Please check out our Tuition and Suppliers section, we will be updating the listing with more great Tutors,Shops and services soon.
Minatures
In 1980, Morgan Fisher, former keyboardist with Mott the Hoople, amongst other things, had the genius idea of compiling a whole album of 1 minute tracks.
The result was the revered ‘Miniatures’, including work from Neil Innes, George Melly, Quentin Crisp, Robert Fripp, Andy Partridge (XTC), John Otway, Ivor Cutler, Robert Wyatt and many more. It has since become a bit of a cult classic, over the years.
Morgan Fisher
On March 15th, The 62nd Gramophone Company release a 40th anniversary homage to the original album, entitled ‘Miniatures, 2020’.
Al Davies
The album largely came about, as a result of Llanbradach-based musician, Alan ‘Big Al’ Davies. He noticed that it was the 40th anniversary and wrote a simple post on Facebook, mentioning this and asking if any artist fancied the idea of creating a retrospective tribute.
Soon after, Al came into contact with co-compilers, Barry Lamb and William Hayter and the whole project grew legs, culminating in 124 tracks on the new compilation and approval from the main man himself, Morgan Fisher…
The album is released as a double CD and is accompanied by a beautifully produced pamphlet, replete with comprehensive sleeve notes and imagery.
Miniatures, 2020, includes contributions from luminaries such as The Residents, Fred Frith, Stewart Lee, Billy Bragg, David Thomas, John Otway, Toyah, R Stevie Moore, Peter Blegvad, Eyeless In Gaza, The Bevis Frond, Gary Clail, Adrian Sherwood, Henry Kaiser, Census Of Hallucinations, Atilla the Stockbroker, Terry Riley, Half Japanese, Matmos, Apartment House, Tom Robinson, Bob Drake, Alternative TV, The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, Two Headed Emperor, Bringers Of Change, Boo Hewerdine and many, many more.
William Hayter Co-Compiler
Barry Lamb -Co-Compiler
Cardiff City V Real Madrid Fifty Years On.... I was There
Images Subject To Copyright
When Cardiff City played Real Madrid 50 years ago today I was 10.
Pocket money permitting I was already a Cardiff City regular though mainly restricted to Saturday afternoons rather than gloomy dark midweek fixtures.
My memories of this rather historic encounter are sketchy at best. I remember the vastness of the crowd, the excitement was tangible, ticket gripped in my hand and the constant checking on the bus trip to Canton, to ensure it was firmly in my pocket.
My brother, 3 years older than me had been pressed into making sure I got to the ground and returned home safely and wasn't best pleased to have me tagging along, but it was part of the deal when my Mum got the tickets.
Once in the ground, Enclosure ticket, I was free to roam and found myself pressed up against the Enclosure wall on tip-toe most of the game, barely seeing much action and wishing I'd brought a ladder !
I can recall the goal quite well, Nigel Rees bombing down the wing and crossing for Clarkie to score and bedlam ensued, the surge of the crowd jumping and back-slapping still brings a grin to my face, especially at the dire times over the years that our faith in the club dipped like a wonky rollacoaster.
A few years later found me playing as a teenager for Cardiff City Supporters in the Cardiff Sunday League. The shirts, well-worn were donated by the club and incredibly were from that 1970-71 season.
Not quite appreciating the significance the shirts were replaced by another donated set this time from the 1975/76 season with the classic blue and white stripe.
It's hard to think that, probably on some tip somewhere is buried a set of shirts worn by those giants ! If only I had kept a few !
Tony Woolway
Have You Subscribed To Our Youtube Channel?
Did you know we have over 100 Videos on our Youtube Channel?
Many Famous and talented Artists and Producers On our Vodcasts?
It would mean a lot to us at KCL if you could take a look and also Subscribe to our channel.
Don’t worry we won’t send you loads of stuff, and we would really appreciate your support.
Thanks from the KCL team
What Does the Future Hold for Live Events in Cardiff?
Copyright KCL
The key to any live performance is fans.
Picture this: the year is 2009, a record-breaking turnout at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, a record that has yet to be beaten, 73,354 fans tightly packed together, eagerly awaiting the appearance of the legendary U2.
The £20m stage, dubbed ‘The Claw’, for its protruding steel frames that held a rotating LED screen, housed the Irish ensemble for an unforgettable evening of music.
That was 11 years ago. A lot can change in that period of time.
Though, most of that changing has been done in 2020, and all signs point to the fact that not only music, but the rest of the world will never be the same again.
While anyone who has ever been to a gig or concert will probably tell you how bad it is that we’re missing out on live events, it’s important to consider how much worse it is for the artists themselves and the hefty financial toll they’ve likely taken.
For smaller indie artists, live gigs make up the majority of their income and with there being a complete lack of gigs this year, it’s undoubtedly been tough.
The pandemic has seen artists scrambling for alternatives.
A virtual event might’ve been viewed as a novelty when first introduced by artists earlier this year, but it has been rapidly implemented by all sides of the music industry.
You don’t have to look very far to see just how one of these events work, as Immersed Festival did one of their own in January
. Often a hotbed for discovering talented up and coming musicians, Immersed, as well as many other festivals have temporarily found a new home online.
Immersed Festival 2021 Copyright KCL
Across 3 days countless artists performed, most in front of a very small crowd, but each performed with a level of energy and presence that the lack of a proper crowd was unnoticeable.
Being an entirely student led festival, performances took place at USW’s Atrium as various levels of production were handled by those at the University.
The event was live streamed on YouTube and after an artist finished their set, there were interviews from people behind the scenes and other musicians giving their thoughts on live events.
The show in its entirety was a success and it showed how well they adapted to the current situation.
Also, mentioned on the Immersed livestream was Save Our Venues. It is a movement to support venues across the UK who are struggling financially.
They have set up a crowd funder for the 556 venues which are at risk of being permanently closed down. With a £1,000,000 target, they have raised over £1.2 million.
Though while smaller venues and gigs have been forced to close their doors, larger festivals have been at risk too. One of the biggest of the year, Glastonbury, has been cancelled. Usually occupying thousands, this year there won’t be an event at all.
Many artists who were set to tour last year went on to reschedule for this year in the hope that progress would’ve been made in getting rid of the virus.
Artists ranging from The Rolling Stones to Bob Dylan postponed their tours till the latter half of 2021, though their performances will be in front of a very limited crowd.
Predictions have been made that we won't see a full capacity crowd any time soon, not for a few years at least.
Live events are better than no events but watching from home is only half the fun as it’s pretty much impossible to replicate the live experience.
In other areas of entertainment, fans are slowly being ushered back into attendance. Concerts may be one of the last though, as a venue, big or small, can be quite an intimate setting.
With all of these changes occurring, it has been interesting to see how artists have adapted to this unique situation.
When any form of normality resumes, it’s safe to say that going to gigs again will be a priority for most music lovers and having that privilege isn’t something we’ll take for granted ever again.
Brad Cox