House of blue lights » music

Shh

Ingenuity Lee — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:14:34 +0000

We were at the eels gig on Saturday night at the Manchester academy. A fine gig I might add with E and the band in fine form. We did however, experience one of the many things that irritate me at gigs. There are a lot of things that irritate at gigs and I assume these are general gripes such as tall people standing in front of you, sweaty people touching you, over priced band merchandise and Scandinavian prices for beer. These are part and parcel of the gig going experience.

One thing that is getting more irritating as I get older though is talking at gigs. I don’t mean shouting in-between songs or even saying something to your mates. I mean stood there chatting like you’re in the pub completely oblivious to the fact there is a hush over the crowd as a softly played song is performed. If your disinterested in the artist then fuck off to the bar.

Seriously, it’s not cheap to see a band live these days and that is one of the consequences of downloading music, legal or otherwise. In the twenty first century it is the touring which makes the artist the money and I accept that.

Eels tickets were I think £20 each plus booking fee(another rant for another day) so almost £50 for the two of us. That’s a lot of money. If you paid that to go to the theatre you wouldn’t stand some fucking moron behind you talking throughout. So why do we put up with it at gigs. Who are these people?

Maybe I’m noticing it more as I’m getting older and the bands I am going to see are quieter. In 1992 I saw napalm death, in 2010 I saw the low anthem, who it has to be said had an impeccably behaved crowd. You could hear a pin drop. There isn’t this problem at classical concerts. You have paid to hear someone perform, let them perform and listen to the music. I’m pretty sure Damien Rice stopped a gig once because people were talking. Now I’m not a big fan of his music but I can understand his frustration, he pays a lot of attention to detail and his songs are quite emotional. If all he can hear is some berk going on about the mpg of his new Beemer you’d get frustrated.

I recently got the new big star box set and on the last disc there is a live concert recorded from around 1974/5 in the background you can hear people talking. All the way through, completely disinterested in this legendary band performing. So it’s not a new thing, just something I don’t think we need to put up with.

Eels last Saturday night, I didn’t film this by the way.

Manchester Music Mania vote

Ingenuity Lee — Mon, 17 May 2010 13:57:27 +0000

An email from my Mum at Chethams School of music has pointed me in the direction of this poll to find out Manchesters favourite song of the last 5o years. The winning song will be put in a time capsule on the new building. Unfortunately I couldn’t get any one to guarantee that if I voted for the M people that all copies of the song would be buried in the ground never to be heard again so I voted for Joy Division.

Jeremy

Ingenuity Lee — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:32:46 +0000

Yes I know there are more important things going on in the word than the closure of a digital only radio station that caters for a niche audience but I don’t care it’s my radio station. This is footage from the BBC Director General’s appearance on Newsnight where he was savaged by Jeremy Paxman, who I have to say has balls of steel to make his boss look like a twat on national television. This footage has been cut together with footage from the Thick of it by some clever bastard.

This on I love as Adam Buxton (of Adam and Joe fame) offers the director General out for a fight on Channel 4 news.

On my radio

Ingenuity Lee — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:59:22 +0000

I have always been a defender of the BBC. I admit that I do not watch or listen ot a lot of its output, especially that aimed at the teh majority market, soap operas, dancing programmes, etc. I do enjoy the fringe output that the BBC produces the latest gem is that of Charlie Brookers Newswipe programme which I don’t feel could have been made anywhere else but the BBC. Stewart Lees comedy Vehicle last year was my favourite programme. I don’t really find the appeal of anything that is broadcast on BBC 3 but hey ho each to their own. Apparently not though as rumours are abound today that the radio stations 6 music and Asian Network are to be axed. I don’t listen to Asian Network so I can’t comment but the axing of 6 music using the argument that the commercial sector should provide this kind of output is just outrageous. Yes it wen through a rough patch when George Lamb was on in the morning but those dark days are over and the station is a pleasure to listen to the majority of the time and provides a service that is not available anywhere else on that medium. There is no national radio station for serious music fans that wish to escape the dross that is current popular music. Except 6music. It will be a disgrace if this is axed. They wouldn’t dream of axing radio 3 and if Radio 3 was a digital only station it would have similar listening figures. SAVE 6 MUSIC

Winterlong

Ingenuity Lee — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 10:50:50 +0000

Its that time of year again. Here are my favourites of the year in the world of entertainment. In no particular order.

top 5 albums

Eels – Hombre Lobo
A lo fi concept album about a werewolf. Fantastic. Long live the dogfaced boy.

The Joy Formidable – A balloon called moaning
We have tickets for their tour in March. Catchy hooks, great energy, a brilliant self produced debut. Their singles are available for free download from their site or myspace

Flaming Lips – Embryonic
Some people hated this and I have to admit that you have to be in the mood for it but when it hits the right spot it’s majestic.

White Denim – Fits
A spectacular find recommended by the 17 seconds blog. I can’t make up my mind what I like the most, the thundering bass lines or the best use of the wah wah pedal for decades.

Big Star – No 1 Record (2009 remaster)
A sad state of affairs for 2009 albums when one of my top five is a remaster from 1972. I don’t normally get sucked into re-buying albums I already have but the Big Star remasters are absolutely amazing.

Top 5 films

Moon
An enthralling film using predominantly one actor.It also incudes the best use of the Chesney Hawkes song ‘I am the one and only’ to appear in film this year.

Let the right one in
Swedish Vampire flick that is getting raved about everywhere. Creepy and disturbing, I was still thinking about it days later.

In the Loop
Like the big screen version of On the buses but with more profanity. Malcolm Tucker has taught me all new kinds of swears this year.

The Story of Anvil
What happens when you don’t get famous. A pioneering eighties Heavy Metal bands european tour and album journey in film. A heart warming tale about friendship that brought a tear to my eye.

The Wrestler
What happens after the fame. Micky Rourke as Randy the Ram is perfect and the closing song is one Springsteen’s best for years.

top 5 tv

Dollhouse
Its been cancelled already while it’s just hitting its stride. Imprints, Actives, mystery, seduction, fantastic fight scenes and Eliza Dushku. It’s divided our Hadfield house but I love it.

Glee
Singing and dancing cheesy AOR songs and Show tunes set in an American High School full of beautiful people. I should hate it but they have struck TV gold with this one. Sue Sylvester is up there with Malcolm Tucker for TV greatness. It’s not really on in the UK yet but will be huge next year.

“You think this is hard? Try being water boarded. That’s hard!”

And thats how Sue C’s it

Fringe
Fringe is more than the new X files, the cast are great and the stories are always baffling and gory. Walter the crazy scientist is great, and Olivia Dunham is another strong female lead from creator JJ Abrahams.

Red Riding
The best thing on UK TV this year. Also included in one episode is the best actor in the world right now Paddy Considine. The dark stories of murder and child abuse in West Riding over 10 years was a real TV moment in a mediocre reality soaked year.

Battlestar Galactica
It finished this year in one ofthe most satisfying TV endings ever. They managed to recrreatethe trick of the Wire and The Sopranos by managing to treat viewers with respect and actually end the story arcs without making a half arsed attempt at it.

Most baffling success of the year:
Michael Macyntyre
“I made some pasta last night for my wife, I didn’t cook it for long enough and it went hard. Don’t you hate that.” Fuck off you painfully unfunny Twat

Punka

Ingenuity Lee — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 09:25:03 +0000

It hasn’t gone unnoticed at the House of blue lights that George Lamb is now off 6 music in the daytime and has been replaced with the lovely Lauren Laverne. The work radio has been re-tuned and has been a pleasure this week. No bells, whistles, air horns or moronic ‘banter’ just some good tunes and good interviews. Long live Laverne.

Lets Talk About it

Ingenuity Lee — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:44:14 +0000

I’m off today feeling sick and sorry for myself. Catching up with some blogs and new music, I got these from the excellent 17 seconds blog. They are making me feel a little better.

True love will find you in the end

Ingenuity Lee — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 09:45:29 +0000

I must admit to being a late convert to the music of Daniel Johnston, I’d always known of him and probably heard the odd song over the years but I’d never really sat down and listened. That’s the key with Johnston, you have to sit and listen. First you just hear badly recorded and out of tune guitars and then it suddenly hits you. Whether it is ‘True love will find you in the end’ or ‘living life’. He looks a bit worse for wear on some of his more recent live shows on you tube but the love and emotion shine through with one of some most reverential crowds at his shows I’ve ever seen. It’s only been this year that I ‘saw the light’. The Late great Daniel Johnston is a great place to start, if you can’t feel the magic at first the second disc has all the songs covered by famous fans.

This is my favourite:

And a cover:

I also finally got round to seeing the film the devil and Daniel Johnston, it had been on my to do list for a while. A very compelling film, even if you don’t like his music it’s well worth watching.

Manchester Girl

Ingenuity Lee — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 20:09:07 +0000

Vic Mcglynn (ex 6music presenter) is fronting a podcast filled with new music from Manchester entitled – live from Manchester. Its free and well worth a download, it’s good to hear her dulcet tones back presenting music. I think she’s been off galavanting around the world or something like that.

I just can’t take it anymore

Ingenuity Lee — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:13:08 +0000

I’ve managed to get a copy of the new Lemonheads album a week or so before it comes out and it’s superb. I was initially disappointed when I find out Evan Dando was doing another Lemonheads album as his solo stuff is so good in all it’s Gram Parsons inspired glory. This new album though might as well be a solo effort, a covers album where he covers Gram Parsons, GG Allin, Leonard Cohen and others. The Gram cover is just great and there are guest vocals by Liv Tyler on the Cohen cover. There is also an electro clash cover of Arling and Cameron’s Dirty Robot with Kate Moss on vocals which has me undecided between tosh and genius. I haven’t made up my mind yet. Either way it’s a great album.