Wednesday 25th May
I arrived at the Cluny to see a section of its walls adorned with framed pictures. On closer inspection, six of the seven frames housed 33 instamatic photos and the 7th, 28 photos, all of musicians from across the region. As I wandered around I found it great fun spotting familiar faces and playing "Guesss Who", as I tried to match the musicians with their respective bandmates. It was also very obvious that a huge amount of time and patience had been lovingly spent on this project. All of the pics had been taken on a Fuji Instamatic camera (the modern day equivalent of the Polaroid model that every household owned back when I was a teenager in the late 70's!) The project, brainchild of local photographer David Wala, has been a year in the making. Having spent countless evenings frequenting gigs around the North East capturing local musicians, off-stage and "off duty". With the help of his partner, Jill, the precisely mounted and framed images had been carefully placed and perfecltly suited their surroundings. The Cluny being a prestigious music venue in Newcastle, and somewhat of a "spirtual home" for many of those pictured. In conjunction with the exhibition there is a book available, which for any photography enthusiast or local music fan, is an absolute "must have" collectors piece.
For the opening of the exhibition, David enlisted the help of some of his musician friends, to play (and DJ) for the evening to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. He'd also roped in his friend 'Viz' co-creator, Simon Donald, to host the evening. Simon started the evening with a few acoustic songs to warm up the ever-growing crowd, finishing with a cover of Lindisfarnes' 'Meet me on the corner'. Next to take the stage was local singer/songwriter, Gem Andrews. This girls voice was fantastic and different to other local solo artists, with a country/folkie sound that I found very refreshing. The one thing that really annoyed me was the level of noise around the room during her performance. I really wish that if people don't want to listen to the singer, they leave instead of trying to compete with the artist to be heard.
Next up were Brilliant Mind, who I had seen only days previously, at the Other Rooms, and had really liked their sound. Tonight, however, they were playing as a three piece instead of their usual full band. These guys remind me of early Pulp - the singer has a definite 'Jarvis' thing going on. They sing songs about what they can relate to, such as being on the dole, at which point the singer engaged in a bit of banter with the audience, saying they were "the best days of his life" and thoroughly recommending it! The frontman also payed tribute to David Wala and thanked him for the support he provides to the local musicians. They finished with a Velvet Underground cover, 'Candy Says', to the delight of the crowd.
The following act, Symphonic Pictures, includes two former members of Detroit Social Club. I was very excited to see what they were going to sound like. This was their first gig , and as the four piece took their places on stools, I realised that this was not what I was expecting. It was strange to see former keyboard player, Dale, as a frontman. Their second song had a bit of 60's sound going on, with haunting guitar sounds. The next song 'Moon' saw Jonny Bond, (the other DSC member) take on vocal duties. I loved this song but have to say that my favourite in the set was 'Bootstrap Paradox', a song that would not have been out of place on the Beatles best of 'Blue Album'. This band just blew me away, and from the resounding cheers in the room, I don't think I was alone.
The headliner for the evening was The Greeting Committee, one of my newest favourite bands. Although they are influenced by Oasis (a band I'm not particularly keen on) their psychedelic/indie-blues sound is something I love. At times when I watch singer Jon, I am reminded of a young Roger Daltery. This was now the third time that I had seen the band, and they just get better every time. If you get the opportunity, go and see these guys, they are real showmen. Although it was late there was still a good crowd in showing their support for both the musicians and David. Simon Donald came back on stage to thank everyone involved. You can catch the exhibition at the Cluny for the next month and it's well worth a look. All profit from the book will go to the Teenage Cancer Trust and can be purchased online at http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/2204947
