The curious charm of Ilfracombe

I had to spend a couple of hours in Ilfracombe today and spotted the above sign on a billboard by the bus station. As I had a bit of time to kill I thought I'd have a wander round to soak up some of the promised charm:

I saw this sign in Barnstaple bus station a while ago:

Charming!

SFR Soundsystem Sept 22nd 2012

This is my playlist for this week's show. Had a few technical issues (probably down to stupidity rather than actual technical stuff!) and also seemed to be suffering from advanced gob-shitedness last night. The saving grace was my co-presenter; young Danny Buster gave me a hand last night. I know I'm a biased Dad but it does make me immensely proud that he'd rather listen to scratchy old records with his Dad than watch the X-Factor or whatever other bilge is on the telly. I shan't be putting this show on Soundcloud as I didn't think it was very good, but you can stream it here:  http://mixlr.com/sfr/showreel/sfr-soundsystem-part-2/ 

The other saving grace was that we had a fantastic brand new tune from Urang Matang, some great Spanish ska from Alademoska, the title track from BANG the Skillet's Do the Dishes album, a great track off the Specialized album, FOUR tracks from the great Rico Rodriguez and tons of classic ska, reggae & 2Tone that got me singing and bouncing and hopefully did the same for the listeners.

1. Bad Manners - Sally Brown 
2. Derrick Morgan - Blazing Fire 
3. Madness - The Young and the Old 
4. Urang Matang - Buddah Billy 
5. Orange Street - Doesn't Make It Alright 
6. Delano Stewart - Rocking Sensation 
7. Little Roy - Rocking Chair 
8. The Skatalites - Old Rocking Chair 
9. The Moon Invaders - Rocking Chair 
10. BANG the Skillet - Do The Dishes 
11. 3 Minute Warning - Weekend Waster 
12. Alademoska - Babylon 
13. Jimmy James and the Vagabonds - Dan Is The Man 
14. Jimmy Cliff - Let's Dance 
15. The Selecter - Selling Out Your Future 
16. The Beat - Doors of Your Heart 
17. Madness - Death of a Rude Boy (Weatherall Remix) 
18. Rico Rodriguez - Africa 
19. Mudies All Stars - African Home 
20. Augustus Pablo - Africa (1983) 
21. Desmond Riley - Lead Them 
22. The Charmers - Time After Time 
23. Rico - Carolina 
24. Rico Rodriguez & King Cliff - For Brother Rico from Cliff St Lewis 
25. Rico Rodriguez with Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra - What A Wonderful World
26. Tommy McCook & the Supersonics - Soul Rock 
27. Audrey - You'll Lose a Good Thing 
28. Lloyd Charmers - In The Spirit 
29. Dandy - Move Your Mule 
30. Harmonians - Music Street
31. Jeff Barnes - Sweet Like Candy
32. Delroy Wilson - Sweetie Pie 
33. The Maytals - Sweet and Dandy 
34. Prince Buster - Ten Commandments

The Moons - Gig Review by Ben

This review of The Moons is written by another SFR DJ: Ben. 
You can find Ben on Twitter as @BenAdlam and also on the SFR page here: http://sfrstudios.com/ben/
You can find The Moons on Twitter as @MoonsOfficial ( I wasn't following The Moons until i read ben's review - I am now!)

The Moons.
93 Feet East, Brick Lane, London.
12th September 2012

Last night found me in the middle of curry mile in London's Brick Lane to watch The Moons at 93 Feet East.

Unperturbed by the smell of vomit and urine by the ticket office, or indeed the over zealous ticket girl who had to find my name on a list even when I'd produced my ticket, I ventured into the fairly large venue to watch opening act The Kumari.

Full of verve and vigour the tore through a set that was as slick as the lead singers quiff, a good opener with solid tunes (even if their best song was a The Kinks/The Hives hybrid rip-off - or should I be kind and say "homage") I'll be looking out for them in future but there appears to be and American goth band of the same name which makes finding out about them a little tedious.

After a quick change over it was the turn of Mucky Pups to take the stage, their first tune was very promising, a kind of Strokes sound with a bit of Johnny Marr guitar over the top. Unfortunately it was fairly indiscernible from the rest of the set. They appear to have found a sound they like and repeated ad infinitum. The rhythm section was solid and powerful and I think the drummer is far better than the rest of the band.

Another quick change and it was the turn of the new line-up moons to take the stage, new members Chris (guitar) and Ben (bass) certainly looking the part alongside Andy (guitar/vocals), Tom (keys and cowbell) and Ben (drums). The crowd had certainly thickened out and tentatively made their way closer to the stage with a wide range of ages present, the broad appeal of The Moons was obvious to see, what's less obvious to me is why they are not bigger than they are, maybe the days of proper song craft have passed by again and the off the shelf punk pop of The Vaccines has become de rigour, it baffles me.

Opening with two songs from the forthcoming Fables of History album, Forever Came Today and Revolutionary Lovers demonstrated the fuller, harder and less innocent sound we can expect from the new album. The last single Double Vision Love was up next and went down a storm with the crowd along with singalong favourite Everyday Heroes. Even with Andy struggling with an obviously very sore throat the crowd were certainly on his side and helped him out.

The new band members were certainly on their game with Chris adding some very cool West Coast sounding guitars to Promise Not To Tell and How Long. My personal favourite, and a lot of the crowds too by the volume of singing, English Summer was up next, a song that carries on a tradition of the storming b-side, a Beatleseque ode to our favourite topic of conversation. Debut single Torn Between Two was followed by two more new tracks Can You See Me and the fantastic Something Soon with driving rhythm and chopped guitars it reminded me of The Jam and the fact that Paul Weller had a hand in the song was plain to see. Chinese Whispers really rattled the crowds bones as always and the set closed with an instant classic from Fables Of History the shout along It's Taking Over. 

The band left the stage very briefly before the strepsilled Andy returned with his acoustic guitar for current single Jennifer (Sits Alone). But not before introducing a clearly embarrassed Jennie to the crowd and urging us all to watch the box fresh video for the song on YouTube (which I duly did and was well worth the effort - get on it!).

The rest of the band rejoined the stage for elongated versions of Nightmare Day, with a stunning "get back into bed" refrain, and closing song Don't Go Changing which left the crowd sweating and happy. 

The band then signed copies of their singles, the CD and rather sexy White Vinyl of Fables Of History which are available to pre-order from Amazon and iTunes (released on 24th October) and at the rest of the dates on the tour.

I'm not sure if I agree with the sentiment of Don't Go Changing because if last night was anything to go by changing is definitely a good thing.

There is a light that will never go out.

Ben.

The Humanitarians - Call The Police

I'm not usually over-impressed by the descriptions bands give to their own sound; the way they invite the reader to imagine some improbable or impossible coming together of musical giants and then boldly stating that THAT is what their records sound like. We've all read them - The Scruttocks take the power & majesty of Nik Kershaw, add the tenderness & subtlety of Judge Dread and infuse their music with the lyrical dexterity of Slayer - that sort of nonsense. Invariably such descriptions tend towards hyperbole; frequently they are utterly baffling; sometimes one detects a tongue firmly planted in cheek; often they're just plain bollocks. 

Usually a website blurb that promises: Imagine The Clash jamming with Lou Reed and Kasabian at The Leveller's Beautiful Days festival after a particularly big night out at a Soundgarden gig would have me aiming my mouse towards the little red cross at the top right of the page. But wait! I read on... And then all of a sudden Joe Strummer says, "We need some trombone". Ah, now you're talking - there isn't much that can't be enhanced with a bit of brass. 

Such is the promise of Devon band The Humanitarians on their website but does the reality live up to the promise? On the strength of their current single I'm happy, and amazed, to say that on this occasion the reality really does match the purple prose. Title-track Call the Police is an absolute belter of a track; 3 minutes and 20 seconds of stomping guitar, driven drums and parping brass. Caustic lyrics painting an accurate but bleak picture of the Jeremy Kyle society we are spawning should in theory be at odds with the bouncing tune but in practice they work wonderfully well together. Add to this a cracking video featuring pseudo-celebrities, chavs on CCTV, a gorgeous 1974 Ford Consul (and some actors) and you have something I can watch and listen to over and again. 

The B-side, Weatherman, begins with Michael Fish famously predicting that it may get a bit breezy but not to worry; an intro that on first listen led me to expect more of the same as was delivered by Call the Police. Weatherman, however, has a very different feel to the A-side, being more folky and melodic yet still driven and insistent. Two tracks of such quality and diversity auger well for the forthcoming album No Law. 

The Humanitarians current line up consists of singer, songwriter and guitarist John Mathew, Geoff Dalley on bass, Hayden Jones on drums and Rich Mills providing brass - mostly trombone - and guitar (presumably not at the same time). Rich describes the forthcoming album as "folky tunes rocking hard then veering into reggae breakdowns. Sabbath & Soundgarden influences creep in occasionally alongside The Clash, Specials, Lou Reed, Madness, Blur, Kasabian & Jam influences" and he promises, "it's varied, but it works." That's quite a list of influences and sounds to look out for; personally I prefer to steer away from the 'sounds like...' descriptions but can wholeheartedly agree with Rich's last statement: "It works"! As well as the album there are tracks ready for an EP release to follow soon which "may" include a cover of Al Wilson's The Snake - bloody hope so, I love that tune! 

Call the Police / Weatherman is available on iTunes, Amazon and Spotify, with more stores coming online soon. You can hear more of The Humanitarians on Soundcloud and there is also a Facebook group for the single release. The intro on the FB page says, "We're doing this totally independently of record company/label support so any help you can give us is much appreciated." There's so much cack out there that IS getting the support of major labels, media empires, publishers, etc: surely nobody who appreciates great, new REAL music can fail to sympathise with that sentiment. The Humanitarians are producing cracking new music and I hope they get that support. If you like these tracks please share the links to their website, Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud, etc, ask for them on your radio station of choice but don't forget to buy them too!

SFR Soundsystem 8th Sept 2012

This is the playlist for tonight's show. Listener discretion is advised with this show - it wasn't one of my best & I don't think I'll be putting this one on Soundcloud! The music I think was great; the idiot rambling between the records was not so great!

1. Toots & the Maytals - Funky Kingston
2. Dave Barker & The Selecter - Kingston Affair
3. Too Hot - Kingston Town
4. King Tubby & the Clancy Eccles All Stars - Kingston Dub Star
5. Carlos Malcolm & His Afro-Jamaican Rhythms - Bonanza Ska
6. The Selecter - Jackpot
7. The Rough Kutz – Warriors
8. Junior Murvin - Roots Train
9. Bob Marley & The Wailers - Iron Lion Zion
10. The Skatalites - Latin Goes Ska
11. Marcia Griffiths - Gypsy Man
12. Jackie Mittoo - El Bang Bang
13. Bob & Marcia - Young, Gifted & Black
14. Nora Deal - Oh Mama
15. Cynty & The Monkees - Lady Lady
16. Bad Manners - King Ska-Fa
17. Madness - Lovestruck
18. Ed Rome - Non Relationship Rant
19. Janice Graham Band - No Money Honey
20. King Tubby & the Clancy Eccles All Stars - King Tubby's City Dub
21. Drewvis - Drunken Words N' Dub
22. The Coventry Automatics - Little Bitch
23. Terry Hall - Chasing a Rainbow
24. Jerry Dammers' Spatial A.K.A. Orchestra - Ghost Planet
25. Lloyd the Matador - Engine 54
26. Tommy McCook & Stranger Cole - Last Flight To Reggae City
27. U-Roy & Glen Adams - Bangarang Version
28. U-Roy - Wet Dream(Version)
29. U-Roy - Wear You to the Ball
30. Stranger Cole - Rough and Tough
31. Vin Gordon - Red Blood
32. Peter Tosh - Shame & Scandal
33. Toots & the Maytals - Monkey Girl
34. Desmond Dekker - Sugar Dumpling
35. Vince Foster - Shine Eye Gal
36. Madness – Night Boat To Cairo
37. Prince Buster - Don't Throw Stones

SFR Soundsystem Silver Screen Special

Tonight's show not only had an incredibly alliterative title but was bloody good fun to do too! Every track has a film or TV link, some more tenuous than others to be honest! As always you can listen again on the SFR mixlr page, grab the podcast from iTunes or listen / download from my Soundcloud page (for one week or until I put my next show on there!) Huge thanks to Mick for all the sound-bites & clips that are sprinkled through the show. Mick is another SFR DJ - find him on Twitter as @MickCollins002 & on the SFR webpage - top quality tweets & tunes guaranteed!

So without further ado here's my SFR Soundsystem Silver Screen Special:

1. The Specials - Guns of Navarone
2. Soul Brothers - 007
3. Desmond Dekker & the Aces - 007
4. Roland Alphonso - Oceans 11
5. Smerins Anti-Social Club - Dr. Who
6. Nicky Thomas - B.B.C.
7. The Upsetters - Big John Wayne
8. Lloyd Charmers - Dollars and Bonds
9. Bombskare - Bondtrack
10. Byron Lee & The Dragonaires - Napoleon Solo
11. Ike Bennett - Illya Kuryakin
12. The Riffs - Peter Gunn
13. The Three Tops - The Sound Of Music
14. Eugene Paul - Frankie and Johnny
15. The Upsetters - Enter The Dragon
16. Prince Jammy - Fist Of Fury
17. Ska-J - The Pink Panther
18. Roland Alphonso - A Shot In The Dark
19. Soul Vendors - Full Range
20. Madness - Michael Caine
21. The Pyramids - Jesse James Rides Again
22. King Stitt - Lee Van Cleef
23. The Upsetters - Clint Eastwood
24. Llans Thelwell And His Celestials - The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
25. Drumbago's Orchestra - Duck Soup
26. The Forest Hillbillies - The Munsters
27. Bombskare - Yellow Pages
28. Randy's All Stars - Mission Impossible
29. Cedric Im Brooks - Shaft
30. Lyn Taitt & The Jets - Batman
31. Madness - Tarzan's Nuts
32. Roland Alphonso - James Bond
33. The Butlers - Sock It To 'Em J.B.
34. Jimmy Cliff - The Harder They Come
35. Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra - The Godfather
36. Bad Manners - Magnificent 7
37. Prince Buster - Cincinatti Kid 

SFR Soundsystem 25082012

Track list for last night's SFR Soundsystem is below. Now frantically beavering away* on a TV & Movie themed special for next week. (*for 'frantically beavering away' read 'giving it some thought but getting distracted by shiny things')

As always you can listen to the show on the SFR mixlr site, download the podcast by subscribing to SFR on itunes or listen / download on my soundcloud page. All free and for nothing!

1. Laurel Aitken - Reggae 69
2. Bob Andy - Too Experienced
3. Delano Stewart - Wherever I Lay My Hat
4. Jackie Edwards - Ali Baba
5. The Selecter - Bombscare
6. Bombskare - Small Man Syndrome
7. The Cundeez - Rude Girls Rude Boyz
8. Willie Williams - Armageddon Time
9. The Maytals - Pressure Drop
10. Junior Murvin - Police and Thieves
11. Amazonics - Redemption Song
12. Bob Marley - Sun is Shining
13. Peter Tosh - Downpresser
14. Tommy McCook - Wailing Dub
15. Delroy Wilson - Funky Broadway
16. Bobby Ellis - Mr Ellis
17. The Deacons - Hungry Man
18. Madness - Death of a Rude Boy
19. The Specials - Blank Expression
20. Bad Manners - Here Comes the Major
21. Mighty Two - Calico Suit
22. Marcia Aitken - I'm Still In Love
23. The Aggrovators - I'm Still In Love Dub
24. Prince Jammy & the Aggrovators - Ball of Order Dub
25. Linval Thompson - Jamaican Colley
26. Gadjo - Paranoska
27. Ska Cubano - Jezebel
28. The Humanitarians - Call the Police
29. Jimmy Cliff - The Harder They Come
30. Johnny Moore - Red is Danger
31. Lyn Taitt - Top Cat
32. The Skatalites with King Sporty - Lawless Street
33. The Untouchables - Tighten Up
34. Toots & the Maytals - Night and Day
35. Prince Buster - Young Gifted and Black