Febuary already

So I’ve been a little lax with the posts in January. The month slipped past quiet unoticed by me until I needed to ask the date. I then discovered that half the food in my fridge was probably out of date and that it was, infact, already Febuary.
So, as I drove home from work yesterday, in the most furocious and short lived snow blizzard I have ever witnessed, I got to thinking about what good music had I come across during January. I decided the answer could be pretty much summed up in three tracks.

MP3: The Drones – The Millers Daughter
Title track from their 2006 album The Miller's Daughter
MP3: Sons and Daughters – Johnny Cash
From their 2003 album Love the Cup. Their new album This Gift has recently been released.
MP3: Foals – Mathletics
This is my favouite of their tracks its better, I think, than their recent single balloons.

I have also just seen the draconian Glastonbury Festival ticket registration you have to go through just to be in with a chance of winning buying a ‘golden’  ticket. It’s akin to applying for a passport, except you will probably get one of those. Details of your registration will be kept for future use and a specifically sized photograph of you will be required with your registration. The lucky few who progress to become ‘ticket holders’ will be met by Micheal Eavis at the gate of Worthy Farm and he will lead them on a journey into a musical wonderland of hippy umpa lumpas and mud.

I have registered.

'I spy' - Highlight of Reading 2007

A lad I know who did the weekend at Reading remains unshaven and still has the armband tightly clamped round his wrist. I'm not sure if he realises that it's all over yet. He can occasionally be heard mumbling something about how lucky they were with the weather, but he's definately still dancin' inside. Below is my highlight of what I heard on the TV coverage, Get cape, Wear cape, Fly performing a classic festival audience sing-a-long moment, the sort that makes you impatient for summer when you listen to it in January. Local lads The Enemy also played another electric show.

MP3: I spy - Get cape, Wear cape, fly (live Reading 2007)

Celebrating Coventry Weekend

click image for readable program

Reading and Leeds weekend is here, at which local lads The Enemy are playing. and it looks like it’ll be bathed in sunshine unlike Vfestival last weekend. Last night, I met up with a friend who was at VStafford and he said despite the rain he had enjoyed the weekend his highlight being Mark Ronson’s set, he described it in full detail, non of which I can remember. He did mention some heavy handedness by the police a sentiment which was echoed by someone else I talked to who was there, he said the festival was ‘a bit on top’, I will find out exactly what he means when he returns from Skegness were he has been holed up recovering from last weekend.

Local fun this weekend includes various theatre, dance and music taking place arcoss the city centre under the banner of Celebrating Coventry Weekend. I hope it goes well, my wife has been down town this evening and said the music had already started. Sunday will see local artists and bands, signed and unsigned, playing in the Upper Precinct between 12:00 & 3:00pm which will be kicked off by Olivia Broadfield who we rate highly and we once saw perform with SumladfromCov at The Maudsley, she has now adobted a more electronica sound since those acoustic days, you can find out for yourselves on her myspace page where you can have a listen. Thats my tip for the day.

A bunch of us have also managed to grab a couple of tickets to see Hard-Fi at The Coliseum in Coventry on Sep 7th, so we are looking forward to that the last time we saw them was at The Brixton Academy last year and with a hotel and The Mega Bus this time it'll be less of a journey.

V2007 (without the rain)

Well I 've just watched Channel 4s afternoon coverage of yesterdays Chelmsford Vfestival and whilst annoyingly short it was quite a treat. The show contained performances by The Kooks, Snowpatrol, Just Jack, The Hoosiers, The Editors, Paolo Nutini, Pink (??? - main stage), Kanye West and the Foo Fighters. Despite the weather it looked like a day of music worth experiencing. It looked like the festival goers may have had some dry periods today, although, it is, at the moment, pissing it down in Coventry. Anyway here is, in my opinion, the best track from the coverage I have seen so far, a grand performance by what sounds on occaission like the 
Scottish Bob Marley - Paolo Nutini. A track from his 2006 album 
These Streets.

And yes, I would rather be there, than watching it on tele.

Text from V2007 - Stafford:
Just seen him mate (Paolo Nutini) very good. Killers were good last night. Pished it down all weekend.

MP3: Paolo Nutini - Jenny don't be hasty (live V2007)

Air Ambulance Music Festival - Coventry

The Old Bull & Butcher Ryton-on-Dunsmore

Covscene

Further information

The 10th Godiva Festival.

We had a lovely afternoon yesterday mingling with the revellers at The Godiva Festival. The weather had been kind on this second day of the festival. Arriving in a car meant a 20min queue in traffic but the car parking was plenty adequate. We got to the 'electric tent' in time to see The Noisettes, The Cribs and then a blinding hometown gig by The Enemy, for which the crowd decended in droves. The sides of the tent this year had been removed to provide a view for more people than managed to squish into the main arena. This was the busiest I have seen the Godiva Festival and the atmosphere was generally very friendly if not a little tipsy. The bar was good if not a little soggy underfoot and there was plenty of choice of grub. Caulk this up as another successful Godiva festival.

Mikey b37's Godiva photo album - a great collection of photos here including one of the lad who hung upside down from the tent during the enemy set. Remember him?

Glastonbury - you know which weekend it is by the weather.

Actually, this is not true as I have enjoyed several blissfully hot Glastonbury festivals, on one such occasion the welfare tent was handing out sunscreen to protect the crowds from radiation damage. I vividly remember hiding from the sun in the shadow of a skip and watching Rolf Harris performing Jake the Peg whilst wearing an overcoat and a fake wooden leg, it was one of those surreal moments. I believe he also had a wobble board.

BBC: Glasto 2007 news page
NME: Wednesday busiest ever – news story
Orange: Glastonbury 2007 photo blog

Glastonbury TV Festival for Stay at Homes

So as the revellers pour into Worthy Farm’s mystical valley of music and hedonistic frivolity the skies darken and clouds close in over England’s pleasant pastures. I say to those who possess the golden tickets if the rain does fall and the slurry starts to rise to not be disheartened. For I have sat in a deck chair with my wellies on, up to my ankles in mud, whilst watching the pyramid stage in the pouring rain under a canopy of brollies, sipping JD and enjoying something for the weekend, and I know I’d still rather be at Glastonbury than anywhere else that day.

The weekend evenings for us stay at homes will be spent in front of the television watching Glastonbury Live coverage. I know it’s not the same as being lost in the Stone Circle at 5:30am watching the sun rise over the tented ramshackle and steaming shanty towns of Glastonbury as a young lass in a dress and high heels lies curled up on the grass in a foetal postion exclaiming ‘I want to be a hippy now’ but its gonna have to do. Here is our timetable (UK listings):

Tomorrow evening

BBC 3 7 - 9pm Fratellis & Bloc Party

BBC3 9 – 11:00pm Kasabian & Amy Winehouse

BBC4 9- 10:30pm Rufus Wainwright and Arcade Fire

BBC2 Glastonbury 2007 round up 11pm – 2am

BBC3 Glastonbury 2007: The best bits on 12:30am – 2am

BBC4 Glastonbury live: Bjork 12:40am – 1:40am

blanket coverage from 7pm til 2am - excellent.

BBC3 Lilly allen and BabyShambles 7pm – 8pm

an annoying 45min gap here

BBC 3 The Kooks and Editors 8:45pm – 10:30pm

BBC 4 John Fogerty, Iggy and the Stooges 10:30pm – 12:30am

BBC3 Glastonbury 2007: The best bits on 12:30am – 2:30am

BBC2 Glastonbury 2007 10:30pm – 2:00am

Then an earlier start Sunday

BBC2 Glastonbury 2007 5:15pm – 7:00pm

BBC3 Manic Street Preachers and Mika 7:00pm - 8pm

BBC3 Kaiser Chiefs, Chemical Brothers and Corinne Bailey Rae 8:45pm – 12:00am

BBC4 Tinariwen and the Marleys 10:30pm – 12:00am

BBC2 Glastonbury 2007 10:30pm – 2:00am

BBC3 Glastonbury 2007: The best bits 12:00am – 2:00am

and that, I'm afraid, is your lot.

Godiva Festival 2007 line up announced

Taking place over the weekend 13-15th July the line-ups for music and entertainment have been announced for this years 10th Godiva Festival. Having been to most of the others I’m particularly looking forward to this one.
The Friday night headliners in the Electric Tent are The Human League supported by The Broken Dolls, whilst the G factor finalists play the Spotlight Tent and local bands play on the Market Stage.
This year all the stops have been pulled out again and the Electric Tent on the Saturday features Sun Zoom Spark, The Noisettes, The Cribs, a home-town gig for The Enemy (arrive early to get in for this one) then headliners The Super Furry Animals.
KRS-ONE headline an evening of Hip Hop in the Spot Light Tent on Saturday and The Tin Angel takes over entertainment at the Market Stage.

On the Sunday ‘Big band and Orchestra’ play in the Electric Tent as Singer Songwriters host the Market Stage and include Declan Bennet (SumladfromCov), Kristy Gallagher, plus, Suzy Indygo, Abi Lanegan and Jen Lexmond from local all female Cherry Bang Records. The Folk Tent is headlined by Sean Cannon and also sees a spot from local songstress Justine.
Besides the music there is a lot more going on with entertainment in the Godiva Festival Arena including Mark Stannage International Stuntman, The Kangaroo Gymnastic Team, Hayley the Fire Queen, Cheshire Dog Show, Escapology and Falconry.

Full details