FO UR THE TRIP ISSUE 04 - AUTUMN 2012 04 £PRICELESS - MUSIC&CULTURE
Mar 31, 2016
FOUR
TH
E T
RIP
ISS
UE
04 - AU
TU
MN
2012
04
£PR
ICE
LE
SS
- MU
SIC
&C
ULT
UR
E
HIYA,Welcome to Trip Number Four. Letters instead of
numbers eh. Bet that threw you. We've ditched the tidy
popstar in the making on the cover approach and went
back to the true Trip style… Sorry for the wee lapse.
Normal service is resumed. So ensue the usual "much has
happened since the last issue", and it has. Wor Altoid has
had a hand in putting together a fucking wonderful line
up for 'Frontier Festival'. Turn pages to read more about
that. Wor Loco B has started a new project '5ft. Walls At
Zeros' and invented the phrase 'full tickets' which I'm all
about overusing in the upcoming months, again read on
for more…
Sports wise, United have kicked off the new Premier
League season in true United style; slow as fuck. RVP
will sort us out though. Chelsea's league this term if
you ask me though. Any one bar the Citeh will do me
mind… Big Dougle B has put his relying commitments
aside and signed for Berwick Rangers proper… and
has been one of their best players thus far this season,
including against Ally and his Newco. 1-1, with a BRFC
goal disallowed in the last minute… hhmmm… Andy
Murray won his first major, and to everyone's surprise
the miserable bastard nearly managed a smile. The
olympics was G.I.D gid. And we got a new TV show from
British Cycling's dominance in said olympics and Tour
de France; The Road To Glory, absolutely top shit. And
as I type Team Europe are about to complete one of the
greatest comebacks ever in the Ryder Cup. Nothing on
that one night in Munich my friends mind… Nothing.
Festival season happened. Was alright. Stone Roses at
every single festival ever seemed to be many peoples
highlight. Simian Mobile Disco in the Slam Tent at TITP
my own personal favourite.
Anyway best get back on track… This is The Trip Four
and it's pretty amazing. Dancers, bands, books, beers,
DJs, festivals, local heroes returning, theatre and more…
Read on my friend…
IMAGE: LEE MACE
CONTRIBUTORS & THANKS....LEE MACETRUDY MORRISONPAUL SINCLAIRROSS DAVIDSONALAN TURNBULLNOISYDARRONGENERATE RADIODAVE METHVENSCOTT JEFFREYTHAMPSONBRENDAN MCDONALDROB WILKINSONSUE REEDALAN THOMPSONSAMMY REEDCHASTITY FLYTEWILSON GALEPHIL HEYWOODSION GATESBARRELS ALEHOUSERAMBLESHACKYOUR HOUSE HISTORIAN ADVERTISE WITH US; [email protected]
All good things must come to an end and never is this
more true than when that good thing is made even
better by being free of charge.
The Berwick Broadcasting Corporation, the pro-am
theatre company which has been delighting audiences
at The Maltings for the last three years, will cease
broadcasting as from January 2013. There will be
much lamenting and rending of hair as this company,
with its irreverent take on the radio shows of the
Forties and Fifties, seeks a new direction.
I caught up with Rob Wilkinson, general Berwick
Broadcasting Corp bloke-in-charge and fellow
scriptwriter.
So, Bobster, there are a lot of pissed off fans out there.
RW: After three years, we've a lot of new fans and a
core of stalwarts who have been with us from the very
beginning avidly following the trials and tribulations
of old favourites such as 'The Sticks', 'Reverend Peter
Meliah', and 'Fighting Friday'. We want to leave them
wanting, rather than force-feeding them more. The weight
of having to produce an entirely new show every month is
ever present. It's a big responsibility because these shows
are loved by a lot of people. We want each show to be
the best it can be, and finding the time to ensure quality
control is becoming an issue.
So basically you're saying the cast and writers have
had a better offer?
RW: Well, we all have new projects we want to invest in –
some acting, some writing. You, for example, are making
the move into writing for 'real' radio for the 'real' BBC,
and I've a lot of time invested in the Tideline Runners
Theatre Company, with two shows next year – Love or
Money & Other Stories in February 2013, and The Word
in the Wires sometime next summer.
Good times though, eh? The laughs. The complaints...
RW: We have courted controversy over the years, but once
you explain to people where the joke lies they settle down.
It's a very kind-natured show in spite of its mockery – we
pick our targets well. The 1940s filter that we employ
is more than just a cosmetic choice – it harkens back to a
time when '-isms' were prevalent throughout the whole
of society – racism, sexism, etc. We hold our carnival
mirror up to these dated attitudes and reflect them back
as grotesques. Some people haven't really understood that
and they saw our shows as racist/sexist/homophobic.
Going out with a whimper or a bang?
RW: We plan on ending the 2012 run on a high... in 2013.
We didn't want to call time at Christmas because then that
episode would have to serve too many masters. By ending
at the beginning of the new year we can lead straight into
the new format.
Ah. Gone but not forgotten entirely?
RW: Exactly. Instead of a monthly show, we're going to do
a series of one-hour specials at various points throughout
the year, celebrations of holidays and national events kind
of thing. We'll also be performing in new spaces, though
keeping to Northumberland and the Borders.
So dry your eyes, all you fans of nostalgic innuendo. It
looks as if there's some life left yet flickering in Fanny's
meat.
TRUDY MORRISON
THE SHIPPING OUT BROADCAST
5FT WALLS FROM HEROES
Berwick Music Veteran Brendan Porteous goes solo in new venture
If you are a fan of music in the B.U.T scene, then
it will be impossible for you to have not heard
of the Porues brothers. Both Liam and Brendan
have spent the last ten years creating musical
waves within this walled town and, for the first
time ever, Brendan is going it alone. Whether it
be with Espionage Of The Loc, The Absolute
Kretins or any other of the musical outfits he has
created or stumbled upon in the past, Brendan
has delivered cult classics with his twist of clever
lyrics and catchy melodies. So, how did this new
venture come to fruition?
“Well, with Espionage Of The Loc, the gigs
started to become few and far between” explains
Brendan, sitting on a cold Sunday night, smoking
tabs and drinking gin, “So I suppose I wanted
to start doing a lot more music than I was doing
at the time, and starting a new project would
achieve that goal” And like any writer, the
majority of the material that became 5ft Walls
was drawn from real life, and there’s no stopping
the everyday struggle, so getting it out was an
important factor in this new venture “All the
songs are about real life happenings, the usual,
and if you listen to the album, you’ll probably
get that…” Fair enough. But what lead him
to land on the somewhat unusual name 5ft
Walls At Zero’s? “Point Break, the film. Patrick
Swayze’s character says ‘5 foot walls at zero’s,
lets go!’ When I asked him how the new project
compares with his previous bands, his answer
came with little thought, “It’s easier in the sense that I’m doing it
all myself, I’m recording it all myself, so what I say goes, there’s no
arguments from the other guys, because it’s just me” This must become
a luxury for any artist, the freedom to express in a completely free
way, without the need to cater for others. Does this mean then, the end
of Espionage Of The Loc?
“Oh no” Says Brendan “At the moment with 5ft Walls, I play along
with backing tracks, drums, bass and keyboards. So eventually, I plan
to get Ali, Xennon, Liam and Knoxy to form one big band of many
songs.” It sounds as if Brendan has given a lot of time and thought to
his new band. Many, many bands have come and gone over the years
in Berwick, a curse of the town in some ways, but in the eyes of its
creator, 5ft Walls At Zeros is here to stay…
“This album stems from the stories of my life. The ups and downs. But
with good, hard hitting music behind it… I have dreams that we will
play big festivals. I’m not aiming for main stage headliner, I see us
as a daytime slot band, with the sun shining…and all the birds going
mental….”
So there you have it, straight from the horse’s mouth. As a critic
(That’s such a shit word, isn’t it? Being a critic is just voicing your
own opinion, which means little to nothing to anyone but yourself,
but its what I’m here to do, I suppose) I would urge you to check out
the album. Any Espionage fans out there will be satisfied with it, the
next chapter in the Loc world, and any new fans will find it as a great
introduction to a great artist. Brendan Portues is a true musician, with
a gift for the gab and a talent for truly beautiful music. You’d be fool
to let this one slide…. Enjoy another fine sunny day with something
else from Loco B.
PAUL SINCLAIR x
GENERATE RADIO
// The second year in a row and the Generate
Radio team are honoured with a nomination
in the ‘Radio Station of the Year’ category,
something they do not take lightly.
// Pipped at the post by Heartland FM, they
learned that just a handful of votes kept them
off the top spot. Directors Kyle Wilson and
Oscar MacAndrew said ‘to be 3 votes shy of
getting the award is an awesome feeling and we
would like to thank all those who support us,
not just for this award but everyday’ Kyle went
on to say ‘Frankly to be nominated is amazing
enough after all we were in the mix with much
larger stations with FM status. That is an honour
alone’. The event was attended by both Oscar, Kyle and a team from
the station. On the agenda was firstly a great night out but also forging
connections, another plus for an event such as this. The station once
again scored a first - an interview with Scosha who picked up the
award for ‘Pop single of the Year’, as well as a live session from Erin
Bennett who won ‘The Frankie Miller Songwriter of the Year’.
// Generate Radio simply goes from strength to strength with
a competent group of volunteers, enthusiastic and professional
presenters, and innovative shows. This month sees the celebration of
their 2nd year anniversary marked with a 24hr live show by Presenter
Donald Strachan (also an SNMA nominee). Will they make it at next
years awards? You could say 3rd time lucky, but this little band of go
getters don’t rely on luck. No, they simply get on with it.
So, I
’ve
been
giv
en t
he p
rivi
lege
of
havi
ng a
sne
ak p
eak
at t
he n
ew R
oy’s
Iro
n
DN
A a
lbum
, ‘U
nder
My
Skin
’ and
eve
n ha
d a
littl
e bi
t of
an
inte
rvie
w w
ith
the
man
beh
ind
it, s
tock
bro
ker,
trav
elle
r, m
ulti
inst
rum
enta
list,
spir
itua
l exp
lore
r
and
cons
pira
cy a
ficio
nado
Ian
Tho
mps
on.
Ian
wor
ks in
Edi
nbur
gh f
or ‘A
maj
or m
ulti
nati
onal
fina
nce
inst
itut
ion’.
Som
e
wou
ld s
ay t
hat
this
is a
t od
ds w
ith
his
pass
ions
for
mus
ic, s
piri
tual
ity
and
fight
ing
the
good
figh
t ag
ains
t th
e po
wer
s-th
at-b
e. B
ut h
e ha
s no
illu
sion
s ab
out
wha
t
he d
oes.
He
finds
it d
iffic
ult
som
etim
es t
o w
ork
for
the
enem
y bu
t un
ders
tand
s
that
thi
s en
able
s hi
m t
o ac
hiev
e hi
s go
als
of t
rave
lling
, mus
ic a
nd li
ving
life
. Thi
s
Gem
ini r
eally
und
erst
ands
how
to
bala
nce
thin
gs. T
his
bala
nce
is s
omet
hing
tha
t
is n
otic
eabl
e th
roug
hout
the
new
alb
um.
I’m
now
on
my
7th
or 8
th li
sten
and
the
sm
orga
sbor
d of
ele
ctro
nica
indi
e so
ul
is b
ecom
ing
far
from
tir
ing.
It
is a
pie
ce t
hat,
init
ially
, you
can
rea
lly g
et in
to a
groo
ve, t
hen
as y
ou li
sten
to
it m
ore
you
alm
ost
build
a r
elat
ions
hip
wit
h th
e
song
s. T
his
soun
ds o
utra
geou
sly
wan
ky y
es b
ut w
ith
the
amou
nt o
f ef
fect
s th
is
guy
has
in p
lay
you
‘get
to
know
’ the
son
gs m
ore
and
mor
e ev
ery
tim
e yo
u lis
ten
to t
hem
.
The
voc
als
thro
ugho
ut t
he w
hole
alb
um a
re m
ixed
exc
elle
ntly
. I k
now
I g
et
anno
yed
by e
lect
roni
c m
usic
whe
re v
ocal
s ar
e pu
shed
to
the
fore
fron
t. It
see
ms
arro
gant
and
imba
lanc
ed. O
n th
is w
hole
alb
um, h
owev
er, h
e pl
aces
the
voc
als
on
a le
vel w
ith
the
rest
of
the
mus
ic a
nd a
dds
lots
of
reve
rb a
nd e
ffec
ts r
ende
ring
som
e of
the
line
s qu
ite
hard
to
mak
e ou
t bu
t at
the
sam
e ti
me
mor
e a
part
of
the
mus
ic r
athe
r th
an a
sep
arat
e th
ing
put
on a
shi
ny p
edes
tal.
Acc
ordi
ng t
o
the
man
him
self,
thi
s is
due
to
his
desi
re t
o le
t th
e lis
tene
r m
ake
up h
is o
wn
lyri
cs a
nd ‘s
ing
alon
g lik
e a
nugg
et’. T
his
allo
ws
the
liste
ner
to g
o, n
ot o
n Ia
n’s
jour
ney,
but
thei
r ow
n. T
his
resu
lts
in t
he f
eel o
f th
e al
bum
bei
ng a
hel
l of
a lo
t
mor
e ap
pare
nt t
han
the
actu
al id
eas
put
acro
ss in
the
thr
ough
the
lyri
cs. T
his
is
not
sayi
ng t
he ly
rics
are
n’t
impo
rtan
t. T
here
’s s
ome
exce
llent
ly r
elat
able
stu
ff
bein
g sa
id. ‘
Roo
ftop
s’ f
or in
stan
ce is
, I’m
sur
e, f
amili
ar t
o so
me
and
the
lam
ent;
‘Get
the
tim
e’, t
hat
wou
ld b
e po
igna
nt f
or m
any
of u
s at
som
e po
int
in t
he p
ast,
pres
ent
or f
utur
e.
I’ve
had
the
pri
vile
ge o
f se
eing
the
se g
uys
at t
heir
Chr
istm
as g
ig a
t th
e B
arre
ls.
Tha
t w
as a
spa
nkin
gly
good
nig
ht a
nd s
omet
hing
I w
ill r
emem
ber
for
a lo
ng
tim
e. I
’ve
also
bee
n lu
cky
enou
gh t
o si
t in
on
a fe
w p
ract
ices
out
at
El R
anch
o
Hol
msi
e. A
nd a
big
sho
ut-o
ut h
as t
o be
giv
en t
o th
e gu
ys t
hat
have
join
ed I
an.
I th
ink
I’ll
call
them
the
Roy
sett
es. B
rend
an, S
teve
, Hol
msi
e an
d K
noxy
are
all
very
cre
ativ
e be
ings
who
hav
e le
arnt
not
e fo
r no
te a
nd b
eat
for
beat
wha
t Ia
n
give
s th
em. T
he m
ix o
f Ia
n’s
elec
tron
ic t
rack
and
the
Roy
sett
e’s
live
inpu
t gi
ve
Ian’
s m
usic
a b
rilli
ant
rich
ness
whi
ch d
efini
tely
get
s m
y ju
ices
flow
ing.
The
mai
n th
emes
thr
ough
out
the
albu
m a
re jo
urne
ying
, find
ing
bala
nce
and
beco
min
g ha
ppy
wit
h th
e ea
rth.
Thi
s is
a b
reak
fro
m w
hat
this
guy
usu
ally
focu
ses
his
mus
ic o
n; A
liens
, rev
olut
iona
ry c
alls
to
arm
s an
d th
e es
oter
ic a
gend
a
whi
ch w
ill h
ave
us a
ll be
ing
herd
ed in
to s
lave
ry w
ith
ever
y pe
nny
we
spen
d
and
ever
y ti
me
we
swit
ch o
n th
e te
lly...
(ne
arly
got
into
a r
ant
ther
e bu
t I’
ll
hold
bac
k, t
his
isn’
t th
e pl
atfo
rm).
Ian
wro
te m
ost
of ‘U
nder
My
Skin
’ whi
le
trav
ellin
g ar
ound
Sou
th E
ast A
sia
and
Aus
tral
ia a
nd t
his
mea
nder
ing
imag
e
show
s th
roug
h lo
ts o
f th
e tr
acks
, no
less
in ‘H
eave
n Se
nt I
nsan
e’ a
nd ‘S
tran
ge
Dre
ams’.
Thi
s im
pres
sion
of
trav
ellin
g le
ft w
ith
you
mak
es it
per
fect
for
a t
rain
jour
ney,
a pa
rtic
ular
ly b
ruta
l han
gove
r or
the
nig
ht b
efor
e. Y
ou k
now
, all
of li
fe’s
littl
e jo
urne
ys w
hich
mak
e up
the
big
one
. Thi
s is
a c
rack
ing
albu
m w
hich
as
soon
as
it’s
out
in O
ctob
er y
ou s
houl
d sn
ap it
up,
get
to
know
it a
nd s
ing
alon
g
like
a nu
gget
. Als
o, a
s so
on a
s is
pos
sibl
y hu
man
ly p
ossi
ble
get
alon
g to
one
of
thei
r gi
gs in
Nov
embe
r! T
hey’
re la
ndin
g in
Edi
nbur
gh, G
lasg
ow, A
berd
een
and
of c
ours
e B
erw
ick-
upon
-Tw
eed.
R
OS
S D
AV
IDS
ON
IMAGE: THE MAN ALAN TURNBULL
RIDNA ALBUM PREVIEW
LORDS OF BASTARD - CUDDLES
// Whack. Here's Cuddles...
// I love sandwiches and this CD reminds me of a proper belter
Sandwich.. filled to the brim with meat and oozing with garnishes and
melodic seasoning that ensures you're hungry for another immediately
after finishing it. Its a bit like the cheese at the Golden Arches.. you
know it's essentially made of unknown ingredients but it tastes epic.
Lords of Ba$tard have topped their debut album in great style with
the masterfully entitled 'Cuddles'. Mike Aitchison, originally from
Berwick-a-town.. now a resident of Leith in Edinburgh, is the driving
force behind their concrete foundations in the Edinburgh music scene.
They frequent Bannermans on a regular basis where you can see them
perform live tracks from both their debut and newest album.
'Cuddles' envelopes all that is mental in the world of heavy guitar
music. The Drums are intense, the keys perfect, punchy bass and terror
dream-style guitars all accompanied by vocals that sit perfectly in the
mix - exactly where they should be.. Imagine being beaten heavily by
2 guitars, a mentalist drummer and a rhodes keyboard, to breaking
point, only to have your soul and body healed by 16, yep - 16 Swedish
goddesses. It's a refreshing listen... Excellently produced and delivered
in a macabre yet enlightened way to ensure you feel the dirt of every
track and arranged in a manner that makes for an easy listen. 'Eggs
any style' is a favourite, not for the egg-type connotations, just for the
sheer brilliance of the melody and the way it spits in your face while
telling you everything you ever wanted to hear..... class.
The lads really do know how to make technical guitar music and have
a rare ability to make it very listenable. If I was a gambling man, well,
I'd go to the bank, withdraw all my money, lend more from my Gran,
head to the casino and put it all on Lords of Bastard.
// Winner.
Mucho Respecto - Noisydarron
DAVE RECOMMENDS
Everyone’s favourite ginger, Barrels
frequenting, deep house record spinner Dave
Methven has sent us a note with five of his
favourite tunes. Check them out or miss out.
1 - Pittsburgh Track Authority – Untitled
My favourite record of recent weeks. Straight
up house music with a definite nod to the past.
Synthesised strings, bleeps, and a belter of a
bass line.
2 – Omar S – Set It Out
One of my favourite records of all time
and never far away from my record bag.
Ridiculously deep and soulful with a great
vocal. Omar S makes it look easy, a true house
music legend.
3 – Locussolus – Berghain (Darkroom Mix)
Im not even sure what this is. Techno with a
hint of disco, a touch of darkness and a load of
complete fucking mentalness. Im yet to hear
this in a club, but when I do I reckon I may
actually soil myself.
4 – Fred P – Come This Far (Fred P Reshape)
If “epic” wasn’t completely overused and cringe
worthy id probably use it to describe this beast.
As deep and subtle as you like, it just builds
and builds. If you like deep house check out
this dudes mixes, he got skillz.
5 – Tornado Wallace – Paddlin’ (Linkwood
Remix)
I had to include something from the Edinburgh
man Linkwood. Everything he touches is gold,
he has serious amounts of talent. A deep,
groovy, downtempo bomb perfect for a Barrels
warm up set.
DAVEY FINGERS x
DIVORCE//THE CLUNY 2//18.9.2012
Brutal is a word far too overused nowadays, as an
adjective it is pinned onto more genres of music than it
probably should be.
Such foreword is indicative of me once again making
things over-difficult for myself, because I just don’t have
any other words to accurately describe the events I
witnessed here.
As a consumer I am finding myself drawn more and more
to the obscure and the raucous, there is much to explore
down this path and the bands domineering the stage of
Cluny 2 tonight are truly something to behold.
Regretfully only glimpsing the last tune or two of local
three-piece ‘Tide of Iron’, they certainly blow my tits clean
off in this short time, causing me to surface for air and a
bottle of Wylam after only minutes in the darkness of this
supremely cool venue.
Next up are Nately’s Whores Kid Sister, another
Newcastle band and one that I frequently champion. This
is my fourth time seeing them this year and they still can’t
bore me. Despite new song ‘Bags’ being the only fresh
content they have for the 100-or-so people here tonight
(that and some lovely dress/legging combos) they’re 30
minutes once again feels like 5.
My only knowledge of Glasgow’s ‘Divorce’ was garnered
from various online platforms in the week or so leading
up to this gig. Several visits to their bandcamp resulted in
the decision that they could be something I’d enjoy live.
To be totally honest, I still feel as though I’m yet
to recover from their set. I’m not referring to my
physical wellbeing either, as I was sat for most of their
performance. They make music that mentally drains yet
excites and inspires me as a musician.
It is rare for a band to expel such seemingly un-meditated
and ferocious noise whilst staying as tight as a tiger in
the process. Switching between blast parts akin to 90’s
grindcore and some of the juiciest DFA 1979 style bass/
drum grooves I’ve had the pleasure of listening to,
Divorce make you uneasy in the most pleasant of ways.
Its music to shock to the core, to soundtrack the most
horrific and prolonged of introspective nightmares. Next
time I make a vengeance kill, they’ll feature heavily on
the playlist.
SCOTT JEFFERY
SHAKEFEST 2012 - DUNS
Alan Fairbairn and friends transforming Duns Volunteer
hall into a tidy little venue with table staff and stovies
for the crowd to enjoy.. not to mention a sound setup
managed by local favourites Iain Ballentyne, and Scott
Spence.
I’d already seen the delights of 3 bands, Missing Myla,
Where’s George? and Morfsnud. The first hailing from
Dunfermline - nice one fellas for journeying it to the
borders to play some very well executed pop/punk.
Missing Myla created another poppy atmosphere and
these lot really know how to belt out a tune. Great guitar
work and just the right amount of cheese to make some
tasty Duns-baked cheese-pastry type sound. Nice.
..Morfsnud, from Duns.. get it? Genius. ..apparently
playing their last gig but by the look on the lead singers
face afterwards I reckon not. Hopefully see them soon
somewhere if a little altered in guitarists.
Me. Pale one. One guitar and me. Couple of hundred folk
tearing into stovies, drinking pints and ‘chatting’ (There’s
nothing more comforting when you’re poring your
heart out in songs you’ve made up in your televisually
programmed mind than.. erm.. stovies.) Enjoyed it though,
warm welcome and friendly crowd..
Le Woodsmen next. Was looking forward to seeing these
lads as I hadn’t seen them for a while. Their live sets are
the business. Finest songwriting and sharply executed
guitars, just a couple of things that make Le Woodsmen a
pleasure to listen to… and dance to.. Great tunes to dance
to.
The Warehouse Announcement had arrived, having
already played at Spittal Seaside Festival. Some boys!
Always good to see these fine men. Fine musically
talented beasts. Every one of them. Bob had astounded
me with his signed poster of the Trailer Park Boys before
they went onstage and I tell you, I’m jealous of that poster
and always will be.
Their music was as entertaining as the banter and as usual
they put on a crackin' show.
Last up, Easter Street. A local talent indeed. Easter
Street’s music, is a type of sound that’s rare round these
parts. Great guitar riffs and strong vocals complimented
by drumbeats sitting perfectly inside clever songs. Great
onstage chat too.
Great local music, pints, stovies, friends, a quality
evening… Plans are already underway for Shakefest2 so
keep it in mind for a wee cracker night oot in Duns next
summer.
Well done to everyone who contributed to raising over
£2500 for the Parkinsons Unit.
THAMPSON
THINK OF THE VERB, RATHER THAN THE NOUN.
REJECT BY STANLEY ODD.
Who's Stanley Odd? The sounds that form the opening
few seconds of their second LP, Reject, are like that of
a spaceship landing. That lends to the fact that they see
themselves as outsiders. They're a Scottish based hip-hop
band. I've heard they had a hard time finding a record
company who saw past their MC's accent. That makes
me think about how it's perfectly acceptable to put an
American accent on our radios, but not a native Scottish
one; for us to listen to American points of views and raps,
but not one from our own doorstep! That's the radios
and record companies playing it safe. That's something
Stanley Odd seem at ease to fight against. They're of the
minority and they're proud of the fact, but that doesn't
mean they aren't very, very good, or "accessible", or
poignant, or down-right happening.
MC Solareye puts to you pictures of life in the UK (and
of the world) via energetic, intelligent, soul-searching,
honest word plays. There's no american-gangsta-wannabe
rubbish here. Veronika Electronika adds a tonic to his
'gin'; her soulful tones play off his urban-vocal, almost
vitriol, wits. Together they switch lead vocals to provide
an almost verse/chorus format. The vocal performances
are so compelling it's easy to overlook (overhear, even)
CAULS – EP2
It seems like only a few months ago I was bemoaning
to anyone who would listen that music these days
rarely surprises me and all but never delights. Well, that
whinging and hand-wringing is over- I have seen the
light. To say that the new E.P. by Cauls is surprising is
a massive understatement. The level of surprise is on
a par with a kindly vicar stopping part way through an
acoustic reading of “If I Had a Hammer,” on National
No Swearing Day, standing up and screaming “I DON’T
FUCKING THINK SO!!!” then pissing on the font.
Opening with the chilling bass atmospherics of
“Whistler,” E.P.2 quickly establishes its air of manic
unpredictability by channelling The Cure’s seminal
“Faith” album and cranking up the Goth to 111! It also
introduces us the exquisite voice of Michael Marwood
who has his vocals set to stunning. He doesn’t so much
sing a melody, but eviscerates it and leaves it bleeding
on the floor. Whistler’s moody theatrics give way to “No
Motion” – easily the most accessible piece here but by no
means “pop” – with its all conquering melody, stadium-
sized chorus and the boundless energy of a toddler
ripped to the tits on M-Kat; it’s just about the most
exciting thing to emerge from my stereo since the news
that Bin Laden had died last May.
Iris Brickfield demonstrates just how much fun being
mental can really be. Perhaps their most violently
inventive song with a never-ending ending that’s almost
the tight, smooth, back bone to the songs. Samson the
Snake (drums/electronics), AdMac (bass), Scruff Lee
(guitars) and T Lo's (keyboards) contributions are the
definition of deft, with a capital D; Deft.
My pick of the songs from Reject are "Going Through
The Motions" (brings to mind our almost imitate,
modern relationship with technology) and "Marriage
Counselling" (Scotland and England). Having said that,
these aren't the singles off the album.
I've seen the band live twice and they're tight and
powerfully uplifting. Odd folk, indeed.
BRENDAN MCDONALD
comically absurd yet so much fun and so very right.
Back in the late nineties, music journalists loved to talk
about being “bathed in a cathedral of sound,” this is more
akin to being “gang-fucked in the showers in the lunatic
asylum for the creatively insane.” The Durande provides
a moment’s respite with its “Stars of the Lid” inspired
yawning guitar sweetness before “Ahsonnutli” (The chief
God of the Navajo – fact fans – he created everything
from the sky to accordions.) This closing track sees the
band shed their final mantle of sanity – the point where
Marwood demonstrates the type of noise a rabbit would
make if you opened it slowly with a bench-saw. It puts
the “mental” in “monumental.” It is – like the rest if the
E.P. – incredible. Sickeningly inventive, playful, exciting
and intoxicating.
Like driving a very fast, very stolen police car into a
sand-pit full of toddlers: Messy, but ultimately worth the
tragic loss of life. This release stands head and shoulders
above any rock record released this year. It is the sound
of people who love what they do and who love life. It is
the most life-affirmingly ALIVE record you will hear in
a long time.
ROB WILKINSON
GARVALD, EAST LOTHIAN AUGUST 31ST – 2ND SEPT
“You know you’ve had enough when you wake up in a
heart shaped straw circle listening to drumming”
This was the quote from a fellow ‘souper’ at Audio Soup,
a tiny but oh so friendly festival, which has soared to take
prime position in my list of favourite festivals this year.
From the moment I arrived on Thursday, to set up my
stall as The Woolly Pedlar, and had a cup of tea made for
me, to the time that I left hugging newly made friends,
and vowing to return next year, I was surrounded by
lovely people, many of them like myself veterans of the
festival scene.
I think it is the fact that the Audio Soup crew were made
up of folk that had been to countless festivals in their
time, and knew what makes a festival work that made
this tiny event such a roaring success. In one small field
there was everything you would find at a larger festival.
The main stage saw tribute bands on Friday, billed as
Tribute night, such as Blondie, RAGE, and I sang along
to many covers remembering all the words, being of that
generation.
Dub Mafia went down a storm as did Spartan Tartan,
Frog Pocket and Mr Woodnote. Sunday night however,
was my top night for bands on the mainstage. Pikey
Beatz were in my opinion the best band of the weekend.
They are a seven piece band who are hard to fit in a
genre. They are billed as ska reggae, but there was also
a wonderful mix of gypsy melody which saw the crowd
waltzing and then back to some serious raw energy. They
are only young but there are extremely talented, and
the fact that they were billed before the Scottish giants
Bombskare, shows the as a great festival band that they
have built over the last few years. Bombskare didn’t fail
to disappoint either and finished the festival in true ska
style with the crowd jumping and asking for more.
The dance tent was given ten out of ten for effort with
décor, with signs such as ‘look don’t leer’ and we all had
a great time in there with great tunes and great people,
which is after all, what makes a great dance tent.
Venue 42 with its wooden floor and cheesey tunes was a
fun place to be, providing workshops by day such as
AUDIO SOUP//
>>
>>
Flamenco with Toti and Diego and a cocktail bar by night
with some great cheesey tunes. Next door, the Wub Hut
played thumping tunes for the more hardcore amongst
us.
By far my favourite venue was The Beatroot Café
though. Run day and night by a tireless team and
providing delicious homemade food, and with a stage,
soundsystem and some fantastic bands, such as Colonel
Mustard and the Dijon 5. It has an air of wackiness and
cabaret and was the ideal venue to finish off the night,
when a cup of tea and a chair is called for, but you are
not quite ready for bed and the music sees you up for
just one more dance.
By day, the arena had plenty to offer too. There was just
the right amount of market traders, with Jupiter and
Woolly Pedlar seeing to your festival clothing needs, and
the fantastic sauna run day and night in the ‘Shit Hot
Shed’ as well as massage and alternative therapies, with
nature walks, and a place to make your own herbal lip
balm, creams and potions.
The kids’ area provided a safe haven and plenty for the
kiddiwinks to do and was run by the some very lovely
folk.
Randomness and fun abounded by day, and the straw
bale heart was centre stage for many a shenanigan.
You could have your outfit pimped up and titivated by
‘Glad rags’, and Cupid’s Couriers saw to it that love and
laughter flowed. Sunday saw many in their finery as
folk wore their Sunday best, and a carnival atmosphere
prevailed.
The weather of course helped with wall to wall sunshine
and not a drop of rain all weekend, which most definitely
has not been the case at the other festivals I’ve attended
this year. I left the site on Monday morning so glad that
I had found Audio Soup. It was the perfect end to the
festival season and I look forward to going again next
year. I’ll most certainly be looking out for their March
Equinox gathering.
Many congratulations to the Audio Soup crew. You knew
just what works at a festival and worked so hard to make
that happen. I met some lovely people and made many
new friends. Well done to all of you. I will be back.
SUE REED
FRONTIER FESTIVAL
AS PART OF OUR FRONTIER FESTIVAL SPECIAL, WE CAUGHT UP WITH CO-ORGANISER ALAN THOMPSON FROM TRAVELLED MUSIC. ALAN EXPLAINS THE ARTIST LINE-UP IN DETAIL… >>
X
WEDNESDAY 10TH OCTOBER //AGES & STAGES: A FILM ABOUT THE MELIGROVE BAND
A couple of years ago I toured the US with Canadian
band Born Ruffians, along the way, somewhere in the
Nevada desert, we had met up with our support act
for the tour The Meligrove Band. They are possibly
the unluckiest band I have ever met, but they keep
going relentlessly smiling all the way. The first show
I remember with them (they missed the first 4 dates
due to customs troubles leaving Canada) we were in
Reno, Las Vegas’s ugly sister. The guys turned up in a
converted disabled bus with the destination ‘Woodbine
Sluts’ showing on their vehicle. The show went well
despite the male prostitutes and crack heads outside
the venue and we headed back to our casino hotel. We
stayed up late drinking and gambling with toothless
ladies and mullet haired locals, the next morning The
Meligrove Band’s ‘fun bus’ was surrounded by oil.
A burst gasket on the 2nd day of tour! We had a 12
hour drive to the next show in California so Meligrove
Band were forced to cancel yet another show, losing
much needed income and missing out on some much
needed affection from Californian girls. They joked
and smiled regardless and this film is a testament to
this hugely popular Toronto band. It’s a behind the
scenes documentary about life on the road and life in
the music industry. Critically acclaimed at Toronto Film
Festival and making it’s UK premiere in Berwick upon
Tweed. I can’t recommend the film enough or indeed
the music of The Meligrove Band, maybe one day we’ll
get them to play in Barrels!
THURSDAY 11TH OCTOBER // BERWICK BANDS COLLECTIVE PRESENTS
Berwicker Jonny Gray started the Berwick Bands
Collective in the early noughties at a time when
the Berwick music scene was just emerging. Great
bands such as The Briganties, The Local Villains and
Ninepins were all part of the early stages. Now growing
again the Berwick music scene is well established with
musicians sharing gear, arranging shows and releasing
mixtapes, demos and albums all within the walled
town. Thursday’s show will feature the creative noise
and songwriting brilliance of local poet, playwright and
actor Robert Wilkinson aka Secret Gang Handshakes
alongside new Portues brother project 5ft Walls@Zeros
with Le Woodsmen performing well-known songs all in
the hidden gem of a venue – Barrels Alehouse.
FRIDAY 12TH OCTOBER // ELECTRIC PENELOPE ALBUM LAUNCH
Possibly the biggest show of the festival will be
Electric Penelope’s album launch night in The Maltings
Theatre, a 300 capacity venue in the heart of Berwick.
The main performance will feature a full live band,
backing singers and all the frills of a stage show. Anna
Emmins is Electric Penelope singing soulful, jazz
styled pop music in support of her debut album, which
will be available on the night.
We also welcome back to Berwick, after performing
at last year’s Borders Green Festival – Trevor Moss &
Hannah Lou. The husband and wife duo play pop-folk
music that have received acclaim from the Mercury
Music Awards committee and brought the songs to the
attention of a wide range of BBC radio programs right
across the UK.
Local gals ‘The Mockingbirds’ have expanded
their line-up to include a rhythm section to match
their delicious vocal harmonies and will open the
performance under their new stages names – ‘The
Moon, The Son & The Daughters’. After spending
the summer busking in Berlin and playing shows
around Eastern Europe the group were joined by
Anna’s brother Gabriel back home. Singer Maddy
explains, “The Moon was the only constant that kept
us together when travelling, The Son is Gabriel and we
(Maddy, Anna and Hannah) are the Daughters!”
XI
ELECTRIC PENELOPE
SATURDAY 13TH OCTOBER // THE TOUR
The Saturday night is the show I’m most excited
about! It’s going to take place over 4 venues with
staggered shows so the crowd can walk between each
gig. The night starts off with a few words and a drink
in the Maltings Stage Door Bar where a very special
guest will entertain ticket holders. We’ll then walk
up to the amazing Gymnasium Gallery. A venue that
has never hosted a music event before. The space is
incredible and the bands playing up there are pretty
incredible too. Opening the show will be local lads
Ordinaryson. Playing songs from their debut album
‘Sorted Out’, the lads have built up a good reputation
for quality songwriting and musical proficiency over
the years, having played shows all over the continent
and alongside some well known acts such as Mercury
nominated Field Music in Barrels basement! Next
up will be the vocal folk group from Tyneside
The Cornshed Sisters, the girls last show was in a
launderette with only ten people squeezed in to catch
the unique performance. Gymnasium headliners will
be the crazy UK festival veterans Rob Heron & The
Tea Pad Orchestra. They play a brilliant blend of swing,
folk and jazz rock to take any crowd off their feet,
double bass, guitars and accordion it’s sure to be great
set.
A short walk to the Henry Travers Studio is next for
a very special performance from local lad done good
Derek Meins. Derek has toured Europe with his first
band Eastern Lane, who were signed to the legendary
Rough Trade Records at the tender age of 15. Eastern
Lane were supported by Zane Lowe, MTV and
XFM and even toured with the infamous Libertines.
After moving to Brighton after Eastern Lane parted
ways Derek went on to play in front of thousands
supporting The Maccabees around the UK with his
original act The Famous Poet. His last outing was in
blues-rock shouty mode as The Agitator, a project
that found Derek signed by Blur’s management team
(he lived in a very big house in the country!) and
appear on Later with Jools Holland to much acclaim.
This hometown show will be much anticipated and
Derek will perform solo at the piano a fantastic way to
showcase his wonderful songwriting abilities.
Cattle & Cane, a 5 piece lo-fi band from Teesside will
headline this show performing songs which have found
themselves playlisted on BBC 6Music and performed
live at T in the Park. Check this band out on YouTube
for a taste of something special.
For the last night ravers and partygoers the Frontier
Festival marches on.. Barrels Alehouse will be the final
calling point with RIDNA DJs special guests at the
regular Flux DJ night in the basement. Residents Gav
and Flinty will play a hybrid selection of Rap, Grime,
Techno, Electro, Synth Wave, House and Bass music
which will go on till the wee hours of Sunday morning.
SUNDAY 14TH OCTOBER //IAIN PETRIE PRESENTS
The brand new Watchtower venue in Tweedmouth
will host a full days of acoustic performances curated
by local musician and producer Iain Petrie. Special
guests will include Bridie Jackson & The Arbour, Tasha
Blackmore, Antic Hay, Linzi Walker, Des Shanahan,
Angus Gunn.. A fantastic selection of brilliant
musicians in a wonderful venue. A great way to cap off
a great week of live music in Berwick. A border town
on the Frontiers of independent music!
XII
ROB HERON & THE TEA PAD ORCHESTRA
Above all things Electric Penelope is a classy writer of top quality pop music. The most compelling evidence in support of this is the song “My Lovely Friend”. A song LITERALLY about having a lovely friend. A lesser composer tackling such topic-matter would probably inspire the eye-stabbing of several kittens, so it speaks volumes to her song-writing ability that “Leccy-pen’s” own piece will have you grinning from ear-to-ear like a drooling village idiot. With A New Day, Electric Penelope has carved out an assured piece of classic pop. With one eye looking longingly behind her to the classic sounds of 1960’s girl groups and the other fixed firmly on the squelchy synth driven textures of “future-pop now,” this cock-eyed songstress has happened on a winning formula that is fun and reassuring. If a hug could be translated into song it would sound like this album. And what of the songs themselves? Opening with recent single “Trafalgar Square” with its parping “Ronsonian” horns and effervescent carnival atmosphere, we then bump into the “The Supremes-u-like” Motown infused “You Are My Everything” (A song every girl should sing to her guy at least once in hushed breathy tones...)
Best song on the album is the plaintive and beautifully romantic “Carry Me Home”. Every second of this ballad is at once painfully honest and wonderfully theatrical. We also take a trip through Electric Penelope’s record collection - Title track “A New Day” is gentle summer reggae track with a surprisingly tender chorus while “Sunny Song” is a sultry sticky soul number in the “It’s a Man’s World” vein. The album isn’t all sunshine and butterflies, “Scorpion” is all dissonant tango piano and comes with a feeling of impending danger; and the scary-assed gypsy waltz “Everything Must Come To An End” has her coming across like the world’s most callous fortune teller. The song makes me think of spiders laying eggs in my ear... don’t ask me why it just does. The album closes on a playful note with a nod back to her lo-fi -roots “The Innocent Ones” with its cute “comb, biro and mug”
percussion and simplistic whimsical scat “ba-ba-ba...” chorus is sweet pop perfection. Speaking personally, I’d like to hear a few more “Innocent Ones” as this seems to really fit the voice snugly and... it’s really fun.This is a strong assured debut that is staggeringly ambitious in its execution and almost too perfect in its production. Perhaps future releases will see this mantle of perfection slip a little and embrace the silliness even more. The theatricality running through almost every track is fun and delightfully endearing, but it’s when the epic stops and the intimacy starts that this album really wins big.
One thing is clear... this is not “for safe read boring-safe,” it’s not “Mum-pop.” You don’t see her so much boogying away at the kitchen sink with a tray of fish fingers... but orbiting the planet in a satellite looking down on us all – like a guardian - before riding the wreckage like a surfboard as it crashes to the earth, hopping off just before impact, fixing her lippy and coolly walking home and making the world’s best chocolate fudge cake. This is “MILF-POP!”
There is something very unusual and special about this album – and that is the “writing voice” of the singer. Her open and honest lyrical tales get to the heart of who Electric Penelope really is: A mother; a sister; a daughter and wife - she is all these things and she sings of them with such endearing rose-tinged romanticism that her diary-like poems take on an almost Quixotic sense of adventure. It is this great support system of friends and family that inhabits her song-world that makes her songs such an inviting prospect. You always hear the vox-pops bleaters crying “If only Amy Winehouse had better friends...” This is what is happening here: A mercurial sense that everything is alright, no matter how bad they seem- help is at hand... you are safe and you are loved.
ROB WILKINSON
ELECTRIC PENELOPE A NEW DAY
XIII
THE BERWICK WATCHTOWERThe first time I heard about this project it was described
to me as, “the old Jehovah witness place”, which didn’t paint much of a picture considering I know nothing about the religion other than its followers are notorious cold callers. I found myself just weeks later deciding “The Watchtower” was the best name for this beautiful building, but apparently I was the only human alive that didn’t know this is the name of the jehovah’s magazine, so just for the record the jehovah’s are gone and lots of crazy art has moved in.
When I first met with Kate (the owner of the watchtower) it was clear that this place is to serve 2 main purposes. The first being that it is a tribute to her late husband Ian Stephenson and his spectacular art work, The second being that it is an open door to artists of all varieties. Whether it be a 100 year old painter or a 10 year old who just learnt his first guitar chord we have opened this building in hope of aiding those with a love for creation.
It’s early day’s and we are only just starting to discuss how we aim to do this but one thing is for sure we aren’t a big entertainment business, though we do aim to entertain, our main aim is to facilitate, inspire and build a network of creative thinkers who are all teaching, learning, and collaborating under one roof.
At this time the facility itself is the most valuable asset we have to offer. It has a full gallery which has Ian Stephenson’s work constantly on display on the highest point’s of the tallest walls and bellow this we currently have work from Mali Morris, Stephen Lewis and Mark Irving on display but these exhibitions will constantly change as we have no shortage of artists wanting to show their work.
In the main exhibition area we also have a stage and lighting for gigs/ play’s or any other function you can think of. Below this we have the brand new recording studio/ practice room which is yet to be equipped properly but the acoustics are heavenly plus it’s old school wood frame and canvas interior gives it the ultimate hippy folk vibe. My favourite feature has to be that there are inputs upstairs in the exhibition hall where you can record live shows or just make use of the big echoey hall in you’re recordings. As well as our facilities Kate Stephenson and Michael Richardson are possibly two of the nicest odd balls I’ve met in my time and they are all about trying to make things happen and welcoming enthusiasm of all sorts.
However the opportunities these facilities present would be nothing without YOU. The whole reason I wrote this article is to ask everyone and anyone to get involved. When I first was introduced to the watchtower I was just a musician having a look around and now I’ve been handed a great opportunity to be involved in the running of this place. So if you think you can make use of our facilities or can contribute in any way or even if you just want to meet some more creative folks then come see us. You can catch us on facebook www.facebook.com/berwickwatchtower or the website www.berwickwatchtower.com and you can e-mail me on [email protected]. it’s about time Berwick’s music and art scene had some life in it again and we’re hoping everyone will help us on this venture.
SAMMY REED
XIV
// I must be a philistine. When contemporary art
speaks to me, it’s often under its breath along the
lines of, “For fuck’s sake,” and with a mental prompt
to take the recycling out.
Visual art, by its very nature, should be indefinable
– is indefinable. Yet this doesn’t chime with those
contemporary artists who feel the need to dictate
to us what we are meant to be seeing. As I don’t
presume to tell the artist what to create, I would
appreciate the same courtesy from the artist in
not telling me what to perceive. I have a sneaking
suspicion that many artists finish a piece and think,
“Hmm, it’s pretty enough, but I haven’t a fucking
clue what it means.” So, not having enough belief
in the merit of their own art, they scribble down a
few lines of hasty pretentious twaddle to keep the
art critics happy and to alienate large swathes of the
general public.
The last time I visited the Tate Modern in
London I left white-lipped and shaking,
marvelling through my incandescent
wrath at the gravitas with which people –
functioning people, holding down jobs,
raising families – contemplated three light
bulbs, a lolly stick and a dead rodent.
// I recall stomping back across the Millennium
Bridge shrieking at the aptness of the Tate Modern
being cut from the new clothes of the ultimate
emperor, Tony fucking Blair; a connection which so
ART FOR ARSE SAKE?
YOUR HOUSE HISTORIAN
www.yourhousehistorian.co.ukTelephone: 01289 298 177 Email: [email protected]
pleased me at the time I kept repeating it until my
husband told me to shut up, people were staring.
// I recently told a colleague of mine, a Guardian reader,
this story. He looked at me first aghast and then with
well-brought-up pity, as if I was disabled and had
accidentally rolled myself across his picnic rug.
“Oh, my God. Modern art is brilliant!” he
spurted. “It’s all about the space it sits in and
the emotions it evokes. The very fact that you
felt so strongly about it means that, as art,
it succeeded.”
Christ, I feel exhausted just remembering.
// I’m tired of people like my colleague assuming a
smug and patronizing stance, believing that they ‘get’
contemporary art when really the only thing they’ve got
is a suggestible personality type. Because, I’m sorry, if
an exhibit requires an A4 laminate of explanation beside
it… well. Call me naive, but aren’t artists supposed to
convey things through the medium of – and I’m fairly
confident I’ve got this right – art?
(EXTRACTED FROM ‘IT’S NOT YOU, IT’S ME – 184/250,’ NOT THE
BERWICKSHIRE ADVERTISER)
CHASTITY FLYTE //
I am immensely proud to be writing this review. Rikki has a zeal that would see him succeeding in any endeavour he sets out on and a pipe dream three years in the making saw the launch night of his brand new brewery Bear Claw.
Berwick has a rich history of brewing dating back from 1777. The Border Brewery was brewing beer throughout the 19th century but halted brewing after the first World War. The flames were relit in 1992 with the re-founding of the Brewery. This enjoyed superb success, so much so in fact that new premises were in needed after only ten years. This saw the formation of the Hadrian and Border brewery in Newcastle. With the departure of the now Hadrian and Border Brewery from the town there has been an empty space where a beer company should be.
No more though, and my lord what a comeback! With the names like the charmingly morbid ‘First Blood’ and hopelessness inducing ‘Sun God’s Ruin’, Berwick Beer is back with a vengeance. A vengeance through the medium of ABV’s of 6.5 and 5.7 respectively.
‘First Blood’, an American red ale, at the first taste grips the front of your face with equal measures of bold hops and malty blasts. Then those tastes don’t let up all the way down the glass. I’d personally recommend this in a half pint glass... with a dark, navy rum perhaps. ‘Sun God’s Ruin’, a double Border blonde (whatever that means?), seems a little more laid back, almost session bearish. It’s buttery texture and lightly hopped flavours lull you into the false sense that this is a lighter beer. It certainly doesn’t drink like its alcohol content. So be warned it’s a Siren of a beer. The man’s dedication goes further than carefully crafting his beers, his pump clips are from carefully hand carved wooden print blocks too.
Rikki’s launch night went superbly well with one beer sold out and the other very close behind. Everybody was well oiled and although, from a strictly business point of view, I’d like to see him making a more approachable beer(primarily because it tastes so good I want to have more than 3 pints before I can’t talk) the fact is he has a passion for making strong beers and having there been such a void of brewing in Berwick he wanted it to come back with a bang. And bang it went. Well done Rikki, I wish you all the best and can’t wait to see you going from strength to strength (not that kind Rikki!).
ALL HAIL BEAR CLAW!
ROSS DAVIDSON
BEAR CLAW
walkers
surfers cyclists
& idlers
Extreme comfort for allsorts “ ”stargazers
divers
En suite toiletEn suite showerOutside shower
BBQ
HairdryerSatellite television
DVD playerFree wi�
FridgeSound system with ipod docking
Tea & co�ee facilitiesToaster
Sleeps 2 (either as 2 singles or 1 double)
e Rambleshack is an individual B&B with a di�erence: the intimacy of a B&B with the
privacy of a holiday let. Situated in the heart of the beautiful village of Coldingham on the
East coast of the Scottish Borders. All within walking distance of the blue �ag beach, the
marine reserve at St Abbs, and the pub. e Rambleshack is ideal for a break away whether you are en route, love sur�ng or
walking, or simply want to relax beside the coast.
PRICES FROM 55 NIGHT10 DISCOUNT IF YOU MENTION THE TRIP “ ”
ENQUIR IES & BOOKINGS
e Rambleshack, Fishers Brae, Coldingham, Scottish Borders, TD14 5NJ
Katie & RichardTel 018907 712 98
email [email protected] www.therambleshack.com
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2012
All
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Res
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d. K
&R
KEN
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- ph
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by
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R MBLE s h a c kthe intimacy of a B&B with the privacy of a holiday let
TM
I’VE BEEN DREAMING OF THIS EVER SINCE I WAS A BOYOkay, anyone who’s ever seen me attempt to “cut some
rug” (a mercifully rare occurrence) will know that not
only do I have a complete inability to dance, I also
seem to not understand what dancing is or even which
parts of my body are actually moving. When it comes
to watching dance, particularly more contemporary
dance pieces, I often fail to understand what it is I am
actually looking at: I don’t understand. I can’t find a
way in. I find it impenetrable. It makes me not want to
go to contemporary dance shows.
So here I am at Chloe Smith’s first solo dance piece
(following on from her nightmarish ensemble piece
last year in the spooky-wooky Penny Lodging House).
Upon entering the room I am surprised to find chairs
arranged in a circle – have I come to an intervention?
- and am told to “sit anywhere except for the chair
with boots and the torch.” This chair is reserved for
our host. She sits down, puts on her boots and starts
making odd little shapes in the palm of her left hand
with her right. My brain immediately reaches for the
help manual. Are we supposed to copy? Do I applaud?
Should I take all my clothes off?
Then she begins to tell us the story of her time spent
at Occupy London. This tale – a sweetly told modern
parable – is the “music” to the piece. With characters
as rich and tangible as any great novel: Columb who
“lives outside the money system”; Kenny, a sweet
natured alcoholic who bought our Chloe a Mars bar
for her breakfast; and Kelvin who worked
in the kitchen whose grandfather called her
“baby girl”. Chloe’s personable and nuanced
delivery coupled with her inventive dance
was both compelling and strangely moving. I
became so utterly invested in these people that
I had never met that I wished that they were
still there, safe in their tents. Then came the
moment Chloe walked to a lady in the circle
and asked her to hold out her hands. The lady
dutifully obliged as Chloe started to make the
same shapes in her hand that she had made on
her own at the opening of the show. “This is
the kitchen tent...” she begins. She moves on to
the next member of her audience – now utterly
engrossed - focusing all of her attention on her
latest disciple; “This is the spire of St Paul’s...”
With “I’ve Been Dreaming of this Ever Since
I was a Boy” Chloe Smith has created a
show that is a whip-smart whorl of invention,
accessible without playing to the lowest
common denominator and brim-filled with
genuine emotion. Sweet, engaging, beautiful
and unique - a show just like its creator.
ROB WILKINSON //
// I’m getting on a bit now. Hell, that’s an
understatement. I believe if I were to catch a
common cold it would end me. Real shame, but
it’s true. I’ve had a pretty eventful life though;
I’m not sad, just curious about what comes next.
In a way I’m looking forward to it. Will I burn
in hell for what I did at the tender age of 16?
Will I be forgiven and allowed passage through
the handsome gates of heaven? Fuck knows, but
Lord, its exciting thinking about it.
“IT’S NOT ALL GLOOMY AND BAFFLING THOUGH”
// I always enjoyed writing. I always marvelled
at the goings on in my town, the beautiful town
of Rosewood. I figured I’d write my own little
blog for you, dear reader, and tell you of some of
the absurd goings on in this town over the years.
It’s not all gloomy and baffling though, just last
year, the local first school’s headmaster decided
it would be good sport to let the kids create a
game for the parents to take part in for sports
day, and vice versa. I’ll bet he wished he hadn’t
as he, as well as the parents, took part in their
34th round of “Chuck the dried dogshit through
the hoop”. Ah, life in a small town eh?
// If you will endure, dear reader, I will tell you
stories of the bizarre, and at times, damn right
creepy things which happened in my town. Why
are you bothered about who I am and what I
have to say? Well sir or madam, if you’re not,
turn the page, put the mag down, staple the cat
to the ironing board, or whatever else you freaks
like to do.
// I’ll be back next time. I’ll tell about “the
disappearance of the three”. Big news that was,
round here anyway...
MUSINGS ON MY TOWN
Selection of real cask ales upstairs, basement cocktail bar, live music events every week, avaliable for hire for
private functions.
Frontier Fesitval - Berwick Bands Collective
Frontier Festival - Flux DJs Gav ‘n’ Flinty & RIDNA
Katriona Gilmore & Jamie Roberts Live
Address:59/61 Bridge Street Berwick-upon-Tweed
TD15 1ES
Telephone:01289 308 013
SCAN NOW for full October to December
listings...
BY WILSON GALE
BERWICK FILM AND MEDIA FESTIVALSo, what was it like? Well, it was like wheat, chaff, panning
for gold among the mud, gravel and marmite of a river
bed, finding unexpected diamonds mixed with fools gold.
This mixing of metaphors, sheer unpredictability and gasp
out loud moments probably sums up the Berwick Film
and Media Festival perfectly. If art is anything then it
should polarise, create debate and simply make you think.
Art should be a disruptor amongst the straight edges of
logic, science and our everyday lives. And on that basis
the Berwick Film and Media Festival certainly delivered
to its brief.
The theme of this years festival was to explore the
link between still photography and the moving image,
or in other words “Pictures in Motion” - how one has
informed the other - whether in terms of the visual
language of each, the mixing of the actual media or still
photographers making the transition from the static to
the moving. Of course this is a very apt theme given the
recent explosion of user generated content on YouTube
and the fact that any digital still camera or smart-phone
is pretty much capable of taking decent quality video
content. So, we all now have the tools.
The ongoing digital democratisation of film making, while
it has given many more people the chance to explore
their creativity using a medium previously denied to
them, has meant there is a lot of garbage out there and
careful sifting is required not to get sucked into the
morass of the cheap laugh or the banal. Or the simply
pretentious. Of course you would expect the film makers
in the festival to be creative, intelligent people who have
not only studied their art, but are also in love with it. But
is that enough to guarantee the production of compelling
art? Art that reaches out to the viewer and is memorable
and/or thought provoking? The answer is no, it doesn’t
always guarantee a compelling viewing experience, but it
does perhaps guarantee the unexpected. Think of a film
festival like choosing bottles of French wine as opposed
to that of the new world. You never quite know what to
expect. A great vintage could be corked, while a bottle of
vin-de-table could be sublime.
Over a couple of days we saw a range of films that
spanned the range from pure gems of sheer brilliance
where even just a single frame of the movie stayed
imprinted on the mind even now to the self-indulgent,
narcissistic dullness. But hey! Isn’t that what it’s all
about? Some movies, especially the shorts seemed to
possess no story but would simply depict visually an
emotion or concept. We saw a three minute short, shot
beautifully with mostly one scene that seemed to me
to be a visual interpretation of the words “dread” and
“menace”. It was as though the two characters were aware
of some awful un-named doom that was fast approaching.
Just three minutes was enough to create a nervous,
pressure cooker like feeling and it was almost a relief
when it ended. I’m thinking about the movie now, how
it unsettled me in those few short minutes. I’m not sure
whether it was a completely pleasurable experience, but it
made me think.
Outside of the movie screenings were scattered little
installations of video art – some hidden away in ice
houses, some lurking in the opened up battlements of
Berwick’s town walls. Some of these worked very well – a
special favourite was one where the outside elements
of roaring wind and crashing waves seemed to mingle
perfectly with a soundtrack of opera and the stop-go
freeze frame of a singer in an amazing frock amidst a
verdant forest. It was outside of this installation that
we asked one of the film festival staff what they had
thought of a film that we had seen the previous night
and which we had found to be the perfect example of
creative indulgence mixed with supreme dullness. After
a little hesitation and reticence, the staff member started
her response with “Well, I wanted to like it….” Then
admitted she had spent most of the evening avoiding the
film-maker in question just in case the dreaded question
of “Did you like it?” arose. That same film won much
appreciation from the audience. While each to their own,
I think it does beg the question of how much of creativity,
if clever and delivered by someone of standing is often
seen through the same mirror that the emperor and his
new clothes stood in front of. To use the wine analogy
again, the views of tasters who can see the labels can be
very different to those who cannot.
Again, that is not a criticism of the festival. It was a film
that polarised, which is exactly the point. I simply didn’t
like it – it bored the pants off me, didn’t make me think
and neither was it visually compelling. All I can say in its
favour was that the film maker seemed a really nice guy
and immediately before the screening I too…”Wanted
to like it”. However, that was just one movie. Some of
the cinema-photography in the other films we saw
was glorious, elegiac and beautiful - where the eye of
the director had made every frame of the movie worth
watching. Perhaps this was where the theme of the festival
was most truly realised. In still photography there is only
a single frame with which to tell your story, to impress or
to force wonder or interest in the viewer. In movies you
have 24 frames every second. But that is not an excuse to
put any to waste, although many often do.
I’ll single two movies out here, both shorts. First of all the
“The Last Bus” by Martin Snopek and Ivan Laucikova”
from Slovakia. A surreal tale of Beatrix Potter as
imagined by Roald Dahl or Nick Cave, it featured a
rusting dilapidated bus full of incredible creatures
apparently fleeing something. Or were they just going
on holiday? It took us into a fabled world that after a
minute seemed perfectly natural and believable. It was
beautifully shot, coloured, costumed and imagined. We
saw a wolf make the journey from being hunted, to being
feared to being the epitome of compassion, to finally
showing the sheer desperation of the need to stay alive.
Brilliant stuff and one of the few movies where luggage
and suitcases almost had the starring role. It was a film of
textures, in all senses of the word.
The second movie was another short, this time by fashion
photographer Tim Walker called “The Lost Explorer”.
Here a girl discovers a tent in the overgrown margins of
her family garden. Inside the tent, dying of malaria is an
African explorer complete with maps, a revolver and a
pith helmet. There’s a strange bond between them and the
film takes us on a journey of disquiet and amazement. The
explorer tells the girl of how they would capture canaries
and take them onboard ship. Then in the middle of the
ocean would release them and watch the flock swoop
and dive through the ships rigging before landing back
on deck. “Don’t they escape and fly off?” asks the girl.
“Where would they fly to?” responds the explorer.
This exchange is then gloriously realised in a dream
sequence where the girl and the explorer enter an
abandoned building to find a ghostly galleon made
of gossamer and silk about which a thousand bright
canaries flutter. I was minded of the magic realism of
Gabriel-Garcia Marquez here and “100 years of solitude”
where intrepid explorers come across a Spanish galleon
hundreds of miles inland, deep within a rainforest and
festooned with tiny blue flowers.
The explorer close to death, sneaks into the home of the
girl during a dinner party and rather awkwardly, dies in
her bedroom. The final scene where the girl sets alight his
pyre and is outlined in silhouette by the flickering flames
is simply beautiful.
Adapted from a short story by Patrick McGrath the “Lost
Explorer” is twenty minutes of lavish film making, which
demonstrates a love of light, scene and composition. Not
to mention great acting from the central character, played
by 14 year old Olympia Campbell.
So, no, we didn’t see every film out of the 40 or so that
were being shown. Neither did we see all the installations
or the premiere of “Resident Evil” given we are a little
scared of zombies down here at The Trip. There was, as
stated at the beginning some over-indulgence and some
brilliance. It was all excellently organised and I think
the very fact that the festival could attract over 50 film
makers and ultimately really celebrate the medium both
in terms of the films being shown and in the workshops
and Q&A sessions, has to be applauded. I could imagine
setting five days aside next year in order to ensure
watching as much material as possible and really getting
immersed into what the festival is about. Perhaps that’s
the way to do it as opposed to being a flighty gad-fly and
nibbling away at the margins?
But, would such immersion lead to viewing everything
on offer through the prism of the emperor and his new
clothes? Er, dunno to be honest, but regardless of that,
we’re very much looking forward to the next one.
PHIL HEYWOOD
BELOW: MARK COUSINS SPEAKS AT THE FESTIVAL
In “Travelling Daze”, Alan Dearling seeks to piece
together the woven, tie-dyed fabric of the “new-age”
travelling community. From the free festival hippies of
the 60’s “tune in, drop out” era, via the casualties and
campaigners of Thatchers Britain to the rave scene and
the modern festival experience, this refreshing insight
into “life on the road” seeks to dispel popular prejudice
and mis-conception for those that weren’t there whilst
also offering a trip down an almost certainly hazy
memory lane for those that were.
Dearlings introduction helps to paint a context for the
modern day traveller, outlining a journey with its roots
embedded in the post-war sense of displacement and the
emergence of the counter-cultural spirit and energy of the
1960’s. With totemic music festivals like the trio on the
Isle of Wight providing a focus for the growing sense of
frustration and adventure, we are taken on a journey with
some of the colourful characters across the generations as
they search for their new Albion.
2 of those characters, of whom each has a chapter
dedicated to them, are the infamous, often controversial,
although undeniably stalwart champions of the counter-
cultural travelling community....Wally Hope and Sid
Rawle. We are provided with anecdotal accounts of
both men, offering up a balanced and honest portrayal
(depending who you wish to believe) of visionaries,
mystics or frauds. Both men, in different ways shaped the
path and philosophy of many a modern day traveller. We
are also treated to a chapter on travelling artist, David
Stooke, whose moody landscapes of traveller camps and
intimate portraits of furrowed campers draw the reader
in closer with beautiful simplicity.
But it is in the struggle, the constant harassment by the
authorities and the endeavouring spirit that makes these
tales more poignant than ever. With the introduction
of the Public Order Act in 1986 following on from
Thatcher’s war on the miners in ’84, and then latterly the
Criminal justice bill in the early 90’s, Travellers constantly
found themselves on the receiving end of reactionary
policies designed to curtail anything that could be seen
as subversive or a threat to “decent” society. In 1985, in
what is known as the battle of Beanfield, police in riot
gear attacked a group of travellers on their way to a
peaceful gathering in Stonehenge. Trailers were burnt and
possessions stolen. The police originally stated that they
came under attack first... an allegation that was proven
not to be true. It is incredibly heart-warming to hear of
miners and their families helping out those travellers who
had lost possessions, just as the travellers had helped the
miners during their times of anguish.
For those that don’t have even a smudge of genuine
interest in the travelling fraternity, then this book will do
little for you. But for anyone who’s ever wondered who
the strangely attired wood folk were passing through
your town in beat up buses and wagons, or for anyone
that was “there”, then this book is a lovely little find.
One of the contributors, Netty Miles, who writes the
penultimate chapter, sums it up wonderfully....
“(travellers are)... tired of living on the city streets...(and)
bring the philosophies of Buddha, Marx and 2000AD
magazine together with Orwellian nihilism...”
Maybe there’s a little bit of that in all of us (?)
SIÔN GATES
IN TRAVELLING DAZE...
XXII