CHAOS BEFORE PREDICTABILITY

“All music is folk music, I ain’t never heard a horse sing no song ”. And with that greeting on the wall from Louis Armstrong, I was standing in a pub I’ve never been to before , London’s Sapphire Lounge waiting to hear Mr Benjamin Shaw.

Part of the audacious Audio Anti-Hero label, he was taking part in the bar’s weekly blues, folk and roots night. As I looked around at the unique layout of quoted walls and snug rooms, a voice distracted me from the excellent selection of alcohol. It wasn’t Ben, yet, but an unexpected and welcome surprise that went by the name of Hannah Matthews.

This is what I wish I heard on the radio when I turn in on. But I don’t. With a similar air of the great Laura Marling and a gentle, cascading finger picking style, her soulful vocals flowed in-between the rooms and stripped souls bare. I hadn’t come to hear anyone else, but I was glad I heard this.

Fifteen minutes later and I delved into the snug, awaiting the man himself. A pint of black and white distracted me whilst the next two acts came and went. Then it was time to finally hear the man I’d heard so much about. It was worth waiting for.

Nonchalant fingers brought the guitar alive in a raw way that was almost lost decades ago. While they do, Ben begins to sing in a style that faintly echoes Tom Waits. It’s subtle and understated, but fittingly plays out his honest, melancholy lyrics.

After hearing his refreshingly low-fi EP, “I got the pox, the pox is what I got” I was interested to hear how the music transferred live - and I enjoyed the result. There was no superficiality or pretentiousness, just honest music from honest fingers.

His short, but sweet set concluded with a surprise. “A rock and roll cover” he announces. At first I don’t recognise the upbeat riff, but gradually the words begin to click the clogs together. The Ace of Spades is coming at me in a new and surprisingly entertaining fashion. To make sure no one was too caught up in the murky depths of their pint, Ben roars to a finish with the immortal line, “Don’t forget the joker”. And with that he takes his leave, and so do we.

After a reasonably large period of time hiding from technology, I agreed to let it into my life. Thus, I got my blog on, as an under-sexed student might say from a bad US sitcom (except for the thus bit). What do I plan to do with it? Well, for starters, I don’t plan to stick it up there. The grand plan, if you can call it that, is to celebrate and condemn (in equal measures) those things that shape life, whatever they inspire – to write, to play guitar, to watch to laugh, cry, break stuff or milk a goat. That’s what will be here.

As for the manner in which it’s done, that may be a bit more erratic. I guess that will depend on the time and place and mood and potentially what I’m eating at that point, as to whether I finger-babble a story, rant, poem, random sequence of punctuation or just an ink stain on the trousers of nonsense. So feel free to enjoy, ignore or anything in-between whatever comes out.

And as for the eating thing, I refer to the current state of my fingers. After looking at those olives and agreeing with myself they were the right choice to go with this fine pitta, it appears the keyboard is now an oily mess, whilst a chunk of unmoveable pitta prevents easy use of the V.

Love to all, except Nick Griffin – and, in my most eloquent of moments, fuck him.

P.s. Do blogs have horns? I don’t suppose they do. Disregard my title and blame the houmous.

As I pass up the offer to purchase and consume a questionable chicken burger coated in what’s billed as ‘Congolese sauce’, I step into London’s 93ft East Bar. Why? Two reasons: the first, I’m thirsty and I want a drink. They have a bar, it sells what I want and all is good. The second is the main reason: Death2Disco (aka. Tom Ford) – the South East’s latest up-and-coming player of beats.

I’ve come to see him because, for a start, he’s my house mate and friend, but more importantly, he knows his stuff. From electro to grime and the dirtiest fidget blasts, it’s all in the mix. And while the lasers take aim to blind an unsuspecting patron, I stand, dance and listen – and it’s good.

Alongside him is Pirate Riot, another London-based mix-artist outfit, and at the top of the bill is who I’m informed is an Xfm Dj (Eddie Temple Morris). As some would say, “boy did good”, as I would say, I think he’s going to bigger places and I don’t mean a semi-detached.

If you want to know why I think this, hear him for yourself this Saturday (12^th) on NME radio between 9pm-11pm at NME.com, Sky 0184, Virgin Media 975, Freesat 727 or on DAB in London.

I’ll start with a shameless plug – but not of myself. This is of a humble record label, started in a bedroom in south London by a close friend of mine. Supporting the artists he loves and believes in, he took that step away from passivity that so many fail to do and created something himself. What’s more, it’s pretty awesome. It’s Audio Anti-Hero (AAH).

Why plug? It’s not because he’s a friend. It’s inspiring. Here is a group of people who didn’t just sit around dribbling and dreaming. They got up (and down) and decided not just to sit in awe of others, but to do and develop something themselves. It’s a stick that has pushed me into action myself; to stop just waiting for something to happen and make it.

So who have we got? There’s the label itself, AAH of course. Run by mister Jamie Halliday, all albums and EPs are tirelessly packaged and designed to the highest spec. This is something I’ve come to love of the smaller labels and artists, the attention to every detail (hand drawn sleeves, and such).

Next there’s Benjamin Shaw, one of the label’s first artists. If anything, he’s proven that one man and a bunch of sounds can make something different – something good too. His acoustic based musings are from the soul, just as music should be. I’m yet to see him live, but I look forward to it.

And finally we have Nosferatu D2. Not just a great name (though personally a favourite), this is a two-piece lo-fi alt outfit from Croydon. Rawer than nappy rash, there is nothing fake in this music. The cutting, cynical lyrics are among some of the finest around today. If you’re from Croydon – you’ll be able to associate with the misanthropic highlights of Ben Parker’s words. Now disbanded – this lyrical ninja continues solo as Superman Revenge Squad.

Music by both Benjamin Shaw and Nosferatu D2 can be purchased online as www.audioantihero.com. So, if you’re keen on supporting the small, but mighty, get involved and enter at your peril.

Afternoon, blogworld, I come uninvited and armed with a spatula. Here shall follow a whole range of ramblings, rants and renaissance. Hopefully some of it might tug at the right stuff inside of you.

I can’t promise entertainment, or that you’ll get your money back, but I can offer this one thing: now and again, I will try to stir some emotion – laugh, cry or scare you shitless. I might not succeed, in fact, it’s very possible. But the only way to truly fail is to not try.

In other news, stoats are having a party inside my mind, so please do not disturb them. Thank you. Articles, poems, stories and more will come shortly and hereafter. I’ll try to make sure at least some of it isn’t complete babbling.