2014 - An Inevitable Musical Enumeration 11 years ago
Posted in SHOFT on Friday 2nd January 2015 at 9:07am
It's been a long while since I could legitimately refer to myself as a Music Blogger. So long in fact, that a good number of the contacts I made back then have largely forgotten who I am and are focused on getting more active and prolific champions to notice their own next big projects. That's how music works, and in some ways I'm surprised it took such a long time to happen. One way I'm not forgotten though, is by the mailing lists of press people. This produces an endless queue of 'for review' items even now - often wildly badly targeted, almost exclusively pretty dreadful too. But once or twice, this historical status has landed a gem of an anticipated release in my lap - and I've felt almost guilty for eagerly downloading it, knowing the chances of me writing anything on it are vanishingly slim. So this post is as much an apology and a nod to those who've sent me good things during the year as it is a personal end-of-the-year list. This is after all, how my blogging began...
So in a pretty lean year when I've had to be very selective about where my money goes, what has been essential? Have I been more conservative - or still struck out into uncharted waters? Well, the content of my list is unashamedly focused on the Scottish music which has dominated my listening over the past decade for sure - but there are a few blasts from the past creeping in here too.
In no particularly sensible order, here is my list...
- Withered Hand - New Gods
- Thurston Moore - The Best Day
- King Creosote - From Scotland With Love
- Mogwai - Rave Tapes
- Book Group - Tantrums EP
- Mecca Normal - Empathy For The Evil
- Randolph's Leap - Clumsy Knot
- Paws - Youth Culture Forever
- Beerjacket - Darling Darkness
- Ex Hex - Rips
- Jonnie Common - Trapped In Amber
- The Twilight Sad - Nobody Wants To Be Here & Nobody Wants To Leave
- David Kilgour and The Heavy Eights - End Times Undone
- James Yorkston - The Cellardyke Recording and Wassailing Society
- John Knox Sex Club - Oh Wow Must Be The Devil
- The New Pornographers - Brill Bruisers
- The Son(s) - The Things I Love Are Not At Home
- White Heath - Out Of Angles EP
- Parquet Courts - Content Nausea
- Remember Remember - Forgetting The Present
- The Phantom Band - Strange Friend
- Meursault - The Organ Grinder's Monkey
- Ought - More Than Any Other Day
- RM Hubbert - The Ampersand Extras
- Bastard Mountain - Farewell, Bastard Mountain
Over the last few years, I've found myself deliberately revisiting some of the earliest rail trips I made in the 1990s. Partly, this is because the idea of comparing my hazy recollections of first impressions with how I'd view a place now is entertaining. The wide-eyed traveller of nearly twenty years ago, grateful for freedom and never imagining that I'd get very far along some of the lines on my rail map is a distant memory now. When my travelling was rekindled in late 2003 it was for similar reasons - a push for freedom, a wish to explore wider vistas - and a need to unravel some journeys from the past. However, some of these journeys have found their way into a repertoire which I'll nearly unconsciously repeat for comfort, familiarity or just the sense of movement. Liverpool has become one of these places.
So today, I popped out for a new year coffee. Nearly 200 miles from home I grant you, but after the unsatisfactory short hops of the illness clouded inter-holiday period I needed long, thoughtful journeys. In near identical circumstances last year I'd done the same thing - a late booking, the first train out from home, and a lazy trip to Birmingham and breakfast. After Bristol, there were just six passengers on the Voyager. I had the entirety of my favourite coach to myself. Bank Holidays can be tricky - empty like this, or suddenly rammed with shopping bags and students returning to distant universities. I enjoyed the quiet while I could, stretched my aching foot and coughed impolitely without fear of reprisals. New Street was busier, but still a little quiet. I watched the world go by over breakfast, realising just how good it was to be out and about. Back into the cavernous station and onto the waiting train for Liverpool. It had been cold and windy when I left, but now the sun was rising in a clear sky, and it was warm through the windows. Music on, I sank into my seat and thoroughly enjoyed the trip through Crewe and over the Mersey. Arriving at Lime Street nowadays is a joy - straight off the train onto the broad sweep of steps to the road, the skyline of the city ahead of you. Braved a longer walk than I've taken these last couple of weeks to get to my favourite spot for coffee. It was quiet, efficient and friendly just like I remember it from a couple of visits over the past year. I also recall my first visit - just like I sat here doing exactly a year before - a shameful, sorry time in many ways which has actually turned into a much better situation. I thanked my lucky stars and swigged strong coffee while a strange group pensioners assembled next to me. One at time they arrived - they obviously did this often - and chatted about their new year, the sales and the unpredictability of holiday period public transport. At one point, the sole female among them shushed her companions and nodded to indicate me. In a harsh scouse whisper she hissed "what's he doing? He's writing!". They kept pretty quiet after that - so who knows what they were planning.
Back to the station for a trip over to Manchester. I took a fast train at the risk of it being busy. It was, a little, but I found a decent seat and enjoyed the scud over the flat marshy Lancashire landscape of Chat Moss and one of my favourite views as Manchester builds from derelict edgelands into stepped brick towers and modern glass skyscrapers. Down to the main station, noting that the flat bit of the travelators had been switched off, presumably to save energy. Shamefully, this is one of the few escalator type devices I can use due to my terror, so I was sorry not to be able to. Out of the station into the bright, cold Piccadilly afternoon. I set off to wander and instantly thought I'd made a bad choice - my foot ached, and people were thundering around the place carelessly. I felt big, stupid and pointless in this monstrous retail jungle. A quick visit to W.H.Smiths to find that my beloved A6 casebound Black and Red notebook is apparently no more, then back to the station for more coffee in a nicely refurbished, but weirdly slow Starbucks which took forever to produce drinks.
The 17:05 was strangely quiet - in my coach at least, and despite "those standing in the vestibules" being urged to walk forward, few if any did. So, once again I had a relaxing sprawl home on one of my favourite trains, all the way to Bristol. It had been a day of fine music, a little reading, a little writing, lots of relaxing. I realised how much I needed these excursions - not for the first time and not for the last. Most of all, it was a day of remembering. Darker times on this route have often been offset by days like this one. Either way, it's good to have made my first trip of the year. I don't write here so often these days, and I'm sure when I do it's not interesting as all my thought's seem to funnel into Songs Heard on Fast Trains nowadays. This entry won't have helped - it's whimsical, a bit boring, a bit maudlin even. But there are days when only a good long blast on the train quite does it. Today was one of them.
As the final trips of last year were passing by, I began to wonder how to fill the early weeks of 2010. This time of year is always a little tricky as the preserved railway sector snoozes through it's off-season and railtour operators become somewhat risk-averse in planning anything unusual. Last year we had the bonus of lots of interesting changes in the timetable leading to new services, but this time around it's mostly down to me planning some trips to places familiar and perhaps less so to pass the time until things brighten up - both figuratively and meterologically!
But one change which did take place today affected travel in London significantly - the expansion of the Oyster pay as you go scheme to all National Rail stations. Thus the Oyster card is now just as flexible as a Travelcard, and means that travel - particularly to the south and north-east of the city is much, much simpler to do on a whim. So today's mission was to have no plan - to turn up in the capital on a complementary First Great Western ticket and to see where things went. There were of course a fair number of closures dotted around the city given the opportunity a long weekend of closure presents for major engineering. However, there was still enough to be sure of occupying myself. Decided not to take the easy and direct option, but to go for the early train via a change at Weston onto the 06:24. A smooth, drowsy trip east - finding myself woken by the sunshine around Didcot. As the sun rose, it promised to be a clear and cold day in London - probably perfect conditions from my perspective.
My first decision was to head south - primarily because it's south of the river which has always been hardest to get around and which should benefit most from Oyster PAYG being available. Firstly, had to negotiate the closed Circle Line via a change at Earls Court. Into Victoria in time for a coffee and breakfast - though both weren't quite how I'd ordered them. Wondered if this was somehow symbolic and today was going to be complicated and difficult? However, I tapped my Oyster card on the reader and found myself through and safely onboard a very lightly loaded eight-car set bound for Sutton. Due to closure around Crystal Palace this was going via Norbury. Despite the route being fairly well travelled, the bright sunshine on the city rooftops along with a day of wandering ahead made me feel relaxed, content and surprisingly happy. This almost never happens, and was clearly a sign that things wouldn't go to plan! At Sutton, planned to head back via the former-Thameslink route. This meant a brief wait, so wandered into the street and explored a bit before descending once again to the platforms to board a very tired looking 319371 bound for London Bridge via the meander into Wimbledon.
Arrival at the buffers at London Bridge heralded a search for a working toilet at this amazingly poorly-convenienced station! Finally back into the station feeling much better, and after grabbing a snack onto a train bound for East Croydon via Norbury Junction in the hope I could make the 12:10 Milton Keynes train. These services fascinate me with there complicate manoeuvres around Clapham Junction and their use of the lines around Acton and Willesden which have always been of great interest for some reason. Comfortably made the connection, and noted that the unit was surprisingly busy - likely with shoppers bound for Westfield. This was confirmed on arrival at Clapham where large crowds squeezed on, only to disperse again at Shepherds Bush. Relaxed and enjoyed the space for the remainder of the journey, taking the diving route under the West Coast Mainline and surfacing adjacent to Wembley Yard. Not much action here or at Willesden, but interesting move nonetheless. Decided to bail at Harrow and Wealdstone for a connection back to Euston. Also had a chance to look briefly around Wealdstone - a rather uninspiring spot, but happily good coffee was available back in the station. Soon on board a mixed pairing of 350/1 and 350/2 heading non-stop into Euston. Since the sun was still out, decided to make the next leg of the journey on foot, passing the British Library and grand St. Pancras on the way to Kings Cross - itself the subject of an ongoing, but as yet not very visible programme of improvements. The plan was to travel on a local service from the suburban platforms here, again new territory for Oyster. However, the staff here had largely abandoned the scheme, with the ticket gates left open. The advice given to a fellow passenger by a member of First Capital Connect staff was "not to touch out at the other end then" on observing this. Knowing how notoriously vicious I've heard Revenue Protection staff on FCC can be, I thought twice about travelling. However, curiousity overcame concern, and I soon found myself heading north near Finsbury Park, on route to Harringay.
The plan here was to make another foot transfer - from Harringay to Harringay Green Lanes station on the Gospel Oak to Barking line. This made the northern excursion a little more interesting, as otherwise it was a case of covering just part of the two branches out of Kings Cross. Instead I could cut across the north of the city, with some ideas forming about the next move into Fenchurch Street. However, this particular scheme was my undoing - although not at first, as my wander got me to Green Lanes in good time with even a short pause to take a snap of the New River on it's sluggish route into the City. At Green Lanes, I had a brief wait for a near empty 150120 - although as we headed for Barking things got busier. However, our station stops were getting longer and longer, and we were clearly losing time. As we left Wanstead Park it became clearer - there was a major signalling fault and the train would terminate at Woodgrange Park. Moreover it was unclear when services might resume. Trudged up the steps to Romford Road, planning to hit the buses, as the alternative rail service from nearby Manor Park was suspended for the works. However I hadn't bargained on the effect that the closure on the Great Eastern Lines would have, and several buses from Ilford passed by, clearly wedged to full capacity. I sulked in the cold shelter, telling an odd woman that I had no idea how to get Barking easily, and doing my best to help a young lady force her pram onto a heaving Oxford Circus bound 25.
After flagging a procession of 25s and 86s with faces and bodies pressed up against there steamy windows, several arrived at once meaning I could sneak onto a relatively empty 25. Considered my plans as we snaked south towards Stratford. With local rail options largely out of the window, I could bank on a very busy shuttle to Liverpool Street, or I could cover the Jubilee Line - something I need to do at some point. However, in mulling this over I missed the appropriate stop for Stratford bus station. I could of course have hopped off and walked back, but the weather and my innate laziness prevented this. Instead, decided to stay on the 25 as it travelled into the more familiar East End, via Bethnal Green and into Whitechapel. Noted lots of familiar sights as we headed into the sunset, the sky darkening almost by the minute. Not wishing to head into the City or the West End, hopped off outside the depressing hulk of the Royal London Hospital and boarded a following 205 as far as Liverpool Street. After a much needed refreshment break, tried to decide what to do. There were Oyster options from here too, but with the closures and being aware of how tricky getting back to Paddington would be if I didn't get back around to the southern reaches of the Circle, I decided to flag these. Instead, hopped on another 205 heading West and enjoyed a familiar winter bus journey back to Paddington via Moorgate, Angel and Marylebone. I've become attached to this trip during previous closures and tonight was no exception. However, it did mean an earlier arrival than planned at Paddington. Noted a surprising Police presence at the station and decided to lie low upstairs with a Coffee. A wander around later confirmed that a football match was the cause of the concern, and I watched one or two loud but mostly good natured fans get a warning from the BTP on appearing at the top of the underground stairs. Stuck to my planned 19:00 train as I imagined most of the fans would have dispersed by then.
The journey home was strange - a little dull being in the dark again after such a fine day on the rails. The presence of a few straggling fans heading back to Chippenham was mildly diverting at first, but as we slowed to an unexpected halt at Wooton Bassett and failed to budge an inch for the next 40 minutes they became more and more angry and menacing. The Polish train manager though dealt well with the group, and happily nothing major occurred. Some further frustrating delays as we let the 21:13 Voyager pass by at Bedminster, and waited at Weston for a northbound train to clear the single line. The first excursion of the year was a strange mixture - some fine weather and interesting travels - by rail and unexpectedly also by bus - but a strangely muted ending thanks to delays and me brooding on work and future trips as we waited. Perhaps I should resolve to stop worrying and get on with it this year? In any case, it was good to get out and about, and to kick of the year with a varied and interesting dash around London.
First trip of the year, and a much needed opportunity to get out and about. The plan was to explore Northampton a little. Set out on what would be my normal commuter service, travelling to Weston to rebook for Northampton. Time for a quick chat with staff at Weston before heading out in dry but misty conditions for Birmingham. Excellent running all the way, but limited success at getting my GPS receiver to work on the train. Arrived at New Street to find the London end closed entirely, with the station being worked as a terminus. Things were running suprisingly smoothly given the frequency and complexity of movements involved. Spent a little while watching things, before buying food and heading off to locate my service for Northampton.
This was also my first chance to sample the new Class 350 'Desiro' units. I'm not clear what sort of unit they're actually meant to be? Are they running commuter services for Central or providing the ex-Virgin inter-city service to Liverpool? They end up doing rather well at a combination of both, stopping everywhere from Northampton to Birmingham, then heading up the West Coast Main Line to the North West. Luckily they are surprisingly comfortable and spacious units which seem capable of speedy acceleration, and are incredibly quiet. An improvement on the rather tired ex-Silverlink 321s which previous operated the service to Northampton.
Due to the closure, out of New Street via the Stour Valley, follwed by a quick right turn at Soho South Junction. Another right-hander at Perry Barr and onto the freight-only chord for Stechford - a bit of new track for me, and a good start to the bashing year! Weather deteriorating into a damp, drizzly and dark afternoon. On crossing the green and sickly looking River Nene and arriving at a very depressing looking Northampton, decided that exploration wasn't a good idea as I'd form a very bad opinion of the place due to the prevailing conditions. Instead, rebooked again and boarded a Silverlink unit for Milton Keynes, which would enable me to complete the loop of track to Hanslope Junction, which I'd omitted to do over a decade ago and had no need or opportunity to cover since! Milton Keynes perhaps even more depressing than Northampton, so after a coffee and a wander around the bleak and windswept square outside the station I headed back for the next unit up to Northampton. This highlighted the silliness of splitting the London Euston-Birmingham New Street stopping service. Why operate two separate halves of what was previously a successful single service? It's all of course down to inter-operator politics and the seemingly random whim of the Strategic Rail Authority.
Arrived back at New Street a little late, but noted that my planned connection was also around 25 late, allowing comfortable time for a connection. As the situation developed, it appeared that the 6V36 Lackenby-Margam freight working had expired at Bordesley Junction. So concerned were Virgin at the one line into New Street from the north being blocked, that they volunteered 57307 'Lady Penelope' to assist. The only slight problem with this laudable effort was that she wasn't quite up to the job, causing further delays and much embarassment! Massive confusion at New Street, particularly with what promised to be a dangerously overloaded Cambridge-bound service. Central Trains thoughtfully provided an additional train in this case.
With 6V36 safely tucked in at Saltley, things began to move. Debated waiting for the following Plymouth service, but in the event squeezed on to the 16:33 service - now delayed by 95 minutes. Lucky that I did, as the following services became snarled up at New Street and ran even later. Arrived at Temple Meads around 17:30 with the next connection to Highbridge not leaving until 20:55. Tried to persuade Virgin that it was their job to get me home, to no avail. A chilly and boring end to an otherwise interesting day.
Lost::MikeGTN
I've had a home on the web for more years than I care to remember, and a few kind souls persuade me it's worth persisting with keeping it updated. This current incarnation of the site is centred around the blog posts which began back in 1999 as 'the daylog' and continued through my travels and tribulations during the following years.
I don't get out and about nearly as much these days, but I do try to record significant events and trips for posterity. You may also have arrived here by following the trail to my former music blog Songs Heard On Fast Trains. That content is preserved here too.
