GARY NUMAN
Millennium Music Hall, Cardiff
Thurs 19 Nov
Godfather of electro-pop, Gary Numan, celebrated 30 long years in the music business last year.
This year sees another anniversary: 30 years since the release if the groundbreaking album The
Pleasure Principle. We catch up with the man himself as he prepares for a special tour.
“To have an album re-released 30 years after it came out is an honour,” he tells us. “Some of the
people who talk about me being an influence to them, like Nine Inch Nails and some of these other
artists who I think are genius, is not something I take for granted at all. I don’t think I deserve it
actually,” he shrugs. But surely he must realise his own worth? “One of the problems I’ve got at the
moment,” he explains, “is that when I listen to The Pleasure Principle all I can hear is what I did
wrong with it. But then if I did change it then fans wouldn’t like it as it wouldn’t be the album that
they remember.”
The Pleasure Principle is perhaps Numan’s most admired work and set the stage for many artists
to come. At the time of its release, however, the initial reception was not a good one. “It was a very
exciting time but there was also a huge amount of negativity towards it from the music press and
other musicians who didn’t feel it was proper music at all,” Numan explains. “Some even tried to
ban me as they felt I would put ‘proper musicians’ out of business, but it also felt like we were at the
leading edge of something and starting something revolutionary.”
So what can we expect from the forthcoming tour? “We’re going to do every song from The Pleasure
Principle but it will only last 50 minutes as it’s not the longest album in the world,” he observes, “so
this also gives me the opportunity to do a fair bit of the new stuff before it comes out and I’m just
looking now at the new lighting which we can hopefully incorporate to make it look amazing.” We’ll
look forward to that. Tickets £19.50. Info: 0844 8889991 LUCY GOODERIDGE
live
VV BROWN TCHA LIMBERGER’S KALOTASZEG PEGGY SEEGER WITH MARTIN EILEEN ROSE AND THE HOLY
Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
TRIO CARTHY, NORMA WATERSON & WRECK
Thurs 19 Nov
Theatr Mwldan, Cardigan
MIKE WATERSON
Muni Arts Centre, Pontypridd
Northampton. Not one of the great
Mon 9 Nov
St. David’s Hall, Cardiff
Fri 6 Nov
landmarks on the British musical map.
Tcha Limberger’s Kalotaszeg Trio are
Sun 8 Nov
Following 2008’s acclaimed album At Our
Apart from legendary 80s goth types
bringing their threesome of violins, vocals
As part of the Roots Unearthed season,
Tables, Eileen Rose And The Holy Wreck
Bauhaus and Faye from Steps, it’s the sort
and brac (a Croatian string instrument
four of the biggest folk artists of all time
embarks upon her international tour in
of anonymous provincial town one would
about the size of a chair) to Mwldan as
have come together for an exclusive and
support of the release of her 2009 album,
not expect the next big thing to come from.
part of their short tour through England
inspirational performance at Cardiff’s St.
Luna Turista. Her songs, recorded in
Especially if the next big thing is a former
and Wales. The trio, originating from Hun-
David Hall. Peggy Seeger, Martin Carthy,
her adopted hometown of Tennessee, are
backing singer for the Pussycat Dolls
gary, specialise in the folk music played
Norma Waterson and Mike Waterson fuse
influenced by the experiences encountered
turning out demented boogie driven pop
by gypsies in a small area of Transylvania
their talents and decades of experience to
on her travels around the world, and reflect
pitched somewhere between The Shangri-
called Kalotaszeg, hence the title.
convey the best of traditional music from
the beautiful, though weathered, moments
La’s and Wanda Jackson.
The tour promises rich melodies combined
both sides of the Atlantic.
that were captured.
In the wait for a certain beehived vamp to
with syncopated rhythms that successfully
Peggy Seeger, the inspiration behind the
Her voice, a contrast of desperate, heartfelt
find her way out of whichever skip she’s
uncover the beautiful and animated music
song The First Time Ever I Saw Your
emotional and fearless, gritty vocals, and
currently sleeping in, the smart money
that this festive culture holds. The group,
Face, is most recognised for her captivating
the country-inspired, ‘honky-tonk’ music
is on VV Brown to cross over in the way
made up of Tcha Limberger, celebrated vio-
renditions of Anglo-American folk songs
accompanying it, creates an intense but
that La Roux and Little Boots already
linist Neti Sandor and Toni Rudi, play only
and for her strong, meaningful lyrics on
infectious sound. Beset by tragedy in recent
have this year. An ill-advised cover of The
three repertoires; Hungarian, Romanian
Smiths’ This Charming Man aside, Brown
subjects such as feminism. Seeger has
times following the deaths of her father
and Gypsy, which they use to showcase
has avoided this year’s fashionable retro
featured on an astounding 212 albums
and brother, Eileen Rose is sure to give a
czardas (a traditional Hungarian dance),
synth-pop for a sound that utilises her
– 22 of them being solo records – and will
passionate performance.
dangerously fast szaporas and a variety of
astonishingly versatile voice. Ignore the
be performing hopefully just a fraction
Supporting Eileen is Christopher Rees, a
local, traditional songs pulled from obscu-
marketing hype, designed with a cynical
of these at the concert alongside Martin
guitarist singer/songwriter from Llanelli,
rity and saved from being forgotten.
eye on the Winehouse fan club’s aching
Carthy and the Watersons.
south Wales, a million miles from Tennes-
Coming from a famous family of Manouche
wallets – this lady is more than a mere
Martin Carthy, his wife Norma Waterson
see. Rees has been around since 1994, but
gypsies, Limberger , only 31, shows a deep
Amy wannabe. Whilst employing a retro
– nominated for the 1996 Mercury Music
started his career in San Francisco having
regard and respect for the traditional
glamour of her own, VV Brown is very
Prize – and her brother Mike have been at
first developed his songwriting talents at
inspirations surrounding him throughout
much her own singer.
the forefront of the traditional British mu-
none other than Cardiff University. Follow-
his life. It is obvious that community and a
Put your glam rags on: this will be an
sic scene for more than 40 years and were
ing the release of his 2009 album Devil’s
sense of tradition are valued by him; as he
intimate night dripping with old fashioned
the first to pave the way for the successful
Bridge, a record he describes as “a collec-
says, “The music is very little known and
glamour, soul and not a little charm. Her
British folk scene of today. After nearly five
tion of murder ballads”, he is now bringing
I will play it as it is meant to be played. It
live reputation means her largely disap-
decades of these iconic artists shaping the
his mixture of blues and country to the
follows the lives of many from baptism to
pointing album should be ignored. Catch
future of today’s music, they will reunite
tour. Said tour will be reaching these parts
the grave. It celebrates their communal
VV now, one expects that she won’t be
once again to celebrate their overwhelming
on Fri 6, so get on board for what should be
existence and brings people together in
playing this size venue again for a while.
and exceptionally influential achievements.
a stellar double-header of Americana and
the community of Kalotaszeg.” Tickets:
Tickets: £7.50. Info: 029 2023 2199 (PJ)
Tickets: £12. Info: 029 2087 8444 (FG)
related stylings. Tickets: £10. Info: 01443
£14/£12. Info: 01239 621200 (FG)
485934 (FG)
BUZZ 46
NOVEMBER 2009.indd 46 27/10/09 16:06:29
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76