Tickets are available from Kardomah 94 and from Hull Box Office
https://www.hullboxoffice.com/ 01482 221113
http://www.kardomah94.com/contact_us
Richard Strange – the poster for the gig at Kardomah94 Hull – Wednesday 22nd November
An interesting and disturbing article on Brexit – How I learnt to loathe England.
Prospect Magazine – How I learnt to Loathe England
https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/how-i-learnt-to-loathe-england
Brexit – Tory Party before the Country – the litany of shame.
As we stumble towards a disastrous exit from the EU with drastic consequences for the future it would be good to think that a dedicated group of government politicians had things in hand; that their priority was firmly fixed on negotiating a good deal for us; that their focus was unflinchingly set on the most important issue that has beset us since the Second World War. Unfortunately that is not the case. Their attention is instead focussed on in-fighting, power and leadership issues. Instead of putting the country first they are putting their own lust for power and the Tory Party first.
It is a disaster.
But then nothing changes. The whole European issue has been a fiasco.
The referendum and Brexit has been brought about through a power struggle in the Tory Party and the Tories putting themselves and their Party above the good of the British people.
- First instance – Cameron and Osborne and the right wing anti-Europe faction.
The Tory Party was hopelessly split. The Right Wing continually wanted out of Europe and would go to any lengths to bring it about. They brought down the Major government and were causing trouble in the Cameron government.
Coming up to the general election the party was fractured and election defeat loomed. In order to stop the in-fighting and temporarily unite the party to fight the election Cameron promised them a referendum (complacently thinking that they would lose and it would shut them up for a bit).
They were elected (against the odds with a majority – Cameron really hoping for another coalition where he could not hold a referendum and blame that on the Lib-Dems) and he had to go through with his stupid promise.
That referendum was not called for the good of the country but rather the good of the Tory Party.
2. The appalling Referendum Campaign
Cameron and Osborne were supremely confident, safe within their Westminster/London bubble, of winning. They fought a disastrous negative campaign. Where were all the positives of staying in? Where were the huge benefits of cooperation for fighting terrorism, fighting crime, science, the environment, energy, global warming, pollution, city redevelopment, farming, the economy, trade? Why weren’t the benefits of immigration spelt out? – The NHS doctors and nurses, the welfare workers, the care home workers, the seasonal agricultural workers? Why were their massive contributions to the economy and our way of life not highlighted? Why wasn’t it all spelt out? Why weren’t the Brexiteers pulled to bits over their lies? Where were the costs of extracting ourselves? Why weren’t the details made clear?
3. Cameron and Osborne washing their hands of it.
After the disastrous vote Cameron and Osborne baled out to take up their hugely lucrative lives, leaving the Tory Party in the hands of the Right Wing lunatics – Rees-Mogg, Liam Fox, David Davis, IDS – who gleefully set off down the road to extreme realisation of their twisted dreams.
Once again the Tory politicians were selfishly putting personal gain before the good of Britain. In the wake of Cameron and Osborne all the more liberal views of the Tory Party were steamrollered aside without opposition. They had abandoned ship for personal gain.
4. The belligerent extreme Brexit position of the Right-Wingers ignored half the country.
Totally ignoring the views of half the electorate and the moderate wing of their own party, May and her heinous band set about arrogantly upsetting Europe and infuriating half of the population who were passionate about Europe. No compromise was considered.
5. The Pushing of the Button.
The Tory Party was still hopelessly split and the moderate faction was beginning to come out of its stunned stupor and raise its head. That was when Theresa May stupidly made the first of her major errors.
Pushing the exit button was as calamitous as launching a nuclear missile. It set the clock ticking towards a slow-motion detonation.
The mistake was not to negotiate a consensus within her party before pressing the button. She mistakenly thought that once the deed was done the moderates would tamely fall into line; they would realise that there was no way back and shut up. They didn’t. The voices of dissent within the Tory Party were growing.
That was when she made her second major error.
6. Calling the General Election.
In order to gain credibility within her party and stifle dissent, Theresa May called a General Election. Beset with the same complacency as Cameron and Osborne she believed she would romp it. Her renewed power would gag the opposition in her own party. The calling of the election was yet another example of putting the good of the Tory Party above that of the country and it backfired horribly.
7. The Election Campaign.
The Right-Wingers were so supremely confident of victory and disparaging of Corbyn that they felt able to pack their manifesto with all manner of nasty policies aimed at grabbing from the poor, the pensioners, public services, the disabled and a large section of their own support base. They thought they could sneak it through – to rob from the poor to give more tax cuts to the rich and cut corporation tax.
Their overconfidence and extreme nastiness was their undoing. The terrible campaign reduced her power. The gamble failed miserably.
Failing to put the country first had made Theresa May a lame duck – a dead man walking as Osborne snidely labelled her.
8. Tory Power Struggle.
Instead of uniting, sorting a clear strategy and focussing on the future of the country, the Tory Party is once again embroiled in in-fighting, power struggles and knifings as the put their own lust for power above the needs of the country.
It is a litany of deceit, betrayal, selfishness, greed, dogma and lust for power that is putting the future of the country in jeopardy. The clock is ticking. The stance taken by the Tories is extreme, uncompromising and failing. There is still no consensus. There is still no strategy and far from trying to come together they are pulling themselves apart with no sign of any leader who could possibly unite the warring factions or provide a clear strategy for Brexit. We are stumbling towards a cliff edge. Theresa May has clearly imploded and is manifestly only still in post because there is no sign of a credible alternative leader. The Party has effectively collapsed. The death throes are visible as it wrenches itself apart. Even the economy is going pear-shaped. But the clock is ticking and nobody has any faith in the current incompetent negotiation team. David Davies is a second-rate car-salesman out of his depth. It is a frightening scenario that is making the rest of Europe gleeful.
The future of the country has become secondary – a distant second at that. Is anybody working on it? Do any of them care about the country at all? It seems to me that the Tory Party only care about the Tory Party. The country can go to the wolves.
Crooked Weather at the Adelphi in Hull – Review and pictures.
The last time I saw Crooked Weather they were playing as an acoustic duo supporting Bruce Barthol (formerly of Country Joe and the Fish) – now they were the full electric band supporting Barry Melton (formerly of Country Joe and the Fish) – something fishy going on here!
I’ve seen Crooked Weather a number of times now and they just get better and better. Holly’s voice is exquisite, Will’s guitar playing (both acoustic and electric) is just getting better and better and driven by those drums and bass they really rock.
They gave a superb set at the Adelphi last night.
Disco 4 Million at the Adelphi in Hull – review and photos
Disco 4 Million brought their theatrical, visual urban protest to Hull. The band incorporating musicians from Denmark and Hull produced an interesting set of avante garde percussive Rock. Dressed in colourful masks and white coats scribed with political slogans they used drums, keyboard effects, electronic sounds, spade guitar, metal bowls and vocals to create an innovative and interesting sound. They certainly got their message across!
This was only their second gig. I reckon we’ll see a lot more of their industrial protest in the future. One thing is certain – it wasn’t Disco!!
Reality Dreams – my weird Sixties book – now available in paperback!!
My latest book – also my oldest book – is now available in paperback!!
This is quite a nostalgic trip for me. When I started writing this I was making notes in a notebook while sitting in my bedroom in a student flat I shared with Liz and two friends – Bede and Sally in 1971. I remember the summer sun dappling the walls with bright waving patterns on the gross patterned wallpaper as I started my writing career.
Those notes were eventually carefully typed up with one finger on an old Remington typewriter.
I sent off the manuscript to various publishers with high hopes. Thus began my large collection of rejection slips!
To now hold that book in my hands feels like a very strange experience. Even through the flaws and some of the early thinking there is still enough to fill me with elation. This was my first of 54 books. I’m loving it.
If you fancy checking it out then this is the UK Amazon link:
The book will on your local Amazon.
Why The Beatles were the Best Band in the World – Pt 3
Phase three was probably their highest achievement. This is when their level of song writing, performance and innovation all came together.
It spanned four albums and a number of singles.
For a variety of reasons, such as they had got fed up with it, couldn’t hear themselves and didn’t think they could do justice to the music they were producing in the studio, they gave up live performance.
It gave them more time in the studio and the influence of Dylan and the burgeoning sixties counter-culture and arts movement started to come through. Nothing was off limits – electronic sounds, loops, backward tapes, strange instruments, music forms from Jazz, Indian, Folk and brass bands were fused together with classical instrumentation and a touch of avant garde. It all went in the mix.
There was the first glimmer of things to come on Rubber Soul with its production and songs such as Here, There and Everywhere, Nowhere Man and I’m looking Through You. Then there was the B-side of Ticket To Ride – Rain, with its backwards tape. Things were afoot.
By the time we got to Revolver things were in full flow. It was a mass of innovation with searing guitar, electronic distortions, sitar and lyrical developments. Tomorrow Never Knows would have been unthinkable an album before. We have the beauty of Here There and Everywhere and Eleanor Rigby and the up tempo Got To Get You Into My Life. The counter-culture and psychedelia was beginning to raise its head. The love song fodder had been surpassed and extended into new arenas. No longer were Beatle songs based on the two and a half minute formula. The Beatles had moved to Adult Orientated Rock – as it became known.
Many believe that the next album – Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Heartsclub Band – was their epitome. Those that know them better reckon that it was the next double white album that saw them reach their peak. It is of little importance. These two albums along with the single Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane saw them at their zenith. They were still there at the top setting the standard for others to follow. Even the Stones, when they tried to match Sgt Peppers by making a psychedelic album – Their Satanic Majesties Request – fell short. The Beatles had made the jump from a teenybop band to a recognised force in the burgeoning counter-culture field of psychedelic Rock. They were looked up to by the likes of Hendrix.
It did not get much better than this. They could pound out heavy riffs, do acoustic ditties, Indian ragas or produce experimental electronic music. There were no limits other than their imaginations and with the run of the studio and George Martin’s skills they forged brilliance.
Why The Beatles were the Best Band in the World – Pt 2
The next phase of the Beatles progress was their Teeny Bop years. Now this normally would be the kiss of death. Who can possibly take anyone seriously when they are catering for a bunch of prepubescent girls? Certainly bands like Take That are the biggest turn-off for me. The testimony to the Beatles quality was that they squared the circle and pulled it off – and they did it in style. Their songs had a quality that appealed beyond the horizons of their teenage audience. Not only that, but the production, organised by George Martin, was perfect.
The series of singles continued unabated. The quality did not drop despite the pressures on them and the immense workload. Those singles were innovative and all different. They did not fall into the rut of repetition. Even so the material they produced was lyrically limited and focussed almost entirely on love songs.
Brian Epstein was very canny. Not only did he harness the four characters into a harmonious group but he sorted out a distinctive image utilising the design skills of Stu Sutcliffe’s girlfriend Astrid Kirchherr who designed the collarless jackets and combed forward hairstyle that made them so distinctive.
Phase two was based around their two early films – A Hard Day’s Night and Help – with Beatles For Sale sandwiched in between.
It also was based around their massive breakthrough into the States. They took the place by storm. At one point they had seven singles in the US Top Ten and the radio stations played nonstop Beatles music. They even had LPs in the singles charts. It was unprecedented. This was Beatlemania at its most rampant.
What gave the group impetus, apart from their obvious musical prowess, was their engaging, chirpy personalities. They were masters of the ready quip, the humorous aside and cheeky answer. It gave them a media presence and even appealed to parents – who found the friendly moptops unthreatening (little did they know). They worked together as a foursome very well and handled the media in a manner that made them universally popular.
The two film albums were made up entirely of Beatles songs (apart from three tracks on Help) – even George got the odd look-in. Their song writing skills were to the fore and they produced some lilting pop songs along with the rockier numbers. Beatles For Sale was the last of their non-film albums to feature cover songs.
Overnight the sugary sweet PopRock was blown away. The Beatles paved the way for the British invasion and a host of bands a lot tougher and more blues based than the Mersey bands swept in – The Stones, Pretty Things, Them, Yardbirds, Who, Animals, Smallfaces, Manfred Mann, and Downliners Sect crashed through the open door with their original sounds.
The Beatles had established themselves as the undisputed best band in the world. Even the Stones (those unkempt, long-haired, scruffy oiks that the media so liked to put up against them in the first battle of the bands) had to play second fiddle.
It was on their American tour that they met Bob Dylan and were blown away themselves.
Why The Beatles were the Best Band in the World – Pt 1
The Beatles were, and still are, the best band that has ever been. Though there have been numerous brilliant contenders nobody has quite surpassed them – and there are good reasons for this.
It all started right back at the beginning and is clearly audible on that first and second album (particularly the first). These two albums really represent the Beatles early stage act. It was dynamic and rocked liked no other.
Coming from Liverpool the Beatles had access to the R&B and Rock ‘N’ Roll from the States. The merchant seamen brought it in and the Mersey Bands lapped it up. The band played the little Mersey clubs and had a long stint in Hamburg. They had to compete. The post-war kids wanted excitement. They wanted it loud and they wanted it fast. They wanted to dance and let their hair down. The Beatles did it as good as any and were almost the best live act in Liverpool (the most exciting being The Big Three). What the Beatles did was take the Black R&B and Rock ‘n’ Roll and give it a driving beat. They rocked it up. Few people had heard anything like it.
Back in England we did not have much in the way of radio. There were no commercial stations. We just had the Beeb and they censored the life out of everything. We never got to hear any of this stuff. It was dire. So when the Beatles did all that fabulous Black R&B it was all fresh to us. We hadn’t heard it first time around. Even the White American had’nt heard a lot of it. The establishment had cleaned up the radio and TV. Rock and R&B were considered a bad influence.
By the time that first album came out they had honed their craft and had an act that stomped, harmonies to die for and a unique sound. You can feel the energy bursting off that first album. It was basically recorded live in the studio and still retains the force of those live performances. They arrived ready-formed.
But the Beatles were clever. They varied the pace. They put in ballads and the odd one or two of their own songs – which stood up well against the rest of the repertoire. They not only had the power but also the craftsmanship so that the harmonies and musical interaction was spot on.
Those first two albums exploded. That was partly because the scene was pretty dead with diluted Rock and partly because of the energy and raw power that the Beatles injected into them.
The other thing of note was that they wrote all their singles – and those singles were great, different and of a high quality. They set them apart from the other bands. It was another string to their bow.
At the age of fourteen I was already a seasoned Rock aficionado. I liked my vintage Buddy Holly, Little Richard, Gene Vincent, Elvis Presley, Everly Brothers as well as the Shadows and whatever Pop stuff was around. I liked rockin’ music but on first hearing the Beatles hit me like a rock. I was blown away. It was instant. They were that visceral.
It is hard to explain to people who weren’t there. When you have already heard Hendrix, The Doors, Zappa and the Stones Rockin’ in the Seventies, Nirvana and the Ramones and all the other Rock Music that followed, the impact of those first albums could not be understood. But there had been nothing quite like them. They were pioneers. They blasted the doors open and Rock Music lived again.
Reality Dreams – my new book – presently in the process of being published.
Reality Dreams was my first book. I started writing it in 1971. It took me three years to complete.
I thought it was a brilliant new kind of book – totally revolutionary – a feast of prose, poetry, cartoons, philosophy, social concern, spirituality and observation. It had some great pieces of writing.
However the publishers did not see it quite the same. They thought my psychedelic masterpiece was a chaotic wreck.
They were probably right. It was a creature of its time – a beast of a sixties book.
Well I’ve rewritten it a couple of times and, with the objectivity of distance, I can see the substantial flaws.
However, I did not allow that to stunt my enthusiasm. I have upgraded the writing (can’t do anything about the structure) and tidied it up. It is now a nostalgic trip into the psychedelic dungeons of my 1960s cerebral folds.
My nostalgic trip will now – after forty five years of gestation – finally taste the bite of ink.
Well at least I’m looking forward to it!