Music Wise, One Hell of A Month!

Live Earth from Wembley Football Park threw up two world class players in singer/songwriter Terra Naomi and World Cup Champions the Foo Fighters. Naomi’s low key performance reminded me of Tracy Chapman’s historic bit-part appearance at the original Live Aid Wembley show. The Foo Fighters just tore the place apart with the first genuine 100% rock set of the event and generated genuine, total audience arm-waving. Frankly, Grohl and Co made almost everyone else look like 4th division players.

In the space of ten days we covered a really eclectic range of acts including Suzanne Vega, Nanci Griffith, Reverend & The Makers, The Bravery, Midlake, Fionn Regan, The Cinematics, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Howling Bells, Stephanie Dosen, The Kissaway Trail, My Latest Novel, The Dears, Beach Hut, The Ting Tings, and a few support acts. Included was the two-night Bella Union 10th Anniversary Celebration at the South Bank’s newly renovated Royal Festival Hall, complete with a few (well-trailed) surprise guests like Romeo from The Magic Numbers, Tom Smith from The Editors, and Paul Weller (who joined Midlake for a magical short session). If I was to pick one show that was just a bit special for me it was the Nanci Griffith and Stephanie Dosen gig at Manchester’s Apollo venue. Dosen’s performance was perfect, while there can be fewer more memorable experiences that standing in front of Nanci Griffith singing some of her classic alt country songs. The importance of good stage lighting (a dying art?) arose with B.R.M.C’s. show in Liverpool where for most of the performance the band was largely invisible to (paying) fans. Now, if I want to hear a band I’ll play their record at home. If I want to see the band I’ll go to a concert. It was even more disappointing because the band sounded fantastic… It is gratifying to observe that all the shows we saw attracted healthy sized audiences (mostly sell-out) and for acts that are not necessarily heavily promoted via TV or radio, but no doubt helped by the increasing influence of the Internet.

The Nationwide Mercury Prize short-list has just been announced and having just reviewed the Bat For Lashes album, I believe it should cake walk it. However, there continue to be albums that (strangely) either failed to impress or were never submitted to the jury, so I’ve sent some questions to the chair Simon Frith. I’ll let you know… Regardless the NMP remains the best (albeit flawed) UK annual music awards contest that recognises the least hyped and undersold (one short list nomination had sold just 250 albums!).

Calon FM

September 2007 sees the birth of a new radio station here in Wrexham, and it’s an exciting prospect. Based on the town’s excellent higher education institution campus, in addition to the state-of-art radio studio, there are live venues and a professional recording studio. The potential therefore exists to broadcast live events, interviews and acoustic sessions from the same location, in addition to providing students with training and experience in the real world of radio broadcasting. We are planning to host an eclectic two-hour weekly show that will provide listeners with the opportunity to hear superb music not usually heard on public service or commercial stations. Great Britain has some of the most restrictive radio licensing regimes in the world, which seem to be designed to protect the mainstream broadcasters including the state funded BBC. The result is that size and resources matter more than quality and innovation, so it is good news that after years of trying Calon FM will happen. I am hopeful that it will provide an interesting option to the town’s commercial station. Perhaps freeing up the analogue airwaves should become part of Brown’s political agenda… You know, power to the people and all that…

Cash For Honours

The UK is a country where if you don’t pay your exorbitant TV licence fee or local housing tax you can be jailed. Recent victims have included old age pensioners and a vicar. But the UK is also a country where large corporations and the government get away with murder. Take for example the fatal rail crashes that killed many passengers or the major oil storage depot fire which made many homeless and bankrupt, where the companies involved were alleged to have breached basic health and safety procedures. Or the ruling Labour government who sought secret loans in return for granting peerages to wealthy lenders. And what about the country’s political leaders who were responsible for taking this country to an illegal war with the loss of thousands of innocent lives, and have brought Iraq to its knees? Then of course there was the case of BAE Systems, a company under police investigation for bribery and corruption allegations in relation to a massive Saudi Arabian arms deal. None of these big players have been prosecuted and in the case of the latter the government instructed that charges be dropped ‘in the interests of national security.’ Is it therefore any wonder why people no longer vote for or believe what politicians say? And can the UK honestly continue to claim to be the seat of democracy and justice?

Dying For The Truth

On the 12th July, 2007 Reuters photographer Namir Noor-Eldeen and his driver Saeed Chmagh were gunned down and killed by an American gun ship. Namir was a brave, skilled and humanitarian press photographer whose images reflected so accurately the pain and suffering of the people of Iraq. Saeed played a key role in making those images possible. They were both travelling to the site of a car bombing when it was originally thought that they had fallen victims to a bomb blast. However, soon after it transpired that their vehicle had been targeted by a military helicopter and Reuters have posed several questions to the USA command regarding the incident. The Americans denied any responsibility while declaring that they were targeting terrorists in the area (locals deny any terrorist activity was taking place).

To-date 149 press and media people have been killed in Iraq (mostly Iraqis) by both insurgents and American forces. Our thoughts are with Namir and Saeed’s family, colleagues and friends, and the people of Iraq whose interests these two brave men also tried to serve. If you’d like to see Namir’s images go to the Reuters website. As a photographer and humanist I am moved and inspired by them. Even the most foolish politicos acknowledge that the battle to win hearts and minds is critical for peace and stability in the region. In both Afghanistan and Iraq coalition and UN forces are killing innocent men, women and children (mostly victims of USA air raids) in their hundreds. It seems to me that the victims are viewed by the military as little more than numbers. It’s a numbers game that can only turn even more people into the hands of the extremists.

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BBC, A Monopoly Too Far?

In recent weeks the BBC has come under justified scrutiny and criticism for its misuse of competition phone lines. Other TV companies are also under investigation prompted by various revelations. Ofcom, the regulatory body, has been revealed as an ineffective and lax regulator. In the past we have queried phone-in related broadcasting practices including TV reality show premium calls, and the quite blatant posing of idiotic questions to generate income. But other events have also caused concern at the BBC. The first was the 9am BBC broadcast of the Jann Wenner John Lennon Interview Tapes which included multiple four-letter word swearing. The interview was of extreme interest to us and we finally transcribed it for Shakenstir. But why broadcast it at 9am when its major audience would have been at work or at college or university? When questioned about the scheduling of a 45 minute programme with numerous, serious profanities, the person responsible explained that there is no legal watershed for swearing on radio (unlike TV). His response was totally inadequate and it was obvious that he was floundering. I then pondered on why music, even at night, has to have all serious expletives removed if this is the case – in effect the censorship of music. The second event was the extensive coverage by the BBC given to Blair’s spin doctor Alistair Campbell, effectively gifting this discredited and manipulative individual with tens of thousands of pounds of marketing publicity on radio and TV for the sale of his book. The third event in almost as many days was the radio and TV transmission of the (leaked) information that there would be no prosecution brought by the CPS (Criminal Prosecution Service) in the ‘Cash For Honours’ police investigations. This highly confidential, legal and controversial decision was to be formally announced by the CPS on the day following the BBC’s broadcasting of the leak. In effect, the BBC had been used to soften the impact of the following day’s controversial announcement via this ‘exclusive scoop.’ One of those arrested was a close ally of Blair and the following day was given significant coverage of his declaration that he had been ‘completely exonerated.’ This was not strictly true as the CPS had decided that there was not enough solid evidence to obtain a conviction, and in their view guilt (or innocence) could not be proven.

In the past we have questioned the massive broadcasting and Internet growth of the BBC (directly funded by the tax-payer), and its increasing influence of what music is played on air, and affect on sales of music by featured artists. In a recent BBC radio debating programme, several of the panellists voiced the view that the public service BBC should continue to be protected and funded by the tax-payer. I would conclude that the price is now too high.

Iraq Solution?

Since Mark Thompson left as head of Channel 4 (to head the BBC!) programming has begun to improve at what used to be my most watched TV channel. In an effort to nod our esteemed political leaders in the right direction, the channel enlisted a panel consisting of several leading diplomatic, defence, humanitarian and academic specialists to question relevant people and come up with two strategies. The long televised deliberations took place over several nights until finally the strategies were formulated and pronounced. The panel performed the task competently, honourably and valiantly.

My thoughts went back to the Northern Ireland troubles and its 30 year duration; the heavy and endless deployment of British troops and police, the lives lost on both sides, the bombings (both in England and Northern Ireland); and the final successful solution which entailed negotiating with the ‘terrorists.’ The solutions offered by the panel seemed logical enough but ignored the realities of the situation. Until and unless the causes of the disaster are addressed (including the prosecution of the war’s instigators), there can be no solution. And rather like climate change, unless a viable, realistic solution is found soon it will be too late. Consider Northern Ireland, it’s time to think the unthinkable.