Filed under: Arts, creativity, humour, life | Tags: gay music, kate McGarrigal, Krystle warren, pop, rufus wainwright, teddy thomson, Usher Hall edinburgh
Jeana and I saw Rufus Wainwright at the Usher Hall last night and he was very good in parts. His piano based torch singing always hit the mark but the sound for his full band numbers was sometimes mixed a little to murkily losing the power of his vocals. Anyway the highlight of the evening was the performance of two Kate McGarrigal numbers by members of Wainwright’s backing band as a tribute to his departed mother.
One by the uniquely voiced Krystle Warren.
The other by the imperious Teddy Thomson (son of Richard and Linda).
The night ended in a Bacchanalian gay orgy involving members of the audience angels, death, Wainwright in a togo all lubed up and a singing sandwich. You had to be there. Terrific fun. For me this number was the highlight of Rufus’s set.
Filed under: advertising, business, family, life, music, photography, work | Tags: NABS, national advertising benevolent society, pop, pop quiz
Twenty teams took part in the music quiz that I organised last night, ably supported by Jeana and Amy, and we raised nearly £4,000 for NABS (The National Advertising Benevolent Society).
It was won by Multiply who just pipped my mates Jim Downie, Ian Dommett and Will Atkinson in the final round with the latter trio having made a major strategic error by playing their Joker (double points) in an early round where there were fewer points at stake. Had they waited, like most did, for the Intros round that closed the event they’d have won by 2 points.
Ouch.
Filed under: Arts, music | Tags: aimee mann, american rock, pop, Singer songwriters, smilers
I’ve been getting a kicking from Fowlup for my dissing of The Fleet Foxes new and rather good, but not at all great album. And he hasn’t had the bottle to purchase the new Aimee Mann disc without the prior benefit of my outpourings. However, because he is sulking about my review of the FF’s (no, not the Foos) I suspect he will, in turn, seek to take an opposing line with my views on this.
I predict he will say “Ah, Gorman’s off on one of his female singer songwriter” things again. How dull.
Well, perhaps, but the fact is Aimee Mann has returned dramatically to form after the disappointment of The Forgotten Arm.
Her seventh, yes seventh, album “@#x%x*! Smilers” (despite a desperately bad title and sleeve) is a peach from the very first bars of the opener, Freeway. It’s a lush, subtle, melodic, brilliantly arranged mood piece that sits as a companion with with Batchelor No 2 her previous finest hour
Perhaps it’s her most mature work to date. And that wouldn’t be a surprise given that she’s been round the block a few times now.
I was fortunate enough to visit Victoria and Karl in Peterheed last week and amongst other things I played Karl a copy of this album and his view was that he thought he hated Aimee Mann but thought this was great.
It’s excellent stuff.
Don’t listen to Kenneth.
Listen to this…
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Filed under: music, videos | Tags: manchester, myspace, pop, salford, The Ting Tings, Youtube
The Ting Tings. Mark my words, you saw it here first. (Well, if you’re over 40n taht is, they’ve been building a big fanbase of myspace for a while and have played Glastonbury and played Jools as you can see from this vid.)
It’s a really interesting and original act from Salford.
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First single (proper) is out on March 3rd. This is it…
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