Tag: Pixies

2024 Gigs – Part 4

In March I made another pilgrimage to Manchester Band on the Wall where I went to see BDRMM for the second time. I will cover the band in more detail when I review my first sighting of them on what turned out to be a chaotic night at Manchester White Hotel.

I thoroughly enjoyed their set, but the downside was that it was exceedingly busy with no wriggle room to gravitate from your chosen slot. Uncle George, John Dewhurst and Riggers were in tow, and I recall pre-gig drinks at Northern Monk Refectory MCR and Smithfield Market Tavern and pre-gig tucker at Viet Shack.   

Manchester Northern Monk. Image Credit reeceleung.com

Around the time of the Cheltenham Festival and St Patricks Day I was on the way to another gig, and I happened to catch a portion of the House Band at Manchester Blues Kitchen Bar and a segment of the set of a singer/songwriter named Harriet at Manchester Albert Schloss. Later in the year I saw a couple of other acts at Albert Schloss when they had regular daytime gigs taking place to coincide with the student graduation season.

The gig I was indirectly heading towards was at Manchester Albert Hall and was preceded by imbibing a couple of bevvies in the Sir Ralph Abercromby located in an alley right behind the venue. My Albert Hall attendance was to see the Pixies for the fifth time and my ticket was booked prior to realising that they were playing ‘Trompe Le Monde’ and ‘Bossonova’, my least favourite of their albums as my personal highlight of theirs has always been ‘Surfer Rosa’.

Having said all that, it was beneficial to reappraise these records and there is some belting tunes sporadically dotted about on them including on the night fine versions of ‘Velouria’, ‘Allison’ and ‘Planet of Sound’. I have also just clocked that earlier this year they released a live album of the shows on that tour. They were supported by The Pale White who were a three piece from Newcastle who include in their ranks brothers Adam and Jack Hope. 

A small matter of eight days after I returned to the venue to have my latest sweet fix (Some Candy Talking?) of Jesus and Mary Chain. I have in the last month travelled past the 40th anniversary of my attendance at their legendary gig at Clouds in Preston on the 6th of September 1985.

Preston Clouds attached to Preston Odeon approximately 1981. Image Credit facebook.com.

There was a posse of seven gathered in the afore mentioned Sir Ralph Abercromby prior to the show for beers and badinage. They started with a bang with ‘Jamcod’ and ‘Happy When It Rains’ and completed the main set with a flourish of ‘I Love Rock and Roll’ and ‘Just Like Honey’. I also had the veritable treat of finally catching up with fellow local music aficionado Cath Aubergine at the conclusion of the gig. The night as many before it culminated in the Temple of Convenience bar.    

In October I had my final 2024 visit where I saw Public Service Broadcasting performing. They were as ever at a decent level but was probably my least favourite viewing of them across the four times I have witnessed them so far.

There were two appearances at Manchester Ritz, bringing my total there to 37, which places it in third place on my most attended venue list. The first was the Australian band Jet who formed in 2001 and disbanded in 2012 before two separate reformations, the second one preceding this tour. They were playing their original popular first album ‘Get Born’ and it was around 15 years since I saw them previously in the same venue.   

The other gig was with the stellar company of Rick Clegg and his daughter Charlotte and her pal Laura. We went to the newly reopened and revamped Grosvenor pub on Oxford Road with the obligatory visit to the Umami noodle bar close by. The band playing was English Teacher from Leeds, led by the charismatic singer Lily Fontaine. Their debut album ‘This Could Be Texas’ had recently won the 2024 Mercury Prize, thankfully breaking a nine-year stronghold of London-based musicians winning the award. They were a quirky bunch and very enjoyable.

English Teacher. Image Credit nme.com

The final show of the year to reference was at Manchester Night and Day and came to my attention via some musical gurus on Twitter (now X) before I decided like many others to ditch that poisonous platform. Marcus and I attended, and we watched a portion of that night’s Euros 24 match in the boozer beforehand.

The band was the Reds, Pinks and Purples which is the brainchild of Glenn Donaldson who is also a photographer and record collector. He is a prolific singer/songwriter exemplified by writing 200 songs and releasing seven albums in seven years. When he is playing live, he is part of a five-piece band comprised of musicians from his San Francisco home. He has a soothing evocative voice and was one of my favourite gigs of the year. He was supported by Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse band who hail from Kentucky.

Gigs from Abroad Part 22 – Valencia

Valencia is the third largest city of Spain with 2.7m punters within the province and is also one of the most populated cities in Southern Europe. It is bordered by the Mediterranean sea and on the northwest side by the hilly Sistema Iberico area and the foothills of Andalusia on their eastern and western perimeter.

That latter location reference resulted in me embracing my inner Black Francis and singing ‘I am un chien Andalusia, wanna grow up to be a debaser’ at regular intervals! Continuing the Pixies theme briefly I must pay homage to their recent menacing cover of ‘Que Sera, Sera’ which is used as the theme tune for the terrific ‘From’ TV series. Their version could not be further away from the Doris Day original and the one used in the 1983 advert for Birds Eye Steakhouse Grill which contains the refrain of ‘will it be mushrooms, fried onion rings?’!

Birds Eye Advert. Image Credit tvark.org

Valencia was founded as a roman colony in 138BC under the name of Valentia Edetanorum and was a major silk manufacturer in the 18th century and also had the distinction of briefly being the seat of the Spanish government during the Spanish Civil War in 1936-37. In 2003 it became the first European city to host the America’s Cup yacht race and was selected as the European Capital of Sport in 2011 and the European Green Capital in 2024. They also have the unusual accolade of having two American football teams, namely the Giants and the Firebats.

We decided to make a visit there in 2019 and we incorporated in the trip an initial jaunt to Madrid. We enjoyed one of the comfiest and effortless train rides and travelled into the city at over 200kmh, but it felt as smooth as silk, Northern train it was not!  Finding our accommodation proved to be a bit trickier as it was a tad buried away down a back street, though there were a couple of fine restaurants and bars in the surrounding suburban streets.  

We were blessed with glorious sunshine and pottered around all the tourist sites and walked for miles and the city is the home of paella so obviously we had to partake of one whilst we were there. By a quirk of fate, Valencia were in European action playing against Arsenal on our second night there. We deliberately stayed out of the centre that evening and hit the outskirts but in one particular bar we did encounter some animosity from a couple of locals, either they were surmising incorrectly that we were Arsenal football fans, or a more likely scenario is that they were just unpleasant individuals!

Our accommodation was very close to the start of the expansive Valencia Jardin del Turia that was built in 1986 on the original Turia river. The original river was diverted and drained after the Great Flood of Valencia in 1957 which claimed 81 lives. The whole site covers 136 hectares, passes under at least 20 bridges and stretches for 8.5 kilometers with further plans for an extension of that length.  

Jardin Del Turia. Image Credit ovigem.org

We hired bikes and cycled all the way down the gardens with the orange and palm trees and cafes dotted at regular intervals and if you maintain a straight line, you can reach the Port of Valencia. Whilst en route, we located a pop-up stage where a local brass band were playing.

We also spied a festival site being set up at Valencia Alamada Square, so decided to return that very evening. We purchased a cold beverage and watched a local band called Rumbo Ye Sevillinas on the main stage. It had a chilled family vibe apart from a couple of kids nearby with pyrotechnic tendencies trying to set fire to pieces of wood! Later that evening the festival procession headed down the winding streets and at one point we couldn’t find a way past to head back to our digs as at every turn they seem to follow us. It felt like we were in an extended movie scene!  

The following night, I recall us visiting a restaurant where they sold bocadillos and tapas where you could choose from a variety of items and then count your sticks at the end of the meal to work out your bill. On the nearby Valencia Mons Restaurant Square we saw an act called Tiux Music playing some reggae tunes.

Plaza Le Virgen. Image Credit vrbo.com

Around midnight, we chanced upon Valencia Plaza Le Virgen, which is located directly in front of the Cathedral. A large crowd had gathered there, and the reason became instantly evident when we heard the soothing music provided by the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana (OCV) who were founded in the city in 2006.