Toadcast #12 – The End of the Roadcast
My what a splendid festival. You’ve read what I had to say about the thing (overview, day one, day two & day three), now here’s the ‘downloadable in one easy to digest chunk’ version, with more tunes.
I had a splendid time at this, I really did. The line-up was spectacularly good and, despite being not much more than a well-executed variant on the standard festival format, I would highly recommend it to those of you sick of the exercise in cattle-herding and aggressively intrusive marketing that the modern festival has become.
Anyhow, I’ve gone through the festival in chronological order, playing songs from artists in the order in which I attended them over the weekend. Hopefully I give you a decent overview of the festival itself as well as a taster of the quality of the lineup, from the indie legends to the connoisseur’s selection of emerging acts that made this such a quality bill. No ranting in this one either, or at least, very little. What a relief for you all.
Toadcast #12 – The End of the Roadcast
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
1. Midlake – Young Bride (02.08)
2. Yo La Tengo – By the Time it Gets Dark (07.43)
3. My Brightest Diamond – Dragonfly (14.17)
4. King Creosote – You’ve No Clue Do You (23.19)
5. Monkey Swallows the Universe – Sheffield Shanty (28.29)
6. David Thomas Broughton – Unmarked Grave (34.56)
7. British Sea Power – Remember Me (46.11)
8. Port O’Brien – Five & Dime (51.39)
9. The Young Republic – Excuses to See You (56.14)
10. The Wave Pictures – Long Island (63.28)
11. Johnny Flynn & the Sussex Wit – Tickle Me Pink (70.44)
12. Paris Motel – My Demeter (77.20)
13. Charlie Parr – Worried Blues (80.53)
14. Howe Gelb – Get to Leave (88.34)
15. Lambchop – Up With People (95.35)
I really enjoyed this one. This festival sounds like it was just fantastic. I frankly got a little choked up while you were talking about the people who have committed their whole lives, usually without a safety net, to making music and helping musicians make their way. It really is courageous, and when you think about how often it doesn’t work out, well, the risks are really a bit chilling to contemplate.
I can also really relate to your feelings about the power of live music and how an artist’s recorded output can be misleading. Just this last weekend I went to a festival show and saw 16 bands play over the course of about 8 hours (2 stages with 30-minute gigs each), including A Place To Bury Strangers, The Antiques, Thrushes, Monarch, Screen Vinyl Image, Obit, The Butcherings, etc. Now I’d heard most of these groups’ records, but nothing prepared me for the dynamism of some of their live performances. A Place To Bury Strangers and The Butcherings were absolutely face-melting live, and Thrushes just drew me right in even though their record had sort of passed me by. You can’t really judge a band until you’ve seen them live.
Should really have posted before now about this, but as I hope my own write-ups are making out it really did seem a special festival. Apologies for not meeting up with you, although how I managed that without having a picture or contact details, nor you me, who knows.
so this was my first ever Toadcast (nothing personal, I just don’t normally do podcasts), and a very enjoyable thing it was. Being a nice kinda guy, I wasn’t going to get worked up about the difference between ‘far nicer’ and ‘even nicer’. In fact I might not have even noticed it if you hadn’t brought it up. Still, a good alternative festival review, and some fine tunes.
One trainspotterly point though – it was no wonder you missed Danielson on the Sunday afternoon – they played on the Saturday evening!
I only realised that after I’d published the bloody thing. I actually meant Dan Sartain. Who cancelled anyway and was replaced by Charlie Parr. World class professionalism prevails as ever here at Toad Hall.
And Si, I am indeed enjoying your reviews. I was just a bit too disorganised in advance to get things arranged though, sorry. Just me being useless again.
wonderful, great, super, the usual.
and please don’t stop making up funny little titles for the podcasts. i really got a kick out of “the end of the roadcast.”
i do have one complaint, kind of a technical issue. for some reason, when i’m listening to the podcast from your page, even though i leave the original window open, the audio stops playing if i open another browser window/tab. normally that doesn’t happen. do you think it’s something on my end or yours?