With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

Music reviews, gig reviews, fun trivia and extra added random stuff!

Play It Again Mayhem – “What A Way To End It All” – Deaf School January 7, 2024

Filed under: Play It Again Mayhem — justwilliam1959 @ 6:10 pm
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This is the eighteenth song in the Play It Again Mayhem series, which began in 2020. Check out the previous entries along with this new one in the Play It Again Mayhem Spotify Playlist click here to take a listen! It has been 5 months since the last entry, so we are way overdue for another, right? It is back to the 70s once again for this song, 1976. In fact, 13 of the 18 songs so far are from the 1970s. It is called “What A Way To End It All”, and it is by the iconic cult Liverpool band Deaf School. After the band broke up, singer Bette Bright went on to some success as Bette Bright and the Illuminations. Keyboard player Max Ripple, a.k.a John Wood, is now Emeritus Professor of Design at Goldsmiths College, University of London. Deaf School‘s master of woodwind was Ian Ritchie. He has toured as a saxophonist with Roger Waters and he played sax on “See the Day” by Dee C Lee, “Club Tropicana” by Wham!, and “C’est La Vie” by Robbie Nevil. The band also featured someone who went by the name Cliff Hanger on guitar. Mr Hanger was actually Clive Langer. He went on to produce many top acts mostly with Alan Winstanley. Those acts included Madness, Elvis Costello, The Teardrop Explodes, and Dexys Midnight Runners, to name just a few.

I used to own “What A Way To End It All” on 7-inch vinyl. It is still a great song in my opinion. It has a great chorus, fabulous carnival, circus, music hall style instrumentation, and at times the vocals remind me of Sparks. If you have never heard it, get on it now!

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Stomp – The Musical – Alhambra Theatre Bradford Saturday 25th February 2012 February 28, 2012

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 11:09 pm
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Last Saturday I had the pleasure of a great night out at the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford with my beautiful wife Catwoman and our good friends Caron and John. We went to see a show that has now been around for more than 20 years. It is a musical with no dialogue or lyrics. It is ‘Stomp‘ and it is an amazing show. We probably benefited from the fact that it was the fifth and final show in Bradford. If you have never seen it you really should go.

It is a performance that is all about percussion, but it’s not played with drums or any other traditional percussive instruments. The entire show is played on household and everyday items; dustbins, dustbin lids, brooms, newspapers, chairs, dustpans, metal signs, buckets, lighters and plenty of clapping. That is most definitely not an exhaustive list either. the scene with the lighters may not be the loudest part of the show, but the coordination is incredible, they effectively recreate a multi function string of Christmas/ fairy lights with various sequence options. When you are watching it is hard to believe that it is being done with just lighters!

If you’re thinking when reading this that it shouldn’t work then maybe you’re right. I agree that it shouldn’t work, but believe me it really does. I am also very pleased to say that it is a British creation too. It began life in Brighton in the UK in 1991 created by Steve McNicholas and Luke Creswell. They met while working with the theatre group Cliff Hanger and the street band Pookiesnackenburger back in the 80s.  One of Cresswell’s early successes was an advert for Heineken beer in the mid 80s. This piece is often called the Bins Commercial. You can see it for yourself below along with some clips from earlier productions.

I wondered whether the cast are predominantly percussionists first and dancers second or whether they are a combination. Either way this show will blow you away if you get the opportunity to see it and I recommend that you stomp along to a theatre that is hosting it very soon!