Shindig with Clorinde, Gaze is Ghost and Fake Maria

It's common to be bombarded with literature when you go to gigs. I went to shows in Japan where I was handed a sheath of posters and flyers as thick as a Sunday paper on my way in and an equally hefty load on my way out. The only thing handed me as I left Shindig at St Philips on Mill Road was a handwritten copy of Return From A Walk by Frederico Garcia Lorca. A flyer for the next event wouldn't have hurt as this one could not have been more moving and memorable.

As usual visitors were struck by the unique atmosphere as soon as they walked through the door. A candlelit stall sold refreshments from CB1 Cafe. Another table was decorated with lights and assorted trinkets and other pictures and candles were to be found dotted around the venue. Members of the audience were encouraged to write messages on post-it notes and stick them up around the venue.

Compere Fay Roberts opened proceedings with a poem and introduced first act, Fake Maria. The duo of Hayley Foster and Matt Bothwell were an instant hit when they started playing at Allographic - Matt playing guitar and Hayley reading poems. At this, one of their first official shows they used keyboard in addition to guitar filling the room with beautiful melodies and words.

They were followed by Gaze is Ghost, singer-songwriter Laura McGarrigle. She was accompanied at short notice by a guitarist whose name I didn't catch and Fay who added percussion and backing vocals to Laura's exquisite and tender vocals and piano.

Finally Clorinde made a welcome return to the venue. The mainly Italian, London based instrumental group played interpretations of famous poems. The band performed on multiple instruments as a videos played along with recordings of works including Blake, Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson and Charles Bukowski.

Show: 16.6.13 with Fake Maria

My guests on this show Fake Maria are playing 2 shows next weekend. On Saturday 22nd they are playing Shindig on Mill Road with Clorinde and Gaze Is Ghost and in Sunday they are at Allographic: Other Voices with Hollie McNish. You can hear pieces from all those other acts along with their live session in this special 2-hour show.

Playlist

Magazine - Shot From Both Sides
Darren Hayman - Seven Months Married
Hollie McNish - Mathematics
Fake Maria - in Session
Gaze is Ghost - Cloud Hidden
Stephen Morrison-Burke - Strings and Stars
Half Man Half Biscuit - Running Order Squabble Fest
Fake Maria in Session
Marnie Stern - The Chronicles of Marnia
Nick Mulvey - River Lea
Hyelim Kim - Pochagi
Fake Maria in Session
Clorinde - Pollen
Orbit over Luna - Asahi
Jet Jaguar - Poster Child
Raymond Antobus - The Town in This Dream
Teho Teardo & Blixa Bargeld - A quiet life
The Breaches - So Tell Me What Is Left
Six By Seven - Fall Into Your Arms
The Love Language - Calm Down
Tim Clare - Pub Stuntman
The Rolling Stones - Doom and Gloom
The Handsome Family - Woodpecker
I am a Man With a St Tropez Tan - There is No Death
Zombi - Shrunken Heads
Halo Halo - Is It Shiny
Memoryloop - Saturate
Lubomyr Melnyk - The Six Day Moment


16.6.13 with Fake Maria - 2 Hour Edition by Headstand on Mixcloud

Fake Maria

On the next show this Sunday I'll be joined by Fake Maria - a new local acoustic guitar spoken word duo. They will also be playing at Shindig on June 22nd at St Philips on Mill Road.

Check out their song Respect you elders and tune in for the session on Sunday.

Hammer and Tongue with Ray Antrobus & Charlotte Higgins

This Wednesday get down to the Fountain for the last round of the Hammer and Tongue Poetry Slam 2012/13. It's your last chance to qualify for a place in the regional final to be held in September. It's also an opportunity for poets and poetry lovers to check out two great headline acts.

Headliner Ray Antrobus was in top form at the national finals last weekend. His efforts got Hackney second place in the team slam pushing Cambridge into third. He's a seasoned writer and performer. See his website for more info: www.raymondantrobus.com.

He will be supported by Charlotte Higgins who won the Strawberry Fair youth slam - the latest in an impressive list of awards and accolades.

For tickets and more info see the Facebook page. 

 

Spoken Word At Strawberry Fair

Strawberry Fair returned to Midsummer Common for a day of free music entertainment and rogue aliens. Things got off to a great start on The Mad Hatters Stage with Cambridge's top spoken word acts. Members of Flack got things started with music and spoken word including a performance by Glen Hutchinson and Toby Peters perfectly blending music and poetry.

At 1pm Allographic's Fay Roberts took to the stage to introduce a terrific lineup of poets. J.S. Watts started with a set including poems from her pamphlet Steel Yard Sue. She was followed by two brilliant young performance poets Riaz Moola who you can hear on the latest show, and Nikki Marrone. Fenland poet laureates past and present followed: Leanne Moden with an entertaining set as always including a poem about a lover of biscuits and then her predecessor Elaine Ewart had some wonderful nature poems.

Rychard Carrington made a welcome appearance following a memorable set at Hammer and Tongue a couple of months ago. An unpredictable five minutes included silence, poppadoms and Mad Axe Magruder! Hayley Foster, one half of musical-spoken-word duo Fake Maria followed before I had the pleasure of reading a few poems to the sizable audience that had grown over the last hour.

Making the link from music to spoken word were duo the Antipoet. I've seen them many times and their jazzy double bass grooves and sharp-witted poems never fail to entertain.

Nearly two hours of quality entertainment and I'd only been to one stage. I went off to explore the other attractions of the day. In doing so I forgot all about the other big spoken word event, the Strawberry Fair Youth Slam. I missed out by all accounts. You can read Leanne Moden's report here.

It was great to see so many people enjoying spoken word at the fair. Hopefully there will be even more on the programme next year.

Show: 2.6.13 with Riaz Moola

Javelin - The Marimba Song
Nick Mulvey - Fever to The Form
Riaz Moola - Poetry
The Breaches - She Says
Ray Antrobus - My Hunger!
Fuzzy Lights - The Hour
Riaz Moola - Poetry
The Handsome Family - Eels
Hefner - I took Her Love For Granted
Hour Hands - Door Without Hinges
Riaz Moola - Poetry
The Beguilers - The Little Boy Lost
Jet Jaguar - Re-De-Beso
Sunwolf - Breach

2.6.13 With Riaz Moola by Headstand on Mixcloud