The Knot unTies on iTunes

“Sketches For A Lost Summer” is now available on iTunes with individual tracks at £0.79 each.
Forget your apps, get yourself a fix of music…

The Untied Knot on Spotify

“Sketches For A Lost Summer” is now on Spotify so you lucky people can hear the whole of the album by clicking here…

For those who aren’t familiar with Spotify – it’s a huge free on-line music streaming resource, effectively a radio station where you select what you want to hear.  As well as big-shots like David Bowie, Neil Young and The Beach Boys you’ll find all sorts of more esoteric stuff including loads of my faves like The Durutti Column, Robbie Basho & Popol Vuh.

Memory of a free festival

At the turn of the 1990s I was living in the South West London district of Tooting on a street which contained a row of housing association houses/ flats now sadly demolished to make way for a car park. Every summer, the adjoining gardens of the residents made way for a stage and a day of music, booze and general good-mannered mayhem known as Maybury Fest (and subsequently Longley Fest).
Like the Field Farm Festival, this was a fantastic event that ran on community goodwill and enthusiasm. The police would usually show up and stick their heads round but cheers to ‘em, they never intervened.
I have particularly fond memories of the Maybury Fest as I made my debut musical performance there playing a mix of Stones, Velvet Underground and Doors numbers in a combo tragically (but also brilliantly) named, The Velvet Underpants. The following year The Fables (see review right) made their live debut to an appreciative late summer crowd. Read the rest of this entry »

Mick Jones’ Rock n’ Roll Public Library

No, it’s not a comic strip from Viz, it’s a real life exhibition of stuff – books, magazines, clothes, instruments, posters etc. from Mick Jones’ personal collection.
Imagine The Clash/BAD/Carbon Silicon guitarist/front-man went on holiday and asked you to house-sit for him. Well, this is what it would be like – free to root around in his vast collection of music mags, poke about at his samplers, drum machines and synths, sit down and watch his videos, go through his wardrobes and nose around in his office. Read the rest of this entry »

Billy Childish, Rough Trade 14/8/09

On the way to Rough Trade in Brick Lane I cut down Fournier St where I spy for the second time up close;  two of our greatest national treasures, Gilbert and George. The first time was many years ago in Streatham Hill when I passed them in the street and on turning round for one final look, found George doing exactly the same thing to me! Anyway, as always, I digress (sort of) which brings me to Chatham’s own punk rock renaissance man – painter, poet, author, musician and of recent years, the very dapper Billy Childish. One of the few men who can carry a moustache and a collarless shirt with any sort of panache.
Childish is at Rough Trade for one of their regular free in-store gigs which make up a significant part of my own gift economy. The introductory abortive poetry set almost descends into farce Read the rest of this entry »

Norman Records

Those inestimable folks at Leeds’ Norman Records have some kind words to say about “Sketches For A Lost Summer”.

‘Sketches For A Lost Summer’ looks appealing. Beautiful cover art, recycled packaging and swish foam padded CD tray, lovely stuff. Music is pretty sweet too. The Untied Knot a.k.a Nigel Bryant (from 90’s indie rockers The Fables amongst others) makes the old acoustic six-string sing like a bird chorus on a summer’s morning. ‘An act of kindness’ sounds like Donovan jammin’ the soundtrack for BBC1’s Gardener’s World, and it sounds better than you’d think. This whole record oozes tranquillity….Bryant’s guitar does most of the talking but the occasional percussive element elevates the tracks and adds colour. Things even sway into psychedelic territory with the introduction of analogue synthesizers on ‘The Clocke Stopped At Mydnyte’ and ‘A Premonition’ among others. I can hear elements of The Byrds, John Fahey, Simon and Garfunkel, Donovan and Nick Drake…..All good references. If you like modern psyche influenced folk ala Static Caravan then you’ll dig this for sure. Limited to 500 copies so catch ‘em while you can.

Norman Records is my favorite independent mail order store, they’ve got a vast range, top service (free sweets!) and actually give a damn about new independent music – pop along and treat yourself to something nice…

Antichrist

I feel compelled to say a few words about Lars Von Trier’s latest film having seen it yesterday. I’m not giving much away but it’s probably better not to read this if you haven’t seen it.

The first thing I will say is that the controversy surrounding this film, though understandable is misplaced. The level of graphic violence is no worse than say, for example the opening scene of “Goodfellas” but because it is directed towards their procreative organs, many will instantly find it more disturbing.  For me, the sight of a person repeatedly smashing their own head against a toilet bowl is equally, if not more disturbing to view. If you want something truly horrific why not try “Irreversible“? As for the other accusation – to dismiss Von Trier as a misogynist on the strength of this film would be trite and disingenuous.

Read the rest of this entry »

Hurricane Woman

A few years ago I started noticing these intriguing notes in my locality, the first was attached to Vauxhall Bridge. Last Sunday I discovered two similar notes both stuck to bus stops on Wandsworth Road. Read the rest of this entry »

CD now in London shops

Just a quick note to say that Rough Trade in Brick Lane, E1 6QL and Sister Ray in Berwick St, W1F 8RP are stocking “Sketches For A Lost Summer” on CD.

Both are well worth a visit – Rough Trade’s shiny new(ish) flagship store has lots of live in-store stuff every week and Sister Ray is my favourite London shop because it just feels right.

Supersonic 2009

Birmingham’s 7 year old Supersonic festival has gradually expanded to a 3 day line-up but thankfully the best attractions are usually reserved for Saturday. Since All Tomorrow’s Parties descended into self-parody, it has become probably the most credible alternative as the UK’s best festival of international underground music (even if it does feature an unhealthy amount of metal-based garbage). So once again, the afternoon of the 25th of July found me heading up the motorway to the Midlands suppressing the impending trauma of the first coach service back to London at 5am the following morning.

Without a doubt, the highlight of the night was Read the rest of this entry »