upside downer

PUBLIC IMAGE LTD Rock City, Nottingham, 23rd June 2022 It's the last date of PiL's UK tour and the crowd have been warmed up nicely by a spirited set from Brix Smith and her all-female band promoting the new album 'Valley of the Dolls'. The main attraction enter the stage and go straight in with the first album polemic Religion II. We're less than ninety seconds in and John Lydon is reprimanding someone recording the moment on his phone. "Put that f__king thing down and listen to the band!", he tells the bewildered punter. The opener features the now familiar plea from Lydon to the soundman to "turn up the bass" which shakes the room and, no doubt, a few bowels of those who have imbibed too much ale. A might fine take on Memories is next up followed by The Body and Warrior, which is the first of several tracks to feature some sterling work from Lu Edmonds on the electric saz. A smattering of varying quality tunes follow from the more recent albums released since the band reconvened and then comes the extraordinary Death Disco from 1979 masterpiece Metal Box. A funk-punk howl of anguish, Scott Firth's pounding bass sits underneath Edmonds' chiming guitar workout. Lydon's on top form and seems more focused than on previous tours when he's been somewhat ragged in his approach to song structures and has had his bandmates doing a hell of a lot of nervous eye contact and nods to hold things together. After a mixture of different era songs we get to highest PiL chart single This Is Not a Love Song from 1983 which has had a radical and welcome live reworking, Edmonds' saz to the fore again. First single and statement of intent Public Image brings the set to a thundering end and a halt for a fag break before the band return for 2015's sweary tribute to Lydon's old man, Shoom. Leftfield collaboration and Hollywood-haranguing Open Up is last but one for the evening and there's a raucous cheer for Bruce Smith's drum intro to the superb Rise, one of PiL's career highlights. "Anger is an energy" the crowd sing along and, when things are wrapped up at the end of this highly entertaining evening, give the band a really appreciative ovation, which Lydon seems quite moved by. There's a lot of love in the house. I heard quite a few people on the way out saying it's the best they've seen the band play and I couldn't disagree. A minor quibble? I'd like to have heard a couple of more 'classic' tunes like Poptones, Flowers of Romance or the epic Ease but that's just me nitpicking. Apparently some studio time is booked so we can look forward to another PiL album.

She's just co-written an album with Youth, who has produced it too, called 'Valley of the Dolls'.

Brix has just finished, pretty good set. No sign of Mr Hanley as Brix has an all female line up including ex-My Bloody Valentine members Deb and Jen.

PiL tonight at Rock City with support from Brix Smith.

Here's mine for June. The image is of a bucolic scene so I decided to take a relaxing ramble through the musical countryside with not a care in the world. Used an acoustic Matsikas Greek Bouzouki recorded with an Apogee+ MiC, a Westfield Violin Bass and a Yamaha KPT-240 keyboard for the plinky plonky, swirly whirly and, erm, trumpety wumpety sounds. Recorded using Wavepad and Audacity.

Cheers for that 👍

Guessing it's these ones from about six years ago. No idea if he got any joy with them being returned. https://www.nme.com/news/music/sex-pistols-glen-matlock-stolen-guitars-1910540

I'm going to get around to watching it over the next week. In the meantime, here's an advert from 1977.

Skank says "Then I saw the image and it just screamed 'Do a Floyd rip-off!'" I say... 😁 Bravo Skank, another great piece 👍

Ok, here goes. AC/DC are utter tripe. Give me the Ramones any day. Thank you for your time

Ignore, was confirming Simon King. Didn't notice someone had already done so!

Just in time with my entry 'Time Portal'. The image made me think of a swirly time and space portal from those old 60s and 70s TV shows so here's a slightly-skewed-in-places tune with a few echoey bits thrown in for a wobbly 'Woah, time travel, eh?' feel. But what is time? “Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so” said Ford Prefect to Arthur Dent as the Earth was about to be demolished in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Fair enough. Who am I to argue? Epiphone guitar, unbranded guitar in open G tuning, violin bass, Yamaha keyboard, Vivlex echo pedal, Zoom effects pedal, Roland cube amp, drums programmed with Hydrogen drums. Audacity and Wavepad remain my recording chums.

Not TV but a bass special from Vic Galloway on BBC Radio Scotland. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0017cy9 A two hour show featuring some bass-heavy tunes, snippets of Peter Hook, Jah Wobble and Youth among others talking about the low end. Predominantly post-punk era so fans of Jaco, Wooten etc. need not bother themselves with such frothiness.

From the cigar advert of 40 odd years ago! My old duo nicked a name from an advert, too. We went out as The Lionel Blaircuts. Soz for thread derail. As you were.

Holly and the Italians.

Confession time. That's the first time I've ever heard Shpongle and I thought they were great! Will be delving deeper into their back catalogue and I'll also be having a look at the two acts you've mentioned 👍

Trying some Shpongle for this afternoon's entertainment.

As @KK Jale pointed out, it looks like the work of Carmelo Catania. Here's a Catania mandolin with the same distinctive 'harp' logo. This fella Gregg Miner seems to know his onions. Might be worth contacting him? https://www.harpguitars.net/2013/04/14/carmelo-catania-from-iconography-to-reality/ https://www.harpguitars.net/

Well done to both top cats 👏👏 A fantastic array of songs this month and good to see a few more voters tuning in 🎶

Here's mine to go with Skank's fine pic. Our hero is doing his bit for the war effort but he keeps on picking up sounds from the wild and wonderful world of pop music. Nonetheless, he'll do his very best until he can have a well earned drinks break. Westfield violin bass, Epiphone guitar, Hydrogen drums and an air raid siren from Freesound. All recorded on wax cylinder from those fine phonographic chaps at Wavepad and Audacity. Lyrics hidden below.

Daft is my default 🙃 looks like we'll both be tweaking our efforts over the next day or so, ooer, missus 😁

Started out with a couple of originals bands in the early 90s, family life took over, got back in on the pub covers circuit some 20 odd years ago but haven't gigged for just over 2 years now and, with an ever-expanding family, it's hard finding the time for a regular gigging band at the moment. Potter about with home recordings (hurrah for Basschat's monthly Composition Challenge) and sometimes record with others. I've put the 'don't gig, record on own' option.

Trailer for the upcoming series. Don't judge a book by its cover and all that but this looks worryingly like it's going to head down the cliché carriageway. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ol1B3w7NtU

Having bored of convention, Hendrix would have learnt to play the guitar with his feet by the time of his appearance at Live Aid. By 1994 and the Woodstock 25th anniversary gig he'd be fretting with either ear and using his 'old chap' for strumming purposes. Karen Carpenter would now be a car painter.

A really strong field this month, well done to Lt Col Hector Del Var for holding off the opposition 👏