The sound is
relentless, but like a thunderstorm captured on film, you know deep down it is
only half the story, that the experience is lacking an essential component, a
vinyl assault on every sense that makes the Supercharged overload and
create a frenetic energy that is felt by all.
It is either a
disconcertion or a welcome sign laid out with ceremony, one will be associated
with fear, the other with a release of energy that signals a good time and the
acceptance of the once uninvited guest as a part of the family.
To hear the phrase, You Are Not A Stranger Here is to understand that your reputation precedes you. That standing created by deeds is a perspective that may open doors that otherwise might be slammed shut, and it is a curse of modern life that the longer you stay away from the door, the more time you spend in the shadows, the likelihood of admittance to the comfort of good grace is slim.
It is
recommended that we read a book twice in our lifetimes, once when we are young,
maybe innocent, narrower minded, the next time when we are older, not
necessarily more mature, but certainly of an age when age and time have
combined to teach us the valuable lessons. The reason is simple, we see the way
in which the words are written as an extension of ourselves, we inhabit our
youth with an expectation of honest intention, only to find when have reached
an age where life has more than taken its fair share of naivety and pulse that
we see the story in a completely different way; that there is more depth that
we didn’t encounter initially.
There are
moments in pop history which might be celebrated by what could be called the
minority at the time, and to which the rest of the world could be argued as
just pausing long enough to feel the emotions overwhelming the soul; they might
not understand why, but if they live to see a significant anniversary come
round then they will undoubtedly see the sense of seismic change that they have
lived through, the definite alteration of the future that has happened in their
life time in which others can be free to be themselves and love who they love.
The relationship
we have with ourselves is as important as those we have with other people, the
environment we create has to cater to the soul we nurture as well as making
sure it is as habitable, comforting, and welcoming as possible…we can be
anybody’s friend in such circumstance, but we must also be our own companion
during testing times, willing to listen to the concerns in our mind that
manifest in the darkness; but above all in our concerns for the future generations
to be a friend of our planet, an Earth Mate if you will.
If we were
fortunate enough as children to feel the excitement of the energy that seeks
out the growing thrill as the crowds mass beneath the dazzling, shining lights,
as the smell of frying onions, various meats fill the nostrils, and the screams
of delight as various rides entice and lure with the acknowledgement of a
friendly voice asking for their palm to be greased with coins in exchange for a
five minute adventure, you can be sure that what you are remembering is the
fond memory of everything associated with All The Fun Of The Fair.
Inspiration
dictates that we must take what we have learned, and with humility, go all out
to either add to the image gifted us, or in some way increase its values to the
point where it becomes something extraordinary, to be Not Just A Standard
that should be seen inhabiting the average, the middle of anything.
When we sing in
the voices of the downtrodden, when we admit to ourselves that the songs we
sing are not from an exalted high praising the so-called great and good, but
ones that sit in the realm of the beggar’s folk dance, the vagabond and the
hobo’s Mosh, and the parody of the discotheque frequented by the cash strapped
and harbingers of the bouncing cheque, then we show the world just how to give A
Thousand Pokes to the classless upper classes and the wannabe nouveau riche
who see the world as a plaything without understanding the most basic of rules.
Birmingham’s
music scene has always been a vibrant beast, whether it was in the glorious
heyday of bands such as The Moody Blues, Wizzard, E.L.O. through the 80s and
90s, and beyond revival which saw diversity lead through application and desire
from bands such as Dexys Midnight Runners, Napalm Death, The Twang, and Ocean
Colour Scene, prove with absolute conviction that there has always been a
magnetic sense of groove and wit, coupled with wonderfully adhered to belief in
light-hearted cynicism that has been the bedrock of expression in the former
heartlands of the home of British Industry’s revolution.
When the rock
community in Europe think of the sound that typifies the genre in America, it
could be argued that the city of Cincinnati does not feature highly on the list
of places that would necessarily make the listener think of being a natural
home to the expression of the soul and the beat.