Wally with Nick Cash, lead singer of legendary punk rockers 999

Two days later my brother Peter (guitarist from Surf Cinema) caught up with us, rented a car, and we drove out to Swindon to see the legendary punk rockers, 999. Here is a picture of Wally with lead singer Nick Cash. Wally had dragged his original Vinyl from Toronto – back in 1981 he had stood in line at a record shop to have the lads from 999 sign his record – 25 years later Nick and the boys would sign it again. We ran into the band at a pub before the show, got the album signed, and proceeded to have a great night of music and laughs!

The historic ROYAL St. Georges Golf Club (host to 12 Open Championships)

The following day we changed hats and moved to the gold courses. We played Walton Heath Golf Club south of London, then drove to Dover for the night. The following day we played the historic ROYAL St. Georges Golf Club – host to 12 Open Championships. It was an unforgettable day for Peter and me.

The next day we headed back to London for a three days of LIVE music, Indian food and a long pub crawl. Another friend – Jimmy Lango – decided to fly in and surprise Peter (Peter lives in California, Jim in Toronto, they are childhood friends). So Jim shows up at the hotel, unannounced, playing a Taylor travel guitar and singing a song that Peter and him co-wrote 20 years ago. What a surprise! Good reason to go for a pint! That night we went to see Lloyd Cole at the Arts Theater where he featured his fantastic new CD, Anti-Depressant. Another great show. The following night was an unbelievable and edgy treat by PERE UBU.

The next morning we headed up North….

The Wedding Present in Wolverhampton. David Gedge played his Eastwood Supro.

Our last show of the tour was The Wedding Present in Wolverhampton. David Gedge played his Eastwood SUPRO at the gig. My brother talked me into getting right up in front of the stage for this show, and as you can see in the next shot, it was a tight squeeze fro the entire show. (I turned my camera backwards over my head for this shot). I’m not sure how to setup my camera, so this video I shot is lousy.

It was a tight squeeze for the entire show.

We caught last-call and hoisted a toast

After the show we caught last-call and hoisted a toast to the country and to the great hospitality we enjoyed. Below is our last walk down London streets before heading home for another year. I look forward to my next trip there; in fact Wally is already lobbying for the upcoming ATP Festival 2007 as Wally is a huge Nick Cave fan. After listening to the new GRINDERMAN CD, I agree with Wally!

Our last walk down London streets

UK Trip (Oct. 2006) from MyRareGuitars.com

Lloyd Cole with his son, William

Album opener The Young Idealists sets the pace for this record, yawning keyboard riffs and easy acoustic strumming chiming in comfortably alongside needling lines like “… make believe the world was really ours / Still supposing we could make a difference…” Woman In A Bar is a Billy-Joel-meets-Ben-Folds in an Uptown dive kinda ditty, Cole expertly capturing both the undeniable thrill of the mating ritual and the inevitable let-downs inherent in its logical conclusion: “… a few moving parts need to be replaced / My engine starts, but only on Tuesdays”

NYC Sunshine is a pretty, languid slice of afternoon delight nestled amongst these otherwise mostly dim, smoky vignettes, the aural equivalent of finding a bright spot of solar energy splattered all over a shadowy hardwood floor, while I Didn’t See It Coming tumbles in like a lazy lover late to bed, a syrupy, narcotic half-dream that simultaneously recalls the finer solo work of Lou Reed “… you stopped singing along with that rock ‘n roll song on your New York station / I didn’t see it coming “. and the airy, breathable later efforts of his erstwhile bandmate John Cale.

Lloyd Cole: Antidepressant CD

Other standouts here include the bouncy, countrified lope of Everysong, which does a fine job showcasing Cole’s wonderful knack for tossing off easy double-entendres and snappy pop hooks, as evidenced in this line from a character who knows he’s in the song:”So don’t get so excited / He’s not that kind of writer / Chances are we’ll wind up in some Godforsaken cul-de-sac / Not mine / No use to get sad about it, you can’t love everysong ..”. and a drop-dead gorgeous cover of Moby Grape’s I Am Not Willing.

The tone and final message of Antidepressant is best presented in the title cut and album centerpiece, as Lloyd shrugs and lays bare his chemical-laden, scarred ol’ heart with a sloppy, sideways grin: “With my medication I will be fine … I said I’m tryin’ to write my novel / She said, neither am I / By the way, I saw you reading No Depression / You’re doing nothin’, I’ll come over we’ll watch Six Feet Under / And then we’ll maybe get around to your condition …” A smartly understated, delightfully teasing nugget that really does get better with every spin. Highly (sorry) recommended. Check it out at onelittleindian-us.com and note that the record will be out October 10, so mark your calendars.

Post by Brian
PulseTC.com

New CD: ‘Antidepressant’ from Lloyd Cole from MyRareGuitars.com