'To My Friends' by Yoko Ono

Yoko Ono has published a poem on her Imagine Peace website to coincide with the end of 2014 and the start of 2015. I can identify with this.

I am beautiful. I am intelligent. I am healthy in mind and body. I will follow my heart. Repeat.

TO MY FRIENDS

My dear friends.
How was your year?
Mine was very trying.
But I came out of it smelling the sweet air.
I hope you did too.

I do get concerned, though,
how you will be doing over the holidays.
So here's what I want you to do.

Follow your heart.
And repeat:
I am beautiful
I am intelligent
I am healthy in mind and body

When you get depressed
Keep repeating this until you feel better
or fall asleep.
And let's have a great 2015!

I love you! 


Yoko Ono Lennon
Monday 22 Dec 2014
New York City

Thank you Yoko. And a happy New Year to all!

Be beautiful, be intelligent and be healthy in mind and body.

A List Is Just A List

I'm a bit of a lister, me. I write lists. I don't mean shopping lists (other than at Christmas), my lists are far more interesting. I wrote a list of plays by Christopher Marlowe so I could cross them off as I saw each play. I write set lists after gigs for no particular reason other than I make lists. I make lists at work, not so much things I need to do but a list of what I'm not doing so, if or when something goes wrong I know I need to put it right. I have a list of every hug I've ever had from Amanda Palmer. Yes, I am that geeky.

I make my lists in a pocket sized black Moleskine notebook that travels most places with me. It's full of lists and notes and the occasional drawing and every now and then I'll open it randomly and see what I find. I've just opened it randomly roughly in the middle to find my notes of visiting the London Paralympics in 2012 and seeing swashbuckling. I've just opened it about three quarters of the way through to find a random quote from the George Bellows exhibition I went to at the Royal Academy in May 2013 and, on the opposite page, is the setlist from Yoko Ono's gig that opened her Meltdown series on the Southbank in June 2013.

There's all sorts in this little notebook. It's not a diary - this blog is probably more of a diary of my daily doings and visitings and seeings - but it is full of lists in chronological order. The last entry is a note about Viv Albertine' book launch at the Lexington on 3 June 2014. The next entry will be a list.

This weekend has been a bit of a remembrance one, remembering people and things and events from years ago. I've no idea why. I started thinking of all the bands and solo artists I've seen over the years and realised I only remember a fraction of them. So I'm going to start a list. I know I saw quite a few bands in the mid-70s and again in the early 80s but I can't remember that many (probably because I didn't keep a list).

I know I saw a lot of bands in 1981 because I was involved in the students union and helped out on gig nights but can't really remember that many. I remember seeing SLADE and Dave Hill offering me a cigarette (a Benson & Hedges), I remember seeing The Tourists and Annie Lennox's voice, I remember the Ramones, I remember Gary Glitter on his motorbike, I remember Lene Lovich and Wreckless Eric and Rachel Sweet and I remember The Clash. But who don't I remember?

I shall start a list of those I remember and then go through my record and cassette collection to see if any jog my memory, and then start on CDs and digital stuff. I know I never saw Siouxsie & The Banshees (I have no idea how I missed them despite buying all the albums) but I've seen Siouxsie several times in the last decade. Some people I didn't see back in the day but have made up for it more recently, like Poly Styrene, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Viv Albertine and, of course, the Sex Pistols.

So, watch this space for an epic blog in the form of a list...

... what else can I make a list of?

Patti Smith at Cadogan Hall

Patti Smith declared her gig at Cadogan Hall on 5 February as her William Burroughs Centenary Concert to tie in with the centenary of his birth. The gig was billed as an evening of words and music with Patti, Tony Shanahan (guitars and piano) and her son Jackson on guitar. It was a mix of songs, readings from Patti's 'Just Kids', some of her poems and a reading from Burroughs' 'Wild Boys'. Patti kept the Burroughs theme going throughout the gig as she kept referencing him, her chats with him way back when and which songs of hers he said he liked. Patti said she used to stalk him and wait for him to come out of the bar next to the Chelsea Hotel in New York.

The start of the gig was delayed due to the Tube strike to allow people to turn up and then on came Patti, greying hair tied in pigtails, regulation black jacket over white shirt and jeans messily tucked into black boots. She had arrived. She carried various books, papers and her glasses to the lectern and started telling us that people kept asking her what she would do to commemorate the birth of William Burroughs and her response was that she had to work and was booked on a tour, so that night was her commemorative concert. Later, she told us that his best advice was to keep her name clean and to get a gold American Express card.

We were given readings from 'Just Kids', Patti's book about growing up and meeting and sharing her life with Robert Mapplethorpe. It was similar to her gig at the Purcell Room last year as part of Yoko Ono's Meltdown festival and she gave us some of the same readings, her favourite readings. I love the short tale of Patti and Robert travelling up to Times Square on Christmas Eve 1969 to see the 'War Is Over (if you want it)' poster from John and Yoko and deciding that the '70s would be their decade. Which it was.

As well as the readings, Patti also gave us songs, a goodly mix over the years but with a slight emphasis on her early work. She dedicated 'Beneath The Southern Cross' to Lou Reed and her other friends who've left in the past year and gave us the perennial 'My Blakean Year' as well as the hits, ''Because The Night' and 'Dancing Barefoot'. It was nice that she said she wrote 'Because The Night' with a 'nice New Jersey man' and the lyrics were written for Jackson's father.

Patti did two covers, 'It's a Dream' by Neil Young and 'Beautiful Boy' by John Lennon. I'm not sure why she chose those songs but they seemed to fit in with the rest of the set nicely.

The stand-out songs for me were 'Birdland' (that she read from her lyric book until a couple of minutes into the song) and a great 'Horses/Gloria'. The slow build to the manic rock beats and all the while her voice and words taking us forward. I loved seeing Tony and Jackson both looking at her at one point clearly having no idea where she was going and waiting for Patti to give them the cue for the guitars to pile in again. That was performance art going on in front of us.

After much clap-clap-clapping we were given 'Banga' and 'People Have The Power' as an encore, with much howling and woofing going on during 'Banga'.

This was Patti at the peak of her powers, little girl giggles at one point and powerful, growling vocals at another, ad libbing her own lyrics. At one point I distinctly thought 'this is art happening in front of me', an artist in full control of her art and her audience. It was a most impressive performance. Patti left me elated, having glimpsed something bigger than myself, almost breathless, and that is what an artist does.

Thank you Patti, I'm looking forward to next time!

PS: I took this photo at Foyles on the Southbank in London when she came to read from 'Just Kids'. Patti's hair is greyer now but her artistic integrity is intact. And that's what matters.

The Plastic Bag Awards 2013

Once again it's time for the annual Plastic Bag Awards, the Baggies 2013.

The Baggies offer a great opportunity to look back over the year and mull over things I've done and seen as well as enjoyed and been challenged by. I've seen a few films this year so that category has been reinstated and there's a new category for 'talks' since I've been to quite a few. So let's jump right in and see who wins the first award ...

Best Theatre - Drama

This has been an odd year for drama - I saw some great plays but didn't particularly like the productions ('Othello' and 'Edward II" both spring to mind at the National Theatre) and that narrows down the nominees quite a bit. After a lot of thought, the nominees for this category are:

• The Winslow Boy
• The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time
• The Judas Kiss
• Cocktail Sticks
• The Audience

'The Winslow Boy' was really quite impeccable but failed to engage me with the characters as did 'The Curious Incident', both really good plays and well produced but didn't do anything for me. 'The Audience' and 'The Judas Kiss' were perfect for the respective leads and both were great productions but the award goes to another tour de force performance in 'Cocktail Sticks' by Alan Bennett.

I saw 'Cocktail Sticks' as part of the 'Untold Stories' evening brigaded with another short Bennett play, 'Hymn'. It is an autobiographical tale of Alan Bennett's relationship with his parents over the years as he finds a pack of cocktail sticks at the back of a kitchen cupboard when clearing out the family home after the death of both of his parents. I recognised so many things in the play that helped make it real for me and that's why it wins the Baggie this year.

Best Theatre - Musical

2013 was a great year for stage musicals with some great (and not so great ) revivals as well as new productions. I saw the new production of 'Merrily We Roll Along' back at the start of the year at the Menier Choccy Factory and it just didn't work for me. I know it's been doing well in the West End but it didn't draw me in. On the other hand, I loved  the Choccy Factory's 'Candide' which is well worth seeing. Other productions that just failed to make the nominations were 'Titanic' and 'The Scottsboro Boys', both musicals I'd love to see again.

The nominations for 'Best Theatre - Musical' are:

• The Book Of Mormon
• A Chorus Line
• The Color Purple
• The Amen Corner
• The Light Princess

'The Book Of Mormon' was great fun and very rude and it was great to see Gavin Creel again. 'A Chorus Line' was a joy and I had to see it twice on its short run over the summer. 'The Light Princess' was a feminist fairytale with songs by Tori Amos and a sumptuous production at the National. Also at the National Theatre was 'The Amen Corner' which I saw a matter of days before seeing 'The Color Purple' at the Choccy Factory and it's 'Purple' that wins the Baggie.

'The Amen Corner' was a great mix of drama and song but it was the story and songs of 'The Color Purple' that swung it. Great acting and great voices melded in a great production that made me go back again to see it on its relatively short run. It should have transferred to the West End but a bonus prize is the Baggie for Best Musical.

Best Entertainment

I define 'entertainment' as a staged something that isn't a play or a musical. That makes it quite a wide ranging category. The nominations this year are:

• Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty @ The New Theatre, Wimbledon
• John Cooper Clarke @ The Palladium
• Patti Smith - Words & Music @ The Purcell Room as part of Meltdown
• A Christmas Carol @ Queen Elizabeth Hall
• Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake @ Sadler's Wells

A Matthew Bourne production is almost mandatory in this category and it's nice to have two, one from the national tour in the spring ('Sleeping Beauty') and the latest Christmas show at Sadler's Wells, 'Swan Lake'. Both have won Baggies in previous years that clearly indicates their strengths.

I saw the mastery of John Cooper Clarke for the first time this year despite buying my first record of his 35 years ago. He is a master wordsmith and it was a joy just to hear him talking let alone reciting his verse. And it was the same with Patti Smith who mixed readings from her autobiography ('Just Kids') with stripped back versions of her songs played with her son and daughter. However, the Baggie goes to 'A Christmas Carol', an ensemble reading of the story a week before Christmas. It was enchanting.

Best Talk

This is a new category of award for 2013 and is included because I seemed to attend so many 'talks'. These included staged interviews to promote books or celebrate films and  reminiscences as part of the National Theatre 50th anniversary celebrations. The nominees are:

• Tracey Thorn @ the Royal Festival Hall
• Ray Davies @ The Purcell Room
• Julie Walters & Richard Eyre @ the National Theatre
• Rita Moreno @ the British Film Institute
• Derek Jacobi @ the National Theatre

Sometimes it nice to just turn up and listen to people talk. They're generally set up in an interview format with someone interviewing the star - the best ones ask such open questions that the star can take flight and talk about virtually anything. The worst are where the interviewer has a script and sticks to it (a hideous Patti Smith interview a few years ago springs to mind where all the questions were based on a book she rubbished in the first five minutes - take a hint!).

Thankfully, all the talks I attended this year were good and the interviewers had actually read the book or done their homework. I'm going to single out Sir Derek Jacobi who gave a talk to promote his autobiography because he was so unexpectedly entertaining and human. I loved his stories about his parents and about him growing up as an actor.

Best Film

I've seen a few films this year for the first time in ages, old films and new films, documentaries and unexpected tales. The nominations are:

• I'm So Excited
• Marvin Hamlisch: What He Did For Love
• A Yank At Oxford
• Saving Mr Banks
• The Thirteenth Tale

I saw a not quite finished version of a documentary about Marvin Hamlisch as part of the London Film Festival that reminded me who he was and a delightfully twee 'Yank At Oxford' as part of a festival celebrating Vivien Leigh's centenary. I saw the impossibly camp and colourful 'I'm So Excited' by Almodovar and a preview at the BFI of the new Vanessa Redgrave TV film that was shown over Christmas, 'The Thirteenth Tale'. However, the Baggie goes to 'Saving Mr Banks' for its practically perfect magic.

Best Gig

I went to quite a few gigs last year, particularly over the summer with Yoko Ono's great Meltdown Festival on the Southbank. I saw the Pet Shop Boys bigging it large at the O2 with their new album and I saw Boy George and Marianne Faithfull (separately) at the Queen Elizabeth Hall as part of Yoko's Meltdown. I was privileged to see Siouxsie twice at the Royal Festival Hall, supported both times by Viv Albertine.  The nominees for the Best Gig Baggie are:

• Siouxsie @ the Royal Festival Hall
• Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band @ the Royal Festival Hall
• Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra @ The Roundhouse
• Viv Albertine @ The Purcell Room
• Kim Wilde's Christmas Party @ Shepherd's Bush Empire

All the nominees are women of power who've been around for a while. Siouxsie majestic in white PVC and Yoko screaming into her mic, both at the Royal Festival Hall. Amanda Palmer the rock star at The Roundhouse with the kind of light show and professionalism that says she's moved to another level. Viv Albertine headlining her own show at The Purcell Room with a tight band and so different to her 12Bar Club show back in January 2013.

But the Baggie goes to Kim Wilde for her first full show in London in a  couple of decades and killing it - and us! Tight band, Kim striding along the front of the stage taking us higher then singing Christmas songs - it was her Christmas Party after all! Well done Kim!

Best Live Performance

The best performance award is for a one-off song that just hit it and sends you away with a marvellous memory of the evening. This years nominations are:

• 'Dear Daily Mail' - Amanda Palmer
• 'Spellbound' - Siouxsie
• 'Warrior In Woolworths' - Celeste Bell
• 'Still England' - Viv Albertine
• 'Kids In America' - Kim Wilde

Amanda's 'Dear Daily Mail' was an internet sensation since, while singing a letter to the Daily Mail about her escaped tit at Glastonbury, she strips off her kimono and sings the song naked. Siouxsie delivered a magical 'Spellbound' and Celeste Bell (or Styrene to me) gave us a perfect acapella 'Warrior In Woolworths' at PolyFest. And who could fail to be excited by seeing Kim Wilde singing 'Kids In America' live 30 odd years after it was her first hit?

The Baggie goes to Viv Albertine for what I think of as the disco version of 'Still England' she gave us at the Purcell Room. Halfway through the song it changed into a disco beat and a glitter ball exploded to surround us all with light as she read out the names of people that mean England to her. It was magnificent and shows just how much she's grown as a musician and performer in the last year, from the D.I.Y. 12Bar Club show to her encased in lube and a PVC top. With a glitter ball. Well done Viv, a performance to stick in the memory!

Best New Album

There weren't that many new albums this year that made me go wow so it was relatively easy to list the nominees:

• David Bowie - 'The Next Day'
• Linda Thompson - 'Won't Be Long Now'
• Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band - 'Take Me To The Land Of Hell'
• Boy George - 'This Is What I Do'
• Kim Wilde - 'Wilde Winter Songbook'

The biggest wow factor goes, of course, to Mr Bowie for releasing a new single out of the blue and then followed it up with an excellent album of new material. I still listen to it avidly. Linda Thompson and Yoko Ono take us back to another time and it's great that both are still producing excellent and challenging music. Then we have two '80s stars in the shape of Boy George and Kim Wilde and, while the Boy's new album is excellent, it's out-shone by Ms Wilde's Christmas record. 'Wilde Winter Songbook' is full of excellent songs for singing along to or listening to on a cold winters' day. Well done Kim!

Best Exhibition

This has been a great year for exhibitions from portraits of Native Americans at the National Portrait Gallery to one of the inventors of pop art, Lichtenstein, at the Tate Modern. The nominations are:

• Light Show @ the Hayward Gallery
• Man Ray @ the National Portrait Gallery
• David Bowie Is @ The Victoria & Albert Museum
• George Bellows: Modern American Life @ the Royal Academy
• A Crisis Of Brilliance @ Dulwich Picture Gallery

All were excellent in different ways. I'd be really tempted to award the Baggie to George Bellows or A Crisis Of Brilliance if it wasn't for Mr Bowie. If you weren't in your early teens (or younger) in 1972 when Ziggy pointed straight at you through the telly box while singing 'Starman' then you won't understand the sheer thrill of seeing that costume in a glass case with the model pointing straight out at you. Again. Giant video walls, stage costumes and the keys to his Berlin flat, the exhibition had it all and was a joy to wander through. Well done V&A and thank you to Mr Bowie for blessing it.

And there you have the Baggies for 2013. I wonder what 2014 will bring?

Advent Calendar #4 - 'Happy Christmas (War Is Over)'

And a move back to the olden days for the next advent calendar window to open. The early '70s produced a raft of great Christmas songs that we all listen to today and this is one of them, 'Happy Christmas (War Is Over)' by John and Yoko. Yoko is still campaigning so join her online to support the message that war is over (if you want it).

In the meantime, enjoy their Christmas anthem:

Advent Calendar #3 - 'She Hates Wrapping'

On day 3 of my advent calendar we have She Makes War performing 'She Hates Wrapping' - her version of The Waitresses great Christmas song, 'Christmas Wrapping'.

She Makes War is really Laura Kidd and I first came across her when she played bass in Viv Albertine's band at the Royal Festival Hall when Viv supported Siouxsie at Yoko Ono's Meltdown. She impressed greatly!

Yoko Ono - 'Bad Dancer'

The new video from Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band for 'Bad Dancer' from the new album has dropped and Yoko is on top form. Give your bum a wiggle to this!

And the only way to make art is to wear a top hat (obv).

Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band - 'Don't Worry Kyoko'

Look what I've found on YouTube - some quite good footage of the Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band gig at the Royal Festival Hall back in June that opened Yoko's Meltdown festival. And I was there!

The video is of 'Don't Worry Kyoko' and Yoko is joined on stage by Peaches.



I first came across this song on 'Live Peace In Toronto', the John Lennon live album with the cover depicting a tiny white cloud on a deep blue on blue sky, one of the images Yoko used in the Royal Festival Hall. On the album it's called 'Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking For Her Hand In The Snow)' which is a rather more wonderful title.  Enjoy!

Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band - 'Take Me To The Land Of Hell'

Yoko's new album, 'Take Me To The Land Of Hell', is now out as a download and will be available in a couple of weeks as a physical record. I pre-ordered it to get the advance release of 'Moonbeams' in June and have been enjoying it - 12 songs, mostly coming in at around three minutes or so, almost a pop album.

The Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band is really Yoko and son, Sean Ono Lennon, with a range of guests and the concept works. From tender piano-led songs to raucous rock thrash, it all hangs together really well. But make your own mind up since you will anyway.

Thank you Yoko, another album well worth listening to!

She Makes War - 'Butterflies'

The new ep from She Makes War is out and she's spent most of the last week crafting handmade packages for her backers through Bandcamp. I know because she's been telling us on Twitter.

I first came across Laura as the bassist for Viv Albertine at the Royal Festival Hall during Yoko Ono's Meltdown festival back in June. She was quite noticeable because she jumped around the stage and got into the music. As bassist, she was also filling some seriously big boots since the original songs were played by people like Mick Jones, Dennis Bovell, Tina Weymouth and Jack Bruce.

I'm going to see She Makes War for the first time as a solo artist on Friday when she supports Kim Boekbinder, aka The Impossible Girl. I shall take money for merch. And I shall take photos.

Here's the video for 'Butterflies' that's just been released....

Yoko Ono's Meltdown 2013

The annual Meltdown festival takes place on the Southbank in London every summer, between June and August, and each year is curated by one of the great and good. Previous Meltdown's have been curated by David Bowie, Morrissey, Anthony Hegarty, Ray Davies, Patti Smith, Richard Thompson and a range of other artists over the years. 2013 was the turn of Yoko Ono.

Yoko was a guest at Patti Smith's and Ornette Coleman's Meltdown festivals so it was about time she had her own festival and what a festival! She, of course, had to include political activism and brought over two members of Pussy Riot from Russia and Peter Tatchell to do a talk, she gave us the Silent Disco (DJs played music into wireless headphones for the dancers to groove along to while we looked on puzzled and guessing what songs were being played), Peaches re-created Yoko's 'Cut Piece', the John Lennon Educational Bus was there and a host of other events and performances as well as the big shows. The other morning Yoko tweeted us to join her on the roof of the Queen Elizabeth Hall at sunrise to enjoy the birds singing.

This year I attended more shows than in previous years. I saw the Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band open the festival (and I treasure my Onochord), saw Siouxsie and Viv Albertine twice, saw the powerful 'Battleship Potemkin' with a soundtrack by Pet Shop Boys, Patti Smith give us an evening of words and music, and Marianne Faithfull and Boy George both did gorgeous singing and talking. Ten days and nights of art in all it's various forms, all down to Yoko.

It culminated with a show I didn't see, a live recreation of John and Yoko's 'Double Fantasy' LP with music provided by Sean Ono Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band and guest vocals from Peaches, Patrick Woolf, Lene Lovitch, Patti Smith, Boy George and Siouxsie amongst others. The encore was Yoko and Siouxsie singing 'Walking on Thin Ice'.

All I can say is wow, what a festival! It wore me out so I hope Yoko is going to have a break when she finally gets home. She was tweeting links to videos of the shows this morning so she's still being active. She also tweeted Boy George this morning to say he's looking much younger than she remembered and asked if he was in love. I really love it that Yoko can ask questions like that. She's a treasure.

Thank you, Yoko, for a great Meltdown that brought so many of my favourites to the Southbank to play. I wish I'd met you to say 'thank you' personally. I tied a wish to one of your wish trees at the Serpentine Gallery last year and it came true, for which thank you. You've raised the bar for Meltdown - that's going to be a challenge for whoever does it next year!

Thank you, Yoko!

Boy George at Meltdown 2013

Boy George played at the Queen Elizabeth Hall as part of Yoko's Meltdown 2013 festival. His was the penultimate show with Yoko's 'Double Fantasy' show at the Royal Festival Hall closing the festival (just as she'd opened it ten days earlier with her Plastic Ono Band) in which he was also planning to sing (which explained the early start to the show).

I've seen George a few times over the past decade when he invariably wears his BeRude clothes, almost always a black suit with giant scarabs crawling over it or shiny skulls. It's nice to see he's moved on and great to see the new slimmed down George with his cheeky little beard and he looks much younger too. He's a great advert for a healthy lifestyle.

With a five-piece backing band and three backing singers, George strode on stage, the very picture of confidence, an artist who knows what he's doing and can do it with consummate ease. Instead of the greatest hits show I, and probably everyone else there, was expecting, he launched into a series of new songs, of three minute pop songs, and they sounded good. They're from his new album that will be released in, I think, November 2013 and what a great way to hear them first. The two that stick in the memory after a first listen are 'My God Is Bigger Than Your God' and 'Death of Samantha' (his cover of Yoko's song).

We did, of course, get some of the hits as well, including 'Do You Really Want To Hurt Me' and 'Karma Chameleon' (will he ever be allowed to stop playing those two?) along with 'Victims', 'Church of the Poisoned Mind', 'Everything I Own' and 'Satan's Butterfly Ball'. His voice was on top form and he moved about the stage with such ease, laughing and joking with the audience. It was a delight to see him happy and enjoying himself, telling us about the new album and a tour to be announced in the next day or so. I'm looking forward to both.

I don't know how George knows Yoko but it's great that she invited him to do Meltdown and it was lovely to see Yoko tweet him today commenting that he looks much younger and asks if he's in love? I smiled at that.

Marianne Faithfull at Meltdown 2013

Marianne Faithfull, accompanied by Bill Frisell on guitar, played at the Queen Elizabeth Hall last night as part of Yoko Ono's Meltdown. Marianne did talking and singing and Bill did guitar playing and miscellaneous guitar fanciness. No band this time.

Marianne had a rapturous welcome and launched in 'Broken English' to open her show. She was on for about 1.5 hours and it was very much a songwriters set with Marianne name checking the writers of the songs and a few words about them or her response to them. It was nice hearing her talk about the songs she sings and mentioned an album due out next year that she's making with Bill and with Steve Earle.

She sang three songs from 'Broken English' and the rest were from the 80s onwards with two exceptions. She sang her first hit from 49 years ago, a song she proudly said was written for her but not who wrote it (although we all know), 'As Tears Go By', and she gave us a touching version, almost of a mature woman looking back at her younger self. I couldn't help but think of her with her hair cut short for the video of 'We Love You' while she sung that song.

She also gave us 'Rich Kid Blues', a song she said she has only recently come to terms with since it reminded her too much of her bleak years as a heroin addict living rough in London. For some obscure reason mentioning being a heroin addict brought cheers from some misguided people at the back of the hall - Marianne certainly wasn't proud of it and looked pained.

At one point she lit up a cigarette on stage (which also brought cheers) because she needed it and then realised she had nowhere to stub it out so dropped it in her glass of water. She said it was due to the emotion of the show and I believe her. She also said that she hates being disapproved of by Yoko for smoking so she pretends she's given up smoking when she's with Yoko. Cat's out of the bag Marianne!

People were shouting out the songs they wanted to hear and that annoyed me. Marianne has probably spent weeks deciding on just the right running order so she's hardly likely to drop all that planning and practicing with Bill to play the song you want. So why do it? And why do people turn up late for gigs with clearly advertised start times? And by late I mean an hour late. What's that about? Get a watch!

Favourite songs were 'Vagabond Ways', 'Crazy Love', 'As Tears Go By', 'Tower of Song' and 'Strange Weather' (which was the encore). I also liked 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams', 'In Germany Before The War' and 'She'.

I will always love the 'Broken English' album which I remember buying on cassette way back when and she sang three songs from it - 'Broken English' opened the show, 'Working Class hero' which she said she'd better get right because it was Yoko's Meltdown, and 'Ballad of Lucy Jordan' which closed the show - her version of the song is perfect, a vision of bleak loveliness, sadness and hopefulness.

By the end of the show she seemed to be more relaxed and welcomed the standing ovation. I look forward to seeing Marianne play live again, hopefully next year to promote the new album.

Patti Smith at Meltdown 2013

Patti Smith returned to the Meltdown festival this week at the invitation of Yoko Ono (who was in the audience). Patti played in the Purcell Room in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, a small, intimate gig of words, music, chat and giggling. Patti's band were her daughter on piano and son on guitar and she played guitar and food-tapping (a much under-rated form of percussion). The signs outside said 'no photography' so I didn't but lots of other people ignored the signs. I sometimes do as I'm told.

We were treated to Patti reading some of her poems and extracts from 'Just Kids', her book about her friendship with Robert Mapplethorpe. She read a few passages from the book, including the letter she wrote to him that he died before reading. My favourite passage was Christmas night in 1969 when they walked up to Times Square to see the big poster saying, 'War Is Over if you want it, Happy Christmas from John and Yoko' since Yoko was in the audience sitting a few rows in front of me. Patti ended by saying they knew the 70s would be their decade and it was.

Patti sung some of her songs as well, with the stripped back sound of just piano and guitar which made them sound quite different to the driving rock sound we're used to hearing from her. She sang, 'Beneath The Southern Cross', 'Pissing in a River', 'My Blakean Year' and others. Before singing the mandatory 'Because The Night' (as her son said, it's her 'hit') she told us the story of waiting for her boyfriend - Fred, before they married - to ring her long distance and while waiting, she listened to the tape given her by Bruce Springsteen and wrote the lyrics to what became 'Because The Night' ("waiting for the telephone" makes sense now!).

We had a big sing along to 'People Have The Power' and to 'Banga' but my favourite was 'Ghost Dance' seeing Patti shake her hands as she shook out the ghost dance. It was eerie and almost shamanic seeing her put herself into the song and live it as she sang.

We also had her chatting to her children, reminding them that she would always have the upper hand since she changed their diapers. There was a short question and answer session and, when someone asked whether there was anything left that she wanted to do she replied by saying have you ever been in a library? There are millions of things she still wants to do, books to read, smiles to see, even shopping... and then she stopped and said, 'well, maybe not shopping' which brought out laughter from around the room. She's a really funny and giggly thing when she's given the space and it was lovely to see Patti in that mood.

Thank you Patti - until next time!

And here's *my* photo of Patti, taken three years ago at her signing of 'Just Kids' in Foyles on the Southbank. She was very gracious and patient that day with the hoards standing in line for a few seconds to be with her. And yes, I did ask if I could take the photo.

Pet Shop Boys 'Battleship Potemkin' - Meltdown 2013

This evening I was lucky enough to see the 1925 film, 'Battleship Potemkin' with the Pet Shop Boys soundtrack at the British Film Institute as part of Yoko Ono's Meltdown. Apparently this was a world first to see the film with the soundtrack as a film, rather than as a PSB performance.

It opened with a 20 minute interview with Neil Tennant about how they came to write the soundtrack and stage it with a full orchestra, first in London and then in other cities around Europe. It sounds like an amazing challenge and he described watching the film on DVD for the first time with Chris Lowe at his home in Durham with the sound turned off so they wouldn't be influenced by the existing soundtrack.  Neil then took his seat in the audience and the film started.

'Battleship Potemkin' is a silent film from 1925 with a cast of thousands (literally). It is masterfully directed by Sergei Eisenstein and tells the tale of the rebellion of the crew of the battleship in 1905 in support of the first Russian revolution, their support by the people of Odessa who are cruelly mowed down by Cossack bullets  and ends on the high of the battleship sailing unharmed through the squadron of ships sent to end its rebellion. I've never seen it before but it was marvellous.

It's a powerful film with so much going on I wouldn't dream of listing all of it. So many film techniques were used in this film and have been copied ever since. Like the baby in the pram bouncing down the Odessa steps, the Cossacks marching relentlessly down the steps like Cybermen, close-ups of maggots in the meat and so much more. At one level a simple story and at another a metaphor for so much more. A tale of minor grievances escalating into nationwide revolution. I was mightily impressed.

At the BFI you get a printed A4 narrative about films and the cast as you go in and so I am pleased to name some of my favourites in the film. All probably long-ago left us, but their names and images live on.  I liked:

- Aleksandr Antonov as Vakulinchuk, the sailor who starts the rebellion on the battleship and whose dead body on the pier of Odessa starts the revolution in the city;
- Beatrice Vitoldi as the 'woman with a pram' who is shot down by the Cossacks on the Odessa steps and who looked like a young Siouxsie;
- Propkopenko as the mother of the boy who is shot on the steps and carries his body boldly towards the Cossacks only to be shot herself; and
- N. Poltavtseva as the teacher with pince-nez who encourages people to approach the Cossacks as brothers and ask them to stop shooting only to be shot down herself.

They gave some powerful performances and I want their names recorded in this blog. It is a film of terrible beauty and power.

And the music? Pet Shop Boys have done themselves proud, with the soundtrack adding another level to the film. My favourite section was when the revolution whipped itself up to the music of 'Nyet' which was instantly re-named 'Disco Revolution'. Another favourite section was when the battleship sailed out to engage the squadron of ships sent to capture it and the music slowly speeded up the closer they came to ultimate engagement... and I won't tell you what happened next.

Thank you to PSB for taking on the challenge of writing the soundtrack ten years ago and thank you to Yoko for adding this to Meltdown. I've had my eyes and ears opened. That's a good thing.

Viv Albertine - Meltdown 2013

Tonight was the turn of Viv Albertine to play at Yoko Ono's Meltdown to open Siouxsie's gig. I didn't know that Viv was supporting Siouxsie when I got the tickets so it was a lovely surprise to find out that Siouxsie and Viv were playing on the same bill. As Viv said herself, whoever would have thought they'd be playing on the same stage all this time after their punk years?

Viv had a four-piece band backing her and they sounded really good, helping Viv create a lovely noise on the stage of the Royal Festival Hall. All of the songs were from Viv's 'The Vermillion Border' album except 'If Love' (from her 'Flesh' EP). Well, when I say her album, I mean her double 12" vinyl LP since the set included two new songs only released on vinyl, 'Life's Too Short To Be Shy' and 'Couples Are Creepy', and both are excellent! Luckily, the vinyl LP was available to buy in the foyer so I snapped it up.

Viv had a good line in patter when talking between songs, telling us about them, what they were about and where they came from. Introducing 'In Vitro' she explained her three ages of punk theory of heroine needles to IVF needles to knitting needles. She gave us a stomping version on 'I Want More' (which she said was one of the cardinal sins of women, wanting more) with its jagged guitar and the lovely and liberating 'Confessions Of A MILF' to close the show.

Well done on a great show, Viv. Looking forward to seeing you on Monday!

Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band - Meltdown 2013

This evening I went to see the glorious Yoko Ono and her Plastic Ono Band at the Royal Festival Hall as the opening show of Yoko's Meltdown festival. And they rocked.

When we went in there was a screening of Yoko's film 'Bottoms' as we took our seats, big bums up there on the stage walking slowly as the film moves from bum to bum. That made for an interesting start. Then the lights went out and we were treated to a 15 minute documentary of clips of Yoko from when she was a toddler, through the 60s and meeting John Lennon, art shows to picking up the Grammy for 'Double Fantasy' after John had been killed and announcing Strawberry Fields in Central Park. As this ended the band came on and suddenly there was Yoko, waving at us and we all cheered.

Yoko and her seven-piece band started making a wonderful sound, a mad cacophany of energy coming straight at us with Yoko's gutteral wailing on top, aural art. They had a great light show that was tame for most of the set and then, suddenly, sprang into action dazzling us and, combined with the sound coming from the stage, transports us to another level. This was not a pop group with some lights, this was performance art. The opening song was 'Moonbeams', the lead song from the next album.

About half way through the gig Yoko welcomed her special guest to the stage, Peaches, to sing 'Yes, I'm A Witch' with her. Peaches came back for the encore of 'Don't Worry Kyoko' with Sean Ono Lennon playing the Eric Clapton guitar hero role from the original recording and he's not at all bad on the guitar. Or the bass (which he also played on some songs).

During one song which I think was  'Calling' from the last album, Yoko called out for light and suddenly people started flashing their Onochords around, lighting up the audience with hundreds of pinpricks of light. We were all given Onochords on the way into the gig and a short film of Yoko was shown late in the gig showing us how to signal 'I Love You' with them. I *love* my Onochord and still have my first one from 2009. I now have two.

We were treated to songs from the next album due out shortly (that all sound really good) as well as songs from the last album and some of her early work like 'Don't Worry Kyoko' and 'Mindtrain' (an abbreviated version, obviously). We also had 'Walking On Thin Ice' (that Sean described as her hit - singular - so they had to play it).

It was lovely to see Yoko prowl from one side of the stage to the other singing, howling and wailing depending on the song, giving it her all, full of energy and love. Relentless and tireless, all eyes glued to her.

'Mindtrain' finished the set and then 'Don't Worry Kyoko' was the first encore during which everyone flooded to the front of the stage to make it a rock gig. The second encore (of course there was a second encore) was a lovely, tender version of 'Higa Noboru' with just Sean on piano and a haunting trumpet in the background. It was lovely and a fitting farewell to the curator of Meltdown.

Thank you Yoko, it was fun! I hope to see you again during Meltdown - it's your show, after all!

PS: on the way to the Royal Festival Hall I noticed a big blue sign hung underneath the name of the hall at the back and the sign said 'Imagine Peace'. I think it's the same picture that makes up the cover photo for 'Live Peace In Toronto' with the small, white cloud. You just know Yoko's in town when you see that. And beside the Hayward Gallery is the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus so go along while it's in London. 

Yoko Ono - 'Moonbeams' & 'Take Me To The Land Of Hell'

Out of nowhere, Yoko Ono appears with a new song ('Moonbeams') and news of a new album ('Take Me To The Land Of Hell') on the eve of her gig to open her Meltdown festival. Meltdown is an annual summer festival on the Southbank in London to celebrate music and the arts and, this year, it is curated by Yoko Ono. Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band opens the festival tomorrow night and I will be there.

'Moonbeams' was announced by streaming it on the Guardian's website with a lovely review that I won't try to rival. Suffice it to say that it is classic Yoko. You can get a free download of the song by pre-ordering the new album on the Chimera Music site. The album will be released in mid-September so that's something to look forward to.

Meltdown is also the main reason for my TEN NIGHTS OF LIVE MUSIC as I'm calling it. It's not entirely accurate since one night is the soundtrack to a film and it's actually over 11 nights but I'm not going out on one of those nights (I think of it as a night off). But, as a title, it works.

Watch this space for more...

Sunday Night at the London Palladium

Donkeys years ago there was a programme on telly called Sunday Night at the London Palladium in which all the stars of the day featured, doing a turn, a song and dance or a short comedy routine. Well, last night it returned in the guise of a show headlined by John Cooper Clarke.

The show started at 7:30pm (with loads of people trailing in late from the bar) and finished at 11:05pm, thanks to a long set by JCC who was on for about 1:10 hours. Despite buying his records back in the day (and replacing them with CDs), I've never seen him live before. I had a ticket to see him on the Southbank last year but missed him again. Tonight I didn't and I'm so pleased I didn't.

There was a wide selection of guests to sit through before the main event and the show was opened by Thea Gilmore, someone I've never heard of but impressed me mightily and I've just downloaded her latest album and her London 2012 Olympics song with lyrics written by Sandy Denny, 'London'. I'll have to explore her back catalogue.

The lovely Viv Albertine came on to sing three songs from her first solo album, 'The Vermillion Border'. She sang 'Confessions of a MILF', 'Needles' and 'I Want More', just her and her guitar. While introducing 'In Vitro' she commented that she thought of the three ages of punk when she wrote it: heroine, IVF and knitting needles! She was in the Flowers of Romance with Sid Vicious before joining The Slits so she's seen it all over the years. I wore my 'Confessions of a MILF' badge to the show, the badge that was given away to her pledgers that helped fund the album and I'm proud to say I was one of them. Well done Viv!

There were some other comedy acts and performance poets but I was like, 'OK, but I'm not here to see you, move along', like Barry Cryer and John Shuttleworth and a load of others. I was there for the main event and, after the second interval, the bare stage was set for Mr John Cooper Clarke.

On he came in his amazing skinniness, mop of hair and, of course, sun glasses, and he started regaling us with stories, poems and killer one-liners. I'm not even going to try repeating some of them - you had to be there for his often deadpan delivery of lines that crack you up. For a performance poet there weren't that many poems but I didn't mind, I loved listening to him weave his stories and take us on a magical journey into his mind.

Of the back catalogue, John delivered 'Beasley Street' at breakneck speed (including a 'get well soon' after mentioning the Duke of Edinburgh) and 'Evidently Chickentown' as an encore. All the other poems were new to me but not to lots of people in the audience. I loved his monologues that took us on strange journeys, such as him being the voice of Dominos Pizzas five years ago, Terry Pratchett and Alzheimers, marriage and that he can't go back to Manchester because he's considered fat by all the drug addicts (the poem has the graphic title of 'Get Back On Drugs You Fat F*ck').

Thank you for a great night out John, Viv and Thea. I'll be seeing Viv again next weekend when she supports the majestic Siouxsie at Yoko Ono's Meltdown!

Yoko Ono's Meltdown 2013

If you've looked at this blog before then you're probably familiar with the annual Meltdown festival on the Southbank in London. Every year someone is chosen to curate a festival of art and music. Past curators have been David Bowie, Morrissey, Patti Smith and Ray Davies. This year it's the turn of Yoko Ono.

I've seen Yoko at past Meltdown festivals, as part of the ensemble at Patti Smith's Meltdown and full (and quite astonishing) Plastic Ono Band gig as part of Ornette Coleman's Meltdown. I went to see a retrospective of Yoko's work at the Serpentine Gallery last year. As soon as she was announced as the 2013 curator I knew we were in for a treat.

I'm a member of the Southbank to hear about and buy tickets to events before they go on general sale. The pre-sale for members was on Tuesday and the tickets go on general sale tomorrow, Thursday. I was lucky enough to get tickets to see Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band open the festival at the Royal Festival Hall, Siouxsie playing her first gig in five years, Patti Smith doing an evening of words and music in the intimate Purcell Room, and Marianne Faithfull and Boy George at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. 

That haul alone justifies the cost of my membership. I'm still mulling over trying for tickets to see Iggy & The Stooges and, of course, more events are still to be announced. I quite like the idea of seeing the film 'Battleship Potemkin' with the Pet Shops Boys soundtrack at the British Film Institute. No doubt, more will be announced in the next few weeks.

Thank you Yoko, I'm looking forward to this. I hope we get another Onochord at your gig!