In a room with a window in the corner I found truth

SHADOWPLAYERS: Factory Records & Manchester Post-Punk 1978-81

"Shadowplayers" is a two-hour documentary, put together by James Nice and released on DVD through his LTM label. It covers the early years of Factory Records, told through reminiscences from label founder Anthony H. Wilson, designer Peter Saville and the label's more prominent artists such as Peter Hook and Vini Reilly, as well as many other Factory acts including Section 25, Crispy Ambulance and A Certain Ratio. Howard Devoto and Killing Joke also get a look-in, despite having no direct connection with the label.

The film is separated into a series of chapters covering aspects such as the founding of the label and Peter Saville's iconic sleeve designs, as well as key historical events including the death of Ian Curtis and the notorious Joy Division gig in Bury that sparked a riot.

"Shadowplayers" provides a fascinating insight into what was a very exciting period in the UK's musical history, and through its first-person recollections manages both to reinforce and dispel many of the popular myths surrounding the label. Perhaps the most interesting parts are the stories about Martin Hannett from those who worked with him. The popular perception of Hannett is of a great producer who was a real pain to work with, and that is certainly backed up by those whose records he produced. Nobody here pays any heed to the old adage of not speaking ill of the dead; at one point Hooky describes Hannett as childish, but ACR go one step further and even criticse his work. Guitarist/trumpeter Martin Moscrop claims that Hannett's very precise production techniques removed all the feeling from their debut album.

The most amusing scene centres around the mutual bitching between Tony Wilson and Section 25's Cassidy brothers. Wilson states that the brothers would win the award for "whingers of the year"; they then prove his point by complaining about the length of time it took to create the artwork for their first release and having to put the records in the sleeves themselves.

If I have one criticism of this documentary, it's the lack of variety in the way it's presented. For a film about a record label, there is surprisingly little in the way of musical content. It consists almost entirely of "talking head" shots of the contributors sitting at home, in recording studios or, in the case of Vini Reilly, outside slumped against a wall. On a couple of occasions, record sleeves are shown; for example, Section 25 hold up the infamously expensive cover of their debut album. But there are no clips of any of the bands playing. This is most apparent when ACR are talking about their image and the clothes they wore onstage in 1980. This would have been best illustrated by a live clip, or at the very least an old photo of the band.

The film is clearly aimed at those who have a prior knowledge of Factory's music and want to learn more about what went on behind the scenes; on that level it is a great success. For anyone wanting an introudction to some of the bands, a better place to start would be the BBC's documentary "Factory: From Joy Division to Happy Mondays", which has been shown several times and I believe is being repeated on BBC4 later this week. If the BBC were to release this on DVD then it would be the perfect complement to James Nice's film.

When you get out of the hospital...

SPIRITUALIZED - SONGS IN A&E

Five years since the last Spiritualized release, J. Spaceman returns with the album nobody thought he would live to make. Shortly after he started writing songs for this album, Jason was hospitalised with a serious bout of pneumonia and spent two weeks hooked up to a ventilator. His near-death experience has inspired him out of the rut he had fallen into with the previous two albums, and "Songs in A&E" is the most moving and consistent record he has recorded since 1997's "Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space".

The overall sound of this record is positive and life-affirming, and it sounds as if Jason is in control again rather than just letting things develop around him as he has done on previous albums. His voice is also much more prominent, instead of being hidden behind layers of gospel singing, as on 2003's "Amazing Grace". The gospel choir is still there, but it is used more sparingly now - to emphasise Jason's contributions rather than to mask his lack of ideas as they seemed to be doing on the previous album.

The lyrics are one of the most interesting aspects. Many of the songs seem to deal with themes of mortality but Jason claims to have written them before his spell in hospital. So, did he foresee his own brush with death? I must admit I've always enjoyed the sonic bliss of Spiritualized over the lyrics as Jason does have a tendency to sing about his drug use above everything else, or at least use drug clichés ("getting high", "coming down" etc.) as metaphors for other aspects of his life. As many of you will know, I'm not keen on people who take drugs and boast about it just to fulfil their idea of a rock & roll lifestyle. As I've always enjoyed Spiritualized's music, I usually try either to ignore the lyrics or to come up with alternative interpretations that map onto my own (drug-free) experiences. However, I've spent a lot of time reading the lyrics of "Songs in A&E" and marvelling at the ambiguities, as I wonder whether Jason may now be considering a healthier way of life. He certainly seems to be expressing his love for his family, and maybe even promising to turn his back on drugs, but if you listen to the songs again you start to wonder if the fire inside his soul (from "I Gotta Fire") and the flame that burns in his heart (from "Sitting On Fire") are chemically rather than emotionally stimulated. The latter song in particular made me think of the potential double meaning in Lou Reed's "Perfect Day", which seems at first to be a romantic song about spending a day with a loved one, but anyone who's aware of Lou's history will immediately start to suspect that it's heroin that gets him through the day.

There is further mystery in "You Lie You Cheat", where Jason appears to addressing an old rival and waiting for them to fall. But with the overall positive tone of the rest of the album, I like to think that he's actually speaking to himself, perhaps blaming his former drug-taking self for his recent problems, and telling himself to move on from his past life.

Whatever the intentions behind the lyrics, I hope Jason stays healthy and inspired long enough to bring us another record of this quality.

As with previous albums, "Songs in A&E" is available in a number of unusual formats, including a book, a DVD-style case and (the version that I bought) a rather garish green vinyl edition:

This Is Your Bloody Valentine

My Bloody Valentine - Manchester Apollo
In what has to be the most highly anticipated series of shows so far this century, Kevin Shields has finally got round to playing live for the first time in over 15 years. Having bought the tickets six months ago, and knowing that Shields has a reputation for being an awkward bugger, I wasn't really expecting this show to go ahead. But by the afternoon of the gig, I was feeling more optimistic as I'd spoken to people who had seen the band play at London's Roundhouse the previous week. I also had some idea of what to expect, having got hold of a recording of the warm-up show at the ICA. So, despite warnings that the decibel levels at the London show had exceeded the legal limits, I bravely/foolishly positioned myself directly in front of the left-hand speaker stack, where I could get a good view of Bilinda and also become fully immersed in the psychedelic projections at the back of the stage. I started to feel apprehensive when I noticed that those who'd attended the previous show were standing much further back, but as most readers will be aware, my hearing is already totally wrecked so I didn't think MBV could do any further damage.

At first, the sound levels were not particularly uncomfortable, but gradually built up to a deafening volume towards the end of the set. I'm reliably informed that this is different from last week's shows, which were painful from the very beginning. I guess that most people who didn't attend will want to know exactly what songs are being played. I haven't managed to find a setlist, so I'll try to recreate the listing from memory and by looking at the setlist from the ICA show. I believe the set went something like this:

I Only Said
When You Sleep
You Never Should
When You Wake You're Still In A Dream
Lose My Breath
Only Shallow
Come In Alone
Thorn
Nothing Much To Lose
To Here Knows When
Slow
Blown A Wish
Soon
Feed Me With Your Kiss
Sueisfine
You Made Me Realise

I don't think that's in exactly the right order but it should give some idea of the kind of nostalgia that's on offer. There were some noticeable changes compared to the ICA bootleg that I've been listening to. In Manchester they chose to open with "I Only Said" followed by "When You Sleep", which are undeniably two of the best tracks from "Loveless", but it seems odd that "Only Shallow" had been demoted to later in the show when it's a much more dynamic song and works better as a set-opener. A couple of songs from earlier shows have now been abandoned: "Cigarette In Your Bed" (which they messed up at the ICA and had to start again later in the set) and "Honey Power" (which sounds strangely out of tune on the ICA bootleg) were nowhere to be seen, so I guess Kevin's notorious sense of quality control had kicked in. The biggest surprise was the inclusion of "Lose My Breath", one of the band's more delicate songs. This provided a nice contrast to the rest of the set, but with my ears ringing from the previous noisy offerings, I didn't fully appreciate Bilinda's beautiful vocal delivery.

There have been countless rumours circulating about what Kevin Shields has been doing since 1992, many of them concerning how many albums' worth of material he has written. However, there have been no new songs played at any of the reunion shows so far, so I think the chances of getting a new MBV album before Shields dies of old age are pretty slim.

The set finished, of course, with the classic "You Made Me Realise", with the central white noise section being drawn out to 20 minutes. This was clearly very trying for some members of the audience, who held their ears or moved to the back of the room. I managed to remain in my prime spot for the full duration, but I may live to regret this if I find that the final traces of my hearing have disappeared within the next few days. There don't seem to be any clips available on YouTube yet, but I have found a video of the finale of the London show, which looks very similar:

I guess this won't be everyone's idea of entertainment, but if I never get to see another gig, I will still be satisfied that I've finally seen "You Made Me Realise" played live (and survived!)

With A Buzz In Our Ears We Play Endlessly

"Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust", the latest album from Sigur Rós, will be released later this month. If you want to hear it now, the entire album is available for streaming from online radio station last.fm.

I've only listened to it a couple of times so far, but my intitial reaction was that it sounds like a natural progression from "Takk" but maybe a little more poppy. Obviously I use that word loosely, but it's definitely more accessible than earlier releases such as "Von" and "Ágætis Byrjun". I may well write about it in more detail once it's released... which brings me to my dilemma. The band's official website has a pre-order option for a "deluxe edition", costing £60, which is packaged in a hardback book of photographs (probably similar to the packaging of last year's "Heima" DVD) and contains a bonus DVD. This won't be available until late September, about three months after the regular version is released. So the main question is whether I can wait that long. Plus I have already bought several expensive limited edition releases in the past six months or so (Radiohead, Coil and the Current 93 subscribers' editon that I have paid for but won't be released until the end of the year), therefore I'm also wondering if I can justify forking out £60 for something else.

I know that there are Sigur Rós fans who will be reading this and that most of you bought the expensive vinyl edition of the last Radiohead album, so I'd be interested to hear if anyone plans to buy this one.

Should I send him nasty letters? Should I push him off his bike?

DAVID CRONENBERG’S WIFE – MY BEST FRIEND’S GOING OUT WITH A GIRL I LIKE

I spotted this 7” single in the weekly mailout of my regular mail order company and, without knowing anything about David Cronenberg’s Wife, I had to order it simply because it has the best band name and song title of the year. Thankfully the music lives up to the promise of the title. The song starts with some great surf guitar, then the singer comes in, sounding like Lou Reed, or 90s favourites The Flaming Stars, or… something else. This is really bugging me as the drawling vocals remind me of a 90s band (possibly even a specific song) and I can’t work out what it is. If anyone has any idea which band I’m thinking of then please let me know.

It soon becomes apparent that the vocalist is a potential psychopath, as he ponders various methods of getting revenge on his former friend, before the song climaxes with a terrific garage rock racket, including what sounds like bottles being smashed.

I recommend getting hold of this single if you can find it, but it is quite limited. In case you can’t find a copy, here is the video, which manages to be funny and slightly disturbing at the same time:

Always different, always the same

THE FALL - IMPERIAL WAX SOLVENT

So here we are – another year, another Fall album. When I first saw this one advertised, I thought it was one of those semi-official compilations that seem to appear just as frequently as actual studio albums. The title could easily have been generated by a computer program that picks random words to come up with possible names for Fall albums, and the cover art looks as if it has been deliberately designed to resemble the albums of the early 90s ("Extricate"/"Shift Work"/"Code Selfish"). However, I soon discovered that it contains completely new material, including a few surprises.

At first, it seems to be following the same pattern as the last few albums: totally forgettable opening song does nothing to instil hope, but then tracks 2 and 3 blow you away with classic Fall riffs and Mark E. Smith spitting out the words in his inimitable style. So we appear to be in familiar territory, until track 3, "50 Year Old Man", gives way to a strange banjo instrumental. A quick glance at the stereo reveals that this is not the next track, but "50 Year Old Man" is actually 12 minutes long and split into four distinct sections. Yes, you heard me correctly – The Fall go prog rock! It has been suggested that the four parts symbolise each decade of the band's career, although I’m not sure which era the banjo is supposed to represent. More surprises follow with the next song, "I've Been Duped". Again, it starts off like classic Fall, until the vocals kick in but it's not Mark, it's his wife (and keyboard player) Eleni Poulou. Once you get past the shock of a Fall song without MES, this one is very effective and is slightly reminiscent of the Slits, or possibly Kleenex/Liliput.

The cover of the Groundhogs' "Strangetown" doesn't quite work, mainly because it appears to be skipping all the way through. I inspect the CD for dust or scratches, then wonder if I have a duff copy before a quick read of the unofficial Fall website tells me that it's supposed to sound like that. Now I know I listen to some pretty strange music but even I can't quite see the logic in producing a CD so that it sounds like it's faulty.

The last half of the album contains a sequence of great tracks, in particular "Is This New" where the lyrics and vocal delivery remind me of mid-80s Fall. While nobody would deny that Mark E. Smith's voice is instantly recognisable on any track from the past 30 years, I do think that there are noticeable differences when you contrast recent vocals with those from early Fall songs; I guess he just sounds older and more world-weary now. But on "Is This New", his voice sounds much fresher and it brings back happy memories of my first encounter with the band during my teenage years.

After just a couple of listens, I found that I was enjoying this album more than anything they've released in the last 10 years, so if you're a fan of classic Fall but not familiar with the recent releases, this would be a good place to start.

Come Back In Two Halves

WIRE - Manchester Academy 2

This weekend, Wire played their only UK show of the year, as part of the Futuresonic festival in Manchester. The evening began at the Contact Theatre where the band were interviewed on a sofa by legendary punk journalist John Robb, who is still sporting the same hairstyle that he's had for the past 25 years. The first thing I noticed as the band walked onstage was that Bruce Gilbert was missing. There was an extra chair laid out so I assumed they were expecting him to turn up later. If I'd bothered to check the band's website recently then I would have known that he only made minimal contributions to the recent EP and has now quit the band. The interview seemed disorganised and also a little awkward. There was only one microphone, which was passed between band members until they decided they could manage without it, and Robb did not seem to have planned enough questions to fill the allocated time. The band seemed like they would rather not have been there. Colin was fairly relaxed and did most of the talking, Robert said nothing for most of the conversation until the interviewer directly asked him a question. Graham looked tired (he explained that they had come straight from the soundcheck) and at one point appeared to have fallen asleep. He was also very irritable and responded aggressively to some of the questions, in particular he tore Robb to shreds when it was suggested that the "Pink Flag" album had a typical punk sound. I wasn't sure if this was just down to tiredness; it almost seemed that there was some long-standing tension between the two parties. However, in one of his calmer moments, Graham did mention that he felt sad to be back in Manchester and not be able to meet up with Tony Wilson. Partway through the interview, an audience member interrupted with a question. I don't think Robb had intended for there to be audience participation but he soon realised that this could rescue him as he was rapidly running out of questions of his own, so he opened the session up to the crowd. Inevitably, someone asked about Bruce and the response from the band was a little cagey. They explained that he no longer wanted to tour but it seemed there may be more to his departure than they were telling us. They were also asked for their views on Britpop and I was pleased to discover that they seem to dislike that period in music history nearly as much as I do. Unfortunately Robb soon decided that we were out of time so I never got to ask my question.

Photo: Bvrlyjn

After a quick bite to eat at the Deaf Insitute (which sadly does not cater specifically for deaf customers; it just takes its name from the charity that inhabited the building before it was turned into a bar) we headed to the Academy for the evening's main entertainment. By this stage I was starting to worry about how well the band would work without Bruce, and also whether Graham could stay awake until 10.30 when their set was due to begin. I noticed a laptop near the front of the stage so I started to suspect that they were replacing Bruce with electronic sounds. However, when the band took to the stage I discovered that they had drafted in Margaret Fiedler (from Moonshake/Laika) as a replacement. The laptop did not appear to be used at all. It was a very guitar-driven set with no discernible electronic elements so I can only assume that the screen was displaying the lyrics in case Colin forgot them. Although the band gave an impressive performance, the show suffered from poor sound quality for the first half. By the end, things seemed to have improved slightly but this may just have been because we had grown accustomed to the distortion, or perhaps the band were deliberately playing more aggressively to distract us from it. The structure of the show was also rather strange. The band played for about 30 minutes, concentrating mainly on "Send"/"Read and Burn" material with one, I think, or possibly two new songs. "Being Sucked In Again" was the only 1970s song played during the main part of the show. Colin handled most of the vocals, with Graham taking over for the most aggressive version of "Agfers of Kodack" that I've heard them play. His delivery suggested that he was still seething from the earlier encounter with John Robb. After leaving us wondering if they only had enough energy to play for 30 minutes, the band returned for three encores, which consisted of "Boiling Boy" and a host of "Pink Flag"/"154" songs, including "The 15th", "Lowdown", "12XU" (so frantic it was nearly over before I realised what it was) before ending with "Pink Flag" itself.

Although I didn't get the same buzz from this show that I got the last time I saw them back in 2000 (when the sound was better and the set was more varied), it was apparent that Wire have written some of the best material to come out of the UK in the last 30 years and they can still put on a better performance than most of today's young bands.