Tag Archives: live event

Plainsong In Pontefract

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A series of videos recorded at Plainsong’s evening show at The CAT Club, Pontefract, 11th December 2022. The concert was part of a 50th anniversary celebration tour of the first Plainsong incarnation, featuring the two surviving members: Iain Matthews and Andy Roberts.

The first four songs are from Plainsong’s classic album In Search of Amelia Earhart: ‘Raider, ‘Louise’, ‘Amelia Earhart’s Last Flight’ and ‘Side Roads’. Andy and Iain had planned to reinvent the whole album to record and release with Ian Clayton’s book In Search of Plainsong but the Covid pandemic lockdown made that project logistically too difficult to complete. Some of the demos they made feature on the Cherry Red Plainsong box set Following Amelia.

Following these four songs are two songs that Plainsong played in 1972: Richard Fariña’s ‘House Un-American Blues Activity Dream’ and Danny Whitten’s ‘I Don’t Want To Talk About It’.

For the full story of Plainsong’s rise and fall, read Ian Clayton’s book In Search of Plainsong. Click here for details.

Iain Matthews and Ian Clayton Words & Music Tour | The Red Shed | Woodstock

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Iain Matthews and Ian Clayton caught in the Devil’s bargain on their Words & Music Tour at The Red Shed, Wakefield. Ian reads a short extract from Iain’s memoir Thro’ My Eyes followed by a stripped-down performance of ‘Woodstock’ by Iain. Recorded on 27th September 2019.

It was the perfect moment at iconic Red Shed, Wakefield’s Labour Club. The story shows that it was because of the Union that we got the Matthews Southern Comfort ‘Woodstock’ in the first place. It’s a song that strives for a new utopia, but it’s this version that spread the ideal beyond the hippies and dreamers to the kitchens, bedrooms, youth clubs, factories and paint shops of the masses. And this is a beautiful performance by Iain. At one point, he’s singing the notice board (Toulouse / To lose)

Click here for more on Thro’ My Eyes: A Memoir.

Bad Language

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British Story British Tour at Bad Language, The Castle, Manchester. January 2015. Listed at No.3 in the undeniably cool things to do in Manchester that week.

Michael Nath reads a passage on the two plagues of King Lludd, as told by Arthur Mountain. ‘It’s a legend, Sire. You may shake your head.’

More on British Story

The Beast Inside Tour

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Tom Hingley and The Lovers [Steve Hanley (Fall) Paul Hanley (Fall) Kelly Wood and Andrew Tarling] will be performing the Inspiral Carpets 1991 Top 5 UK chart position, second album The Beast Inside at a variety of O2 venues in early September 2012

The Majority of these songs haven’t been heard since the albums debut in 1991, the record was considered dark and brooding to some, but has always had a special place in the heart of Inspirals Fans. So while the Inspirals are out packing out big venues playing all the hits with their pre-1989 Singer Stephen Holt, Tom has decided to take a high road and celebrate the the fans obscure ‘lost album’.

Supporting Tom will be Rochdale’s finest new band The Brightsparks – whose combination of harmonies aggression and pure pop sensibility, akin to the Libertines at their best and Rory McKee a singer-songwriter from Omagh whose song writing abilities combined with a rich baritone make him a good choice by Mr Hingley for first support.

Thursday 6 September – Newcastle O2 Academy2 – £7 – Tickets
Friday 7 September – Glasgow O2 ABC2 – £7 – Tickets
Saturday 8 September – Liverpool O2 Academy2 – £7 – Tickets
Sunday 9 September – Birmingham O2 Academy3 – £7 – Tickets
Monday 10 September – Birstol O2 Academy2 – £7 – Tickets
Tuesday 11 September – Cardiff clwb ifor bach – £8 – Tickets
Thursday 13 September – London O2 Academy2 Islington – Tickets
Friday 21 September – Manchester Ruby Lounge –£8 – Tickets

Tom Hingley’s Inspiral Carpets memoir Carpet Burns is published by Route.