A few interviews I did waaay back in the day for 'Sup Mag...

http://www.supmag.com/2008/interview-with-akira-the-don/

http://www.supmag.com/2007/interview-with-dan-popplewell-of-ooberman/

http://www.supmag.com/2008/interview-from-the-top-of-the-olympus-mons/

Well, hasn't it been a while... I'm continuing to write for the CMU Daily(http://www.thecmuwebsite.com/) and Le Cool London (http://lecool.com/cities/london/subscriptions/new) so go and sign up for both of them right away!

Anyhow, today I'm off to volunteer for the Crisis Open Christmas project, something I did 2 years ago (without the support of my ex) and it was extremely rewarding. I hope that it will bring me a bit of perspective. It is a very important project and allows so many people a bit of respite over the Christmas period so I'm very happy to be able to do my bit, even if it is only for a couple of days.

ALBUM REVIEW: Emmy The Great – First Love

It was only on listening to this album that I remembered the part in Emmy the Great's live show at The Green Man where she played First Love with it's line about “Hallelujah, the original Leonard Cohen version”. This also reminded me that at least two other bands that we saw that weekend actually played Hallelujah, and I hadn't been reminded of that by the two versions that are currently top of the charts. I'm not sure what this says about either my memory or the relevance of the hit parade but I guess maybe the musical world has rallied around after hearing Leonard's money problems leading to his tour last year. Anyway, I digress, and that is unfair because this album is a lovely piece of work, reminiscent of last years Laura Marling debut, a folkified sing song without cockerney stylings. Emmy has performed with the likes of Lightspeed Champion and supported Martha Wainwright in the last year but this record has been self produced, funded and released and deserves a look. From the choral opening of Absentee to the rising plucked march  of Bad Things Coming there are some great songs on here. Dylan is a rollicking good time but these songs, as sweet as they sound on first listen, usually have some sex and death in there, the name of the album is apparently from Samuel Beckett's novella about a lover who leaves the woman he impregnates after she meets him on a park bench.

Anyway, I'm expecting this album to grow on me steadily throughout the year to come and hopefully success will go hand in hand.

IM
Release Date: 2 Feb 2009

Press Contact: Freeman PR

Hey,

So over the last year or so I've been writing for CMU - mainly reviews of Albums and concerts as well as doing previews for Le Cool London - I'm going to post some of that stuff up here now..

November 18 2007

Sale Green Xmas I know it is hard to believe but Christmas truly is just around the corner and for those of us who don’t fancy the traditional last-second Christmas Eve rush for presents then here is an excellent opportunity to stock up early and support a good cause at the same time. The Green Christmas Fair ticks all the boxes with organic and eco-friendly products on offer and the £2 entrance fee going to the Cambodia Trust. I’ll admit the cause is close to my heart after having visited the country and meeting people who, despite experiencing a genocide as recently as the 1970s and living in one of the poorest countries in SE Asia, remain amazingly positive. So go down, it's a great opportunity to give something to those less fortunate and also grab some fantastic presents and eco-gadgets while you're at it. / Ian Marshall

where The 20th Century Theatre, 291 Westbourne Grove W11 2QA 020 7229 4179   when 10am - 6pm   how much £2

Gig Duke Special Duke Special has always approached music in an experimental way; his first album was recorded with egg whisks, cheese graters and an old gramophone, and he will no doubt put on a very unusual show at perhaps the most lavish venue in Piccadilly. The Pigalle certainly has the theatrical feel that will suit the vaudeville theme of the evening. Four London venues will be hosting on consecutive nights with each promising something different, be it a big band night at the Albany on the 21st, the Music Hall night at Bush Hall on the 20th or the “Solo et Lumiere” night at the Roundhouse Studio on the 19th. The shows follow on from his similar and successful Irish tour over the last three weeks and with Duke recently without a record company following the closure of V2 there could be A&R out in force. Prepare for something a bit “special” then… / Ian Marshall

where The Pigalle Club, 215 Piccadilly, W1J 9HN 020 7287 3834   when Doors 7pm, Onstage 9pm   how much £12.50 Standing £42.50 Show + 3 course Dinne

December 08 2007
				Club Lovebox Christmas Party Groove Armada seem to have morphed over the years from the chill-out background music of At the River to the full on party sound of Superstylin’ and now, ten years on, they seem as busy as club promoters with their Lovebox events going from strength to strength. Their summertime weekender over at Victoria Park has become a regular and welcome date on the London calendar, showing innovation and great music put together by people who are really passionate about these things. So this Saturday marks their winter ball and expect a full on party atmosphere with The Nextmen's 4-deck throw-down, Bestival main-man Rob da Bank, live music from The RGBs and a performance from The Black Ghosts (that’s Simon Lord from Simian and Theo Keating from The Wiseguys in case you didn’t know.) Apparently it all takes place in an amazing subterranean winter wonderland as well, which sounds lovely. / Ian Marshall				where 229 Venue, 229 Great Portland Street   when 8pm - 3am   how much £12

ALBUM REVIEW: Thomas White – I Dream of Black (Drift Records)
As if Thomas White didn't have enough going on with Electric Soft Parade, Brakes, Restlesslist and the rest of the Brighton scene, he has now joined the Devon-based Drift Collective and is set to release this, his debut solo album. Recorded at home on a four track tape machine, with White playing all the instruments himself, this is a lo-fi record described by the man himself as an idea of what ESP's demos might sound like. 'I Dream Of Black' contains several snippets, slightly unformed songs which befit the scratchy home recording style of the whole. It's rewarding in parts, not least the incendiary, swirling My Bloody Valentine-esque 'The Runaround', which is possibly the most impressive and innovative thing on offer and makes you wonder how White would get on with the kind of time and money Kevin Shields had to record 'Loveless'. As it is we can enjoy another album from a prolific artist showing an admirable do-it-yourself ethos. IM
Release Date: 14 Jul
Press Contact: Freeman PR [all]

ALBUM REVIEW: John & Jehn - John & Jehn (Faculty Music Media)
Famous couples in rock performing together aren't as common as you might
think, Sonny and Cher, John and Yoko, Birkin and Gainsbourg, er, Katie and
Peter.  I'll no doubt get a list in the post but they are certainly not as
common as siblings.  You would think that the energy should spark some
creativity and that can certainly be said for this French pair, now based in
London.  This is their eponymous debut of squally indie and sweetly penned
love songs with that introspection and philosophy which only the French can
really do seriously without it appearing trite.  There are moments when it
promises to join the new-folk bandwagon but there is more than a hint of
Velvet Underground style raucousness here to intimidate the casual listener
and beguile those with more patience for that sort of thing. This record
exudes cool from its every pore but without being annoying. John & Jehn
exist in a world where photographs are black and white, love is something to
start the day with like coffee and rock and roll is a lifestyle choice.
Release Date: 28 Apr
Press Contact: Scruffy Bird [CP, RP, NP] Nile-On [O]

ALBUM REVIEW: Daedelus – Love to Make Music To (Ninja Tune)
Alfred Darlington, otherwise known as Daedelus, is not your typical Ninja Tune DJ, dressing as he does in a Victorian Dandy style, perhaps better suited to the likes of London's White Mischief night or down at one of Bourne & Hollingsworth's prohibition parties. Anyway, an unlikely looking raver he may be but it was his discovery of the UK hardcore scene in a YMCA fifteen years ago that inspired this record. It's an electronic album, and to be any more genre-specific would probably be doing it a disservice, covering as many bases as it does. Opener 'Fair Weather Friends' has a sexy vocal, glitchy beats and draws you in with a tight hook. 'Make It So (feat Michael Johnson)' is the first single and is one of the more hip hop influenced tracks while 'Hrs:Mins:Secs' was a download-only release and sounds like Cornelius in one of his more aggressive moments. Overall this is a fascinating, endlessly inventive and equally listenable album which would make a rather nice soundtrack to a summer hanging out in beer gardens in Shoreditch. IM
Release Date: 9 Jun
Press Contact: Ninja Tune IH [NP, CP, RP], Cool Badge [NR, CR, RR]

Music De Beauvoir @ Cafe 1001

I'd heard several tunes from this lot on MySpace and was suitably impressed by the jazzy, funky, hip hop instrumentalists to drag my Girlfriend and one of my mates down to East London for this free gig. I'm glad we went cos I enjoyed it, although they didn't actually come on till about 10 - almost an hour after we expected them to, and then were only on for about 30 minutes.
A shame really because I think they could go far, even with a lack of rehearsals and a turntablist with a broken arm they sounded rather good to me..!
The Cafe was a surprise as well - much bigger and more comfy than I imagined!

Spamalot - Palace Theatre, Joe Allen's Pre-Theatre Dinner

A late birthday present indeed but this was the first occasion Dad could make it to London in order for us to go out. He finally made it though, 5 months late it may have been but we had Spamalot tickets and a dinner booked at Joe Allen's - a place I knew little about but where Dad had been before.
We turned up at the restaurant and it was a stylish little basement eaterie, with theatre posters on the walls and a nice refined atmosphere. There was a three course pre-theatre menu and we chose from that along with a 1/2 litre of house red.
I had goats cheese with rocket and a pecan and cranberry chutney while dad had a nice looking black bean soup. The cheese was nice, but quite filling and my main course was even more so. I went for the stuffed chicken wrapped in pancetta with lentils, it was tasty if rather brown looking and again heavier than I expected. Dad's mullet looked a lot more colourful and lighter and was full of flavour.
We went for dessert, although I would probably have been satisfied with some fruit. He had stilton and I had a mincemeat tart with Amaretto butter which was as rich as it sounds.
So after coffee we took the short walk from Covent Garden through to Charing Cross Road and Cambridge Circus where the theatre sits proudly on the corner. I was delighted to hear that our up in the Gods balcony seats had been upgraded due to poor sales and at first we thought we would be in the dress circle but soon we were in the stalls, Dad even requested an aisle seat without too much difficulty.

The show itself was quite faithful to the holy grail, with Arthur gathering his group of Knights in search of the holy grail and then having adventures on the way to finding it. The Knights who say Ni were present and correct as were Bold Sir Robin's minstrels and the dark Knight guarding the path from Arthur who ends up limbless. No Sir Galahad in the castle of Virgins unfortunately, replaced by a piece about getting to the West End and needing to find some Jews.
Guinevere stole the show really with her excellent singing voice and a part that enabled her to play the diva in a comic manner but at the same time show off her range. Arthur wasn't cast for his singing or dancing but he did put in a decent comic performance, as did his 'umble peasant bag carrier.

The show was a hoot overall, and although maybe a little short at well under two hours kept the entertainment going throughout.

Green Christmas Fair - Notting Hill

So we went along to this charity event at the 20th Century Theatre on Sunday as an opportunity to a) support a good cause in the Cambodian Trust that the £2 entrance fee went towards, and b) to see whether we could find any ethical Christmas gifts for family or friends.

It was a nice enough little event, in an impressive old building, but there wasn't much on offer that really grabbed our attention. I liked the look of the handmade Cactus lights made of banana leaf thread and old plastic tags, as my other half said though - not sure entirely how eco these were, using presumably fairy lights on the inside.
There were some organic wines, a climate change calendar and eco-knickers as well as Christmas decorations and various other bits and bobs. All very worthy but at the end of the day, overpriced for what you were getting in most cases - which is nearly always the way with this stuff.

Wandering round Notting Hill afterwards though it is a nice area and Portobello road has all sorts of interesting vintage fashion and antique shops even on a Sunday when the market is all packed up.
Sheltering from the rain that swept in later we found ourselves in the Prince Albert, an attractive pub but I wouldn't recommend the roasts, they don't know how to cook roast potatoes apparently...