GO GREEN. HAVE AN ACOUSTIC NIGHT.

WHITBY NOW FUNDRAISER: AUGUST 19TH AT THE RESOLUTION
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The trouble with these things is they start too early. I turned up just a tad after nine, and I'd already missed JAMES WALES out of Yabbadabbadoo doing his solo set. He said he'd done some of his own songs as well, which I for one endorse wholeheartedly. If somebody could review his set for Poppitywatch I'd be most grateful. Even if James reviewed it himself, I'd be most grateful because it would be slightly subversive and a bit unusual to have someone reviewing their own gig. Especially if they were a bit disappointed in the choice of songs.
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As we walked in JON HORNE was belting hell out of his electric guitar doing a rough around the edges version of Picture This in a most unDebbieHarryesque way. The song was all the better for it. Sometimes songs need to be pulled apart, put in a bucket and given a good shaking up, before being tipped out and kicked round the stage.

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Also Jon treated us to Whole Wide World by the mighty Wreckless Eric, a songwriter of no mean talent. Anyone who pens lines like 'I could be lying on that sun soaked beach with her / Caressing her warm brown skin / And then in a year, or maybe not quite / We'll be sharing the same next of kin' is more than qualified to butter parsnips in my kitchen.

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Which brings us to Jon's own songs. No compromises. Heartfelt and raw. I could describe their thoughtful lyrical twists and turns, the two intertwining storylines running through Jack London, or the conjouring up of the fear of IRA bombings in 1969, but instead I thought you might like to judge for yourselves. Click on the song titles below to magically hear the tunes coming out of your computer speakers (as long as you've got the volume turned up a bit).

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AMERICAN WHISKEY LIVE

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JACK LONDON LIVE

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I have to admit that I've never been a massive Beatles fan. I mean they've written some pretty good songs, but so have a lot of other people. How many times do we have to hear bloody Imagine? I also have to admit that I'd never been a huge HIGH TIDE fan either, until tonight.

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Somehow, like one of those distance runners in the Olympics that suddenly manages to find a sprint finish from somewhere to take the Gold, High Tide stormed the finishing line with flying colours. I don't know what they did differently, but there was an edge to their performance. I think they enjoyed it too.

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Not too many Beatles songs, and more of their own. They did Gothenberg of course, but also one called something like Two Of Us. Immaculately played, superbly sung and really affecting. I believe they were giving us something of themselves, and it was very satisfying to see.

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Someone mentioned that Liam's somewhat longer hair now looks a bit like Noel Fielding's off The Mighty Boosh. Apparently its a cult comedy show with a zany, surreal element that all the young people are 'into' these days. Give me Sid James in a Carry On Up The Khyber on a rainy afternoon anyday. That'll do me thank you Squire.

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MARK OUT OF FRAGILE was without his chum and co-cospirator, who is known as Sally Ann Out Of Fragile. Apparently she lives on a farm and a bridge across a river had been washed away so she was stuck there, and may indeed be still there now, destined to dwell amongst the beasts of the field and to live off mangold wurzels for the rest of her life.

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Mark did a short solo set, the highlight of which, for me at least, was a display of slide guitar playing of the highest order. The highest order!

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As well as doing a short set, Mark also wore shorts. He had a shortcake biscuit immediately after he came offstage, and then proceeded to drink shorts all evening. He is obsessed by all things short and is the head of the Whitby branch of the Ronnie Corbett Appreciation Society.

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I've never seen The DTs, but I've had them at regular intervals ever since I started doing this flaming blog. LEAFY AND JAMIE out of the aforementioned DTs treated us to a set of songs, with Leafy standing at the mic and dancing about whilst Jamie sat down and played the guitar.

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All the songs were expertly rendered covers, but Leafy threw an unusual one in the mix to catch us out and open our consciousnesses up to a new dimension, man. It was a Hip Hop song. She wanted the lyrics to come over because it meant a lot to her, in fact I'm sure she said it was one of her all time favourites. Can't remember the title, but the word suicide was featured. Gulp!

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I asked why they exclusively did covers. Leafy said their own songs were too personal. The campaigne continues.

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Marvellously brash and dedicated to profitless chicanery, PANDA LASAGNE donned acoustic guitars in true Folk Week style. Except for the bass player, who donned a throbbing electric mutha of a bass with 2000 volts going through it and sparks flying from the pickups. Well, you're allowed to bend the rules a bit, aren't you?

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The Pandas were amazing. They probably felt a bit uncomfortable, but it added a palpable edge of uncertainty to the event. The song lyrics were clearer than ever and the solos were offbeat and quirky. I take my hat off to them, much as you have to do when going into Rosie's, but thats a different issue. They pulled it off and they made my night.

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The one about James' Dad was particularly good. More serious tunes would not go amiss.

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Two Panda Lasagne tracks were recorded on the night, and they're corkers. I'm saving them though as an interview with the lads is due to appear soon. I'll put them with that. Stand by your beds!

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MARK LIDDELL had regaled us with an effortless version of the curry eater's lament Ring Of Fire earlier in the evening, and it was left to him to round the proceedings off with Pearl And Dean style adverts for various businesses in Whitby. Popwatch takes a dim view of the commercialisation of popular culture, and I can tell you if any Popwatch contributors dare try it on, they're dead meat.

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Speaking of meat, Lander's Butchers of Baxtergate offer a full range of beef and pork at competetive prices. Lander's, your local purveyor of fine meats.

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Thanks to Jean again for the wonderful photos. Unfortunately I was unable to use the ones of Leafy and Jamie because they were hidden behind mic stands and music stands. Either they're very shy, or Jean cocked it up a bit. I wouldn't like to say really.

Sorry about any exclamation marks Jon!

Tuesday 19th August - Whitby Now Fundraiser

Whitby Now are planning another of their popular fundraisers which will take place at The Resolution on Tuesday 19th August. At our most recent fundraisers we have put on fairly loud rock based bands and we felt it was time to change the tempo a little and appeal to another audience and another branch of the musical talent tree of Whitby. So we are showcasing some of our acoustic acts which we think will go down particularly well as it is also Folk week and we think passing visitors will also like what they hear. So our line-up consists of


Fragile - Mark and Sally are both singer songwriters who both play various instruments and perform all their own material. They have a very lyrical sound and you can often hear echoes of the people they say have influenced them, such as , J.J.Cale, Joni Mitchell, Mahalia Jackson, Yes, Emilou Harris and Mark Knopfler.
This is Mark and Sally at last years' Whitby Now. Aren't they tiny?


James Wales - James is stepping out of his Yabbadabbado shoes to do a completely solo acoustic set. He says he is shaking in those aforementioned shoes but feels it is important to continue challenging himself with new goals. He will be performing a mixture of his own and other peoples material.

This is James having a fag break outside the Spa Pavilion last week during our Regatta fun.


High Tide - Liam Dudman and Jack Hogarth are already, despite their extreme youth, a very popular duo. The play both their own material alongside some lovely mellow tunes from the likes of Damien Rice, The Beatles and Eric Clapton. Their sound is very simple with just one guitar and 2 vocals but it works very well.

Ain't this just a delightful shot of our fresh faced duo?


Jon Horne - Jon is a singer songwriter who oozes joie de vivre. He loves what he does and that really comes over in his performance. He has some new songs on his myspace if you would care to check them out. He is as daft a brush and doesn't care who knows it.
This is a picture of Jon at last years Whitby Now - which he really really really loved. Did he tell you that?


Leafy and Jamie. Alethea Estill and Jamie Boyce are also venturing into new territory. They both play for a band called The D.T.'s but put this acoustic act together to perform at the Spa over the Regatta weekend when Whitby Now went Unplugged for the occasion. The liked it so much - they agreed to do it again.

This is how much fun Alethea (but you can call me Leafy!) had. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!


Panda Lasagne - James, Mike and Sean are one of the liveliest acts on the Whitby scene and we weren't sure what to expect when we asked them to also go "unplugged" at the Regatta event. Could such a vibrant act entertain all the grannies and children having their tea and cakes at the Spa? Indeed they could, and as always James had everyone laughing with his funny chat in between and even during songs. All you hard core Panda fans who can't believe that Panda Lasagne can do acoustic - come and see them at The Resolution on 19th when we have pinched their PA yet again.
This is James and Sean and some strangers fat head.


So please go along around 8 p.m. Admission is free, as always, and Whitby Now just ask that you buy a few raffle tickets and throw some coins into the tip bucket (silver/gold or paper money please.) so that they can raise some funds towards their November productions.
Disclaimer.
This is my first blog so excuse all errors. I have no idea what this is going to look like - but am glad I had a go.

Guide to Beached

Hi everyone

I've put together a Beached list: all the bands, their mySpace and Facebook sites and the number of fans online, so you can separate the wheat from the chaff and know when to go grab a pizza.

Don't miss tonight, where last year there was a big band, this year, there are lots of bands.

It's on mySpace here: http://groups.myspace.com/scarboroughandcoastmusic and Facebook here: http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8587508982.

Truck stage list to follow on those pages later today.

I would have posted it all up here, but I'm not sure a pile of data would have been appreciated, so take a look and hope it helps.

See you on the beach :-)

J

PANZER MISSION TERMINATED

I suppose the writing was on the wall when Panzer Attack failed to turn up for their much (at least by me) anticipated acoustic set at Music in the Basement at Whitby Coliseum.

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Also it would have given me the chance to talk tea with them, a subject dear to my heart. A few weeks ago I donated a selection of teabags, which I elaborately coded and sent by post to their Glaisdale HQ, with the intention of doing a tea review, perhaps with a bit of musical chit chat thrown into the pot for good measure.

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Sadly it was not to be, as the following missive arrived by electronic mail like a bolt out of the blue moorland sky.

Alright mate, just letting you know that we've broken up so we won't be able to finish that tea review unfortunately!

Basically none of us can be bothered with it any more and we all have other stuff to do with our little lives. But this is the official, public, reason for the split...

Unfortunately, Panzer Attack are no more. Guitarist Shepton, after a nasty bout of tea poisoning, decided he could no longer handle the rock and left to start a hippie commune in southern Belarus.

Upon hearing this news, Leeds reverted back to his natural form: a bear. The confused and angry young Leeds could no longer fulfil his duty as bassist, so he was set loose by the remaining members of the band into the wilderness of southern Belarus. It is not yet clear if this was a coincidence or not but it has been reported that an entire hippie commune in the area was in fact mauled by a shaven baby bear.

Due to "Tax Issues", Swell has declared himself bankrupt and fled to South Africa, he says of the situation "Aye it's alright like, got blacklisted from me own country though.........it's shite anyway.......aye..........Broken Britain I say.........(trails off into incoherent rant)".

It has recently come to light that guitarist Josh has been collecting all the royalties from the band's platinum record sales on the sly and has spent it all on Salmon, Venison and Veal. He is currently suffering with gout which has prevented his solo tour "The Mighty World Of Josh (He Who is Master of All, Especially Table Football)" from going ahead as planned.

Kate is said to be doing just fine, despite recent allegations of her trying to comandeer the HMS Endeavour and house it within the world's largest bottle.

The End.xx

Cheers, Shepton x

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Sounds pretty final to me, but lets watch the flames light up the night sky and see if anything emerges fom the ashes.

In the meantime, put the kettle on, will you?

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HOW TO MAKE AN ORIGAMI MORRISSEY

STEP ONE: Take a square piece of paper and fold it in half both horizontally, vertically and down both diagonals. It should end up looking like this, a bit like the Union Jack flag that they have at the Olympic Games.

STEP TWO: Carefully bring all four corners together, and let the folds guide you. You should end up with a neat diamond shape as shown. Flatten it and ensure the creases are good and sharp. Now for the tricky bit...

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STEP THREE: Grasping one of the loose corners, pull it up and out and let the edges come together as shown. Flatten the shape and ensure all the creases are sharp. Turn it over and repeat this manouvre.

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STEP FOUR: Take hold of the two pointed ends and draw them out to a 40 degree angle making one backfold in each. Overbend the apex to a third of its length, then turn the piece over. You are now ready to shape the head.

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Perform the three stage reverse Takeshi fold (invented in the 16th century by the great origami folder Takeshi Kitano), but don't forget the reflexed back half crimp at the centre section, or the quiff will come out lop sided.

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Next form the microphone by stipple flanging the quarter edged spinule at the tapered left shank and spendle it to the demicrease with a half clinched girdle cleat.

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Hey Presto! Doesn't he look great? Your Morrissey is now complete and can take pride of place stuck to your fridge with a well chosen magnet.

THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE BASEMENT

FRAGILE

On Saturday 26th July, Sally and Mark out of Fragile brought their acoustic jamboree, known as Music in the Basement, from its rural home in the moorland village of Glaisdale into the heart of the throbbing metropolis. Yes, the Coliseum Cinema hosted the first Music in the Basement to be held in Whitby. At least 60 people came, and they say they have double that amount at Glaisdale sometimes.

It wasn't strictly speaking in a basement, as you have to actually ascend a few steps from street level to get into the Coliseum, but its a technical point and we can probably gloss over it at this stage.

As an opener Fragile did three songs, and Sally's voice was particularly strong. Throughout the whole evening I thought perhaps the vocals were a bit too loud on the PA, but the overall sound was very good and crystal clear. Fragile provided a perfect introduction into the many facetted world of the Basement.


BARBARA HELEN

I met an old mate at the gig who once had to remove a troublesome seagull's nest from the roof of Whitby Hospital. Since then he's been convinced that all the seabirds in the town have him down as a marked man.

When Barbara Helen started singing her sweet song about Little Birds, he was convinced it was directed at him, such is the depth of his paranoia. She can do that thing with her voice where it suddenly jumps an octave, a bit like yodelling. Like Slim Whitman did on Una Paloma Blanca. Her songs were gentle and beautiful and possibly veering toward New Ageyness.

When she did one called Ronnie's Song, my mate thought it was possibly about a homeless seagull called Ronnie that was left destitute after its home had been destroyed. He has been undergoing a course of electrical convulsive therapy since the gig.

http://www.myspace.com/barbarahelen


MILES CAIN

Miles Cain has a warm, friendly approach to the audience. If he'd once been a Butlins' Redcoat, I wouldn't be at all surprised.

He proceeded to tell a story about an American chap who got so cross with his malfunctioning lawnmower that he shot it with his gun. The triggerhappy redneck believed it was every American's right to be free to use a firearm against a piece of troublesome garden equipment on his own property. You don't get that from Alan Tichmarsh.

One of the songs he did was of a maritime nature, and involved the two words guaranteed to send a shiver of fear down the backbone and an icy chill to the heart; Audience Participation! One half of the audience had to be pirates ( Ahaar, me Hearties! Main The Splicebrace! or whatever it is) and the others had to be sealions (Honk! Honk! Clap! Clap! Honk! etc). See what I mean about Butlins? A good time was had by all.

http://www.myspace.com/milescainukinformation


ADAM MOSS

Adam was introduced by Mark as coming from Sleights, when he in fact comes from Whitby. Despite being slightly offended by this seemingly innocent slip up, Adam did two songs.

One was a Papa Roach track. The other was a song of his own composition full of teenage sadness and downbeat longing, as indeed it should be if you're fifteen years old and this is the first song you've written. Good work. Keep an eye out Popwatchers.

http://www.myspace.com/adammoss93


ANDY STONES

The revelation of the evening was Andy Stones. He made his guitar chime in unison with his voice in such a way as to render the audience spellbound. An excellent musician who lets his skill serve the song, rather than needlessly being flashy.

One of his songs was about having three heads (no, it wasn't about living near Sellafield), he also did a plaintive version of Marvin Gaye's 'Heard it on the Grapevine'. Despite the delicate quiet nature of his performance, you could hear a pin drop between chords. Superb.

Mr Stones got a well deserved encore. If you see he's playing in the area again, pleases go and see him. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

http://www.myspace.com/andystones


THE COMMITTEE

The closing act were a five piece rock band who broke the acoustic mould by having those modern guitars that you plug in. They did two or three of their own songs, then a string broke and the offending guitar was taken backstage for the longest string change in history.

With the band incapacitated, Dave the lead singer did A Town Called malice and Wonderwall on an acoustic, before the rest of the band came back, instruments fully functional, for a rousing finale of Sweet Caroline, the Status Quo classic (?)

http://www.myspace.com/thecommitteenorthyorkshire


People who say you can't get punters to come to gigs in Whitby must be doing something wrong, because it was set out like a cabaret club, candles on the tables, no age restriction, all ages were there too, all the seats were taken and the audience were responsive and responsible throughout.

Mint gig.

POPWATCH SEEMS TO BE A BIT QUIET AT THE MOMENT. WHAT'S GOING ON ?

Hello Popwatchers.

I've been very busy at work this week, so we can feed the kids and pay the bills etc. Also I'll be away this weekend (which is when posts are normally concocted), but never fear!

There's a review of the fantastic Music In The Basement gig in the pipeline. Also an origami Morrissey to make, with complete instructions, and an interview with Panda Lasagne, which I'm determind to do when I have time. No James, I haven't forgotten!

Kate got wet tonight, so to cheer her up here's a picture of Guy Garvey standing in front of a spotty wall.