Like most music journalists this weekend (I'm stretching that job title I know, but bare with me) I trundled down to the edge of nowhere, bags packed, worried about the weather, to spend hours walking around trying to find new and exciting music, to try and discover that something special. Along with thousands of other music fans I found myself aboard a train headed for a somewhat mythical place, a place steeped in heritage, a place full of fun and interesting characters. That's right dear reader, I found myself in Leigh-on-sea, Essex for the 17th Annual Leigh Folk Festival.
Having never been to a Folk Festival before I was slightly unsure of what to expect, but was immediately put at ease by the first character I stumbled upon...
Nice to see Father Christmas continuing his cross-dressing habit during the downtime between January and December. Other amazing sights included a sinister clown giving out balloons, lots of belly dancers and a host of people in traditional dress, including this lot, they're like the Traditional Irish S Club Juniors... 
Spread across the day were a host of bands and dance troupes, including Annie's Fantasies (!), Deferred Success, The Famous Potatoes ("the sultans of soil", apparently), Westcliff Piping Society and the recently reunited Woebegone Brothers. Due to the amount of pubs and the quality of the fish and chips, I only managed to catch one act, the rather lovely The Rural Tradition, a photo of whom is shown below:
If old Victorian photos had a soundtrack then The Rural Tradition would provide it, somehow finding that mid-point between soothing and sinister. Click here to have a listen.
Next year, when everyone else is forking out over £100 for Glastonbury or V, perhaps think about taking a trip down to Leigh-on-sea to hang out with the Folk massive, drink some cider, do some square dancing and hang out with people like Hilda*
*That may not be her actual name.
There were a number of surprises during the Radiohead gig on Wednesday night. Firstly, the setlist was incredible, ranging from 'My Iron Lung' to 'There, There' to (the rarely played) 'Optimistic', right up to the recently released 'Go Slowly', taken from the In Rainbows extra disc. Secondly, the light show was pretty special, all retina-burning orange glows and icy blues. There was one point during 'Paranoid Android' when I feared an epileptic fit, I'm not even epileptic. Perhaps the biggest shock came at the very start of the gig, however, when wee Thom ran out sporting a pair of red skinny jeans, like some Hoxton art student's Uncle.
Here's a poorly recorded clip of Thom sporting said garments:
Check out the dancing at the three minute mark, the guy's like Justin Timberlake or something.
Here's a slightly better quality version of one of the many highlights, the brutal 'Myxomatosis':
Resplendent in red.
Professional oddball and all round nu-folk sex God Devendra Banhart (currently snugglin' up with Natalie Portman at night time) has formed a new band called Megapuss. For their debut show in America Banhart thought it obvious to step out wearing some black tights, a rather fetching hat and, oh yes, a belt made of penises. We've all been there, right? You're rifling through your wardrobe trying to dig out something that looks vaguely smart for that big first gig, you can't decide which shirt to wear or whether to go with the tie, but what you can always rely on is that trusty penis belt. Devendra obviously thought the belt wasn't quite au naturel enough so he also projected a photo of him in the nude behind the band during the set (calm yourself Kate, there must be photos online somewhere).
Click here to hear some tunage
No, seriously, it's the funniest thing I've heard in a long time (although they're not laughing for some reason)
'Love Is Noise' indeed.
Take one cheeky Monkey and one dirty Rascal, bring to the boil in a vat of Scott Walker's left overs, simmer gently until overly polished and serve up with a side order of smug. The Last Shadow Puppets are back with the second single from their recently released album The Age Of The Understatement:
The video's alright, but weirdly it reminds me of Duffy's video for 'Mercy'. I don't expect that to be the look they were going for however. The song just seems to be made up of other people's efforts, like a loosely sewn musical patchwork quilt, but one that smells of old people.
Kate, much like myself, is a Swedophile. She asked me to feature some Swedish music on Musick, and who am I to refuse? Her initial suggestion of Roxette was a curious one, but after a small argument we decided on Musick favourites Those Dancing Days.
Signed to Wichita records, this all-female five piece from Stockholm made some very stylish waves last year with two pop-tastic singles in the shape of 'Hitten' and the self-referential 'Those Dancing Days'. So far progress on their debut album has been interrupted by the Swedish Education system who demanded that they sit some exams before they jet off on the road to rock 'n roll fame. It seems they've finished their studies now and are back with a new single, entitled 'Run, Run'.
Cute as a button I'm sure you'll agree. If you've heard any of their other singles you'll know that 'Run, Run' doesn't mess with the formula too much, all new wave keyboard lines and artfully detached vocals. The video is somewhat of a concern though, a kind of parents nightmare made flesh, what with all the office chair racing, sitting on high window ledges and messing about on escalators. Tut tut. These Swedes may make wonderful pop music but they are incredibly lax when it comes to safety.
Finally- and linked only by country and the fact they have the word 'dance' somewhere in their name- is Lissi Dancefloor Disaster with 'Oh My God':
Ah, I love it. I shouldn't, but I do. It's the musical equivalent of Sunny D. The video is one of the worst things I've ever seen, but I think they know it. There's also the somewhat unnecessary bonus of being able to watch a 'behind the scenes' making of, which is only mildly worse then the video itself.
Pop music is at its greatest when you like a song despite yourself. Somehow these songs wiggle their way into your brain even though every ounce of you is screaming "REPENT, ALL IS FORGIVEN, A PLAGUE ON BOTH YOUR HOUSES". Or something. Every once in a while a song comes along that is so inane, so brilliantly nonsensical that it somehow turns into the most poignant or passionate three minutes of music you've ever heard. With that in mind, ladies and gentleman, here's Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown singing 'No Air':
You'll notice that it's not the official video but rather a live version from this years American Idol. This is because those youtube fascists have prevented the video from being embedded. Those pesky international conglomerates!
Now for those of you unfamiliar with either Jordin Sparks or Chris Brown, let me break it down for you; Sparks won American Idol in 2007 and has succeeded despite the fact that she's pretty forgettable, whilst Chris Brown is the new Usher and has succeeded despite not actually being Usher. 'No Air' is currently riding high in the US and finally made it to the top 10 here this week. It displays everything I love/hate about American pop:
- It's nonsense- "Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air?" Er, quite frankly, you're not. You will just die and that's not very romantic is it?
- It's over the top to the point of parody
- It sounds like it should be played in a mall
- It has all the emotional resonance of an episode of Hollyoaks
- It's very catchy, to the point where I want to drill a hole in the side of my head like that guy in the film Pi just to make it stop
By next week I hope to be fully cured.
