The Later with Jools Holland thread

pinksoir · 29-10-2011 1:22pm #1

I think it'd be cool to have a thread where we can post up and discuss the performances from the latest editions of Jools Holland. He pretty much always has at least one interesting band on, and seeing as it's the only show on terrestrial TV that has actual music on it, it could be a decent talking point for like minded music nerds as myself.

Also it'll be fun to discuss the crap ones he has on. I think it would make for some interesting conversation anyways.

Last night was pretty good. Highlights fore were Camille, Phoenix Foundation, and Ryan Adams.

I've been a huge fan of Camille since Le Fil (her second album, which I saw being promoted really late at night on Euronews back in the day!). Shes one of the most diverse and interesting acts out there at the moment. Her first performance on Jools last night was show stopping.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc0sZx1u4OA

Phoenix Foundation were really good too. I came across them while searching for Phoenix before and thought their song Buffalo was great. Kind of trippy lyrics coupled with a great arrangement. They played it last night and represent their sound very well live I reckons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrSU8e2FCXY

Ryan Adams I'v never really been a fan of but I thought that he was very strong last night. Commanded his performances.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nk4OKZKv6tI

The lowlights for me were the god awful Waterboys doing a characteristically over-muso'd and pretentious idea - setting the words of Yeats to music. Yawn. I can't believe these hams are still going.

Also Professor Green. Seems like Jools has these type of crap storms on to appeal to the yoof. Just terrible. Or maybe I'm getting old (I'm not getting old, it is shit.).

Also Coldplay. Playing new music from their latest crud fest Mylo Xyloto. I like Brian Eno. A lot. I just don't think even he can polish a turd. It sounded like ColdPatrol have been listening to some genuinely good and interesting music and that they are trying their best to emulate it. It's just that it's Snowplay doing it. So it sounds contrived.

Anyway, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

Sinfonia · 29-10-2011 2:02pm

pinksoir wrote: »

The lowlights for me were the god awful Waterboys doing a characteristically over-muso'd and pretentious idea - setting the words of Yeats to music. Yawn. I can't believe these hams are still going.

Also Professor Green. Seems like Jools has these type of crap storms on to appeal to the yoof. Just terrible. Or maybe I'm getting old (I'm not getting old, it is shit.).

Also Coldplay. Playing new music from their latest crud fest Mylo Xyloto. I like Brian Eno. A lot. I just don't think even he can polish a turd. It sounded like ColdPatrol have been listening to some genuinely good and interesting music and that they are trying their best to emulate it. It's just that it's Snowplay doing it. So it sounds contrived.

That's one of my favourite things about the show, really. I don't know how their booking system works, but I like that they're not afraid to showcase five or six heavily contrasting acts in a single show. I've never seen an episode where I liked every single act, but there have been some pleasant surprises down through the years.
It's a rare type of show in that it showcases talent new and old, and allows the viewer to experience music that they may have otherwise been purposefully ignorant to, due to preconceptions of their own, rather than subjecting the audience to the musical tastes of one person.

pinksoir · 29-10-2011 2:54pm

I agree. I like that I don't like all the acts on the show. There's no accounting for taste and all that. It's good to be subjected to music you'd otherwise be ignorant to, purposefully or not. Obviously I'd rather see a show packed full of quality acts though. I find myself clawing my ears out to a lot of the stuff.

I reckon Jools Holand has a very good and diverse taste in music. I do think, though, that music shows in general are constantly battling with ratings and that the producers of Later need to wedge in more popular acts like Professor Green and Coldplay to compete.

It was interesting to see the interview with Coldplay where they were saying that going into their latest album they were overcome with questions about why they bothered being in a band at all. Chris Martin said that Eno reinvigorated them. He seems to have that effect on a lot of acts. Paul Simon's Surprise being one of note in the last few years. I have to say that I've never liked Coldplay. They just seem to lack that inexplicable spark of creativity that endears me to music. There's very little depth to them.

What was great was that we had a huge band like them followed by a tiny (yet big on quality) new band all the way from New Zealand, and a fantastic artist like Camille who Jools himself is clearly a big fan of. There's always a feeling of justification when Jools pays respect to the acts that deserve it as opposed to the lip service he pays a lot of his guests. You can tell you're in for a treat when he goes out of his way to emphasise his introduction to an act.

Anyway. It's important to be equally passionate about the music you don't like as you are the music you do.

seachto7 · 01-11-2011 2:38am

Thought Camille was boring. To me, what was she doing that was so great? We've heard it all before......... Maybe it's trendy to say Camille is great or whatever, but I thought it was pretty bland. I just muted it half ways through and looked at her instead. Coldplay were *meh*, I'm not a fan of the backing tracks.
The Waterboys, I thought were quite good. Yup, you could say the idea of putting music to Yeats is pretentious, but reviews have been favourable so far of the album. Then again, I like some of the Waterboys albums. This Is the Sea is great.
Phoenix Foundation were quite good, I'll check more of them out.
Best thing about the show is you have all types of music on it, and I don't think any one show will totally appeal to people. I thought Mastodon were good on it too.
It can get a bit predictable from time to time, like when Jools had KT Tunstall on recently. I cannot stand her. I think she's rubbish, but Jools couldn't get enough of her.....

pinksoir · 01-11-2011 1:01pm

Well there you go. I have no idea if it's "trendy" to like Camille. I do know that her last two albums have been extremely original and experimental. That being said, I could see why someone who wasn't familiar with her stuff could get the wrong idea of her from her performance. It was certainly a lot more conventional than her other work, but then it's difficult to judge what her record will be like from just one song as in the past they have been very diverse.

seachto7 · 01-11-2011 2:42pm

true enough. At least I was made aware of Camille whether I like her or not...

Edit: I missed the song the other night where she was lying on the rug. I am not into this rubbish at all. Just. Sing. The. Song.

pinksoir · 01-11-2011 2:47pm

That's the point innit?!

Dr.Winston O'Boogie · 01-11-2011 9:25pm

Watched this last week, thought Ryan Adams was brilliant on it. Been a fan for a while, but he never ceases to amaze when its just him and a guitar.

A thread on your favorite performances from the entire Jools Holland era would be a good idea too I reckon, quite a backlog to choose from (no doubt most on youtube too).

longshanks · 02-11-2011 12:51am

That Cold Specks girl had a bit of a voice on her. Impressive.
And now Florence

J_E · 02-11-2011 1:22am

The Cold Specks performance was a bit anticlimatic I guess? Props to her for singing on her own but I kept waiting for accompaniment to come on behind her and it never did.

Bodhisopha · 02-11-2011 1:31am

Only caught half of the cold specks performance but loved it. But i do love that song anyways.

Eroticplants · 02-11-2011 9:30pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cvyLPib-lA

I'm obsessed with this performance by Maverick Sabre right now.

Gillington · 03-11-2011 5:36pm

Not a massive fan of the next up and coming young female star sorta genre but I thought this was excellent last month

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOP2Yd_jpYQ

adox · 03-11-2011 9:40pm

Good idea for a thread. I`d love to open it up to add in favourite performances from the shows back catalogue as theres so many but maybe start a new thread for it?

Anyways, heres one of my favourite performances from this season, aired on October 18th as far as I know. Lianne La Havas - No Room For Doubt.

Hadnt heard of her before but loved this song and immediately aquired any recordings she had available:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJ1AR7bqB7o

WinstonOno · 03-11-2011 11:28pm

remeber being blown away by this at the time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5deOrTNQwwU

ironingbored · 04-11-2011 8:38am

Bon Iver - Calgary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKfkQ1O4XhI

rcaz · 04-11-2011 12:43pm

ironingbored wrote: »

Bon Iver - Calgary

So much better than the recorded version! Thankfully...:p

Gillington · 05-11-2011 1:39am

Cold Specks second song was good

Pighead · 05-11-2011 2:30am

I used to get so excited when I heard my favourite bands were on Jools. There was always something special about performances in that studio.

Three performances off the top of my head that were memorable for me.

Unreal performance from Villagers. Just Conor and a guitar but he had the whole room hanging on his every word. Magic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SeP20smrjs

My favourite guitarist in full flow with one of the best vocalists of his generation. I must have watched the last 50 seconds of this video when Butler loses himself in his guitar solo about 9873 times.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwp0G9LVuAY

And finally at the risk of getting banned from "Alternative and Indie" I put forward a...........Travis track! I actually quite liked their debut album, especially the big dumb shoutalong songs. "All I Wanna Do Is Rock" was one of those dumb songs and they plyed it on Jools back in 96. I'm nearly sure this was their first ever appearance on television and the bit at the very end when Fran Healy puffs out his cheeks and gives a look as if to say "****ing hell, how the hell did we end up on the Jools Holland show lads?" makes me smile everytime. Just the wide eyed freshness and innocence of it all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fB7Bs0BKcw

Bodhisopha · 05-11-2011 3:06am

Gillington wrote: »

Cold Specks second song was good

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byHWn8PB7tU

I love her voice.

WinstonOno · 05-11-2011 2:01pm

for me, this is the greatest performance i've ever seen on the show. absolutely spellbinding. the look on jools face half way through says it all. i remember every hair on my body standing on end the night i watched it, and it still has the same effect. also remember every other act on the show sounding absolutely crap afterwards. talk about a poisoned chalice, being asked to play on later with jools holland the same night as radiohead!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57q2uFaMjNs

Stompbox · 05-11-2011 4:39pm

Pighead wrote: »

Becoming A Jackal - Villagers

Undoubtedly my favourite Jools Holland performance of any act I've seen.

longshanks · 05-11-2011 8:22pm

Love this one from a couple of years ago, although shite laptop speakers don't do it any justice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srAjD6JBlOU

Android 666 · 05-11-2011 11:23pm

adox wrote: »

Good idea for a thread. I`d love to open it up to add in favourite performances from the shows back catalogue as theres so many but maybe start a new thread for it?

Why bother starting up a new thread. This is one of the few jaw dropping moments I've had in amongst all the amazing acts I've seen play the show...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfAS6nwYc9g

Just stunning

bodhrandude · 05-11-2011 11:52pm

Havent seen BBC in ages so when I was visiting my sister in Cork a few weeks ago she has all the channels so caught Jools, I thought Peter Gabriel was amazing, he was quite commercial in the late 80s but has sorta become eclectic again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkHRy4-0HHo

Toots & the Maytals - Pressure Drop from 2005 I think, cant find the actual clip with the Maytals, although one exists with Jools and backing band.

And sticking to the spirit of the sub forum, the Cocteau Twins, will the like ever reform again as a group.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUC_3YrSwHs

Orion · 06-11-2011 2:09am

adox wrote: »

Good idea for a thread. I`d love to open it up to add in favourite performances from the shows back catalogue as theres so many but maybe start a new thread for it?

Anyways, heres one of my favourite performances from this season, aired on October 18th as far as I know. Lianne La Havas - No Room For Doubt.

Loved that too. She has a free live EP downloadable from her website which is very good too. Unfortunately her main EP is only available from iTunes which I won't ever use. I'd love to buy it (downloadable or cd).

Love that Jools always has diverse acts on the show. Where else will you see the likes of Mastadon and Bon Iver on the same show? Or Florence and Pete Townsend? As others have said I never like everything on the show but there's always one I love.

Great thread idea. Subbed to it now

Orion · 06-11-2011 2:28am

Android 666 wrote: »

Why bother starting up a new thread. This is one of the few jaw dropping moments I've had in amongst all the amazing acts I've seen play the show...

Just stunning

That was just amazing. He was pretty damn good a couple of weeks ago too with his big band and two drummers.