Category Archives: Concerts

With camera in hand

Idles, Bristol SWX: 16.10.18

Ding, ding — round two. Back in the ring with Idles.

After first catching their incendiary performance on April 8th at the Komedia in Bath, six months later it’s clear: this band is on a rocket-fueled trajectory. Since then, Idles have dropped their second album, smashing into the UK Top Five, stormed the globe on tour, flooded TV and radio waves, and now, with a sold-out UK tour under their belt, they’ve firmly cemented themselves as the most vital band to emerge from these shores in recent memory.

Tonight, at SWX in Bristol, the volume is cranked, the pace relentless. Support band, Heavy Lungs impress with their raw, jagged sound, but it’s clear where the night’s true pulse lies. Idles tear through their set with the manic energy of the Village People on acid — chaotic, exuberant, utterly uncontainable.

At Bath, their live energy carried them through, but here? With an ever-growing and wildly responsive crowd, their confidence is sky-high — and rightly so. It takes guts to invite fans onstage; it takes pure, unshakeable confidence to hand over your instruments to them. What follows is glorious mayhem — a glorious, beautiful shambles — feeding the band’s raw, unfiltered energy, making this performance feel like a living, breathing beast.

There’s a rare and electric bond between band and audience tonight, a connection that harks back to punk’s wild heyday in the late ’70s, or the anarchic stage invasions at early Smiths gigs. Idles shows are celebrations of life — raw, flawed, unapologetic — a much-needed antidote in an era where hate and division have become disturbingly mainstream.

Sure, rock bands have always had their audiences eating from their hands. But in today’s sterile, overproduced musical landscape, it’s a rare gift to witness a band that means more than just the product they sell. Tonight, that gift belongs to Idles.

Thank fuck for Idles.

Ólafur Arnalds: Bath Forum: 26.09.18

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A Journey Through Silence, Sound, and Soul – From the moment Ólafur Arnalds steps onto the stage, it’s clear this is no ordinary concert — it’s a voyage. Between delicate, haunting melodies tonight, Arnalds shares glimpses into his world of constant travel and deep reflection. When not touring, he confesses, he escapes by wandering the globe, drawing inspiration from the places he visits. On this night, it was the Balinese Nyepi — the “Day of Silence” — a day when the entire island shuts down in quiet meditation. The irony isn’t lost on him when he jokes about taking a hot bath on Bath’s own Hot Bath Street earlier that day — a moment of surreal connection between his travels and the city hosting him.

But tonight’s experience goes deeper than travel anecdotes. Arnalds pulls back the curtain on his unlikely journey from hardcore punk drummer to one of modern classical’s most sensitive voices. He reminisces about his first visit to Bath in 2007, pounding the drums for the underground punk band Fighting Shit in cramped pubs. It’s almost impossible to reconcile that rough-edged past with the fragile beauty he now creates.

Yet, the seeds of this musical transformation were planted early, nurtured by the tender influence of his grandmother. The metal-loving, punk-thrashing Ólafur would sit with her, enveloped in Chopin’s sonatas, a stark contrast to his own youthful rebellion. He shares a poignant memory: at her deathbed, she lay frail yet serene, listening to Chopin one last time. “She was old and sick, but very happy and proud,” he says softly. “I kissed her goodbye and left. She passed away a few hours later.”

That intimate connection reverberates through tonight’s final piece — Lag Fyrir Ömmu (Song for Grandma). As the first notes fill the room, the full circle of his story settles over the audience like a warm embrace. It’s a fragile, evocative farewell that makes every note, every silence, profoundly meaningful.

Ólafur Arnalds’ music is a journey — through time, memory, and emotion — and tonight, it’s impossible not to be carried along.

Michael Nau & The Mighty Thread: Louisiana, Bristol: 24.09.18

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Quiet Brilliance Unfolded

I first crossed paths with Michael Nau back in his early days as the frontman of Cotton Jones. Their 2009 album Paranoid Cocoon remains one of my all-time favorites, especially the hauntingly majestic track I Am the Changer—a song that still sneaks into my playlists when I need a quiet moment of wonder. Nau’s style feels effortless on the surface, almost casual, like he’s barely fazed by the world around him. But beneath that laid-back demeanor pulses the heart of a deeply gifted musician and songwriter.

Tonight, at the intimate Louie venue, I find myself drawn into that quiet magic once again. Michael Nau takes the stage with his band, The Mighty Thread, sharing songs from their self-titled new album—a collection of beautifully uplifting tunes that feel both timeless and fresh.

There’s something profoundly intimate about watching Nau perform live. It’s as if he’s gently inviting you into his world—a world where vulnerability meets strength, where simplicity reveals complexity. Each note and lyric hangs in the air like a whispered secret meant just for you.

For those yet to discover Michael Nau, tonight’s show is a warm invitation to lean in closer, listen harder, and experience music that’s quietly brilliant in every sense.

Check out the link below.

They Might Be Giants: SWX Bristol: 23.09.18

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Quirky Legends Finally Land in Bristol

They Might Be Giants have always occupied a wonderfully strange corner of my music collection. I’ve adored their 1990 album Flood for decades — a brilliant, quirky tapestry of songs that range from the irresistibly catchy Birdhouse in Your Soul to the biting, timely anthem Your Racist Friend. That track, especially coming from a band across the pond, rings even louder in the age of America’s 45th President.

Their music has danced through the background of iconic TV shows like Malcolm in the Middle, scored the whimsical world of SpongeBob SquarePants, and earned them not one but two Grammy Awards, alongside a Tony nomination for Best Original Score. Despite all this, it took me years to finally catch them live.

Tonight, at Bristol’s SWX, Brooklyn’s self-styled ambassadors of love and eccentricity deliver their first hometown show for me — a two-set extravaganza spanning their vast back catalogue and fresh tracks from their upcoming album. The result? A storming success.

There’s humor at every turn, musicianship tight and playful, and a sense of camaraderie that feels as genuine as it is effortless. A highlight is their playful dubbing of Aerosmith and Run DMC’s classic Walk This Way video — a cheeky nod that delights the crowd and showcases their clever wit.

If you haven’t yet experienced TMBG live, do yourself a favor and catch them on tour (dates and info linked below). Walk away with anything less than a sly smile and a spring in your step the next day? Then, my friend, you might just need professional help.

Sea Change Festival

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24/08/18 – 25/08/18 I have not been to Totnes for at least 30 years and to be honest I had no plans to revisit until being introduced to the Sea Change Festival by a good friend. There is little to recall from this last visit apart from faded memories of a pleasant and a quintessential quiet English country town. Totnes today seems a bubbling town with independent shops, eco-friendly shops, which include a very good veggie restaurant Willow, (87 High Street) definitely worth a visit and the excellent Drift Record Shop (103 High Street) amongst others.

This is the 3rd Sea Change Festival, and the convincing ingredient for my attendance is the regular presence of artists signed to the Erased Tapes label. Over the years artists from the label have increasingly featured in my music collection. This year the festival is effectively a two-site affair with the core of the business taking place within the town, while a larger stage (offshore) is located in a field at Dartington Hall approximately 1.6 miles apart. The line up is once again diverse, imaginary and offers excellent contrast, a full list of the artists can be found on the Sea Change Festival website, so here are my personal highlights and small grumble.

Hatis Noif

Hatis Noif is a vocal performer from Japan and now resides in London. A delicate and diverse mixture of avant-garde, classical Japanese music, operatic in styles with hints of Gregorian Chanting were perfectly framed in St. Mary’s Church. The programme proposed a beautiful ambiance atmosphere, and she did not fail to deliver. Gwenno (Saunders), in the civic hall, who is a sound artist, DJ and singer from Cardiff added some psychedelic power watts to the proceedings, along with the mysteries of songs performed in entirely Cornish. The Immix Ensemble Present: Kosmologie Ancience by Jane Weaver and Sam Wiehl, back to the St. Mary’s Church and you can’t keep a good cornet player down! A multi-disciplinary performance, which included voice, guitar, classical instruments and a visual trance-like, projected backdrop. Folk singer Shirley Collins gave a fascinating, heartfelt and often humorous talk about her life in music and how she traveled the word collecting songs before performing a number of songs from her recent album. Listening to these stories, but a totally different slant on the songs, as if you have been let into a hidden secret.

Those people (like me) who are long-time fans of the hugely influential German band Can were given good opportunity to bathe in our obsession on both days of the festival. Let’s start with Saturday, which provided the chance to listen in on a conversation with Rob Young, author of All Gates Open: The Story of Can. A meticulously researched piece of work. Back to Friday night and the 1.6-mile journey to the Offshore stage at Dartington Hall to catch Damo Suzuki (ex-lead singer of Can) supported by Japanise noise band, Bo Ningen leads to my only criticism of the weekend. Firstly, and I appreciate some people will wholeheartedly disagree with me here, but the performance had no heart and it just felt everybody was going through the motions. Secondly, I felt no cohesion between what was happening in the town centre and what was taking place at the Offshore stage. They seemed and felt like two entirely separate types of events, which in turn run the risk of one part dragging the other down. I voted for the intimacy of the town centre venues and did not return to the offshore site for the remainder of the festival, although there was a perfectly strong line up on offer. It’s a dilemma, which I am sure the organisers knew would be challenging and one that they will need to juggle in future years, but based on my experience at this year’s festival it’s not quite right. Setting these little grumbles aside, which you will find with all festivals, I would happily recommend this little gem of a festival.

Shirley Collins

Jane Weaver

Damo Suzuki and Bo Ningen

Hater

Lost Under Heaven

They Knew You Were Waiting

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Friday night treat and a visit to the Louisana, Bristol to catch David Ford and Beth Rowley perform live. I must admit to a soft-spot for a songsmith and balladeer with the likes of Tom Waits, Tim Buckley, Nick Drake, etc being a constant feature in my adult music collection. I make no apology for rating Ford in this league. I’ve been a fan since stumbling a cross his 2005 album I Sincerely Apologies by pure luck in 2007. Beth Rowley, I’d come across intermittingly given her Bristol roots and her debut 2008 album Little Dreamer. Class acts separately they have the confidence and talent to make the craft of song feel easy while poignantly striking at your very rib cage. Ford and Rowley wove their respected sets together perfectly. Ford providing instrumental support to Rowley’s opening set and Rowley joining Ford for a number of duets. Finishing off with their “none-encore.” A reduced to its bones version of George Michael/Aretha Franklin “Knew You Were Waiting for Me.” Based on last nights performance one can only hope that more formal recordings and releases are in the pipeline. Dates for the remaining UK tour can be found here.