At long last, I’ve got a run of gigs to attend. Last night, it was the legendary Zombies, formed in 1961, who were promoting their brand new album Different Game, a signed copy of which I bought at the very busy Merch table. Of course, they nodded heavily to the past by playing Time Of The Season, She’s Not There and bandleader Rod Argent’s Classic Hold Your Head Up, but this band is still a creative force. Argent and singer Colin Blunstone are both 77 but their musical talents are undimmed by the passing of the years. The former is a master of the keyboard, the latter possesses a staggeringly powerful voice.
Then, it’s Panda Bear with Sonic Boom, again at the Fleece, Gaz Coombes, BC Camplight, Louis Cole and Caroline Polachek. You, dear reader, may well be unfamiliar with some or all of these acts, but then I may well be unfamiliar with your favourite artists, too. We can’t cover all the bases, can we? I was reminded of that when I read on the BBC website that Rita Ora will be performing a medley of her greatest hits at the semi-finals of the Eurovision Song Contest in May. (I understand the draw for the semi-final will be at Lancaster Gate and will be conducted by Bert Millichip. One for the teenagers there.)
To my amazement, Ms Ora has had more top ten hit singles than any other British female artist in pop history, four of which reached number one in the charts. I could not name one song of hers, which tells you a great deal about how unhip I am. Alongside Ms Ora, Rebecca Ferguson will be appearing. I don’t know much about her either, other than that she once appeared on the X Factor, a show I’ve never seen. She’s had four top ten albums, which is very impressive. To be fair to both artists, I have no idea whatsoever of who and what is in any of the charts so it’s probably my loss that I know nothing of their work.
A dear friend always reminds me that “there is no such thing as bad music” and apart from my usual cheap dig at Queen, who in my view disprove this theory, I think he’s on to something. This is in no small part down to the part music plays in our lives.
People have things they like and other things they obsess about. I would put myself in the latter category when it comes to music. I am not the fount of all knowledge and would never pretend to be so. Before Ken Bruce left the BBC to join that great radio care home in cyberspace I would sometimes sit through his middle of the road playlist to listen to Pop Master. I was almost always terrible and never once considered applying to be in the show, as many of my friends have done over the years. If I am taking part in a music quiz and it includes actual popular music and stuff that’s been on Simon Cowell’s lack of talent shows, I’m stuffed. In other words, I am not an expert. But music consumes my very soul and music plays in my man cave each and every day for very long periods.
I guess I’m the music equivalent of an obsessed train and plane spotter, even if I do occasionally require a fix of trains dashing by and planes taking off. Music is my knitting, my painting, my gardening. Music gets me up in the morning and matters to me as much, if not more, than writing. Imagine if I’d had such an obsession in the world of education and later work? I could have been a contender. Never mind, as Nirvana might have put it.
You know it’s a great gig when you aren’t looking at your phone to check the time or you’re secretly hanging on for the band to play your favourite tune. And when the band are clearly enjoying themselves as much as the audience, as the Zombies were last night, you never want it to end.
Today, I will be listening to music, probably buying some music too because I just can’t get enough of it.
Music isn’t my first love, as it was for John Miles because that section is reserved for people, but in the grand scheme of things I couldn’t live without it. I wrote this blog listening to music and as I conclude Lauren Laverne’s magnificent BBC 6 Music breakfast show is treating me to Underworld’s stellar new record And The Colour Red. Think I might buy it.
