27 February 2010

It’s been a busy week and my blog has suffered, so a bit of catch-up is called for. It’s been a great music week for me starting with my coverage of a brilliant performance by singer/songwriter David Ford. The show was held on the top floor of a Liverpool city art gallery, not by any stretch of the imagination a music venue. However, a few tablelamps (yes, you heard me right), tiny sound desk, the musician’s gear (including a bunch of sound affects stuff), and enormous talent were enough to create a temple of music with pretty good sound. Ford is off to the States for a couple of months but when he’s back and if playing in your neck of the woods, go see him. He will blow you away and much more so than any Nutini, Morrrison or Regan.

Playing on the same night at Liverpool’s Echo Arena was Lady Ga Ga who performance we could not access. It was a shame because I feel there’s more to this lady than meets the eye. However, later in the week I covered the terrific Europe gig in Manchester and met a young photographer there who shared some information about the Ga Ga show. Apparently photographers were not allowed into the photo pit. Instead they were only allowed to shoot from the distant sound desk, a total waste of time. The reason should have shocked me. It turns out that the performer has been justifiably annoyed by some photographers taking pictures of her crotch due to crazy rumours about her real gender. So, some bestial idiots spoiled it for photographers wanting to capture real musical moments. The tabloid media who buy shots like this and the money-hungry arses who feed them are a national disgrace, and it’s about time record companies and artists barred some agencies and individuals from shows, in order that some of us can do a professional job in capturing the best musical images possible.

I mentioned the Europe rock show in Manchester, and it was very good indeed. But I had a couple of caveats: the venue was too small (you couldn’t move in the place), and the lighting was dominated by strobes which are not the most audience-friendly of things. The fact that Europe are not ‘cool’ or ‘happening’ enough for the music media didn’t seem to influence punters (it was a sellout show), and I reckon the band could have sold double the number of tickets, given a larger and better venue.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

When will Geordie B call the election? I reckon sooner than later, ahead of the next sSo expect snap election folks… et of ecominic growth figures which will be awful, and may even show the UK sliding back into recession. And how much will the Conservatives cut spending if they get in? It seems to me that focus groups keep changing Cameron’s mind - on a daily basis. The Liberal Democrats, however, are keeping very quiet, perhaps waiting to see which way the wind blows… Frankly, I don’t trust any of them. Leaked documents reveal that the BBC is planning some cut-backs in its services, “to allocate more funds to high quality progamming.” The measures revealed are a drop in the ocean for the massively funding corporation, who needs to take a radical look at restructuring a state owned monopoly that has grown like topsy, and not in a good way. My main complaint is Radio 1 and Radio 2 now have far too much influence in what music is played on air and on what sells. Too much airtime devoted to far too few acts is a national disgrace, and is a massive disservice to many highly talented musicians struggling to survive and grow. I menioned David Ford earlier, and a new artist in a previous entry here called Katey Brooks. Both deserve more exposure via national radio airplay and inclusion on the Later TV show. But what do they do? They only play the most hyped and known artsists, many of dubious quality, and include them on A, B. and C playlists for up to 8 weeks - the curse of the UK music industry, although great for the few… How about this as a thought? Get rid of executive producers and song selection committees, and give the overpaid BBC presenters the job of selecting music they love, and producing shows with just one person pressing the buttons; driven by a BBC policy of limiting play of certain major, hyped arists; and giving the vast majority of great artists airtime. Dream on Tone…