Top 5 Gigs of 2012

I'd intended to cut back a little on gigs last year but somehow that ended up with me going to more than I'd managed for a good ten years. I also started a new blog under a similar false impression that doing so would help me spend less time blogging. To be fair to myself, it was only supposed to be a way to capture set lists but typically spiraled into something more extensive. My number one was never in doubt but picking the other four was hard as I had at least seven good contenders for the remaining places.

1. Japandroids at Upstairs at the Garage (29th May) - It seems it doesn't matter that I'm now in my mid-forties, I still enjoy a gig that involves leaping around like an idiot in the middle of a bunch of sweaty strangers. Japandroids are a great live band and this was the second of three times I saw them in 2012. It was also my first visit to the Upstairs venue at The Garage. I was really impressed. The sound was really good and the band were on top form.
Chopper's Gigs: Japandroids Upstairs at the Garage

Photo courtesy my crappy HTC camera phone - it's of a bloke from the crowd singing Darkness on the Edge of Gastown

2. The Jim Jones Revue at The Concorde 2, Brighton (24th October) - The Jim Jones Revue proved they'd lost known of their rock'n'roll swagger despite broadening their horizons on the latest album. I went down with a car load of pals to this one and had a fantastic night.
Chopper's Gigs: The Jim Jones Revue at The Concorde 2

Photo courtesy @TrevorMakey

3. Laura J Martin at The Little Chapel behind The Galley Cafe (9th May) - I'm pretty sure anyone who's read this blog will be familiar with my ongoing obsession with Laura. I saw her three times last year too but this show, in the tiniest and most intimate of venues, was my favourite.
Chopper's Gigs: Laura J Martin at The Little Chapel, Gallery Cafe

Photo courtesy Annie Hall

4. The Low Anthem at Bush Hall (29th August) - A gig of two halves would you believe? The first part saw the band crank out some of their rockier numbers alongside a couple of Tom Waits covers. The second saw them turn on the "Moth Machine" and everything taking a turn for the psychedelic. To be honest the strobes gave me a bit of a headache after a while but I was no less captivated. There was even time for a comedy interlude sung by drummer Jeff Prystowsky, including a brilliant tune in praise of Plankton from Spongebob Squarepants.
Chopper's Gigs: The Low Anthem at Bush Hall

Photo courtesy @Boring_Craig

5. Trembling Bells with Bonnie Prince Billy at The Union Chapel (6th May) - Another special show. I'd not seen Bonnie Prince Billy before so that was a bonus but I was really here because I was desperate to catch Trembling Bells live. Their joint set spanned the best of their collaborative LP as well as a fine selection of tunes from Will's back catalogue and a couple of cracking covers. For those that got there early, there was the added treat of seeing Alex & Lavinia (of Trembling Bells) perform an a capella set with Harry & Katy of Muldoon's Picnic.
Chopper's Gigs: Trembling Bells at The Union Chapel

Photo courtesy of vicaviber on Twitter

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Top 5 Books I Read in 2012

2012 was a good year for books. I managed to read almost two a month, which I reckon is pretty good going by anyone's standard. 2013 may not be so fulsome as I've not even finished one yet. That total did included two kid's books (The Borrowers & the 2nd Artemis Fowl story) and a Jim Thompson novel that (I only realised halfway through) I'd read once before. I read four of the 2011 Booker shortlist (all excellent & very easy to read), three of the 2012 Booker longlist (thanks mainly to the Library), three books about music, two other non-fiction books, two books off my reading pile, one e-book (written by a pal), one Bond, one Sherlock Holmes and one Agatha Christie. I enjoyed them all though, if I'm honest, I struggled with Will Self's stream on consciousness novel Umbrella.

1. "Half Blood Blues" Esi Edugyan - A captivating story of a group of Jazz musicians caught in pre-WWII Nazi Germany, cutting the disc of their lives but then being separated by the impending war and their own fears and jealousies. This treads the line between historical fact and narrative fiction really well and provides some insight into what life at the time was like as well as being a gripping story. It's a well crafted tale that doesn't attempt to hide any truths from the reader but leaves much unsaid by it's choice of narrator. I like that this left some room for reader interpretation. I read it in under a week whilst on holiday in Cornwall which helped me get fully immersed in the lives of the characters and felt a pang of sadness when it was finished.

2. "Do It For Your Mum" Roy Wilkinson - Ostensibly the story of the band British Sea Power written by Roy, former manager and elder brother of BSP's Scott (Vocals & Guitar) and Neil (Bass & Vocals). It's typical of the band that this biography is much broader than your average Rockopic and some of it's best passages dealt with how the band's success affected the Wilkinson family, particularly their BSP obsessed Dad. Ronald Wilkinson, 87-year-old veteran of World War II, is the real star of the book. The band's biggest fan who gets frustrated as one weak indie band after another leapfrogs his boys on the rise to popularity. Better still, as Ron's appreciation of the deepest recesses of alternative music grow broader, he is constantly pushing them towards more left field explorations.

3. "Lowside Of The Road: A Life of Tom Waits" Barney Hoskyns - I'd tiptoed around the periphery of Waits' discography before reading this book. I struggled with a couple of listens of Swordfishtrombones, enjoyed Mule Variations but had only recently made a proper breakthrough thanks to Small Change. I picked this up after seeing a glowing review in Mojo and attempted (thanks largely to Spotify) to get to grips with Tom's albums chronologically as I read. This is a fine book by Hoskyns, who is clearly a huge fan, and packed with detail. It certainly proved to be the breakthrough for my enjoyment of the music and I've now filled in a lot of the gaps in my collection. I suspect I will enjoy reading this again once I've got to grips with Waits full body of work.

4. "The Sisters Brothers" Patrick deWitt - The second book on this list from the 2011 Booker shortlist, I thoroughly enjoyed this darkly comic Western though I think I'm going to struggle to explain why. Eli and Charlie Sisters are infamous assassins sent to kill Hermann Kermit Warm who is accused of stealing from their boss. There's not much plot beyond that but there are a series of short events along the journey. The story is told from Eli's perspective and it seems like he's the less cold-hearted of the two, however, there's a suggestion that he's actually the more dangerously psychotic. Hermann Kermit Warm turns out to be extremely likable and the denouement is well played out.

5. "Inverting The Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics" Jonathan Wilson - I'd heard good things about this book and when I found it for £2 in a bookshop near work I couldn't resist. A fascinating study of the development of football tactics from it's earliest days in the 19th century to the early 2000s. It's well structured to provide good chapters on the key moments in football development including the great teams like 1950s Hungary, 1970s Holland and the many eras of Brazil. Wilson writes really well, so this never feels like a scholarly discourse but nor does it stint on detail. He's also keen to point out that football success is not just about tactics. I'm now better equipped than ever to win an argument in a pub about why Fulham will only achieve success when they find a mobile central midfielder who can put his foot on the ball.

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Top 5 TV Shows I Saw in 2012

I watched A LOT of television in 2012. We got a TiVo box at the end of the previous year so 2012 was the first year for some time that I'd been able to record everything and anything that I might want to watch (we still had a video but I could no longer be bothered to find a tape that had space on it or work out the complicated series of operations that allowed me to record over night or when we were away). The TiVo made things a little too easy which inevitably lead me to go slightly over the top. I'm now in a constant battle to keep the box below 50% despite knowing that I record more each day than I can watch.

My top five turned out to be full of foreign imports (at one point it was almost entirely Scandinavian subtitled imports) so to bring a bit of balance to proceedings this week provides a bumper edition with three top fives for the price of one! I can only apologise.

Top 5 TV Shows in 2012

1. The Bridge - This really was the stand out television programme of the year for me. I was on the edge of my seat for most of it and reckon even the most sub-title averse viewer would enjoy it. At times it was laugh out loud funny, with the brilliant but flawed partnership between Saga Norén (Sofia Helin) and Martin Rohde (Kim Bodnia) at the heart of all that was good about the show.

2. The Killing II - The first series of The Killing had left me somewhat drained (in a good way) so it took me a while to summon up the courage to dive into the second series (similarly I've not yet watched The Killing III which was aired just before Christmas). In the end I devoured this series in a number of days and wished I'd watched it sooner. It had a lighter touch that series one, as well as a new jumper for Sarah Lund. There was less angst over the murder and more mystery over what has really gone on but it retained the same tense drama and interesting character moments of the previous story.

3. Homeland (Series 1) - This was more gripping TV that belted along and built to a thrilling conclusion. Clare Danes occasionally annoyed with her attempts to convey someone coping with a bi-polar disorder whilst trying to hold down a senior role with the CIA. I was also bemused by the likelihood that Brody would even consider cheating on his, frankly, seriously hot wife with anyone but I guess captivity can do funny things to your brain. I watched the second series later in the year too but that struggled to maintain the drama as it stretched the story beyond believable parameters.

4. Spiral (Series 2 - Gangs Of Paris) - I think Gangs Of Paris built successfully on the character foundations laid down in series one. Caroline Proust (as Captain Laure Berthaud) is the main draw still but seems less in control of events this time round, particularly in her personal life. The surrounding cast are more familiar now and that helped give the story more momentum. I particularly enjoyed Philippe Duclos' portrayal of Judge Roban and his knack with an off-hand put down.

5. Lilyhammer - Continuing my fixation with subtitled telly though with a more American slant. Steve Van Zandt, long time member of Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band, plays a character not a million miles away from his role as Silvio in The Sopranos. Van Zandt contributed to the writing and also selected much of the music, a feat highlighted by the regular show ending appearance of a live band in his Flamingo club.

Top 5 UK TV Shows in 2012

1. Fresh Meat (Series 2) - The second series of Fresh Meat was a sharply scripted as the first. The cast is brilliant and seem to be able to push their characters in new directions. Zawe Ashton as Vod steals most of the best moments but I'm a big fan of Greg McHugh as the socially inept geology student Howard MacCallum too. I suspect this is really aimed at a younger audience (it could be a Young Ones for the modern age) but is one of the few things on TV that makes me laugh quite so heartily.

2. Twenty Twelve (Series 2) - Perfectly timed to coincide with the final few weeks before the Olympics and, I suspect, frighteningly close to what was happening in real life.
3. Episodes (Series 2) - Picking up four months after the end of the first series with Sean and Beverly trying to find a way to continue working together after Beverly's fling with Matt LeBlanc.
4. Line Of Duty - Not quite as gripping as last year's The Shadow Line but this was still BBC drama at it's best. Lennie James is brilliant as DCI Tony Gates who is under investigation by the anti-corruption unit.
5. Getting On (Series 4) - A forth season of Jo Brand's brilliantly observed and poignant hospital sitcom.


Top 5 Documentaries in 2012

1. Storyville: From the Sea to the Land Beyond - Ostensibly just archive footage of the British coast set to a soundtrack by British Sea Power. I'm a big BSP fan obviously but there was something about the way the footage was spliced together that made the programme a transfixing watch. Check out the landbeyond website here or look for the show on Amazon or the BBC iPlayer.

2. Punk Britannia - Three part documentary about the growth of Punk with some brilliant footage from the time and some contemporary interviews with many of punk's leading protagonists.
3. Jon Richardson: A Little Bit OCD - Following on from his book, It's Not Me, It's You!, Jon Richardson explored the truth behind OCD and how crippling it is for those people who suffer. It was lighthearted and revealing but put paid to me ever "humorously" referring to myself as a little bit OCD again.
4. Rich Hall - Inventing The Indian - Comedian Rich Hall goes in search of the real American Indian with the help of his friend, Native American, Dallas Goldtooth. Rich is fairly scathing in his assessment of how they have been portrayed by Hollywood but manages to be very funny at the same time.
5. Horror Europa with Mark Gattis - Follow up to his three part series about British Horror this was a more compact assessment of European horror from a castle in Slovakia where FW Murnau shot Nosferatu in 1922, to the hotel in Ostend where Harry Kümel filmed his erotic vampire classic, Daughters Of Darkness in 1971.

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Top 5 Albums of 2012

This is my favourite of the end of year top fives but also the one I found hardest to compile. There are at least another five albums I'd have happily included in the top five, but these were the ones I felt provided the soundtrack to my year.

1. Godspeed You! Black Emperor "Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!" - An unheralded return for everyone's favourite post-rock champions. Their return to the live stage two years ago suggested this was possible but I was expecting a little more warning. I read a tweet from The Quietus in the morning and by the afternoon had ordered a copy and downloaded the digital version. I love Godspeed but their last recorded output (2002's Yanqui U.X.O.) and a feeling of disappointment after their reunion no-longer-on-hiatus shows had left me ambivalent to new material. That all changed when I actually played it, though the surprise nature of it's arrival no doubt also helped. Allelujah is probably their most concise and accessible release since the Slow Riot EP. Mladic and We Drift Like Worried Fire are both epic 20 minute plus tracks that benefit from having been a part of the bands live show for some time. They sound familiar yet fresh and, for me, the length is not in any way daunting. Mladic in particular is a song I can play again and again without getting tired of. The two shorter drone based tunes that intersperse the longer tracks are essential to the overall balance of the album. They help created that moody and mysterious atmosphere that characterised the band's early days. I saw them live in November and it might have been the best live performance I've seen them give. They even played a spectacular 45 minute track which has not yet been released which bodes well for their future.

2. The Jim Jones Revue "The Savage Heart" - The buzz prior to the album release was that The Savage Heart would see the band explore new musical territory. This led to some talk amongst my pals as to whether this was a worrying turn of phrase. Turned out we had nothing to be worried about, the record is excellent and they're still an amazing act live. The album does display a broader palette than their previous releases but essentially the fundamental love of primal rock'n'roll is very much still in place. If anything the introduction of a few slower paced tunes (and I don't mean slow just less frenetic than previous efforts) will give everyone a chance for a breather when they play live. That's not to say the album doesn't have it's fair share of stompers. Opener It's Gotta be About Me and Where Da Money Go? are as in your face as anything of the previous two LPs, whilst In And Out Of Harm's Way is a brooding masterpiece at the heart of the record.

3. Laura J Martin "The Hangman Tree" - This came out in January, so I've lived with it for a long time now but it's charms are still as strong as when I first heard it. Marc Riley had played a fair bit of Laura in 2011 as well as hosting a couple of sessions, so I was already familiar with her best songs and chomping at the bit for the release of an album. At it's heart this is folk with a contemporary twist. It highlights Laura's multiple instrumental talents whilst never sounding overblown and has some moments of genuinely sublime song writing. In some ways I was disappointed the album didn't get broader exposure but the benefit of this was that I saw her live three times last year in small venues. Laura is in her element on stage with every show featuring at least one new song I suspect it won't be long before album number two.

4. Neil Cowley Trio "The Face Of Mount Molehill" - Another album from the early part of the year for which my love has not faded several months on. This is basically a Jazz album but one that exists in the Venn diagram overlap formed by Jazz, Rock and Adult Pop. I've talked about my reasons for taking an interest in Neil before (short version; He used to live across the road and he's a Fulham fan) and I'd enjoyed previous album Loud... Louder... Stop!. Mount Molehill may well be his magnum opus though. It took a little while for it to sink in, and seeing him play live at the Queen Elizabeth Hall certainly helped, but once it did it seemed like these were tunes I'd known forever.

5. Field Music "Plumb" - It has been a remarkable year for Field Music capped by a well deserved Mercury prize nomination. Field Music only really clicked for me after seeing them live at the end of 2011 and I'm still finding my way through their extensive back catalogue. Plumb finds the band exploring the unlikely territory between Indie-Pop and Progressive Rock. They comfortably avoid any of the excesses of the Prog era (no song breaks the 4 minute barrier) but manage deliver some exquisitely clever music along the way. I kind of saw them live twice in 2012. The first show at KCLSU went a little awry for me but their gig later in the year at the Electric Ballroom in Camden was a triumph.

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Top 5 Songs of 2012

After my random trawl through the tuneage of last year (here if you've not been keeping up) it seemed the best place to begin regular top fives again was with my favourite songs of the year. I realise (having read EVERYBODY else's before Christmas) I'm in a minority doing my end of year lists in January rather than December but I really hadn't nailed down any of my choices until very late in December.

1. "Sunshine Hotel" David Tattersall - David Tattersall is vocalist and guitarist in The Wave Pictures, a band I quite like but not one I'd previously gone overboard for. This track is from a limited edition solo album he released on vinyl only. As with most new music I first heard it on Marc Riley's 6music show when it made me stop in my tracks and just listen. A simply stunning piece of guitar playing which echoes John Fahey and a glorious tune that I suspect I've played more than any other tune this year. It has also made me consider revisiting Mr Fahey. At time of writing you can still buy & stream the album at the following link - http://wiaiwya.bandcamp.com/album/little-martha



2. "Hey Jane" Spiritualized - Continuing on a theme Spiritualized's 2012 album "Huh" was another close contender for my best of the year. I've had an up and down love affair with Jason Pierce's band but after seeing the band play a storming show at the Hackney Empire in March I was convinced to get the new album and reckon it's easily their best since "Ladies & Gentlemen ..." - http://www.spiritualized.com/

Err, the video is almost certainly NOT SAFE FOR WORK but it is a fine piece of film so I've kept it in place, best not hit play if you're easily offended



3. "The Gravedigger's Song" Mark Lanegan - First track off the excellent "Blues Funeral" another record that just missed my top five album cut. It starts with a booming bass line, which is always going to win my favour, and features Lanegan's familiar vocal style, though perhaps with some of the rough edges smoothed out - http://marklanegan.com/



4. "Serpents" Sharon Van Etten - "Tramp" was a massive contender for my top five albums but, after some agonising over the final choices, didn't make my final cut. It's an album packed full of sublime songwriting. I don't think there's a weak track on there which makes it difficult to pick a favourite. "Serpents" was the tune I think I heard first and it still brings a smile to my lips when I hear it - http://sharonvanetten.com/



5. "Husbands" Savages - Another full on bass line that rumbles along throughout the song. Jehnny Beth's vocals are a little reminiscent of early Siouxsie Sioux, which is no bad thing, and, whilst there's the whiff of industry hype behind them, there's no doubt they're a pretty exciting prospect for 2013. I'm off to check them out live in February - http://savagesband.com/shop/




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Guest Top 5 - Films of 2012 by Scroobius Pip

Well, whaddya know, back to back celebrity top fives! Sort of. This one came from yet more Twitter snooping, which might well be the way forward for this blog. Mr Pip kindly consented to let me reproduce his list of favourite films from 2012. This proved particularly helpful as I'm on the verge of putting together my own myriad set of 2012 top fives but don't get to see enough new movies to do my own top five films.

I've been following Scroobius since getting involved in the Celebrity Biscuit database thing earlier in the year. He gave me a great reply but as yet I've not had time to write it up. Also the combined pressure of needing to be funny for the CBDB team and knowing that Pip is such a fine wordsmith proved a little daunting.

If you're not familiar with Scroobius Pip's work here's a sample.



You can follow Pip on twitter here and check out his website here.

1. Killer Joe (Dir: William Friedkin) - IMDb entry

2. Ted (Dir: Seth MacFarlane) - IMDb entry

3. The Muppets (Dir: James Bobin) - IMDb entry

4. Dark Knight Rises (Dir: Christopher Nolan) - IMDb entry

5. Lawless (Dir: John Hillcoat) - IMDb entry

Top 5 New Year Resolutions 2012

I might as well have another go at this despite my abject failure last year.

First a quick recap on how spectacularly badly I did before I move on to this year’s equally doomed ideas.

Lose Weight – Despite managing more exercise in general I suspect (I stopped weighing myself around September) that I actually put weight on during the year. This was partly due to my determination to not actually “diet” which may have worked better had it not been combined with my complete lack of will power.

Get Fitter – I made progress with my Achilles injury and by April was doing regular sport once more. I started running again, I cycled into work a few times, I even got back to playing football.

Jobs at home – Erm. No obvious effort here. Too easily distracted. I've actually done more DIY in the first 10 days of 2012 than I managed in the whole of 2011.

Play Guitar – I did not play a note other than a very brief strum whilst trying to help Ben learn to play the Ukulele.

Sleep/PC – Technically I achieved this though I replaced late nights on the PC with late nights on my Smart Phone or, more recently, falling asleep on the sofa in front of some TV programme I’d recorded on the TiVo.

OK so here we go again.

1. Play Guitar – This year I’m setting myself a proper challenge. I intend to be able to play at least 5 songs by the end of the year. When I say play I mean strum the chords. I won’t be trying anything fancy but aim to be good enough for someone to at least recognise the tune. I will also be blogging about my progress, if nothing else this will plug the gaps between top fives that I won’t be able to write because I’ll be LEARNING TO PLAY GUITAR!!! \m/ *Heavy Metal horns* \m/

2. Decide what I want to be when I grow up – Probably at 43½ it’s time I sorted out a proper career. I have pretty much accepted that I’ll never play centre forward for Fulham or England, if resolution 1 goes well there’s an outside chance I could still become a major rock star and I’ve not completely given up on becoming a top selling author. However, I realise that I need to take the bull by the horns and start making a bit of effort with the latter half of my working life. Changes are afoot with my current employment and I’m going to have to deal with change whether I like it or not (I don’t like it in case you were in any doubt!).

3. Finish the year no heavier than I start it – Lowering my sights a bit here. I’ve already started keeping track of what I eat and will hopefully continue my return to regular sport. I'm even considering an alcohol detox for a few months, though not quite yet *cough*.

4. Get more done at weekends – I like my bed too much in the mornings, which means when I really don't HAVE to get up I generally don't. I also hate going to bed at night time and too often end up watching some rubbish TV at one in the morning instead of doing something I'd actually want to do. This year I intend to make an effort to make better use of the weekends by getting up earlier and making sure I go to bed at a sensible time.

5. Find a cool hat – I mentioned this last year. I need a hat. I have a woolly hat for when it's cold or I'm going to Football but I'd like a hat to wear for normal use. Ideally something that would make me look suave and sophisticated like Cary Grant in a Forties movie. I realise this may well be impossible but I like hats and I've reached the point where a baseball cap makes me look far too much like David Brent. I was considering a Trilby but now they've gone and got all trendy I don't think that would work either. Suggestions on a postcard please.

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