Synth East sold out

[tea for two]

I see Steve Davis returns to Norwich later in March with The Utopia Strong supporting Steve Hillage. Didn't realise he was gigging on that level. (Quite tempted by that one too....is Hillage worth a watch? I've heard of him but not listened to his stuff. The venue's not my favourite so he'd have to be good.)

I thought it can't be that Steve Davis. Yet it is.
Steve is one of my Snooker heroes although now as an adult I couldn't tell him that.
Must be awkward for him when adult blokes say you were my hero.

Steve Hillage released this marvelous album in the 70s.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=09B2gn5OhKg

Also his System 7 project with Miquette Giraudy.
https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU ... pxXh_CbwlY

I saw System 7 at Camden RoundHouse I think 2018.
I'm not sure if Miquette was there I will have to check one of the vids I took.
They were ace if you dig this style of music.

[Martin Walker]

Steve Hillage released this marvelous album in the 70s.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=09B2gn5OhKg

'Fish Rising' was my favourite:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBhRWkJAK7A

[Arpangel]

I just realised that although the daytime exhibition is sold out, I could still pick up a ticket for the evening performance so that's something.

https://norwichartscentre.co.uk/event/s ... colk-void/

Nik Colk Void+ Finlay Shakespeare + Robin Vincent + Steve Davis

I see Steve Davis returns to Norwich later in March with The Utopia Strong supporting Steve Hillage. Didn't realise he was gigging on that level. (Quite tempted by that one too....is Hillage worth a watch? I've heard of him but not listened to his stuff. The venue's not my favourite so he'd have to be good.)

Is Hillage worth a watch? My god, he is god AFAIC.
Trademark Glissando Guitar and master of delay, and of course, lead with Gong, my favourite band of all time.
I’ll have to check this gig out.
Hillage is also one of the nicest people you could hope to meet.

[BJG145]

Thanks for the recommendations. In the calendar.

[ajay_m]

Ooh, he's playing in London April 1st. I had a copy of Motivation Radio as a teenager and "octave doctors" is such a beautiful track. Hmm, think I might just check this out....

[Stephen Bennett]

And of course Robin Vincent is a regular SOS contributor, so that's another plus!

I'll be there too!

We had the prototype EMS VCS3 at the Science festival this week (and an evening concert of Tristram Cary's music)—there's also the Norwich Synthesizer Group too.

We're a hotbed of wobblyness. UEA were at the forefront of electroacoustic music research until the philistines closed us down. Electronic Sound magazine is published here too.

I'm seeing Hilllage too—saw him lots in the '70s solo and with Gong.

Stephen

[Stephen Bennett]

I thought it can't be that Steve Davis. Yet it is.

Steve's a big experimental music fan. He brought Magma to the UK. I've been on his show and he has a really wide knowledge of left-field music. He's an interesting guy.

Stephen

[BJG145]

Cool.

[Martin Walker]

I thought it can't be that Steve Davis. Yet it is.

Steve's a big experimental music fan. He brought Magma to the UK. I've been on his show and he has a really wide knowledge of left-field music. He's an interesting guy.

Stephen

What - THIS Magma?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23k0pCLLmuE

[BJG145]

...apparently.

I was transported back to when I used to see Magma and thought, Why don’t I put them on in London? Of course what I should have thought was, Why don’t I get a plane and go see them in France? That would have been a lot cheaper. But I set up Interesting Promotions and put them on for three days at the Bloomsbury Theatre - January 19, 20 and 21 - at the exorbitant price of £6 a ticket.

https://thequietus.com/articles/23627-m ... teve-davis

[Stephen Bennett]

...apparently.

I was transported back to when I used to see Magma and thought, Why don’t I put them on in London? Of course what I should have thought was, Why don’t I get a plane and go see them in France? That would have been a lot cheaper. But I set up Interesting Promotions and put them on for three days at the Bloomsbury Theatre - January 19, 20 and 21 - at the exorbitant price of £6 a ticket.

https://thequietus.com/articles/23627-m ... teve-davis

I was there!

I used to see Steve around at gigs—Henry Cow Hatfields, Lol Coxhill ...

Stephen

[Arpangel]

I’m going to this Hillage gig, it’s only around the corner from us, if I can get tickets.

I was there!

I used to see Steve around at gigs—Henry Cow Hatfields, Lol Coxhill ...

Stephen

Lol Coxhill bless him, sadly no longer with us.
He was always about on the London improv scene, I called him up and asked him to play at an event we organised, as usual, no problem, he was always willing to get involved in most things.

[robinv]

Just to note that anyone in need of tickets to the daytime please drop me a line via any means and i'll stick you on my growing returns list. I can't promise I can get you in but I'll do my best to match people up with unused or returned tickets. There's still room for the evening which should be a lot of fun!
https://linktr.ee/moltenmodular

[Stephen Bennett]

I’m going to this Hillage gig, it’s only around the corner from us, if I can get tickets.

I was there!

I used to see Steve around at gigs—Henry Cow Hatfields, Lol Coxhill ...

Stephen

Lol Coxhill bless him, sadly no longer with us.
He was always about on the London improv scene, I called him up and asked him to play at an event we organised, as usual, no problem, he was always willing to get involved in most things.

He came and sat next to me after he'd supported the Hatfields. I was 14 and he was lovely and talked to me about music until the band came on.

Stephen

[Stephen Bennett]

Just to note that anyone in need of tickets to the daytime please drop me a line via any means and i'll stick you on my growing returns list. I can't promise I can get you in but I'll do my best to match people up with unused or returned tickets. There's still room for the evening which should be a lot of fun!
https://linktr.ee/moltenmodular

I'm still hoping to get to the evening Robin ... need to pay a few ferrymen first.

Stephen

[Arpangel]

He came and sat next to me after he'd supported the Hatfields. I was 14 and he was lovely and talked to me about music until the band came on.

Stephen

Yeah! great memory of having a drink with him at the bar of the Red Rose Theatre in Holloway, during the interval, he was telling me about the time he played with the Rolling Stones, and the situations that occurred.
It’s crazy, this business, I bumped into him in Camden Council offices, sorting his rent out, same as me at that time, the life of a musician is many and varied, and not fair at all, sometimes.

[simonjefferytaylor@gmail.com]

I'm desperate for 2 day tickets if anyone has them.

Simon taylor

[BJG145]

That was fun!

I've not been to a gig like this before, so it was educational. I hadn't had practical experience of the way of modular synth performance, which doesn't seem to involve much in the way of conventional controllers, but is more a kind of guided morphing looping experience.

First up were Robin Vincent with Steve Davis, who presented half an hour of accomplished modular improvisation, morphing from ambience to techno to Galaxians and elsewhere. Robin seemed slightly puzzled when I accosted him in the bar after several pints of Ghost Ship but remained friendly and engaged. My head was buzzing with questions but I thought I'd save those for next year.

The duo were followed by Finlay Shakespeare...to these inexperienced eyes, I didn't see so much in the way of synthesiser performance; the music seemed more prepared; but he gave an animated vocal performance, snatching samples of the lyrics and twisting them with effects in various ways while singing accompaniment, which wasn't something I'd seen before. None of it was TBH.

The main act was Nik Colk Void. By this time a good-sized mixed crowd had gathered to watch this musician staring earnestly down at her modular system, spinning ambient loops with occasional startlingly loud flurries of electronic percussion, with a psychedelic pixelated video backdrop.

Look forward to the next one! Thanks to Robin for an excellent introduction to the world of modular performance, and for pulling the whole show together.

[robinv]

Awww that's a nice photo. Glad you had a good time! Sorry for my puzzlement, i have terrible recall for things/people.

For anyone interested, Finlay was using a pair of Elektron boxes, Digitakts I think which he was adding to live and manipulating. It was some kind of synth-pop-post-punk - he's like a ball of energy screaming out very likeable vibes.

The middle picture is Loula Yorke and Steve Davis doing a jam during the day event. All the jams went really well and overall the event couldn't have gone better.

[Drew Stephenson]

Excellent news.
Definitely sounds like a suitable opportunity for an Eastern Sosage meet next year.

[Stephen Bennett]

Sadly, I missed the gig, but the day was brilliant—terrific stuff Robin!

Stephen

[BJG145]

Definitely sounds like a suitable opportunity for an Eastern Sosage meet next year.

You betcha. You're all invited. I'll send out reminders nearer the time...

[Folderol]

Definitely sounds like a suitable opportunity for an Eastern Sosage meet next year.

You betcha. You're all invited. I'll send out reminders nearer the time...

Add me to the list

[BJG145]

Video report...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qflx0Xx1FV8