I’m writing to inform of the demise of Havienda as a weekly event. There wasn’t enough money in it to satisfy the club in the short term and no desire to continue bearing poor returns hoping for possible improvement of audience numbers. It’s not that our audiences were paltry, they were usually very good, just not numerous enough, or thirsty enough perhaps, to satisfy the requirements of the club as a business.

Support isn’t only about numbers and in other, important ways we did enjoy great support. The Havana Club gave a chance to a venture that was very different from what its usual business is about, and despite the short run, our nights were successful. It’s the attitude of our audiences that stands out. Supporters of live, local music all together make for the best audience a club could have.

Every musician involved did a brilliant job and enjoyed playing on a decent stage with great sound and first-class technical backup. Most, if not all, of the performances were so far beyond being just a regular gig or run through repertoire. Heights were reached and that made for some outstanding entertainment.

Justin Vooles, in particular, deserves congratulations and thanks for his professional work on the stage and sound desk. Pip Robinson is also to be applauded for his excellent work. We couldn’t have had a better DJ. Thanks also to Mark Ronez for DJing in the first few weeks. Cheers to those Havana regulars who ventured out of the Cheese Room, in search of broader musical horizons, and stayed. It’s all good.

Update 19th January 2009: Since November 2008 Justin and I have been running successful live music nights at Live Lounge, James Street, St. Helier, Jersey. There’s a link to the facebook group on the blog sidebar. If you can’t see it, click on the blog header.

Moog and Bulletproof with the irrepressible enthusiasm of their fans made this show one of the best ones we’ve done yet. It is hard to believe Moog haven’t played together for such a long time since they completely owned the stage relentlessly dipping into a repertoire of pop-rock songs complete with dirty guitar licks and assured vocal harmonies. Bulletproof presented their signature sound of ferocious, agitated rock ‘n’ roll with threads of rockabilly, ska and hardcore Brit punk woven through. Despite an amp failure midway through the set, fixed with help from Neil of Moog, they held the audience spellbound.

Moog pictures by Joanna Styran

Moog pictures by Wayne Driscoll

Bulletproof pictures by Joanna Styran

Bulletproof pictures by Wayne Driscoll

This week’s poster is a way of saying goodbye, miss you, mwah! as F. Walker prepares to leave his office. He will continue to benefit from the rape and pillage of the island for many years to come so don’t feel too badly for him. He’ll also get to spend more quality time with the wife. I mean beat her up.

Jersey’s music culture has a scabrous underbelly of punk realism born out of oppression of youth and corporate domination of its society. No band is more motivated to express rage at the travesties committed by the island’s questionably elected rulers than Bulletproof, and they do it with astoundingly disciplined technique and heart-pumping passion. Bulletproof are Steve Creedy (guitar and vocals), Lee Gosselin (bass) and Darren Eversfield (Eddie) on drums.

Eddie

Lee

Steve

Bulletproof were mentioned here in an earlier post when Steve of Function Records talked about their album being released on the label. Unfortunately the link to their page on the label’s site doesn’t work at the moment.  Could it be the link broke due to over-hardcoreness? If someone from the label or band wants to leave a comment with updated link please do it.

The mighty Moog have stepped up to replace Zoohair who were going to appear this week. Moog play a US indie rock-inspired set of great virtuosity and melodic power. This is the band featuring Jonny The Large, advisor and artist liaison for these events, on bass, with Neil Pickles singing and playing guitar and Rich Baxter drumming. Here’s some pictures of Moog doing what they do best, that is to say getting trashed.

Rich, Neil and Jonny

Rich, Jonny and Neil

Click on the thumbnails for larger images.

I believe it’s important to vote at these elections and so I’m including a link to the local government’s website page, Elextions 2008, where you can download a voting registration leaflet.

Finally, I’d like to recommend a Jersey blogger who is consistently interesting on local political issues. Let’s hear it for A Holiday In The Sun.

I’ve seen The Dirty Aces many times and always been thrilled by their passion and inspired by their musical virtuosity possessing a visceral quality that demonstrates their belief in rhythm and blues as a contemporary art form of enduring relevance.

Giles Robson, player of harmonica and singer, is noted in circles far wider than within this island’s shores as a performer of great magnetism and a musician of awesome talent. Paul Bisson is the band’s bassist, a hugely respected composer and recording artist and perfect rhythmic foil for Tim Bryon, drummer, who plays with spellbinding inventiveness, funk and musical fluidity. The band’s lead guitarist Filip Kozlowski has a choppy, beautifully melodic style.

The blues has long been a predominant musical style in Jersey. The Dirty Aces are the most authentic blues ensemble and their shows are full of raw power.

Their CD can be purchased at thedirtyaces.com

They will be joined on Friday by Kevin Pallot and The Pinnacles. Their lineup is Kevin Pallot (vocals and acoustic guitar), Paul Bisson (electric guitar), Paul Matthews (piano and saxophone), Jason Wyatt (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Tim Bryon (drums). The Pinnacles provide a rich musical backing to Kevin’s compositions that is informed by soul, folk and jazz. The two bands recently worked together at the successful Cream Tease event at this year’s Jersey Live festival.

The Black Stats will be playing at Jersey Live this weekend but before that they’ll be part of a three-band show at Havienda on Friday 29th August. DJ Pip will be providing music for the warm-up and intervals and playing a set of the finest indie rock and pop to finish. The doors open at ten and, as always, entry is free.

The Black Stats play groovy indie rock with a twist of (alco-) pop. Their Take The Money And Run is one of the best songs ever made by Jersey artists. The way the guitar and bass snake around the furious drumming is breathtaking and the chorus is incredibly catchy.

The Black Stats: Stuart Rowsell (bass); Nick Caunce (guitar and vocals); Paul Vibert (guitar and vocals); Leon Bouhaire (drums)

Dirtytrades appeared on our first night and they’re back with us this Friday. Since then they’ve recorded a set at La Motte Street for a new CD which I hope to review soon as I get a copy (lads ..?) and they’ve posted four of their songs on their MySpace profile. The sessions clearly went very well. The songs are performed with great assurance, gorgeously produced and show off their pop instincts to great effect. The interplay between the rhythm and lead guitars on Last Romantic is stunning. The lyrics are great too.

Dirtytrades: Joe Rogerson (lead guitar and vocals); Tyron Chapman (rhythm guitar and vocals); Jamie Hurley (bass guitar); Craig Smith (drums)

Gorey Inbreds have been together for about eighteen months. The members have played in other bands including Ungenerix, Peggy Patch and 124s, and their musical style is a rich stew of sardonic and surreal lyrics coupled with a kind of jazz funk that’s in equal measures highly technical and brazenly barely arsed. It’s delicious and queasy … Oh it’s really hard to describe. They defy conventions and that’s good. Gorey Inbreds lineup is Ryan De Jersey Douglas (bass), Harry (singing), Ollie (guitar), BB (drums) and their mate on percussion (possibly).

Gorey Inbreds

Click on all images for larger versions.

This is more of an admin-type post for the attention of crew, staff and performers so that everyone knows the new format of our Friday nights. I’ve prepared two schedules – one for nights on which two bands are performing and one for when three bands play.

All bands load-in and sound check at 7.50 pm

Two-band nights (bands play for one 40-minute set each)

DJ (30-minute warm-up set) : 10.00 to 10.30
Band 1 (40-minute set): 10.30 to 11.10
Interval (15 minutes): 11.10 to 11.25
Band 2 (40-minute set): 11.25 to 12.05
Clear stage and DJ set-up (20 minutes): 12.05 to 12.25
DJ on stage: 12.25 to 2.00

Three-band nights (bands play for one 35-minute set each)

DJ (15-minute warm-up): 10.00 to 10.15
Band 1 (35-minute set): 10.15 to 10.50
Interval (15 minutes): 10.50 to 11.05
Band 2 (35-minute set): 11.05 to 11.40
Interval (15 minutes): 11.40 to 11.55
Band 3 (35-minute set): 11.55 to 12.30
Clear stage and DJ set-up (20 minutes): 12.30 to 12.50
DJ on stage: 12.50 to 2.00