Notes from Hay

Music at Hay Festival, 26th May-5th June 2011

The small town of Hay-On-Wye is about twenty miles from where I live but it has become world famous in a way that Leominster couldn’t even begin to imagine. Hay’s reputation as the “Town of Books” began with the opening of Richard Booth’s first second hand bookshop in 1961. By the 1970’s Hay was full of second hand bookshops and as a teenager I remember irregular pilgrimages to the town, poking around the dusty shelves looking for sci-fi novels. I’d like to think that both my literary and musical tastes have moved on a bit from those far off days but it’s always been comforting to have Hay just down the road and I’ve visited the town’s bookshops many times since.

In 1988 the first literary festival was held in the town and it’s since developed into a monster, a world brand that has been sponsored at different times by The Sunday Times, The Guardian and currently The Daily Telegraph. Despite its rapid expansion and the move to an out of town site a few years ago the festival still retains a feeling of intimacy with co-founder Peter Florence still the figure at the heart of the festival. Many world famous names in the worlds of literature and politics have graced the festival with their presence including Bill Clinton who memorably dubbed Hay Festival as “the Woodstock of the mind”. 

But there’s more to Hay than just the written and spoken word. Over the years an important musical strand has developed at the festival embracing all genres of music-jazz, classical, folk, world and rock- and many of the spaces in between. I was lucky enough to see Ian Dury perform here with the Blockheads, an electrifying gig that was to be one of Dury’s last. That gig also introduced me to the playing of saxophonist Gilad Atzmon, a musician whose work I have followed ever since. A few years later I saw another saxophonist, Andy Sheppard, give a typically elegant and melodic performance. The only less than satisfactory item was the much hyped appearance of Debbie Harry and The Jazz Passengers. I certainly wasn’t expecting to hear “Blondie’s Greatest Hits”, although many of the audience members who walked out clearly were, but this wasn’t even good jazz. The band may have named themselves in honour of the Jazz Messengers but frankly I can’t help feeling that Art Blakey would have fired the lot of them. Only the closing number, a feisty version of the old Blondie hit “The Tide Is High”, really hit the spot.   

In 2009 I visited the festival as a journalist for the first time covering the very different but equally valid jazz performances of Norwegian trumpeter Arve Henriksen and veteran drummer Jimmy Cobb with his “Kind Of Blue” band. My thoughts on these two concerts can still be read elsewhere in our “features” section. 

This year thanks to the generosity of Hay’s press officer Hannah Lort-Phillips I’m back with a remit to cover a wide range of musical events straddling the various categories and in many cases blending several different genres during the course of a single performance. In 2009 Hay Festivals took over the administration of the stricken Brecon Jazz Festival and have successfully rescued an institution dating back to 1984. There’s a touch of irony in the fact that I find myself unable to attend a couple of the events presented under the “Brecon Jazz Presents” banner-Hypnotic Brass Ensemble due to family commitments and Penguin Caf? for the reason that I’ve covered them elsewhere (at Warwick Arts Centre) very recently and don’t anticipate their show here to differ significantly. If you’re reading this before the Penguins gig do check them out, they were great when I saw them.

AFRO CELT SOUND SYSTEM, 27/05/2011

My first gig of the festival was by Afro Celt Sound System, a band that personify that genre hopping tag. Blending Irish, African and Indian music with the kind of electronic beats associated with dance music and rave culture the Afro Celts have come up with a genre of their own. It’s a sound that many have tried to copy but never totally successfully.

Although the band have been going for fifteen years or so I only came across their music fairly recently when I was sent a copy of “Capture”, a double album career respective that dedicates one disc (subtitled “Verse”) to the band’s songs which feature a range of illustrious guest vocalists including Sinead O’ Connor, Robert Plant and Peter Gabriel. Signed to Gabriel’s Real World label the Afro Celts are the label’s biggest selling act after Gabriel himself. The second disc, “Chorus”, concentrates on the band’s finest instrumental moments and it was these that formed the basis for much of tonight’s set. The Afro Celts have a reputation as an awesome live band and are staples of the summer festival circuit, particularly the annual WOMAD festival and the Hay crowd was not to be disappointed. The Afro Celts proved to be big hit at Hay some seven years ago and tonight was something of a triumphant return. The only disappointment for me was that the pre gig talk by the group’s founder Simon Emmerson, a late addition to the festival programme, was already sold out. I’m sure an insight into the band’s methods would have been fascinating.

The event took place in the “Barclay’s Wealth Pavilion”, a glorified big tent, let’s face it. I took up a position on the raised seating to see a stage bathed in a ghostly blue light. Shadowy musicians took to the stage and a synthesised backwash slowly developed in intensity as a film of the rising sun was projected behind the musicians. Eventually this burst into flame before mutating into a pulsing version of the band’s logo. At this point I was expecting the players to remain either cloaked in shadows or enveloped in flashing lights in the anonymous tradition of rave. I was pleasantly surprised when the lighting became more focussed and the core members of the group could be picked out-Simon Emmerson on guitars and bouzouki, the irrepressible James McNally on whistles, bodhran, keyboards and vocoder, Jimmy Mahon on uillean pipes and occasional whistle and the twin percussive powerhouse of Ian Markin on kit drums and Johnny Kalsi on a variety of percussion including tablas and the mighty dhol drum. This quintet was augmented at various times by N’Faly Kouate on kora, vocals and percussion, Senegalese dancer and vocalist Demba Barry and by a new Irish vocalist, whose name I contrived miss among the audience applause at the end of the show. The new man is clearly a replacement for the departed (or unavailable) Iarla O’ Lionaird, one of the group’s long time stalwarts. With accredited band member Martin Russell out front mixing the sound the quality was excellent with every instrument audible despite the volume and the density of the arrangements.

From the second number the musicians themselves were shown on the screen behind the group allowing the audience to pick up musical details that might otherwise have been lost, particularly the deft fingering of Mahon on the pipes and McNally on his various whistles. But what is most impressive about the Afro Celts is how they blend together not only acoustic and electric sounds but also the different ethnic elements of the music into something that sounds totally natural and organic. Nothing sounds “bolted on” as it sometimes does with some of the band’s paler imitators.

Afro Celt Sound System turned out to be a very visual band with a strong element of showmanship. At first I thought the all seater venue was going to work against them, a tiny knot of dancers had ventured into the aisles during the first number but it only took a wave of the hand from Emmerson to get virtually everybody on their feet. Suddenly there were dancing bodies everywhere and many of the crowd remained standing for the whole set.

The energy the group devote to their performances is impressive and there are plenty of musical set pieces to enable the players to demonstrate both their musicianship and their showman’s skills. Thus McNally steps out from behind his keyboard for a bout of fleet fingered whistling or to coax the sound of thunder from his bodhran. Kalsi, leader of that other set of festival favourites The Dhol Foundation straps on the huge Indian dhol drum and prowls centre stage hammering hell out of the thing. Mahon remains seated to play the pipes but the very sound of his playing is dramatic enough. Only Emmerson remains relatively low key, his guitar chording often the element that holds it all together. Barry intermittently leaps from the wings to dance energetically and add his voice to the ensemble but perhaps the biggest showman of all is Kouate who not only sings powerfully, but also manages to turn the kora into a phallic symbol. At one point he even plays it behind his head in the style of Jimi Hendrix. Although used relatively sparingly he’s a huge stage presence.

Apart from the individual features there were also a number of inspired duets scattered amongst the proceedings. The group’s new singer saw little involvement other than on the more anthemic numbers but he did produce one inspired dialogue with Kouate. Then there was the duel between McNally on the bodhran and Kalsi at the dhol, Markin’s drum feature over McNally’s Dr. Who style synths and a thunderous three way percussion battle (bodhran/dhol/kit drums) above a throbbing synthesised bass line.

Announcements were few and far between and I wouldn’t dare to attempt a tune by tune listing. This was music for dancing rather than detailed analysis and the band’s blend of deep grooves, showmanship and superb musicianship was hugely exciting. This was a brilliant return to Hay for the group and a pumped up crowd called them back for a two number encore. Having reviewed the album favourably (see elsewhere on this site) I was delighted to discover that the Afro Celts can cut it live too and in such exciting a manner. Obviously this is a tightly honed and choreographed show and that element of surprise might not be there for me should I ever go to see them again but I’d have a good time, I’m damned sure of that. The band’s reputation as a dynamic live act is very much deserved. Any band that successfully incorporates instruments ranging from the kora to the vocoder just has to be worthy of admiration.

MUNTU VALDO/ ESTEBAN ANTONIO 30/05/2011

Monday’s programme featured two musicians committed to extending the sound of the guitar. Valdo, from Cameroon, uses live looping techniques which add to his already formidable guitar, harmonica and vocal skills whereas Antonio has developed an extraordinary three necked guitar which hugely extends the sonic and harmonic range of the instrument. Both performers appeared on the Sky Arts Studio stage on an unseasonably chilly evening but both were rewarded with a genuinely warm reception for their very different styles and techniques.

Valdo appeared first, quickly winning the audience over with his sunny personality and musical skills. His one man show comprised mainly of material from his most recent album “The One & The Many” (2010) plus two or three items from his previous release “Gods & Devils” (2005). Valdo is currently touring the UK with Ladysmith Black Mambazo who were playing elsewhere on the festival site in a sell out performance on the Oxfam stage.

The album title “The One & The Many” is a direct reference to Valdo’s live looping system and his accompanying array of pedals-he refers to them as his “sorcerers”. Mid way through the set he gave us a demonstration of how it all works, probably the first time I’ve seen a performer do this since bassist Eberhard Weber when the technology first came out sometime back in the 1980’s. Live looping is such an established part of the music scene these days that we rather take it for granted, even guys that play down my local pub do it. However few musicians are as skilled at it as Valdo who goes beyond the standard guitar layering by also multi tracking his voice, through the use of two vocal mics, and even adding the sound of the African percussion instrument the balofon to the mix.

Now based in London Valdo moved to the UK from Cameroon via Paris. He refers to his music as “Sawa blues” after the region of Cameroon that he hails from but there are also strong elements of Western pop, jazz and blues in his music, and also a smattering of Brazilian and Cape Verdean styles. Even without the technological embellishments his guitar playing exerts a powerful rhythmic drive and with his pure, clear voice and the easy charm of his stage persona he soon had the audience eating out of his hand involving them in several sing-alongs and clap-alongs over the course of the set. Audience involvement is an integral part of his shows. The fact that the songs weren?t in English didn’t matter a jot with the coolly relaxed Valdo in charge.

Most impressive though was the sheer variety of sound one man could make in real time, albeit with a little technological assistance. Valdo’s layered sounds at various points encompassed the sounds of vibes, synthesiser, kora, bass, percussion (by using the body of his instrument as a soundbox) plus a variety of guitar sounds (the usual wah wah, fuzz etc). His harmonica, worn in a neck brace, added additional tonal colour but none of this would have worked so well if he wasn’t such a splendid singer. Ironically it was during the simpler moments of the set that the quality of his voice was most striking, in pared down settings for guitar, harmonica and vocals only, and, in one memorable moment, an extraordinary incantation for solo voice.

Valdo’s effortless charm and sheer musicality reminded me of his compatriot the electric bass player, vocalist and composer Richard Bona who played an excellent set at Brecon Jazz festival a few years ago. Bona got something of a leg up during his brief tenure as a member of the Pat Metheny Group and Valdo’s involvement with Ladysmith Black Mambazo will surely win him a lot of new friends. Even without their help he made many more tonight. Valdo represented something of an experiment for me but it’s one that I’m glad I undertook.

Esteban Antonio’s one man performance was very different, more in the style of a guitar recital. Esteban is a graduate of the Royal College of Music and is best known as a classical and flamenco guitarist who has studied with John Williams and Paco De Lucia among others. Also a pianist, violinist and cellist Antonio has designed the unique triple necked guitar the “Ha Shem” in an attempt to bring the qualities of all those instruments plus the concert harp to the guitar. Described as “the only grand concert harp guitar in the world” the first acoustic instrument was built by luthier Stephen Hill. Antonio now plays an electric model built by Christopher Wood. It has been described in some circles as “the first major revolution in guitar design since 1880”.

The “Ha Shem” (Hebrew for “heaven”) includes a a five string “bass section” on the upper neck with the two lower necks having eleven strings each. Jazz fans will be doubtless be reminded of Pat Metheny’s harp guitar and 42 string Pikasso guitar, but Antonio’s instrument is different, far more “classical” in design, spanning seven octaves and intended to reproduce the timbres of classical instruments.

Appropriately for a literature festival the well spoken Antonio is a well read man with a keen interest in all forms of the arts plus strong leanings towards spiritual matters that encompass both orthodox religion and mythology. This is reflected in his titles which have titles like “Love Is Stronger Than Time”, “The Sonnet Of Desdemona” “The Horses Of Heaven” and “The Song Of The Seraphim Angel”.

Antonio’s technique is extraordinary, his hands moving seamlessly from one part of his remarkable instrument to the other. At times he does indeed achieve a quasi-orchestral sound, jazz guitar fans will hear hints of the inevitable Metheny, and his work on the lower neck of the instrument with his non strumming hand recalls the “hammering on” technique of Stanley Jordan. The solo guitar work of Ralph Towner might be another reference point for jazzers but Antonio’s music is very different,  with a style rooted in flamenco he seems to fill every available space. Only on the haunting “Hearing Beyond” was there any hint of the spaciousness of Towner. 

Antonio’s music is intense and full of the grand gestures of classical music. Each piece is meant simulate a different configuration of instruments, mainly from the classical canon, but the most ambitious was left until last. “The Spirit Of The Dream” approximated the sound of cello, bass, two guitars and harp with Antonio bowing his instrument dramatically to replicate the cello sound. 

Antonio’s performance had been totally different to Valdo’s but in terms of technique it was, if anything, even more impressive. Overall it was probably a little less enjoyable, both the music and Antonio’s persona were uncompromisingly intense in comparison. The by now almost Arctic temperatures and a smaller crowd didn’t help either, even Antonio complained about the cold and by the end I suspect that he was glad to get off.  However the audience reaction exhibited genuine warmth. There was no doubt that we had been in the presence of a seriously talented musician.

As I walked back to the car the volume of the cheers emanating from the Oxfam stage suggested that Ladysmith Black Mambazo had also played a storming set.

ELIZA CARTHY BAND/CERYS MATTHEWS 03/06/2011

Friday evening at the Barclay’s Wealth Pavilion provided a double bill of feisty female performers, both with strong regional identities. Yorkshire lass Eliza Carthy was followed by Wales’ own Cerys Matthews in two very different takes on folk music traditions.

Daughter of Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson Eliza Carthy is practically folk royalty and although she has worked extensively within the English folk tradition her solo projects have explored other areas of music. I first saw her play in the late 90’s as support act to Oysterband at Gloucester Guildhall at the time of Carthy’s Mercury nominated d?but album “Red Rice”. Her young band mixed world music forms and dance beats with the English folk tradition and the album quickly established Carthy in the UK folk premier league.

Ten years on and looking more like her mother than ever Carthy continues to add new elements to her folk framework. Appearing at Hay as part of a five piece band featuring Phil Alexander (keyboards and accordion), Willy Molleson (drums and vocals), Emma Smith (double bass) and Beth Porter (cello) Carthy brought elements of chanson, Kurt Weill “Cabaret” style music and a soup?on of klezmer to an eclectic set full of witty and sometimes bawdy material. The event was part of a national tour in support of her new album “Neptune” from which a number of tonight’s songs were drawn.

Carthy herself appeared on a number of instruments-violin, viola, accordion and even electric guitar. Apart from the occasional solo from Alexander and Porter the focus was very much on the group leader and her powerful and inescapably Yorkshire inflected voice. Carthy also proved to be a witty, sometimes caustic interlocutor between songs, emphasising her Yorkshire roots to the max.

The material included the quirky “Hansel” with Carthy on accordion and the Weill style stomp of “Blood On My Boots”, a tale of a night of alcoholic excess in London at the launch party of “Jerry Springer-The Opera”.

I found it curious that Molleson seemed to be playing in one of those isolation screens/booths that drummers use in the studio. I can only surmise that it was to enable him to hear his semi sung/semi spoken vocal on the eclectic, klezmer inflected “Mr Magnifico” which saw Carthy cutting loose on fiddle for the first time. “War” meanwhile introduced a touch of tango to the proceedings.

Not every tune was announced and a couple of soulful ballads proved what an emotive singer Carthy can be. However the emphasis on “Neptune” largely seems to veer between quirky eclecticism and social comment, sometimes both at the same time. “Fay Wray In The Grip Of The Monkey” was positively surreal, “Carpark” combined the two approaches with its lampooning of Brits in Spain and the gradual tarmacking over of the UK. Somehow the folk song “The Oak And The Ash” found it’s way in there , a reminder both of Carthy’s roots and of the way she likes to take liberties with folk music.

This was interesting stuff and Carthy has obviously developed a highly personalised approach to song-writing and to music in general. However too much of it strayed too close to novelty music for my tastes, I was impressed by the cleverness and singularity of it but overall felt rather unmoved. Looking at the reviews of “Neptune” most seem to be favourable but it’s significant that there are a number of dissenters out there too. This is the kind of music that normally attracts a cult following but Carthy’s “folk royalty” status has no doubt helped her to reach a wider constituency for her category defying music.

If I was a little lukewarm with regard to Ms. Carthy’s contribution I have to say that I was hugely impressed by Cerys Matthews. I’ve always had a soft spot for Cerys, I discovered her old band, Catatonia, pretty early on and can remember bellowing along to the indie anthems of their first album “Way Beyond Blue” at Cardiff Coal Exchange back in 1997. This was even before the hits “Mulder & Scully” and “Road Rage” saw them hitting the big time. Usually when a band I like goes mainstream I tend to switch off but Catatonia were such a great live act we kept going to gigs.  At Newport Centre they were supported by the then unknown (and frankly pretty dull) Travis, at The CIA in Cardiff Catatonia were the support act and for me upstaged the somewhat pompous Manic Street Preachers. At one time Hereford Leisure Centre hosted a succession of major bands with Cerys & Co. one of the best, but mysteriously these gigs stopped as suddenly as they began and Hereford once again became a rock ‘n’ roll backwater.

Matthews’ well documented rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle contributed to the demise of Catatonia and the singer subsequently cleaned herself up, got married and moved to the US. The upshot of all this was
Matthews’ acclaimed solo album “Cockahoop”(2003), recorded in Tennessee, and a record that revealed Matthews’ interest in folk music and Americana. Gone was the rock band instrumentation, most of the songs featured simple, stripped down arrangements, often just Matthews and her acoustic guitar.

It’s a style she brings to her live shows and the combination of her music plus the kind of personal charm that has made her a successful radio presenter are hard to beat. I’d seen Matthews live once before, in the intimate atmosphere of Ludlow Assembly Rooms where she had the audience eating out of her hands. Could she do the same thing in a 1000 seater tent? No problem, from the moment she walked on, guitar in hand and sat down to play she had everybody hooked.

Matthews’ voice is a unique thing, capable of both disarming sweetness and a contrasting raunch that will come as no surprise to those who have followed her from her Catatonia days. She likes to present her shows as a kind of “world tour” and opened with a couple of solo folk songs, sourced from Ulster and Wales respectively. But no matter where Matthews roams musically she can’t keep that distinctive Welsh lilt out of either her singing or speaking voice.

“Carolina” saw her joined by long term collaborator Mason Neely on percussion and various stringed instruments and her Swansea born bassist (whose name escaped me). Matthews stood to sing this one, taking advantage of the presence of her fine accompanists.

From the American South she took us to Spain via the Middle east. The rousing “La Tarara” was a setting of the words of Lorca to a tune featuring the oud of yet another band member, string multi instrumentalist Frank Moon.

Accordionist Joe Enright augmented the group for Matthews’ ingenious conjoining of the traditional Irish song “The Galway Shawl” and the old Catatonia tune and minor hit “Strange Glue”. This audacious amalgam has been a part of Matthews’ live set for some time now and features some of her most impassioned vocalising.

Enright stuck around for an earthy blues (unannounced) before Matthews unveiled “Chardonnay” (improbably co-written by former Strangler Hugh Cornwell) and “The Good In Goodbye”, two of the most popular songs from the “Cockahoop” album.

The oud was back to fuel a raucous tale (in Welsh) of a North Walian pub crawl and the band closed the set with “Sweet Magnolia”, the designated single from Matthews’ newly released album “Explorer”.

Both the Carthy and Matthews shows had started late and the curfew was looming. Rather than go through with the encore ritual the band exited at this point leaving Matthews to perform a poignant version of the Welsh hymn tune “Arglwydd Dyma Fi”. It occurred to me that half of “Strange Glue” had been the only Catatonia material in the set. It may be that Matthews is trying to distance herself from her old band but I did wonder if a couple of the old hits had been designated as encores and were lost due to time constraints, I’m sure I remember her doing a couple of Catatonia songs at Ludlow, though admittedly that show was more of a career retrospective than a “world tour”.

Whatever, this had been an excellent show. The time taken for the sound check was well spent, you could here Matthews’ every word (even the Welsh ones that most of the audience probably didn’t understand) with total clarity and the instrumental separation was excellent too.

The quality of Matthews singing and playing plus her easy repartee with a capacity crowd ensured that this was a memorable gig. The audience hung on to every word and musical nuance and you could hear the proverbial pin drop. Having a classy set of accompanists obviously helps but Cerys Matthews is a class act who has come a long way from her indie beginnings and is one of those artists I’d happily go to see on a regular basis. The scrum for CDs at the end suggested that many others felt the same.

PORTICO QUARTET, 03/06/2011 (Oxfam Stage)

This was the third time that I’ve seen Portico Quartet this year. During the the course of the last few months life on Planet Portico has turned into a bit of a soap opera with founder member Nick Mulvey leaving to pursue his hitherto parallel career as a singer/songwriter on a full time basis.

When I reviewed the band at Warwick Arts Centre in February as part of a double bill with Penguin Caf? it seemed to be pretty much business as usual for PQ. However a couple of months later at Cheltenham Jazz Festival, a performance that proved to be Mulvey’s last gig with the group, the music had changed radically. Jack Wyllie (sax), Milo Fitzpatrick (bass) and Duncan Bellamy (drums) played the first half of the show as a trio and introduced a whole raft of new, as yet untitled material.

Since the band became involved with legendary rock producer John Leckie on the recording of their second album “Isla” the group’s music has taken a darker, more experimental turn with electronica becoming an increasingly important part of the group sound. Initially this started a couple of years ago with Wyllie adding some rudimentary looping effects to his set up. The band’s fascination with musical technology has since moved on apace with Bellamy augmenting his drum kit with an array of electronic percussion devices which were initially unveiled at Cheltenham, and now at Hay bassist Fitzpatrick was also getting in on the act. Hay also represented my first sighting of Mulvey’s replacement Kier Vine on hang drums, keyboards and shakers. At this early stage in his PQ career Vine kept a relatively low profile but his keyboard drones and textures add even more colour to the increasingly expansive Portico sound palette. The other thing that struck me was his uncanny physical resemblance to Mulvey!

There’s plenty about PQ elsewhere on this site so I’m not going to explain about the look and sound of the hang drum again, especially as it’s no longer the focal point of the band’s music. That said I find the group’s new edgier, more experimental approach fascinating. Most of the material played at Hay was still new and untitled but most of it will hopefully find it’s way on to what is sure to be a very keenly anticipated third album. The opening piece with Wyllie on curved soprano sax featured carefully crafted layers of sound, rich in terms of both rhythm and texture, with the band deploying loops, soundwashes and sax drones to hypnotic effect. Much of the new material featured Bellamy utilising mainly the electronic elements of his set up. Only the older material from the “Isla” album featured anything close to conventional kit drumming. As I mentioned in the Cheltenham review Bellamy’s set up now resembles that of Thomas Stronen, percussionist with the Anglo/Norwegian electro improvising duo Food.

Since Cheltenham bassist Milo Fitzpatrick seems to have taken over Mulvey’s announcing role from Bellamy-unless, of course, they take it in turns. In any case this is good, with Fitzpatrick doing the talking Bellamy has time to programme his various electronic devices without causing any awkward gaps or pauses in the performance.

The next piece saw Wyllie switching to tenor, it’s an instrument he now deploys far more regularly having been something of a soprano specialist in the group’s early days. Here his whinnying solo above Fitzpatrick’s looped bass was highly effective.

“The Visitor” from “Isla” represented the first taste of already familiar material with Wyllie on tenor, Vine switching from keyboards to hang and Bellamy playing more or less conventional kit drums.

The next untitled piece saw Fitzpatrick switching to electric bass and Vine switching between hang and keyboards, his keyboard drones an essential part of another deeply layered example of the group’s increasingly dark and edgy sound.

The group’s harder edged stance was then epitomised by “Clipper”, one of the most popular tunes on the “Isla” album. The tempestuous “storm” passage that occurs mid tune was here represented by a barrage of electronic noise rather than the saxophone squalling of old. A mention here too for Fitzpatrick’s powerfully plucked bass solo, he’s an immensely forceful rhythmic presence within the group. He’s an excellent colourist too as the next new piece proved, his sonorous arco sound gliding serenely above the sequenced sounds generated by Vine and Wyllie in tandem at the keyboard as PQ edged into the “chill out” zone of contemporary dance culture.

The next untitled piece pushed PQ even further into the dance zone with its pulsating rhythms,  heavily treated soprano sax and flashing lighting effects. They closed with “Dawn Patrol” from “Isla”, now updated to include a lengthy opening dialogue between Fitzpatrick on bass and new boy Vine at the hang. The “free jazz” interlude that punctuates the tune has now developed into a set piece duel between Wyllie on soprano and Bellamy at the drums, a blistering stand off that drew whoops of approval from the Hay crowd.

Unfortunately time constraints meant that this had to be the final number. Despite seeing the band so regularly I continue to be fascinated by them, like all the best jazz acts PQ are constantly evolving, every show is different and even from the Cheltenham performance their were clear signs of artistic development and growth. Vine is still a relatively low key presence but the additional instrumentation he brings to the group is sure to see their music take yet another turn.

This wasn’t the largest crowd of the week and sadly neither was it the best behaved, too many talkers and fidgeters plus a party that arrived late and were clearly the worse for wear did their best to spoil it for the serious listeners that comprised the majority of the audience. The band were less than impressed and Wyllie could be seen glaring in disapproving fashion at the gatecrashers. Not that this should detract from an excellent band performance that was warmly received by those who were listening properly. Portico continue to intrigue and keep on pushing the musical envelope. Still gathered rather loosely under the jazz umbrella they remain one of the coolest acts on the circuit. 

  BOB GELDOF, 05/06/2011

Bob Geldof is an old friend of Hay Festival. The final day of the 2011 festival saw a kind of Geldof double bill with Bob in conversation with festival founder Peter Florence under the banner of The Annual Hamlin Lecture and later playing a gig, styled as Bob Geldof’s Last Night Party.

At the lecture (previous guests have included Desmond Tutu) Florence and Geldof began by remembering the recently deceased Josephine Hart, Lady Saatchi, the Irish born novelist, poet, theatre producer and publisher. The emphasis was on Hart’s legendary poetry evenings held at both the Lyric Theatre and the British Library, where she once inveigled Geldof into reading the poetry of W.B. Yeats. Other memorable performances at these events included Roger Moore reading Kipling and Edward Fox reciting T.S. Elliot’s “The Wasteland” from memory. 

Florence steered this first phase of the conversation but Geldof was soon up and running as the subject turned to the matter of overseas aid. He praised the UK for honouring their aid commitments, had a swipe at both Nicolas Sarkozy and particularly Silvio Berlusconi for reneging on theirs but on the whole seemed optimistic about the future of Africa. He cited how the aid budgets and the cancellation of debts agreed at the 2005 G8 summit had resulted in more African children now attending school than ever before.

He talked of the immense mineral riches of the continent, particularly in Congo and Angola but stressed the continuing need for Western involvement and vigilance with regard to how these are utilised and the profits distributed. Due to its mineral wealth Angola now has the most expensive real estate in the world but this is largely in the hands of just one family, the Dos Santos’. The population as a whole is still cripplingly poor. With the increased presence of Chinese and Indian business interests throughout Africa the future remains uncertain and Geldof clearly sees his political and campaigning role as an ongoing process. Despite his general air of optimism for Africa he added a warning quoting the words of Yeats “The rider changes but the whip remains the same”.

Geldof’s passion and sense of involvement with regard to his campaigning work was palpable. He spoke with urgency and eloquence, throwing in the occasional obscenity like a hand grenade, much like the Geldof of old. He illustrated his words with a string of statistics, he certainly know his stuff and his sincerity is undoubted. Geldof is clearly as committed to Africa’s cause as he was back in 1984 when Band Aid first began.

Having warmed to his subject one sensed that Geldof could have talked politics all day. He reluctantly allowed Florence to steer the conversation round to the subject of his new album “How To Compose Popular Songs That Will Sell”, an ironic title given that Geldof’s musical profile in the UK seems to have decreased as his stock as a campaigner and political activist has risen. Many now seem to see Geldof as a political figure first and a musician second (a claim Geldof was quick to refute), but as he was to prove later he’s still a wonderfully charismatic live performer. Also, if the evidence of the later gig is anything to go by, his new album is his strongest offering for years, an album that speaks of his new found contentment with second wife Jeanne Marine. This section also touched on the pain Geldof suffered when he split up with his first wife Paula Yates but he preferred to emphasise the redemptive power of love, closing the conversation on an optimistic note. Under Florence’s subtle direction Geldof had proved to be an engaging, intelligent and articulate speaker. The hour just flew by.

An even larger crowd were back in the Barclays Wealth pavilion for a gig that demonstrated that as far as live performance is confirmed he’s still got it. Geldof and a crack band of seasoned veterans including former Boomtown Rat Pete Briquette (bass guitar) and ex Blockhead Jonny Turnbull (guitar) covered a wide range of rock styles during the course of a slick hour and a half performance that mixed solo material with a selection of vintage Boomtown Rats hits. Bob Loveday almost stole the show on fiddle and mandolin, emphasising his less than svelte figure by playing in his trademark string vest. Other long term Geldof associates Alan Dunn (keyboards accordion), Jim Russell (drums) and Niall Power (percussion, synthesiser, vocals) completed a highly professional line up.

With the left handed Geldof on rhythm guitar the septet kicked off by merging rock a billy with Irish folk, sometimes sounding vaguely like the Charlie Daniels Band. “Systematic Six Pack” from the new record was a slice of dirty guitar and organ driven blues, merged here with a passionate “Dazzled By You”, also sourced from the new album, which featured all the members of the band on harmony vocals.

“When The Night Comes” was the kind of white soul associated with Van Morrison. Geldof might not have Morrison’s voice but he’s a far better singer than I remembered. I was impressed, as were the dancers who gathered at the front of the stage.

The country tinged “Walking Back To Happiness” acknowledged Helen Shapiro and contained an excellent Turnbull guitar solo but it was the old Boomtown Rats hit “Banana Republic” that kicked the evening on to a whole other level. A scabrous attack on the constrictions of life in late 70’s Ireland the song’s reggae influenced grooves got even more people to their feet.

“Scream In Vain”, inspired by Geldof’s travels to Ethiopia was raw and dark and saw guitarist Turnbull sharing the lead vocal. A suitably dramatic “I Don’t Like Mondays”, arguably Geldof’s best known song elicited one of the biggest cheers of the night.

“How I Role” gave a noirish twist to Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Summer In The City” and the countryish “Harvest Moon” saw Geldof demonstrating his harmonica skills before the group rounded off the show with blistering versions of a couple of the Rats’ greatest hits, “Mary Of The Fourth Form”, which here flirted with the blues, and the Springsteen-esque “Rat Trap”, the band’s real breakthrough number. Always a bit too musically sophisticated to be considered real punks Geldof & co. did rather a hitch a ride on the coat tails of 70’s new wave but “Rat Trap” still sounds vital and relevant all these years later.

The band were called back for an encore and breezed through another three tunes. With the whole audience on their feet by now I’d stopped taking notes but I do remember the breezy blue eyed soul of Bob’s current single “Silly Pretty Thing” being included amongst this selection. Also some borrowings from Irish traditional music featuring Loveday’s frantic fiddling and with Power and Geldof leading an increasingly complicated call and response session with the audience.

I have to admit that as a musician Geldof had rather dropped off my radar prior to tonight. This rousing festival appearance revealed him to still be a great live performer and the songs from the new album compared very favourably to the Rats hits of old. Having a crack band helped, every musician was on the top of his game and Geldof’s voice was a lot stronger than I’d been expecting. His between songs banter was liberally sprinkled with profanities and a caustic Irish wit. In short Geldof has charisma, and this show was far better than I’d bargained for and great value at just a tenner a ticket. It was good to finish my festival week on such a high note.

OVERVIEW

Hay’s music strand continues to become an increasingly integral part of the festival and with Hay now administering The Brecon Jazz Festival (scheduled to take place in August) and due to launch the new Merthyr Rock event in September it seems destined to continue to be so.

The 2011 Hay music programme covered an impressive array of styles from classical to rock via jazz, world and folk and several points in between. There seemed to be pretty much something for everybody with established stars such as Cerys Matthews and Bob Geldof rubbing shoulders with promising newcomers like Muntu Valdo. In addition to the events I saw I also heard good rumours about Rumer and also eavesdropped about how good Penguin Caf? were.

Attendances at all these events were healthy with the Afro Celts, Matthews and Geldof virtual sell outs. Well done to all those involved with the organisation of the 2011 music programme and the festival as a whole. It will be interesting to see what delights 2012 has to offer. 

Ian’s Star Ratings;

Afro Celt Sound System 4 Stars
Muntu Valdo 3.5 Stars
Esteban Antonio 3 Stars
Eliza Carthy 3 Stars
Cerys Matthews 4.5 Stars
Portico Quartet 4 Stars
Bob Geldof’s Last Night Party 4 Stars

Overall 4 Stars
             

 
         

 

 

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