Musical delights: Happy Birthday to me! A music festival with Gentleman of the Road and Mumford in Lewes on July 19 (Day 1)

My thirtysomething-ish birthday present to myself was a two-day pass to the Gentlemen of the Road concerts to see, amongst others, the delightful Mumford and Sons! On July 19th, three days after my day, I got to experience that gift.  Boy, was it an experience!  I have been to concerts.  I have been to outdoor concerts. But, I can honestly say I had not experienced a music festival: until now. 

Gentlemen of the Road flags on the walk to

the stage site

One thing I've learned:  England has many music festivals; it holds one of the biggest around--the well-known Glastonbury.  Well, Gentlemen of the Road was no Glastonbury (at least what I saw of it on the telly), but for this festival novice, it may have well been. For two days, the small town of Lewes in the Sussex countryside had transformed.  I had discovered the small-gem of a town a few months prior and was thrilled to see it chosen as a stopover city for one of my favourite bands, but even I did not recognise it when I got off an afternoon train and made my way up the familiar road from the station to the high street where my hotel was located.  So, no one of those tents is not mine (I was glad to have a room in the White Hart Hotel.  It was a basic room, but it was a room in a town that was fully booked that weekend).  

The first bands weren't scheduled to start playing until that evening and I arrived in the afternoon; I had some time to wander around before I made the journey to receive the braclet. I was celebrating my birthday so I went to my favourite Lewes record shop  to add to a growing collection of folk music.  

Musical purchase of Hatful of Rain, Iron and Wine, and Emily Barker.

The journey to collect the little green band of entrance had one passing by not only flags and a sea of camping , but some sites you may not see on a typical day.  A group of cadets (that is the only way I can describe them), though cadets of what I know not, could be seen marching and down the same road the herd of people were traveling in order to provide a service.  At one point they stopped their marching and chanting to collect a camper's many items and, presumably, carry it to the site.

 Maybe it would have been worth camping for that...nah, not really.

The unusual heat in mid-July, so talked about by every Brit in the UK, made it perfect weather for a music festival.  Sun-tan lotion, sunglasses and water .were essential.  Food was an extra...a real extra as I would find out. 

I arrived and took part in the great British practice of queuing.

My lovely queue on Day 1 in Lewes

 It was a bit odd at first and a bit annoying as I stood there not really knowing how long the line was and where exactly I was in it, and it was impossible for me to find out...I'd lose my place!  I stayed, I waited, I queued and after a bit of shuffling I received the braclet-pass only to enter another line to enter the site.  I can now queue quite like the English, I must say.  

Being on my own; however, I started talking to people.  I met several interesting people over that course of the weekend by being on my own.  It started in line and continued through the following day...more of that in Day 2 though. While in queue, I started a conversation with two locals who told me about some places not to miss while I was staying in town.  Taking the advice, Sunday breakfast was delicious!

Reaching the end of this great line, we were met by concert staff/security guards.  My luck:  I had a real arse.  He looked at my bag like it was from a foreign country and not the store in town and rummaged through it like I was trying to smuggle in drugs--which some festival-goers clearly did--and threw one of my sandwiches aside as if it was said drug! I soon learned he threw my food aside because vendors wanted concert-goers to purchase their ridiculously expensive food, rather than bring their own. I could tell my two line-acquaintences felt bad for me and I was too embarrassed to remain in their company...bye guys, thanks for the restaurant recommendation! I'm off to stake my claim on a piece of grass with a view of the stage in hopes to catch a decent glimpse of the evening's bands:  Youth Lagoon, White Denim, British Sea Power, and Vampire Weekend.  

Site entrance.  Past the arse of security

 Scenes from Day 1...

British Sea Power.  A pretty good band. 

Musical delights: Local shops and local delights

It has been awhile so I am combining a few things.  The survival of local, independent music shops is a topic close to many an audiophile. I was lucky enough to spend Record Store Day 2013 in Soho taking in the sun,sights, and sounds of a busy day for the local music shops I have found myself recently browsing through. The survival of local record stores has been a topic of discussion for many people.  I have taken part in it myself since I do have an audiophile and record consumer for an older sibling.  Ok, I admit it. I buy music from iTunes and listen to an iPod, but there are things that you can find in your local, small record store that you can't on iTunes or in the big chain music stores (that also seem to be taking a hit from online sales). That would be knowledge and interaction.  Through those two things I made a delightful discovery in both music and a place to buy music (that's not online).  

I certainly wouldn't describe myself as an audiophile, but when I do find a group or genre I like, I stick with it. Indie folk, Americana...whatever one wants to call it, it's a good fit for the new mellower tastes I find myself seeking.  So when I found myself wandering in the lovely town of Lewes in Sussex, I stopped in the local independent music store, called Union Music Store, and had a singular experience that has just made me an even bigger advocate for their survival: a real conversation with someone who knew their shit; by giving examples of two bands, I was recommended a third that I have come to appreciate, enjoy, and find delightful.

Record store seekers in Soho on
Record Store Day 2013

 

A crowd outside Union Music Store in Lewes

Another unique aspect that made my experience at Union stand apart was the opportunity to hear some new music...live! Every weekend there was well-and maybe lesser known acts that would spend half an hour treating shoppers to a free concert.  A great introduction to a new band, or an amazing opportunities to see a newly discovered gem.  I got to see one of my favourites outside before a festival...it was probably one of the best bands I saw all weekend.
The band--The Self Help Group--is difficult for me to describe, as I have never been one for putting the music I enjoy into genres, but listening to Self Help just relaxes my soul.  They are the go-to for a sunny day outside, or the respite from the stresses of the daily grind.  Over the past few months, I have seen them go from an in-store recommendation to a highly-reviewed, rising band. I will be happy to say I have been a listener early on.  Don't believe me?!  Reviews can't be wrong: The Maverick, an independent country magazine in the UK, gave it a four-star rating.  And, when another review mentioned the US West Coast in the same paragraph, I was completely hooked.  One of the best concerts I saw during the Mumford and Sons Gentlemen of the Road festival was Self Help. I pass along my high recommendation as I continue in the delights of the local music stores like Union Music and bands such as The Self Help Group.

Introduction of The Self Help Group during a free gig in Lewes

Living in London: An outing with the Sherlock Holmes Society of London

My introduction to the Sherlock Holmes Society of London; the Journal

For a Sherlockian, there is no better place than London.  In the 19th or 21st Century, the city is all that is Sherlock Holmes.  I joined the Sherlock Holmes Society of London only a few months after arriving, and I am not disappointed.  A group of writers, scholars and enthusiasts of all ages coming together to converse in and share their interest in the Great Detective; a place where one can, in effect, "geek out".  In my first outing with the Society, I had a weekend filled with visiting parts of London I never have, meeting fellow enthusiasts, and making new friends.  

It started with an Annual General Meeting (AGM) on a Thursday.  A business meeting that didn't last long at all lead to the discovery (for me) of the existence of a Baker Street musical, and a member-performance of a Holmes radio play.  Saturday and Sunday the gathering continued with visits to Greenwich and the Cutty Sark, and an excellent London walk and pub lunch on Sunday.

The Cutty Sark is the second ship museum that I have had the pleasure of visiting (the first was Brunel's ship in Bristol).  The restoration and use of a ship as a museum has impressed me a great deal.  The glass casing shown in the picture houses the bottom of the hull of the ship, as well as gift shop and cafe.  Starting below decks we walked through the clipper ship where the ship's main cargo of tea or wool was brought to life for both adults and children.  Above deck, visitors are able to get a glimpse of life aboard a 19th Century clipper with restored living quarters for officers and seaman of all ranks.  It is impossible to visit one of these amazing museums without imagining what it was like, and how different it is from today's luxury cruise liners.  These were certainly not the lap-of-luxury; not even for the officers and captain!

The way to Greenwich was by boat along the Thames passing by Holmesian sites along the River.

We received this great companion to our trip.  Greenwich has a some scattered shoreline along the Thames and I was happy to sit and take in the view after lunch.

Sunday saw  the day begin with an excellent walk through some parts of Sherlock Holmes's London.  We passed Charing Cross Hospital (now a police station), offices of the Strand, the Lyceum Theatre (still the Lyceum today), the Bow Street police station, which was just recently shut down and other sites.  Once again I was transported to another time and could imagine Holmes and Watson dashing through the streets of  central London on one of their many adventures.  Fun outings make for a fun (and educational) weekend.  One more reason to enjoy life in London!

Telly Delights: Reviews Ripper Street

Ripper Street threesome: Drake, Reid, and Jackson (l-r)

Upon hearing the title, I was intrigued.  When I saw a lead actor, I was definitely going to watch.  After I saw the first episode, I was hooked.
Ripper Street is one of those unexpected surprises.  It has just the right amount of crime procedural, period piece setting, action-adventure, and character drama to make it an absolute gem.
My Sunday nights are not complete without this BBC addition (last week with the BAFTAs in its time-slot, I was quite disappointed).  Yes television viewers, we did miss out.  Luckily, it will return this week.

The first thing I thought, with an opening scene on bare-knuckle boxing and opening credits in a very Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes style, was that it was trying to be that type of story, just on a smaller screen. Wrong again.  It has the quality of Deadwood with the quirkiness of Firefly; the feeling more of a Victorian era Western, if there ever could be such a thing.
The name could be misleading.  It is set in Whitechapel, and the lead character, Edmund Reid (played with perfection by Matthew Macfayden) is based on a London detective who worked on the Jack the Ripper cases, but this is distinctly set just after the infamous spree. Reid is doing all he can to calm his streets in the aftermath, while at the same time clearly facing some deeper personal issues we have yet to fully understand. His right-hand men are Det. Sergeant Drake (Game of Thrones), and the somewhat mysterious ex-soldier, ex-Pinkerton, Yankee doctor, Jackson.  Together they do what needs to be done.

The main casting couldn't have been better.  Without it Ripper Street may not be the series it is.  Matthew Macfayden (Spooks, Little Dorrit, Pride and Prejudice) shows the Ripper audience perhaps his best work as Edmund Reid, the Detective Inspector in Whitechapel's H division police department.  Inspired by a real person,  Macfayden's Reid is not meant to be a historical representation.  He is given a fictional background, and Macfayden brings the perfect amount of humanity and action to the late 19th Century that fills our 21st Century needs.  Jerome Flynn (Game of Thrones fans will recognize him as Bronn) is wonderful as DS Bennet Drake.  Reid and Drake play the good-cop, bad-cop with their suspects; Drake relishing the bad-cop role by roughing-up the bad guys until Reid gets his answers.  Flynn's Drake is loyal to his Inspector, and, despite having that rough exterior, it clear that there is a human being inside.  With British actors going to Hollywood, it's great to see an American actor, playing an American, in an English series.  Talk about authenticity!  Captain Homer Jackson gets more and more interesting everytime he's on screen.  He is a wild card, Reid knows, but he is good at what he does.  A former soldier, former Pinkerton (thank you Arthur Conan Doyle for my introduction to the Pinkertons), a doctor (Reid's coroner).  Rothenberg brings the mystery, a Yankee confidence and swagger, and even loyalty to a character who always leaves you wondering who side he is really on.

The series brings modern ideas to the late Victorian era, but they seem to fit right in.  We can see that social issues, modernity, and people are the essentially the same, even after a century of wars, and industrial and technological advances.  That makes a series like this timeless.  It has been renewed for a second series.  With enjoyable series' so few and far between, I am glad that there is more Ripper Street on the horizon.  

Living in London: An Anglophile's real delight

Parliament and the Thames: London landmarks

For an Anglophile, London is it.  We love to hear about it, see pictures of it, watch movies and telly with it being a prominent setting or character in its own right.  Living and working in London, has made me one happy Anglophile.
Coming up on three months, I am still in the honeymoon phase with my new home.  I have got very little to say bad about it, and lots to rave about.  Weekends in town are spent strolling around different neighbourhoods, and discovering really how close Soho is to Covent Garden and Trafalgar Square.  Walks along the Thames are frequent; at first most weekends, now twice a day on a route to and from work to the Tube station.

January snow and the local church

In a big city, one can indulge in their interests and passions; London is no exception.  Theatre is abound, history is around constantly, and literature looms; those are just a few of the interests that tether me to the city.  Would I have spent 125 quid on that first edition book of Arthur Conan Doyle?  Yes, I sure wanted to, but had to let it pass.  How cool was it to see Edith Crawley and Balin from the Hobbit on the same stage together in a classic Russian piece of literature? Amazing!  Am I ever going to see the remaining section of wall from the Marshalsea Debtors' Prison mentioned by Dickens in Little Dorrit?  Of course. That and much more is what London is to an anglophile.  Living in my adopted city, I feel at ease.  Working in a satisfying job, living in a satisfying place, and indulging in one of your favourite cities in the world.  Can't get much better...ok, a couple ways it could, but I'll leave that to the imaginations.