In conversation and alive: The Pathfinders’ Roger Cleghorn and Malcolm Garrett. In her own words: Cathi Unsworth. Into the future: Opal X. Hosted by TravisElborough
The Pathfinders’ Roger Cleghorn and Malcolm Garrett met in the late 70s when studying art and design at Manchester Polytechnic. Moving to London they shared a flat on the 15th floor of a tower block in the Isle of Dogs. Here they recorded a series of experiments, captured directly on a reel-to-reel tape recorder. The Pathfinders could hardly be described as being musicians who jammed together and with almost 40 years having elapsed since recording, memories are sketchy with regard to who made what noise where. Travis Elborough will interview Cleghorn and Garrett to see what can be recalled and The Pathfinders will share unheard archive material in their live debut. Cathi Unsworth’s Johnny Remember Me was originally commissioned by Brighton’s Literary Loogster Jay Clifton for his Peripheral Vision series of live screen talks, in which authors were requested to pick a movie and spin off a character or situation from the film into an original short story. Cathi writes: “I have always been somewhat obsessed with the John Leyton song, and while researching the life and times of its producer and co-writer Joe Meek for Bad Penny Blues, had pause to wonder why it was that he ended up with Johnny Kidd‘s band as The Tornados – but without Johnny. The song being so evocative of curses and ghosts, I wove a little urban myth of my own.“ To close the evening, to shoot us into the future: a live performance by Opal X. Opal X is the latest project of London based electronic musician Astrud Steehouder, fusing a sound that is equally inspired by early Mute, Sähkö & American noise metal. Recent projects include the Twister album for The Tapeworm described by Boomkat as “a sort of dank hypnagogic sound mulched from zonked electronics, gynoid vox and graveyard atmospheres” & as one third of the NONEXISTENT drone project released by legendary UK industrial label Downwards in 2020. The show at The Horse Hospital will be the London live debut of the Opal X project and promises to engulf the evening in a crushing cold wave of Goth ASMR Hardcore.
Comments Off on Event: Memorex: Words, pictures, music and magnetic reels with The Pathfinders, Cathi Unsworth and Opal X hosted by Travis Elborough, 4 November, 7pm, The Horse Hospital, Colonnade, London WC1N 1JD
‘‘This is a must read for lovers of literature, especially those with a lust for travel. But the book is much more than this in that it opens windows allowing the reader to view travel with fresh horizons. As Christie said, quoted in The Writer’s Journey, “Not until you travel alone do you realize how much the outside world will protect and befriend you.” The Writer’s Journey can be your friend.’ – Mark Bibby Jackson, Travel Begins at 40 https://www.travelbeginsat40.com/2022/10/the-writers-journey-review/
Comments Off on Books: Review of The Writer’s Journey by Mark Bibby Jackson on Travel Begins at 40
‘Will Hodgkinson is the author of In Perfect Harmony, a definitive new chronicle of pop music in the 1970s, which explores how an unlikely cast of backroom songwriters, ageing rockers and teen stars succeeded in soundtracking a decade beset by three-day weeks, national strikes, IRA bombings and the Winter of Discontent. Mike Batt is a multi-award-winning songwriter, performer and producer, and the man behind The Wombles, the biggest-selling singles act of 1974.
Join them both on a journey back to the era of nylon fabrics, space hoppers and Golden Nuggets in a very special evening of conversation, film and live music, hosted by the author Travis Elborough.
Will Hodgkinson is the author of the music books Guitar Man, Song Man, The Ballad of Britain, and the childhood memoir The House is Full of Yogis. He is a regular contributor to The Guardian, Mojo and Vogue, and presented the Sky Arts television series Songbook. Since 2010, he has been chief rock and pop critic for The Times.
Self-trained classical auteur Mike Batt released four gold-certified albums with The Wombles, setting the template for kid-friendly singalong pop. Batt consolidated this success by reshaping the English folk-rock band Steeleye Span into a singles act with his production of their 1975 hit ‘All Around My Hat’ before writing Art Garfunkel’s 1979 number one ‘Bright Eyes’, featured on the soundtrack to the film Watership Down.
Comments Off on Event: Velvet Tinmine: A Celebration of the 1970s with Will Hodgkinson and Mike Batt (of Wombles fame) 25th October 6.30pm, Foyles Bookshop, Charing Cross Road
Very sad to hear of the death of the great Mexican poet David Huerta who I had the privilege of working with on the Poetry Translation Centre’s Mexican Poets’ Tour in 2010.
Full set of pictures below from that tour below:
Comments Off on Picture: The poet David Huerta photographed on the Mexican Poets’ Tour in 2010
Travis Elborough 