"The most comprehensive Skids site on the world wide web."
Register today.
"MAKE BELIEVE DAYS ARE THE ONES THAT ALWAYS SHINE"
New Skids Fans Website
You can now find my Skids Fans Website at http://www.the-skids.com/
"The most comprehensive Skids site on the world wide web."
Register today.
"The most comprehensive Skids site on the world wide web."
Register today.
Comments
0
Skids Live 2010 DVD
They say good things come to those who wait and they don't come any better than this.
It's only taken 33years but man, it was worth the wait.After the disapointment of the 2007 anniversary shows not seeing the light of day due to, well, shit filming and bad lighting, Richard and his team have made a superb job in capturing the best band on the planet on that magical weekend in March.
Having sat in on rehearsals for the shows,and knowing the setlist, i knew then that these shows were going to be very special.On Friday 5th March, along with the troops, i attended the 'warm up' show at the o2 abc, Glasgow then onto Dunfermline the next night where the Skids played an absolute blinder in the Alhambra Theatre, for me, the best gig i have ever attended.
For one night only, Richard, Bill, Mike, Bruce, Jamie and Jane owned Dunfermline, the atmosphere was like nothing i had ever experienced in Dunfermline before, it was electric.
Thanks to Michael Jobson, Elaine and I were given the VIP treatment and watched the show from one of the boxes alongside Bill's wife, Tracy, and Mike's wife, Gill.Now, at most gigs, its usually the front 2 or 3 rows that are bouncing, not tonight, the whole venue was jumping!
I remember looking across to the balcony at times and thinking, fuck me, i hope it dosn't fall down, it was mental and a reminder of what a special band the Skids were and what they mean to their loyal fans.
I have to say, Skids Live 2010 DVD captures this perfectly.At the aftershow party, Mike Baillie presented me with his drum sticks used on the night, very bashed and I treasure them, many thanks Mike.
I attended the premiere of the dvd at the Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline on the 31st October, and to be honest, I wasn't to sure what to make of it, a weird night, probably just the way i was feeling on the night.
I have since watched it several times in the comfort of my own home (and on a better home cinema than the Carnegie Hall has to offer, it was shite imo) and I love it, you will too.
Will we ever see the Skids play again..........................?
To purchase Skids Live 2010 please Click Here
The Essence of a Live Gig by Richard Jobson
The event was a week long celebration of the different aspects of my work in my home county Fife in the East of Scotland.
The gig was the finale to a week of cinema workshops and talks including an on stage interview conducted by the crime novelist Ian Rankin about my life and work.
As a team we didn’t have long to plan how to shoot the various events. We kind of just arrived in Scotland and made it up as we went along.
This is not how I normally work and being more of a control freak made this improvised approach a bit of a worry.
We had three 5D MkIIs and a 7D with a variety of prime lenses as well as Zacuto rigs and follow focus.
Live gigs in the music industry are one of the only ways of making money, they want to record the gigs and can’t afford big productions but still want cool and effective images that capture the live vibe.
The second night was all about the occasion. A large sold out venue with an enthusiastic crowd meant that we needed to turn the cameras the other way. The great thing was that the audience thought of them as stills cameras so paid little attention to them being pointed in their face.
In the edit we used the multi-take option in Final Cut Pro to look through the footage simultaneously and we were constantly amazed at how we never saw the other cameras at any point. It was a real breakthrough.
How many times have you watched your favourite band on TV at an event like Glastonbury and been disappointed to see camera teams all over the stage? This doesn’t happen using HDSLRs, you just don’t see them.
The whole experience was invigorating, a new way of working and another feather in the cap of convergence.
It’s now a style I’ll take into my next movie project: HELTER SKELTER. Mulit-cam shooting, various angles covered with small discreet cameras using wonderful glass on the front.
I can’t quite put into words how this changes the game for me. I’ve been working with small budgets on all my movies but always tried to create something visually arresting – now I can really do it for even smaller sums of money and most importantly retain control.
To buy Skids Live 2010 CLICK HERE
Bruce and Jamie set to light up the town
From today's Dunfermline Press
By Gary Fitzpatrick Click here for original source
Bruce and Jamie Watson will launch their home town festive season in style when they play at Christmas lights switch-on this Sunday.
Jamie didn’t start playing the guitar until he was into his early teens but made quick progress and went on stage for the first time when the Skids got back together at the Glen Pavilion in 2007 then a few days later was playing T in the Park with them.
Looking back to his early days on the guitar, Jamie said, “My pal played - Michael from the Modern Faces - and I used to listen to him and he showed me a few chords.
“Then my dad would come back home from touring and he would show me a few things to try as well.
“It was great to get up and play with the Skids again at the Carnegie Hall last month and earlier this year at the Alhambra was an amazing night.
Bruce said, “Playing alongside Jamie came about by accident, it wasn’t planned. After Big Country finished, I had retired from the music business.
“I had been away touring and recording when the kids were growing up and had been planning to take things easy after that. Just sit in the house with the slippers on.
“But then Jamie would have the guitar around his neck from first thing in the morning until last thing at night.
“We started doing some stuff together and they sounded quite interesting as instrumentals and I thought we could put some lyrics to them. Then the record label which once put out releases by The Who and Hendrix heard it and said we think you should record it.”
The album ‘Another Anthem for the Damned’ was released earlier this year on Track Records now run by former Big Country manager Ian Grant.
Bruce co-founded Big Country with Stuart Adamson, and co-wrote their biggest hits, including ‘In A Big Country’, ‘Fields of Fire’, ‘Chance’ and ‘Wonderland’.
He is now looking forward to the band getting back together for a tour which starts in Glasgow on Hogmanay and runs until April taking in London, Manchester, Belfast and Dublin on the way.
Bruce admitted, “Playing with Big Country is something I didn’t think I’d do again. We played a few gigs as a three-piece in 2007 for our 25th anniversary and I thought that would be it.
“But with the way things went so well with the Skids re-union, the guys thought ‘Maybe we could give it a go again’ and I’m really looking forward to it because they’re great guys and I miss playing with them.
“The Alhambra on 2nd January should be quite a night as the Pars are playing the Rovers that day and I’m sure a lot of guys will be going there and then on to the gig.
“It’s hard to look ahead and say how things will be and how you’ll feel on the night but I think it’s all rock ‘n’ roll and we want it to be a celebration of Big Country’s music.”
Susan Hughes, chief executive of Dunfermline Delivers, said, “This is really exciting news and will be sure to have the whole place rocking as we switch on the Christmas lights.
By Gary Fitzpatrick Click here for original source
The Dunfermline father and son rockers have enjoyed a successful year, playing memorable gigs with the Skids and bringing out their first album together.
The lights invitation is the icing on the Christmas cake and still to come is a New Year tour with the re-formed Big Country including a much-anticipated gig at the Alhambra.
The Watsons will entertain the crowd from 5.15 to 5.45pm ahead of the arrival of the star of the show, Santa, for the all-important switch-on.
Bruce laughed, “I’ve opened for many acts in my time from Bob Dylan to the Rolling Stones but never for the man in the big red suit!”
Jamie told the Press, “I can’t wait. There should be a good crowd there and it’s always a big occasion.”
Jamie didn’t start playing the guitar until he was into his early teens but made quick progress and went on stage for the first time when the Skids got back together at the Glen Pavilion in 2007 then a few days later was playing T in the Park with them.
Looking back to his early days on the guitar, Jamie said, “My pal played - Michael from the Modern Faces - and I used to listen to him and he showed me a few chords.
“Then my dad would come back home from touring and he would show me a few things to try as well.
“It was great to get up and play with the Skids again at the Carnegie Hall last month and earlier this year at the Alhambra was an amazing night.
Bruce said, “Playing alongside Jamie came about by accident, it wasn’t planned. After Big Country finished, I had retired from the music business.
“I had been away touring and recording when the kids were growing up and had been planning to take things easy after that. Just sit in the house with the slippers on.
“But then Jamie would have the guitar around his neck from first thing in the morning until last thing at night.
“We started doing some stuff together and they sounded quite interesting as instrumentals and I thought we could put some lyrics to them. Then the record label which once put out releases by The Who and Hendrix heard it and said we think you should record it.”
The album ‘Another Anthem for the Damned’ was released earlier this year on Track Records now run by former Big Country manager Ian Grant.
Bruce co-founded Big Country with Stuart Adamson, and co-wrote their biggest hits, including ‘In A Big Country’, ‘Fields of Fire’, ‘Chance’ and ‘Wonderland’.
He is now looking forward to the band getting back together for a tour which starts in Glasgow on Hogmanay and runs until April taking in London, Manchester, Belfast and Dublin on the way.
Bruce admitted, “Playing with Big Country is something I didn’t think I’d do again. We played a few gigs as a three-piece in 2007 for our 25th anniversary and I thought that would be it.
“But with the way things went so well with the Skids re-union, the guys thought ‘Maybe we could give it a go again’ and I’m really looking forward to it because they’re great guys and I miss playing with them.
“The Alhambra on 2nd January should be quite a night as the Pars are playing the Rovers that day and I’m sure a lot of guys will be going there and then on to the gig.
“It’s hard to look ahead and say how things will be and how you’ll feel on the night but I think it’s all rock ‘n’ roll and we want it to be a celebration of Big Country’s music.”
Susan Hughes, chief executive of Dunfermline Delivers, said, “This is really exciting news and will be sure to have the whole place rocking as we switch on the Christmas lights.
“I can’t think of a better addition to the Dunfermline Live! programme than to have a local hero like Bruce, known all over the world, come with his son, Jamie, to help us get the festive season started. We can’t thank him enough.”
Also appearing on Sunday in the parade before the switch-on are Jonathan Cairney and the Royal Burgh of Inverkeithing Pipe Band.
Adamson Adulation
From todays Dunfermline Press by Matt Meade Click here for original source
ON a drab Monday night in October 1977 London punk icons The Clash brought their ‘Get Out of Control’ tour to Dunfermline. Support that night came from French female band The Lous and New York’s Richard Hell and the Voidoids.
But it was unknown local teens The Skids and guitarist Stuart Adamson, from the comparatively unglamourous Crossgates, onstage just five minutes after doors opened at the Kinema Ballroom, who struck awe into 14- year-old Allan Glen.
Since then, the former NME journalist has followed the career path of Adamson who became singer of Big Country, a band who went on to sell an astonishing 10 million albums globally.
Allan was only allowed to “tag along” to that formative gig with his big brother Bryan and his friends on instructions of their parents.
Recalling the night, in which he describes Adamson and singer Richard Jobson as “thunder and lightning” he said, “It was the first show I went to in my whole life and to this day it’s still the best show I’ve ever seen.
“It’s a cliché, but it was absolutely life changing.”
Allan, brought up in Dunfermline's McClelland Crescent, has now written what will become the definitive biography of his hero.And he’s not the only one who holds Adamson in adulation.
Fellow fan James Dean Bradfield of the Manic Street Preachers wrote the book’s foreword while crime author Ian Rankin writes the introduction.
U2 and Green Day, arguably two of the biggest bands in the world, collaborated on a cover of the Skids ‘The Saints are Coming’ in 2006.
Bruce Springsteen called Adamson “The real deal”.Another fan is Blur’s Graham Coxon.
Allan said, “While Bruce Watson (Big Country guitarist) was recording the Buffalo Skinners album he bumped into Coxon in 1993 during the Blur’s Modern Life is Rubbish era.
“Coxon told Watson, ‘I used to have a sticker of you on my guitar!’. He’s a massive fan and that’s a lovely little story.
“When people think of Stuart and Big Country they think of the eighties but often forget that they are so influential on bands today.
“The music has been an influence on the Manics, Oasis, Arcade Fire, Franz Ferdiand, Kaiser Chiefs, even the Stone Roses.
"The music is still relevant and that’s a huge testament to Stuart Adamson’s talents.” Alan’s research led him to pore over the Press archives.He said, “Looking through the archives was bittersweet.
“You see Stuart Adamson, the Skids and Big Country develop throughout the years and, as a writer, you want to follow that path right up till now with the legacy of the band.
"Here was a teenager from Crossgates who became a global success and it’s a wonderful testament to Scottish culture.”Adamson took his own life in a hotel room in Honolulu in 2001.
Though that life was cut tragically short, Allan’s book is a fitting tribute to a man whose musical legacy will live on for years to come.
Stuart Adamson: In A Big Country by Allan Glen (Polygon), £14.99 hardback, is available at Waterstone's Dunfermline
But it was unknown local teens The Skids and guitarist Stuart Adamson, from the comparatively unglamourous Crossgates, onstage just five minutes after doors opened at the Kinema Ballroom, who struck awe into 14- year-old Allan Glen.
Since then, the former NME journalist has followed the career path of Adamson who became singer of Big Country, a band who went on to sell an astonishing 10 million albums globally.
Allan was only allowed to “tag along” to that formative gig with his big brother Bryan and his friends on instructions of their parents.
Recalling the night, in which he describes Adamson and singer Richard Jobson as “thunder and lightning” he said, “It was the first show I went to in my whole life and to this day it’s still the best show I’ve ever seen.
“It’s a cliché, but it was absolutely life changing.”
Allan, brought up in Dunfermline's McClelland Crescent, has now written what will become the definitive biography of his hero.And he’s not the only one who holds Adamson in adulation.
Fellow fan James Dean Bradfield of the Manic Street Preachers wrote the book’s foreword while crime author Ian Rankin writes the introduction.
U2 and Green Day, arguably two of the biggest bands in the world, collaborated on a cover of the Skids ‘The Saints are Coming’ in 2006.
Bruce Springsteen called Adamson “The real deal”.Another fan is Blur’s Graham Coxon.
Allan said, “While Bruce Watson (Big Country guitarist) was recording the Buffalo Skinners album he bumped into Coxon in 1993 during the Blur’s Modern Life is Rubbish era.
“Coxon told Watson, ‘I used to have a sticker of you on my guitar!’. He’s a massive fan and that’s a lovely little story.
“When people think of Stuart and Big Country they think of the eighties but often forget that they are so influential on bands today.
“The music has been an influence on the Manics, Oasis, Arcade Fire, Franz Ferdiand, Kaiser Chiefs, even the Stone Roses.
"The music is still relevant and that’s a huge testament to Stuart Adamson’s talents.” Alan’s research led him to pore over the Press archives.He said, “Looking through the archives was bittersweet.
“You see Stuart Adamson, the Skids and Big Country develop throughout the years and, as a writer, you want to follow that path right up till now with the legacy of the band.
"Here was a teenager from Crossgates who became a global success and it’s a wonderful testament to Scottish culture.”Adamson took his own life in a hotel room in Honolulu in 2001.
Though that life was cut tragically short, Allan’s book is a fitting tribute to a man whose musical legacy will live on for years to come.
Stuart Adamson: In A Big Country by Allan Glen (Polygon), £14.99 hardback, is available at Waterstone's Dunfermline
No Bad Films
The faithful met up for pre-show drinks at The City Hotel, Dunfermline and were joined by Skids legend Bill Simpson and wife Tracy, always a pleasure and great company,then off to the Carnegie Hall.
The show opened with Bruce and Jamie's cool song "When Cathedrals were all white in Amsterdam" then Richard, Jane and The Gospel Truth Choir took to the stage and performed an excellent acoustic versions of Into the Valley, The Saints are Coming, Fields, Dulce et Decorum Est.
My highlight of the night was the very touching version of "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda".
I thought Richard's vocals were brilliant on this song, maybe helped along with his recently contracted "Abbeyview Lurgy".
My only disappointment was no Bill Simpson or Mike Baillie on stage.....very disappointing indeed.
The DVD was then shown, good stuff, with the Skids on top form, but intercut with interviews with Richard which, for me, seemed to spoil the flow of the gig, an opinion shared by a few of the troops along with the exclusion of classic tracks, Out of Town, Grey Parade, Open Sound, Castles in Spain and that song, TV Stars. (Thank god for bootlegs!)
I am told that these tracks will be included in a CD of the concerts in the near future.
I guess as a fan, i wanted it all, and then some......................
The band also kindly signed copies of the DVD but unfortunately, Richard was unable to make it to the aftershow, probably had to rush of to find 24 hour chemist for some flu remedies.........
All in, a fantastic night and good to eventually have an "official" Skids concert on DVD and here's hoping the event raised a few pounds for the Help for Heroes Charity.
The Skids Live 2010 DVD contains the following tracks
Animation
Of One Skin
Melancholy Soldiers
Thanatos
Yankee Dollar
The Saints Are Coming
Scared To Dance
Charles
The Olympian
Hurry On Boys
Charade
A Woman In Winter
Circus Games
Masquerade
Into The Valley
Fields
The DVD also includes interviews with Richard and footage from the Fifer Festival 2010
Produced and directed by Richard Jobson
Edited by Steven Sander
DVD sleeve notes are by Tim Barr
The Skids Live 2010 will be released November 22nd 2010.
To pre-order Click Here
Skids swansong for Dunfermline DVD launch?
The memorable Skids home town concert at the Alhambra in March has been captured on film and will be released at a special launch event.
The fund-raiser for the 'Help for Heroes' at the Carnegie Hall on 31st October will feature the first screening of the movie as well as an acoustic gig by the band, perhaps their last ever.
Those present in the packed audience will long remember the electric atmosphere as the Skids turned back the clock with a wonderful performance of hits such as 'Into the Valley', 'The Saints are Coming', 'Masquerade' and 'Yankee Dollar'.
The film is the work of Richard Jobson singer, film director and music video creator for artists such as Richard Ashcroft.
The Skids frontman told the Press, "You've probably heard it before but this could well be the last performance of the band. I start a new film soon and it's hard to see when will be able to get together again."
Looking back to the Alhambra concert, Richard said, "It was an incredible night. I can't remember a better atmosphere - ever. The vibe was just right and everybody was there to have a great time.
"It was just amazing to look out and see the faces. There were those who had been there from the beginning and some had brought their children and grandchildren in some cases.
"It was a great night and the end of the Fifer Festival week. I enjoyed being able to spend time with young people who were interested in a career in film-making and music.
"The legacy of the Skids is to encourage these young people to believe that if they want to do something then do it and not to listen to what anyone else says.
"We didn't get much encouragement when we started certainly from the older generation who either thought the whole thing was threatening or didn't like the music. But each generation comes along and has their own thing to say."
The Alhambra gig was captured using Canon 5D Mark II stills cameras which have hi-spec video capability and being compact gave the photographers great flexibility of movement.
The Skids DVD premiere and launch night on 31st October starts at 6pm and tickets are on sale priced £10. Prizes, including a signed guitar, will up for grabs in the raffle.
The fund-raiser for the 'Help for Heroes' at the Carnegie Hall on 31st October will feature the first screening of the movie as well as an acoustic gig by the band, perhaps their last ever.
Those present in the packed audience will long remember the electric atmosphere as the Skids turned back the clock with a wonderful performance of hits such as 'Into the Valley', 'The Saints are Coming', 'Masquerade' and 'Yankee Dollar'.
The film is the work of Richard Jobson singer, film director and music video creator for artists such as Richard Ashcroft.
The Skids frontman told the Press, "You've probably heard it before but this could well be the last performance of the band. I start a new film soon and it's hard to see when will be able to get together again."
Looking back to the Alhambra concert, Richard said, "It was an incredible night. I can't remember a better atmosphere - ever. The vibe was just right and everybody was there to have a great time.
"It was just amazing to look out and see the faces. There were those who had been there from the beginning and some had brought their children and grandchildren in some cases.
"It was a great night and the end of the Fifer Festival week. I enjoyed being able to spend time with young people who were interested in a career in film-making and music.
"The legacy of the Skids is to encourage these young people to believe that if they want to do something then do it and not to listen to what anyone else says.
"We didn't get much encouragement when we started certainly from the older generation who either thought the whole thing was threatening or didn't like the music. But each generation comes along and has their own thing to say."
The Alhambra gig was captured using Canon 5D Mark II stills cameras which have hi-spec video capability and being compact gave the photographers great flexibility of movement.
The Skids DVD premiere and launch night on 31st October starts at 6pm and tickets are on sale priced £10. Prizes, including a signed guitar, will up for grabs in the raffle.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
