Canterbury Festival 20/10/06

A Canterbury Tale

So I snuck out of work as early as I could manage on Friday and got into Canterbury for about 6pm, where I met Hugues (Sean Trane) and Martin (Alucard). Dropped bags off at the B&B, grabbed a quick bite and we were in the Marlowe Theatre with enough time for a pre gig drink.

The evening kicked off with The Puffins, an acoustic 4 piece featuring Caravan's Geoff Richardson alongside his longtime musical sparring partner Jim Leverton, Caravan's bassist/vocalist for the last decade with Martin Elliot on acoustic bass & vocals and Lucy Randall on percussion. Things didn't get off to a great start when they opened with a Ronnie Lane song featuring Richardson playing slightly unconvincing country fiddle, and this was followed with similar selections from Eric Clapton and the Travelling Wilburys. All well and good if they were playing in a pub somewhere, but not very appropriate for this event. I was ready to get up and leave when Geoff Richardson plugged in his viola and an atmospheric folky number was played, and the remainder of the set was pretty good. One Caravan song was included, Dissociation from 9 feet underground, plus two pieces by Penguin Cafe Orchestra including Paul's Dance. After a shaky start I was mildly impressed with The Puffins, who had been a last minute addition after Caravan cancelled (something to do with Richard Coughlan's arthritis, apparently), but I suspect that their main repertoire is more in keeping with the first three numbers than the more adventurous latter part of their set.

In between acts, English author Jonathan Coe acted as MC. He's a longtime Canterbury fan, and his best selling novel to date has been the Rotters Club, named after the Hatfields album. Having some of my favourite musicians introduced by one of my favourite writers was a pleasant bonus. One quick change later and it was time for the Brainville trio to take the stage. Hugh Hopper appeared first with his trademark Fender bass and set up a drone with his echophlex over which he played a brief improv. Chris Cutler stepped up to the drum riser and began creating all manner of strange sounds from his electric kit, and for a few brief minutes the pair played an improvised piece that was deep into RIO territory, before suddenly switching to conventional bass and drum sounds and laying down a comparatively straightfoward rhythm. Daevid Allen entered stage left to great applause and proceeded to work his bizarre mojo over a sinuous and supernaturally tight rhythm section. Now 68, Allen still looks like the court jester and is remarkably spry once he's warmed up. His voice is in good shape, and while he'll never win any awards for his fretwork his glissando and rhythm playing were spot on, although attempts at playing conventional lead guitar were a bit hamfisted. The set was an eclectic mix of old and new material, including a strong version of Who's Afraid? from previous Brainville sets, with Hopper and Cutler providing a musical commentary on Allen's lyrics. The line 'Who's afraid of Tony Blair?' drew an appreciative chuckle. Daevid Allen also payed tribute to Pip Pyle, leading the audience in a rousing 3 cheers before dedicating I Been Stone Before to him and proceeding to play it as a punky thrash which actually worked rather well. This was immediately followed by Dynamite/I Am Your Animal, with Allen pogoing for the duration of an extended intro. During all this Hugh Hopper's wife came on stage to join in on trumpet, but owing to Allen's decision to extend the opening was left standing there waiting for her cue for a couple of minutes. When she finally did join in she played long, sustained notes lasting at least 2 bars with a clear tone, and definitely added to the already excellent performance. This was the final number, although Allen did work in a brief plug for the Gong unconvention in Amsterdam where the trio will play again. Not everything in the set was perfect, but Cutler's masterful and highly theatrical drumming (long, graceful arm movements, changing sticks between bars, unpredictable yet precise rolls on the tom toms), Hopper's ability to play bass as both rhythm and lead simultaneously and Allen's unique charisma more than compensated for any occasional shaky moments. A couple of small gripes; Allen's voice was rather too loud, and Cutler gestured to the sound desk several times about it but to little effect, and it would have been nice to hear Fohat Digs Holes In Space, a splendid version of which can be heard on the Brainville live CD. All in all though, I already felt that I'd had my money's worth and we had still to get to the headliners.

Following a 20 minute interval, Jonathan Coe emerged once more to introduce Hatfield and the North, augmented on some numbers by Caravan's current lead guitarist Doug Boyle. The line up was original members Richard Sinclair and Phil Miller, plus Alex Maguire on keyboards and Mark Fletcher (In Cahoots) on drums. The addition of Doug Boyle beefed up the sound considerably, and Phil Miller tended to play rhythm on those numbers with extra guitar. Given that he's a highly gifted jazz guitarist, this seemed a little odd, although Boyle's more overtly rock guitar stylings provided a real sense of contrast. Richard Sinclair still plays a nimble bass and sings in that unique Canterbury style, although his vocals were somewhat low in the mix. Alex Maguire manages to replicate the fat Leslie Cabinet sound so beloved of Dave Stewart, Mike Ratledge et al on his Korg keyboard, while Mark Fletcher is a solid if rather heavy handed drummer who plays from the fists rather than the wrists. The set was eclectic, taking in tracks from Matching Mole and Richard Sinclair solo as well as from Hatfield's own back catalogue. As far as I recall none of Dave Stewart's compositions were included, which may account for it. The presence of an extra microphone stage right led to the expectation of extra guest musicians, and when Calyx was announced I had a brief, totally unrealistic hope that Robert Wyatt might emerge from the wings. Whether it was hoped that an extra special guest might emerge I have no idea, but the extra mike remained unused for the duration of the show. High points included a strong reading of Share It and an extremely intense version of Nan True's Hole (re-recorded by Hatfield as Oh! Len's Nature and a bonus track on Rotter's Club, trivia fans). The latter sounded more like Thrak era King Crimson tearing into Red, and was punishingly heavy and loud. God Song was the encore, played by the two guitarists with Richard Sinclair sticking to vocals, and it rounded the evening off nicely. As good as Hatfield and the North were, it seemed as though they were coasting at times. Even so, nostalgia doesn't get much better than this and with Pip Pyle gone it looks like this may have been their final gig. All in all an enjoyable set with some outstanding moments - I hadn't seen the reformed Hatfield and the North before, and I'm extremely glad that I caught them this time around.

And then it was off into the Canterbury night to find a takeaway and a pub. Sean Trane has said he'll write about the weekend, so I won't say too much, but we did get the opportunity for a quick word with Chris Cutler on the way out of the theatre, and then in the pub opposite we found most of the Hatfields and Jonathan Coe enjoying a post gig drink or two. Autographs were obtained and we were able to chat with sundry Canterbury faces. Phil Miller, should you ever run into him, is an extremely nice bloke, and on the way out I managed a quick word with Jonathan Coe, although sadly I didn't have any of his books with me.

So, a splendid evening's entertainment which was merely the overture to a very pleasant weekend, but you'll hear more of that from Hugues. Thanks to Martin, Hugues and Marie-Noelle for the good music, food and conversation we all shared, and here's to the next Prog summit!

Written by Chris (Syzygy) & Hugues (Sean Trane) + pics by Martin (Alucard)

 

( Unfortunately it was forbidden to take photos in the venue and as we were sitting right next to a lady who took her job really at heart, I couldn't take as much fotos as I would have liked.)

 

The Puffins

 

 

(From Left) Jim Leverton,  Lucy Randall, Martin Elliot , Geoffrey Richardson

 

 

Brainville:

only one photo of Brainville,  the official lady has alredy told me twice, that I couldn't take photos, and so I just rushed it quickly out to take this one...