Box Fresh: The Teams That Meet In Caffs

 Pieces from the first of 3 editions by Alex Blackmore, The Yoof Culture Collection, perched on their packaging. The Teams That Meet In Caffs, in Donkey Jackets, Dungarees and Wool Caps.  Tea, three sugars, Eggy Bread, NME. 

Self-assembly Flatpack.

 These are the sleeves for our lathecut vinyl editions. After a bit of folding and sticking we'll end up with 2 45's, from recordings lovingly mastered by Shaun and Matt Kassel at Barrow's Seahouse Studio. There's also some great footage in the offing from AOIRE/Shaun's FON gig, recorded by Laurence Campbell, associate dust photographer. 

We are Dust Mites / We are Golden.

I've been allowing dust to settle on this LP record for about two and a half years, and today filmmaker / editor Laurence Campbell - who did the video for me and Shaun at FON the other week, and records all their shows - has recorded some marvellous video footage of my pick up-arm ploughing through the dust and of it gathering on the stylus.

An excellent afternoon. Thanks Larry.

Yes Master.

 

Right then.  The masters for me and Shaun's singles are in the hands of Ben at Plasticraft the vinyl lathecutters. Alex is assembling his ranks of picket line indiekids (or something) while me and Jim work on the packaging. The animation is looking good and Ellie is working on a flickbook.  I had a trip to Chesterfield last week to talk to their Museum about a similar project dahn theeyer, and stopped off to talk to Phil, late of The Instructions about their brief and bewildering journey from a flat on Steamer St to the Ambrose for the latest of the heritage interviews project. Then back here for further chats with Glyn Fogharty on drummers and drumming, and Sue Gill on Blast Furnace. I'm stoppininternate it's baltic.

 

Busy Old Week

 

A very busy and very good few days on Reverb. Song Of David, Jim's animation took another giant step, and  We were at Full Of Noises in Barrow Park last week for a performance. We showed a teaser loop from  and I played some of the recordings that will make up the soundtrack and a vinyl release called Familiar Music next year. This was followed by a performance by Aoire.  Aoire deep-mines rehearsal tapes and cassette  releases by for stems and samples, and subjects them to a granular, forensic examination. What emerges is like a hazy memory of youth glimpsed from a middle aged perspective, it floats in a suspension of blue pub air and valve amp hum, pinpricked by shards of clarity. You also heard recordings from what had been the Edisons night club on Abbey Road, kindly made by Jon Borgia,and voices from audience tapes of performances there.

Cassettes of Aoire's music are available here..

https://www.johnhallartistcumbria.com/product-page/aoire-the-keening 

There is video of the evening and the set-up on the way from Laurence Campbell, and audio from various sources, this will be included in the final presentation in March at the Barrow Dock Museum, along with Alex Blackmore's collective Pop Culture Figures. We got the first 3-d proofs of these from Andy at Fusion 3D in Barrow  the day after the show, and they look marvellous. 

You might also look in on Second Spin, Barrow's new vinyl venture on Crellin Street,and our friend Steve Cook's Sergeant Pepperry mural of Barrow music legends, which, I'm proud to say,includes a shot of the Artfly  Jukebox from the Play One Of Your Own exhibition.

Our thanks to all who came to the FON

show,to Larry Campbell for his photos,  and to the FON team for their hospitality.

Great few days.             

                    

 

Colossal, Yoof*

Good day at the office yesterday...This is Andy from Fusion 3D Printing in Barrow In Furness.  Andy's firm will be scanning and printing the edition of Alex's Yoof Culture figures. We don't know the extent of the edition yet, Andy is kindly providing us with some options, and we'll let you know.

All very exciting. If you want to  know more about what Fusion 3D Printing can offer you, here's their site. Cheers Andy.

https://www.fusion3dprinting.co.uk/

* A No-Prize to anyone who gets the reference.

 

Meat on the bones and Bass under the floorboards

Alex Blackmore's small scale sculptures of pop culture tribes are accumulating detail and character. There is meat on the bones and more than a hint of demeanour. I'm seeing the austere anti-glamour of

the Eighties, taking a step back from of the social-realist wing of punk and into the bookish, mushroomy activism of post-punk. 

Meanwhile, here is Jon Donohoe in Sheffield adding bass to my soundtrack for Jim Alexander's attic animation.