A musical interlude

I've had a busy few weeks of late with much of my free time being spent mostly trying to not weep with rage at the downright appalling way this government conducts its environmental affairs and refuses to listen to experts. But since the web is (thankfully) full of lovely, eloquent people covering that base, here's a short musical interlude instead...

Last Saturday I went to see Bill Callahan of Smog fame (or even of Bill Callahan fame if you like) at the Royal Festival Hall. I always enjoy going there; day or night it seems to be full of people hanging out or working or reading or just going up and down endlessly in the musical lift. It always feels grand to me inside and yet with welcoming public spaces, it feels almost genuinely anarchic at the same time - it seems these things rarely go together (although it stops at the price list on the bar). 

I enjoyed Bill's near two hour set although K thought it fell a bit flat. I kind of know what she meant but since it was my first time seeing him I had no reference points for comparison. I guess what I liked most was the way it's hard to tell which way his songs are going, he keeps you guessing. The songs can be tender, funny, surreal and all those things at once, any traditions are delicately trashed. A noisy mid-set outro on one of his new(?) numbers was a highlight, as was 'Riding for the Feeling' and 'Dress Sexy at my Funeral' (of course). I also like the fact that he makes regular references to nature in his songs, particularly birds and trees, and there was a good sprinkling throughout this set. The sound was great and his band were ace, so it was a pretty good way to spend a Saturday night.

An eagle came over the horizon and shook the branches with its sight
the softer thoughts: starlings, finches and wrens
the softer thoughts: they all took flight

All thoughts are prey to some beast - Bill Callahan