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Thank you so much to every one who took part in last months gig, audience and bands did a commendable job. Finding myself once again without bass player and co-songwriter John Morrison, I (Suzanne of Rhatigan) along with the help of Jacqui on trombone and Gayle on trumpet left our destiny in the hands of the audience. A RHATIGAN song list was distributed with some 50 of our greatest misses and the audience decided the set. It was so much fun for me I've decided to do it again. www.suzannerhatigan.com
I'm pleased to also have another of our friends back after a long absence. JULIE ANNE McCAMBRIDGE delivers her intense melodic songs with absolute commitment as is also evidenced in her debut album 'Stars and Mud', on Lionmilk The album will be available in the shops and also online at among other places Tesco.net apparently and why not. www.lionmilk.com ANTHONY ANDERSON comprise the song writing singing and guitar talents of Ian John Button who's striking atmospheric guitar style lights up Death In Vegas albums 'Dead Elvis' and 'The Contino Sessions' and the bass and drums of Marco Magnani and Ai Niikura (from 1960's popsters Instant Flight), and Button's long-time bandmate and collaborator, "light-fingered" C.V.Edwards on synth and guitar. This is an early show for the line up and a rare chance to catch a great artist. www.planetanderson.co.uk |
Thursday, 9 November
2000
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'It's not the winning it's the taking part….' No doubt about it, in true Olympic spirit RHATIGAN embraces the challenge of almost certain musical chaos again this month. They are about songs and the 12 Bar is the ideal setting for artists not afraid to let their audience in on the music often before the band. Is the result fabulous or folly? Well both actually, but according to witnesses, never dull.
Not a little familiar, the bass line on track 2 of the FOSCA album 'On Earth To Make The Numbers Up' (Shinkansen). Writers Dickon Edwards and Alex Sharkey can't be surprised to hear 'It's Going To End In Tears' bears a striking resemblance to a certain high-energy classic by by was it the Communards or Bronski Beat, you know the one 'run away hide away' etc etc. (stop press; I've just been informed by the afore mentioned Mr Edwards that it was in deed 'Small town boy' by Bronski Beat). I hated Bronski beat. I hated the fact that despite hating them I was compelled to dance whenever I heard the blasted song. However I know there is a finite number of great bass lines and that's one of them so I'm pleased to discover it reinvented again and put along side techno riffs and better poetry. Back after popular demand, but this time with the band, Blair Jollands lounge lizards EL HULA make a triumphant return. Their album 'Hotel' is out in January on Boy George's label, Things to come/More Protein. These gigs are good tasters as is current single 'Every thing but you' and soon to be released follow up 'I can't hold back'. |
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I'm so glad I decided to stay in London last month special thanks to Michael J Sheehy, Madam, The Metic, Matt Backer and all our regulars who along with our new friends, made for such a memorable night. RHATIGAN is always changing, but
this month our pal Paul Murphy will be back on drums, (he's lucky
to still have a job) but we intend to make further use of Pete
Cuthbert who has sat in for the last few (I've got used to his
pretty face). We've been having fun with Jackie Grace and Gayle
Walton (no relation to the TV family of the same name) on Trombone
and Trumpet respectively and they'll be there again on the 14th.
We're trying to finish an album incorporating all forms of RHATIGAN
from recent months, so if you meet me (I'm Suzanne btw) please
hassle me to get it done or I will get side tracked by my new
virtual studio and PETE THOMPSON is a fine artist his intensity calls to mind Matt Johnson when 'THE THE' were saying something. His new mini album PICK A CARD (Rainbow Quartz) is out soon. It is his second; following the same themes as his critically acclaimed debut 'HOUSE FIRE' with its 'tales of apocalyptic relationship meltdown' (Q magazine). Tonight he'll be doing it acoustically, which suits me, as the mellower tunes are my favourites. SONG DOG has crept in to my CD player and it won't get out. I'm a sucker for melody but with Song Dog it comes from all sorts of surprising places. The lines that frame Lyndon Morgan's Robert Wyattesque voice and the dynamics, which bring to mind Neil Young at his epic best, make it one of my happiest discoveries so far this year. Having played support recently with Johnny Dowd, The Handsome Family and 10,000 Maniacs you can expect to see something special. His press release talks about his previous band describing them as '80's cult favourites SAD AMONGST STRANGERS' ? I've not had the pleasure. BLAIR JOLLANDS has played our club under a couple of different names, most recently BETHANY and EL HURA. He may be trying to make it difficult for his fans to keep track of his sultry Scott Walker meets Beck style musings but he hasn't succeeded in evading me. Tonight he is opening proceedings solo, by way of a warm up to his gig at the 12 Bar in October, though what name he'll be playing under then is anyone's guess |
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If it doesn't rain it pours. I was starting to think that I would be the last person left in London this August, it seemed like everyone would be out of town. I even thought I would cancel Cushy this month and have a holiday myself. But when the opportunity to hear MICHAEL J SHEEHY sing (by the way he is the best male singer in England today) and play songs from his excellent solo debut album 'Sweet Blue Gene' (Beggars Banquet) before he heads off for some Autumn touring, I knew what I had to do.
The early part of the night will feature shorter sets from 3 very different but very talented songwriters. Suki Smith knows how to write and perform dark, sexy bittersweet songs about you and yours, and every one really. Her band, MADAM played for us in March this year and I was hooked. Tonight her already spacious skeletal sound will be even more pared down with vocal, guitar and bass. THE METIC is Robert Rotifer, the lead singer and songwriter in London based band Metic. A 'metic' is, (or so I'm told) 'an alien or foreigner' and I suppose 'Austrian', certainly in terms of great guitar pop song writing, is a fairly alien idea. Remember Falco? The Metic has put me straight on that. His writng combines the subtlety and intensity of Robert Pollard (Guided by voices) with a European alt/pop/folk twist. I'm looking forward to seeing him solo. Virtuoso guitarist MATT BACKER, has threatened to compile a record of his songs ever since his seminal college band 'The dogs breakfast' went the way of far too many and not too few such out fits. Warm hearted, intelligent, tender, tragic and beautifully played songs are the result. |
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What a summer we're almost having. Console
your self, endless childhood sunny summer |
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Another month another Cushy night another
chance to gather in the centre of London and reel in great bands
from all over the joint. Joining RHATIGAN
on Thursday 8th June at the 12 Bar club
will be; from the Isle of Wight, Cushy favourite ANT
, who's beautiful songs on his search for
love or at least the ultimate song about it have been recorded
at our studio and are available on a variety of labels, the most
recent being the Paper Cuts fanzine CD, which features one of
my favs 'Easy'. Visit our web site www.cushyproductions.com for
more info about him and Rhatigan and other people we like.
Also coming to town are east coast (Norwich) alterno/rockers FIEL GARVIE whose 'pre-V V' EP is out now on Noise Box and from the west coast (Bristol) alterno/folk/jazz/blues purveyers MORNING STAR whose album 'My place in the dust' (currently being mixed by John Parrish) will be out on French label Microbe in the Autumn. |
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Thank you to every one who took part in last months epic Cushy night. We've never had a more diverse and talented line-up as that, not to demean any of the brilliant bands we have had on before. Just scroll down through these pages and you'll see.
This is Canadian singer/songwriter JULIE DOIRON's only London show. Don't miss the laconic former singer/bassist from Sub Pop's 'Eric's Trip' perform songs from her solo album on Sappy/Tree records, 'Julie Doiron and the wooden stars'. Hers is laid back melodic pop for people who find Woodbine too energetic. Julie recently won a 'Juno' (Canada's music awards) for best alternative album. She is in good company on the forthcoming Tree records Joni Mitchell tribute album and has recently been gigging with Lou Barlow, Damian Jurado and The Tragically Hip and The Creegans (other notables from the big country). I like to call this a new music night, but that mostly means new to me. This band however is new new. Fronted by Danish singer KAMILLA who does a kind of folky Stina Nordenstam/Toyah Wilcox kind of suck it and see thing |
