A quick post to mark a noteworthy anniversary…
Thirty years ago today I was in England for the first time ever, and for a very, very special reason: A week-long celebration of the venerable 4AD record label called “The 13 Year Itch” at the ICA London. Monday, July 19th through Saturday, July 24th, 1993. Six nights of music, two scheduled bands each night, with unannounced ‘special guests’ each evening. Plus unique video presentations and a gallery of the unmistakable artwork of Vaughan Oliver (RIP), Chris Bigg, and their collaborators at v23. The announced lineup? Undeniable. Kristin Hersh, Pale Saints, Unrest, His Name Is Alive, Bettie Serveert, Underground Lovers, Red House Painters, Insides, The Breeders, The Wolfgang Press, Brendan Perry of Dead Can Dance, and Heidi Berry. Some of the surprise bands? Throwing Muses, Lush, Ether (more on them below), and bonus second sets from the Breeders & Unrest. Unreal.
This trip started my unending love-affair with label-centric festivals. As much as I say I’m not a ‘festival kinda guy’, if a label I love is throwing one, I’m probably there. Merge, Teen-Beat, Matador, Touch & Go, Slumberland, Numero (earlier this year), Dromedary (later this year), I’ve been to a lot of ’em, and they’ve been some of the musical/travel highlights of my life.
Interview clips & live footage from the UK version of MTV’s 120 minutes
Some random personal (and mostly fuzzy) recollections from that week to accompany some photos I snapped below…
Whew, those surprise guests. I was a massive Throwing Muses fan who was already excited enough to see Kristin Hersh solo, and certainly didn’t expect the whole band to play that week. And having the Breeders walk on stage a day after their scheduled slot for a bonus set? Hearing songs from the not-yet-released “Last Splash”? Thrilling. And Lush?! Premiering songs that would eventually appear on their 1994’s “Split” LP (and even one from 1996’s “Lovelife”). Amazing. And then there’s Ether… a supergroup if ever there was one. When they took their places in front of us, I couldn’t believe my eyes and then my ears: The band included the much-missed Caroline Crawley of Shelleyan Orphan along with guitarist Pearl Thompson and drummer Boris Williams of the Cure. Having two members of your favorite band suddenly appear in front of you is a shocking, unforgettable thing. And that meant that I’d get to see two of my top five fave drummers play that week (guess the other). Ridiculous.
I was very glad to randomly meet Andrea Feldman & Susan Curran early in the week, who had also traveled from New England, Providence to be exact. Fellow music (and 4AD) nuts who were starting up a great ‘zine called Warped Reality, they made my first-ever overseas solo trip that much more comfortable, and it hit hard when Susan passed away a decade ago (can’t believe it’s been that long). I also got to hang with Brant Nelson, who would found Dewdrops Records that year, and would eventually put out music from the first band I was ever in.
Another chance encounter and bit-of-bonding I treasure is with Red House Painters guitarist Gordon Mack. We got talking shortly after I arrived when I recognized him in the crowd and hit it off… he was incredibly kind, open, and affable, and we spent a bunch of time together that week. I was in awe of his band, but he was so genuine that he instantly squashed any of my potential fanboy behavior. When he’d had enough of the crowd at one point, he said “Let’s get outta here and hit a pub.” We lost touch, and I was bummed when he eventually left the band… they never sounded better than when he was creating his soundscapes inside of their songs.
There’s a mystery photo below, and maybe someone reading this can help with my faulty memory. One of the pictures is of Ian Masters, who was at the festival but who, as I was recently reminded, had left the Pale Saints by that point. Was his new band Spoonfed Hybrid one of the surprise guests? Did he jump on stage with His Name Is Alive? I don’t remember! Do you? Let me know. Update! HNIA drummer Trey was kind enough to confirm that Ian did, in fact, play bass with them during their set. Which I was surely very excited about at the time, but the knowledge disappeared with the passing years. Mystery solved!
You can find some of the setlists from that week at Setlist.fm, and listen to a few live recordings on youtube.
Here’s my set of point-and-shoot photos from the week. Wish I’d taken more, but the pre-digital-camera era and varied crowd spots kept it limited (though I certainly think I got enough shots of Kim Deal :-))…
Kim Deal of the Breeders during their surprise set
Kelley Deal of the Breeders
Kim again
The Breeders’ Josephine Wiggs
more Kim
Kelley Deal wearing my favorite Unrest t-shirt
Look, it’s Kim again
Kim Deal, back when you could smoke on stage
Josephine Wiggs of the Breeders
another Kim Deal shot
… and a last one for good measure
Caroline Crawley of Ether
Ether’s Pearl Thompson
Ether’s Caroline Crawley
Karin Oliver of His Name Is Alive
Guest Jason Farrell helps introduce Red House Painters
Former Pale Saint Ian Masters on stage with His Name Is Alive
Kristin Hersh of Throwing Muses
Throwing Muses’ Kristin Hersh & David Narcizo
Gordon Mack of Red House Painters
Mark Kozelek of Red House Painters
Red House Painters’ Gordon Mack
Mark Robinson of Unrest
Bridget Cross of Unrest
Unrest’s Mark Robinson
Unrest’s Mark Robinson
Unrest’s Mark Robinson & Bridget Cross
Mark Robinson sporting a spiffy Tsunami t-shirt
Michael Allen of The Wolfgang Press
Bless you, Ivo-Watts Russell, and everyone involved in putting that week together, for giving this Vermont kid a reason to take his first-ever cross-Atlantic flight. And memories I’ll never forget. Mostly.
BOSTON-AREA LIVE SHOW ACTION
Wednesday, April 24th
Teen Suicide
awakebutstillinbed
@ the Crystal Ballroom
Thursday, April 25th
Landowner
Autopolitan
Uno Lady
@ Deep Cuts
Friday, April 26th
Waxahatchee
Good Morning
@ the Orpheum
Friday & Saturday
April 26th & 27th
The Town & the City Festival
@ various venues in Lowell, MA
Saturday, April 27th
Kal Marks
Grocer
Bedroom Eyes
Main Era
@ O'Brien's
Saturday, April 27th
Belle and Sebastian
The Weather Station
@ the Orpheum
Sunday, April 28th
Yot Club
Boyscott
@ Brighton Music Hall
Tuesday, April 30th
Adult Learners
Perfectly Lethal
Over Ends
Free with food donation
@ Notch Brewing Brighton
Tuesday, April 30th
Teenage Fanclub
@ the Paradise
Wednesday, May 1st
Stiff Little Fingers
@ the Paradise
Wednesday, May 1st
Ty Segall
@ the Royale
Thursday, May 2nd
Outer World
@ Deep Cuts
Thursday, May 2nd
The Decemberists
Ratboys
@ Roadrunner
Friday, May 3rd
Ra Ra Riot
@ the Royale
Saturday, May 4th
Slothrust
Weakened Friends
@ the Sinclair
Saturday, May 4th
Lisa Bastoni
& Sean Staples
@ the Rec Room, Belmont
Saturday, May 4th
The Lights Out
Gretchen Shae & The Middle 8
Brian K & The Parkway
@ Faces Brewing
Sunday, May 5th
Sheer Mag
Pile
@ Crystal Ballroom
Sunday, May 5th
CSS
@ the Sinclair
Monday, May 6th
Cloud Nothings
Hurry
@ the Crystal Ballroom
Tuesday, May 7th
Puppy Problems
@ the Rockwell
Tuesday, May 7th
Bad Religion
Social Distortion
(playing "Mommy's Little Monster")
@ MGM Music Hall
Wednesday, May 8th
Trace Mountains
Shannen Moser
Alexander
@ Deep Cuts
Wednesday, May 8th
Todd Rundgren
@ the Wilbur
Wednesday, May 8th
Chastity Belt
@ the Sinclair
Thursday, May 9th
Cheekface
Yungatita
@ Brighton Music Hall
Friday, May 10th
Hot Water Music
30 Year Anniversary Tour
with Quicksand
& Off With Their Heads
@ the Royale
Friday, May 10th
Sarah Shook & the Disarmers
@ the Cut, Gloucester
Saturday, May 11th Bradley's Almanac (that's me) presents...
SAVAK
SAMUEL s.c.
HEY I'M OUTSIDE
PLAZA
8pm @ O'Brien's
Saturday, May 11th
Ride
@ Big Night Live
Saturday, May 11th
Hallelujah the Hills
Colleen Green
Mallcops
@ Deep Cuts
Sunday, May 12th
Sunny Day Real Estate
@ Big Night Live
Monday, May 13th
High On Fire
Zeta
High Command
@ the Middle East
Monday & Tuesday
May 13th & May 14th
Mannequin Pussy
Soul Glo
@ the Sinclair
Tuesday, May 14th
Swans
@ the Paradise
Wednesday, May 15th
Wussy (duo show)
@ an Allston living room
Thursday, May 16th
Helmet
Cro-Mags
@ the Middle East Downstairs
Friday, May 17th
Neil Young
@ the Xfinity Center
Thursday, Friday, & Saturday
May 16th, 17th, & 18th
Jukebox the Ghost
@ the Sinclair
Friday, May 17th
Neil Young (solo)
@ the Xfinity Center
Friday, May 17th
Ringo Deathstarr
Ovlov
The Veldt
@ Deep Cuts
Friday, May 17th
Lenny Kaye & Friends
"A 50th Anniversary Celebration of
Nuggets!: Classic Garage Rock Songs"
featuring Jon Wurster, Bill Janovitz,
Ted Leo, Josh Kantor, David Minehan,
James Mastro, Ed Valauskas, Hugo Burnham,
Clint Conley, Tanya Donelly, Duke Levine,
Barrence Whitfield, Tony Goddess, Willie
Alexander, and more to come
@ the Cut, Gloucester
Friday, May 17th
Special Sapphic Pride Show
Ruby Grove
Galaxy Cake
Miss Geo
Linnea's Garden
@ the Loft, Somerville
Friday, May 17th
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
@ the Xfinity Center
Friday, May 17th
Buck Meek (of Big Thief)
@ Crystal Ballroom
Saturday, May 18th
"Still Around 2024"
a fundraiser for a peer support
care coordination program for
brain tumor survivors, with...
Squirrel Flower (solo),
BabyBaby_Explores,
Rick Maguire (of Pile),
Nova One, Haasan Barclay,
Bong Wish, Pet Fox , & Mercet
@ the Somerville Armory
Saturday, May 18th
Eldridge Rodriguez
@ Sonia
Saturday, May 18th
The Messthetics
James Brandon Lewis
@ the Crystal Ballroom
Monday, May 20th
Echo & the Bunnymen
@ the House of Blues
Tuesday, May 21st
Another Michael
Tenci
@ the Rockwell
Thursday, May 23th
Amateur Chops
(reunion, all original members)
Mill Pond Falls
@ the Burren Back Room
Friday, May 24th
Lightheaded
Little Oso
@ Union Tavern
Sunday, May 26th
Sunburned Hand of the Man
@ the Cut, Gloucester
Tuesday, May 28th
Shannon & the Clams
@ the Sinclair
Tuesday, May 28th
Lady Pills
@ O'Brien's
Tuesday, May 28th
Brookline Booksmith presents...
Kathleen Hanna
"Rebel Girl" book tour
@ the Wilbur
Wednesday, May. 29th
The Antlers &
Okkervil River
(solo & together tour)
@ the Crystal Ballroom
Wednesday, May 29th
The Alarm
Jay Aston's Gene Love Jezebel
Belouis Some
@ Brighton Music Hall
Wednesday, May 29th
Madness
@ MGM Music Hall
Thursday, May 30th
Camera Obscura
@ the Paradise
Thursday, May 30th
Nation Of Language
@ the Royale
Tuesday, June 4th
Melt-Banana
The Flying Luttenbachers
babyaby_explores
@ the Sinclair
Tuesday, June 4th
Joe Jackson
@ the Wilbur
Wednesday, June 5th
Andy Summers (The Police)
@ Cary Hall, Lexington
Thursday, June 6th
Jason Narducy & Alison Chesley
duo/reunion show
@ Q Division Studios, Cambridge
Thursday, June 6th
Reverend Horton Heat
@ the Crystal Ballroom
Friday, June 7th
Swansea Sound
Jeanines
@ O'Brien's
Saturday, June 8th
Joe Pera
@ the Wilbur
Saturday, June 8th
John Cleese
Q&A, plus a screening of
"Monty Python & the Holy Grail"
@ the Chevalier Theatre, Medford
Monday, June 10th
Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade)
@ Brighton Music Hall
Monday, June 10th
Bleachers
Samia
@ MGM Music Hall
Tuesday, June 11th
Protomartyr
@ the Crystal Ballroom
Thursday, June 13th
Jon Langford & the Bright Shiners
@ the Cut, Gloucester
Thursday, June 13th
Quasi playing 'Featuring "Birds"'
Jeffrey Lewis
@ Crystal Ballroom
Thursday, June 13th
Aaron West & the Roaring Twenties
Future Teens
Maura Weaver
@ Brighton Music Hall
Thursday, June 13th
Comedy Bang! Bang!
with Scott Aukerman & Paul F Tompkins
@ The Wilbur
Friday, June 14th
The Gentlemen
(featuring Mike Gent of the Figgs) first show in a decade!
@ the Burren Back Room
Friday, June 14th
Dylan Earl
Tiger Saw
Audrey & Karina
& one more artist tba
@ the Loft, Somerville
Saturday, June 15th
The Umbrellas
@ 4th Wall
@ the Capital Theatre, Arlington
Sunday, June 16th
Pixies
Modest Mouse
Cat Power
@ Xfinity Center
Wednesday, June 19th
Future Islands
@ Roadrunner
Thursday, June 20th
Roger Daltrey
KT Tunstall
@ the Pavilion
Friday, June 21st
The Church
The Afghan Whigs
Ed Harcourt
@ the Royale
Friday, June 21st
Blushing
Airiel
Bodywash
@ Deep Cuts
Saturday, June 22nd
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists
playing "Shake The Sheets"
with guests
Ekko Astral
@ the Paradise
Saturday, June 22nd
Guided By Voices
The Moles
@ the Royale
Sunday, June 23rd
Silversun Pickups
@ House of Blues
Tuesday, June 25th
Jon Anderson (of Yes)
playing “Yes Epics, Classics, and More”
@ the Shubert Theatre
Tuesday, June 25th
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
Courtney Marie Andrews
@ Roadrunner
Wednesday, June 26th
Blue Oyster Cult
@ the Lynn Auditorium
Friday, June 28th
Dry Cleaning
@ the Paradise
Friday, June 28th
A Day To Remember
The Story So Far
Four Year Strong
Pain of Truth
@ Suffolk Downs
Friday, June 28th
Janet Jackson
Nelly
@ TD Garden
Saturday, June 29th
Buffalo Tom
@ Boarding House Park, Lowell
Sunday, June 30th
Les Savy Fav
@ Somerville Armory
Sunday, June 30th
Pedro the Lion
Squirrel Flower (solo)
@ Crystal Ballroom
Wednesday, July 3rd
Grails
@ Crystal Ballroom
Tuesday, July 9th
Alanis Morissette
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
Morgan Wade
@ the Xfinity Center
Tuesday, July 11th
Mates of State
@ the Sinclair
Friday, July 14th
Daryl Hall & Elvis Costello
@ MGM Music Hall at Fenway
Sunday, July 16th
Los Campesinos!
@ the Paradise
Monday, July 17th
The Folk Implosion
@ the Rockwell
Monday, July 17th
Totally Tubular Festival Tour
with Thomas Dolby,
Tom Bailey (Thompson Twins),
Modern English, The Romantics,
Men Without Hats, & more
@ MGM Music Hall
Friday, July 19th
Pretenders
@ MGM Music Hall
Saturday, July 20th
Have Heart
Speed
Gel
Initiate
Eye For An Eye
Wound Man
@ Roadrunner
Sunday, July 21st
Foo Fighters
The Hives
Amyl and the Sniffers
@ Fenway Park