Kentward Bound!

The above photo (taken by Mr. Stuart Flynn) is from last night's warm-up show at the Horse & Groom, Brighton.

Tonight my tour of the English seaside continues apace, stopping at Ramsgate's Caboose Cafe where the coffee is hand roasted and the tea is served in pots and I will be playing a set that will be similar but not identical to last night's (though very probably in the same stripy jumper).

Tomorrow, our tour's last stand, will find us in Margate, at the Tom Thumb Theatre, recently described by Lyn Gardner in The Guardian as “a gorgeous little chocolate box theatre.” At the Tom Thumb, the première partie will be provided by the Mechanical Elephant who sound a little bit like this:


If you would like the Big Other to know that you are coming to this gig, you should probably click “attending” when prompted on this Facebook event page.

Monster Bobby By The Sea!

Hot on the heels of last year's roller coaster tour of the Lac Léman shores, this year I shall be embarking on a brief musical tour of English seaside resorts in Kent and Sussex.

My journey begins in Brighton, at the Horse and Groom, on Islingword Road, where I shall be supporting The Bobby McGees and Tor. The concert starts at eight in the evening on Thursday the twenty-eighth of February and entrance is free of charge.

Next stop, Ramsgate, where I shall be ensconced in the loving arms of the Caboose Cafe on Queen Street where visitors can enjoy a wide selection of warm food and cold drinks. Or, for that matter, cold food and warm drinks. Entrance to this one will be £5 and it will commence at half past seven on the evening of Friday, March the first.

Our final stop will take us up the coast to Margate, to the delightful Tom Thumb Theatre on the Eastern Esplanade. This last concert of my coastal tour will take place on Saturday, the second of March, from half past seven. Entrance will be charged at five pounds. There will, I am assured, be an as-yet-unannounced support act.

I do hope I will have the pleasure of your company on at least one of these occasions.

The following selections are not entirely unrepresentative of the sort of mid-century balladry crossed with post-millenarian dancing music that I shall be performing.

Fear of Water ... by the Sea

In what may become a continuing series devoted to things I have named despite otherwise having very little to do with, allow me to introduce you to Margate's hottest new night of "off-beat cinema, wayward sounds and frequent surprises". Starting Monday the 2nd of September at the delightful little Tom Thumb Theatre and continuing weekly from there on, Club Hydropathe (for that, indeed, is the name I humbly suggested) promises music from "Bluegrass to Blue Velvet; New-Wave to No-Wave via a smattering of Noir". It kicks off at half six, there will be a "mystery screening" at half seven, and apparently "drinks and delights thereafter." You may inform the Big Other of your intention to attend here. I, alas, cannot make it. At least, not this time.

For those of you wondering where the name comes from, Les Hydropathes were a French literary club, founded on Paris's Left Bank in 1878 by the author and journalist, Émile Goudeau. Though short-lived, the Hydropathes could count amongst their number many of the personalities (Gill, Cros, Allais, etc.) who would later make up the lively cabaret scene around the Chat Noir and other Montmartre establishments, somewhat further north. At its height the cercle would boast some 350 members before it disintegrated into smaller factions such as the Hirsutes and Incohérents. The name, which probably derives from Goudeau's favourite waltz by the popular Hungarian composer Joseph Gungl, refers to those who would become sick from drinking water - and must, therefore, drink nothing but alcohol.

Damn it, Thanet! I'm in love...

Two reports on last weekend's delightful On Margate Sounds event, first off from the organisers themselves....

Thanks so much to everyone who joined us for On Margate Sounds last Sunday! A lovely day of incredible performances, made even lovelier by the company of a wonderful audience. Special thanks goes to Eoin, Tom and everyone at the Tom Thumb Theatre.

Monster Bobby stopped in to play the first set of the day, en route to his new home in Paris. An inventive, playful set that won him new fans in Thanet. Next up were Panther Society, who formed on a day trip to Margate at Christmas - a tale told in their ditty, 'Isle of Thanet'. The wonderful Liz Green and her shadow puppets joined us next on the only known day trip from Manchester to Margate. Or it would have been, until we convinced her that staying in the 1930's period museum / hotel with us for a night would be more fun. Then Thomas White treated us to a medley of original songs and covers - bought together by a salty seaside quality - including Nick Drake's 'Time Has Told Me', Smog's 'Vessels' and Elbow's 'Powder Blue'. In the penultimate set of the day, Eaten By Children wowed the audience with a deconstructive sonic and visual feast of witty noise. Finally Two Wings charmed us with a mesmeric performance, off-setting ethereal vocal harmonies with bluesy bass and guitar. Gloriously toe-tapping.

The photos are up so check them out! Looking forward to seeing everyone else's photos and videos too.

http://www.facebook.com/sian.haestier#!/album.php?aid=484668&id=703910410

Okay so it's fingers crossed for an Indian Summer . . . We'll have news of a sequel to On Margate Sounds soon, but for now here's our first review of the day http://edenontheline.co.uk/reviews/

Lots of love,

Jess & Sian

xxx

And also from the Eden on the Line weblog...

On Margate Sounds

Tom Thumb Theatre, Margate

29 August 2010

Well, there was some sun, amid some sharp showers – and a gale that by evening was whipping tin cans down Eastern Esplanade like scrapyard tumbleweed…

What a splendid day: a wide range of different styles, some great performances, and a mellow and friendly mood. A shame the theatre wasn't fuller - but the select band were very satisfied customers and word will surely spread for more next time.

Monster Bobby’s quirky songs and samples made a strong start before he rushed off to emigrate, sidestepping encore requests and any risk of being mobbed by the steadily growing audience. (‘Elvis has now left the country…’)

We fortified ourselves with custard pies and doughnuts and watched some films before being inducted into Panther Society’s distinctive sound world.

Liz Green’s beguiling mix of songs, story-telling and shadow-puppetry followed. Fenist the Falcon shook a tail feather, with the shade of Jake Thackray lurking approvingly somewhere in the house. Liz deserves some award for travelling down from Manchester for her slot and being ready to go straight back, before being persuaded to stay over. And she deserves a plug for her beautifully packaged ‘Crow Cries’ EP.


Next up, Tom White played a mellow set of acoustic songs, including a fine cover of Nick Drake’s ‘Time Has Told Me’ – which is not one for the faint-hearted.

Rob Hart shook things up completely with a strong and compelling Eaten By Children set, mixing in found cine images and winning over audience members who’d normally run a mile from anything labelled noise.

Finally four fifths of Two Wings (sounds like the start of a maths puzzle…) blended Hanna Tuulikki’s otherworldly vocals with fine guitar, melodic bass and solid, anchoring harmonies. The band sometimes seemed tentative and may have been missing their drummer, but it was a lovely set and full of promise.

Well done, Jess and Sian for pulling it all together and Eoin for making it sound so good. More, please.

On Margate Sounds

I shall be taking part in this event at the end of August at the Tom Thumb Theatre, at Dreamland, Margate. Yes, the same Dreamland rhapsodised in Lindsay Anderson's short film, O Dreamland. You can buy tickets here - but be quick, they are very limited.