July 19th - Day 92

These people in Brockwell Park at The Lambeth Country Fair are The Top Cats. Not the five people and one dog sitting down in front. Nor the children gleefully tossing a small child on the right of the picture (click for closer view). The Top Cats are the musicians on the distant stage who caused Daisy, who was on my shoulders when the photo was taken, to yell, "It's too loud!!" and then, "Animals!!". The latter remark wasn't a complaint directed at The Top Cats, but a reminder to me that she wanted to see the Polish chickens. It could appear to be a recurring feature of this blog that any encounter with music whilst in the company of Daisy is curtailed by her complaints that the music is too loud, too noisy or too musicky. I'd like to point out that this attitude pre-dates the project.

The Top Cats, by the way, are a dynamic multi-musicianed ska combo who I would very much like to see again when they're not having to compete with the attractions of fairground rides and small, feathery Polish farm animals.

July 20th - Day 93

Leicester Square. This from the Helen Bamber Foundation website: Phil Knight (freelance drummer) will be attempting to break the world record for endurance drumming to raise funds and awareness for the Helen Bamber Foundation in Leicester Square Gardens (nearest tube: Leicester Square), 19-23 July.During this mind-bending marathon, the only time he's allowed to stop is for five minutes after every hour to eat, drink and have a bathroom break. (The current record is 102 hours, 49 minutes.)In his own words, Phil describes his motivation behind this mad endeavour: "I'm doing this crazy thing for the Helen Bamber Foundation, a charity I became a little involved with a few years ago. It touched me when I saw how they help women who are survivors of rape, genocide and other gross human rights violations, they do amazing work and I've always wanted to do something to help out so this is it!"

I asked one of Phil's colleagues why he was drumming behind plastic netting. She told me it was to stop him being hit by drunken people throwing things at him.

July 21st - Day 94

"Thank you for listening" are not the first words I want to hear upon arrival at a gig, especially if the next person who comes on stage says, "That was the final act". This was Park Sounds in Canada Square Park - advertised to be going on until two, but annoyingly finishing at one thirty-five. Can I be bothered to write about something I missed? Yes, okay. Showcase. Twenty emerging artists (five per weekday). One winner unveiled on Friday. The emerging artist I saw disappearing was soulful singer Olivia Leisk who, despite leaving the stage with aplomb, didn't make it through to the final. So I was left with the dilemma of whether to count the few chords I heard Olivia play as I was approaching the stage, as my music for the day.
I was saved by live music at my local pub The Ivy House - an obscure venue in Nunhead of unexpected reknown, of which more another time. And a little more to be added for today soon (honest) but I'm tired.

July 22nd - Day 95

Bar Music Hall in Shoreditch. First photo shows Ian from the swaggering Assembly Point 3, not long after he'd pointedly thanked the static audience "so much for standing and watching us", making good use of the free floor space. Second photo shows Ghostwalker who did manage to entice the audience forward during their puzzlingly short set (or maybe they just knew more people) and, according to their myspace, sound like "Trent Reznor and Nina Persson's love child getting it on with the offspring of Shirley Manson and Louie Vega, filmed by Billy Corgan with Stevie Wonder as the sound engineer".

July 23rd - Day 96

Last song at open mic night in The Joiners Arms, Camberwell

July 24th - Day 97

This Thames-side guitarist (cropped out to the left because he politely contacted me to ask to be removed from my "busker blog") is ******* ***, playing ******-style **** and ***** guitar. The people walking past him and looking into the sky were doing so not because *******'s music offended them, but because a very large military helicopter was swooping on its side over the river.

July 25th - Day 98

"Crystal Palace Has Got Talent" part of the Crystal Palace Triangle Free Festival

July 26th - Day 99

"Flood Tide" at The Royal Observatory, Greenwich. A live musical performance composed by John Eacott. Data collected using a sensor in the River Thames was processed with a custom computer software into notation, read on computer screens by these six musicians.

"A bit Brian Eno," said Ian.

www.informal.org/

July 27th - Day 100

This guy performing at Bond Street underground station in the tunnel that takes travellers away from the Central line is called Jean Claude Madhero, native of Martinique, dweller of Paris and resident of London for fifteen years. On his website he is described as "one example of a number of artists who chose perform freely and independently outside the normal protocol of commercial institutions. Outside of any organised environment, whether a theatre or place of workshop" and then, "His music is based on Latin American, Afro-Cuba no and French influences...Jean Claude Madhero seeks to champion this unique sound, Creole music, using it as inspiration to create new and original cabaret style performances." Later on I remembered that Dixie from the Royal George Ukulele Jam (Day 74) had recommended to me a musician who performs regularly between the Central and Jubilee lines at Bond Street and I think maybe it was Jean Claude.

jeanclaudemadhero.com

July 28th - Day 101

They're changing the guards at Buckingham Palace, but it's kind of hard to see what's going on...Sitting on someone's shoulders, that's a good idea...but I'm on my own, feels a bit over familiar to clamber up a stranger... the zoom on that camcorder's pretty good - better than my phone that isn't a camera - Hey, what's going on?! They're coming up from the rear, marching down The Mall!! I can't see!! Get out of the way!! I'm from London and I want to see my guards!! But what's this...here's another lot coming up from Horse Guards Parade?! Hurrah. At last...the money shot.

The history: "When Queen Victoria moved into Buckingham palace in 1837 the queens troops remained at the old St James Palace. Therefore everyday a detachment of troops was and still is marched up from St James Palace to replace those guarding the Queen at Buckingham palace."

changing-the-guard.co.uk

(If anyone reading this knows how I can sort out the dodgy layout on these blogs, please let me know cos I'm not getting the hang of it. Thanks)

July 29th - Day 102

A Book Launch at Cecil Sharp House for Will Hodgkinson's Ballad of Britain, featuring the fine singing of Sam Lee, Pete Molinari and Tandayi.

July 30th - Day 103

July 31st - Day 104

Youth Music Box at The Royal Festival Hall

August 1st - Day 105

Was supposed to be Distant Idols at The Plough, East Dulwich, but they didn't turn up, so settled for Ian's stirring rendition of the Lillipution national anthem alongside a skirting board in The Gowlett Arms, Peckham.

August 2nd - Day 106

Lisa Lore at Boho Bar, East Dulwich

August 3rd - Day 107

Clare Hoffman Quintet at St Lawrence Jewry in The City

August 4th - Day 108

The Slaughtered Lamb, Clerkenwell. The fabulous Suzy Almond.

August 5th - Day 109

The sight of a man with a cabbage hat upon his head, espied through a window, sauntering out of the back room of the local pub, may not to many people be seen as a sure sign that live music is nearby. But fortunately I knew that this hat belonged to Hugh Metcalfe, founder and compere of The Klinker. And not surprisingly, but fortunately nonetheless, it was he who I saw under the hat. The Klinker has functioned for 27 years in various inner-city venues north and south of the river (mainly north). Currently, and maybe uniquely, four venues across town hold Klinker evenings (klinkerzoundz.com). I don't know how to describe The Klinker, so here are some words from the flyer: improvisation, film, music, contraptions, poetry, rattle, burnt toast, chandeliers. And perhaps more pertinantly, "Right strange with a twinkle".
This evening I arrived quite late and for a few minutes, as I watched Hugh and a couple of colleagues rambling around the stage plugging and unplugging instruments, it not being apparent whether they were setting-up or packing-up, I thought I may have missed the evening altogether. Eventually, however, Hugh picked up his acoustic guitar (he performs too - guitar and violin tonight) and he, a drummer and an electric guitarist became Fuck Off Batman, described in the flyer as "monosylabolic batmanic freakrock". I was thinking something like thrash-thrash, or rude-thrash-impro (when Hugh wasn't passing the time during a song repeatedly shouting out the word "Fuck", it was because he was repeatedly screaming the word "Shit"). Hugh said after the set that he "really enjoyed the bits we weren't playing - the bits between the tracks".

August 6th - Day 110

Today was one of those happy days that gifted me my music experience completely out of the blue. A school holiday trip to the park was delayed by news that there was a children's show about to start in the local library. The show turned out to be a music jamming session led by the Rock and Roll Pirates - Andi on Yamaha organ and Didntcatchhisname on vocals and drums. A vast array of child-friendly percussive and wind instruments were laid on the floor in front of them for their young audience to choose from. As the Pirates grooved through their Booker T/Chas and Dave-esque set (I particularly enjoyed their pub rock version of "Ten little pirates jumping on the bed - oi!!"), seven or eight children and a couple of adults bashed, shook and blew in accompaniment. By the time our hour with the personable duo was up, the kids had karaoked, taken part in a dance competition and had drumming lessons from Didntcatchhisname. It came as no surprise to learn that these two very accomplished musicians had rather more on their CVs than providing musical fun for the under twelves. Andi (also a composer), for instance, has played and/or recorded with Jeff Beck, Judie Tzuke, Toyah and David Bowie amongst many others. I didn't find out much about the other chap, who I shall now call Didntcatchhisnameanddidntfindoutmuchabouthim.

More about Andi (Clark) at myspace.com/467282281

Update - Through my involvement with The Ivy House, aka the Newlands Tavern, I discovered that Andi played there back in the 1970s with the band Upp. One of their album sleeves now adorns the musical wall of honour!

August 7th - Day 111

The acoustics in churches are usually pretty damn good - apparently there's quite a lot of music in churches even when there's no lunchtime recitals - something that Kit, one of today's musicians, pointed out when he declared what a pleasure it was to travel to a concert on the tube carrying only musical instruments and no sound equipment. The instruments in question were violin (Kit), accordian (Eddy), guitar (Martin) and contrabasse (Matt). Together these exceptional musicians are called Cordes En Bleues. They were bought together by "a shared love of the music of Django Reinhardt, Stephane Grappelli and 30's swinging Paris". Whilst I wouldn't go so far as to say that today's venue, St James's Piccadilly, was swinging, the audience, made up largely of local workers, shoppers and tourists, seemed more relaxed and open to show their appreciation than the somewhat more reverential appreciation generally shown by the classical recital audiences.

August 8th - Day 112

Zero to Hero performing solo guitar as part of Thailand's Got Talent at The Thai Festival in Greenwich Park. He was preceded by two break-dancing eight year old boys, one of whose Mum gave the sound bloke the wrong music. Neither won apparently. The winners, I believe, were dance act "single lady and single man" who I missed because I only had ten minutes parking time left on my car. I also missed Vivian the lady boy.

August 10th - Day 114

I'm not sure what this guy made of Daisy and me. Due to circumstances beyond our control I had a fifteen minute round-trip window to find music along a half mile stretch of the South Bank. I tore along the path with Daisy in my arms as if we'd just escaped from somewhere. The merry-go-rounds on the other side of Hungerford Bridge were in my sight, but not yet in Daisy's, as we came to the point where I was going to have to turn around very soon. Then I spotted this accordian player at the top of the stairs that turn right onto the footbridge over the river. "Look! An accordian player!" I said to Daisy as twenty colourful wooden horses whirled and bobbed fifty yards further on. "Oh yeah," she said. And we strode to the top of the steps, gave the man some money, took a photo and stood next to him for three minutes. Then we went back the way we had come with as much urgency as with which we had arrived.

August 9th - Day 113

Yes, it's the Thai festival again, but a different day (honest) and a very different act. These are musicians from the Thai Music Circle, "the only fully-fledged Thai traditional music ensemble in Europe."
More at psulondon.nursepsu.net/tmcukeng.html

August 11th - Day 115

A trip with the children to Southwark Cathedral today to see a free flute and guitar recital. Well, I put a couple of quid into the collection of course. And it cost me £4.50 to get up town, and another £3 parking in Peckham for four hours. Then there was the £25 I spent on lunch. And the £10 it cost us to visit The Golden Hinde as my reward for making them sit through ten minutes of music. When we passed the Cathedral before lunch Daisy burst into tears and sobbed, "I don't want to see the music!!" Once inside the building later on however, both Daisy and Oliver enjoyed the pre-music wandering about and we only had to leave the recital because Daisy was humming too loudly.

August 12th - Day 116

Another day in the school holidays and another dash along the South Bank, although this time on my own. And another encounter with Djangology. What is it about 1930's Paris and live music in London at the moment?
This early evening the rain detered buskers and the only one I found on the stretch between The Royal Festival Hall and the London Eye was "reggae busker" Derrick from Day 87. The music in The National Theatre Foyer Bar (the Djanogly Concert Pitch - do they mean Djangology?) was finished and with twenty minutes to go before I had to get a train I was torn between going back and beyond the Eye, or continuing towards London Bridge and taking the chance that I would find someone who was not a member of the Gypsy-Ragtime-Jazz posse under Blackfriars Bridge. I decided to head the latter way and I am so glad I did. I'd barely gone a hundred yards when I came across these musicians just before Gabriels Wharf. More Hot Jazz, but not from the posse. They are Cyclown Circus (it's great that buskers have cards and flyers to hand out, but it does strengthen a feeling that I should find out more about the ones who don't). But they're not Cyclown Circus. They are three members of Cyclown Circus, three of 150 that have travelled with them (as them?) on oversized bicycles over the past seven years, blowing hot jazz through 43 countries thus far. Judging from the photos on their great myspace site the three I saw today appear to be core members. I'd never heard of Cyclown Circus, but I feel privileged and strangely excited to have come across them.

myspace.com/cyclowns

August 13th - Day 117

This shockingly blurry photo is of Chris the Bagpiper, piping the evening rush hour many metres underneath Victoria Station. I was on my way to see "funk-influenced blues band" Bluesmix at The Ain't Nothin But Blues Bar, due on at six according to The Guide, but due on at 9.45 according to the man behind the bar and I guess he knew best. So I'm glad I stopped to listen to Chris.

August 14th - Day 118

The 100 Club and buskers-a-go-go. One of those days when there's so much to write that I'll wait until I get a decent stretch of time to write it and wind up writing nothing.
But (one month later) I will write that tonight was as good a night of quality cowpunk that you could get this side of Pikeville, Kentucky, brought to us by cowpunk/psychobilly purveyors Pronghorn (top) and Big Boy Tomato (middle)...and headliners Macavity's Cat, but I had to leave early in their set cos I was already an hour late.
On the way home I chatted to Vasha, playing saxophone in Chinatown. He told me he entertains clubbers in Piccadilly Circus early most mornings between one and four. He told me a lot actually, so I'm going to catch him again with the clubbers one morning and not count today.

August 15th - Day 119

2,000 Leeds United supporters singing in leafy Buckinghamshire: "Marching On Together! We're gonna see you win, na na na na na na, We are so proud, We shout it out loud, we love you Leeds! Leeds! Leeds! Leeds! Leeds!" (B side to the song recorded when Leeds reached the 1972 cup final, an original composition written, allegedly, by Les Reed and Barry Mason. The A side was called Leeds United). "One-nil and it's Duberry's Fault! One-nil and it's Duberry's fault!" (to the ex-Leeds player vaguely responsible for the Leeds goal) "You're not Jesus anymore!" (to the Leeds sub who'd had a haircut and shaved off his beard) "We are Leeds, we are Leeds, we are Leeds! We are Leeds, we are Leeds, we are Le-eeds! We are Leeds, we are Leeds, we are Leeds....weee are Leeeds!" To which the Wycombe fans asked, "Who are ya?! Who are ya?!", so the Leeds fans told them again, "We are Leeds, we are Leeds...etc, etc, etc...."

August 16th - Day 120

Happy. After fifty days "camera-phone alone", I've got my camera back. These musicians in lovely, lazy, sunny Southwark Park on the Bandstand are The Sax Pastilles - sorry guys, I've only just got the pun now I've seen the name written down. This is what Southwark Gov said, "This Sunday London's newest Jazz sensation, The Sax Pastilles, bring New Orleans to South London and the 1920's up to date with toe tapping classic jazztastic tunes performed with a dash of humour and a pinch of pizazz!"

August 17th - Day 121

This man was playing "Yesterday" on a mouth organ and gliding through the West End crowd like a ghost. I slowed down and walked alongside him. I accompanied his slow-waltz towards Leicester Square and became vaguely oblivious of the fast-moving swell around us. And I thought I was oblivious to him, although at one point I sensed him wheel slightly away from me when I got too close. He finished his piece with a deliberate flourish and I spoke to him about the song. He smiled and said, "She's gone again. She's gone again". He sounded American. "See you later, right", he said and floated back the way he'd come. I should have stayed to see if he did the same again.

August 18th - Day 122

                                                                                                         Seven o'clock in the evening. Here's Courtney jamming with his sax on Hungerford footbridge, earning the fourteen pounds he needed to attend a rehearsal/audition in Camden. He'd had a look at some pdfs of music he'd been sent, but didn't know much about it apart from that.                  

August 19th - Day 123

ANGELA THOMAS 1969-2009. Amazing Grace. Abide With Me.

August 20th - Day 124

"And did those feet in ancient times..." 10.55am. London SE11

August 21st - Day 125

The Green Man Festival in the Brecon Beacons. Hugh under the gazebo (at two in the morning), We Aeronauts (who won the right to be the opening act on the main stage), Syd Arthur, Magic Lantern, Wooden Shjips, Roky Erickson, Animal Collective. Phone-camera photos show The Wooden Shjips and Roky Erickson at a distance before I overcame security paranoia and carried around my real camera for the rest of the festival.

August 22nd - Day 126

Green Man continued. Cate Le Bon, Emma Tricca, Melodica Melody and Me, Jonny, Phantom Band, Robyn Hitchcock (providing musical accompaniment to Joe Boyd's readings)...bits of others...