Posted on June 21st, 2007 by Andy
Dean & Britta week
Dean and Britta clearly lifted the video for their single Words You Used to Say from the video for Serge Gainsbourg’s Melody from his smutty 1971 classic Histoire de Melody Nelson
Melody
Words
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Posted on June 21st, 2007 by Andy
Dean & Britta week
Wed 20 Jun – Britta Phillips & Dean Wareham, The Clientele, Flowers Of Hell
Lots more dark pictures on Flickr
I sort of wish that nights like this weren’t so cluttered - maybe it’s a treat for some to see four bands in a night but when you have to fit those four bands into three and a bit hours it becomes a bit frustrating. Flowers Of Hell were first up and made a very lovely noise, eight people, lots and lots of instruments - the album is well worth picking up and I’d certainly see them again.
I’m not sure who the next band was becuase the singer didn’t say it loud enough - they did have The Clientele’s Mel Draisey helping them out on bits of percussion and a bit of violin - I think. Sweet pop music although the cover of Freight Train with the banjo was a bit clunky and pedestrian.
Next up The Clientele - who played a very short but good set with Alasdair’s miserable banter - I think he may be taking "curmudgeon" and "sarcastic" evening classes because he’s getting very good at it. It was good set all the same and the crowd wanted more, not me because by now I was trying to work out when the last train was and just how much Dean & Britta I could see before I’d have to leave.
An hour was the most Britta Phillips & Dean Wareham I was going to get…
They opened with Singer Sing (as seems the norm) and then gently eased it into Indian Summer (The Beat Happening one, not the Doors one) which was a treat. The set was not hugely different from the previous night although it was lovely to hear Bewitched - complete with trumpet (not sure who the trumpeter was but it was nice to hear). Sonic Boom guested on a couple of tracks.
They encored with Bonnie & Clyde and the lights came up at 00:02 - we were cutting it fine.
We made it onto the westbound platform of Liverpool St with a minute to spare - although, of course, the train managed to be a couple of minutes late. I’m too old for belting for the last train and getting home at 1:30.
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Posted on June 20th, 2007 by Andy
Dean & Britta week
I have to admit that I have always found it very difficult to be critical about anything that Dean Wareham has done…I might, for example, comment on how The Days of Our Nights was Luna’s worst album but in reality I listen to "Days…" pretty regularly and like it a lot. However I’m pretty certain that my inability to criticise is pretty much founded on the fact that there is very little that he has touched that is open to criticism. I thought it best to put this disclaimer front and centre as a warning that most of what follows is gushing sugary fan-boy praise and may be slightly lacking in any objectivity.
We arrived at the dingy and overly hot Metro while third on the bill act, who I guess were Exit calm, were finishing of a set of lively, shoegazery noise that seemed good enough to make me think I should have got there 20 minutes earlier. Asobi Seksu were next on the bill playing their first ever London show, and, it seems were responsible for the attendance of a large section of the audience. They played a too short but scintillating set of…well…lively, shoegazery noise. I picked up their two albums last year and Citrus was one of my [url= http://blog.fullofwishes.co.uk/swirling/2007/01/02/lists-of-2006/]favourite albums of 2006 so I’m glad not to have been disappointed…
We managed to get a prime position for Britta Phillips & Dean Wareham as the crowd noticeably thinned after Asobi Seksu’s set. The first half of the short show was pulled from Back Numbers and L’Avventura, You Turn My Head Around can’t help but be a live gem (even if I have concerns about the studio version), White Horses was beautiful (I’ve always been fond of it) and Night Nurse…and Ginger Snaps…and well everything else…were great.
The last four numbers however were just like being in a dream. Tugboat followed by an awesome Strange, then Bonnie and Clyde and Ceremony as the finale (it would have been the encore if the curfew wasn’t so strict). The first time I saw Galaxie 500 play Ceremony at the Subterrania many moons ago, still pretty much lives in my head as the single most awesome music-related moment of my life and while Dean & Britta’s version last night couldn’t quite match that it was still an absolute joy to hear.
I briefly chatted with Dean afterwards, but the chat was mostly awkward silences and watching other people being better at it than me. Funniest moment was Galaxie 500 lister Richard asking Dean if he knew who Andy Aldridge was…that made me smile (and it’s always nice to meet, however briefly, Galaxie 500 list members). I said a brief "Hi" to Britta and then we headed home.
I’m looking forward to seeing them again tonight…
Tue 19 Jun – Dean & Britta, Asobi Seksu, Exit Calm
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Posted on June 19th, 2007 by Andy
Dean & Britta week
I’ll write up a proper review tomorrow - I’m too knackered now - it was rather wonderful…
stacks of red photos on Flickr
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Posted on June 18th, 2007 by Andy
Dean & Britta week
I’m pretty sure that all the promo pictures for Back Numbers have been inspired by similar photos from the past - the only one I recognise for certain is this one from Antonioni’s (over-rated) style (and precious little else) flick Blow Up
If anyone recognises any of the others (there’re quite a few sprayed over Dean & Britta’s web site) I’d love to know…
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Posted on June 18th, 2007 by Andy
Dean & Britta week
I was looking for pictures of Britta wearing those knee high boots she seems to wear quite often - most notably in all the promo shots for Back Numbers. But then I came across this sweet picture of Britta wearing some sweet strappy heely sandals (I’m sure this type of shoe has a name but as this series progresses it’s clear that my knowledge of footwear is very limited). They have heels and they have straps - and despite that they look comfortable - and much nicer than knee highs which have never really been my thing!
#11 Britta Phillips (of Dean and Britta) in her strappy heeled sandals.
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Posted on May 9th, 2007 by Andy
…and what could be more sensible than a pair of wellies, under appropriate circumstances of course…
No.3 Naomi Yang in her green wellies.
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Posted on April 27th, 2007 by Andy
It’s been (almost) two and a half years since I last saw Luna - I miss them - and since about 1989 there haven’t been too many gaps that long when I haven’t seen Dean Wareham on a London stage either as part of Galaxie 500 or Luna.
So I am very excited to hear that Britta Phillips & Dean Wareham will be playing in London in June.
Posted in Music, a head full of wishes, last.fm | 1 Comment »
Posted on April 14th, 2007 by Andy
Britta Phillips & Dean Wareham’s MySpace blog has a roundup of their west coast tour…
The Getty show was full (about 450 people), but we’d been warned beforehand that there are always members who come to every show and leave after a few songs. Luckily Jack Black (Tenacious D) stayed for our set even though he was there to see the opener (his brother-in-law) Josh Haden.
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Posted on March 31st, 2007 by Andy
It just kind of clicked that August 29th is Galaxie 500’s 20th birthday. Anyone fancy a party?
Here’s the poster for their first show as lifted from the booklet that came with Galaxie 500 - Galaxie 500
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