The Christians Celebrating 25 Years In Music - Garry Christian Interview

Ahead of tonight’s gig at The Globe, Cardiff, The Christians front man Garry Christian talks to Andy Howells about their 25th year in music.

The Christians soulful pop harmonies and intricate synth sounds were a mainstay of the British pop chart during 1987 and 1988. The Liverpool ensemble’s hits Forgotten Town, Ideal World, Words and Harvest For The World set them apart from the manufactured pop and soft rock acts of the era.

Garry Christian the lead singer of the band believes their individual music style helped give them an appeal that has spanned 25 years. “That’s why it stands up today,” he says. “That’s why people come and see us –because in a way we’re timeless. If you listen to Forgotten Town it’s got that big snare and reverb you don’t hear on today’s records.It is of its time, but the actual songs when we do them live, they just stand up today they’re great.”

Garry, his brothers Russell and Roger and It’s Immaterial Keyboardist Henry Priestman united in the mid 80s to “get a tape together” before signing to Island records. The band took its name from Garry and his brothers’ surname as well as Henry’s middle name. Their self titled debut album reached number two in the album chart and was followed up a year later with their second album Colour, both of which have just been reissued to mark the bands 25th anniversary.

Fans can expect to hear these classics as well as their version of The Isley Brothers Harvest for the World when they play The Globe in Cardiff tonight. “I really kind of sweated over doing that,” confesses Garry about Harvest for the World. “The Isley's? How do you take it away from THEM? But we did and I’m really glad we did it really.”

Garry is looking forward to a return visit to Wales. He said: “Me and Wales are kind of connected, because when I was a kid my mum had a kind of caravan bungalow in Blaenau in North Wales. I love Wales.”

The UK tour will culminate with an appearance at The Isle of Wight festival and the release of a new album Speed of Light. “It’s all sounding great and I’m really proud of it,” said Garry, who is still passionate about music and excited about the festival. He said: “We’re looking forward to that and not only just to see Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers and Bruce Springsteen. “There are a few acts I want to see, so we’ll do our gig and get off to see them.”

• This interview by Andy Howells was published in The South Wales Argus entertainment supplement The Guide on May 25, 2012.

Meet The Band: Manhattan Coast

AHEAD of their May 18 gig at Le Pub, Newport, South Wales band Manhattan Coast chat to Andy Howells about their new EP.

Who are you and where do you originate from?
We are Manhattan Coast, an alternative rock band coming from Bridgend/Llantwit Major.

How did you come together as a band?
A few of the current members were in a previous band together called Death Quit Dancing. When new members joined, we began writing new material that was taking a different musical direction towards what that band was, so we decided on a name change and started from scratch.

How would you describe your style of music?
We would describe ourselves as alternative rock, influenced by bands such as Deaf Havana. As much as we like to write heavy riffs and catchy hooks, we also like to write melodic music as well. If we feel inspired to write something that appeals to us, then we’ll go ahead and write it and hope other people dig it, too.

What’s your best live experience so far?
Best live experience would be playing with great local bands such as Straight Lines and The Guns. To be on the same bill as bands who are putting their own stamp on South Wales and its music scene is something we’re proud to be a part of.

What are your plans for the next few months?
We have our Never Tell Me The Odds single EP, which will be available to download from May 14, and the video is already on our Manhattan Coast YouTube channel. Also on our YouTube channel is a cover of Dedication To My Ex that we’ve just recorded. We also plan on recording our first EP in the summer and releasing it in July/August.

Where can we catch you live?
You can catch us at our own single launch on May 18 at Le Pub, Newport, which is a free show and consists of some of South Wales’ best live bands around at the moment. There are also plans to play more shows towards the end of the summer around the South Wales area.

• A version of this Q&A by Andy Howells, appeared in The South Wales Argus entertainment section The Guide on May 12, 2012. 

In Concert: The Blues Band, Newport Riverfront, 2011

A wet and miserable evening resulting in the postponement of The Newport Dragons V Blues match at Rodney Parade was enough to give any Newport resident the blues on Friday night.  Thankfully The Blues Band were in town to drive away any sadness with good music at Newport Riverfront.

Tom McGuinness, Dave Kelly, Paul Jones, Gary Fletcher and Rob Townsend gave a two and a half hour crash-course in the Blues played with feeling. Along the way name-checking greats such as Chuck Berry, Oscar Brown Jr. and Little Johnny Taylor.

Following the powerful opening of the title track from their new album A Few Short Lines, the band launched into an early Manfred Mann B-side Without You, which featured a soaring vocal from Paul Jones.

One could not help but marvel at the guitar talents of Tom McGuinness (at one point playing a guitar perched on his back) and Dave Kelly mixed with Paul Jones energetic harmonica playing, Gary Fletcher’s deep bass sound and Rob Townsend's drum-beat which tied the band firmly together.

Other highlights included the joint vocals of Paul, Tom, Dave and Gary on How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times, Gary Fletcher’s Bluesy vocal on You Are True and Paul Jones seeking audience participation with Suddenly I Like You. The concert was rounded off with a two song encore including a version of Curtis Mayfield’s People Get Ready, proving that the blues had never sounded so good.

As I left the gig, I heard one audience member say “That was a much needed boost to the usual Friday night”. He couldn't have been more right.

• Review by Andy Howells published in The South Wales Argus during November, 2011.
• The Blues Band Official Website
• Review Of The Blues Band at Newport Riverfront, 2007

In Concert: The Barron Knights, Newport Riverfront, 2011

“We’ll kick off with some rock n roll and then have some fun!” promised Barron Knights founder Pete Langford at Newport Riverfront on Friday evening and it has to be said the band known by their peers as “The guvnors” certainly delivered.

The Barron Knights now in their 50th year are one of the few acts to have toured with both The Beatles and The Rolling Stones during the 1960s. Initially a serious pop act, they made their name internationally in the 1960s and 70s as a pop act that parodied the popular hits of the day through medleys such as Call Up the Groups and A Taste of Aggro.

Visitors to the Riverfront on Friday evening sampled these delights once again from the alternative to The Searchers Needles and Pins (Saucepans and Tins) via Brotherhood Of Man’s Angelo (Greasy Joe) to Boney M’s River’s Of Babylon (There’s A Dentist In Birmingham).

Pete Langford along with Len Crawley on Keyboards, Mickey Groome on Bass  and Lloyd Courtenay on drums kept the audience smiling for over two hours with parodies and perfect tributes to the likes of The Beach Boys, The Everly Brothers and The Four Seasons.

The group also delighted in delivering cheeky parodies of David Bowie’s Space Oddity (Birth Control To Ginger Tom) and The Windmills of Your Mind (Poem for The Aged) while delivering pitch perfect covers of Eddie Cochran’s C’mon Everybody and The Coasters’ Yakety Yak.

A roar of excitement went up from the audience when it was announced The Barron Knights may return to Newport next year and with the smiles the band raised on Friday night that certainly isn't a bad thing!

• A version of this review by Andy Howells was published in The South Wales Argus during October, 2011.
• Review of The Barron Knights at Newport Riverfront in January, 2008.

In Concert: Glen Campbell, The GoodbyeTour, St David's Hall, Cardiff, 2011

Earlier this year, Country music legend Glen Campbell announced that he had being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and would be retiring from the music business after his next tour

So as Glen Campbell's Goodbye Tour reached St David’s Hall on Sunday evening it was of little surprise that fans turned out in force to see him.

Opening for Glen was the band Instant People which featured Ry Jarred, Siggy Sjursen and three of Glen’s children Ashley Campbell (who looked delightful playing banjo in a red dress) Cal and Shannon. The band played several new country stylised numbers including the upbeat Abbott Waits, Into the Wonder and the powerful ballad Waiting On Sunday. After a break of 25 minutes, the band returned to the stage with an extra musician in the shape of long time Campbell collaborator T.J.Kinster.

Then Glen Campbell appeared on stage as the audience gave him a standing ovation. Looking every inch the all American country star in a dark suit Glen joked “I like adulation. That’s why I learned to play guitar”, before continuing “I am happy to be here of course!”

For the next hour and twenty minutes, Glen performed a mixture of classic hits including Gentle on My Mind, Galveston and Southern Nights as well as New Country flavored tracks from his new album Ghost on the Canvas. The highlight of the evening was Glen’s fabulous instrumental guitar “duel” against daughter Ashley’s banjo playing.

The concert rounded off with classic hits Wichita Lineman and Rhinestone Cowboy before Glen returned to the stage for an encore and saying of his Welsh fans “These are Amazing People.” From an awesome man that was quite a compliment.

• This review by Andy Howells was originally published in The South Wales Argus during October 2011.

On Stage: Call Mr.Robeson, Newport Riverfront, 2011

How apt that literally only miles away from where Paul Robeson filmed The Proud Valley in 1940, a musical dramatisation of the man's life and career should play at Newport Riverfront’ on September 22 2011.

Call Mr. Robeson was presented in the intimate setting of The Riverfront’s Studio venue and played to a packed audience of fans who obviously still held the memory of Paul Robeson and his Welsh connections in high regard.

Nigerian Baritone Tayo Aluko writes, produces and stars in Call Mr. Robeson, which is presented as an informal monologue with piano accompaniment provided by Michael Conliffe.

The play begins with the powerful image of Robeson stepping onto the stage from the shadows carrying a chair on his back singing Nobody Knows The Trouble Ah’ Seen accompanied by a piano and the sound effect of a needle scratching on vinyl. Within seconds Aluko has brought the spirit of Robeson back to Wales!

Recounting his life and career from the early 1900’s as an athlete, singer, actor and a civil rights campaigner, Robeson informally discusses his life with the audience. This discussion recalling his parents, wife, son and lovers is aided with strategically placed fragments of memorabilia and books scattered into sections representing his periods residing in America, Russia, England and Wales. The remnants of a giant 78rpm record flank the props which itself has been fragmented across the stage, defining Robeson’s worldwide appeal.

From the outset it becomes clear Robeson’s struggle against the prejudices he faced as a concert performer in America were something that ultimately inspired him to campaign for equal rights by facing racism and challenging oppression.

It seems almost unimaginable that audiences for his concerts would be segregated in one venue prompting him to walk off stage, but this scenario beautifully played out by Aluko is only one of the play's most defining moments.

Despite the prejudices Robeson faced in his homeland, he was welcomed with love and affection in Russia (where he was treated like a real human being for the first time in his life) and welcomed warmly by fans when he comes to live in England during the 1930s.

His special relationship with Wales and his generosity to several unemployed miners who had completed a hunger march from South Wales to London is also recalled. Having completed a performance of the musical Show boat in Drury Lane, he was greeted by the miners at the end of the road. Immediately identifying with their plight, he bought them their first meal in days.

Forming a special bond with Wales, he would later tour there and ultimately make the film The Proud Valley on location in The Rhondda and Port Talbot during 1940. It is also evident that that bond is still remembered by Welsh residents, as many members of the audience recalled those connections with affection after the play ended.

A wealth of Paul Robeson music is also featured in Call Mr. Robeson. Mesmerising interpretations of Steal Away, Just a Wearin’ for You, Going Home and Joshua Fit de Battle Ob Jericho were delivered by Aluko. On completion of Jericho the audience were so awestruck the performer was greeted with silence. "If anyone feels like applauding I will not be put off", he jokingly stated to which he received a rapturous applause.

There were more serious moments to come however, the decline of Robeson’s career coinciding with a riotous concert in Kansas City. As the noise of rebellion is flanked with the sound of a low flying helicopter, Robeson sings Ol’ Man River defiantly into the face of opposition creating a momentous and powerful moment.

Robeson by now has become too radical and outspoken for the U.S. governments liking. Branded a traitor because of his civil rights work, his passport is extracted from him and he is banned from performing.

Caught up in the madness of his own personal struggles he nearly loses everything including his life and at the eleventh hour is called upon – "Call Mr. Robeson" - by the House Un-American Activities Committee to present his defense. What follows is a memorable comeback that displays Robeson as a brave individual who was never afraid to stand up for his beliefs.

A powerful presentation in words and music Call Mr. Robeson is not only a fine tribute to the memory of Paul Robeson but serves to educate the audience as well as entertain.

Call Mr. Robeson will continue to tour the UK into 2012 and special performances in New Hampshire, USA and Carnegie Hall, New York are also scheduled.

• For further information about the production visit the official website for Call Mr Robeson
• Variations of this review by Andy Howells were published on suite101 and in The South Wales Argus during 2011.
• Read Andy Howells' Q&A with Tayo Aluko

On Stage: Newport Playgoers Society - Fawlty Towers, Dolman Theatre

Newport Playgoers new season commenced on Tuesday evening with Jes Hynes' directorial debut of John Cleese and Connie Booth’s much loved classic sit-com Fawlty Towers.

One of the most popular comedy series ever to grace TV screens, a stage presentation of such an iconic show was indeed a risky one that ultimately paid off. In just under 90 minutes, the audience is treated to a prospective visit from hotel inspectors, difficult hotel guests, a chaotic fire drill and a visit from the Germans.

Alex Wilson’s portrayal of Basil Fawlty cleverly unfolds as a ticking time bomb of irrational behaviour duly opposed by his fearsome wife Sybil, played to perfection by Nicky Davies. Ryan Salter ducks and dives as Spanish waiter Manuel between scenarios, his classic comedy moment communicating via a moose’s head with The Major (David Eynon-Williams). Equally, Cathy Morgan as Polly gets a taste of comic action via quick-fire exchanges with Basil when attempting to hide his horse betting success from Sybil.

Of course, all this is topped off with Basil’s rude exchanges with the German guests continually mentioning the war and impersonating Hitler’s goose-step resulting in the audience falling apart with laughter.

Complemented with a replica set of the hotel and a talented supporting cast, complete with 70s-style garments, Fawlty Towers is a strong start to The Playgoers new season. Be certain to make a reservation before the production closes its doors on Saturday.

• A version of this review by Andy Howells was published in The South Wales Argus during September 2011.