Joseph Arthur - Lou (etc) @ Dingwalls

On 15 October last year, I'm in Paris chatting to Joseph Arthur about music. When I mention my addiction to The Velvet Underground and Nico, he wows me with stories of his friendship with Lou Reed. So 12 days later, when I hear the news of Lou's passing, my first thought is of Joe. As sad as the news was for me and the countless fans who have been moved or inspired by Lou's work, for Joe it was the tragic loss of a beloved friend. His immediate response was a eulogy published in American Songwriter, so honest about past failures and regrets yet still so full of joyful moments that it brought me to tears.

I wasn't the only one moved by the eulogy. After reading it, Vanguard Records A&R man Bill Bentley invited Joe to record an album paying tribute to Lou. Simply titled Lou, the album consists of beautiful reimaginings of 12 songs from throughout Lou's career, some Velvets, some solo, from huge hits like 'Walk on the Wild Side' to more esoteric choices like 'Sword of Damocles'.

My first taste of Lou was over the Christmas holidays. Joe had just posted 'Coney Island Baby' on Soundcloud and I sat with my dad at the dining table listening to it on repeat. At that time we didn't even know there was an album in the pipeline; recording this stripped down version of his favourite Lou Reed song was just part of Joe's mourning process.

Then on 28 Feb, Rolling Stone Magazine shared Joe's stunning solo acoustic version of 'Walk on the Wild Side' and the news that a whole album would follow on May 13. At the time, and in many subsequent interviews, Joe expressed concern that people would see the album as him exploiting Lou's death, but for him, making music was the only way to honour the memory of his friend. He needn't have worried: the result is something Lou would certainly have been proud of. It showcases Lou's prodigious song-writing talent while Joe's inimitable musical style makes even the most famous tracks sound new and different.

To mark the release of Lou, Joe finally returned to London on 29 May to play Dingwalls in Camden, with Bill Dobrow on drums once again, and this time with Mike Mills of REM fame on bass. As special as it was to see Boogie Christ in a Hampstead church back in October, I was very happy to see Joe selling out a bigger - and much rockier - venue. Despite a 9-hour journey from Utrecht that morning and four straight days of performing and travelling, as usual Joe didn't let his energy falter for a second. 

While Joe soon diverted from the giant painted set-list or "map of possibilities" that he brought on stage with him, it nonetheless gives a good picture of the range we were treated to over the two hour concert: haunting renditions of Lou tracks, the full range of Ballad of Boogie Christ (including a 10-minute 'Black Flowers' freak-out culminating in a strobe lit guitar battle between Joe and Mike), and a few requests from the crowd for fan favourites 'A Smile That Explodes', 'Redemption's Son' and 'Black Lexus'. In the midst of all that, Joe made up a little ditty about London in his best Dick Van Dyke accent (perfected during his stay in Streatham Common in the mid 90s, or the "Oasis versus Blur years") and Mike Mills got to do 'Don't Go Back to Rockville', which has become a staple during their time touring together. 

Once again, the fans were left overwhelmed by the quality of the show Joe puts on, his guitar playing skills, his lyrical dexterity and his unbounded enthusiasm for performing. While he spent over an hour signing autographs, being photographed and chatting with fans, we all acknowledged what a rare treat such a musician is, and looked forward to welcoming him back to London again soon with even more new material.

Visit josepharthur.com for more information, tour dates and live recordings of gigs.

Augustines Album Launch Party @ Lexington

I've been to many great gigs, but few have been - or, I suspect, will be - as special as the launch of Augustines' self-titled second album at the Lexington on Tuesday 21 January. In many ways, playing the Lexington was a homecoming for Brooklyn residents Billy McCarthy, Eric Sanderson and Rob Allan. It was in this tiny venue above a North London pub where they launched their debut album Rise Ye Sunken Ships in the UK and Europe back in 2012, complete with a bottle of champagne passed around the fans (as my Dad, who was lucky enough to have been there, reports). Drummer Rob is also from Islington originally, so his family and friends came out to support, including his father who stars in the video for the first single from the new album, 'Cruel City'. But most importantly, this fans-only gig, which reportedly sold out in just four minutes, brought together all the most hardcore Augustinites in London, showing so much love for the band that they seemed genuinely overwhelmed by it.

A constant refrain in praise of Augustines is that they wear their hearts on their sleeves like no other band. Their obvious delight at being able to perform for us, and earnest desire to put on the best show the possibly could made it an absolute joy to be there - two days later, I still have a perma-smile, and I was so hyper after the show that those who saw me assumed I'd consumed a massive amount of drugs. Despite needing a shot of steroids in his ass that morning to fight off illness, nothing would stop Billy rocking out, even ripping his trousers while launching himself head-first into Rob's drum kit.

With the addition of another Englishman, Al Hardiman, on trombone, Augustines sound even better than when I saw them back in 2012 at Thekla, Bristol. On anthems like 'Chapel Song', 'Jaurez' and 'Book of James' they made a huge sound, impossible not to rock out to, which made the acoustic, sing-along versions of songs like 'East Los Angeles' and 'New Drink for the Old Drunk' all the more touching. At the same time, Billy bore his soul to us, not only through the lyrics - which tell heartbreaking stories while emphasising perseverance over adversity - but in his frequent talks to the audience. The story of his visit to the doctor that morning was a reminder of the fragility of a man who been through so much yet remains determined to get the most out of life. He also told us about the feeling of alienation in New York which led him on a trip down to Mexico, then up through Alaska, before finally reaching the San Francisco coastline and admitting he was as lost as ever: the inspiration behind the new song 'Walkabout'. It seemed to be a feeling a lot of us in the crowd related to, and his solo acoustic version of the song was one of the most emotionally intense moments I've ever experienced at a gig.

After the show, I corned Billy on his way to the bar, but was so overwhelmed by the show that I just about managed to splurt 'That was amazing, I love you so much!' while shaking terribly from an adrenaline overdose. I imagine Augustines are used to this kind of reaction by now (at one notable gig in Paris, a whole bunch of women climbed on stage and started pawing at them), but that they always seem so surprised and pleased by it is just another reason to love them even more.

Augustines will be back in London on 14 April 2014 playing Koko. Click here to listen to Augustines interviewed by Dermot O'Leary on Radio 2 and performing new song 'Nothing To Lose But Your Head' as well as a cover of Phosphorescent's 'Song For Zula'.

24 Hours in Pittsburgh - Venezuelan Literature + Motive Band

Me and Dayana among the stacks of Venezuelan books

As 2013 draws to a close, I'm trying to see how much of the year that I missed blogging I can catch up on. Here's one I made much much earlier...

While in the States for the LASA conference back in June, I decided to make the most of the super-cheap Megabus and catch up with some of the Venezuelan ex-pat writer community currently residing in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, the Megabus is cheap for a reason, and an unexpected change of schedule left me with only 24 hours in the Steel City, but I made the most of every minute!

I was extremely excited to finally meet Dayana Fraile and Guillermo Parra, tireless promoters of Venezuelan literature abroad. As well as a fellow student of Venezuelan literature, Dayana is the author of a wonderful collection of short stories called Granizo. Guillermo frequently translates Venezuelan poems, short stories and essays, and posts them on his blog, Venepoetics. His Selected Works of José Antonio Ramos Sucre is also one of only two translations of Venezuelan work published in the USA since 2008.

They kindly took me to the University of Pittsburgh, which I'd wanted to visit for years, since I'd discovered it was home to a building called the Cathedral of Learning. Anywhere where education is the religion is my kind of place! The 'Cathedral' is built in the late Gothic style, and home to a collection of 'national' classrooms, each decorated in the style of that country (the English one was built with timbre left over from rebuilding London churches after the Blitz). I was pleased to learn that the University library is home to an enormous collection of Venezuelan literature, and desperately wanted to stay there and read - although even with a whole of nothing but reading there, I still wouldn't scratch the surface.

In the afternoon, Guillermo took me to meet Israel Centeno, one of the most successful and prolific Venezuelan authors of his generation. We first came into contact after I translated an interview with him for my Venezuelan Literature site, as he was keen to discuss the London that had once been home to him in the 80s. As a writer in residence, for City of Asylum, Centeno lives on the spectacularly colourful Sampsonia Way. Part of City of Asylum's project is to reinvigorate this part of North Pittsburgh, turning the houses into works of art, narratives and historical documents, which makes it a fascinating place to visit (read more about these 'House Publications' here).

 

As well as admiring Israel's house, it was an incredible opportunity to talk to him about his work and opinions about contemporary Venezuela. It was also fascinating to hear about the London he knew - Brixton at the time of the riots, filled with squatters and sexual liberation - so different from the city I grew up in. That London is the setting for his novel Bajo las hojas, a complex and challenging story about writing as the ultimate form of power and control.

"Do they still have orgies in the graveyards?"

Thinking I'd have some time to kill between meeting Israel and my midnight bus, before leaving for the States I'd searched for live music in Pittsburgh that evening, stumbled upon Motive and very quickly become addicted to their It's Illicit LP. They have been called The Strokes 2.0, and the influence is obvious, but they do it very well. Dayana kindly volunteered to come with me, and although we sadly among a very limited number of music fans in the Smiling Moose that evening (most people were downstairs watching the Penguins lose), Motive rocked hard and made us dance like crazy people. 

You can buy new singles Mammals and Burn Down Brooklyn for $1 each, or name your price for the It's Illict EP at motivemusic.bandcamp.com.

The National @ Alexandra Palace

The first time I saw The National 2008 in what was then the Carling Academy, Birmingham, holding just a few hundred people, Boxer had just been released and they were on the cusp of their big break. Since then, High Violet was voted one of the top albums of 2010, winning the Q award for Best Album. They were nominated for 'Best International Breakthrough Act' at the 2011 Brit Awards - ironic for a band who had released their first album ten years earlier. Now they sell out the Alexandra Palace for two nights (13 and 14 November 2013). 

When I first started this blog two years ago, I posted a rant about how disappointed I was with the way The National were heading. As it turns out, I'm one of the few old-school fans I know who actually really loves Trouble Will Find Me. My worries about the band going bland were unfounded, as songs like Don't Swallow The Cap (above), Sea of Love and Graceless have all the lyrical dexterity and raw, self-deprecating, confused emotion that makes me return again and again to the band. Nonetheless, in the lead-up to the gig I'd been listening obsessively to early albums The National and Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers, as I so often do, thinking what a shame it was that they would never play those songs again, so I was OVERJOYED when they played my favourite song, Available with the outro from Cardinal Song - in Matt Berninger's words "a strange mix of anger and eroticism". Matt's hair may be receding and his eyesight failing, but it's great to see he still has the rage which bubbled through their early albums. 

(Sadly I can only find a really bad quality video).

Over the years, I've followed The National to the Royal Festival Hall, the Zénith in Paris (supporting Pavement) and the 02 Academy Bristol. This is the first time I haven't been in touching distance from them in a throng of die-hard fans, so I felt weirdly dislocated from them. They did a good job of filling the enormous stage with an impressive light show though, and I really appreciated the set-list packed full of hits from across their albums (including other old favourites like About Today and Mr November). The next time I see The National will be supporting Neil Young in Hyde Park in July - I can't wait to see what they're like in front of a crowd of over 60,000.

Paris: Joseph Arthur @ Galerie Chappe and Peter Gabriel @ Bercy

For three years since I left Paris, I've been waiting for an excuse to go back, so when Joseph Arthur suggested I should come to his gallery opening, in one of my more impulsive moments, I booked an overnight bus for the next evening and spent one incredible day in one of my favourite cities.

I arrived at 8am and began with something of a nostalgia tour, heading straight for St Eustache, a church that I always preferred to its more glamorous cousin Notre Dame. I then strolled through Ile de la Cité to my "fancy apartment on the Boulevard Saint Michel" (more like a nunnery in reality) and greatly confused the receptionist with my strange desire to wander around and reminisce. I got similarly nostalgic in les Jardins du Luxembourg, which I visited every day while I lived there, whether rushing through on my way to class, catching up on some work among the flowers or just people-watching.

Then in the evening I headed up into Montmartre to Galerie Chappe, "Paris' highest gallery", specialising in art related to music and film. While I'd seen many of Joe's paintings spread around Heath Street Baptist Church, it was amazing to be in a gallery packed full of them, ranging from intricate, detailed pieces to huge murals, all with Joe's signature figures. One of my favourites was a painting on the back of a door that Joe had found on the street and taken back to his hotel room. As well as enjoying the art, I got to chat to lots of interesting music people, including Joe himself, his band - Bill Dobrow and Rene Lopez - and Grammy-award winning singer-songwriter Jesse Harris.

Joe performing Saint of Impossible Causes surrounded by his paintings:

I was incredibly lucky to be in the right place at the right time, because that night Joe's good friend and mentor Peter Gabriel was in town, playing the 17,000 seater stadium in Bercy, and I got to go along with Joe, Bill and other friends for free. While not a huge Gabriel fan by any means (I know Solsbury Hill obviously, and In Your Eyes from seminal 80s smush-fest Say Anything) but wow, the man knows how to put on a show! Gabriel bounded with incredible energy throughout, aided by Manu Katché on drums and a spectacular light show. I was completely swept up in the joy of it all and the enthusiasm of the enormous crowd of fans.

All in all it was an unforgettable evening, made even more special by the fact that it was totally unexpected. I should take spontaneous trips more often!