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metromagazine
7/ 4/2006

Kula Shaker

Academy, Monday

PSYCHEDELIC rock band Kula Shaker are back - seven years after splitting up.

Inspired by eastern mysticism, the band swam slightly against the tide in the Britpop- infested waters of the late 1990s when the likes of Oasis ruled the waves.

Named after a ninth century Indian king, their music had the same guitar-heavy Gallagher sound, but was backed with exotic instruments, Hindi chanting, and a dose of retro ambience.

Fronted by the enigmatic Crispian Mills (son of Hayley and grandson of Sir John), at first they were the darlings of the music press. They were nominated for four Brit Awards, winning the best newcomer category, and the debut album K in 1996 sold more than a million copies.

It spawned four successful singles, from the debut Grateful When You're Dead to Hey Dude, the Sanskrit-warbling Tattva and the cover of Rhadhe Krishna Temple's Govindam.

For the next few years they played a series of festivals including T in the Park and V in 1997 but the release of the second album Peasants, Pigs and Astronauts was the beginning of the end.

It sold less than 25,000 copies in its first week and was panned by the critics. By 1999, Crispian and fellow band members Alonza Bevan, Jay Darlington and Paul Winter-Hart had gone their separate ways.

Crispian initially launched a concept band Pi and then went onto front Jeevas, who found some success in Japan. Jay Darlington joined Oasis as a touring keyboardist, Winter-Hart drummed on the Aqualung album and bassist Bevan played with Johnny Marr's new band The Healers.

Then out of the blue in January this year, a message appeared on the almost defunct Kula Shaker website announcing that the band had "arisen from the bottomless pit", minus Darlington.

A new EP, Revenge of the King, is expected later this year and in the meantime Kula Shaker are playing seven gigs, including the Academy.

Whether anything fresh will come from the reunion remains to be seen. The fall from grace was reasonably spectacular, with Q magazine dropping K from its list of the 100 greatest albums of all time. It's a long climb back to the heights they achieved in the mid nineties.

Christy Moore

Bridgewater Hall, Thursday and Friday

FROM the late 60s to last year's Burning Times album, Christy Moore has never shied away from controversy.

The Irish singer-songwriter has covered issues ranging from the Republican hunger-strikers to apartheid, unemployment and the injustices suffered by Irish travellers.

During the 80s, he attacked the American president's visit to Ireland with songs including Hey Ronnie Reagan I'm Black And I'm Pagan.

This unapologetic approach has earned him a fan base which has stuck with him throughout the years.

Christy, from Newbridge in County Kildare, moved to England in the mid 60s and worked in factories and oilrigs before getting his break here in Manchester.

His first professional gig - for which he was paid £6 - was at the Wellgreen Folk Club in Manchester, and was followed two nights later by a performance at the Bury Folk Club.

Trying to break through to what he called the folk circuit's Premiership, he recorded his first album Paddy On The Road in 1969, with Dominic Behan - the brother of the playwright Brendan.

After returning to Ireland, he formed the folk band Planxty, which released albums throughout the 70s. Christy also later formed the band Moving Hearts, but has spent most of his career concentrating on solo albums featuring slow ballads, as well as driving bodhran-powered numbers.

As well as writing these songs, he has also established a reputation for collecting ancient songs which were in danger of falling into obscurity.

He has recorded old Irish folk songs which had almost been forgotten, as well as lesser-known works by Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan and Salford's Ewan MacColl.

Moorfest Reunion

Stockport Town Hall tonight (Friday)


A FEW years ago, a group of young Stopfordians had the idea of organising their own music event while driving back from a summer festival.

Now, Heaton Moor's Moorfest is fast becoming a summer staple. It has attracted names like The Fall, Mani, A Certain Ratio, Badly Drawn Boy, DJ Scruff and Howard Marks.

The organisers have now arranged a reunion, but realising punters would be unlikely to stand in a field during early April, they are moving the mini festival out of the marquee and into the slightly grander venue of Stockport's Town Hall.

The nine-hour event will take place in the hall's ballroom, and will feature DJ Clint Boon as well as Paul Weller's current favourite band The Children.

There are also likely to be appearances from some of the famous faces which have appeared at the festival over the last three years, although organisers are remaining tight-lipped.

The event, starting at 7pm, will raise money for prostate cancer charities.

Rentaghost The Musical

Opera House, Sunday

IRRITATING squeaky-voiced "comedian" Joe Pasquale sits firmly in the category of famous people whose celebrity status is difficult to understand.

What talent, exactly, has put him in this position?

Now, anyone who simply can't wait to see him presenting the new version of The Price Is Right will be given the opportunity to find out what he's been hiding under his bushel, with a new musical coming to The Opera House.

Joe says he came up with his latest opus while killing time on the reality show I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! two years ago, a charm contest he managed to win despite what must have been fierce competition from opponents Paul Burrell and Janet Street Porter.

He came out of the jungle with the seed for a musical version of 70s and 80s children's TV show Rentaghost. The original show featured dozens of characters over the years, including jester Timothy Claypole, Hazel McWitch, pantomime horse Dobbin, and Miss Popov - played by Sue Nicholls who went on to play Audrey Roberts in Coronation Street.

The show, which follows the story of a group of spooks who hire themselves out to the human world, will see the cast of characters cut down to a smaller group.

Joe won't be taking part himself, but his famous squeaky voice will be putting in an appearance - as haunted marble bust Ed The Head.

The show ran for 10 years and was much loved by children, but has become equally well-loved by a generation of nonebrities appearing on nostalgic "weren't kids' TV programmes great?" programmes.

Because of this, Joe is guaranteed a ready-made audience for this walk down memory lane.

And it's worth going to see, if only because its resurrects the theme tune that no-one in their late 20s or 30s could ever forget - written and sung by Michael Staniforth, who played the original Timothy Claypole, if you're interested.

Altogether now: "If your mansion needs haunting just call Rentaghost. We've got spooks and ghouls, and freaks and fools at Rentaghost."