Music promotion? Is it worth the stress? You book the venue, try and get the right mix of bands, design the flyers and posters, arrange time scales with printers, sort out the PR, work out logistics and that's just the tip of the iceberg!!! Stumbling blocks are of course, an inevitability, bands drop out, want different time slots and you of course want to keep them all happy because your ethos has been that you will only book acts that you actually like. You’ve heard about shitty promoters and you certainly don’t want to be associated with that type of charlatan, so you put your heart and soul into the event. Yet despite your idealism you will always come up against that age old compromise, bums on seats vs artistic integrity and there’s the rub, because as sure as Arsene Wenger is a complete cockhead you WILL have to comprise your vision to some degree, that’s just ‘the way it works.’ The night eventually seems to take over your life and at one point your family start to ask who the strange bearded man in the front room on the PC actually is? ‘Do we know each other?’ On other occasions you feel like you’re wrestling with jelly and wonder if it’s worth the stress. Let’s face it putting on 12 bands in one night is fairly ambitious, some would say slightly unhinged but maybe it would be even more ambitious and insane to review all the bands we had on the bill for our “Sick!” night at the Zanzibar Club in Liverpool. With that in mind I’ll concentrate on the two bands whom I had a major role in booking, which is of course is no slight on the other bands on the bill who were all superb.
Watching a band as good as Polly Mackey And The Pleasure Principle made all those sleepless nights worthwhile, because this is what we wanted the night to be all about, putting on upcoming bands in an intimate venue which has a fantastic PA system and hopefully reminding the audience just how great live music can be. After watching Polly MacKey’s sound check it was apparent to me that she must have the word “talent” written through her like a stick of rock, the sheer quality of her song writing and her amazing voice are the first thing that strike you about this girl. It must drive her to distraction when people constantly reference her age because when you hear somebody who has the ability to write insightful, literate, intelligent music that is both moving and inspiring it shouldn’t matter whether that person is 18 or 80. However, I have to admit if this is the sort of quality song writing she is able to produce at 18, it’s frightening to think just how good she may become. At tonight’s gig Polly and her band the Pleasure Principle played with the assurance of seasoned veterans producing a set shot through with brilliance which not only demonstrated her wonderful voice but also what fine musicians her band are. Songs like ‘The Way It Works,’ ‘The Wall,’‘Seriously’ and the three fantastic new numbers the band performed ‘Control,’ ‘Higher,’ and ‘Silent Film’ all served notice that here is a major talent who is worth a hundred of the dreadful, karaoke, fame seeking wannabes with whom a brainwashed Joe Public seems to be in the thrall of via the medium of prime time TV. Yet it’s singer songwriters like Polly with whom the future of music rests, it’s people with this sort of natural talent that can lead the fight back against soulless corporate mass produced pop and it fills you with hope that a brighter musical future maybe about to dawn.
Nobody can dispute the fact that ‘Britain’s got talent,’ but you won’t find it on Saturday night TV overseen by two gurning, sniggering Geordie dwarves. Nope, you’ll find it here in venues like this one were people play music for the love of the act not just for the rewards it may bring. Of course the music industry is littered with broken dreams and unfulfilled promise and talent alone is never a guarantee of success, a glance at the latest chart confirms that fact, but Polly seems to have the right people around her and tonight the band were quite superb, totally justifying my faith in getting them booked.
I suppose if I were to have a stab at objectivity I might say maybe Polly’s stage craft might be something that could be improved in terms of interaction, banter and general demeanour. She may give off a slightly aloof vibe, (but maybe that’s because she’s uber cool) and maybe that is one thing that will come with more experience, but to be honest when the music’s so good, who really cares? She’s here to sing and not perform stand up comedy or acrobatics and when her voice takes over, quite frankly that’s all the interaction you need. She’ll be on Jool’s Holland within three years if there’s any justice.
Next up were Manchester’s finest, Run Toto Run, a band I’d always enjoyed and had yet to see live, so booking them for tonight’s show was a bit of a treat. When I first came across the band the term “twee electro folk” was oft bandied about and I suppose there was some justification in using this description. But this evening’s performance took the band to another level and made me discard the twee tag forever. Their layered synths, samples and beats plus Rachael Kitcheside’s mellifluous vocals conjured up the welcome spectre of bands such as Dubstar and St. Etienne more so than earnest folk singers with great big beards and rough sweaters hewn from nettles and brambles (and that’s just the ladies!) Their sound has expanded almost beyond recognition; Rachael’s voice has always been imbued with a rich, melodic loveliness but possibly was a little too cute and fey for some folk, but now it seems so much stronger and full of real emotive power. Their new songs can no longer be classed as whimsical for they show a real depth and range and are underpinned by a pulsating electronic pop sensibility. It’s the sound of a band that has found their feet and is now blossoming into all that they want to be. When Rachael sings it can stop you in your tracks and to be honest it really does take something special to stop me mid-pint!!
They have retained their playful, magical sense of wonder but are now producing a far more expansive and rewarding sound than even I thought possible! This set proved that the band have made their way out of the gingerbread forest and are ready to kick some serious ass! And it looked like at one point as if Rachael was ready to do just that in relation to at least one chap in the assembled throng tonight. Initially she appeared somewhat concerned regarding a poor fellow at the front of the stage who appeared to be experiencing some kind of apoplectic fit, an aberration of the mind if you will. However on closer inspection it became apparent that the strange spectacle unfolding before our eyes was in fact a bizarre and singularly inept attempt at expressing emotion via the medium of dance!! This strange fellow bore an uncanny resemblance to the ‘The Haitian’ from the TV show ‘Heroes’ and although he jerked about enthusiastically and with great energy it soon became apparent his superpower arsenal did not include the ability to dance in a coherent and co-ordinated fashion. Still this was a minor hiccup and after the hapless chump was ejected Run Toto Run produced a set that was pretty much flawless, highlights included ‘Plastic Gold,’ ‘Welcoming Committee,’ upcoming single ‘Catch My Breath’ and the live debut of a new song ‘Girl On The Escalator.’ After the gig Rachael did admit that the dancing miscreant was a little off putting, which you can understand, I mean how do you keep a straight face when somebody’s convulsing in front of you in a fashion that can best be described as Mr Bean on some seriously bad acid!
Run Toto Run proved that anybody who dismisses them as mere twee, electro folksters simply haven’t been listening to how the band have developed, they still have their quirkiness but have allied that to some killer pop tunes which are mature and evocative and so much more than mere flights of fancy .....listen and learn.....
So, music promotion? Is it worth the hassle? Well, you ain’t gonna get rich quick that’s for sure, you might age ten years in a month, and if there’s a couple of you involved accept the fact that you won’t always see eye to eye on every detail. But if you really love music and are passionate about helping provide a platform for bands you love to perform upon, if you are a UN Peace keeping force made flesh and willing to accept some compromises for the greater good, then yeah it’s undoubtedly well worth it and very fulfilling. Because at the end of the day, it’s really is all about the music!
Last edited by jack s : February 3, 2010 at 02:00 PM.
Overall Rating
8
Vocals / Lyrics
9
Musicianship
9
Production
9
Creativity
9
Lastability
8
Reviewers Tilt
8
86%
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Re: Polly MacKey / Run Toto Run, @ Sick! Liverpool [Live]
Um reviewing your own night? Isn't that a bit biased? Should have let Catshoe review it as he was there wasn't he? This is kind of like me producing an album and then reviewing it myself!
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Re: Polly MacKey / Run Toto Run, @ Sick! Liverpool [Live]
Originally Posted by altsounds
Um reviewing your own night? Isn't that a bit biased? Should have let Catshoe review it as he was there wasn't he? This is kind of like me producing an album and then reviewing it myself!
Erm well yeah Chris but I did ask you about this and your response was
"You can post this yourself if you want mate. I have no problem you promoting your own night as long as it's good! And the only way we will know that is if you review it!!"
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Re: Polly MacKey / Run Toto Run, @ Sick! Liverpool [Live]
Pahahaha. Oh!
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Re: Polly MacKey / Run Toto Run, @ Sick! Liverpool [Live]
As an aside, hot girls and guitars are awesome.
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Re: Polly MacKey / Run Toto Run, @ Sick! Liverpool [Live]
I would probably have bigged Andy up more than he has himself - it strikes me as a bit of an achievement to promote a night with bands that you actually like. Of course his Von Pip exploits have made him a lot of friends. It is really interesting to get his POV of what it was like to put it on, loads of us must have thought about doing something similar. In fact I notice MoHo in Manchester is inviting propositions from promoters right now, not that I'm in a position to
Great little venue, it has the patina of something in there, but was just right, GOOD sound and GREAT lighting, although you might not think so from this picture I did of Polly Mackey
I'm actually glad of Andy's take on both these bands, bearing in mind I have reviewed them both before on altsounds - it's nice to know what other people think. Added to which I didn't actually stay for Run Toto, we'd made a big effort to get there but my other half had to be in work at silly o'clock the next day. We saw the Lewerin Band (hmmmm), the Mono LPs - fab, dead genuine, brilliant rock voice when he got going, and a cello in a rock'n'roll band. And we saw Polly Mackey which was the main reason we were there apart from needing a night out. I agree with everything Andy has said about Polly and her band. Apparently I am a jinx - she emailed me the next day to say so - I've seen them twice and both times they've had instruments go down. Maybe they'll pay me to stay away?
It's not that we don't love Run Toto Run, but I have seen them 3 times quite recently - once in tow with Heron, and like I said, Flip was going to end up with 4 hours sleep staying as long as we did. I think poor old Rachael is starting to worry about us following them round the place as well.
Andy - it was great to meet you, bloody well done, and yes I'll come to the next one
Re: Polly MacKey / Run Toto Run, @ Sick! Liverpool [Live]
FFS, I'm not the one slavering over French girls, or Greek / Welsh girls on this forum! Added to which, Andy absolutely gives me a run for my money in terms of preferring female voices. And I'm getting better, I've got a couple of male fronted bands that I listen to - honest guv
Re: Polly MacKey / Run Toto Run, @ Sick! Liverpool [Live]
Hahaha yes I admit it I do like a good female fronted band . Actually one band you mentioned ( Hmmmm) there we didnt book , that was one of the compromises I was waffling on about . Yeah they could play, but we didnt feel they were a good fit and we wouldnt have booked them , no way jose, just not our cuppa tea at all. I hid away at the back when they where on gnawing at my own fist. Best described as camper than "Christopher Biggins fronting The Darkness at Liberace' s Christmas Party "
Great to meet you too Mike I'll give you a shout when the next ones on.
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Run Toto Run [Live] at the Canvas Lounge
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