The Shiiine blog will be here soon, but first a surprisingly busy and exciting week straight after. Spoon Speaker Man persuaded me to go to their gig at Amped in Huddersfield. I went to this gig, tearfully walking the streets of Huddersfield, sad Shiiine On was over catching most of the sound-check and then going for food with Doug Smith and Karen Tozer Smith and having a lovely catch up.
Kerry Worton
Then, back to Amped and Kerry Worton was up first and brilliant.
Kerry’s new album, Raw:Roar is on Bandcamp here and you can catch Kerry at The Giffard Arms on 1st May (tickets link later in TV Pins section).
Raw:Roar | Kerry Worton | kerry Worton
I will add a review at a later date.
Spoon Speaker Man – Amped set
Spoon Speaker Man had played to a large audience at Skegness Butlins the night before and they still gave their all on a Monday night with a small audience and they refunded the tickets and played for free to support grassroots venues and the audience who were there had a night of great entertainment, skill and playfulness.
At the end of the night I had time to get to chat to the band properly and buy/swap some merch. They waited with me for my taxi outside the venue and talked me into being 90% convinced about going across to Stourbridge for the final gig of the tour. They then told me who the secret guests were. I said to Kerry I was thinking of coming across and Kerry said, what do you reckon to doing a poem between the bands, then, I couldn’t turn down that offer. I told them I would see them on the Saturday I booked my £33 Air B and B and train in the taxi home.
Stourbridge Station and incidental art
On the way to Stourbridge I had to change trains at Smethwick Galton Bridge and I have never seen a station like it before the platforms were not in a row but were on different levels with two 180 degrees from the other two. I loved this!
Om arrival at Stourbridge station the tiling was tremendous.
As I was leaving the station there was one person at the ticket desk, they said ‘Aren’t you Sarah from Shiiine? I accosted you outside the toilets…’ she asked me for a photo and then caught a train to Birmingham to meet a friend for drinks. By the time the gig started later she had come back from Birmingham in time for the start.
Pentagraphix shop
In the meantime I had visited the murals again (see Wolves blog for mural photos) and been in a t-shirt printing, incense and badges shop and left with 2 new t-shirts and 6 new badges. Chris and Sal who own Pentagraphix were lovely, knowledgeable, chatty and passionate about what they do.
Future Rebel Gallery
I have recently interviewed Cal Artist about his new gallery and the Stourbridge music murals project and I am at the radio editing stage of this podcast so I will post it here when it is live.
Incidental art in Stourbridge
TV Pins photos and album review
TV Pins photo Simon Hudson
Aircutter album review – non-muso
Oh Yeah
I love the drum start and the oh yeahs
Bye Bye Reseda
The number backing vocals ace and the guitar and bass riffs
I enjoyed the bit where it sounds like there are horns near the end and the build and brutal stall ending (this feels like 4 songs in one)
Magpie Eyes
dreamy start and the bounce in this one
Roundabout
guitar start beautiful.
Oh backing vocals. And the strumming.
Shining Light
Feels very Prowsey in all the best ways – lyrics, singing style, finger picking, all of it
Wishing Pool
Oooo! Bass! The groove, the controlled chaos, the taking off into space, then back to bass in space, reserved drums in exactly the right places then build at the end. Then some ooos to end. Perfect.
Daisy Saturday Night
Groovy have to dance to this one and I think that is partly the bass. Love the whole thing. Lyrics are my favourite. Love the high pitched vocals. Feels a bit Bowie to me
and that is always good right, this is my totally sober review.
Last Rites
Actually, this might be my favourite lyric! Vocals great.
Especially ‘I put all the hate-filled bitterness into a drumbeat in my head’
I love the progression in these lyrics on each round of verse/chorus.
Aircutter
Such a pared back start then space for the power of the vocal with drum build and reserved guitar and bass until it drops into an instrumental jam. Yes! bouncing bass and guitar near the end – definitely dancing here
Tonight
Sounds like the end of the night with a whisky in a corner and reflecting. A gentle finger-picking and longing lyric – may have just cried a bit a this track.
Most notable is the space they give each other to shine but also when they all build beautiful moments of cohesion together. It feels playful, controlled and crafted all at the same time. I am looking forward to the new single, Version of Love, being released as the band played it and all five vocals at once was so good!
My poetry set
Kerry introduced me and I felt like an integral part of the event, included in green room chat and both bands told me how much they enjoyed my set afterwards. Such a positive experience and some happily intense chats about creativity and passion after the gig.
Jonn Penney (secret special guest) walked in the back door just as I was starting the second poem and he apologised for missing the beginning and we hugged and we had a good catch up chat which we didn’t have chance for at Shiiine. I wasn’t sure whether I would lose my way or freeze being in a different type of event but I got up there and breathed and delivered. I did clock Jonn’s arrival and then went, okay, Jonn’s there, that’s fine, breathe, continue. I am becoming strangely accustomed to 90s indie legends now being supporters, my audience and friends. Having read my poems in front of Jim Bob, James Atkin, Jonn Penney and Ian Prowse is just par for the course now. A situation 15 year old Sarah would not have believed was possible and she would definitely have been still and silent and frozen.
It was great to see friends and fans and it was strange for people to be asking for photos with me while we also listened to Spoon Speaker Man. I felt a little guilty being subtly disruptive.
Spoon Speaker photos
The Age of no Opinion – brief review
My favourite three songs are Midlife Crisis Man, Bargain Bin Bowie and The Ghosts of a 1000 bands I love the combination of instruments and I think they all work well together and complement each other.
My favourite lyric is Drove Me Sane. I love all the Bowie references, like, ‘Major Tom and Ziggy Dust/Our heroes, in whom we trust. ‘ and Spoon Speaker Man have many brilliant titles. Buy their album or check out future gigs here:
About us | Spoon Speaker Man
My favourite lyric is:
‘Love unites us. Let it unfold
Love unties us.‘
Alex Griffin and Jonn Penney secret guests
Many friends
To catch TV Pins, Kerry Worton and Keeley get your tickets for 1st May at The Giffard Arms:
Sarah L Dixon Writer 
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