Swindon’s sonic indie popsters Atari Pilot are a prolific bunch, and have a new single out called The Rules Never Change….
And, they don’t. There’s a definite uniformed methodology to Atari Pilot which builds with each new single. Yearning vocals, never without a repetitive chorus to hook you, neatly packaged in retrospective new wave electronica. It may not be as commercially viable as, say, Talk in Code, but it’s irresistibly beguiling and universal to be pop you need to hear.
Featured image: Devizes Guardians’ Cllr Sarah Bridewell and former Devizes East Ward councillor, the late Jane Burton, committed campaigners on dog fouling. It was always…
The mysterious paperbag-wearing local character Joyrobber has only gone and put a whole album down. It’s called You Need to Stop Doing This, and after…
After five years, a new album drops tomorrow (Friday 23rd October) from southwest Welsh reggae outfit, Captain Accident & the Disasters, and it’s worth the…
Well, what else is there to oyez about? Congratulations must go to our Devizes Town Crier, Charlotte Howard-Macdonald, again today, as Brian Mathew MP tabled…
by Ian Diddamsimages by Gill Morrell and Penny Clegg How all the other passions fleet to air,As doubtful thoughts and rash embraceddespair, And shudd’ring fear, and green-eyed jealousy- Merchant of Venice, Act 3 Scene 2, William Shakespeare O, beware, my lord, of…
Kempston joystick! There’s a new single from Swindon’s sonic indie-rock blasters Atari Pilot, and it seems they’re waiting for the summer to fall. Hint, guys, it’s usually, particularly this year, when the kids go back to school….
I’m not wrong, though, am I? Never without that euphoric retrospective tinge, Atari Pilot I liken to Talk in Code, for swinging indie poptastic hooks and unrivalled energy, yet with undertones of sonic soundscapes akin to post-rave dance music, of the Chemical Brothers and Daft Punk et al.
This one certainly doesn’t skip on it,though its theme reminds me of Don Henly, and is equally as passionately delivered. From Jerry Keller to Taylor Swift, summer may be a common topic, but winter songs only hark on about….whoa there, don’t even say the C-word until late November, I thank you! And anyhoo, all the seasons are given a mention in this breezy pay-what-you-like track, save spring. What have you got against spring, Atari Pilot? Don’t make me get all Zebedee on you, I happen to like spring!
Check this out, before it pisses down! Catch them at the Beehive at Swindon Shuffle!
People power in Devizes! Due to pressure from Devizes retailers and councillors, Wiltshire Council today revised their plans for essential cable works in Devizes, originally…
by Ian Diddamsimages by Jim McCauley The power of three. Three men. Three apartments. Three items of furniture. Three snacks bowls. Three types of drink…
There’s a number of ways you can support Wiltshire & Bath Air Ambulance and raise funds for this vital charity, with many entertaining upcoming events;…
It’s Wednesday night, it’s Song of Week time….and here’s your host…. yeah, sorry, it’s just me, couldn’t afford Stephen Mulhern.
Haven’t heard from them for a while, but they’re far from collecting dust in a loft like a retro game console. Swindon-based Atari Pilot return this week with a new single, Train of Life.
If choo-choos are a common metaphor in blues and reggae, moreso to describe the chugging beat, we’re on another platform from Sister Rosetta Tharpe, or Keith and Tex. Sonic indie rockers Atari Pilot have their joysticks calibrated to this philosophical theme, life’s long train comin’, and it sure is a grower. Especially, I’d fathom, if you’re new to this band’s unique style, I ask you take at least a few listens before passing judgement.
But with lyrics like “rolling on til the track runs out, is it the journey or the destinationyou dream about?” there’s thoughtful prose admist those sonic riffs, and it affirms Atari Pilot firmly on the right track.
It’s up on Bandcamp as a name your price. Linktree HERE, go give them a like on the book of Face too, while you’re standing on the platform waiting for the strikes to end!
Irregularly I share a music video to our Facebook page with the status “song of the day,” or week, or whenever, as if it’s a daily occurrence. When the reality is it’s a big, fat fib on my part, it’s only when I happen to find such a video and can be arsed to share it. What-cha gonna do, sue me?
So, just in case your lawyer says you have a case, I thought I’d streamline this sporadic idea for 2021, make it an actual feature on the site rather than a Facebook post, and show off that I know what long words like “sporadic” mean.
Little more gone into it than this, you should be used to it by now. I’m not going to review them, just embed them here for your own appraisal and entertainment purposes. Potentially, it’ll be a groundbreakingily breif post, a simple but effective phenomenon, and something I can do without missing the Simpsons.
The challenge is consistency; whether I actually stick to the idea or, like others, it’ll be a flash in the pan. Who knows, this could be the start of something beautiful, this could be the thing they’re talking about in decades to come. A holographic Ken Bruce could be asking “what was the very first Devizine Song of the Day” in a Pop Master 200 years from now.
And you can answer it with who I bestow this honour, Atari Pilot. They’ll be revelling in the triumph of the hour if it wasn’t lockdown, I bet.
History in the making then, the only issue I foresee is I over-waffle any old crap, which is, incidentally, not what’s happening now and rarely does here; I had to explain myself, didn’t I?
Okay, I get message; here it is then, enjoy the tune, enjoy the rest of your evening. Good job, carry on.
Featured image: Devizes Guardians’ Cllr Sarah Bridewell and former Devizes East Ward councillor, the late Jane Burton, committed campaigners on dog fouling.
It was always going to happen. When national politics steps into local issues, it all turns to poop….
Without a shred of science or research, just desperation to retain their depleting seats at Devizes Town Council, the Conservative by-election campaign leaflets apparently claim the Devizes Guardians “ignore the issue of dog fouling.” At least that’s what the Devizes Guardians say, and they set out to prove them wrong. Now, this is a scoop (see what I did there?!)
“Did the Conservative spinners pay attention to the factual recorded proposals that were agreed in Council?” the Guardians asked… and answered themselves, “unfortunately, they didn’t. The opportunity of political spin and misleading comments was more important.”
What we do know is shit has hit the fan now Conservative councillor Iain Wallis posted a poll on his biased Facebook group, where you get banned for disagreeing with him, asking if the public think dog fouling has gone up or down, without any time frame, and voted on it himself! Now, that’s how you deal with public opinion.
One genius Facebook commenter summarised the audacity; “Imagine being that sad and reflective that a certain former Wiltshire councillor has to run a poll to pump back up his ego and even votes on it himself to make his post look like it’s the most popular opinion!” You, sir, win the internet today!
Honestly, despite knowing which way I’d vote in the by-election if I was Eastward in the Vizes, I didn’t know which way to vote in his far more important poll, which isn’t in any way political pointscoring. I mean, if the time frame runs from 1973, I’d argue it’s better, but if it’s inclusive of the poop spewing from the mouths of the Devizes Conservatives, it’s increased dramatically and is a bigger problem then we might give credit for; a danger to shipping, one could add.
Devizes Guardians say “it’s time to separate the doggie doo-doo from the political hoo-ha.” I say, I’m the scatologist here, I do the shit jokes; thank you all the same. But as councillors, as they tend to do, they continued…to prove it….
“In 2022, Cllr Iain Wallis’s Conservative proposal was to set up yet another working group to discuss the poop, blah blah blah. However, Devizes Guardian, Cllr Chris Gay was all about practical action. Plenty of bins, regular emptying, and targeted awareness campaigns. One plan was more talk about the doo-doo. The other plan was to actually tackle the…” and herewith that they inserted appropriate poo-poo emojis; naughty!
The Guardians point out that the Town Council maintains over 150 bins, so there is no shortage of disposal points, resulting in an increase in council collections, which has decreased dog fouling. Though they rightfully say it’s progress, they continue to suggest the problem isn’t fully solved, but what difference can either party make when it’s a social problem caused by the irresponsible minority of dog owners who refuse to pick up after their dogs?
Ask yourself, are Devizes Conservatives going to arm themselves with poop scoops and patrol throughout the night, or do you smell the whiff of another conservative political stink? I’d fairly wager those fouling dogs might fair better competition for the Guardians in this forthcoming by-election!
Devizes Guardians didn’t ignore dog fouling. They delivered a practical plan.
I did suggest, elsewhere, that things are going to get dirty. In what is only a town council by-election, the Conservatives are eager to treat it like a battleground, weaponising petty bickering and stooping to misinformation; that’s shameful and should be remembered come the by-election.
Let’s look at how the Conservative candidate Laura Ayling pulled Conservative PCC Wilko into the Market Place for a photo opportunity, and to waffle about antisocial behaviour, a case for which was already put in motion by Devizes Guardians. The role of the PCC is completely sinecure anyway, and when they use their position for stunts to political pointscore, as Wilko clearly does, as he is seen here doing it, the role is performative politics rather than proactive policing.
Take his salary (Wilko’s salary: £73,300. Average police officer’s salary: £32,225) out of the equation, and you’ve got two and a half more bobbies on the beat. We don’t need muck spreading or misinformation from suits. We need community engagement.
The Guardians say their candidate, Rosemary McDonald “talks about what she’s about, her priorities, with facts and positivity.” I’m due to meet Rosemary for a cuppa and a chat on Friday, of which I’ll gladly report my findings, because I firmly believe we must keep national political parties out of local governance, and this mucky doo-dah proves why….jeez, whatever next? Watch this space!!
Nottingham trio Girlband! are throwing open the doors to their debut self-titled album, out 13th November, and taking the party on the road with a run of UK in-store shows. Think less standing around a record shop and more turning up at your mate’s house and accidentally staying until 3am….
The band will kick things off at Sound Knowledge in Marlborough on 12th November before heading to London, Kingston, Oxford, Nottingham and Leeds. And because no house party is complete without a drink in hand, fans who pre-order the album will be able to join the band for a couple of pints at a pub near the venue. More info on this to follow.
Things are already heating up, with BBC 6music getting behind the band: their first single, “Neighbour’s House”, received its premiere on Chris Hawkins’ show, while “5AM” picked up love from Craig Charles’ 6music show on release day. Add previous tips from NME, Rolling Stone UK, Clash, The Line of Best Fit and Dork, and GIRLBAND! are making a pretty strong case for being the band you want to know about before everyone else does.
But ‘GIRLBAND!’ isn’t just an album about a party. It’s about everything that happens around one. The friends who pile into the kitchen, the person you definitely shouldn’t text, the break-up that turns into a group therapy session on the sofa, the nights you never want to end and the mornings when you’re wondering what the hell happened. Written in real time while touring, making friends, falling in and out of love and generally trying to figure out life, the record is a gloriously messy snapshot of being a young woman today.
Love, sex, friendship, heartbreak, money, queerness and womanhood all get a seat at the table. One minute you’re having the best night of your life; the next you’re questioning every decision you’ve ever made. That’s life, isn’t it? GIRLBAND! get it. They find the funny in the ridiculous, the joy in the chaos and the vulnerable bits that tend to come out when everyone else has gone home.
The album’s roots are quite literally in a house party. “Neighbour’s House” was written in the small terraced house where the band first came together, a place where rehearsals regularly descended into parties, the police were called more than once and seemingly everyone passed through the front door at some point. It was a house full of noise, friendship, music and the feeling that anything could happen. That spirit became the starting point for the whole record: a celebration of the people who make a place feel like home, even when everything else is a bit of a mess.
Musically, expect fuzzy guitars, huge choruses, garage-rock attitude and the gloriously scruffy spirit of ’90s alternative. Think The Breeders, Hole and The Cranberries, with a little Bruce Springsteen-sized heart and flashes of Cyndi Lauper and The Bangles thrown in for good measure. “5AM” turns queer desire into a full-throttle rock ’n’ roll love song, while “She Said” captures the hazy, grungy rush of meeting someone who makes a night unforgettable. Elsewhere, “Right On Time” is about letting go of old guilt and learning to embrace yourself, while “All My Friends” gets into the harder stuff: loneliness, struggling behind closed doors and trying to keep it together when you’re really not okay.
It’s this constant push and pull that makes ‘GIRLBAND!’ feel so real. The songs can be funny, euphoric, heartbreaking and completely chaotic, sometimes all at once. There are no neat answers or attempts to make everything sound pretty. Just three women trying to survive, work themselves out and, in amongst all of that, have a fucking good time.
Having already played more than 200 shows across the UK and Europe, GIRLBAND! know a thing or two about bringing people together. They’ve taken their sound to Glastonbury, Isle of Wight Festival, Reeperbahn and The Great Escape, and shared stages with Sex Pistols, Jake Bugg, James, Palaye Royale, Destroy Boys and Nxdia. With almost one million YouTube views behind them, European dates supporting Sting and more UK festival appearances on the horizon, they’re heading into this next chapter with plenty of momentum… and a debut album that feels like an open invitation to join them!
The upcoming in-store shows are an extension of that world. Forget the usual routine: GIRLBAND! want to bring the house party into the venues, getting fans together to celebrate the album up close and making the whole thing feel less like an appearance and more like being welcomed into the gang.
Chedworth, Gloucestershire; proud village soloist, songwriter and model Flora Fiora is kicking the tyres and smashing windows in with a new single, and it’s about…
The Wharf Theatre in Devizes is thrilled to announce a major new chapter in its artistic programme: the theatre has officially become a registered screening…
It seems ages ago since I was last listening to the guys and gals of White Horse Opera (WHO) bringing their considerable vocal skills together to bring a new opera production to Devizes. But yet here we are!
Following previous recent successes with Offenbach’s “La Belle Helene” and Mozart’s “Cosi Fan Tutte”, WHO have now turned their attention to one of my favourite opera composers Giuseppe Verdi. That’s Joe Green in English. His “La Traviata” is probably one of the most famous, and most frequently performed, of all of his works, and indeed in the whole opera canon. It was a critical success from the very start, and has remained a popular favourite ever since.
“La Traviata” (or The Fallen Woman) is a three-act opera originally set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La Dame Aux Camélias (1852), a play by Alexandre Dumas fils, which he adapted from his own 1848 novel. The opera was originally titled “Violetta”, after the main character. It was first performed in March 1853 at La Fenice opera house in Venice. Piave and Verdi wanted to follow Dumas in giving the opera a contemporary setting, but the authorities at La Fenice insisted that it be set in the past, “c. 1700” (because of some of the characters and themes in the opera, which were deemed a little too racy to be exposed to a contemporary audience). It was not until the 1880s that the composer’s and librettist’s original wishes were carried out and more “realistic” productions were staged.
It tells the story of Violetta Valéry, a celebrated Parisian courtesan who is dying of tuberculosis, and of her doomed love affair with the young nobleman Alfredo Germont. Yeah I know – all the usual cheerful stuff, but bear with me. It’s not all doom and gloom. Well, it is actually, but let’s just press on.
In the first act (The Party & The Confession) Violetta hosts a lavish party at her Parisian salon, where she is introduced to Alfredo Germont, a young man who has adored Violetta from afar. He leads the famous drinking song (“Brindisi”), and Violetta joins him. When Violetta suddenly feels faint; Alfredo stays behind to care for her, and passionately confesses his love. Though initially hesitant to give up her independent lifestyle, Violetta is moved by his sincerity and agrees to see him again.
By the time of the second act “Sacrifice In The Countryside”, Violetta and Alfredo are living happily together in a country house outside Paris. But when Alfredo discovers that Violetta has been secretly selling her possessions to fund their quiet life, he rushes off to Paris to secure money. Whilst he’s away Alfredo’s father, Giorgio Germont, visits Violetta unexpectedly. He begs her to leave Alfredo because her “compromised reputation” threatens to ruin his daughter’s upcoming marriage. Violetta reluctantly agrees, writes a farewell letter to Alfredo, and returns to her old life in Paris under the protection of Baron Douphol. Alfredo reads the letter in agony, misunderstands her motives, and tracks her down at a party hosted by Flora. Consumed by anger, Alfredo publicly insults her and throws his gambling winnings at her feet as payment, prompting his horrified father to step in and rebuke him.
And in the third act “Death & Reconciliation” months later, Violetta is confined to her bed in a modest Paris apartment, severely weakened by tuberculosis and nearly destitute. She receives a letter from Giorgio Germont, revealing that he finally told Alfredo the truth about her sacrifice. Alfredo hurries to her side, and the two briefly dream of leaving Paris together. Her strength completely gives out, and Violetta dies in Alfredo’s arms.
I mean – tragic, or what? Well it is, but it’s a gripping story well told. Whilst some operas and plays rely upon some frankly ludicrous plots, mistakes and deceptions, La Traviata avoids these pitfalls. It feels realistic, believable and very much in the moment. A couple of hours in the company of this production passed in absolutely no time.
Lisa House as Violetta has a lot of heavy lifting to do in this role. She’s on stage throughout the first act, and is rarely offstage in acts 2 and 3 either. It’s a lot of work, and a lot of singing, but she carries it off effortlessly. If she ever made a mistake I certainly didn’t spot it.
The other principals – Robert Felstead as Alfredo, Jess Phillips as Annina, Paula Boyagis as Dr. Grenvil, Barbara Gompels as Flora, Jonathan Paget as Gaston, Jim Donovan as the grumpy Baron Duphol, and Robin Lane as the Marquis D’Obigny were all absolutely spot-on with their performances too.
And, although I always hate to single out any one particular performer from a superb ensemble cast, I have to say that I was particularly struck by the outstanding performance of Niall Hoskin as Giorgio Germont, the agonised father of Alfredo. His doubts and his tortuous changing emotions were rendered with a heart-stopping authenticity that I found particularly moving. Bravo!
Again, let all WHO presentations, this production relies on a stripped-down stage, with minimal props or other distractions. Equally the “orchestra” is a simple four-piece up in the Minstrels’ Gallery at the back of the stage (Roshan Hughes on clarinet, Tony James on piano, Nikki Marshall on flute and Raphael Todes on violin) all under the adept musical direction of Roland Melia. The three scene changes are simple and quickly achieved, but there’s no lack of colour and variety. The costumes are striking and bold, and the cast sparkles with life. This allows the production to breathe, and to move the story along with some pace.
To be honest, the cast all looked like they were enjoying themselves on stage, injecting the production with plenty of energy. The whole opera is sung in English, and there are comprehensive plot notes in the programme, which makes the work completely accessible to a wide audience.
Did I enjoy it? – yes, absolutely! Should you go and see it? – again, an unqualified yes! We don’t get nearly enough opera in Devizes, so I’d urge you not to miss out on what is an exciting and sparkling production. There’s a few tickets left for tonight (Tuesday) and tomorrow (Wednesday). There’s no performance on Thursday, and then the Friday night and Saturday matinee performances are already close to being sold out. You have been warned!
White Horse Opera are based in Devizes and regularly perform operas around Wiltshire and beyond.
The mysterious paperbag-wearing local character Joyrobber has only gone and put a whole album down. It’s called You Need to Stop Doing This, and after we’ve been so nice to him about all the singles he’s previously released from it, he still refuses to reveal his identity… is it overdue for Joyrobber to take a slice of his own worldly advice?!
I once thought I’d figured out who he is, I even asked him if he was who I think he is, to which he flatly denied, claiming no knowledge of the person I asked him if he was. But still, I remain suspicious. He could be the person I think he is, just pretending not to be the person I think he is, but then, he might not be the person I think he is. Hope you’re following so far, because there’s also the factor that none of it matters, because he’ll not reveal, or that it’s completely irrelevant who he is, and if he is who I think he is, or not.
With that fully cleared up, let’s move swiftly on to the album, shall we?! But just to mention, it’s been going on far too long now, since he sent me the debut single Jeremy Kyle slightly over a year ago. But even though I’m adamant he’s definitely not Jeremy Kyle, and that’s not who I thought he is anyway, being the song seems to not paint Jeremy Kyle in the best light, I enjoyed the comedic, catchy take on the career of…Jeremy Kyle.
It’s all good fun, loud and proud indie-punk-pop goodness, and the themes do not rest on the same cliches as standard songwriting, but you can’t help feeling sorry for the calamitous and unfortunate life of Joyrobber. Over four of the seven songs, he suffers insomnia, didn’t get his dream job, had his car broken into on his birthday, and regretfully crossed the friend barrier with the object of his desire.
If on and on (and on and on), I didn’t want your stupid job anyway, Requiem for my Car Window, and Stay Friends (I’ll permit you to guess which song title goes with which irk, as an interactive section of the review, though this quiz gets no prizes) you should note there’s a fifth tune called Awks, which is an anthology of further mishaps. Perhaps this is the reason for his anonymity, perhaps not, but let’s not dwell on the subject any longer.
For alongside Jeremy, song number five, Graham’s Guitar runs on a different theme, being a homage to, or at the very least an almost paranormal experience when playing a lost friend’s guitar. It’s all clever and tongue-in-cheek stuff, engineered by music legend Jolyon Dixon, and self-produced under the parody title of Sugarpill Productions.
Joyrobber explains the album title were the words he was told eight years ago, “when the professional powers that be discovered that I made music and posted it online in my free time.” Fearing for his livelihood he took all his music down when said employers discovered his music accounts and disapproved of him using his name. With all this in tow, maybe he is Jeremy Kyle?!
I’m not losing sleep over it, because the creative bug sticks, and though they’d successfully crushed any aspirations, Joyrobber returned to his hobby many years later, and hey presto, You Need to Stop Doing This is the result of trudging through his cherish demos that never saw the light of day before, and reworking them.
Glad he did, because this album is good clean fun, name your price, and perhaps should’ve come with a warning that some of these songs you might personally reflect upon, but not especially in a positive light. I feel Joyrobber’s pain, had my car window smashed in too, and an obsession once for a person I crossed that friend barrier with, but I’m a milkman, so insomnia is in the contract!
I’m uncertain if George Wilding sent us news of his newly released album, A Black Eye and a Bunch of Flowers, but we simply must have a listen or ten anyway. For whilst his fanbase should need no encouragement, I could (and will) waffle endlessly about it, unpicking greater detail as it embeds into my mind upon each listen, for it truly is everything I, and I’d imagine every fan too, has longed for in an album by George Wilding….
He usually does send such news, but my spam filters very wrongly assume I’m more interested in liposuction, bath wraps, and exiled princes of small countries wishing to transfer a trillion bitcoin into my account. If that’s the modern world, that an email from our loved local living legend might sit somewhere in my spam folder, George himself irregularly posts on social media, and when he does he suggests he’s fighting algorithms. Evidently, he has a point.
Yet, while he’s hardly the internet guru, and blissfully lives within an analogue era of yore, in much the same way, and method, musical legends of that time could evoke any emotion onto a listener they desire to, through a unique and quintessential delivery of ingenious wordplay, rather than a “reel” of hard sell, George has mastered this too, with a natural flare incomparably superior to his peers. And it’s worthy noting he does so in such an amiable way, he’s instantly your friend.
Being George is this genuine article, to analyse his creative outpourings we are best ridding ourselves of the Whitney harvest of soulless, pitch-perfect AI generated voices, of music technology and the indispensable evils of streaming platforms.
George Wilding
We must return to a time where musicians are credited by their output rather than social media follows. Reflecting on his earlier, often ironically whimsical yet with an edge of youthful psychedelic swirling work, there’s progression. And being George mentioned the Velvet Underground in the track Elephant Man from 2014’s Being Ragdollin EP, flipping cliché on its head to puncture pseudo-intellectual pretension, in this, if we were to compare his songs with The Velvet Underground, the new edge is more precise, less dreamy and more raw rock music, and perhaps ventures along a similar path to Lou Reed’s later solo writings.
I’d perfectly understand if you discredit this comparison, for Reed was hardly acclaimed for his vocal range, all raspy and intoxicated, whereas George’s is pure silk, which although carries cynical, observational wit like Reed, wherever his mood might opt, does so easily on the ear. It’s infectious, and beyond the reach of many; separating not only his great songwriting from standard indie fare, but his production too.
This is not only why working with Joylon Dixon is a coupling of the gods, but also why, when George takes a stage for an audience-selected human jukebox, he’ll take them on a similar spellbound path as he does with his originals. If this album does anything different, it should be that familiarising yourself with his original material is essential to your enjoyment, especially now he’s no longer aiming at the scene, rather moving from sharp youthful critique of arty posturing to channeling the depth of architects like Lou Reed themselves.
And while he rarely performs his originals, but I, for one, encourage him to, and when he once, upon a long time ago, told me he favoured the EP format to the LP, here it is now, aptly titled to coincidence with his contrasting irony; A Black Eye and a Bunch of Flowers. When leaking his intentions to release an album to me a few months back, and I reminded him about his once EP preference, he replied that he “felt the time was right.”
Starter for ten, it is. This twelve track strong album not only arrives at the right time, but the opening song immediately lambasts critics who might favour earlier works of an artist in comparison to newer, by suggesting rawness has lost edge, or the pressure applied to chase originality. If this is personally reflective, I should be careful, if it wasn’t for the fact I’ve nothing bad to say about the maturity of his sound! The irony rests in the sound of this satirical stab, Cat’s Lost Lick; the tune replicates his earlier work more than any other on the album. If, as he suggests, the walls are built and it’s a hard pill to swallow, it’s exactly the type of genius songwriting to prove them wrong.
It also pitches both sides of the fence you may sit on George’s progression. For me it’s a satisfying arc, and one which the second and ninth tracks highlight better than the opening. Babyshampagne is like the second single of 2026, Loser to Loser, both growers which carry delightful punches; if any type of punch could be deemed delightful, this is probably it. Loser to Loser kicks with an electric guitar riff, like an eighties power-pop anthem, but an “ooh-ooh” vocable breathing doo-wop or Motown into it, Babyshampagne mores simply, rocks out indie style.
If it’s breezily contented indie-pop, there’s this element in many of his new songs, and a sense of commercial viability, tempting me to reach to bands like The Boo Radleys or Deacon Blue for a comparison, certainly more than the Velvet Underground. Though, whether George ventures for hints of quirky or experimental hidden details, it remains as incomparable and unmistakenly George Wilding as belters like Signs of Life, which is a smashing the windows in Wilding classic.
Also in writing, although there’s something broken in the relationship in Loser to Loser, for example, whereas past characters might let it get them down, they seem to face up to realities gratified, or at least nonchalantly. Perhaps to match with the catchy hook and lively ambiences, but it seems this system is repeated through the album too, as the upbeat continues for Body, Soul and Spirit, which is Housemartins’ Happy Hour feelgood, and The Monkey Gets It, which is full of uplifting spirit, as the name suggests.
The crooner ballad element rolls the tempo down for No One’s Getting Out Alive, but builds to a wailing guitar climax. Year by Year is a reflective representation of all that’s satisfied with George’s acoustic live setting, and break-up song Feed Your Head brings back tempo but offers no such diversion, it simply rolls on a hard-hitting timeless indie-rock sound, as if Katrina And The Waves recorded Positively 4th Street.
With the vaudeville ambience of Queen’s later material and sprinkles of doo-wop at the intro, the heartbreaking Isn’t She Lonely single follows, which whisps around crooners with subtle psychedelic undertones. It highlights how George is skillfully capable of frolicing vocally with the schlager of artists like Tony Christie, and remains cool throughout by splicing this music hall vibe ironically with melancholy in the narrative. It’ll remind fans somewhat of Terrible Little Secret from Being Ragdollian.
When the fantastic journey is near completion you are treated to two poignant pieces to complete the effect, because if the previous ten songs haven’t convinced you of George’s stature, these will win you over. The Only Way and Postcards from a Motorway are Mr Wilding at his best, swirling you in atmosphere and this seamless ability to take you on his mission to wherever, through the ultimate expression.
Fans will leave the album remembering every element as to why and how they became a fan of George Wilding. Newcomers will be left in astonishment as to why they’ve never heard of him before; curse those algorithms one more time for us, sweetheart! This album encompasses everything you want from an artist, pays respectable homage to George’s divine back catalogue whilst simultaneously introduces you to a newer George with desires to experiment and reach commercially without ruining that original and raw brilliance.
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Immediately after the weekend which saw press photographers ejected, so they could savagely beat women at the Birmingham Reform conference, as if someone threw a…
Tributes to Chippenham’s community activist, poet, actor, and event compere Brian Reid poured onto social media today, as the sad news of his passing spreads……
After five years, a new album drops tomorrow (Friday 23rd October) from southwest Welsh reggae outfit, Captain Accident & the Disasters, and it’s worth the wait….
Using the word “reggae” as a blanket term for pop music of Jamaican origin, rather than a particular subgenre of roots reggae commonly associated with Bob Marley at his peak, as it currently stands for Caucasians, there seems to be two distinct followings in the UK; that of the retrospective scooterist’s adoration of reggae’s original template, ska, which inspired the Two-Tone movement, and the more progressive dub to dancehall counterculturists and punks favour.
I view it as unfortunate that the bridge between them is often overlooked, as it was the most creative period in Jamaican recording history. Yet Captain Accident’s previous album Bad Press relished in the smooth rock steady style which took ska on its journey to reggae in the late nineteen sixties. A particularly hot summer of ‘67 and the government curfew in Jamaica are held responsible for the shift, where it was the tempo mellowed and brass gave way to vocal harmonies.
The relics of rock steady’s ballad concept remains in subgenres such as ‘lover’s rock,’ and there’s as plenty of hints to this in Sayonara Paranoia as there was with Bad Press. But this time around the melting pot is far more welcoming to all of reggae’s subgenres; Sayonara Paranoia not only draws from and encompasses them all, but seemingly creates some new ones on its magical journey. The press release suggests “Sayonara Paranoia is an album of contrasts,” and you’re in for a pleasant surprise from the off.
It opens with a lead single released last February, Slither on the Dashboard, recounting the day a family pet snake escaped into Captain Accident’s car while he was driving it to a new home in the Welsh Valleys! If its subject perfectly illustrates frontman Adam’s pseudonym, a nickname earned through a lifetime of spectacular clumsiness rather than a carefully crafted stage persona, our surprise is the track is decidedly upbeat ska with nods to Two-Tone’s association with punk. If you must look towards Northern Soul for a tune about a snake, forget Al Wilson, because this one skanks almighty and breaks like a real slithering reptile!
So we establish, Captain Accident’s namesake is a self-deprecating streak that occasionally finds its way into the music, but never at the expense of sincerity. Songs immediately following revert back to the uplifting chill of rock steady; wonderful vocal harmonising songs like Rise and Fall are signature Captain Accident, and Baby Slow Down comes in with that cool Jacob Miller feel.
It’s a ten song long flow which you don’t want to stop, as influences into a collection of songs exploring resilience, love, heartbreak, anxiety and hope ripple through the eardrums blissfully. Yet, I have to take hold during the fourth song, because if this album stretches into ska, rock and punk territory while maintaining the Captain’s classic and loved fashion, where does To The Sun fit?! It has the kind of completely unique riff I cannot define; elements of dancehall blend into a punky reggae which reminds me of the sleng teng riddim of Prince Jammy’s electronic takeover of reggae, but still this song is refreshingly experimental, completely original, and that riff, oh that riff is so addictive it sticks!
From this point I accept I’m in for an adventure, with the Captain leading the mission; where are we going Capt?! The gorgeousness of sunshine love songs follows for a further two tracks, and then he confirms the destination; we’re upbeat ska again with Mission to Mars.
But if instrumentation and vocals are only the physical aspects, the conscious theme of Me & My Friends proves a spiritual skill in songwriting, and could be compared with Marely’s So Much Trouble in the World. “Life gives you plenty to write about if you’re paying attention,” Captain Accident said of the album. “Sometimes those stories are about love, heartbreak or the things that weigh on your mind, and every now and then something completely ridiculous happens—like accidentally letting a snake loose in your car. Reggae will always be at the heart of what I do, but I’ve never wanted to put boundaries around the music. The rock and punk records I grew up with are just as important to me, and I think this album reflects that. I can’t wait to get back out on the road with the band and share these songs with everyone.”
Sayonara Paranoia was written, recorded and produced entirely by Captain Accident, reflecting a deeply personal and independent approach to making music. Yet this song is followed again by Pick up the Slack, which, as it might sound, is full steam train chugging ska again to appease the boots and braces crews!
The moment Suggs of Madness joined the band on stage should be an indicator to, not only Captain Accident & The Disasters’ steadily built reputation as an energetic live act, but also the sense of spontaneity and musical community within the UK reggae and ska scenes. They appeared at Boomtown Fair, Isle of Wight Festival, Wilderness Festival, Bestival, Cornbury Festival, Mucky Weekender and Rototom Sunsplash, one of the world’s largest reggae festivals. They shared stages with the likes of Aswad, Steel Pulse, The Abyssinians, Alborosie, The Selecter, Julian Marley, and The Beat.
Until we meet, the treasure of this new album is that no matter the diversity and experimentation, the Captain and his band invites the listener to his table and entertains them with the same divine quality no matter which direction their distinctive ship faces. And this is accomplished with a defining recognisable overall style whereby soaring twin-guitar harmonies warm the cockles, rather than the traditional horn section, the riffs drift across reggae like it’s given, and the vocal’s smooth like John Holt suddenly fell deeply in love.
If this is about as high an accolade as one could get within reggae circles, don’t assume I flatter; Captain Accident & The Disasters supported Toots and the Maytals at a gig in Wales, and the late Toots Hibbert took them on tour. They completed three full UK tours supporting the reggae pioneers; when you hear this album, you realise why that happened.
A UK tour follows the release of the album, details HERE. Socials below.
Well, what else is there to oyez about? Congratulations must go to our Devizes Town Crier, Charlotte Howard-Macdonald, again today, as Brian Mathew MP tabled a motion in the House of Commons celebrating her achievement of winning the 73rd National Town Crier Championship in Rye, only two months after taking up the role…
Recognised as our first woman to serve as Town Crier for Devizes, Charlotte said, “this is a first; a speechless Town Crier! Thank you so much, Brian, for this wonderful and completely unexpected recognition, and to the MPs who have added their support. Seeing my name in a parliamentary motion is quite surreal!”
But whoa there, all this talk of female town criers, isn’t there any room to celebrate the guys too?! Charlotte’s husband Moray MacDonald is an outstanding producer of electronic music who creates the most wonderful soundscapes under the pseudonym Cephid. I first met the Lavington-based couple upon reviewing Cephid’s album Sparks in the Darknessthree years ago.
Moray cut his teeth touring with progressive rock and metal artists such as That Joe Payne, Godsticks, Kim Seviour and Ghost Community, more recently he remixed for OMD. Of Sparks in the Darkness I said at the time, “gorgeous complex structures and intense electronic textures,” making comparisons to everything from the Doctor Who theme, through to Kraftwerk, The Art of Noise, Yello and American electro outfit Newcleus, explaining “Cephid encompasses these, yet is ultra-modern, uses tech as orchestral, and is as fresh as the Buxton spring; like Jean Michel Jarre came after dubstep, as if 808 State created Tubular Bells!”
Forward wind to February last year, Moray finally staged the album at Bath’s Rondo Theatre, and I had to make a beeline. It was a breathtaking show, to see the album played out live added to the magnificence of this achievement and made it all seem real. The added bonus was to see the laser harp Moray created at seventeen, but had never used publicly until that gig. And after this monumental occasion, the audience were invited to try the homemade electronic instrument themselves.
The gig caused me to contemplate the progression of electronics in music, and how we take it for granted. Though Devizes is a blues town, of conventional analogue instruments, Moray informed me of the town’s little known influence on the development of electronic music by the way of Daphne Oram, a pioneer of electronic sound who was born in the town. On her centenary I ran a series of articles about Daphne’s life, focusing on her largely unrecorded early years in Devizes.
Why am I reminding you of all this now, you might ask?! Well, there’s the thing. Tickets have just gone on sale, for Cephid is coming to St Mary’s Devizes, for a one off electronic concert on 28th November, and yes, he will bring his laser harp. Moray is supported by Richard Anthony Bean, an electronic music composer and producer from Exeter; be there!
With Devizes’ historic connection and affliction to the blues, it can be a challenge to introduce other genres of music to our town, although there is an audience here accepting diversity, of people who worship the eighties electronic scenes from hip hop to synth-based new romantic and new wave to gothic, and the ravers which followed, and from here stems the concept that technology is so commonplace in music we no longer see the seams.
These are the people I need to entice, because please, oh hear ye! Believe me when I tell you this show is incredible, and unlike anything else you’ve seen in Devizes before!
On the Festival of Discovery, other political discoveries, and is the Crammer full yet?! No to the latter, but local Facebook groups are full ….of negativity!
I’m in no place to review the Festival of Discovery which happened last weekend in Devizes, being Devizine was asked to contribute, and because of that contribution, I didn’t catch the amazing variety of goings on, being sentry at my post, save for a pasty break. But I think there’s positive and negative things to be said about it, plus a few points which require a degree of balanced clarification.…
Oh, for the forked tongues of keyboard warriors; those vocal minorities disgruntled by attempts to bring free community-driven festivities to town, when a majority braved the minor drop in temperature, just as everyone does for the far more inclement Christmas festival. While we still live in a democracy, sorry killjoys, but we’re duty bound to go with those who made the effort and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Starter for ten thousand, let’s clear this one up immediately. Yeah, you’re bang on the money, it would’ve been lovely to have had this happen during summer. One comment read, “Why have it in October with all the beautiful weather we have had this summer!!” I’ll take it as a question easily answered, even if there was no question mark.
For those stating the bleeding obvious, in order to slam DOCA, and largely from a Conservative twonktank, please note, it is all about the money. The Street Festival doesn’t come cheap, and was cancelled in May 2024, during the final and brutal Conservative cut of Arts Council funding, on which DOCA relied on.
Fortunately, since the political party which, let’s not forget, were hosting cocaine orgies at 10 Downing Street, and fornicating like Emperor Caligula on a stag do in Thailand, while forty thousand of our most vulnerable perished in care homes, was obliterated, Labour has been a smidgen more generous towards the arts. Creative director Loz made a triumphant return to Devizes, got me on the blower only a month ago, to ask if I’d like to host an area dedicated to young talented musicians, for this festival she was rushing to announce.
Naturally, despite not being able to tick neither “young” nor “talented” boxes, I jumped at the opportunity. It took a lot of last minute organisation, as it did for the other dedicated volunteers of DOCA, who worked tirelessly to put this event on; shame on you if you favoured nitpicking on Facebook instead of attending it.
I wasn’t on traffic duty. I did my bit, with Simon, the best grand prix pit stop sound engineer, and Mr Ian James powering us up, and it was flipping amazing! Every singer-songwriter I could think of in the right age bracket turned up, seemingly not stuck in traffic neither flown in by helicopter Shirley Bassey style, gave it their 120%, and showed the few who bothered to turn out that local music is safe in gen z hands.
Having already lavished on the popular Confetti Battle and Colour Rush, I reasoned with Loz that what’s left in the kitty could’ve been put into bringing a spectacular Winter Festival and Lantern Parade. To which Loz shrugged and replied, “yeah, you’d think so, wouldn’t you?” Such it was revealed to me, the grant given has an expiry date prior to Christmas, and if it wasn’t spent it would be lost. So, it really was a case of, does DOCA put in the overtime and seriously get on the case of a celebration with an extremely short window of organisation schedule, or would Devizes have an ordinary weekend of shopping and dog walking?
So, rather than sitting picking their noses, we had the Festival of Discovery, and what did we discover?! Who’d have flunked bringing such a wonderful festival to Devizes would result in a plethora of harsh online criticism?! Did we even know of their existence before this weekend, or were they discouraging “bots?” Devizes used to be such a…Matter of factually, Mr Grumpy lived in Crosspatch Cottage, actually located in Happyland, and I’ll leave this there.
Could’ve caused less of a stir if traffic was delayed due to a woman-beating Reform conference. The result of a family of ducks crossing a road in Devizes is traffic chaos; do we shoot the duck?! Actually, with the bitterness posted on the usual suspect Facebook groups, don’t answer that.
Congestion was a suggestion, and a valid point, it was slightly more chaotic than normal and that was unfortunate, for which DOCA apologised and took action, reopening the Market Place on Sunday. There may have been overlookings in signage of road closures, if so it could’ve been because of the lack of time to get this festival organised; a lesson learned, but which didn’t deserve the verbal punishment it received, from those unwilling to volunteer their help, I should add.
But, please save me the spiel about not knowing this well-advertised event was occurring, for I’ll only retort like a Specsavers advert and say, “you should’ve gone to Devizine!” I wouldn’t rely on the Gazelle & Herod telling you about an event, unless Martin Kemp, the Queen Consort, or Nigel Farage is attending it.
Oh, and by the way, it was DOCA who addressed the traffic issue and acted accordingly, not councillors, despite what one certain Mr Wallis might tell you. Though the same Conservative councillor waffled on his Facebook page speaking highly of the event for the illusion of balanced popular opinion, but trundled past the festival looking like his shoes were more important. This was the very same killjoy Devizes Conservative town councillor who once suggested the street festival wasn’t “diverse” enough, despite it was so obviously the most diverse event Devizes has ever seen!
Whereas two councillors, one independent and another a Guardian, stopped by to praise my attempt to engage and stage young people. A third was the hopeful and right choice, Guardian candidate for Devizes East, Rosemary McDonald, who did likewise, and when she did, those Masters of the Tory Universe shamefully laid in waiting for her, like snipers at the gate.
Today the same councillor, Wallis, one which others earmark as some kind of arch- nemesis of Devizine, whereas I’d rather it be simply that whenever there’s trouble at mill, he’s grinding it, is showcasing their Devizes East candidate for the by-election, Laura Ayling. Apparently Laura is single handedly going to tackle antisocial behaviour in the Market Place, and is seen shaking the firm militant hand of none other than Dirty Harry PCC Wilko, right there, on the spot.
You have to chuckle if this is the spinning point for the desperate Conservatives, being the Devizes Guardians have already written to Wilko on the subject, requesting a larger police presence. Odd how, hey presto, as soon as the prospective Conservative candidate steps in, the apparently apolitical PCC too busy to reply to Guardians, who boasts of shooting people on his Faceache page, around the same time Wallis tried to encourage me to interview him because I’d find he’s actually a ‘reasonable guy,’ manages to suddenly find the time to majestically ride into town like Clint Eastwood for a photo opportunity.
The antisocial behaviour in the Market Place isn’t a political matter, it’s as it says, a social one, directed at Devizes police to keep the peace. It is unfortunately going to occur whoever sits in the seats, and however many officers they can throw at it. Therefore no political party is to blame, and no party can resolve it any better than another, in my honest opinion. But, it’s clear from this outrageous Facebook post, those trusty Tories will make it a core of their battleground, and play is going to get dirty. Their hypocrisy reaches its peak today, when I will thoughtfully let you in on a secret; Mr Wallis made an official complaint to the town council, because Rosemary was photographed in Sidmouth Street! Oh the outrage!!
Rosemary came to Sidmouth Street partially because I invited her to, begging your pardon sir, being that rightfully addressing youth issues in Devizes is part of her campaign, and core to one of our objectives, of which you saw the results of in the very street this weekend; thank you for coming, and I hope you missed the part where I sang with the legend who is Ruby! Devizes Market Place, Devizes in general, isn’t a battleground, and Sidmouth Street isn’t the trenchline, Rosemary does, surprisingly, have a right to walk down it, just as we have the right to throw a party there.
Ha! And others even rallied in the comments sections to try and blame DOCA for this rise in anti-social behaviour, without any reason or logic, because once you publish your rant, no matter how valid your point, these threads of negativity spiral out of control. Here’s two classic quotes, for example: “And a woman outside Boots openly peed on the pavement!!!” And “Trump could of organised better and it would of been the best best ever event!”
It’s a shame the original comments made from traders who directly benefited from the Festival of Discovery at the weekend were overshadowed by those who claimed they unfortunately didn’t, but it is the negative which pushes the circus into the big-top. The ignoramus absurdity that Trump should work for DOCA, and then he’d put a stop to people peeing outside Boots, is why we’re in the shit we are in, surely?! Brittox of Trump, let’s rename it now, save him the bother when he arrives.
Yes, there were huge gaps in happenings in the Market Place, space is required for safety of some of those acrobatic and circus shows, but the remaining gaps were supposed to be filled…. by you! You! The ones, it seems, who opted to cry on Facebook instead. Is this the way of things now, or was this just an unfortunate isolated incident? Because I’m concerned.
This event was so well-organised and staged so many amazing features it should have attracted thousands. The fact it didn’t left me wondering why, and wobbled my head with many thoughts.
I thought about the Reclaim The Streets parties in the nineties, where anarchist eco campaigners took dumpsters and blocked streets, resulting in one giant rave, and no disgruntled whingers. I tried to imagine it happening in Devizes, and what the result would have been. We had no Facebook to bark at then, but even if Devizes was a Conservative safe-seat, still, I refuse to believe its population were ever party poopers, before this terrible today where the flag flies half mast.
Even in this modern era of Trumpconomics, Bristol sound systems simply hang speakers out of a window, and the community outside gathers to party like there’s no tomorrow, likely because there isn’t. There’s often even an elderly lady rocking with her zimmer-frame. Why are we so stuck in mud here in Devizes? It’s a brilliant little town, where they ironically hashtag #nothingeverhappensindevizes – I hope the users of this gag-tag aren’t the same ones crying like spoiled babies, because some people here thought it’d be nice to throw a random bash in October. Oktoberfest, anyone? It’s a thing elsewhere!
Then I gave consideration to Street Festivals of yore, how we all gathered to enjoy ourselves, and worry last weekend illustrates how times are unfortunately changing; you can’t give away a festival in Devizes. I remember with fondness how I got up on stage at the last one, to introduce Nothing Rythmes with Orange, to a sea of people covering the entire Market Place and cramming down the Little Brittox to get in; what an incredible effort from the good people of Devizes. There’s a photo I’ll drop below; ask yourself, are you there, and if so, did you attend this weekend, and if not, why not? Genuine inquiry.
I’m aware and appreciate the sterling efforts made by so many, including Councillor Ian Hopkins, who freely created the Street Festival, and remember what Loz brought to the table. A blaze of colour and curiosity, a natural development of the unusual, especially here in Devizes. I gave consideration to the Ceres/Ruth Pierce display, her parting gift to Devizes, which held everyone spellbound, even the drinkers who took the day as the piss-up they dubbed Black Rat Monday, stopped and watched in awe! Where was Lucy and Wilko to save us from those black rats back then, eh?! Back then, we coped with the extra traffic, we didn’t require ten kazillion Facebook posts to remind us it was happening, we just made our way there, and celebrated all that is good about living and loving our town.
Loz and everyone contributing their time to DOCA, deserve the key to Devizes city, for the wonderful events they have driven, not the verbal criticism they so poorly often receive. It really makes me worry about the bigger picture, the terrifying thought that this rise of the far right will see the demonisation and degradation of arts throughout the country, not just Devizes. They seem to hate anything which challenges their regressive social restrictions or questions the insular society in which they wish to live under, and that just happens to be pretty much all interesting art and creativity.
Someone even had the audacity to redden about those brilliant Hydropunk neighbours of ours, pointing to the defunct hosepipe ban as a source of their anger, like a hundred litres of water is going impact the global water shortage; did they fail to observe the absolute thrills on the faces of our youngest residents as they flocked to play with the hydro apparatus, or did they simply not care for want of ranting?
Two other horrifying comments on the thread, abhorrent about this weekend’s festival, suggests the struggle is real: “Stop public funding for “Arts” there are much more important things to spend public money on!” where I wonder what else this person thinks the Arts Council funding should grant other than arts, or are they more simply seriously misinformed about how DOCA is funded, (through this grant and public donations,) and one other which puts an opinion quite bluntly; “This crap has to stop!” Find that guy sulking in the kitchen at parties!
But to assume misinformation is root to the outcry doesn’t excuse an ex-town-councillor exiled to Rowde Parish Council, Chris Greenwood, for he knows precisely what he means, and it was this monstrosity of evil: “I have always been concerned by the wholesale lack of transparency and accountability from DOCA. They appear to be the one organisation that has the ability to close down roads in the Town Centre almost at random. I’m led to believe that DOCA is considering a rebranding exercise, as the Arts Council have apparently indicated that Devizes doesn’t possess a broad enough spectrum, from which to extract an audience – either pedestrian or vehicular. One of the new names having been considered is “Raking In The Money” which does seem rather apt, as the Arts Council have stumped up a few hundred thousand over the years, until tightening the screws after the Flying Fiasco a few years ago! A significant chunk of the proceeds also have a history of being distributed well outside our Borough, rather than supporting local performers.”
Oh hi there Chris, your stab at humour is hardly on a Billy Connolly level. Did you come and see the eighteen local young performers I staged on behalf of DOCA this weekend? Because I certainly didn’t see you wobble past in your Crocs at all. Did you notice local musicians John E Wright, Del-Boy Jepson and Sarah Tarry in the Brittox? And given that, who made you Judge Judy on such matters?! You misinformed Professor of Penistry!
I trust I can go out on a limb here, as he’s unlikely to have read this far, and remind our readers that this is the despicable Mr Toad and Wallis bumchum who falsely claimed bird flu killed the freezing cold malnourished swan on the Crammer, so they could cull all the pigeons and gulls, and who banned me from his petty Facebook page for suggesting a police officer who was an active member of a hunting criminal ring who stupidly filmed themselves actually killing a fox, was a conflict of interest!
Are you therefore going to believe the absolute filthy pig swill which spews from these vermin’s mouths?! Or are you going to say, you know what, I might forget the petty nonsense from grandstanders and political pointscorers, and enjoy the time I have left on this godforsaken planet?! The Festival of Discovery was brilliant, with the potential to thrill the whole town, if they bothered to show their disgruntled mugs!
by Ian Diddams images by Gill Morrell and Penny Clegg
How all the other passions fleet to air, As doubtful thoughts and rash embraced despair, And shudd’ring fear, and green-eyed jealousy – Merchant of Venice, Act 3 Scene 2, William Shakespeare
O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on; that cuckold lives in bliss Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger; But, O, what damned minutes tells he o’er Who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves! – Othello, Act 3 Scene 3, William Shakespeare
Thus says firstly Portia, but more specifically Iago to Othello, in the eponymous play, ostensibly to warn against jealousy, but in fact manipulating Othello’s insecurities in his Machiavellian scheming. And thus this “Shakespeare Live” autumn touring production gains its show name, as director and deviser Gill Morrell has creatively and carefully curated a number of Shakespeare scene, with the common theme of jealousy. Most Shakespearian plays performed by community theatre groups typically have a few actors multi-roling in generally supporting character roles, but here Gill has taken a cast of nine all multi-roling performers across twenty-three pieces, taken from from a mixture of twenty-six plays from Shakespeare’s tally of thirty-eight!
The focus on “jealousy” understandably means the tragedies and historical plays are well represented, but even so ten comedies are included in this collection. As Gill says herself “Jealousy turns out to be a prime motivation for conflict in love, families and politics”. And how we see these examples from “Othello”, “King Lear” and “Hamlet” segue smoothly with “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, “Twelfth Night” and “Much Ado about Nothing”.
It would become a litany of names and characters to list everybody and each of their roles which would bore everybody, so I shall desist here other to say the cast of Hero Fancett, Penny Clegg, Sarah Horrex, Liz Hollis, Jeremy Reece Iain Lowe, Roger Hames, Jim McCauley and Charmian Norman Taylor between them portray two full ensembles and a mind boggling sixty-seven characters, with not a little panache, style and vigour.
All of the above were more than excellently supported by stage management of Connor Palmer, James Dennis, Graham Paton and Ellen Read; tech by – who else?! – Alex Latham; music by – who else ?! – Laurie Parnell; costumes by Hermione Skrine.
Of course, to learn who plays which parts, in which extracts from which plays there is a very simple solution… to get yourself to a show during this Wiltshire tour
Marden House Centre, Calne – Weds 21 Oct The Town Hall , Corsham -Thurs 22 Oct The Merlin Theatre, Frome -Fri 23 Oct The Cause, Chippenham – Sat 24 Oct
“What are you doing in my swamp?!” Shrek asked a horde of fairytale creatures, exiled to his wood by Lord Farquaad in his namesake Dreamworks 2001 award winning film. Everyone loves that ogre, which began as a fairytale parody, but, even if as banter, his name has become an eponym embedded into popular culture….
In this case, though, Shrek is either Mac’s Theatre School students Harry Yandall or Cameron Nash, Lord Farquard is Amelia Mascall or Zoe Miller, and the swamp is Devizes School! Yes, Mac’s is bringing Shrek The Musical to Devizes from 28th to 31st October…I’m a donkey on the edge!!
In its tenth year, the troupe at Mac’s Theatre School has achieved notable success, winning Eisteddfod medals and taking home glowing reviews for their ambitious musicals like The Addams Family and Our House; and not just from us!
They auditioned and performed on the main stages of Disneyland Paris, but it’s the audience who also benefit from their specialised workshops hosted by West End professionals, and high production standards, utilising professional sound technicians, lighting designers, and a live backing band. Mac’s provides inclusive, affordable weekly training in acting, singing, and dancing for children aged 4 to 16, but the standard of their performances will amaze you!
The other main roles go to Lily Ancrum or Isla Poirot as Fiona, Jacob Marsh, or Immy Foster as the unforgettable Donkey. We wish the whole cast the very best of luck!
Shrek the Musical is a Tony Award-winning stage adaptation of the original 2001 DreamWorks animated film, featuring music by Jeanine Tesori and a book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire. It expands the beloved movie into a full two-act theatrical production with 17 original songs, diving deeper into the backstories of Shrek and Fiona.
Tickets for the shows are available HERE, or at Devizes Books. While it’s unconfirmed if they’ll have parfaits, I guarantee you, those Mac’s kids are amazing, and you’re in for an entertaining evening!
This extensive belter of eighties-fashioned high-fidelity pop waits for no man, a sonic blast opens it, and the riff wouldn’t sound alien appearing in a John Hughes coming-of-age eighties movie. Visualise Jud, Molly, Emilio et all, dancing around a school library to this latest track from Swindon’s Atari Pilot.
After our glorious appraisal of their previous single Right Crew, Wrong Captain in July, they reckon I’m going to be fair on them again, but really, there’s nothing to dislike about Blank Pages. A review in which they quoted me suggesting, “this sound is fresh, kind of straddling a bridge between space-rock and danceable indie.” Here though, save the strong bassline, the space-rock element is lessened and retrospective synth-pop chimes in a racing beat, twisting this into a real grower on the ears.
Press release aptly cites “everything from Springsteen to Daft punk, Kathleen Edwards to Love,” as influences. As if Daft Punk would work with Springsteen, but if they did, I’d imagine something rather like this. And that alone, makes for an interesting sound, again akin to what Talk in Code are putting out locally, perhaps more so for this single. While we could hinge on an inglorious comeback from an eighties pop star and be thoroughly disappointed by their timeworn platitude and fame induced narcissistic attitude, nostalgia has never been so energetic and fresh when it’s channelled as an influence rather than comeback or tacky tribute act.
There’s a backstory about Atari Pilot, I may have mentioned before but worth reminding. After their debut album “Navigation of The World by Sound” in 2011, a long hiatus took in a serious cancer battle for Onze. But getting a second chance at life gave him the inspiration to get back to writing, and Atari Pilot reformed in 2018 with an acoustic set at the Swindon Shuffle. Reforming the band was actually planned from his hospital bed.
With this in mind, Onze describes the thinking behind this great song, “Blank Pages, like the other songs for the struggle, were inspired by being diagnosed with and recovering from cancer. The songs reflect the highs and lows of life and the struggles we are faced with and have to overcome to reach where we want to be.”
There’s a heartening theme of struggle in the face of change, “it’s also about trying to recognise that we can’t escape ourselves, and asks whether we can use our history and baggage to fire a brighter future,” Onze explains.
It’s a DIY production, recorded and mixed in Onze’s home studio by using Logic Pro X, but sounds stunningly professional. Atari Pilot are Onze (vox,) Paj (bass,) Frosty (guitar) and drummer Andy, and we look forward to hearing more from them. I even managed to review this one without mentioning retro-gaming:
Only gamers of a certain age will know of The Attic Bug. Hedonistic socialiser, Miner Willy had a party in his manor and wanted to retire for the evening. Just how a miner in the eighties could’ve afforded a manor remains a mystery; but that erroneous flaw was the tip of the iceberg. In this ground-breaking ZX Spectrum platform game, the Ribena Kid’s mum appeared to guard Willy’s bedroom, tapping her foot impatiently. Touch this mean rotund mama and she’d kill you, unless you’d tided every bit of leftovers from the bash. Turned out, months after the game’s release, one piece, in the Attic, was impossible to collect. Until this glitch became public knowledge, players were fuming as an intolerable bleeping version of “If I was a Rich Man,” perpetually looped them to insanity.
I swear, if I hear that tune, even some forty years on I cringe; the haunting memory of my perseverance with the impossible Jetset Willy. Music in videogames has come a long way, thank your chosen deity. Yet in this trend of retrospection I terror at musical artists influenced by these cringeworthy clunky, bleeping melodies of early Mario, or Sonic soundtracks; like techno never happened, what are they thinking of? It was with caution, then, when I pressed play on the new single from Swindon band “Atari Pilot.” I had heard of them, but not heard them. I was pleasantly surprised.
For starters, this is rock, rather than, taken from the band’s name, my preconceived suspicion I would be subject to a lo-fi electronica computer geek’s wet dream. While there is something undeniably retrospective gamer about the sonic synth blasts in Right Crew, Wrong Captain, it is done well, with taste and this track drives on a slight, space-rock tip. Though comparisons are tricky, Atari Pilot has a unique pop sound. No stranger to retrospection, with echoey vocals and a cover akin to an illustration from Captain Pugwash, still this sound is fresh, kind of straddling a bridge between space-rock and danceable indie. Oh, and it’s certainly loud and proud.
A grower, takes a few listens and I’m hooked. Their Facebook blurb claims to “change the rules of the game, take the face from the name, trade the soul for the fame…I’m an Atari Pilot.” After their debut album “Navigation of The World by Sound” in 2011, a long hiatus took in a serious cancer battle. But Atari Pilot returned in 2018 with an acoustic set at the Swindon Shuffle. The full band gathered once again the following year with live shows and a new set of “Songs for the Struggle.” This will be the title of their forthcoming follow-up album, “When we were Children” being the first single from it, and now this one, “Right Crew, Wrong Captain,” is available from the end of July.
Its theme is of isolation, “and defiance, after the ship has gone down,” frontman Onze informs me. There’s a haunting metaphor within the intelligent lyrics, “you nail yourself to the mast and you pray that everything lasts, you just want to know hope floats, when the water rises, coz it’s gonna rise, take a deep breath and count to ten, sink to the bottom and start again.”
There’s a bracing movement which dispels predefined ideas of indie and progresses towards something encompassing a general pop feel, of bands I’ve highlighted previously, Talk in Code and Daydream Runaways, Atari Pilot would not look out of place billed in a festival line-up with these acts, and would add that clever cross between space-rock with shards of the videogames of yore, yet, not enough to warrant my aforementioned fears of cringeworthy bleeps. Here’s hoping it’s “game over” for that genre. That said, thinking back, when you bought your Atari 2600, if you recall, oldie, you got the entire package of two joysticks and those circler controllers too, as standard; could you imagine that much hardware included with a modern console? Na, mate, one controller, you’ve got to buy others separately.
So, if decades to come we have a band called X-Box or PlayStation Pilot, I’d be dubious, but Atari gave us quality, a complete package; likewise, with Atari Pilot!
If you rarely venture into Swindon, July is the month in which to make the journey. Swindon Shuffle celebrates and backs local music, since 2007 hosting a weeklong town music festival at its hottest venues; namely The Victoria, The Beehive, The Hop, The Tuppenny and Baila Coffee & Vinyl. In association with Swindon Link and the West Berkshire Brewery, last year they presented forty-four bands over the weekend, all free, and supported mental health charity MIND.
I was forgiven in thinking this year would be virtual, saving some petrol money at least, but the organisers inform me this weekend’s Virtual Shuffle is only to breeze over this gloomy, Groundhog Day isolation period, and they cross their fingers for the real thing on the 16th-19th July; crossing my toes too!
So, yeah, but yeah, whoop-whoop, Swindon Shuffle will indeed fill this gap with plentiful live streams this Saturday 11th April, kicking off at 3:15pm. Streamed direct from their Facebook page, expect to catch all local acts; Jim Blair of Hip Route, the bearer of Devizine’s heart Miss Tamsin Quin, Mr Love & Justice himself, Steve Cox, jazz pianist, singer-songwriter Will Lawton, Harry Leigh, frontman of indie-pop outfit Stay Lunar, experimental Karda Estra project runner Richard Wileman, Onze from Atari Pilot, Joe Rose and Nash.
Mr Love & Justice, Steve Cox
Our favourite Swindonian music journalist, the one and only Dave Franklin, if there’s another he’s a phoney, is all over helping organise this sofa bash. He states “obviously there’s more important things going on in the world right now than worrying about a local music festival, but it is also at times like these that music, art, creativity in general, helps get us through or at least offers an oasis of calm where we can retreat to and forget the day-to-day worries for a bit.”
Karda Estra
For me personally, I’m continuing to toil with the worth of the live stream against a real gig, ponder it’s currently all we have, worry either punter or musician are forced onto the ropes when it comes to how they should be arranged and financed and have even encountered and engaged in heated debates as we scramble in the dark trying to make this work best for everyone. This said, if anyone can I’m reckoning the Shuffle team will make an amazing job of it. If there is an upside to it, it is that one can check these artists out for when the gig scene does take off, and boy, I’m predicting it’ll go off like an atomic blast, and it will encourage many to take the journey to festivals such as Swindon Shuffle, in this example.
Will Lawton
In the meantime, enjoy the streams and not let it miff us too much at missing the real thing. I tell myself the scene is dormant; it will erupt again. It should go without saying, but I’m going to spell it out; B, for BUY, U for Yourself (sort of,) Y for some local music, (okay, that didn’t work) Look, just support the artists and buy their music from their websites and Bandcamp sites!
