I heard there was a sacred chord......

........that David played and so did Rufus, Jeff, KD and now latest X Factor, factory poppet (or is that puppet) Alexandra Burke.  In HMV today I saw a groaning point of sale stand with every possible version of laughing (all the way to the bank) Len's opus.  There's part of me that thinks it's great that such a heartfelt ode to belief  has reached the masses,  but I have  a slight sadness that the most popular version  is a chopped, plodding representation with Mariah Carey theatrics smothering each verse.  You could could look at it this way.  Leonard Cohen did say the song explained the many kinds of Hallelujahs that exist and sure enough we've literally got em in cover land; enough to fuel any muso debate as to the definitive exaltation.

I guess everyone has a band or a song that holds a sacred place, and Hallelujah is one of mine.I make no excuse for being possessive.  I fear the Sistine Chapel has been pebble dashed.

Breeders - Birmingham Academy

I genuinely did not think what I was doing when I said yes. Going to see the Breeders OK, on a Sunday not OK. Were they on my musical radar anymore? kind of, but not sufficiently to warrant this a must see gig. I guess that it must have been my friends wimpering on the phone for me to go wih him that I gave into. Haven't heard the last album, but Kim Deal as anyone alt music minded will exthal the virtues of her goddess like genius. And I guess there was a certain amount of curiosity. It's been 15 years since I saw the Breeders. Hey! You've got to compare wrinkles and she looked better. But I can only console myself with the fact that that I haven't quite stooped to the level of TV choice a recent interview she gave revealled. It transpires she likes watching Midsummer Murders! There is a God!

Got to the Carling Academy in Birmingham, and have to say it just reaked of pee, the walls were sticky and just a dower place to be. Anyway. Support Jim Noir soon perked me up. really like the plinky, electro-retro love buzz of his songs. Loved ' What You Gonna Do' Imagine the Bees crossed with The Beatles 'Revolution' and trips effortlessly along, and you just have to love someone who can open a song with the Line's I've never been to Morcombe Bay'. I heard that he'd supported Supper Furries recently, which kind of figures, both have a great sense of intelligent playfulness musically. Nice woolly hat too.

Bang On was the breeders opening gambit. I started to get the picture that the Breeders were thinking hard about what they should be doing, thus plumping for an even more stripped down sound to the days of yore, and more straightforward too, gone are the days of the really out there jagged beats found in Last Splash and Pod, but songs like German Studies still hold that ground. But fear not, the love of lo-fi fuzz is still a must. And Kelly Deal was made-up being in Brum. She exclaimed that if she came from the home of Balck Sabbath she would just be going around saying Fuck all day......Yep.....eh....yeah.
I'm sad to report that it was leaving me cold a bit. Guess you move on and have to say that I perked up when a couple of the well knowners were rolled out. Just really bought back memories of being young and wreckless. It was abit like that part in Amelie, when she leaves a tin full of memories that she found in her skirting board, in a phone booth for the man who hid the tin as a boy to find it. Shame my memories were left in somewhere as smelly.

The seldom seen gig

The Seldom Seen Gig

My first gig of the year and I greeted the gig going spectre with aplomb. Elbow have been a really important band to me over the years. Always consistent, musically they're a beautiful, edgy joy to behold and Guy Garvey is a great lyricist. He's capable of making you emotionally identify and empathise and melt with every poetic heartbreak. Cannily, he lets his every word juxtapose your own feelings alongside his. It's a rare talent indeed that you can feel like you can own their songs to reflect a personal emotion, and you kind of get the feeling that they wouldn't mind.

Felt slightly glum as it was the Colston Hall, not known for he best sound in the world. BUT. Fuelled by a previous night there in the company of Richarwd Hawley that turned out OK with no audio miseries, I was very optimistic.

A friend of Mr Sparkie's was there to take pictures for Venue, which was quite exciting, as by day he's a floorer by trade and his photography is starting to take off. Was shocked that he didn't have the foggiest who Elbow were. So made sure a brief history pep talk ensued and we sent him on his way.

The opening synth loops of Starlings heralded the band onstage. A fanfare for the Bury man ensued, as Garvey and the rest of the band mimicked trumpet bursts. Eyup! They've gone all showbiz on us. But down to business and Bones of You steered onto a raucous hispanic path to quit the lolygagging around. Like little glints that pepper the night's sky, Mirrorball, Newborn, Red and Station Approach twinkled brightly like the stars that they were and, to to stop the safe melodic lull, there were equal measures of anthemic bravado, as Grounds For Divorce and Forget Myself kept proceedings upbeat. Musically, there didn't seem that much detachment from how the songs sound live to how they sound recorded. If anything the subtleties of the melodies are made that much stronger, eightned by the swirling strings that punched there way through. Just so uplifting.

It has to be said that the gentle, humorous charm of Mr Garvey won many hearts, fendng off any audience verbal advances like a true pro. Tonight we learnt that he hasn't worn a dress, can't beatbox, knows a cracking joke or two, is not religious, will be playing Glastonbury and that Reg the security man told him that The Colston Hall stood on an old monastry site. Well done sir. It's kind of cool that you can go to a gig and learn a fact of the day. Normally I'm not that good at retaining facts, but remebering every joyful moment of the gig tonight? Well, that's pretty easy.