FIELDS and NOAH AND THE WHALE

Charlie on the Ukulele, Noah and The Whale


Matty, Fields

What a premonition last weeks gig was - a sort of 'ingredients for Glastonbury' show with both the land and the flood being forecast by the bands. First up we had the lovely Noah and The Whale, (leaving the arc and animals at home till the weekend) followed by
Fields who enjoyed not being flooded and had a string quartet on stage with them to celebrate the fact.

I had a lovely evening. Two bands singing about everything life and nature. Noah and the Whale were sounding on top form with the addition of their newly appointed violinist, Tom, who excelled in his soloist passages and seemed comfortable with the group.
It would be hard not to feel comfortable with this lot, they are such a friendly bunch and welcomed me warmly when I ventured backstage for a chat. These guys are not stand-offish egotists but instead a group of friends first and foremost, all from Teddington near Richmond - a place of rivers, ducks and pubs. This relaxed green environment shines through in their personalities and music. For example, the band could have got pretty riled that they were still waiting on their snare drum just moments before going on, that there were no toilets for them to use backstage and that they had not been provided with a bottle opener so the mighty Laura had to do it with her teeth(ouch), but they didn't. They were giggling and easy going, letting me take some hilarious pictures of them too.




There is no sense of resentment or competition in this band; they all happily confirmed that Charlie is the front man and songwriter. The others are there to help realise this young man's vision, and to suggest minor changes and developments. The result is inspiring and a joy to watch on stage. Matt - who seen here playing the harmonium, also plays bass melodica and glock..

If you have to make comparisons, it would be to other folk - country music because of a shared use of similar rhythms and instruments. You can also hear the influence of Bob Dylan and other folk masters in the concentration on lyrics, chords and arrangement. If you haven't heard it already, you must listen to Peaceful the World on their myspace http://www.myspace.com/hatracket. It's a very earthy song and the lyrics are astute and touching.
'There is no endless devotion that is free from the force of erosion,
and if you don't believe in God, how can you believe in Love,
when we're all just matter that will one day scatter
when peaceful the world lays us down.'
This one, unsurprisingly, went down a treat last week, as did all the others. Jump on the arc with Noah and the Whale people, I'm loving the peace boat.



Next up Fields. They were on mighty form and proving themselves to be a dynamic band full of energy, enthusiasm and musical prowess. They have come a long way since their days of writing in a shed back in Warwickshire, and I felt that the addition of the string quartet for a live performance at the ICA was proof of this, a kind of landmark on their exciting journey.
Their first album, Everything Last Winter released last April has set them on a good path, it includes plenty of well produced tracks with that rich, melancholy sound that started, and has kept the fans flowing in. Concerts at Borderline, Reading Festival and all around the country have continued to spread the Fields gospel and their very trendy website, http://www.fieldsband.com, gives all new fans a comprehensive and visually stimulating place to find out about all the latest news and gigs.

I was definitely in the company of some serious fans on Monday, one guy had been to see them 4 times this year! Now that's dedication.

I think people are getting into Fields for a few reasons. On Monday I was struck by..

How strong they are musically. They produce a rich and epic sound boosted by string quartets (occasionally), electronic sounds from the keyboard and synths, harmonized vocals, various guitars, a lot of feedback, and drums.

The emotional force of the music. They often use wistful, or nostalgic sounding chords alongside serious subject matter which evokes high emotions in the listener. However, these emotions are rarely sad, but full of hope because of dramatic escalations in rhythm and sound that lead to epic, cathartic climaxes.

The organic nature of the band. There is a warm and human feel in the irregularity to this group. The front man Matty is a like a lovely terrier; or tin tin with his quiff.Big in personality and charisma but small in person. He stood next to Nick, a giant of a guy in comparison but more demure in character and style.The electric guitar player, Jamie added some urban charm with his skinny jeans and styled hairdo (a cut occurred backstage apparently )
and a super-star 'blondie-esque' lady- (yes made up language) from far off lands, Thorunn, had that confidence and je ne sais qois that girls and boys alike admire.
This naturally varied mix of appearance and personality stops them from leaning towards a niche crowd or trend.. and avoids the manufactured look too.

Ultimately, Fields were great. They have that big sound that unfortunately for us at the ICA means they may not stay on the contemporary underground circuit for long. Onwards to large venues and large audiences for these guys I'd imagine...but we shall see, we shall see.....

OK well I think that about covers it - just a quick blog this week... My mind is on all things ITUNES which I hope everyone is getting excited about - try your hand at the lottery system if you have not already!!

Madame T x

Pat and Trevor - A mad and wonderful evening with Yeborobo AND Fulborn Teversham....

Well, the P & T brigade weren't going to let us down for their third and final chapter were they...?

Erm..sorry, what? Final chapter I hear you cry?!

I know, I can hardly believe it myself, but last Saturday's Pat and Trevor extravaganza was the last one..! For now anyway. And actually, I'm not worried. When big, sad Hollywood blockbusters can come back for more than there trilogy's worth, then I’m sure we will be seeing more of Pat and Trevor who provide unquestionably quality nights. I know the ICA won’t be able to resist their promotional prowess and creative charms for long. Saturday withheld the impeccably high standard of music with Yeborobo and Fulborn Taversham taking to the stage, and as usual an extensive array of wonderful and thought provoking art installations were laid out for the public to enjoy.

I had just arrived from the 02 Wireless festival when Yeborobo started playing, and it certainly jolted me into another reality. Far removed from the maze of kids with neon plastic shades and electro t-shirts that had filled my minds horizon, I was suddenly in what felt like an exclusive off off, and another off, broadway music performance. I was glad to leave the swathe of Daft Punk fans enjoying forced intimacy with one another, but not the artists. The punk pair were masked as usual in their futurismo helmets and set far away from the crowds apon a giant vortex stage. In the ICA I saw something no less theatrical, but far more personal, with a musical performance not ‘staged’, but making use of the stage.
This music wasn't slick but thrilling in its experimental value, and the audience were made part of a live musical exploration.
Yeberobo ‘don’t really rehearse’ their music, so the audience were treated to new songs being developed live, and reworkings of old songs all in part improvised from suggestions made just before they went on stage.

Like Daft Punk, the Yeborobo gang played with masks and costumes... Sam (aka Christmas Log)Rob (aka Bendy Dog and also birthday boy) Andrew aka Cattle Prod Sophie (aka Leafy Clog)
But they did not use them for hiding behind, but for having fun and provoking, inviting the audience in to enjoy the experience. Matt (aka Crucial Taunt)They do not care about what people think, or put another way, they get people to think maybe; arousing them out of any sleepy senses with a bombardment of extreme sounds, movements and visuals. Vocalist Andrew and Matt made frequent trips down into the audience, hitting them with giant mits and going wherever they wanted to in the theatre space regardless of other human bodies. The movement is not rehearsed either so the crowds enjoyed improvised magic, exciting to watch and at times alarming. You were never quite sure if you were not going to be asked in to participate somehow.. these moves you could not pre-meditate...

When I asked Andrew
if there was any reason for the highly charged, often angry and crazed movement, I was told it was simply ‘A chance to have fun.’ . The movement is not about a particular subject but more about 'throwing yourself around.’ Sam
inferred , 'when else can you hit people with giant hands and not get arrested’..'Everyone should join a band for that reason.’ Fair play people, I admire their honesty on that one.

But while Yeborobo’s interest in ‘having fun..(and) messing around with dirt, sloppy stuff, noisey stuff, messy stuff’, is very contagious to watch,that is not to say this band are not musical, (and can appear pretty 'normal' whatever that means, which didn't feel right somehow after their multi-coloured performance) Sophie Russell (aka Important Blog) Matt

When I listened to the sampling of tracks of on their myspace, http://www.myspace.com/yeborobo, I was impressed by the music in its own right; and I’m not the first either. Online publications such as PIMP magazine have reviewed them and various underground blogs such as http://tinydancing.blogspot.com/ (who in good taste laid out their blog like this one)have given them a good mention. http://www.pimpguides.com/PIMP_home.htm
http://www.pimpguides.com/vol7/PIMP%20Vol7_p80_84.pdf
The label Caff/Flick http://www.myspace.com/naivepainters have even remixed one of their tracks on their eclectic, contemporary album called Lucky Dragons Very. The band have also released two of their own albums, even when as Sam says, ‘putting chaos onto a CD is quite hard'. Go to www.mentalistassociation.co.uk for details.

SO a wonderful way to start my Pat and Trevor evening.. And when it was over I enjoyed the task of browsing around the extended number of art installations, increased in size and number because of an albeit questionable, decision to keep the bar and the theatre open for the duration of the whole night. There was space for a whole bedroom in the bar, providing all sorts of role play for certain people in the crowd,
and watched over by additional guests enjoying their own special evening..

In the theatre we had DJ’s including The Holy Triangles playing in between acts and if you didn’t want to listen to them you could always tune into one of the various TV screens dotted around the stage. They showed an eclectic range of subjects including live footage of other instruments and people on stage, to topical media sensations including David Beckham, who incidentally celebrates his birthday as I write this, hmmm I wonder if that was intentional.. . And just when I thought I couldn’t find my boss and head of music programming Jamie to share in my excitement at the array of wonders around me, I found him chilling downstairs near the café.. With,
and without company..

Silly.
Then onto the not so silly Fulborn Teversham.
Full of musical ability and a serious connection with their music and each other, this band continued the experimental tip but in a different style with a more indie-jazz vibe. The quality of musicianship was clear with some very impressive and expressive passages were offered by each of them. No doubt Alice's mesmerizing presence

and Pete's sax solo's demanded your complete attention..
Unfortunately some people just don't have attention spans, period. These two particular young men got on my nerves so badly I made this poster to stop them from acting up again..Believe me, I'm a very open lady and think everyone in this world should be welcome most everywhere else.. but you've got to have manners please.
Anyway, they and the public in general did settle down after a while, and everyone was able to enjoy the varied and passionate repertoire of songs. Big up the big haired creator behind the music, Mr Sebastian Rochford also of Polar Bear, check out that myspace on http://www.myspace.com/sebastianrochford. Here he is playing on Saturdayand drinking..

Oh I get it...so that was who that was.....
ha ha..

Thank you Pat and Trevor - loving your work as they say x