topic: reviews
Submitted by dash on Sat, 30/04/2005 - 15:23.
Too Many People To Mention
Lakota, 6th March
I had the pleasure of junkie company just as I neared the Lakota nightclub. Stokes Croft is a place famous for it, being as it is a place on the border of the drug market, surrounded by services and hostels. This guy yelled at me across the street and I pretended to ignore him. He crossed the street and came straight for me, as if I had a huge 'junkie magnet' sign over my head. He told me a very sad story about his life, his situation and how he was trying to get some money together for a B&B. He thanked me for taking the time to listen. He was very polite, right up until the point where I said 'look mate, I don't have any money (ie. I refuse to give you money for crack), but I know all the places in this area really well, and since it is part of my job, I would be only too happy to go with you and find you somewhere to stay that you don't have to pay for.' This is all true. He knew this too, which is why he began to hurl abuse at me instead and ran away. So I shrugged, and went to do my bit for charidee.
Lakota is three floors of a mini-festival. Small children and teenagers tear around the building, for this is the home of Kizzy Morrel's Studio 7 project, which aims to help young people start careers in (Rnb/boyband/pop) music. Cajita are playing as I enter, this time with a full-on loud indie band sound - they really do seem to be doing something different every time I see them, and unfortunately it seems to be going downhill rather than up. Or more polished and mainstream, whichever you prefer. One song stands out as a very bland Oasis-style track that I'd never noticed before. Still the reliance on the laptop to provide backing noises that don't sit well with the music.
My wanderings lead me to the acoustic room, a freezing cold room of candles, drapes and soft seating where a lovely girl with short hair plays pretty songs to a transfixed, shivering crowd. I decide, there and then that I will stay here for most of the night, although the thundering bass from the room just below makes it quite difficult to hear the beauty.
She is followed by Anthea, a girl who plays her guitar like she's making love to it, who sings with incredible passion in a voice dripping with sensuality, also sounds quite a bit like Cher. The songs don't seem enough to hold me and I don't want to waste my time waiting for it to get good when there might be something better going on downstairs.
There is: SJ Esau is throwing out more of his quirky wrong-folk songs, an apology to the parents of small children for the gratuitous use of the word C U Next Tuesday during a particularly memorable performance. He is followed by Bucky, the two-man punk whirlwind who are energetic as ever. They are asked at one point to tell someone his van is about to be towed away, which they do through the medium of song. Hearing a rumour that Rose Kemp is about to start I almost run upstairs.
Singing on her own again tonight, Rose begins with an a capella song, note perfect, beautiful, superbly resisting the hypnosis of the bass in the floor. The small, icy room is packed as she leads us through her left-of-folk, wonderful songs. We suggest Violence as her encore, I am in heaven.
I have consistently failed to describe why Whale Bone Polly are so great. It's not the girls with their lovely voices, although that helps, it's not the strange combination of instruments which is mainly what I've been talking about before. I sit in the freezing room and try to work out why they have such a huge crowd and why we all love them so much. The melodies are gentle, the music fits with the words. Squeeze a little bit tighter, as the close harmonies and long notes 'squeeze' the musical tension. The song about dancing with the devil who explains to the angel playing poker that we can be good too, but we like being bad. It's stories. That's why they are great. The music fits perfectly with the words so you never lose track, and the narrative is brought to life.
In passing, I catch Scarlatti Tilt - epic, grandiose rock songs echoing in a near empty room as circus performers captivate half the crowd on the balcony. There could be something good about them, they have a girl with a piano - perhaps I'd had too much acoustic good. Worth another listen, I'm sure.
The Mighty Stars play god-awful infectious punk-pop songs to an enthusiastic audience. It's all too twee for my liking, but it is a genre that I don't really go near if I can help it. This time I run away to catch Caroline Martin, who I've missed a few times, most shamefully when I escaped the Country music at the Folk House, so here is a chance for me to make up for it. She plays very basic melodies on the guitar, backing up wonderful stories of loss, love, dogs and loneliness. Another hypnotic voice and some great songwriting have propelled her to the top of my 'girls wot sing' playlist, which is quite substantial these days.
Emily Breeze is an eye-opener, energetic, rock / grunge with punchy riffs and solid songs.
A bit later I catch a man in the top room, called Mr Bennet who sings folk/country style political humour songs, which are pretty entertaining once I'd recovered from the country side of things. The Vistic Experience lay on the country vibe too much, although it is impressive that they manage to cram seven people in a space barely small enough for three.
I forego the headliners in favour of food. I had had five solid hours of mostly great music and if only they could sort out the heating this would be a great, musty venue for this sort of multi-room extravaganza.
Lakota, 6th March
I had the pleasure of junkie company just as I neared the Lakota nightclub. Stokes Croft is a place famous for it, being as it is a place on the border of the drug market, surrounded by services and hostels. This guy yelled at me across the street and I pretended to ignore him. He crossed the street and came straight for me, as if I had a huge 'junkie magnet' sign over my head. He told me a very sad story about his life, his situation and how he was trying to get some money together for a B&B. He thanked me for taking the time to listen. He was very polite, right up until the point where I said 'look mate, I don't have any money (ie. I refuse to give you money for crack), but I know all the places in this area really well, and since it is part of my job, I would be only too happy to go with you and find you somewhere to stay that you don't have to pay for.' This is all true. He knew this too, which is why he began to hurl abuse at me instead and ran away. So I shrugged, and went to do my bit for charidee.
Lakota is three floors of a mini-festival. Small children and teenagers tear around the building, for this is the home of Kizzy Morrel's Studio 7 project, which aims to help young people start careers in (Rnb/boyband/pop) music. Cajita are playing as I enter, this time with a full-on loud indie band sound - they really do seem to be doing something different every time I see them, and unfortunately it seems to be going downhill rather than up. Or more polished and mainstream, whichever you prefer. One song stands out as a very bland Oasis-style track that I'd never noticed before. Still the reliance on the laptop to provide backing noises that don't sit well with the music.
My wanderings lead me to the acoustic room, a freezing cold room of candles, drapes and soft seating where a lovely girl with short hair plays pretty songs to a transfixed, shivering crowd. I decide, there and then that I will stay here for most of the night, although the thundering bass from the room just below makes it quite difficult to hear the beauty.
She is followed by Anthea, a girl who plays her guitar like she's making love to it, who sings with incredible passion in a voice dripping with sensuality, also sounds quite a bit like Cher. The songs don't seem enough to hold me and I don't want to waste my time waiting for it to get good when there might be something better going on downstairs.
There is: SJ Esau is throwing out more of his quirky wrong-folk songs, an apology to the parents of small children for the gratuitous use of the word C U Next Tuesday during a particularly memorable performance. He is followed by Bucky, the two-man punk whirlwind who are energetic as ever. They are asked at one point to tell someone his van is about to be towed away, which they do through the medium of song. Hearing a rumour that Rose Kemp is about to start I almost run upstairs.
Singing on her own again tonight, Rose begins with an a capella song, note perfect, beautiful, superbly resisting the hypnosis of the bass in the floor. The small, icy room is packed as she leads us through her left-of-folk, wonderful songs. We suggest Violence as her encore, I am in heaven.
I have consistently failed to describe why Whale Bone Polly are so great. It's not the girls with their lovely voices, although that helps, it's not the strange combination of instruments which is mainly what I've been talking about before. I sit in the freezing room and try to work out why they have such a huge crowd and why we all love them so much. The melodies are gentle, the music fits with the words. Squeeze a little bit tighter, as the close harmonies and long notes 'squeeze' the musical tension. The song about dancing with the devil who explains to the angel playing poker that we can be good too, but we like being bad. It's stories. That's why they are great. The music fits perfectly with the words so you never lose track, and the narrative is brought to life.
In passing, I catch Scarlatti Tilt - epic, grandiose rock songs echoing in a near empty room as circus performers captivate half the crowd on the balcony. There could be something good about them, they have a girl with a piano - perhaps I'd had too much acoustic good. Worth another listen, I'm sure.
The Mighty Stars play god-awful infectious punk-pop songs to an enthusiastic audience. It's all too twee for my liking, but it is a genre that I don't really go near if I can help it. This time I run away to catch Caroline Martin, who I've missed a few times, most shamefully when I escaped the Country music at the Folk House, so here is a chance for me to make up for it. She plays very basic melodies on the guitar, backing up wonderful stories of loss, love, dogs and loneliness. Another hypnotic voice and some great songwriting have propelled her to the top of my 'girls wot sing' playlist, which is quite substantial these days.
Emily Breeze is an eye-opener, energetic, rock / grunge with punchy riffs and solid songs.
A bit later I catch a man in the top room, called Mr Bennet who sings folk/country style political humour songs, which are pretty entertaining once I'd recovered from the country side of things. The Vistic Experience lay on the country vibe too much, although it is impressive that they manage to cram seven people in a space barely small enough for three.
I forego the headliners in favour of food. I had had five solid hours of mostly great music and if only they could sort out the heating this would be a great, musty venue for this sort of multi-room extravaganza.
