...nevertheless I'm bringing the wife, the kids, the whole family.

That there Groupon thingumywotsit is offering half-price tickets to tomorrow's WOMAD one-nighter at Bristol Zoo. Two stages, half a dozen bands, ice creams, Bath Ales bar, lions, tigers, penguins, blah blah. Grabbed three adult tickets and three kids for a truly lovely £37.50. Woop. Unheard of value. And it's my birthday. Such larks.

Just saying.

Interesting to note that Percy still appears to be up to his old tricks ;-)

"Central Two Oh Nine" is a track from the latest album, and jolly nice it is too. "Built around a studio jam" according to the man's own website and - I think - credited to Plant and co-producer Buddy Miller.

So, compare, contrast and discuss - The Boggs 'How Long' (2002) and Plant's 'Central 209' (2010).

Music docos/biopics are, it seems, the flavour in favour once more. And a Good Thing that is, too.

I still haven't seen one to rival this, though -- "The Blues According To Lightnin Hopkins", a spectacularly well-shot film made by a Les Blank in the summer of 1967. It was screened by C4 once back in 1985 or thereabouts -- I managed to quickly stuff a VHS in the machine shortly after it began and played that recording for years afterwards. It's long since disappeared, of course.

It's stunning stuff. The first of the above clips is referred to by the filmmaker himself...

"I had asked him to tell me what the blues meant to him. He picked up his guitar and started to sing... earlier that evening his wife had left him after a nasty argument that caused her cousin to attempt to shoot Lightnin’. While the song was being sung, the cousin was lurking outside the apartment door with a loaded pistol. Lightnin’ also had a large loaded gun stuck down the front of his pants. Hardly a situation in which to delve into an academic and linear exploration of the nature of truth and the blues, but I came away feeling I knew a lot more about it than before."

You can buy DVD copies directly from Les Blank's website these days, but I still haven't got round to placing an order. I'll do it now.

PS> Just noticed two clips from it used in the official "Oil City Confidential" trailer. Julien Temple also a fan?

Aaaaawwwwwww... last week I learn my favourite magazine is teaming up with my favorite festival... Woooop! Last night I learn about the headliners... Meh.

Fey, white landfilly guitars. Sigh. Where's the Big Singalong Sparkly Spectacle (Pet Shop Boys, Grace Jones), the golly-gosh rock'n'roll visceral (Grinderman), the heartwarming festival-making experience (Elbow, Sigur Ros, Arcade Fire) of Ye Goode Olden Dayes?

Having been for the last two years with partner and kids (now aged 7 & 9) in tow, I've come to realise that the nature of the headliners is a hugely important factor for me. Yes, it's a festival of many parts, but as each day draws to a close I've been increasingly stumped to find an option which suits my situation en familie -- comedy & cabaret too sweary by then; theatre inevitably over-14s only by that time of night; poetry & literary rather too demanding of kiddywinks' attention span; Word (formerly Uncut) arena genuinely rubbish for clear view unless you're six foot plus, Lakeside stage shut for business... and so on and so forth. The Obelisk is, thus, where you'll find me.

But, on the basis of 2010's headliners, not this year. It's a 500-mile roundtrip and this just doesn't look as though it's worth it.

Any suggestions for a family-friendly alternative?

So, two gigs in Bristol in the space of five days and two very different experiences.

This being the second time I'd seen them, I was looking forward tremendously to Mumford & Sons at the Thekla. Back in January in the sweaty depths of Moles in Bath they'd spent an hour-long set convincing me they truly were the NBT by sheer force of presence, melody and close-harmony occasion. Last week they were tired. It was the first night of their debut album-promoting tour, but after a summer of festivals and their Macabees-support stint, they were distant and it was a get-the-job-done-and-go 50 mins. OK, so I caught them on a less-than-perfect night. Yes, I still think they'll be huge. And in a few years time they'll have the material to extend the set.

Four days later I'm at the opening night of another UK tour – Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby's short schlep around pubs & clubs in a converted Renault ambulance to promote... well, nothing really. They want to make a modest living. "We haven't got a pension so we're gonna be doing this for a looooong time yet. Sorry." as Eric wryly observed. Needless to say their combined ages exceed that of all four Mumfords put together.

Anyway, this was a deeply contrasting experience – for over two hours they gave it everything. For an audience of approximately 30 in a small pub. It was warm, it was funny, it was sharp, it was intense.. and very possibly one of the best gigs I've been to in recent years. A total surprise. I can't recommend them highly enough and really can't figure why he's been on the margins for so long (80s boozathon lost period notwithstanding). His weekly 'radio show' podcast has become one of my must-listens right up there beside the output from Word Towers, the latest album with his wife Amy Rigby is delightful (found via recent inclusion on 'Now Hear This', thanks!), the autobiograpy "A Dysfunctional Success" is one of the best I've read from anyone in the business, they're quite obviously both warm, funny and very genuine people and that comes across in spades.... errr, I'd burble on enthusiastically some more, but won't.

Just think they deserve a few props, that's all. And a few more folks at their remaining dates.
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