Status Quo 9 September 2009

Many years ago a great friend of mine became a Status Quo fan, he was a bit of a rocker and it was in 1973 with the hit single Caroline when he really started pushing this band with songs that rocked but really all sounded a bit similar. Caroline was their first real hit and it wasn’t until the end of ’74 that they had their one and only number one single with Down Down albeit there was a lot of top 20 hits in between and around these. (Technically incorrect I know.)

But that’s all bullshit really, as what they are really about is live performances. Since the early 70’s they have had a loyal following of fans and more recently they have packed arenas including Glastonbury with their fantastic live performances. These guys, 2 of which (Rossi and Parfitt) have been the mainstays of the band since 1968 opened one of the biggest concerts of all time and actually created the Live Aid anthem with their rendition of Rocking all over the world. Watching them perform at the Palma Arena you understand why they have done so well and why they have such a good following. A bit like Deep Purple who appeared in the same venue last year they are pros. They have spent their careers making and performing music and their professionalism and sheer enjoyment shines through. In reality the music is a bit samey but because of the execution you find it difficult to fault. If you are any sort of music lover, and I am, you just could not help but shout, cheer, whistle and clap to what is one of the best live bands to have come out of the UK. Yes I loved Deep Purple and thought that their classics were classics but they did not have me jumping like these guys, just wonderful stuff and I could always do with more like this.

The biggest disappointment for me was the lack of numbers, probably around 2000, at the concert. including the lack of locals at the concert, was this because they felt the tickets were too expensive or something else?

The Hot Club of Cowtown - August 9 2009

Appearing for the first time in Spain, a very excited threesome played some great music on Saturday night in the almost surreal surroundings of Bellver Castle, Palma, Mallorca.
Another of Tomeu Gomila's excellent Waiting for Waits concerts with a band that you had never heard of before he announced they were coming but one that you will not forget. Having just completed a comprehensive tour of the UK these guys detoured via Mallorca on their way back to the USA - thanks.
Probably one of the first times a country/jazz/swing sound has been heard in the round castle walls and it was well received by a mixed audience; all ages and from Mallorca and other parts of the world judging by the voices around me. The star of the show has to be Elana James and her fantastic and totally competent fiddle playing along with a good Texas singing voice, a voice that would have you crying in your beans whilst on the trail with your 10000 head of steer or maybe make you have a docey-doe with the guy next to you or whatever you do on those long drives across the plains of the Lone Star state to the rail head but you would definitely be smiling and foot tapping.
Not that I should major on her competence alone because the two guys are both outstanding musicians, Whit Smith on guitar and vocals and Jake Erwin on bass and vocals.
The finale of Orange Blossom Special finished of what was a top night, a tune I'd not heard in a long while and it was one of the best renditions I have ever heard.
If you get a chance go see!

Tony Hadley - July 11 2009

What a voice! One of my favorite concert venues, Claustre de Sant Domingo in Pollença, was the venue for this, the second of the Pollença Festival 2009 concerts. The concert was opened by the excellent Barcelona Jazz Orchestra with a couple of numbers which showed us (again) how good they are. (See the September 2007 entry) A total of 16 extraordinary jazz musicians who throughout the concert were really enjoying themselves.
Mr Hadley came on dressed for the occasion in a fitting black suit but would probably have been happier wearing shorts and a t-shirt as it was a little warm. But this did not stop him belting out same top jazz standards and letting us hear just how good a range his voice has got. One of the best vocalists I have heard live in a long while. He included three Spandau Ballet tracks in his set, Gold, True and to start with Only when you leave. The arrangement of True being very jazzy but still very good, whilst the other two being pretty faithful to the original Spandau versions. His performance of Gold was just brilliant showing it is not only in the writing but his voice which made this the incredible hit that it was originally in 1983 and the standard radio play that it has become over the years since then. It would be one of my Desert Island discs without a doubt.
A very accomplished performance by the Spandau Ballet lead singer just wish the audience would have got up on their feet a bit earlier so we could have bopped around a bit more.
Well done to Linda & Kenneth from Porto Colom, who were the Digame competition winners and who later told us they thoroughly enjoyed the concert.

They not only won two free tickets for the concerts but also 2 autographed Tony Hadley cd's thanks to www.mandolinmusic.co.uk Take a look at their site for all things Tony Hadley.

DeVotchKa - May 1 2009

I will be very surprised if this concert is not in my top 10 for 2009. Having been around for the last 10 years they are rightly now coming to prominence after exposure from the highly succesful film Little Miss Sunshine having written and performed the majority of the soundtrack and nominated for a much coveted Grammy.

They have such a unique sound with influences ranging from Mariachi of Mexico to Romany of Eastern Europe. Nick Urata has a voice that is smoother than a hard boiled egg and his ability to sing, play guitar and theremin at the same time would get him thrown out of any left wing jobs-worth orchestra as would all of his colleagues. They all seem to be multi-taskers; Tom Hagerman plays violin, accordion, and piano - Jeanie Schroder sings, plays sousaphone and double bass; and Shawn King plays percussion and trumpet.

Their latest album A Mad and Faithful Telling is packed full of tunes that will not get out of your head, tracks like The Clockwise Witness which has a beat in the middle that just drives you crazy (in a good way) every time you hear it! For me I prefer the Mariachi / Southern States sound reminding me very much of Calexico at their best but that is being over critical as there was nothing in this concert that I did not enjoy.

This is another band you just have to see as their performances are just as good live as they are on disc; a band very much in demand as was proved by the Brits who travelled to Mallorca especially to see them as for some reason the UK is not on their tour schedule.

Great concert and as said earlier, sure to be a top 10 in 2009!

The Wave Pictures

Every now and again you get to hear or see something that makes you sit up and say that was something special. Having seen a lot of bands over the last 5 years of varying standard, last night was one of those SIT UP nights. Listening to the (web based) music of The Wave Pictures over the past few weeks and having read various reviews, it was obvious that this band was good. What was not obvious was just how good.

The Wave Pictures are David Tattersall (guitar), Franic Rozycki (bass) and Jonny ''Huddersfield'' Helm (drums). A tight threesome that have not lost their way yet. Three guys that obviously know each other well and enjoy each others company and enjoy playing good music. Music that not only can you hear but also understand, wonderful lyrics that tell of life and its actions so well, but accompanied by such great tunes you just can't get them out of your head. (all I can see today is a marmalade sculpture, not marmalade but a sculpture.)

Back to the concert; last night I saw and heard something that I have not seen in a long while, probably never seen in Spain, an audience shut up. One thing you get used to at concerts, be they good or bad, is the constant chatter from somewhere at the back, usually a bunch of guys who have not seen each other for at least 5 minutes and will be rushing off at the end of the concert, unable to stop and chat so they must have a conversation (at the top of their voices) in the middle of said concert. But. No. Something happened. These 3 guys walked away from their microphones, stood in the middle of the stage and actually performed a cappela. A beautiful song performed so well that even BIG JUAN at the back shut his mouth for 3 or 4 minutes, it was spellbinding but sadly didn't last. But, hey, these young lads from England have done better than many a more professional artist to get them to shut up for one track.

The whole concert was performed with such confidence that you forgot how young this band is, a band, I feel, that must be on the edge of great things.

If you had to pigeon hole them how about a band with songs as well written as The Smiths but instead of depressing, the lyrics are uplifting and instead of a monotone drawl (sorry Morrisey) a lead in David who can carry a tune well. Maybe somewhere between The Smiths and The Enemy, great music that can get a crowd going but great lyrics that can get you thinking and smiling. It is also worth noting that he is pretty good on guitar having got down to 4 strings by the end and still playing a mean tune.

This is a band that have to do some of the big summer venues as I can just see a few thousand bouncing along to the great music that these guys put together. Hope to see them again soon but probably, knowing Mallorca, it is unlikely to be here.

Jellyfish comedy night April 16

So many quotes including a lot of "we'll be back for the next one" made this a night to remember.

Appearing at The Gallery Club in Palmanova, Mallorca were two top comedians from the UK, Anthony King and Alan Francis. They both had very contrasting styles but were both incredibly talented. Anthony was much more the one liner and a perfect opener for this new comedy venue in Mallorca and Alan with his witty and black raconteur style of humour rounding of the evening. Both of them held the audience in the palm of their hands for most of the night with bucket loads of laughs. Much of the audience were in tears of laughter for large parts of the show and one lady on the way out thanked Anthony King for the fact that she had not been so close to wetting herself since she had been in nappies. The whole evening was presented by local novice Richie Clark who has now lost his compering virginity and should prove to be the star that holds the series together.

An incredibly varied audience which ranged from teenagers to grandmas, beach bums to multi millionaires enjoyed the complete evenings entertainment, with a fair percentage hanging around until chucking out time, dancing and drinking to the sounds of the by then dj Richie Clark.

The show was preceded by a large number of the audience taking up the special price meal in the above restaurant, which by all accounts was good value and good quality.

The next one of these is planned for June 18 and if this one is anything to go by it should not only be a sell out but a top class evening to go along with it. Keep an eye on the website http://www.jellyfishevents.com/ for info

Cafe restaurant Romero 21 March

Every now and again you come across a reasonable menu del dia location and yesterday was one of those. Don't expect gourmet, don't expect cloth napkins, cut glass, waiters in uniform or chefs with pretentions and you will probably be satisfied. We are lucky in Mallorca that across the island you can usually find somewhere for a cheap but wholesome lunch for between 7 and 10€. Cafeteria Romero in Port de Pollensa is one of those.
When searching these places out you have to be willing to take a bit of a chance and dive straight in and probably 6 out of 10 times you will be happy with your choice. Out of the other 4 it generally works out to 2 that are passable when you are there and passable the next time you are looking for lunch and the final 2 you just wish you could get out of. But that's the fun of menu del dia.
Yesterdays was in the top 6 categoray, nothing to write home about but good honest fare at 8.50€ and one that you would try again. The fish soup was very tasty, the chuleta was a good size and the chips home made and OK along with a little side salad, and the home made natillas tasted as it should even if it was a bit lumpy. Served with fresh bread, nice olives, wine and gaseosa it was a satisfying lunch after a morning of running around, all in all good value at 9.50€ including a coffee. I am not sure if this was a good day here or a normal one, but based on my lunch it is a recommended stop and you can find it just down the second left as you come in to the Port from Palma.
You can find more menu del dias at http://www.digamemallorca.com/food.html or let me know about your good and bad ones.

Jonathan Richman 11 March

Yet again as we predicted a sell out theatre Lloseta saw the return of the iconic Jonathan Richman. This is the guy who brought us Roadrunner, Egyptian Reggae and Pablo Picasso. One of the original characters of the US punk rock scene. (incidentally much more toned down than the UK scene at the time, much less spitting). His current tour with his best mate drummer Tommy Larkin is a much more relaxed affair. At times I think Tommy is somewhere else.

For my personal view I felt that JR tries too much to please the audience by performing in Spanish, Italian and French and should maybe think about pleasing himself and performing the music we all want to hear. At times I was not quite sure if the audience were laughing with him or at him.

Aside from this it was great to see this guy perform, yes another music legend appearing in Mallorca (like him or not). I just wish he had given us a bit more of Egyptian reggae which finished far too quickly and what actually happened to one of musics most iconic tracks Roadrunner! Oh well maybe next time, keep touring JR but just give us more of what we want, or is it just me?