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An
Alternative Black Country Night Out.
At
The Lamp Tavern, 116 High St, Dudley, West Midlands, DY1 1QT. Tel:
01384-254129.
"A fusion of music, poetry and literature from the region."
Gary O 'Dea (GOJO'
MUSIC).
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| Billy
Spake Mon at
The Lamp Tavern |
Friday
4th March 2005, 8.00 pm
Featuring Gojo Music, Rachel Mainstone, Brendan Hawthorne, Paul
MacDonald and Greg Stokes. Special Guest: Zaza Murray.
Friday 22nd April 2005, 8.00 pm
Featuring Gojo Music, Rachel Mainstone, Billy Spakemon, Brendan
Hawthorne, Paul MacDonald and Greg Stokes.
Tickets
on sale now @ £5 each.
Tickets
can be purchased from the Lamp Tavern (details above) or by contacting
Greg Stokes via kateshillpress@blueyonder.co.uk -
tel: 01384-255973
or Gary O'Dea via
garysing1@aol.com
tel: 0121-520-5259.
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Review of the first
'Alternative Black Country Night Out' - Feb 11th 2005.
Reviewed by Ben E Goodman.
The
first night of the 'Alternative Black Country Night Out' show at
The Lamp Tavern in Dudley (Fri 11th Feb) was an absolute stormer.
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| At
The Lamp Tavern |
The
sell out show to a packed audience went down a treat. The mixture
of music, poetry and literature offerings from local acts were given
a seal of approval by the enthusiastic local crowd.
The
content of the evening's entertainment across the genres of music,
poetry and literature had its poignant moments as well as its light
hearted ones.
Some
subtle, other's like GOJO' MUSIC'S set - a bit more in your face,
with a strong statement attached to the message of songs such as
'Tell Me Please, Is This How The West Was Won?', 'Going Like a Train
(Out Of Control)' and also their presentation of the collation of
The Chi-Lites and Lee 'Scratch' Perry's version of the song 'Justice
For The People' - (70s soul/funk meets dub reggae with a smattering
of The Clash's 'Bankrobber' and The Rut's 'Jah Wars' thrown in for
good measure - and this was an acoustic set as well!).
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| Brendan
Hawthorne at The Lamp Tavern |
It
wasn't 'happy go lightly' stuff for the faint hearted - O'Dea spat
the words out at times - eyes closed and snarling - it ain't pretty,
but hey' war's hell at times.
O'Dea
commented to me "the main thing is to get a reaction - be it
pleasing or annoying, as long as it's not 'oh they were okay' -
cos' then we've failed." GOJO' MUSIC closed the evenings proceedings
- 'what came before them' I hear you ask?
Well…
singer/songwriter Rachel Mainstone played a wonderful solo
acoustic spot that brought the house down and closed the first half
of the proceedings. Memorable self penned songs such as 'Susannah'
and her encore with 'Inside Out' lingered in this boys groove psyche
for day's after.
She
also did a soulful cover of Clapton's 'Wonderful Tonight', which
worked because …well it was the last thing I expected to hear
her do. Now, she hasn't got old 'Slow Hands' guitar skills (who
has) - but she'd lead him a merry dance vocal wise.
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| Paul
McDonald at The Lamp Tavern |
The
poetry sessions from Brendan Hawthorne and Brian Dakin (aka Billy
Spake Mon) were stunning - proving that contemporary poets in
our region can be every bit as passionate / articulate / moving
and thought provoking as any trendy / arty' rock n' roll poet that
the London Arts scene has to offer. Ref:- Brendan's 'High Rise Living
(Going Up)', 'Proto - Punk', '70's Child', 'Armchair Anarchist'
'Granddads Slippers' and Billy Spake Mon's contemporary dialect
poetry 'Mutha Tung' and 'Council Kid' (when Billy delivered this
one you could have heard a pin drop in the packed room - even the
bar staff stopped serving).
There
were lighter moments as well. Throughout the night we were taken
on a journey that at times had you laughing - then at other's had
you thinking, contemplating life over a pint of Bathams, I'll tell
you, you had to be there, it was a special evening - I felt proud
of em.'
The
literature acts - Paul McDonald and Greg Stokes were the
biggest surprise for me.
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| Greg
Stokes at The Lamp Tavern |
Reading
from their published material they were a big hit with the crowd.
Paul tested the water - not by delicately dipping a toe in
and hoping the minor ripples didn't offend… but by launching
himself off top board and dive bombing all of us with the antics
of his (hilarious) fictional characters 'Dave McVane' and Walsall's
babe of the century 'Joolz Cartwright' that feature in his book
'Surviving Sting'.
His
opening reading from this raw knuckled comedy set in Walsall at
the end of the 70's had people crying with laughter. He followed
this with a reading in the second part of the show from his follow
up novel on Dave McVane as he journeys through the 80's called 'Kiss
Me Softly, Amy Turtle'.
There's
just the odd bit of blaspheming in the text of Pauls novels…
yes I know you're shocked, but once the crowd (packed into the Brewhouse
Bar of The Lamp) got over their shock at hearing such a verbal onslaught
before 9pm in a pub in Dudley (their shock lasting all of one second),
shock was replaced by guffaws and shrieks of laughter.
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| Rachel
Mainstone at The Lamp Tavern |
I laughed
so much I almost brought my mates a round of drinks. The Dudley
crowd took it all in their stride - because it wasn't offensive…
it was funny.
Dudleys
very own author / publisher - Greg Stokes from Kate's Hill
Press Publishing company read from his spoof / comic detective novel
'A Pack Of Saftness' set in a fictitious Black Country Republic
independent of England.
The
tale involves Inspector 'Riffy H' McDonald - (Head of Homicide at
the Black Country Police Department - The BCPD!), trying to get
to grips with a local crime syndicates 'cultural exchange' with
the New York Mafia, and a serial killer who's murdering members
of a local ecological group (called Green Henry!) - oh, and there's
a window cleaning firm from Dudley that wins the contract on a few
New York sky scrapers… now just before you think 'now that
is far fetched' - let me tell you - anything can happen in Dudley
when they put their mind to it, this night proved that.
Another
popular reading came from his collection of short stories 'Black
Country Stories and Sketches' - the story called 'Shafted' and the
'highty-tighty' gaffer Maurice (pronounced Morris! by his workforce
- just to get up his nose) who gets his comeuppance for his ways.
Greg was on home turf and lapped it up.
At
the end of the night - we - the bleary eyed / merry Bathams beer
filled punters were sent on our way with an acoustic version of
The Clash classic 'White Man In Hammersmith Palais' - courtesy of
GOJO' MUSIC.
This was the first night… the first of many. The next one is
on the 4th March - tickets on sale now. Form an orderly queue behind
me.
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