Chapter Eleven + Ian Britt: the Good Ship
Posted by jamie on Jan 25, 2012
Chapter Eleven, Ian Britt
The Good Ship, Kilburn
21st January, 2012
Jamie
For the record, the Good Ship, on Kilburn High Road, is actually on the opposite side of the road from Sainsbury’s (you know who you are). Here they have nice, clean wooden floors, a good little stage and are positive and open-minded about all sorts of performing arts and live entertainment.
Oh, and they’ve got banana flavoured beer, so Saturday night’s already a banger, and while I’m being ID’d for that, Ian Britt strums the opening lines to Run Lola Run. Watching Ian is, as always, a delightfully surreal experience such is the contrast between his songs: delicately soulful acoustic reggae songs based around the lilting, soothing melodies in voice, and the uncompromisingly deadpan delivery of the dry wit in his links.
After Run Lola Run and Back Home, for example, Ian explains that his next song was written to impress a girl who was “mad as a Mexican dancing bean.. when you get below that [pretty] exterior, she was a bit of a numpty”. It’s the next bit, though, that I won’t repeat that’s the real shocker. That those words can come out of the same mouth as that voice still takes some understanding at times.
His poor sister, nearby, looks very embarrassed.
Ian’s in chipper form, breezily treating us to a quick tour around some of his best known work. Chapter Eleven’s Asher Baker, watching, awestruck, next to me, whispers that King of the World is “a bit amazing”. It is, really: gently candid emotionally and soothingly melodic, it’s an absolute treat.
After Wishing Well, Ian cheekily asks us to guess which Michael Jackson song he’s going to play. “Yup: Earth Song”. It is, of course, his delicious cover of The Way You Make Me Feel.
There’s just time for one more family moment: Ian’s Mum has come as well, and admits to a distaste for his song Crazy Jane, making for an easier decision, and leaving Dedicate as his last tune. Again, a stunning little set.
Tonight, Asher ends his set with the words “I’ve been Chapter Eleven”. And he has: Buttery Biscuit Bassist Sweep is promoting Slowyear tonight, so Asher’s riding solo.
Undeterred, he whistles through a short, sharp set on an acoustic guitar: it’s peppier than I’ve seen him play before, quicker and with more rhythm. It really suits his songs. This Ship, of course, is excellent, and all the better, angrier, for its new tempo.
The set as a whole is strikingly personal, that emotional immediacy lending real meaning and leaving each song incredibly vivid: served up rhythmically and with vigour, it’s a winning combination.
Canoes, again, and the final track Home pare particularly earnest, heartfelt. The softness in Asher’s voice gently illuminating the melodies of the rhythm guitar parts that, tonight, are carrying the tune as well.
It works out perfectly. An excellent show.
Photos to follow.
Gecko & friends: Amersham Arms
Posted by jamie on Dec 1, 2011
Gecko & friends
(the Leano, Liam O’Kane, Perkie, Joe York, Chapter Eleven)
Amersham Arms, New Cross
26th November 2011
Jamie
[WE’LL HAVE PICTURES OF THIS GIG UP SOON.]
For the end of November, we’ve got very few clouds. Were it not for the fact that we’ve travelled North to South across London in pitch darkness in the early evening (prevening?), it could easily be April. If these are the ideal conditions for a relaxed, intimate and ever-so-friendly show, where lots of people are family, and the rest of us are made to feel like that, then the Amersham Arms, bang across from New Cross Station, is close to the ideal venue: the back room is warm, dusty and dimly lit.
By the time we arrived, the music had started, and the atmosphere was already excellent: whatever the quality of the performances, it’s very rare to feel this privileged to have been a part of something that’s this nice. From the off, it’s clear that everyone is really delighted to be here, to be enjoying each other’s company and excited about all of the music.
Credit’s due to the lovable urchins in Gecko for that: they’ve called this the Gecko and Friends UK Tour, and it clearly was that, but tonight we’re all lucky that Gecko are friends with so many artists that are so talented, and that they’ve found the charisma to bring them all together for this: a brilliantly entertaining and eclectic bill that’s managed to show off six excellent and very different takes on exactly where reggae, punk, folk and ska all come together.
Without Hassan permanently, and missing Sweep for the night, Asher Baker represented Chapter Eleven, by all accounts, to distinction. Having misread the facebook event, we actually missed his set (sorry, bud), and arrived midway through a charmingly idiosyncratic performance from Joe York. As ever, Joe plays his rabble-rousing songs with his heart on his sleeve. Tonight, he’s got a three-piece going with a drummer and another guitarist: it’s given a lot more body to the sound, and it’s great to watch - all of a sudden those edgy little acoustic folk/punk tunes sound bigger and more powerful, his lilting, eerie reggae melodies embellished nicely by the added power in the guitars and the messages in his lyrics given real strength by the gang vocals: it’s a gang of three to begin with, but a gang of everyone you can see by the time he’s done. Joe’s great fun to watch, as ever, and bigger and louder with his band.
Perkie, next, is something else entirely. A hurried little chat with the ever-charming Liam O’Kane had warned me to “prepare to be moved”, but there’s not much that can prepare you for this. It’s my first time seeing Perkie perform, and I spent most of it standing still with my mouth open, which doesn’t happen often. Her songs are excellent: lovely, hummy protest-folk, but the money-shot is her incredible voice: rich, soothing and so smooth it’s enchanting. The inside of my head feels like your fingertips do after a long soak in a Radox bath. Impossibly powerful for something that sounds so soft.
Perkie forgot the words to one song, and gave up on it a few times. Such is the warmth and sense of intimacy in the room, though, that it’s just a little bit funny and her set carries on seamlessly. She sits and chats for a bit, toying over what to play, and aimlessly charming all of us as she thinks about it. Eventually someone decides for her, and it turns out she’s got just three songs left. It feels like it’s over much too quickly.
Liam O’Kane is on fine form. He opens with Jimmy the Squirrel’s Leave the Grey, and chats matter–of-factly about the need for us to “be more like Perkie and less like him”, as an introduction to his next song, about how important it is to protest against things we see as wrong, rather than just moping about it. It’s appropriate, given the context, not least as he was introduced on stage by Attila the Stockbroker (yes, really, and yes, it surprised me too) that there is that element of social commentary in Liam’s songs. It’s equally evident in his patter, of course: his brilliantly dead-pan, self-deprecating wit sparkles as much outside his songs as it does in them.
Liam’s solo set is full of that, and it’s an absolute treat. His lilting, melancholy vocal really hits the spot, and draws real appreciation from the hush down here in the near-dark. It’s mainly newer songs, the tone in keeping with Jimmy’s Whatever the Weather, until his last one, the infectious, sing-and-clap-along joy of Politeness is Free, as enjoyable as ever.
There’s more from Attila, and then we’re treated to an extraordinary performance from the Leano. Throughout his set, his mouth never stops moving: instead he’s constantly cajoling us in to circles, moving us around, and even making Theo a conductor. It’s a surreal and totally unique take on audience participation to accompany his distinctive unity songs that mash rap with spoken word with acoustic guitar. The way it’s all put together is ingenious, but, again, it’s the way it’s performed that makes this work: the Leano speaks earnestly and with authority, while ushering and organising his growing crowd around him in circles, orchestrating every movement and even making us conduct ourselves. It’s the hardest thing in the world to explain, because it’s so different to what we’ve seen before, but it’s the oddest, most empowering fun going. At one point he has us all turned around to face back out towards the bar, and singing at the people sitting drinking. I can’t remember why. It was joyous, though, and they dug it.
And so, at last, to Gecko. We’re all well and truly warmed up, in every sense of the words, by the time they step in to the half-light on the stage: first Ben, then Simon and Gabe. Will steps on last, rock-star style: strolling through the crowd from the back and stepping on to stage at front centre after the band have begun to play Got Science. Despite having become famous as a sort of semi-acoustic act, tonight Gecko are the first and only “full” band to play. That, and their, triumphant end-of-tour home-town-show swagger has transformed them in to bona-fide rock stars: impudent as ever, but oozing confidence and owning their headline slot with nonchalant ease. They’ve brought a big crew with them, and we’re all eager to bob and sway along to Falling Down, Too Much, and the Library.
Best Friend is the only song from the Pigeon EP in tonight’s set, and goes down well: fairly obviously, most people here are familiar with Gecko and already know the new songs well. Perkie joins the lads on stage to duet on Kelis’s Millionaire and sticks around for I Got Time. They wrap up with Camden, and, obviously, Guananabana Juice. At this point there’s a few Guanabana Juices in the air: Juna Fruits have discovered Gecko and followed them on tour to give away the best of all drinks at shows. It’s actually very, very nice, by the way.
It’s all over much too quickly: it might be the crazy warmth, the Guanabana or whatever, but that seemed to happen really fast. Noone’s really ready to go home, except Attila the Stockbroker, who has a train to catch, and so there’s scope for two more songs. Those songs are Gotta Wait and, finally, Pigeon, performed with Ricky, off of the cover of the Pigeon EP, and every single band member on stage.
It’s the coolest thing when everyone is friends with each other, and, in rooms like this, on nights like this, everyone you haven’t met quickly becomes your friend anyway. All of that, and the pogoing, arms over shoulders, and mass bawling of “he’s got nothing to say!” have sort of turned us all in to one right now. It’s finished after this, and it turns out that we should have been on Attila’s train. The Leano was around to help us on a bus back to North London, though. Just in case. He’s a thoroughly nice chap.
Kudos to Gecko for meeting so many lovely and exciting musicians, and for bringing them all here to play for us. They actually really are all friends. By the end of this, everyone is.
Travel warning: if you’re coming to New Cross – for this, for example – check your trains. It takes a long time to get home by bus.
Ian Britt, Chapter Eleven: free London show
Posted by jamie on Nov 17, 2011
Our BFFs at Men With Hats have created a lovely acousitc show in North London that costs nothing (yes, really) to attend. Aparently they have fruit-flavour beers and everything. It’s going on (and off) at the World’s End (in Finsbury Park, not the Camden Town one).
You can watch:
Smash Peters (Miacca)
See it on facebook here.
Chapter Eleven: July UK tour
Posted by jamie on Jun 27, 2011
Bananatown main men Chapter Eleven are off on tour again.
You can see the whole tour on Facebook here, where each of the dates has its own individual event and they’re all neatly linked.
They’ve also told us:
The info for the last few dates will be added over the next couple of days, and the possibility of a few more dates.
We’ll be at a few of these, but I don’t know which ones yet. Still, see you there.
Ben Childs: UK TOUR 2011
Posted by jamie on Jun 15, 2011
Ben Childs is going to bring his new project, Killbillies, to the UK at the end of this month. In case you didn’t get lucky last year, support again comes from Mike Scott, and, on selected dates, from Bananatown favourites Chapter Eleven.
See it on facebook here.
UPDATE:
Asher from Chapter Eleven has confirmed their dates on the tour for us:
Sorry geez,
We’re playing with Mike Scott and KillBillies on the following dates:
June:
29 Swanage - House Show (w/ Killbillies, Mike Scott, Ren Spits at Magpies)July:
1 Southampton - Crapshack (w/ Killbillies, Mike Scott)
4 London - House Show (w/ Killbillies, Mike Scott)
Chapter Eleven: launch EP in London
Posted by jamie on May 10, 2011
Chapter Eleven launch their EP Death is Far Away on 20th May. To celebrate, they’ll play at the brilliantly named Filthy MacNasty’s Whiskey Cafe in Islington on the Saturday, 21st may.
Support comes form the lovely Ian Britt, Daniel Nolan and Torn Out. Doors are at 19:30.
See it on facebook here.
Gecko: London show MOVED
Posted by jamie on May 3, 2011
Gecko have moved their London show to the Water Rats.
Hey bro you ok?????
If you dont mind could you let the bananas know our London tourdate is now at the Water rats. Hope you’re good mate.
We’ve just been in the studio
Nice one
Will
See the new info on facebook here. Gecko are in the studio. Very excited for that.
Chapter Eleven: two new songs up
Posted by jamie on Apr 27, 2011
Here we go, then..
Chapter Eleven: recording EP
Posted by jamie on Apr 20, 2011
Chapter Eleven will record their first EP tomorrow, with Martin from Asian Dub Foundation.
Track listing confirmed as..
- Intro
- Signal fires
- Night Bus
- Portway Place
- This Ship
- Head Above Water*
- ..hidden track
*Hassan’s still writing Head Above Water , so its title might change.
