10 Glastonbury 2023 TV highlights

The crowd for Elton

I caught quite a bit of Glastonbury on the TV over the weekend. The BBC's coverage of the Pyramid Stage, Other Stage, Park Stage, Woodsies and West Holts was incredible. OK, the BBC didn't delve into the side stages, tents and areas that for many are the real Glastonbury, but they did pretty well and they know their audience.

Watching from the comfort of my sofa with easy access to the fridge for beer was just perfect, while my toilet up the stairs was particularly welcome when viewing the crowd for Elton John (above)!!!! In a sign of my age, I immediately wondered (and worried) what people would do if they needed the loo! What a crowd!

Here are 10 of my highlights from my weekend of TV watching. One additional observation was how white and middle class the audience seemed. Did anyone else feel/spot that?

You should get all of these sets on the BBC iPlayer 

You'll find BBC YouTube links to key songs from each artists set after my review. 

1. Young Fathers, Friday, West Holts Stage

Within minutes of taking to the West Holts Stage, with the sun burning bright in the sky in front of them, just before it started setting, Young Fathers performance looked, sounded and felt like a huge moment for them. With Alloysious Massaquoi, Kayus Bankole and Graham 'G' Hastings lining up along the front of the stage alongside 2 female (apologies for not knowing their names) singers, you can't help but be captivated by their presence and impact. Queen Is Dead was loud, proud, cool and bold, while Rice was simply sublime.

Young Fathers - I Saw (Glastonbury 2023)

2. Carly Rae Jepsen, Friday, Other Stage

We're big fans of Carly Rae Jepsen in our house. She has an astonishing run of singles that are sheer pop perfection. The hooks, melodies, beats, riffs and choruses are just incredible. As I was watching I immediately regretted not going to see Carly in Glasgow back in February. I hope she comes back soon. Cut To The Feeling is euphoric, while Call Me Maybe and I Really Like You are timeless pop.

Carly Rae Jepsen - Shy Boy (Glastonbury 2023)

3. Texas, Friday, Pyramid Stage

Sharleen Spiteri and Texas knocked it out the park on Friday, playing hit after hit, generating huge sing-songs in the crowd. Sharleen bounded around stage one minute and strapped on a gorgeous green semi-acoustic the next. Opening with smash debut single I Don't Want A Lover set a tone, then it was into Halo, while later on it was the triple blow of Black Eyed Boy, Inner Smile and Say What You Want. A smash hits of a set!

Texas - Black Eyed Boy (Glastonbury 2023)

4. Hot Chip, Friday, Woodsies

I found myself dancing around the living room on Friday night to the delightful electronic sounds of Hot Chip. I fell for them in 2005 (see my 10 from Hot Chip blog) and they continue to woo me to this day. Alexis Taylor has barely changed in the near 20-years I have been following the band. His voice remains delicately beautiful, his fashion sense is still brilliantly geeky weird, while his band mate Joe Goddard is just the same - with a slightly deeper voice.

The synth sounds they created on stage amped up their studio versions, the light show added to the vibe. From the opener of Huarache Lights to the closing Over and Over, this was a set I cherished.

Hot Chip - Over and Over (Glastonbury 2023)

5. Lewis Capaldi, Saturday, Pyramid Stage

What an emotional performance. After a couple of songs Capaldi was coughing regularly during songs, his throat and voice were going. But he kept going, feeling the love of the audience and not wanting to let them down. His nervous ticks became increasing prominent, but he kept on singing and the crowd sang with him and for him. His self-depreciating humour was apparent throughout and he even took his top off for one song the huge cheers. 

I watched this with my 8-year old daughter Rosie and we were both feeling for Lewis. And we were both moved by the response of the Glastonbury crowd who had his back 100%, singing for all their worth.

Lewis was moved too. Taking several moments to take it all in. Bruises was beautiful, Capldi was visibly bruising on stage, making the song even more poignant. 

Capaldi then said he would try to sing 2 more songs, but after Hold Me While You Wait he was really struggling and the crowd took over for most of his monster hit Someone You Loved. Lewis was apologising one minute and thanking them profusely the next, but he still somehow found the strength from within to sing one final chorus which was spine tingling and exceptionally emotional.

Lewis, with typical transparency, told the crowd and us watching at home that we might not see him for a while, he'd be taking some time out. 

I hope he does and that his family and friends hold him close and protect him from any record company pressures. He just seems a genuinely lovely young guy who wants to write and sing. Maybe, when he returns, he could play some smaller venues, a residency at the Barrowland and/or Concert Hall in Glasgow. So he can stay at home. 

6. Rick Astley and Blossoms, Saturday, Woodsies

I'm not a fan of Astley or Blossoms. So I wasn't intending to check this collaboration out, but a couple of WhatsApp messages from friends alerted me to it, so I did. And i have to admit that they knocked their covers set of Smiths songs out of the park. 

Festivals should be barmy and bonkers. And this was barmy, bonkers and somehow brilliant.

That said, I wouldn't pay to go and see them on tour, but great at a festival.

Rick Astley and Blossoms - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (Glastonbury 2023)

7. The Pretenders, Saturday, The Park Stage

One of many performances that I watched with one or both of my daughters where they said; 'How old are they?' Then we would guess how old they are against my Mum of 76.

What a beautiful sound The Pretenders created, aided by the introduction of Johnny Marr on guitar, while Macca watching from side-stage must have put a spring in their step. Oh and Dave Grohl popped up to guest on drums for Tattooed Love Boys. 

Chrissie Hynde was in fine voice,  there was no Brass in Pocket, but there was a magnificent I'll Stand By You and the crowd were loving it.

The Pretenders - Tattooed Love Boys (Glastonbury 2023)

8.  Candi Staton, Sunday, West Holts

At 83-years old and having recently survived breast cancer, this may well have been Candi Staton's last Glastonbury performance. However, I personally wouldn't bet against her returning again. She displayed resilience and strength throughout her set which included In The Ghetto, Suspcious Minds and a euphoric Young Hearts Run Free. But in her lengthy introduction to You Got The Love she bared her heart and soul as she told of her struggles through her treatment and how her faith kept her going. She found herself singing You Got The Love in hospital corridors to keep herself going, finding new meaning in the song.

And then she sang it for Glastonbury, she sang it for her family, us watching at home and she sang it for God and her faith. It was beautiful. A real Glastonbury moment.

Candi Staton - You Got The Love (Glastonbury 2023)

9. Becky Hill, Sunday, Other Stage

My kids love Becky Hill and they've turned me on to her brilliant pop songs like the sublime Remember. In blazing sunshine, Hill's electro pop with a nice clubby feel to it wowed the Glastonbury crowd. And she felt it! Pausing several times to take it all in and highlight how everything felt like it had built to this moment. And she fell for Glastonbury, talking of how she was at Arcadia for The Chemical Brothers and how she would be back next year whether she was playing or not.

On this evidence, she should be booked again. With 4 backing singers, the sound was euphoric and Hill's voice is incredible. Soulful and packed with emotion. She has a clear ear for pop.

Opening with the mighty Crazy What Love Can Do got the crowd on her side and Hill paused several times to stop herself from crying. Her love of dance music came out through cover versions like Heaven and You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) and her new songs mixed well. Closing with Remember, I wouldn't be surprised if Becky is invited back next year.

Becky Hill - Side Effects (Glastonbury 2023)

10. Elton John, Sunday, Pyramid Stage

What a show! What a band! What a crowd! What a career! From the opening blitz through Pinball Wizard to the emotional finale of Rocket Man with a stunning extended outro, Elton John and his band were on fire. Almost literally at the end as Fireworks exploded overhead and pyrotechnics burst from the stage.

My own highlight (in addition to Rocket Man) was a euphoric blast through Are You Ready For Love? with guest vocalist Jacob Lusk from Gabriels and the London Community Gospel Choir. What a chorus! It was a joyful performance.

Brandon Flowers from The Killers came on for Tiny Dancer, Rina Sawayama joined Elton for Don't Go Breaking My Heart while Stephen Sanchez came on to perform his own song Until I Found You with Elton and his band. John has always promoted and supported new acts.

After somewhat underwhelming headline performances by Artic Monkeys on Friday (tight as f**k but they didn't exactly get the crowd going) and Guns n Roses on Saturday (superb guitars but Axl Rose was barely audible at times and sounded awful when his mic was turned up), Elton John and his band gave Glastonbury a celebratory party goodbye. John signed off his last ever UK performance in the fun and flamboyant style he is famed for.

Elton John - Rocket Man (Glastonbury 2023)

10 from Hot Chip

I first stumbled across Hot Chip at the Benicassim Festival in 2005. My girlfriend (now wife) and I camped out for a week in the sun, spending days on the beach in the cool breeze by the sea, then partying long into the night. Taking in the likes of Oasis, Mylo, Underworld, The Lemonheads, Nick Cave, Basement Jaxx, The Cure and LCD Soundsystem. I think LCD Soundsystem came on stage at 2am! Hot Chip might have been in a tent after that!

Despite the excess of Benicassim I managed to remember their name and track them down. They had released their debut album Coming On Strong on the excellent Moshi Moshi label in 2004 and I didn't have to wait long for their follow up, the exceptional The Warning.

Singles Over and Over, A Boy From School and Colours were incredible. I bought the singles on vinyl and played A Boy From School at a night my sister put on at Edinburgh School of Art and a number of people came up to ask who it was - always a good sign! 

I went to see them at King Tuts around this time and they blew me away. Visually captivating, Hot Chip are co-fronted by the diminutive Alexis Taylor in huge glasses and Joe Goddard. Both are incredibly playful with lyrics and melodies, Taylor with a high voice, Goddard with the low, both beautifully melancholic. Joined by Al Doyle, Felix Martin and Owen Clarke, the 5 bopped, danced and smiled behind synths, guitars and bass and looked like they were having the time of their lives on the King Tuts stage and this easily transferred to the audience.

Hot Chip continued to release an album every 2-years, all with excellent singles (and videos) to promote them; Made In The Dark (2008), One Life Stand (2010), In Our Heads (2012) and then a little longer in between to Why Make Sense (2015) and A Bath Full Of Ecstasy (2019), with solo albums and side projects in between, also notably Al and Felix playing and recording with great friends LCD Soundsystem.

I love how the band all have different personalities and styles that somehow just gel when they come together. And their genuine love of music pours out of everything they do. They have an incredible ability to mix melancholy with euphoria. 

Hot Chip are kind of the perfect size and set up for a band. Big enough to tour all over, cool enough & respected enough to be in with the likes of DFA and Optimo, solid enough to allow side projects and playing with other bands and known enough to pull good crowds at festivals.

Here are 10 of my favourite songs by Hot Chip.

Working my way back through Hot Chip's considerable back catalogue over the last month or so has been a real pleasure. They are fun, playful and unique. You can tell they love music and are great friends.

I'm conscious that there are 4 songs from The Warning, but the 3 singles + No Fit State are without question among my top 10 favourites. That was the album where I really discovered and fell for the band. I also have 3 songs from the One Life Stand album! Unintentional, but on reflection they are my favourite albums.

Bubbling under are Baby Said, How Do You Do and the outstanding Hungry Child - which is really unfortunate not to make my 10. Special mention for their cover version of Springsteen's Dancing In The Dark which morphs slightly into All My Friends by LCD Soundsystem. I try to avoid including covers in my 10 from ... series. I've blogged on this before and you can check that HERE.

1. A Boy From School

Exceptionally cool synths, beats, melodies and lyrics. I played the 7-inch of this at Edinburgh Art School when I DJ'd a night my sister put on while studying and people were blown away. Fresh and vital sounding. Effortlessly cool. The bit where Joe comes in gets me every time.

I got, I got lost

You said this was the way back

Listen here

Live at Glastonbury 2015

2. Alley Cats

Tucked away in the middle of 2010's One Life Stand album is this warm melodic gem of a song. Flowing effortlessly, sung with care, I fell for it on first listen and it's charms continue to warm my heart every single time I listen. Alexis and Joe's voices dovetail and sound particularly dreamy on this song.

Watch/listen here

Live at Glastonbury

3. You Ride, We Ride, In Our Ride

From  the bands 2004 debut album Coming On Strong, You Ride, We Ride, In My Ride is a stunning early example of hot Chip weaving vocal melodies with electronic layers and beats. After discovering the band and downloading this album I just thought there is nothing else like this out there. Certainly nothing I had heard. One of Hot Chip's many strengths - beautifully different, soulful, playful and with nods to influences but 100% their own band. Just after 2-minutes this song goes off on a tangent, beats, synths, melodies ... brilliant.

Listen here

4. Colours

Simply sublime and the only song I have heard to mention stickle bricks! Synths bubble and Alexis croons softly and beautifully. At 50-seconds the disjointed beats are cut and it's just Taylor and synths before the real beats kick in and the song takes off. As we approach 2.5 minutes Alexis sings beautifully as his band mates continue to sing  Colours and colours and colours of colours. There are some cool mixes to check out with the Fred Falke one being my favourite.

I only wanted for to see

There's nothing in this heart but me

Everything you want is not free

I'm everything a girl could need

There's nothing in this heart but me

If everything you want is free

Listen/watch here

5. Over and Over

Hot Chip at their best laid back, laid back, laid back we'll give you play back sings Alexis Taylor over beats and playful synths. The chorus kicks in at 1-minute 20, mixing dirty synth sounds with Taylor's pure vocals. The video highlights the bands playful and energetic nature as they play in a green room, complete with helpers in green suits ensuring the band do all the right things. Taylor in over-sized red shades and hoodie is hyperactive in all the right ways. The instrumental section is  glorious and then Goddard's vocals come in at just the right time.

I started thinking what you wanted him to do

I got to thinking that I knew just what to do

Official video

6. No Fit State

The penultimate track of The Warning, No Fit State teases and eases in with Joe Goddard on super cool laid back vocals. Alexis Taylor takes the bridge, repeated a few times to lead to the chorus/mantra which is joined by euphoric synths

I'm in no fit state, I'm in no fit shape

Then Alexis comes in over the top and it is utterly divine.

To fall in love with you

To make a record of my life

To lose any more than I need

To watch my fingers bleed

To bust my body up

To drink out of your cup

To act a fool inlove

Acting hard's been tough

Listen here

Glastonbury 2007 - going into Temptation by New Order

7. Brothers

From 2010's brilliantly titled One Life Stand album, Brothers is as soulful an electronic song as you might ever hear. Goddard takes lead for the first verse and chorus, joined by Taylor for the second verse, their voices beautifully entwined. I just find this song utterly beautiful, it cuts me deep. Taylor takes lead on the third verse as the beats kick in further, the synths are more playful. Joyful and soulful.

Brothers, I would give my life for my brothers

When we're driving and it's late with my brother, sat next to me

It's a wild love I have, it's a wild love that I have

It's a wild love I have, it's a wild love that I have

For my brothers, for my brother

Listen here

8. One Life Stand

Humour and romance, total Hot Chip! The play on words for the title and chorus is genius, the Chic style guitar, bass-y synths leading to the chorus with Joe Goddard singing the beautiful keep on feeling backing vocals as Alexis pleads I only wanna be your one life stand, tell me stand by your man?

Official video

Live in Sydney

9. Melody Of Love

Utter brilliance from Hot Chip. A single and the opening song on their 2019 album A Bath Full Of Ecstasy, Melody Of Love finds the band mixing melancholy reflection with just the right dash of euphoria, complete with a sample of a gospel sermon. It's like Hot Chip have grown up, like we all have!

When I was standing next to you, I overheard the saddest news

What was just there was out of view, running out of love

I always seem to hesitate, too little always comes to late

There is a sound that resonates, melody of love

Official video

Live - Q Studio

10. Ready For The Floor

Nominated for a Grammy, Ready For The Floor is insanely catchy from the off, the repetitive do it ... now, say it ... now opening is classic playful Hot Chip. The verses lead to a chorus where Goddard plays off Taylor who ends up singing  the refrain you're my number one guy. The song was allegedly written for Kylie, a rumour sadly scotched by Taylor who confirmed they would love to wrote for her, but this song wasn't created with her in mind.

I love the performance from Glastonbury in 2008 (below) which highlights Hot Chip's infectious charm and their offbeat nerdy cool that wins hearts all over.

Official video

Live at Glastonbury 2008

Live on Later with Jools

McCartney II

 Ahead of the forthcoming release of McCartney III I thought I would take a look back at McCartney from 1970 and now McCartney II from 1980.

If Paul McCartney's eponymous album McCartney had surprised upon release in 1970 in terms of style, substance and the way Paul chose to step away from The Beatles, McCartney II, released in 1980, also caused a stir among his fanbase.

A lot had happened in the 10-years between the albums. You could have bet your house on Paul being the most prolific and busiest of Beatles following the split and it certainly turned out that way; Paul formed Wings, released 8 albums and toured the world a number of times. 

McCartney II is largely discussed in terms of Paul experimenting with synths and while tracks like Temporary Secretary, Front Parlour and Frozen Jap live up to that description, other parts of the album are bluesy or stoned jams; Bogey Music, On The Way, while Darkroom somehow sits across the two, sounding like it could easily fit in on a Gorillaz album. Elsewhere McCartney creates songs that sound like they could be leftovers from his Beatles days; Summer's Day Song and One Of These Days.

Coming Up introduces us to McCartney II and it is a very welcoming opening song, upbeat and full of Paul's melodic and catchy charms. The rhythm sounds like a speeded up reggae groove, almost like a raw Chic style guitar. 

As with McCartney, Paul plays everything by himself, this time going for a 16-track portable studio rather than the rough n ready 4-track he used on his 1970 album. On Coming Up it sounds like he is having fun, jamming on the groove and injecting real energy into the hooks. Listen on headphones to appreciate everything McCartney is up to, throwing in little riffs, sounds and backing vocals while holding it all together with a big fat bass.

My friends, Stephen, Craig  & Mick who were in the band Sonny Marvello - mentioned many times in blogs through the years - introduced me to McCartney II. They were (are) McCartney nuts and knew his solo catalogue back to front.

Personally, I was pretty late to McCartney II and I was really surprised when I heard Temporary Secretary when Mick played it in his old flat back in 2010 before we headed out in glorious sunshine to see McCartney play Hampden Park.

Temporary Secretary is bubbling synths and McCartney setting a frantic, frenetic, pace and groove. NME memorably described it as not so much ahead of its time, but out of it altogether. There is so much going on, but of course this is Paul McCartney, it is ridiculous but brilliant, ridiculously catchy, brilliant leftfield pop.

Things change, On The Way is raw and bluesy in feeling, the bass roots the song as Paul plays some exquisite blues guitar. It sounds a little out of place after the first couple of songs.

Waterfalls could have benefited from being a little rawer and shorter in length, akin to some of the songs on McCartney. Paul's voice sounds more forlorn and mature than on other songs on the album.

And I need love

Yeah I need love

Like a second needs an hour

Like a raindrop needs a shower

McCartney sounds like he's having fun jamming with himself on Nobody Knows, its like his own Let It Be session, he ad libs backing vocals to himself.

Meanwhile Front Parlour was the first song to be recorded for the album, in the front parlour of an old farmhouse. The song was trimmed down for the album with an extended version being available on the deluxe edition when it came out on CD. It's McCartney experimenting in a typically melodic, combining different sounds to create riffs and grooves.  

Summer's Day Song is really rather beautiful, sounding like it could have been on Abbey Road. It's dreamy, mellow and melodic. Paul's voice, particularly on the second verse, is at its best.

Someone's sleeping, through a bad dream

Tomorrow it will be over

For the world will soon be waking

To a summer's day

If someone heard Frozen Jap in the Sub Club in Glasgow they could easily mistake it for Hot Chip or LCD Soundsystem. This is utterly brilliant, sounding fresh, melodic and groove based. There is a little Krautrock in there. 

McCartney mixes it up with Bogey Music which sees him dive from the future away back to the 50's but with a little bit of extra echo effects. It's a throwaway, in my opinion the album would have been stronger with the full versions of Front Parlour and Frozen Jap, or one of the songs that didn't make the cut until the reissue with bonus tracks - see further on in the blog.

Darkroom is bit of a reggae and dub groove with McCartney playing with voice styles and backing vocals. This song and the bonus track Check My Machine sound like something that Damon Albarn would love for his Gorillaz project.

The album closes with a wistful McCartney singing One Of These Days which sounds remarkably boring compared to some of the stuff he conjures up.

I've mentioned bonus tracks. There is some incredible stuff! 

McCartney apparently recorded 20-songs in June and July 1979, many made up on the spot The aforementioned Check My Machine is an sensational stoned experimental groove, the bubbling 10 minute plus Secret Friend (the b-side to Temporary Secretary) is dreamy with samba style bass and percussion while McCartney goes kind of crazy over it. It somehow works! 

Mr H Atom/I'll Get You Baby starts with a voice (Paul's) saying Shangri-Las versus The Village People! Linda helps on vocals over a synth bass, there is some kind of spoken word and then the insanely catchy Mr H Atom, live in a flat on, the male sound of town chanted female vocals over a groove. I love it! The closing 3-minutes of the song have a bass synth and beat with Paul shooting laser synths and making up a vocal chant over it all. 

So yeah!

McCartney II is an alright album. Revisiting it, I couldn't help think about how far out and wonderful it could have been. So I've had fun creating McCartney II . 5 which you can search for on Spotify or CLICK HERE  Here is my alternative tracklisting.

Coming Up (full length)

Temporary Secretary

Waterfalls (edit)

Front Parlour (full length)

Summer's Day Song (instrumental version)

Frozen Jap (full length)

Darkroom (full length)

Check My Machine

Secret Friend (full length)

Mr H Atom / You Know I'll Get You Back

500,000 page views

Page views on the morning of 13th September 2019

Everything Flows Glasgow has reached 500,000 page views.

I have no idea if this is good or terrible, but it is a landmark for me!

It works out at an average of 680 per blog. I'll take that. Blog views these days tend to be from anything as low as 50 to 500. Occasionally they will go higher - see below for reasons why.

I began the blog simply because I enjoy writing about music. I wanted to be a journalist as a kid and loved the weekly buzz of walking the long way to school to buy the NME and Melody Maker on a Wednesday morning. I used to devour Uncut, Mojo, Select, Record Collector and many more. I must have spent a fortune on magazines in my teens and through to my mid-20's.

If just one person finds my blog and discovers something that they haven't heard before, or something that makes them go back to check an old song or album they haven't listened to in ages, then that is ultimately what makes me happy.

Feedback is always welcome. Someone once bought me a pint in Stereo because of my blog - thank you if that was you!

Everything Flows Glasgow - most viewed blogs

Higher page views tend to happen for the following reasons;

a) luck - it happens to get RT's or shared by the right person or the bands involved. Example - one of my highest viewed blogs is on Hot Chip, band members individually RT'd as did the bands account and their side projects.

b) timing - writing a live review immediately after a gig can really help with views (see The The in my highest viewed blogs), however I don't always do that and sometimes leave it far too late to even bother. I really should have blogged on Martha Reeves playing Glasgow in June!

c) the subject - One of my blogs that still gets regular views is on Nirvana covering The Vaselines, it is the kind of thing people google regularly. Likewise with the Stone Roses Amsterdam show I attended when Reni walked off the stage.

Meeting Mani in Amsterdam back in 2012

d) all of the above - the prime example being my blog on Gerry Cinnamon last summer. Gerry doesn't do media, so the mainstream media don't tend to write about him. As a result my blog is probably one of the few places his fans can read anything about him. On a daily and weekly basis this blog still generates page views.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read my blog. I intend to keep it going for a while yet and I'd love to try and get into the habit of doing a monthly podcast.

Current regular/semi- regular features include;

• Cover version of the month - approaching the 50th blog on cover versions
• Never Ending Mixtape - regular round up of songs added to my Never Ending Mixtape on Spotify, now at 1,142 songs
• Trust me - just a song and the lyrics (I might start to add in a little commentary)
• 10 from - newly introduced feature that started this month with The Vaselines

I'll write about anything I like - live show, old band, new band - whatever I enjoy and very largely depending on time. So please don't be offended if you send a press release through for an album review. You'll see from my blogs that I really don't do that many.

Please don't hesitate to get in touch with any feedback.

Many thanks
Murray

Dancing In The Dark

Cover version of the month #18

Hot Chip cover Springsteen 

Dancing In The Dark is one of Bruce Springsteen's biggest hits; released back in 1984, it was the first single from his Born In The USA album. It went on to sell well over 1 million copies.

It is MASSIVE! Huge synth riffs, a flowing melody an an incredible chorus. Does it get much better than this for a sing-a-long?

You can't start a fire

Can't start a fire without a spark

This gun's for hire

Even if we're just dancing in the dark

This is a song about boredom, lust and fantasising. Also reflection on life; Bruce sings about changing his appearance, longing to break out, recognising where he is and prepared to take on advice.

There's something happening somewhere

Baby I just know that there is 

They say you gotta stay hungry

Baby I'm jut about starving tonight

With the huge synths, sense of escapism and uplifting chorus, this was crying out for an electronic cover. Although instantly identifiable, it is still a brave choice for anyone to take on The Boss.

Step forward Hot Chip.

They don't just take on the legendary Dancing In The Dark, they also throw in a dash of LCD Soundsystem's All My Friends. Incredible! They don't try and compete with Springsteen, instead they pay homage and add their own unique style, taking the listener on a flowing electronic journey, building to a euphoric conclusion.

Find videos for the original and for Hot Chip's Glastonbury performance below. You'll also find their cover on Spotify.

 Also a video for Scottish singer songwriter Beerjacket's own beautiful acoustic cover version.

Previous covers of the month

1. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' 

2. Going Back To My Roots

3. Nirvana play The Vaselines

4. Slip Inside This House

5. Top 10 covers by Teenage Fanclub

6. Only Love Can Break Your Heart

7. Time For Livin' 

8. Sound and Vision 

9. All Along The Watchtower

10. I Am The Walrus 

11. Guiding Star

12. You’ll Never Walk Alone

13. Hurt
14. This Guy's In Love With You

15. I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine
16. California Soul
18. Wonderwall 

Introducing Stephen Solo

Introducing - Stephen Solo

Picture by Brian Sweeney

Stephen Solo is Stephen Farrell, Stephen Farrell is Stephen Solo. Music, words and melodies simply pour out of Stephen; every day, all of the time. Personally, I think he is a genius.

Stephen used to scribble things down, record things on a dictaphone, capture things at band rehearsals, spend hundreds of pounds on studio time, be elated when things worked and frustrated when things didn't. Being prolific is great in many ways, but by the time his band had rehearsed and recorded the songs, Stephen had dozens more to play with.

In 2015 Stephen got an iPhone6+. This is not a blog about an iPhone6+, it is about Stephen Solo. However the iPhone6+ plays an important part; leading to the creation and recording of Pii (short for Phone it in) that was released on Last Night From Glasgow earlier this year.

Pii may well be my album of the year. It is eclectic, eccentric, psychedelic, gentle, dreamy, beautiful, funny..... I hear elements of The Beatles, Talking Heads, Damon Albarn, Boards of Canada, Hot Chip......and Limmy.....and most importantly....Stephen.

Crying Because is one the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. You can watch the video at the end of this blog. Soundtrack To Unfilmed is a widescreen cinematic dream. Behind Your Eyes mixes the crazy with the sublime. There is so much going on in Pii, there is so much to love and as you'll find out from the interview below - there is so much freedom.

I had a wide ranging conversation with Stephen regarding the album and you can read all about Pii in Stephen's own words below. It makes me love and appreciate this wonderful album even more.

Pii on limited edition USB with extras 

Pii on Spotify

Pii on iTunes

Pii by Stephen Solo

Stephen

The phone stuff started with little experiments using iPhone and it's version of garage band. But it was too fiddly to use on a small screen, kind of a hassle. I've got over 400 phone demos on the dictaphone app and I'm always having to export them and the time it takes to go through ideas and make them real was just impossible.

I can always produce a fully formed and usually good idea by just doing it...it's like there is no writing involved. That's happened with the band a few times too and there's that magic moment when everyone combines without thinking.

I've always known I had the capacity to produce things in a 'throwaway' fashion and that it's always a little more enjoyable than 'working' on a tune. But I started doing it more when I got the bigger iPhone6+ and just that little screen and finger space led me to doing little videos and cartoons in the same fashion - quickly, intuitively and no thinking....once more it was more enjoyable than writing a script to a song.

Picture by Gary Sloan

The first app that got me into the zone was 'amimoog' which is a version of the classic moog synth and in just playing with a sound I'm usually already composing...if i find a sound I just get into it and see what it wants to do rather than thinking about what I want. I found certain apps can be linked to garage band through a separate program called 'audiobus' ad this acts the same way as if you were to plug in any instrument in a real studio and put it through the computer. There's always a bridge program to link things...so once I got that I had a look at what other apps could be linked together and essentially set up a virtual studio in my phone with a set up that I liked.

I got a few vocal effect apps including one that mimics the sound of specific microphones and a drum app called 'funk box' that emulates all the classic drum machines from the 80's. I find that if I get a beat I like and a synth or vocal sound set up, I'm into a song so fast that it writes itself.

Over a few nights I would wait until the wife and baby were in bed and just GO. I gave myself the rule of no writing, no stopping, no coming back to it. A tune had to be done in one session from start to finish or when I was tired or had to go to work and this instantly gave everything a special feel or sound.

Behind Your Eyes took me about 2-hours and was done sitting on the floor next to the plug point as the phone was charging. I did the vocal bent over with my head behind the couch so I wouldn't wake anyone up....I had the first verse beat and sound and set up the vocal effect and pressed record. The first words that came out of my mouth were the first take and that's what is on the album.

I then just got another sound and played some chords with a different feel and in the same way 'Behind your eyes, I'll be waiting' was the first thing to come out of my mouth. No idea where it came from but in retrospect it has a theme and means something to me now. Weird!

Behind Your Eyes - Stephen Solo

Freaks was in the same spot in the living room bent over as the phone as charging! Might even have been the next night. I was tickled pink.

Think Of The Stars was done in the office at work waiting on people arriving for a workshop. I did the chords first on the animoog and was thinking about The Beatles song Because. I then removed all the keyboards for the intro and gave it the shape...then people arrived at work and the song was stopped. I did the second half at home and just experimented not worrying about how it fitted. The end section is just me with acoustic and the closest thing lying around was a ninky none train from In The Night Garden, the kids show. It makes a cool sound when it drives around so I held it in one hand and the phone in the other and drove it around.

Tattoo Faced Man was done in the car during torrential rain after a school workshop in the East End. You can hear the rain hitting the car roof. The rain didn't stop for days and you can hear the same pelting rain at the end of When You're A Human as I did he vocal wandering around the house and standing at the open window.

Crying Because was done in one take and the entire song too me almost as long as it takes to listen to it... I went for a shower (it was first thing in the morning) and worked out backing vocals in the shower. So the whole thing was done in about an hour. This is a song about my little boy who used to cry all night. I was trying to imagine the baby monitor translating his cries.

King Tut's Wah Wah Hut - 25th anniversary

King Tut's Wah Wah Hut is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month with a series of shows from established acts like The Cribs, legendary maverick Julian Cope and up and coming acts like Vigo Thieves.

I've spent an incredible amount of time in this venue over the years since I first visited as an 18-year old back in 1994, especially through my 20's and into my early 30's before I 'settled down'. I worked across the road for Abbey National at 301 St Vincent Street for 7-years so I would be a regular at the bar downstairs as well as attending a number of gigs a month up the stairs.

I have fond memories of running across the road at 5pm to get a table with my mates for happy hour. They had £1 a bottle of Stella for several years - dangerous stuff! If it was sunny and you were especially sharp from work, you could get a table outside in the sunshine - glorious.

 The jukebox was (and is) brilliant and I have met some incredible people through going to King Tut's for beers and gigs.

Confession - I once devised a scheme (that I honestly only used twice) for getting into sold out shows. Back in the 90's you had to keep your ticket stub for getting out to the toilets downstairs. So I would go upstairs with mates, get the ticket stubs off them, then go back downstairs to sort out mates that didn't have tickets. I'm probably not the only person to ever have done that as health and safety wasn't quite as strict as it is now!

There are many reasons I love King Tut's; the size, vibe, sound, crowd and the opportunity to see live music in a great setting just make it perfect, for me and many, many others. Tut's regularly wins awards for being the best small venue in the UK. No wonder.

I've been looking through old ticket stubs and I've attempted to reminisce about 25 gigs at Tut's to celebrate their 25th anniversary.

1. Beck
Beck dropped Loser in 1994 and everything and everyone went crazy for him. He played Top of the Pops with a bunch of old guys backing him and then I caught him at King Tut's. I still have very fond memories of this gig. This was pre health and safety. My memory is of Tut's being absolutely rammed and sweat dripping off the roof. I was right down the front, squeezing in and dancing and pogo-ing with the crowd to ensure I didn't lose my place. Beck was electric, a clear star; playing material from his debut major album Mellow Gold but also lofi acoustic gems from One Foot In The Grave (also released in 1994)  One of my all-time favourite gigs, if a little hazy 20+years down the line.

2. Arthur Lee and Love
I caught Arthur Lee and the modern day Love (Baby Lemonade) at Tut's 3-times. The first time was not long after he had been released from prison. People wondered if his voice would be shot from years of drug abuse...it didn't take long for Arthur to prove he still had it in abundance. Playing with equipment borrowed from Belle and Sebastian, Arthur and his band charged through a set that had people in genuine awe, you could have heard a pin drop during You Set The Scene.

You look so lovely

You with that same old smile

Stay for a while



They returned to play a secret set one time under the guise of Baby Lemonade and then played another secret show during the Forever Changes tour and Arthur responded to my shout for You Set The Scene. Well they were playing the album in order!

Arthur was a one-off, he looked cool, he sounded like a God and his backing band were sensational.

3. The White Stripes
This was an electric performance. Meg's kit was to one side and Jack leapt between a couple of mics playing a guitar that looked like it had seen better days. Pretty Good Looking For A Girl was a punk pop romp and the spine tingling version of Jolene lives with me to this day. As does the call from the crowd between songs; 'I love you Meg' to which Meg and Jack smiled, before the heckler added 'I want to f**k you'. Causing Meg to flip the bird and Jack to scowl and launch into another song.

4. Ben Folds Five
This may well have been my drunkest moment in King Tut's and there have been a fair few! I met my mate Reddy after I finished work and he finished uni and we proceeded to drink non-stop. During the show we were jumping around, dancing and playing air piano along with Ben, causing the audience to form a bit of a circle around us!

A few years later we were in New York and Ben Folds was playing Central Park so we got tickets. We got exceedingly drunk again and I persuaded Reddy that we could get back stage by saying we were from King Tut's in Glasgow - we were hastily ejected from back stage after we climbed a fence - and promptly slept through most of the gig in a drunken stupor! Oh to be young again!

5. John Squire
I went to King Tut's a lot in my younger days! One Friday I was in after work for the £1 bottle of Stella happy hours (5-7pm) when the new Tut's flyers were being handed around. John Squire was playing!!! This was how it was being announced. I immediately went up to the bar and asked if tickets were available - they were so I got 4.

Squire was incredible, coming on to the stage to an almighty cheer looking effortlessly cool with a great jacket and mop top hair. He opened with the closing instrumental of I Am The Resurrection! The place went banana's and i ran down the front from my usual place by the sound desk to jump around like crazy. Squire followed that up with She Bangs The Drums and Waterfall! It was sensational to see one of my all-time hero's up close.

6. Teenage Fanclub
Teenage Fanclub decided to do a tour to promote their Mellow Doubt single - a tour of Glasgow venues! One of them was Tut's and I have fond memories of going with my brother who was maybe 16 at the time. The bouncer took one look at his fake ID and laughed and said 'on you go up son'. (bit stricter these days I am sure!)

The band were in great form, totally at ease with the intimate crowd and in typically brilliant Fanclub humour as they played songs from the exquisite Grand Prix album and earlier faves. The cheer for Norman's whistling solo during Mellow Doubt was fantastic and happens to this day when the song is played live.

7. Ash
I drove me, my brother and at least 3-mates to this gig in my Mum's tiny Fiat Panda. I think it was 900cc or something! I think someone may have tried to crowd surf from the back of the care into the front on the way home while I was driving!

Catching Ash as they were breaking was quite something as they were the same age as us, if not younger. They charged through a pop punk set and just looked like they were having the time of their lives. Jack Names The Planets was a big tune in Carluke back in the day.

Photographed from behind a my framed ticket collage -hence the blur

8. Arab Strap
There was one month where I was at King Tut's at least once a week to see some incredible bands just as they were breaking. Arab Strap were riding high on the success of First Big Weekend and watching them live in Tut's was quite the experience. There was an air of mystery about the band and also one of tension in the venue. A girl was invited on stage to duet with Aiden and she gave a shout out to the Uddingston Young Team! The chemistry between Aidan and Malcolm was incredible - they were unique and earned a place in the hearts of many Scottish music fans and all around the world for their honesty, humour and take on life.

9. Embrace
Embrace played All You Good Good People second song in and I remember turning to my friend and saying 'that is as good as The Beatles!' This was before their album had been released and I had discovered them through their Fireworks EP. They had a bit of northern swagger and some beautiful ballads. They have played Tut's a number of times through the years and some very memorable shows at the Barrowland.

10. Menswear
The hype around Menswear was ridiculous; signed when they had one song on the strength of them looking good, drinking in the right pubs and clubs and their guitarist dealing to journalists - those were the days.

This was an outrageous show that I went to with my brother. They absolutely smashed it. The crowd went nuts. They more than lived up to the hype with brilliant songs like Daydreamer. My brother and I stood on the seats at the back and took it all in - a crazy show.

11. Money Mark
One of the coolest shows I have been to at Tut's. Money Mark entered through the crowd whilst beatboxing and proceeded to take the crowd on an eclectic journey, showcasing his outrageous musical and songwriting talent in style. His Push The Button was a favourite of mine for a number of years.

12. Tanya Donnelly with support by The Walkmen
My mate Reddy was working through in Edinburgh and it was chucking it. Something was up with transport and I couldn't get anyone else to go so I went on my own. The Walkmen were supporting and to this day I regret not offering my flat up to the band when the singer said 'Hi we're The Walkmen from New York City, we don't have anywhere to stay tonight, does anyone have a floor we could crash on?'

I did speak to the guitarist at the bar afterwards and told him that The Rat was better than anything The Strokes have. He seemed pretty pleased. I hope they found a place to crash!

Being on my own, I ended up quite pissed drinking pints and watching the gorgeous Tanya Donnelly and being delighted when she played a couple of Belly songs.

13. Bluetones and Supergrass
Not a bad double bill! The melodic gorgeous tunes of Bluetones and the pop punk charm of Supergrass. Both bands made splashes with their debut singles and had a real buzz about them. Mark Morriss and Gaz Coombes looked and sounded fantastic.

14. Cast
Cast released some brilliant singles back in the day which caused me to go and see them at Tut's. It must have been well before their album came out as I remember the venue being pretty empty but John Power was in charming form, eyes twinkling as he exchanged banter with the crowd in one of the most scouse accents I have ever heard. Fine Time was, and is still, a brilliant guitar pop song.

I vividly remember this show as my sister had fallen and cracked her skull that afternoon and I wasn't sure if I would go to the gig or not. There used to be a phone box across the road from Tut's and i remember phoning my Mum to see how she was. Thankfully she was OK.

15. Har Mar Superstar
I can't remember who he was supporting, he was first on a bill of 3, but Har Mar Superstar played like ....well a superstar to a pretty small audience, most people were still in the bar downstairs. He stripped to his underwear and had a ridiculously long mic lead to walk into the audience to generate a reaction. He wandered right up the stairs and past the sound desk to the spot I tend to stand if possible, and then I almost tripped him down the stairs - accidentally of course! His set was incredible -Prince style pop funk. Despite enjoying him live, I don't recall buying any of his albums.

16. Futuristic Retro Champions
My sisters first band played Tut's in the summer of 2007 - just ten days before my girlfriend (now wife) and I were due to head off travelling around the world for a year. Good timing! This was a great drunken night of pop with loads of friends and family in one of my favourite places in the world. I was very proud of my wee sister.

 Me and my sister in 2007

17. Mylo
Mylo's Destroy Rock n Roll went mental in Glasgow and then all over the world. He spray painted the title all over Glasgow and released some ltd edition singles on local Breastfed Records. The album went massive. I remember running out the door after this gig to get down to the Subclub for the aftershow. The show (and aftershow) were a real celebration. Songs from that album would be played in pubs, clubs, pre-club parties and house parties after the clubs shut. An incredible album.

I will be blogging about the album later in the year as it celebrates it's 10th anniversary. Mylo hasn't released any new material since.

18. Vigo Thieves
I was managing Vigo Thieves when they became the first unsigned band to play 2-nights back-to-back at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut. It was a very exciting time for the band as they went from playing to their mates to playing shows in their hometown (well pretty close to Wishaw) where they didn't know who was in the audience. They upped their game and slated Tut's both nights. Hearing songs like Heartbeats being sung back by the audience was a spine tingling

19. Tim Burgess
I am a huge fan of The Charlatans and when lead singer announced he was playing Tuts to tour his debut solo album I had to be there. It was a brilliant gig, Tim had a stunning backing band and he was in great form, playing to the audience as he romped through the pop soul of I Believe.

20. The Magic Numbers
Their eponymous debut album was utterly gorgeous. Melodic, stunning harmonies, catchy choruses, brilliant breakdowns and a beautiful mix of male and female vocals. I first caught them in the old Barfly down by the Clyde, by the time they played Tuts the word was out. That debut album was a beauty and the live shows surrounding it were full of love, the band developed a special relationship with Glasgow and I always remember this show and one they played at the Barrowland when they were just blown away by the crowd singing the album back to them.

21. Gomez
Looking back through ticket stubs, I caught Gomez, Money Mark and Arab Strap within 2-weeks of each other at King Tuts back in 1998. Three very different bands, three utterly incredible gigs. That is the beauty of the venue, they embrace every kind of music, try things out and many times the acts they put on will go on to play bigger venues and have long careers making music.

Gomez sounded sensational. They didn't look that good though! We saw them huddled together over beers in the downstairs bar and they seemed impressed by the DJ playing McLemore Avenue by Booker T and the MGs - a should instrumental version of Abbey Road by The Beatles. (strange I remember that so well!).

They were brilliant on stage, a real wild mix of styles and influences; soul, country, a bit of a dance vibe at times - just like nothing else and that is what made them so good. Ben Ottewell's voice was deep and soulful and it really caught me by surprise.

22. Astral
Astral were a local band that my mate Mark Falconer was in - playing bass. There was a real buzz about them, they sold out Sleazys and played a totally triumphant set - coming on late when everyone was drunk and whipped up by a great pre gig playlist/DJ. They got played on the Evening Session and seemed set to get signed; Steve Lamaq was a huge fan of debut single Come and Go and the instrumental b-side Caribou remains a favourite of mine.

They got a support slot at Tuts and word was that scouts were coming to see them. It all went wrong though, they didn't get a proper soundcheck, the lead guitar wasn't being heard through the speakers at all.

I remember being really worried for them and between songs I went up to the stage to tell Mark that we couldn't hear the lead guitar. He said they couldn't hear much on stage.

I don't remember much else, but it is a King Tuts memory that always stands out - things don't always go to plan. Astral gave it a good shot but broke up before an album was released. I can't remember if they recorded one or not.

23. Hot Chip
I went mad for Hot Chip. Lynn and I stumbled across them in a tent at Benicassim when we went over in 2005. Their album The Warning was coming out and they had loads of hit singles on it. Tuts was sold out but I went along to try and buy a ticket. This was one show I didn't want to miss out on.

As luck would have it, my friend Mark (mentioned above) was there with a writer from Clash Magazine. Their photographer hadn't shown up so they had a spare guest pass so I got in.

Hot Chip played a blinder and remain one of my favourite bands to this day. And I Was A Boy From School was absolutely class, Joe and Alexis' voices blended superbly, Colours was sublime and Over and Over a riot.

24. The Pastels
April 1994, pre-internet, pre-mobiles (unless you were a stockbroker). Rumours always happened at gigs and festivals but this one seemed to be sadly true by the way people were talking. Kurt Cobain had taken his own life. I had queued for ages one day at the old Virgin in Union Street to buy tickets for Nirvana at the SECC, I couldn't believe it.

It was true, The Pastels came on stage and dedicated the show to Kurt before playing a brilliant guitar pop punk set including one of my favourite songs of all time Thank You For Being You.

I had driven in with my friend Grant and we ran outside afterwards to turn on to the John Peel show. Only Peel wasn't on, it was just Nirvana Peel Session tracks and the odd announcement to say that the show was cancelled in memory of Kurt and they were playing his music.

18-years old - we were a little heartbroken. One of the strangest car journeys i have ever taken.

25. Rae and Christian
Rae and Christian were Mark Rae and Steve Christian, 2 producers from Manchester with impeccable taste, style and talent. Their Sleepwalking album from 2001 was a big favourite of mine - guests included the late great Bobby Womack and hip hop act The Pharcyde. The closing track Salvation is absolutely stunning

Their live show superb, a big bank of electric equipment and a sh*t hot band and vocalists. I also remember the support act Fingathing, also from Manchester and based around the talents of a guy called Peter Parker. It was one of those great nights at Tut's where the music sounded incredible and the talent on stage was unique and just totally on it.