Although this is by no means a weekly fixture on Control Wee, we thought we’d keep the title the same for the sake of continuity. This week’s band were found on a CD full of downloads that Megha passed across to me a few weeks ago. I’ve no idea where she dug them up from, but as soon as I heard ‘When Will I Ever Get Home’ I wanted more of The Kilians.

Scouring the web left me only a little wiser about them. What I do know is that they’re an indie band that have only been round for a little over a year. Their tunes are catchy with some awesome riffs and their lead singer sounds like Kelly from the Stereophonics. A little surprising is the fact that they hail from Germany, as I haven’t come across many bands from that part of the world that carry off this brand of music effectively. I definitely hope to hear more of the same calibre tunes from them in the near future.

Music | 1 Comment »

This weekend, in Delhi, the Sounds Of SAARC has been taking place. India is currently the chair country for the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation and therefore decided to hold a 10-day cultural festival, celebrating the heritage of each of the 8 member countries. The kick-start to this extravaganza was a music festival which took place over the last 3 days. It featured some of the best contemporary bands from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, The Maldives, Nepal and, of course, India.

I went along on Friday and Saturday and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The highlights for me were Soulmate, Strings and Indian Ocean.

Soulmate, as the name suggests, are a group who play various kinds of blues and soul music. Sometimes their tunes are a little upbeat and funky and sometimes they are completely laid back and, well, bluesy. The female vocalist had a voice as strong as Aretha Franklin’s with the youthfulness and vitality of McFly. Complementing this was the lead guitarist who played catchy intricate solos in each song.

Strings are a band from Pakistan who I had never heard of, but most Indians under 30 who I have spoken to since rave about them. Their music is kind of catchy Bryan Adam-esque mid 90-style riffs. However, I prefer them much more than Adams and their tunes seem as relevant today as they were 10 years ago.

Indian Ocean headlined the stage on Saturday night. It is difficult to categorise their brand of music as it is unique. They blend contemporary tunes with Indian classical folk. Their haunting melodies and rich voices make the music atmospheric and uplifting. And the icing on the cake is the variety of traditional drums they use to great effect, none of which I know the name of. One of their most popular tunes - Bandeh - is embedded below if you want to click and listen. I suggest you lie down and close your eyes if you want to make the most of it.

What stood out for me about all the bands at this festival was how much they enjoyed playing the music. Throughout all the performances you could tell the band members were genuinely having a good time. A great deal of vibrance was created through their sheer enthusiasm and enjoyment and this added to the music. It also rubbed off on the crowd and added to the atmosphere.

A big well done to the Delhi SAARC committee or whoever organised this event. Let’s have more like it in the future. I’m off to check out the food part of the festival now.

Music, India | 2 Comments »

We like our music, we do. So it would be irresponsible, if not slightly rude, to keep certain tracks to ourselves. Although it’s not possible to include every good tune we come across in this blog, we thought it might be nice to share at least one good thing that we hear every week. We’re not going to be writing reviews – that is reserved for Megha’s Laidbackness blog. Instead we’ll just post the track up here and tell you that we like it. It might be old, it might be new, it might be covered and it might be blue (for the dads). But whatever it is we hope you enjoy it.

As we mentioned before, this is not a review. However, during the 10 second drum intro, just close your eyes and let the anticipation build. Because when the guitar kicks in with what is seemingly a simple 3 chord sequence it is just awesome – especially after you’ve heard it already, so you know what is coming. And the lyrics, well they just speak for themselves.

Enjoy….

Music | No Comments »

So, although the Scottish duo I refuse to name anymore got this music event off to a not-so-musical start, their performance lived up to everyone’s low expectations. Their legendary party classic managed to encourage a few people to join in vocally for the first couple of minutes. But it failed to inspire the kind of sing-along we have become used to at the end of a heavy night, with arms are draped over mates’ shoulders and the feelings of solidarity and brotherhood coursing through our veins as we raise our voices in unison. I have no doubt that the lack of inebriation had something to do with this.

A little later an artist of a completely different calibre took the stage. Hailing from Scotland, Paolo Nutini was a great choice to occupy the Saturday mid-afternoon slot. At just 20 years old his voice has a maturity and husky vibrance which can captivate the mood of slow ballads as well as more upbeat tunes. With most people now supping their 2^nd or 3^rd beer of the day his music had a real relaxing effect. Even though a few of his songs could depress if you listen to the lyrics, this didn’t seem to matter – people were just enjoying the melodies. And when the first few chords of New Shoes were struck, pockets of people all around the arena could be seen dancing some kind of thigh slapping Western jig, cowboy hats and all. While some might claim that Nutini has been forced into the mainstream by his music label, his current brand of music seemed to hit the spot as the sun began to shine on Hylands Park. He’s obviously talented as he can sing, and play, music from several different genres effectively. Here’s hoping that he is allowed to demonstrate his versatility and true talent in the future rather than being forced to write music that his bosses assume the fans want to hear.

The weekend spent at V was pretty intense. Not only did we have to stand up for 12 hours a day listening to bands, but we were also required to drink copious amounts of beer and consume numerous whopping ½ pound burgers with everything on. It’s a hard life. The point I’m trying to make here is that, although I’d love to write about all 20-something bands I saw, it will just take me too long to do. So I’ll just pick out a couple more that stood out.

Pete Doherty always seems to be in the news for the wrong, or right, depending on your point of view, reasons. Not a week goes by when he is not arrested for alleged drug abuse, possession of illegal pharmaceuticals, assault, theft or something along these lines. I don’t think it was anything to do with his offstage antics, but I had never really paid much attention to him musically, either when he was in The Libertines, or now he is the front man of Babyshambles. So when my mate suggested we go and have a listen I wasn’t too keen. But based on the fact that I had decided our complete itinerary so far, it seemed a little unfair to turn down his one request.

So it was that I found myself surrounded by trilby-wearing cockneys. As we awaited the arrival of the ‘shambles on stage I must admit my expectations were not particularly high. However, as soon as Doherty ambled out I realised I was going to enjoy their set. Bottles, glasses, cans and indeed anything that could contain liquid for more than a few seconds started raining down on him. Oh what joy to see someone who continually gives it out getting it back for once. All those taking part in the pelting seemed like avid fans of his so I couldn’t quite work out why they were intent on attacking him. Even more confusing was the fact that people were willing to waste their partially consumed beers. Maybe retaliation was what they were looking for. If that was what they wanted, then that’s what they got. Mid-set one beverage appeared to land on its mark. I half expected Doherty to throw it back or get in a strop and march off stage. But he didn’t. Instead he took revenge by …………….. throwing his guitar at the audience. From where I was stood I couldn’t see if it made contact with anyone, but I was pleased to note the ingenuity he had used when picking his weapon. I expected the instrument to be gone forever, carefully secreted down someone’s pants. So I was amazed when a security guy appeared from amidst the crowd carrying it like a prized possession. During the remainder of the set Doherty lashed his microphone stand and microphone into the crowd and, on at least one occasion, spat on those at the front. All in all it was a thoroughly enjoyable show and demonstrated to me the bond that can exist between a performer and his audience. And, I must say, the music wasn’t bad either.

Although The Killers, The Kooks, Kasabian and Jet were all awesome, the last band I want to talk about has a lot more history than all these put together. Exactly a week before the start of V this year, Tony Wilson passed away. In Manchester and the North West of England he is considered nothing less than a legend for his contribution to the music scene over the last thirty years. So much so that there is even talk of erecting a statue of him in the city centre. The band most closely, and inextricably, linked with him are, of course, the Happy Mondays. In their early days the Mondays were groundbreaking with their fusion of indie rock and house music testing waters that had not been entered previously. It was obviously effective. And the fact that they can still get people dancing to the same tunes 17 years after the release of Pills ‘n’ Thrills and Bellyaches is testament to the influence they have had for the last two decades.

Shaun Ryder still has the same distinctive voice that made him famous all those years ago. Looking at the man tells a different story though. He’s filled out substantially, seems perpetually tired and sat down while singing the majority of his songs. Paradoxically though, listening to Kinky Afro, Loose Fit and the unforgettable Step On, the energy he created with his voice was tangible and reminiscent of The Hacienda days. This was undoubtedly aided by the relentless enthusiasm and commitment shown by the Mondays iconic resident prancer, Bez. With Ryder less than a week away from turning 45 we can’t expect him to be in peak physical condition. But what we do want is someone who can inspire us to dance and sing along to his music. And he does a damn good job of that.

Other bands at V 2007 (in no particular order):

Jet, New Order, Rodrigo y Gabriela, The Coral, The Killers, The Kooks, Kasabian, Foo Fighters, Kanye West, Manic Street Preachers, Primal Scream, McFly, Seth Lakeman, Pink, James, The Editors, Basement Jaxx, Damien Rice, Mika, KT Tunstall, Ocean Colour Scene, The Fray, Sophie Ellis Bextor, The Goo Goo Dolls, James Morrison, The Cribs, The Fratellis

And as a tribute to Tony Wilson…..

Life, Music | 1 Comment »

When I first considered writing a review on V 2007 I thought it would be a piece of piss. During the 2 days of music and 3 days of drinking so much takes place that there was no doubt in my mind it would be easy to knock up a decent post. But when I sat down and started recalling the weekend, the realisation hit me that it would actually be a tricky job.

When you go to a standard gig it is only necessary to comment on the main band, while possibly reserving a sentence or two for the warm up act(s). But a festival is a different kettle of fish. At this kind of event you are combining 3 days of tomfoolery in a massive field with a choice of well over 100 artists to listen to.

The first big decision it’s necessary to make on arriving at the venue is where to pitch the tent. The spot you pick needs to be situated close to the stage-end of the field, while being as far away from the portaloos as possible. This is irrelevant at Glastonbury as anyone attending that particular festival expects, and in fact craves, to get covered in shit. It’s all part of the experience and if they go home smelling of anything other than a cesspit they are disappointed. The festival-goers at V, I feel, are a slightly different breed. Here all the girls walked around in pretty pink Wellington boots and belt skirts, not in the hope or expectation that they would get their feet dirty, but because they thought it was the kind of look one should have at such an event. At Glastonbury a pair of trainers with their soles hanging off would have been substantial and robust enough to deal with torrential rain and flooded fields. Of course, I should remind myself that I was at the Hylands Park venue, in Essex, this time and perhaps that had something to do with the scanty attire of the ladies. I seem to remember everyone wearing a lot more clothes when I went to the Stafford venue a few years ago and it was a damn sight hotter.

Having pitched the tent and cracked open the first of many canned beverages it’s then time to make the second decision. Which bands should we watch? Sitting in a circle under our gazebo were about 10 people, representing a cross section of society. So, it was obvious that we would all have different priorities when it came to our favourite artists. What was certain right from the start, though, was that all present had their hearts set on seeing The Proclaimers early doors on the Saturday.

The next day, 5 minutes into The Proclaimers’ set everyone was getting restless. A few thousand people had gathered to hear them with only one thing on their mind. And of course, that was to get some beer. But the queue for the beer tokens was so long that all present were having to put up with “Wee Jimmy”, or whatever this band’s latest drivel is called, without being the slightest bit intoxicated.

Oh I’m sorry, please ignore the last two sentences. That was supposed to say, the one thing everyone had on their mind was to hear “I would walk 500 miles by The Proclaimers. This is the only song anyone knows by this band, so predictably they left it until the end. I’m sure this was not because it is good to finish on a high note, but rather due to the fact that everyone would have left the arena if they had played it any earlier.

Obviously The Proclaimers were recruited to the V line-up as a novelty piece. A way of setting a benchmark of comparison for the rest of the weekend. It was a shrewd move by the organisers to put them on one of the main stages first. They knew that when any other bands played thereafter, the very least anyone would say was “well, they’re better than The Proclaimers.” Against them, every artist would appear good. That is, except for Mark Ronson.

I’ll post the rest of the V review in a day or so (with more musical content next time).

And as a tribute to The Proclaimers….

Life, Music | No Comments »