Hot dogs, bingo and degradation

To celebrate the first anniversary of their first “proper gig” (Colin’s own words), Minghe Morte have announced another feeder gig! Last year, it was cheese toasties; this year, it will be hot dogs. And of course there will be a bingo interval with hopefully more unique and exciting prizes (if I remember correctly, one of last year’s top prizes was a Minghe Morte chicken dinner for one).

And if the promise of free hot dogs and bingo is not enough to get you down to the Packhorse on June 12, I have heard from reliable sources (Colin himself and the LIMA website) that Chris de Bezenac will be generating extra dirt with his brand new laptop. Yeah!

I’ll be there. Will you? (whoever you are)

Chris Bussey Colin Sutton on guitar Chris de Bezenac

Last LIMA gig of 2005

Just come back from the Cardigan Arms where LIMA presented their last gig of 2005. I had the pleasure of discovering the incredible talent of Paul Dunmall, Paul Rogers & Philip Gibbs. What a treat this was! LIMA presented these guys as a “world class improv trio” and I have to agree 100%. Great stuff.

We also got to see a short set by Kane/Sharkey/deBezenac. I don’t think I’ll ever get fed up of these guys. Their music just gets better and better. Both trios joined forces for an amazing finish. All in all an evening of the highest quality.

Apparently, the next LIMA event will be in February. Thanks for a great Autumn season! Can’t wait for what’s coming up next year.

Jim Black tonight!

OK, I’m excited. Jim Black is back in Leeds and I’m going to see him. I’m getting ready as I type. This will be the fourth time I see Jim Black in Leeds! He’s been amazing every time so I’m really looking forward to tonight’s gig. Check this space for some photos (hopefully not as blurry and dark as my latest gig pics).

Minghe Morte’s Requiem

Here’s my only photo of last week’s Minghe Morte gig at the Fenton.

Chris Bussey somewhere behind the blur

Maybe due to the nasty weather, the turnout was very low which impacted quite a lot on the atmosphere. Minghe Morte‘s music was again full of raw energy. Chris Bussey‘s drumming seems to get better and better every time I see him. One major disappointment (apart from the tiny audience): the sound ruined a lot of the performance. It sounded like a massive reverb was drowning most of the subtleties that make Minghe Morte so great.

I also saw Rumple Bombaclaat vs Don’t Lick the Knife. As laptop gigs go, this was pretty good with a few real gems emerging from the general chaos of noise generated by the 2 PowerBooks.

Rumple Bombaclaat vs  Don't Lick the Knife

Rashomon at the Wardrobe

Right, yet again I have no idea how to start this post. I go to a gig, I take some pictures and then I sit in front of the screen and it takes me ages to write anything. I usually end up writing a short bland paragraph such as:

Went to a gig the other night. I liked it. Here are some photos.

This has to stop. So I decided to go ahead and write my thoughts. Will I write about the music and the night at the Wardrobe? Maybe. We’ll see.

OK. So, (was it Wednesday? Yes it was. Man, I always have to pause when I write Wednesday… W.E.D.N.E.S.D.A.Y. and don’t forget the capital W!), Wednesday (the 26th) I went to the Wardrobe for another LIMA gig (and there we go again, nothing really exciting yet hey?). This was the first event at the Wardrobe since the Showcase in May. I was really looking forward to another gig at the Wardrobe because the sound is so much better than anywhere else in Leeds and you usually get a good audience.

The evening started with Inertia Trio which I found bland (not worth going into much more detail to be honest). Wow! I just wrote something negative about a gig! This is a first.

Anyway, after that, it was Rashomon‘s turn: lots of people on stage, two drummers (including Paul Hession), Richard Ormrod, his weird instruments and his cards (with instructions such as “play something you now” and “greasy”). As expected, it was very chaotic. Maybe a little too ambitious but very enjoyable. As usual, here are some pictures:

Rashomon

Free jazz at the Packhorse

Last Thursday was time for another gig. The line up was supposed to be Matt Bourne & Christophe DeBezenac followed by Quartet Alpha but half of Quartet Alpha was missing so we got this instead:

Matt Bourne, Dave Kane, Chris de Bezenac & Stale Birkeland

Matt Bourne, Dave Kane, Chris de Bezenac & Stale Birkeland

The gig started with only 5 people in the audience but the room quickly filled up. The band played 4 pieces (could’ve been 5, not quite sure now). The sound was good and each musician contributed some great performances. Here are a few photos I took. Lighting was kind of red and as usual, I didn’t use a flash so they are dark and… well, kind of red.

Free jazz at the Packhorse

Improv at Holy Trinity / Chaos at Milo

Yesterday, went to the Holy Trinity Church to watch Phil Minton & Roger Turner make some great music. I’ve been real lucky with gigs recently. Can’t remember last time I was disappointed by a live performance.

Holy Trinity Church

The Holy Trinity Church

Took a few pictures inside the church. Not great but worth a look I think.

Launch gallery »

After this, we were off to Milo for another Minghe Morte gig!! Hooray! The gig was short (too short), loud and fast: perfect! 🙂

Minghe Morte at Milo

Blurry!

Sharkestra!

The LIMA autumn season kicked off today with a great performance at the Brudenell Social Club: Sharkestra (Chris Sharkey, Christophe de Bezenac, Dave Kane, Kari Bleivik, Matthew Bourne, Petter Fadnes, Richard Ormrod, Sam Hobbs, Simon Kaylor).

Chris Sharkey

The music was inventive and full of energy, Kari Bleivik’s vocals were great, Sam Hobbs’ drumming was just right; I’m sure you get the idea… I liked it a lot.

Here are a few pictures I took at the gig:

Launch gallery »

Minghe Morte at the Packhorse

As I said in my previous post, on Monday I went to the Packhorse to see the first “proper” Minghe Morte gig. I saw them at the LIMA showcase last May (more about it here) and really loved their performance. The Packhorse gig confirmed my first impressions: Minghe Morte just ROCK! They are Colin Sutton on bass, guitar, bass pedals and sampler, Chris Bussey on drums and sampler and Christophe de Bezenac on sax. The music is loud and powerful but full of melody and surprises, the rhythms are complex and demand full concentration from the audience, what else could I ask for?

And on top of this, when you go to a Minghe Morte gig, you get fed! The flyers didn’t lie, for the £3 entry fee, each of us got a free cheese toastie and the chance to win “fabulous” prizes at the free prize bingo during the interlude. This was a great stunt, the turn out was impressive and the audience really loved it.

My brother David and I spotted a few covers and quotes including a piece from virtuoso drummer Jim Black’s Alasnoaxis and another from Queens of the Stone Age. Need I say more?

Musical highlights: Bussey’s drumming (from start to finish), great use of samples, Sutton’s bass guitar sound.

Minor disappointments: de Bezenac seemed a little tired and the sax could’ve been a little louder.

Overall, a great night of music and cheese. Definitely looking forward to more feeder gigs!

Minghe Morte at the Wardrobe

Photo: Minghe Morte at the Wardrobe in May