listening2… is a series of regular posts on what I’ve been listening to. Tracks from my travels. New songs and music to explore further. Half forgotten tracks from my collection. Roadtrip gems. If you like this post, let me know or, even better, let someone else know!
Listening2… 15/7/2024
#07: Glastonbury edition, continued
In this week’s listening2… On a memorable election day in the UK, full of relief and hope - 4th July 2024 - I posted a first Listening2… playlist of sets and tracks from this year’s Glastonbury. They were taken from searches through the BBC iPlayer and BBCMusic YouTube 2024 archives. This is a follow up post, picking up some new-to-me artists and tracks and sets that blew me away.
1. Frankie Archer - Lovely Joan
BBC acoustic set
My joint favourite new discovery of this year’s Glastonbury is North East folk experimenter, Frankie Archer.* This is a lovely performance and hints at something strange and extraordinary in her fusion of Folk and Electronic music. There are genuinely no boundaries here, as evidenced by her bank of sample and effect pedals, and the wonderful videos up on her website.1 She reminds me a little of the wonderful Unthanks and the late Charlotte Greig’s beautiful album, Night Visiting Songs (I’m planning future posts on both of these artists).
Definitely someone to check out live… Find out more at https://frankiearchermusic.com/home
2. Steel Pulse - Steppin' Out
West Holts stage, Sunday afternoon
I can’t imagine there could have been a more joyful and danceable set than the Steel Pulse performance on the West Holts stage on Sunday afternoon. The band formed in a Handsworth youth club the year before I left school in 1975, so their sound was a familiar accompaniment to my young musical life - alongside other UK reggae bands like Aswad and Misty in Roots, who started out around the same time and were mixed in with the punk and post-punk scenes.
In particular, I remember Steel Pulse’s song Ku Klux Klan (from their still excellent-sounding 1978 album, Handsworth Revolution), one of the ubiquitous sounds of the late 70s, in and around the Rock Against Racism movement. Throughout their 40-odd years, their political bite has always been there, but they have always laid down a deep dance vibe too.
A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since then, but here they still are – lineup changed and churned over the years - but still making radical summer vibes…
Here’s the full set from BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/e35wxj/play/a98z5v/p0j2td4r
3. Voice of Baceprot
Woodsies, late morning, Friday
*Voice of Baceprot (VoB) are my other favourite discovery of this year’s festival! Frustratingly, I can’t find any ‘official’ BBC videos taken of the set or even a song - hopefully they’ll appear in time. In the meantime, I’ve posted an indie highlight video, and a bonus in the notes – School Revolution, one of their earlier songs, which also appears on their excellent 2023 album RETAS (one of the top ten albums of the year voted by Metal Hammer readers).2
So, three young, hijab wearing Indonesian women play heavy rock from back in the day and basically smash every stereotype in the book, just by being there. But they are also really, really, really good. As Stephen Hill from Metal Hammer wrote:
“With very little in the way of pure heavy metal at this year's Glastonbury, the sight of three teenage Indonesian girls being one (of) the sole representatives could be looked at as an example of tokenism by cynics. If you're among that number, think again, because Voice of Baceprot easily justify their position on the Woodsies Stage, with a fantastically powerful, and often genuinely moving, set of passionate old school metal.”
They are very literally a ‘rebel band’ who started out at High School, and found themselves in front of a huge and enthusiastic Woodsies audience ready to rock… Here’s a highlight reel of their experience at the festival…
(…and HERE is a link to a great cover of Metallica’s Enter Sandman online as a bonus, bonus…)
4. This Is The Kit - Moonshine Freeze
Park Stage, Friday afternoon
Sometimes a band or a musician makes me smile, just because they seem to be enjoying themself the whole time they are on stage performing. Kate Stables and her band, This is the Kit, is one of those. They’ve been going a while but still feel a little bit under the radar. Whenever I hear them play, though, I kind of know what they’re about. They feel familiar somehow and I just like their music, and want to hear more.
Glastonbury - in the countryside - seems like a natural environment for this band; Kate Stables seems even to be wearing a tree on her head on this track! This is one of their standards and it’s a lovely thing.
Their full set from this year’s festival is at https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/e35wxj/play/aphgmb/p0j2mmc3
(As a side-note, This is the Kit bassist, and solo artist in her own right, Rozi Plain, is playing the upcoming Boia Festival in St Davids in October - I can’t wait!! More on this amazing event very soon…)
5. Jalen Ngonda - Come Around and Love Me
BBC acoustic set
Now this is a ‘new-to-me’ artist who got me scrabbling around looking for more! An amazing voice and the comparison with the old soul legends – Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield – is obvious. I suspect this low-key acoustic set on the BBC’s festival coverage belies the power and depth of his other recorded and live work, but it’s a very beautiful thing anyway. I also suspect this man will be a very well known, very big star sometime soon…
There is no recording of a longer set, but you can find his new album HERE and there are lots of other videos and performances online. I’m definitely going to have this playing on repeat very soon.
6.PJ Harvey - Prayer at the Gate
The Pyramid Stage, Friday evening
The West Country legend that is Polly Jean Harvey. The icon. The singer and writer of (in my opinion) the best opening track of an album EVER – Big Exit – from one of the best albums EVER - the wonderful Stories of the City Stories of the Sea.
This performance of Prayer at the Gate from her most recent and tenth album (I Inside the Old Year Dying) is breathtaking. Everything about it. And that Dress too…
The full performance is at https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0j2wlmn/glastonbury-pj-harvey?seriesId=b007r6vx-72-headliners-and-legends
Bonus video 1 - Over the Border from Frankie Archer is a new version of a traditional Northumbrian pipe tune. I just love the weirdness, the dance performances and the joy in this piece - and I love traditional Northumbrian pipes…