Despite the utter chaos of programming that seemed to dog this year’s Celtic Connections (the only mention of gigs being from the artists themselves on the day – c’mon this is what your website is for) one of the dates we had penciled in right from the first announcements was this inspired partnering.
Bristol’s Spiro come with about the best endorsements you can get in roots music from that end of the country. Signed to Peter Gabriel’s Real World and lauded by members of Portishead. Current album Lightbox is a rather interesting folky cyclical thing. Y’know when the players take a theme and riff on it round and round changing all the time? Kinda like anti-jazz no real solos, just waves? Live, freed from the restrictions of Real Studios they are a gloriously warm, rich creature doing that same thing. Only in 3D. Hypnotic lovely stuff. When they coming back?
The Penguin Cafe Orchestra were a strange beast. As punk was being born, Simon Jeffes decided he wanted to make louche continental music. He succeeded and has basically left (after an early death) a body of work that filled documentaries and Sunday supplements while Elbow was just a cute word from that Jack Lemmon film. There was something unpinnable about PCO. But, ultimately, they were all about melody. When they seemed arch, no – they were just being tuneful.
Now, Jeffes’ son Arthur is keeping the name going with Music From The Penguin Cafe who openly do “reworked material and their own compositions”. And, that love of the melody is what’s central here. Jeffes Jr’s troupe (including some former pop stars – just like his dad did) take the original and give us stunning versions. They also play with the original and give us stunning versions. We get new material that sits beautifully in there.
It’s amazing. Melody may be a devalued commodity these days, but it still has its power. At it’s best you could call it ‘frivolous’. Still it touches something deep and emotional. Frivolity as emotional experience, that’s what Jeffes Sr had mastered. Dad would be proud.