Tag: London

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Northern Soul Orchestrated

This week I’ve been to see the Northern Soul Orchestrated Tour at the Royal Festival Hall in London.

Northern Soul really is the bop that just won’t drop. It’s a subculture that developed in nightclubs across the North of England in the 1960s and 70s. DJs played mostly lesser known singles and B-sides by American soul musicians that had been put out by Motown, Chess, Vee-Jay and other independent labels.

It was uplifting music, with soulful lyrics that celebrated the joy and elation to be found in everyday experiences. It resonated with northern working class life, and tapped into the Mod scene that was also prominent at the time.

Clubs like the Blackpool Mecca, Manchester’s Twisted Wheel and the Wigan Casino soon assumed legendary status on the Northern Soul scene, staging all-nighters where afficionados could forget their cares by dancing Saturday night away into Sunday morning.

The scene has never really gone away since, with the music influencing numerous others over the years, from Dexy’s Midnight Runners to Amy Winehouse and Fatboy Slim, to name a few.

The current wave of popularity began last year, when the Proms Season at the Royal Albert Hall in London held a special Northern Soul event, bringing together some fabulously talented soul singers, a rhythm and blues band and the BBC Orchestra.

The performances celebrated and breathed new life into a roster of Northern Soul classics, with orchestral arrangements by Joe Duddell and Fiona Brice. Songs included Hold Back the Night (by The Trammps), Out on the Floor (Dobie Gray), and Tainted Love (Gloria Jones), amongst others. The event was so successful it has now been taken out on the road on the Northern Soul Orchestrated Tour.

Which is how Northern Soul came to be at the Royal Festival Hall. All the hits were here, with beautiful strings, euphoric trombones, booming, passion-filled vocals and sparkling xylophones. It’s the equivalent of taking those old scratchy vinyl 7-inches and B-sides you once loved playing on a mono turntable, and hearing them afresh, performed live and completely digitally remastered.

The Night, originally by Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, was received rapturously by the audience, as was There’s a Ghost in My House (by R. Dean Taylor). Punters were invited to dance in the aisles, and plenty obliged, many sporting 60s fashions, Small Faces haircuts, Harrington jackets and Fred Perry T-shirts.

I liked hearing Sliced Tomatoes, an instrumental originally performed by Just Brothers, now instantly recognisable as the guitar track sampled by Fatboy Slim in Rockafeller Skank.

Host and curator, Stuart Maconie, from 6 Music, introduced the 3 before 8 – the 3 tracks that signalled the ending of the all-nighter at Wigan Casino back in the day as 8am approached. I have to say, as a sleepy head who values a good night’s kip, a dancing all-nighter would have been my worst nightmare. I once tried a horror film all-nighter, having to leave to go home to bed, practically falling asleep after only the second movie, and forgoing a 1960s Peter Cushing classic (which is saying something) in the process.

So the Wigan Casino all-nighter would not have been for me – I’d have been tucked up nice and toasty in bed, well before the first round of pep pills was being handed out.

Thankfully, this show finished on the right side of midnight, allowing ample time to get to nearby Waterloo Station and then home. There was a real buzz of elation as everyone filed out of the arena.

There are so many tracks I could choose to add to the ADK Playlist, but I will settle on this one, which opened the show and typifies the Northern Soul sound. This is The M.V.P.s with Turnin’ My Heartbeat Up.

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Piano Man

This weekend I went to see Billy Joel play live at the British Summer Time Festival in Hyde Park, London.

Early on in the set, he announced that he had good news and bad news. The bad news was that he had no new songs to play. The good news was that this meant he would play all his greatest hits. Cue a loud cheer from the festival crowd.

And what an impressive roster of hits he has. I associated him most with easy listening, FM station-friendly ballads like Just the Way You Are and She’s Always a Woman. His set showed, however, a very much wider range of musical influences.

He’s in piano jazz territory with New York State of Mind, gospel in River of Dreams, and a capella with a hint of doo wop on The Longest Time.

His rock n roll side is there to see on We Didn’t Start the Fire and It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me. Then there are simply great pop songs like An Innocent Man, My Life, Tell Her About It and Movin’ Out.

It was clear that his backing band are very able musicians, and I liked the fact that, unselfishly, he gave over space to them to showcase their talents. This was unexpected and helped keep the set fresh. In the middle section of River of Dreams, the percussionist took centre stage for some powerful lead vocals as they segued into River Deep, Mountain High, Later in the set, the guitarist sang Nessun Dorma, with Billy accompanying him on the piano. The encore included a rousing version of A Hard Day’s Night.

Possibly the greatest reception came for Piano Man, his song about the hopes and fears of a set of characters in a New York bar, told from the view of the resident pianist. The whole of Hyde Park joined in the singalong chorus. Joe Jonas from the Jonas Brothers came on to help sing Uptown Girl, which must be a contender for the perfect pop song (and which I am adding to the ADK Playlist).

On one of the hottest days of the year, Billy Joel played all these hits and more, carrying on for 2 hours as the sun slowly set over London. Now in his mid-70s, I do not know if he will perform on these shores again, but if not, this was a special and memorable way to bow out.

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Two Worlds Collide

London is a stimulating place to spend a few days, as I did this past weekend. The place seems to be constantly evolving, and there is always something new to discover. I usually find it a dynamic and cosmopolitan environment where I can indulge my interests in food, music, heritage and culture. Well, this weekend was certainly that.

The main reason for our visit was to see Inspiral Carpets in concert (more of which in a moment).

While in London, we took the opportunity to visit Greenwich. A green oasis of parkland on the South Bank, it is also very, very old – full of symbols of empire and bastions of British sea power from centuries past. Greenwich Palace was the home of Henry VIII in the 16th Century, the site subsequently becoming the training college for officers of the Royal Navy.

The Cutty Sark, 19th Century sailing ship on old colonial trade routes, is now here resting in dry dock, and open to public visit. Like many of Britain’s institutions at the moment, the Royal Museums Greenwich are wrestling with how to most appropriately acknowledge and learn from their historic links to colonialism and the international slave trade. That’s a debate I expect will continue for some time to come.

And when you climb the hill to the 18th Century Royal Observatory (famous for being the home of global time zoning and Greenwich Mean Time) the old and new worlds become starkly apparent. As my main photo at the top of the post shows, looking out across the National Maritime Museum, these ancient symbols of British power and wealth are now dwarved by the 21st Century equivalent – the gleaming towers of Canary Wharf and the financial district.

Amidst these contrasting scenes, the daily life of Londoners goes on. These picnickers are enjoying the sunshine and fresh air. And we joined them.

Housed in an ornate, grand arcade, Greenwich Market is a real foodie delight. Although I am not vegan, I was particularly struck by the colour and invention on display at the Vegan Garden stall, as my photo below shows.

I couldn’t resist a slice of chocolate, pear and almond cake, which was delicious with an americano, see below.

The undoubted high point of this wide and varied culture fest, though, was seeing the Inspirals live at one of London’s iconic music venues, the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire. 90 minutes filled with one classic track after another, my favourite aspect being the Doors-esque Farfisa Organ lines played faultlessly by Clint Boon.

For the diehard afficionados, here is a setlist rescued from the stage at the end of the gig (and in case you’re wondering, no, those aren’t my fingernails).

The band have recently released a compilation of all 24 singles, with a selection of remixes. I could honestly have chosen any of them for the ADK Playlist. After a stimulating and hugely enjoyable few days, I will settle on this one, which seems to resonate with some of the themes in this post: Two Worlds Collide.

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Still Standing!

This week I’ve been to see Elton John at the O2 Arena in London, on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour.

If there is a world record for longest wait between buying a concert ticket and going to the gig, this is a definite contender. The World Tour started in 2018, and we bought our tickets in 2019. The concert was scheduled for late 2020, only to be postponed due to Covid. Rearranged to late 2021, it was then postponed a second time when Elton injured himself, to be rearranged again to April 2023.

Until this week, the longest wait I’d had for a Covid-rearranged gig was 2 years, in the case of Elbow. When the night did finally arrive, the band took the stage and Guy Garvey greeted the audience with the simple message Good evening – sorry we’re late.

Elton, as it transpired, was on top form. I have never been a huge fan of his, though his Top Tracks have been booming from the speakers in the ADK kitchen these last few days. I hadn’t seen him live before and was conscious that, it being his Farewell Tour, this would be the last chance of doing so.

He’s playing quite a few dates this month at the O2 and, being something of a local lad, the place has been transformed in his honour. The walkway to the arena from North Greenwich Tube Station is lined with billboards showcasing his various outrageous styles and outfits, in photos from across the last five decades. Even my pint of IPA from the O2 bar was Elton-themed (see below).

He played for two and a half hours, with an accomplished backing band and very clear sound. The vocals still hold up well, and his excellent rock piano is high up in the mix throughout, so can be fully appreciated.

Being Elton, he changed costume twice during the show – each time reappearing in a dapper sequinned evening suit with (naturally) a new colour-co-ordinated pair of diamond-studded spectacles.

The set list comprised one belter after another, varied up with a couple of tracks that I hadn’t heard before from his early albums. All the classics were here – Candle in the Wind, Rocket Man, Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me to name a few.

The show built towards a rockier climax, with I’m Still Standing, Crocodile Rock and Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting getting the O2 audience on their feet.

The encore consisted of his Cold Heart duet with Dua Lipa (who appeared via the big screen), Your Song and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Elton then waved farewell as he rode an escalator through the stage curtains. His image could then be seen on the big screen, walking into the sunset along said Yellow Brick Road.

All in all, well worth the wait!

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By Royal Appointment?

I must share with you, dear readers, an amazing letter I’ve received in the post this morning.

My excitement rose when I saw the postmark bearing the words Buckingham Palace. It turns out to be a handwritten letter from none other than the Queen Consort, probably still better known to most as Camilla (of Parker-Bowles fame). It goes like this:

Hi Kevin,

Hope you’re keeping well, mate. As you’re probably aware, we have a bit of a do coming up next month, with the Coronation. There’s lots still to organise, including the Afternoon Tea for all the family after the main service – I like to think of it as a bit of a knees-up.

Anyways, the Boss himself has put me in charge of sorting out the nosh. I love following A Different Kitchen, and wondered if I could ask you to bake us a few cakes?

A Dundee Fruit Cake would go down well with the Balmoral set, and you can’t go wrong with choco brownies as far as all the kids are concerned lol. Numbers aren’t final yet – we still don’t know if Harry and the missus will be attending.

Let me know what you can do for us. Keep up the good work, and why not post a few more tracks from the Arctic Monkeys – I’m a big fan.

Cheers,
Camilla

Goodness me! I need your help here, readers. This is my biggest gig since I started the blog, so do please let me have your thoughts by way of comments below, on what I should offer to bake.

In the meantime, here’s a classic track from The Who for the ADK Playlist – Won’t Get Fooled Again.

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The Thrill of It All

This weekend just gone is one I had been looking forward to for some time. Tickets to see Roxy Music at the O2 Arena in London were a lovely surprise birthday present, and the day had finally arrived!

Roxy have directly influenced so many trends in music, from glam rock, punk and new wave to the new romantics and so much indie and electronic music since. It is difficult to convey how markedly different they were when they first arrived on the scene – an eclectic blend of suave crooning over buzzing guitar, blasting rock sax and experimental keyboards. Unique and original, they really were unlike anything we had seen before.

I have always been a fan of Roxy, and this show did not disappoint. The band performed lots of tracks that I have been listening to for years on vinyl and cd, and still nowadays on Spotify – Virginia Plain, Do the Strand, In Every Dreamhome a Heartache, Love is the Drug – to name a few.

Of course, with the passage of time, Ferry, Mackay, Manzanera and Thompson are all a little older and mellower. However, it still feels a privilege to be in the presence of the original band members when performing these era-defining songs.

My favourite track was Editions of You, played out at the O2 before an Andy Warhol-inspired backdrop, featuring garishly coloured lino prints of that famous Campbells Soup tin, and stars such as Marilyn Monroe and Jackie O. To these had been added vintage portraits of the band members from their heyday, in the same pop art style, acknowledging their own place in the pantheon of modern cultural icons.

I don’t know if we will see a tour like this again from Roxy, but if not, this is a fine way to remember the band and celebrate their wonderful legacy.