was nice to meet some friends from St Ives who had come on a specially organised coach.

The Pavilions is now a top venue with a good bar and there was a good support from Sound of the Sirens who were a pretty impressive female duo who managed to keep the attention of the waiting audience. Sam Williams and the Flock of Bats were not quite so impressive. Obviously talented and with some really nice songs. Maybe the audience would have been more receptive to their tender and laid back set if they had been first on the bill.

Regrettably I couldn't hear the singer over the incessant chat from the audience and gave in to the pull of another pint of Tribute at the bar, but I would like to see them in a more appropriate venue sometime.

Virtually a sell out the main attraction was Brother and Bones and the atmosphere built as the crowd poured in from the bar, luckily we had a good position not far from the front but far enough away from the mosh pit that happened not far into the set.

I love the fact that a band can create the atmosphere but try to avoid the mosh pit if possible.

There are a couple of things that stand out about Brother and Bones, one being Richard Thomas the singer and acoustic guitarist, who is a great
front man without really trying and the other is James Willard the lead guitarist.......... he is guitar genius. |James creates incredible sounds and effects whilst leaping around like a demon. I don't know how he does it.

Richard has the energy, the image and the voice, and writes imaginative, lyrical, anthems. He sings with a powerful soulful voice.

Half way through they gave him the stage for an acoustic rendition of 'Silver and Gold' before picking up the pace again to leave everyone genuinely screaming for an encore.

What more could you ask for in Cornwall, a really class band, playing to a receptive audience and that incredible feeling that this is something good that you are privileged to experiencing before everyone else catches on. Maybe not everyone though as the Dutch seam to be a little ahead of us. They sold out various venues including in Amsterdam earlier in February as part of this tour.

Be assured hat this band has some class songs and probably all-importantly put their music over to their audience with such energy that it embraces you and lifts you. Highly recommended for a listen. And catch them live if you can...

Black Star Riders at Manchester Ritz 13th December 2013

I was very excited to get 4 tickets for the Black Star Riders and to be taking my wife and two daughters. My eldest Daughter had seen Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders before but my wife and youngest had not.

Foe me it was a real trip back in time, the last time I saw Thin Lizzy being at Reading Rock Festival in August 1983, the last uk appearance of |Phil and the boys. And of course tragically Phil Lynott died only a few years later. They were my favourite band and I had seen them on all the tours since Chinatown was released.

Things were not to run so smoothly though as my wife had been waiting for an operation for some months and the final appointment was for the 11th December. There was no way she was going to be able to go and I couldn't leave her on her own at home. She did her best to stay in hospital and with a guilty heart we set off to Manchester without her.

Nearly there she called to tell me that the Hospital had discharged her and didn't give her a choice, but she had arranged for her daughter to pick her up and keep an eye on her.

The Ritz is an old cinema but has a great atmosphere. The support band were playing as we arrived and they weren't bad The Dead Daisies apparently.

We made our way further forward for the Black Star Riders and it was cracking. A good mix of their  own stuff from the album 'All Hell Breaks Loose' and Thin Lizzy stuff. The sound was good too very clear guitars and vocals.

Singer Ricky Warwick is a pretty good frontman, looks the part with his black leather and stetson, whilst the rest of the band are good musicians too. Of course there is only one Scott Gorham and you could tell he is still enjoying himself playing live.

A really nice touch was a solo guitar version of Black Rose ( or at least part of it) Played by Damon Johnson as  a tribute to Gary Moore.

Here is the set list: BLACK STAR RIDERS SETLIST MANCHESTER RITZ 13^th December 2013

1. All Hell Breaks Loose 
2. Are You Ready 
3. Bloodshot 
4. Bad Reputation 
5. Before the War 
6. Jailbreak 
7. Hoodoo Voodoo 
8. Don't Believe A Word 
9. Kingdom of the Lost 
10. Hey Judas 
11. Southbound 
12. Kissin' the Ground 
13. Valley of the Stones 
14. Emerald 
15. Bound for Glory 
16. Cowboy Song 
17. The Boys Are Back in Town 
18. Whiskey in the Jar 
19. Rosalie

A genuine shout for more from everyone for Whiskey and Rosalie not a bad introduction to live Rock music for Alina my youngest

Ben Waters at Hall for Cornwall

Having been to many a gig at the Hall for Cornwall, Truro over the years I didn't have particularly high expectations for Ben Waters on Friday 17th January 2014. A pre Gig drink at the Old Ale House by chance meant I could have a cheeky look at the band prior to seeing them on stage as they also shared a pint n this fantastic pub.

The support band hailed from the Isles of Scilly and it would appear that the islands were uninhabited because the travelling support were both numerous and  noisy. Called the Steam Band they played mainly Rolling Stones covers. Very well indeed.  Very talented guitarist and singer with a sense of humour, they got the place rocking very nicely.

Ben Waters followed with his band after the interval. Sharing round the focus by giving the band a go on lead vocals was a nice touch especially as the drummer had a great singing voice. Bens son  who is a very accomplished sax player was part of the band, he's amazingly only 13 years old.

Playing a mix of Boogie Woogie, Rock and Roll standards as well as Blues Brothers, Madness, A-ha numbers had the audience on its feet and invading the stage, prompt for a great singer from the audience to finish off  'Everybody Needs Somebody' and sing a couple of other  soul classics. It was chaotic, even before the Steam band joined for the last couple of seemingly unrehearsed numbers.

The Audience at HFC are usually seemingly glued to their seats but not this night as they danced and applauded every solo.

What a great performer, totally brilliant night out.........